From September 2014:
2 Russian submarines (type unknown) undergoing maintenance at St.Petersburg.
The shipyard facilities at that location are vast and the ship in the
foreground of a separate image is a nuclear powered icebreaker, Russia
being the only country in the world with that capability.
The image of a 1 Megaton winged missile is what was fitted to a number of Whisky (?) Class diesel submarines during the Cold War.
Torpedoes for some types were fitted with the 10 Kiloton warhead.
According to an exhibit in one of their museums, Kursk was lost resulting from a torpedo being dropped during loading, before an exercise in the Barents Sea. One experienced submariner had written a letter to his family expressing concern and stating he would be relieved when it had been fired. The torpedo propulsion system subsequently exploded causing loss of the boat and crew.
Military cadets, Sevastopol.
Do not underestimate the Russians. They lost over 27 million people in WW2 and are still counting. They are very stoic people and their youth are impressive. They also have the technology to compete with any nation around the world.
The question arises for Australia whether an outlay of $20-40billion is really justifiable for up to 12 submarines? I think not and the capability should be jettisoned. Better to spend more money on ASW.
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