Old nuclear sub gets new life at Nerpa shipyard

The Russian Northern Fleet will in the course of the next few years receive several new Yasen- and Borei class, 4th generation submarines. More in the shadow of attention is the on-going modernization of older vessels, like the Tambov.

Tambov (B-448) was the last nuclear-powered submarine to be laid-down at the Baltisky Yard in what those days was named Leningrad. Commissioned in 1993, she entered service in a post-Soviet period when the Northern Fleet’s ships mostly stayed in port.

From 1993 till 1997 Tambov was only sailing four patrols, according to rusnavy.com, a portal keeping historical tracks of individual Russian navy vessels.

In 2015, the submarine was transferred from active duty to the Nerpa shipyard north of Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula. The shipyard is part of Zvezdockha in Severodvinsk, and has for the last 20 years mainly been known for its work on decommissioning nuclear vessels, both from the navy and the civilian icebreaker fleet.

A few submarines, though, have been repaired at the yard. Like the Akula class sub Vepr which was in for modernization in the period from 2014 to May this year.

Tambov was scheduled for the first sea trials this autumn, but now the site korable.ru informs about a delay until 2021.

The submarine is one of three remaining Victor-II class submarines in the Northern Fleet. The two others are Obninsk and Daniil Moskovskiy.