K-266 Orel is a Project 949AM (Antey modernized) nuclear-powered
cruise missile submarine (SSGN) (NATO codename
''Oscar'' II). She is one of three Oscar II submarines still serving in the
Russian Northern Fleet, all assigned to the 11th Submarine Division, berthed at Guba Bolshaya Lopatka (part of
Zapadnaya Litsa, also known as
Zaozersk
Zaozyorsk (russian: Заозёрск), formerly known as Zaozyorny (), Severomorsk-7 (), and Murmansk-150 (), is a closed city, closed types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. As of the Russian Census (2010), 2010 ...
), on the Kola Peninsula northwest of
Severomorsk.
History
She was laid down at the
Sevmash Shipyard in
Severodvinsk on 19 January 1989. From 1991 to 1993 she was known as ''Severodvinsk'', but was renamed ''Orel'' on 20 March 1993 or 6 April 1993 and entered service with the
Russian Navy that same year. Between May 2004 and September 2007 her commander was
Valery Varfolomeyev
Valery Vladimirovich Varfolomeyev (russian: Валерий Владимирович Варфоломеев; born 13 August 1971) is an officer of the Russian Navy. He currently holds the rank of rear-admiral, and is deputy commander of the Pacif ...
, an officer who had first joined the submarine as assistant commander in June 1998, and then became senior assistant to the commander from April 2000.
The
Russian newspaper ''
Izvestia'' reported that ''Orel'' is to be overhauled in 2013. She is to have her shaft-line changed to correct problems during construction that left her very easily tracked by sonar. Additionally, her P-700 Granit (NATO codename
SS-N-19 Shipwreck
The P-700 ''Granit'' (russian: П-700 "Гранит"; en, granite) is a Soviet and Russian naval anti-ship cruise missile. Its GRAU designation is 3M45, its NATO reporting name SS-N-19 ''Shipwreck''. It comes in surface-to-surface and sub ...
)
antiship submarine launched cruise missiles (SLCM) will be replaced by more modern, supersonic, P-800 Oniks (NATO codename
SS-N-26
The P-800 Oniks (russian: П-800 Оникс; en, Onyx), also known in export markets as Yakhont (russian: Яхонт; en, ruby), is a Soviet / Russian supersonic anti-ship cruise missile developed by NPO Mashinostroyeniya as a ramjet versi ...
) antiship SLCMs. The overhaul was completed and the ship returned to service in 2017.
2015 fire
Whilst in dock at the Zvezdochka shipyard on 7 April 2015, it was reported that a fire broke out "in the ninth section of the sub close to the stern". The fire was caused by insulation materials catching fire during welding. It was reported the submarine did not have nuclear weapons or fuel on board at the time.
2017
First modernized unit, ''Project 949AM''.
2021
In July 2021, while returning to Northern Fleet waters from ''Navy Day'' commemorations in St. Petersburg, ''Orel'' was reported to have "lost power" while transitting on the surface through the Danish straits. She was reported to have been assisted by other Russian vessels accompanying her through the straits. The submarine was later reported to have restored power and continued her transit north submerged.
References
See also
*
List of Russian military accidents
This is a list of Russian military accidents that befell the Russian Armed Forces after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Accidents have variously been attributed to cutbacks in spending on equipment, the lack of maintenance of hardware, and ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orel (K-266)
Oscar-class submarines
Ships built in the Soviet Union
1992 ships
2015 fires in Europe
2015 disasters in Russia
Fires in Russia
Maritime incidents in 2015
Maritime incidents in Russia
Ships built by Sevmash