Next Week, Russia Will Launch Six Warships And Submarines

Illustration of a Russian submarine. (Wikimedia Commons/GAlexandrova)

JAKARTA - If nothing goes wrong, Russia's United Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard will launch six warships and a submarine on August 9-10, a source in the domestic shipbuilding industry told TASS.

"As of now, there is no exact date, but there are plans to launch two Project 955A Borei-A-class strategic nuclear-powered underwater cruisers, two Project 20380 corvettes, and two Project 636.3 submarines", the source was quoted as saying Friday, July 30.

The source said the original plan was for the launch of the warship construction to take place on the eve of Russia's Victory Day over Nazi Germany, which is celebrated every May 9.

Two strategic nuclear-powered submarines will be launched at the Sevmash Shipyard in northwest Russia, two corvettes at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant in the Russian Far East, and two Varshavyanka-class conventional submarines at the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the source said.

The Sevmash Shipyard will launch the strategic nuclear-powered underwater cruisers Dmitry Donskoi and Knyaz Potyomkin, the Admiralty Shipyard will deploy the submarines Mozhaisk and Yakutsk (the fifth and sixth in a series of six Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarines for the Russian Pacific Fleet) while the corvettes to be placed at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant are named Grozny and Buiniy.

Workers at the Sevmash shipyard, Russia. (Wikimedia Commons/RIA Novosti archive/image #813524/Alexey Kudenko)

However, TASS has yet to receive an official comment from the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

In late July, the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk in northwestern Russia launched the Project 885M (Yasen-M) Krasnoyarsk nuclear-powered submarine.

The order to launch the newest nuclear submarine from the slipway was given by Sevmash CEO Mikhail Budnichenko, accompanied by the ship's captain Captain 2nd Rank Ivan Artyushin.

"Dear shipbuilders and crew of underwater cruisers. The shipbuilders of Sevmash have confirmed their professionalism. Plans have been made for this ship and its crew has been trained. I am sure that the Sevmash Shipyard will deliver it on schedule," said Russian Navy Commander, Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov, at the launch ceremony.

The Krasnoyarsk is the second Project Yasen-M series submarine built-in 2014. The Project 885M nuclear-powered submarine has been developed by the St. Malakhit Engine Design Bureau based in St. Petersburg.

So far, seven Project 885M submarines are under various stages of construction at the Sevmash Shipyard. Project 885/885M submarines are armed with Kalibr-PL and Oniks cruise missiles as their basic attack weapons.