Project 627, 627A (Kit) — November Class

> Spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste

Based on Bellona report The Arctic Nuclear Challenge 2001, 2003-05-16 13:40

	Northern Fleet	Pacific Fleet	Total
In service	0	0	0
Inactive
— with fuel	5	2	7
— dismantled	3	2	5
Sunk	1	0	1
Number	9	4	13

Technical Data
Length: 107.4 m		Displacement: 3,065/4,750 [1] tonnes
Beam: 7.9 m		Hull: Low magnetic steel
Draught: 5.65 m		Crew: 104
Speed: 23.3-30 [2] knots		Compartments: 9

Compartments: 9

1. Torpedo room and accommodations;

2. Batteries, accommodations and mess;

3. Control room;

4. Auxiliary machinery and diesel generator;

5. Reactor compartment;

6. Turbine compartment;

7. Electro-technical and control centre for reactor;

8. Auxiliary equipment;

9. Steering system, accommodations.

Reactors:

Nuclear installation with two model VM-A PWRs generating 2x70 MWt (2x17,500 hp).

Current location:

November class submarines are laid up at the following locations in the Northern Fleet:

Gremikha — 4

Sayda Bay — 3

Shkval shipyard, Polyarny — 1

Print Quality

Bellona archive

November class submarines in the Northern Fleet [3]
K-no. (fabric no.)	-Shipyard -Laid down -Launched	Active service -Start date -End date	Operation intensity -Covered miles -Hours (years)	Repairs	Accidents	Present condition
K-3 (N254)	Sevmash 24/09 1955 09/08 1957	17/01 1959 1988	128,443 14,115 (1.6)	1963-65: Overhaul repairs. Reactor compartment replaced [4] 1970-71: Repairs 1977-81: Overhaul repairs	1958: Break of cooling circuit and radioactive discharges 1962: Fuel elements cladding cracks, radioactive discharges 08/09 1967: Fire, 39 people died Feb 1975: Fire Jan 1981: Fire	Laid-up in Gremikha; Reactors not defuelled; Port-side reactor primary cooling circuit has cracks; Main ballast tanks no. 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13 are leaky; Last refuelling believed in 1981.
K-5 (N260)	Sevmash 13/08 1956 01/09 1958	27/12 1959 1990	198,975 33,407 (3.9)	1960-62: Repairs and upgrade 1965-68: Repairs. Reactor compartment replaced [5] 1971-73: Repairs 1979-80: Repairs	1965: Fuel elements cladding cracks. Reactor compartment cut out and replaced [6]	Reactors defuelled at Shkval shipyard in Polyarny in November 1996; [7] Submarine dismantled, reactor section towed to Sayda Bay.
K-8 (N261)	Sevmash 9/09 1957 31/05 1959	31/12 1959 sank in 1970	No data	No data	12/04 1970: Two fires started simultaneously in both the third (central) and eighth compartments. The submarine sank in the Bay of Biscay at a depth of 4,680. 52 people died	No data
K-52 (N283)	Sevmash 15/10 1959 28/08 1960	10/12 1960 1987	236,804 23,666 (2.7)	1962: Emergency Repairs 1965-67: Repairs 1969-72: Overhaul repairs	1962: Radiation discharge in steam generator 18/06 1969: Flooding of reactor compartment 1962: Radiation discharge in steam generator	Reactors defuelled, submarine dismantled, reactor section towed to Sayda Bay.
K-21 (N284)	Sevmash 02/04 1960 18/06 1961	31/10 1961 1991	190,831 22,932 (2.6)	1973-75: Repairs 1975: Refuelling 1983-85: Overhaul repairs	No data	Laid-up in Gremikha; Reactors not defuelled; Main ballast tanks no. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 (starboard), 13 are leaky; Last refuelling believed in 1985.
K-11 (N285)	Sevmash 31/10 1960 1/09 1961	30/12 1961 1990	220,179 29,560 (3.4)	1963-64: Repairs 1964-68: Reactor compartment replaced [8] 1971-74: Overhaul repairs and upgrade 1982: Repairs	1964: Fuel elements cladding cracks 12/02 1965: Nuclear accident, uncontrolled chain reaction during refuelling. Reactor compartment cut out and replaced[9]	Laid-up at Shkval shipyard in Polyarny; Reactors not defuelled; Last refuelling believed in 1982.
K-181 (N287)	Sevmash 15/11 1961 7/09 1962	27/12 1962 1987	185,641 20,773 (2.4)	1967-68: Repairs and refuelling 1971-74: Repairs 1984-87: Overhaul repairs, stopped until taken out of service	18/12 1976: Seawater intake when submerged 1979: Malfunction in primary circuit support systems	Partly dismantled and laid-up at Sayda Bay since 1991-92: Reactors defuelled;
K-159 (N289)	Sevmash 15/08 1962 06/06 1963	9/10 1963 1989	212,618 25,364 (2.9)	1967-68: Steam generators replaced 1970-72: Repairs and refuelling 1979-80: Repairs	02/03 1965: Accident with discharges in steam generators	Laid-up in Gremikha; Reactors not defuelled; Main ballast tanks no. 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 13 (starboard) and 2, 8 (portside) are leaky; Last refuelling believed in 1972.
K-50 (K-60) (N291)	Sevmash 14/02 1963 16/12 1963	17/07 1964 1991	171,456 24,760 (2.8)	1967-68: Repairs 1973-75: Overhaul repairs and refuelling	No data	Laid-up in Gremikha; Reactors not defuelled; Main ballast tanks no. 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 are leaky; Last refuelling believed in 1975.

Footnotes:
1) Surface/submerged. Back
2) 60% power output/full power output. Back
3) Russian Submarines — Nuclear, First Generation, 1952—1996. Volume IV, part I, St Peterburg, 1996. Back
4) The reactor compartment with nuclear fuel was dumped in Abrosimov Bay, the Kara Sea, at the depth of 20m in 1965. Back
5) Nuclear fuel was unloaded from the reactors. The reactor compartment was dumped in Abrosimov Bay, the Kara Sea, at the depth of 20m in 1966. Back
6) Ibid. Back
7) Kudrik, I. "Decommissioning of nuclear submarines at Polyarny." Bellona Web 19/02 1997. Back
8) The reactor compartment (one of the reactors with nuclear fuel) was dumped in Abrosimov Bay, the Kara Sea, at the depth of 20m in 1965. Back
9) Ibid. Back

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