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Soviet submarine K-222
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==Construction and career== [[File:Papa class SSGN.svg|thumb|A profile drawing of ''K-222'']] As large-scale fabrication of titanium was unknown anywhere in the world, techniques and equipment had to be developed from scratch by the Soviets at great cost. The [[Sevmash]] [[shipyard]] had to invest in new equipment capable of shaping plates up to {{cvt|60|mm}} thick and retrain its workers to weld in an [[argon]] atmosphere and a [[cleanroom]] environment to prevent contamination of the welds. As part of that process two half-scale sections were constructed, one for testing in a [[Pressure vessel|pressure chamber]] and the other to evaluate shock resistance in [[Lake Ladoga]]. The collapse of the section under hydraulic pressure and the presence of cracks in the welds of both structures revealed that the welders at the [[Severodvinsk]] [[shipyard]] failed to follow the strict cool down time requirements. Further consultations with metallurgical experts reached the conclusion that the steel tools used to fabricate the sections were not suitable for use with titanium.<ref name=p6/><ref name=p8/> The first titanium plates were delivered in late 1961 which allowed the submarine (initially designated as ''K-18'' and then renamed to ''K-162'' on 27 January 1965) to be [[laid down]] on 28 December 1963. Construction of the submarine was delayed by the delivery of plates for the outer hull by the Kommunar Metallurgical Plant that were contaminated by hydrogen and cracked easily. About 20 percent of the plates for the outer hull had to be replaced which contributed to the lengthy period that the submarine remained on the [[slipway]] before being [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 21 December 1968. Shortly afterwards, testing of the submarine revealed that 10 [[ballast tank]]s were not watertight despite careful examination and that non-titanium components were not properly isolated from the titanium hull, causing corrosion. Within the Soviet Navy, ''K-162'' was commonly referred to as the "[[The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish|Golden Fish]]", in reference to her development and construction costs.<ref name=p8/><ref>Vilches Alarcón, pp. 46, 50</ref> [[Ship commissioning|Commissioned]] on 13 December 1969 and assigned to the [[Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet]], the boat spent most of the next two years conducting sea trials. ''K-162'' made her first operational patrol in the [[North Atlantic]] in September–December 1971. During this patrol, the submarine trailed an American battle group centered around the carrier {{USS|Saratoga|CV-60|6}} at high speed as it returned to the United States from the Mediterranean. During a lengthy refit that lasted from October 1972 to January 1975, the shipyard discovered a large number of cracks that required repair. Three years later, ''K-162'' was renamed ''K-222''.<ref name=p9/><ref name=v1>Vilches Alarcón, pp. 50–51</ref> During this time, the Soviets assessed the possibility of series production of more boats of the class and concluded that the design would have to be modified with longer-range missiles and more torpedoes to improve its combat worthiness. In addition the excessive noise at high speed eliminated the sonar system's ability to acquire targets and needed to be remedied. Coupled with the submarine's high cost, lengthy building time, and the limited resources available, the navy decided not to proceed with any more boats. Thus the design studies for derivatives like the improved Project 661M, the Project 661A armed with [[P-120 Malakhit]] (NATO designation: SS-N-9 Siren) missiles and the Project 661B armed with [[R-29 Vysota]] (NATO codename: SS-N-8 Sawfly) [[submarine-launched ballistic missile|ballistic missiles]] were cancelled. Although ''K-222'' was not regarded as a successful design, the technology developed for the build enabled the Soviet Union to construct the titanium-hulled {{sclass2|Alfa|submarine|0}} and {{sclass2|Sierra|submarine|0}} [[attack submarine]]s.<ref name=p9/><ref name=v1/> While having her reactor refueled in November 1980, ''K-222''{{'}}s crew lost the unique tools required to handle the [[nuclear fuel rod]]s and the Severodvinsk facility had to refuel the boat without them. During the procedure, the entire crew decided to go to lunch ashore on 30 November, violating naval regulations as only shipyard workers remained aboard. This became a problem because the automatic safety system for the [[control rod]]s had been shut down and they started to lift, causing the reactor to generate more heat without any water flowing to cool the core of the reactor. No one was monitoring the core's temperature and the workers only realized that there was a problem when an alarm sounded after a [[Condenser (heat transfer)|condenser]] ruptured and radioactive steam and water entered the machinery compartment. They were able to prevent the steam from spreading and turned on the main pumps to get water cooling the core. The commission investigating the incident recommended that the reactors be replaced by more modern ones and that an emergency diesel generator be installed, but the recommendations were rejected and the navy decided to simply repair the damage. After the repairs and decontamination, ''K-222'' made her last operational patrol in 1981.<ref>Vilches Alarcón, pp. 51–53</ref> In 1988, the boat was placed in reserve at the naval base in [[Belomorsk]], not far from Severodvinsk. Having lost the tools to handle the fuel rods, the navy could not find a company or organization willing or able to defuel the submarine. By 2008 cracks started appearing in the hull and the ballast tanks started taking on water. In March 2010 Sevmash began scrapping ''K-222'' with the reactors and nuclear fuel still on board,<ref>Vilches Alarcón, p. 53</ref> and this was completed by 4 June.<ref>{{cite web |title=''K-222'' Submarine Scrapped in Severodvinsk |url=http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/06/04/9087146.html |publisher=[[Voice of Russia]]|access-date=7 February 2023 |date=4 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001035324/http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/06/04/9087146.html|archive-date=1 October 2010}}</ref>
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