At last, something to go with the Fremont Lenin statue!

[img]http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/a1subpic22_0521173320.jpeg[/img]

Sightseers in Elliott Bay get a glimpse of a former Russian submarine as it is towed to Pier 48, where it will be open for tours. The diesel- and electric-powered sub carried a crew of 80 and was capable of launching nuclear missiles. It is now owned by Submarine Attractions of Seattle.

[url]http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134459086_sub22m.html[/url]

[b]Russian sub surfaces as Seattle attraction[/b]

By Lynn Thompson
Seattle Times staff reporter

A 1972 Soviet Foxtrot submarine, a legacy of Cold War spying and nuclear brinkmanship, is docked at Pier 48 in Seattle and will open for public tours sometime next week.

The submarine's ominous black conning tower could be spotted in Puget Sound over the past month, as the sub was under tow to Tacoma from Victoria, B.C., where it had been on display for 18 months, and then again as it was towed into Elliott Bay on Monday.

The submarine's 22 torpedoes, which could be fitted with "low yield" nuclear warheads, probably were never fired in combat, said Patrick Householder, president of the Seattle chapter of the United States Submarine Veterans. Members of the veterans group have helped in the restoration and will lead tours when the sub opens to the public.

The boat, known in the Russian fleet as the U-641, carried out search and surveillance missions until it was decommissioned in 1994. Its log shows that its crew once trailed a Canadian destroyer off Victoria.

Submarine Attractions, a company based in Seattle, purchased the sub in Vladivostok and towed it to Canada, where it underwent a $1 million restoration before spending a month in Tacoma for cleaning.

In its heyday, the Foxtrot-class submarines were the workhorses of the Soviet underwater fleet.

Householder was a 19-year-old electrician's mate on the U.S. counterpart of the Russian sub on the eve of the Cuban missile crisis. His submarine was cruising toward the naval blockade of Havana when it detected a Russian submarine and trailed it for a day and a half.

The Foxtrot sub, given the more warlike name Cobra by its new owners, was a "good war fighter," Householder said. But it had an Achilles' heel.

"It was noisy, and U.S. sonar capability was excellent. We didn't have much trouble finding them," he said.

If the submarine's distinctive black profile conjures images of Cold War spy thrillers, the interior is more grim Soviet realism, with cast-iron toilets, tin sinks and bunks crammed between engines and valve wheels.

The submarine's command center and periscope, trained on the Colman ferry terminal nearby, is illuminated by red bulbs to preserve night vision as it would be if the sub were under way.

Round hatches, 3 feet in diameter, link the submarine's forward and aft torpedo rooms, battery compartments, motor room and command post. Two cooks in a 4- by 10-foot galley served up food for 80 officers and crew members. The Soviet submarine had no mess, so sailors had to carry their food back to their station or bunk.

The Foxtrot submarines could dive to 185 feet and stay underwater up to four days. The combination of close quarters and airless compartments meant the navy had to carefully screen prospective crew members.

"Submarine service was definitely not for everyone," Householder said.

A tour of the Russian submarine may not be for everyone, either.

Stan Sherman, president of Submarine Attractions, said subs may have a unique appeal.

"I'm not suggesting that it's a guy thing, but men do have a degree of curiosity about subs."

Sherman said he hopes to moor the Russian Foxtrot at Pier 48 for several years. Tours will be $10 for adults and $6 for children and seniors.

Lynn Thompson can be reached at 206-464-2922 or [email protected].

I knew I was surrounded by kommie pinko sympathizers......


First they protest a US Naval Submarine.....

[url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0024/impolitics-parrish.shtml]Protest Pinkos Press[/url]


Then they want to make money off a Kommie Sub....


Some peoples kids....



I knew they were screwy when I saw them protest World Trade......Then jump into VW's, Toyotas and Audis.....Left wing morons....

185 ft?? that has to be 185 meter or fathoms. WWII U-Boats could go 200 plus meters under.

Airless compartments?? How do they "screen" people to work there?

Navy Guy: Comrade you know you won't be able to breathe for days at a time if you are selected as a submariner??

Recruit: Da, when I was growing up, my family was so lazy the collective wouldn't let us have air for weeks at a time. It will be no problem, as long as I get plenty of Vodka.

I would like to see that? what automobile do you drive CAVVET just curious? not taking sides[}:D]

You would like to see what????


I drive a Chevy (Currently under Lemon Law proceedings).

Not taking what sides?

Bipolar???


Edited to add, I have owned [b]one[/b] car in my life non-American made. A Renault LeCar I bought in college for a song & a dance. I still suffer capitalist buyers remorse from this kommie sellout of my youth.

Good catch !
Actually the Foxtrot's operational depth was about 400 feet.

I operated against bunches of Foxtrot's - pretty fair sub.  One of the things the Soviets tried with the Foxtrot was to use them in groups of four to hunt U.S. missile boats.  LOL !!

The Kilo is the modern day descendant of the Foxtrot and is a really rotten little adversary.  When on batteries these things are exceedingly difficult to find but when they come up to snorkel and recharge batteries you can kill them.

Makes you wonder what else is up for sale what with the rows and rows of rotting and derelict vessels.  

What else do you want????

[url=http://www.rusarm.ru/main.htm]Russian Military Stuff For Sale[/url]

Kinda like how they now all have American flag stickers/emblems on their foreign brand cars.

The Foxtrot subs, built under Project 641, were the last mass produced diesel boats built in the Soviet Union.  About 75 of the boats were built between 1961 and 1979.  Many were exported and some may still remain in service with other countries like Libya but they are almost certainly being replaced by Kilo class now.

The boats were diesel electric, with three engines providing juice to a large battery for use by three electric motors on three shafts.  The big storage cells provided the Foxtrot with a relatively long submerged capability of up to four days (at creep speeds).  Each shaft had a six bladed screw.  The hull was 7/8 HTS that gave the boat an operating depth in excess of 300 meters.

Operationally, these boats were found all over the world...wherever the Soviet Navy was found.  They were well known among USN sonar techs for their characteristically loud, easily cavitating six-bladed screws and an occasional singing shaft.

The boats had a large weapons capacity and usually carried a mix of two or three different types of torpedos, including a nominal load of two with nuclear warheads.  None of the Foxtrots had missiles as part of their weapons inventory.  There was no where to put them.  Most modern subs can carry missiles like Harpoon or Tomahawk in either the torpedo tubes or in dedicated tubes built into the forward ballast tanks.  Not so in 1961.  There is no evidence of those boats ever being back-fitted either since by the time cruise missiles became operational aboard subs, the world's fleets were filled with much more modern boats capable of carrying the missiles in question.  Finally, there is no place in the Foxtrot to put ballistic missiles either.  In some of the old Soviet boats, like the Golf class, the missiles could be carried in the elongated sail.  Not in this boat.

All in all...a pretty good adversary for the mid-Cold War period.

[soapbox]

Is that the same sub that was on Ebay a few years ago?  I think it was offered for $2 million to start with no "real" bids made.  Then it was offered @   http://subexpo.com/