America and Russia have long been fighting in almost all areas of activity. The arms race is a constant companion of the rivalry between countries. For many years, it was not possible to identify the absolute leader. Superiority in the sector of the military industry is constantly moving from one state to another. In such a specific industry as the submarine fleet, the United States currently ranks first.
However, this was not always the case; in Soviet times, the domestic manufacturer held the palm. Thanks to the powerful base created by Soviet designers, even at this stage in the base of the Russian fleet there are such exceptional specimens that have no analogues in the whole world. So after all, whose submarine fleet is stronger - Russia or the United States? Who is the winner in the race - Russianexclusivity or American technicality.
The first submarine project
Comparison, whose submarine fleet is stronger (Russia or the United States), began in the eighteenth century. Then the subject of the dispute was the first military submarine. For a long time they could not decide who became the very first developer of such a device.
The designer and tester of the very first submarine was Cornelius Drebbel. This is a physicist and mechanic from Holland. He tested his development on the River Thames. The ship was a boat. She was upholstered in oil-soaked leather. Management and movement was carried out thanks to the oars. They protruded a short distance into the underwater space. The crew could include three officers and twelve rowers. According to historical data, King James I was present at the trials. The technical characteristics of the built vessel allowed it to stay in the underwater space for several hours. The diving depth limit was five meters.
But further development was interrupted by Drebbel's death. His follower and continuer of ideas was another scientist from France, who wrote a practical guide to building submarines. According to his recommendations, the boat should be made of metal (mainly copper), shaped like a fish, but the edges should be pointed. It is not necessary to improve this device in terms of dimensions.
Development of rival countries
Comparisonthe submarine fleet of Russia and the United States begins with the first devices. In addition, they were built with a difference of half a century. This gives the right to say that the beginning of the history of the submarine fleet in both countries is approximately the same.
The modern submarine fleet of Russia owes much to its compatriot Efim Nikonov, from whose ship the development of technologies and methods of building submarines began. It was a simple carpenter from the village of Pokrovskoye near Moscow. He wanted to bring his development to life and sent a petition to Peter I, in which he proposed a submarine project. The idea of a secret vessel that would be capable of smashing enemy ships attracted the king very much. On his orders, Nikonov appeared in St. Petersburg and began building the apparatus. The project was implemented in three years. Peter I personally attended the first tests. Soon, while finalizing and improving the project, the talented carpenter adapted powder flamethrowers to the ship. The king, seeing such successes, offered to start building a similar vessel of a larger configuration. But only Peter I saw the prospect in this matter, and after his death, the development of underwater space ceased. The unfinished boat rotted in the shed.
Process improvement in production
Comparison of the submarine fleet of Russia and the United States is impossible without mentioning the achievements of scientists and engineers, the development of which became the basis of modern activity. For the first time this project was put into production in the thirty-fourth year of the nineteenth century. The project manager was K. A. Schilder, who was a military engineer by education.
The design of the vessel included special strokes, with the help of which the apparatus was moved under water. During their development, the principle of bionics was taken, that is, the laws of nature were taken into account to create technical equipment. In this case, the engineer drew attention to the structure of the crow's feet. Such devices were placed in pairs on both sides of the body. In order to launch such "legs", it was necessary to make the efforts of rowing sailors. It was very inconvenient, because with the incredible efforts of the crew, the speed was not too impressive. It could develop up to a maximum of half a kilometer per hour. In order to improve this process and make it more productive and efficient at a lower cost, the project manager planned to use electrical devices. But the development of this industry went by leaps and bounds, and this greatly hampered the introduction of new ideas.
The boat was of military design. It was armed with missile launchers. Numerous problems nullified this idea, and work on the modernization of the vessel was stopped.
The use of the engine in the submarine fleet
The next stage in the development of the submarine fleet is the introduction of engines into the design of ships. The inventor I. F. Alexandrovsky was the first to come to such a decision. To implement his idea, he chose a motor running on compressed air. The inventor brought his idea to life. According to his project,a boat. But the project itself was not particularly successful, as productivity still left much to be desired. The engine allowed a speed of one and a half knots to swim only three miles.
Success in the implementation of this idea was achieved only by another Russian inventor S. K. Dzhevetsky. Comparison of the submarine fleet of Russia and the United States gives the right to say that at this stage, Russian inventors made a breakthrough, because Dzhevetsky installed an engine on his boat that powered the battery. At that time, there were no analogues in the world for such a ship that could move from electricity. At the same time, the device could develop a speed of four knots.
Postovy boat was built according to the project of the same inventor. Its main feature, which, when comparing the submarine fleet of Russia and the United States, again gives leadership to the Russians (there was no such vessel anywhere else in the world at that time), is a single engine. The only drawback of the apparatus is the bubble-like trail it leaves behind. That is, due to the low level of disguise, it cannot be used for military purposes.
At that time, the development and implementation of power plants was actively going on in this industry. It was during that period that such schemes and principles were formed that are still used in the design of boats. Developments were also carried out in the arms sector. Dzhevetsky designed torpedo tubes that were in service with the submarine fleet for a long period of time. But the backwardness of suchindustries, such as electrical engineering and the motor industry, did not allow the creation of a full-fledged warship.
Submarine "Dolphin"
It is possible to compare the submarine fleet of the Russian Federation and the USA using this device. The ship was built at the beginning of the twentieth century according to the project of Bubnov and Goryunov by the B altic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. The propulsion system consisted of two parts. The first was a gasoline-powered motor, and the second was an electric motor. The development was so powerful and non-standard that it surpassed the American Fulton apparatus in terms of technical characteristics.
Starting from that moment, the development of the submarine fleet of the Russian Federation has gone very rapidly. Qualified personnel were trained. From design developments, this industry has become a reliable branch of the country's military forces. The government supported this sector in every possible way. And after the introduction of a special badge for submarine officers, the desire to serve in these troops increased, as did the authority of the sphere as a whole.
Modern composition of the Russian Navy
At the moment, the Navy of the Russian Federation includes five units. Each of them consists of surface and submarine forces. The following components of this army unit are distinguished:
- B altic Fleet. The main base of this component is located in B altiysk. The flagship is the destroyer "Persistent". The B altic submarine forces are characterized by three diesel boats. By the way, a comparison of the submarine fleet of Russia and the United States (2016)suggests that this type of apparatus exists only on Russian territory. In the United States, the production of such vessels has long been abandoned.
- Northern Fleet. The main base of this component is located in Severomorsk. The flagship is the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Peter the Great. The northern submarine fleet of Russia is distinguished by a wide variety of technical means. This unit is based on three heavy missile submarines and eight strategic missile submarines. Submarines of the northern fleet of Russia are represented by models with cruise missiles (3 units), multi-purpose nuclear (12 units), diesel (8 units), special-purpose (2 units).
- Black Sea Fleet. The main base of this component is located in Sevastopol. The flagship is the missile cruiser Moskva. The submarine component is represented by two diesel submarines.
- Pacific Fleet. The main base of this component is located in Vladivostok. The flagship is the Varyag missile cruiser. The submarine forces have 5 guided missile submarines, 6 nuclear powered cruise missile submarines, 7 multipurpose nuclear submarines and 8 diesel models.
- Caspian flotilla. The main base of this component is located in Astrakhan. The flagship is the patrol ship "Tatarstan". This unit does not have a submarine force.
Multipurpose vehicles
Comparison of the submarine fleet of Russia and the United States (2016, like other years, did not bring significant breakthroughs in this area) allowsgenerally assess the potential of the naval forces. One of the most important devices that are on the technical equipment of the army of any powerful maritime power are boats, which are faced with the solution of tasks of an operational-tactical nature. The purpose of such ships is to destroy enemy surface targets and inflict damage on coastline facilities. Cruise missiles and torpedoes are used as weapons. Depending on the type of weapons, submarines are:
- with cruise missiles;
- with torpedoes;
- with cruise missiles and torpedoes.
The US Navy submarine fleet has a large number of submarines of an operational-tactical nature. It is on such vessels that the general military concept of America is aimed. If we take another classification feature, such as quality, then it is impossible to single out a clear leader. This is due to the high technical potential of both countries.
US operational-tactical boats
What is dangerous for the US submarine fleet is precisely the submarines of this type. At the base of the US Navy there are fifty-nine models of this type. Most of them (and this is thirty-nine ships) entered the balance in the seventy-sixth year of the last century. They are called "Los Angeles" and belong to the third generation. According to the type of weapons, they are of a mixed type. They include anti-ship missiles "Harpoon" and torpedoes. In the future, it is planned to gradually withdraw these vessels from circulation and replace them with newer models. It is planned to carry out such modernization before the thirtiesyears.
The bet is on boats of the fourth generation. They are going to replace Los Angeles. These include models such as "Virginia" and "Sea Wolf". The latter was developed back in the nineties. Its construction costs four and a half billion dollars. But the price is justified by technical parameters. It is equipped with a powerful complex of cruise missiles and torpedoes. It also features a low noise level. With the release of each model, the boat becomes more and more perfect. However, a comparison of the submarine fleet of Russia and the United States (2017) gives the right to say that the domestic "Ash" is in no way inferior to the "Sea Wolf" of the first series.
American Advantage
The submarine fleet of the USA and Russia for 2016 differs not only in the quantitative composition, but also in the generations of models. The American submarine Virginia was designed much later than the Sea Wolf. But, despite this, in terms of technical characteristics, the Seawolf is far ahead of its follower. If we compare both of these American models with the domestic "Ash", then it is somewhere between them. A distinctive feature and advantage of the Russian submarine is the quality of weapons. Cruise missiles "Caliber" in their effectiveness are much better than the American "Tomahawk".
Among Russian models, only Severodvinsk is at the level of the best American boats. But it is only one, although the project provides for the construction of three more. But by the time they're built, Americawill enter a new stage of development.
Diesel Models
The Russian submarine fleet (photo below) is represented by a powerful set of diesel models. This is what distinguishes the domestic sector from the American one. In the United States, the production of boats of this type was abandoned in the middle of the last century. In Russia, such submarines are not only not going to be taken off the balance sheet, but they continue to actively produce and improve them. Most of the vessels of this type is a modernized model of the Varshavyanka. In terms of their technicality, they are inferior to nuclear boats, but in terms of armament they are not at all.
In the future, it is planned to launch a diesel ship "Kalina". Its difference is the engine operating without oxygen. Such a model can be in the underwater space for about a month, and it will not need to emerge.
So, the US Navy is now at its peak. The Russian navy, on the other hand, is somewhat behind in terms of quality, although active research work is currently underway in several areas. True, it is not yet known which development will be the most successful.
