Project 940 "Lenok"

India class

Equipped with two deep submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV), the India class submarine was designed to locate submarines in distress and to rescue the distressed submarines crew. The India was fitted with medical facilities and decompression chambers that allow the submarine to treat several dozen individuals at a time. The DSRVs can dive to 500-1,000 meters and rescue crews by docking with the escape hatch of a submarine. India class submarines could also be used in salvage operations.

Lazurit designed the Poseidon class DSRVs used by the Russian Navy. Four operational and one experimental models were built. The DSRVs operate in pairs, generally carried onboard an India class submarine. They are capable of launch and recovery while the submarine is submerged. The normal navy procedure is for the crew of a downed submarine to escape by locking out at depths down to 120 m. Beyond this depth, to a maximum of 500 m, the DSRVs are used. The vehicles can carry twenty-four passengers and a crew of three.

Both units are no longer be operational, having been placed in reserve around 1990 and scrapped in 1995.

Specifications

Designation:

Project 940 'Lenok'

NATO Code 'India'

Designer

Builder Komsomol'sk Shipyard, Komsomol'sk-na-Amur

Displacement (tons):

3,900 tons surfaced

4,800-6,840 tons submerged

Speed (kts):

11.5-15 knots dived

15 knots surfaced

Dimension (meters):

106 meters long

9.7 meters beam

10 meters draft

Propulsion:

2 diesel-electric 4,000 (shp)

2 propulsion motors - 3,500 (shp)

Propulsion: 2 propellers

Endurance: 45 days

Diving Depth:

240 meters operational

300 meters maximum

Crew: 94

Electronics

General puropse detection radar

Active/passive sonar

2 periscopes

Other Deep submergence rescue vehicles