Sierra I
The first hull, Karp, was laid down in May 1982 at the Gorky shipyard and was launched in August 1983 before being transferred to Severodvinsk for fitting out. It was laid up in 1987. The next hull to be built was the Kostroma, which was launched in July 1986 and was commissioned in September 1987. K-276 Kostroma was put into a drydock after its February 11, 1992 collision with USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689). The submarine was repaired on 29 June 1992 and was renamed Krab, but in 1996 its original name was returned and it is still in service with the Russian Northern fleet. The Sierra I class was also fitted with a releasable escape pod for the crew. The pod is covered by a V shaped casing on the port side of the sail.
Soviet titanium technology was far in advance of the West's, requiring fewer passes to achieve weld at the disadvantage of the cost of each hull which limits numbers built despite the advantages of greater depths and underwater speed. This was clearly shown in the Sierra class.
Submarines in class:
- B-239 Carp - commissioned 1987, removed from service
- B-276 Kostroma - commissioned Sep 1987, active
Read more about this topic: Sierra Class Submarine