History
K-222 was laid down on December 28, 1963 and commissioned on December 31, 1969, at Severodvinsk. She was assigned to the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet for the duration of her career. She was the world's fastest submarine, reaching a record submerged speed of 44.7 kn (51.4 mph; 82.8 km/h) on trials. Her unofficial maximum speed, reached 30 March 1971, is 44.85 kn (51.61 mph; 83.06 km/h). However, K-222's high speed came at the price of high costs during construction, and both excessive noise and significant damage to external hull features when used.
Though officially named, within the Soviet Navy the boat was commonly referred to as the "Golden Fish", in reference to her cost of development and construction.
On September 30, 1980, one of K-222's nuclear reactors was damaged during maintenance in the shipyard. By 1988, she was placed in reserve at the Belomorsk Naval Base in Severodvinsk. Beginning on 5 March 2010 the boat was dismantled at Sevmash, the only facility capable of handling the titanium hull. In an unusual move, the scrapping was performed with the reactors and nuclear fuel still on board, as no provisions had been made in the design for the reactor's removal. The scrapping also began before the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) chose an international consultant for the fuel's unloading.
Read more about this topic: Soviet Submarine K-222
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