Soviet submarine K-43
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''K-43'' was a
nuclear-powered Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
cruise missile submarine A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles ( SLCMs and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a vessel's ability to attack surface combatants and strike land targets, and al ...
operated by the
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
and Indian navies. It was built between 1964 and 1967 and was commissioned into the Soviet navy on 5 November 1967.Podvodnye Lodki, Yu.V. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2002, It later served as INS ''Chakra'' in the
Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...
from 1988 to 1991. It was leased to India on 1 September 1987 and reached its base in
Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
on 3 February 1988 after a long journey. The Soviets said that the submarine was transferred for helping train the Indian Navy in operating nuclear submarines. During its service with India, it was partially manned by a Soviet crew, who reportedly did not allow Indians into the missile room and into the reactor compartment and this is believed to be a reason for the termination of the contract after 3 years. The lease of ''Chakra'' reportedly helped India gain first-hand experience in handling a nuclear submarine that helped them build the of nuclear submarines.


Description

''K-43'' had a length of
overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...
, a beam of and a
draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . It displaced surfaced and while submerged. The complement of the submarine was about 100. The boat had one five-blade propeller powered by a VM-5
pressurised water reactor A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan and Canada). In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) is ...
. It can achieve a maximum speed of when surfaced and when submerged. The K-43 could carry up to 8 SS-N-7 Starbright nuclear capable anti-ship
cruise missiles A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...
. It had six
torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s which could carry 12 torpedoes or 12 SS-N-15 Starfish anti-submarine missiles.


History

In October 1986, the
Soviet Politburo The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (, abbreviated: ), or Politburo ( rus, Политбюро, p=pəlʲɪtbʲʊˈro) was the highest policy-making authority within the Communist Party of the ...
declared that they intend to transfer a Charlie-class submarine to India for training purposes. It was the first time a nuclear submarine was ever transferred to any other country. It was decided so as to prove Soviet Union's commitment to strengthening India. But some politicians expressed serious negative consequences due to the transfer. However, the politburo headed by
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Comm ...
decided that the political benefits outweighs the concerns. The Soviets, during the lease to India, would regularly inspect the submarine and handle the nuclear fuel. The Soviet media stated that the submarine would not carry any nuclear weapons.


Transfer to India

A new naval base was constructed at
Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
with the help of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
for handling the submarine. An Indian crew reached a training centre at Kirova for a two-year training course. The Indian Ambassador, Nurul Hasan, visited the Indian crew during this time.


Operational history

The submarine was built between 1964 and 1967 and was commissioned into the Soviet navy on 5 November 1967. After returning to the Soviet Union after its lease to India, it continued to be in service with the Soviet Navy and was finally decommissioned on 30 July 1992 and sold for scrap.


Service in the Indian Navy

The submarine left for India on 5 January 1988 from
Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, c ...
and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on the same day. It passed through the
South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
and
Malacca Strait The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
where it was escorted by an Indian frigate, . It was constantly tracked by American and Australian P-3 Orion aircraft throughout the journey. It arrived at
Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...
on 3 February 1988. The submarine was welcomed by the Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, the Defence Minister, K. C. Pant, the Chief of Naval Staff, G. J. Nadkami, and the commander of Eastern Naval Command, Vice Admiral S. C. Chopra, who sailed in the submarine into the sea. ''Chakra'' took part in the Presidential Fleet Review of 15 February 1989 at
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
when it was watched by millions of Indians on television. Transfer of the submarine gained widespread coverage in the international media with ''
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...
'' calling India an "Awakening Power", while the
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
called it an "Oriental Bully". Contrary to popular perception, the ''Chakra'' was partially manned and control by the Soviet crew, who reportedly did not allow Indians into the missile room and into the reactor compartment despite repeated Indian requests and efforts, and this is believed to be a reason for the termination of the contract after 3 years by India. The ''Chakra'' served in both the eastern and western fronts during her service. As the lease agreement ended, ''Chakra'' departed to the Soviet Union from Visakhapatnam on 16 December 1990 and was escorted by throughout its journey. It was decommissioned in January 1991. For the longer term, the lease of ''Chakra'' reportedly helped India gain first-hand experience in handling a nuclear submarine that helped them build the of nuclear submarines in 2010s.


See also

* India-Soviet Union Relations *
Submarines of the Indian Navy This is a list of known submarines of the Indian Navy, grouped by class, and pennant numbers within the class. In service Under construction Planned Decommissioned See also ; Indian navy related lists * Aircraft of the Ind ...


References


Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:K-43 Submarines of the Soviet Navy Charlie-class submarines Ships built in the Soviet Union India–Soviet Union relations