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Seafront Museum (Foxtrot Russian Submarine) - Zeebrugge (Belgium) |
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Important note Photos provided on this website are not an endorsement of any political idea or of war. War is one of the most regrettable human activities. All photos on this page are copyright Robert Mary and may only be reproduced with my express permission. You may contact me here |
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Historical information
The Foxtrot class submarines were designed in 1953 based on of the documents of German submarine construction that had fallen into Russian hands after the capitulation of the German empire. Developed between 1954 and 1981, the first prototype was launched under project number 641 at the Sudomekh shipbuilding yard of St Petersburg (then Leningrad) on 28 December 1957. All in all 62 units were constructed under this project number, 12 of which were exported to Cuba, India, Libya and Poland. In the course of the project, two changes to the propulsion and the electronic equipment resulted in project numbers 641L and 641K. Foxtrot class submarines could stay at great depth for four consecutive days. Then they had to climb up to 7 metres (snorkel depth) to refresh the air and recharge the generators and batteries. At these moments they were most vulnerable to detection. After ninety days at sea, a normal operational period, the submarines had to moor for maintenance. A submarine's major weapon was the torpedo. A Foxtrot class submarine could carry 22 torpedoes, 18 in the front and 4 at the back. Instead of these torpedoes, the submarine could also hold 44 sea mines that could be placed by means of the torpedo launching tubes. Sometimes the submarine also carried both torpedoes and sea mines. The crew consisted of 12 officers, 12 petty officers, a political commissioner and 50 sailors, among whom many conscripts who served on board the same unit for up to three years. All crew members were attached to one of the following five divisions: Navigation, Torpedoes, Propulsion, Energy, Connections and Helmsmen. Under normal navigational circumstances a twenty-four hour four guard mounts system was applied, in which every crew member was on duty for two six hour periods. On board the submarine there were no laundry facilities, there were only 3 lavatories and taking a shower was only possible if enough water had been gained through evaporation, i.e. about every ten days. Two cooks provided 4 meals a day, which were - to Soviet standards - described as excellent. The type 641 submarines were used by the Russian navy for various missions until 1994. How many of them are still in use in other countries is not known, but it is assumed that the Polish and Cuban Foxtrots are not yet taken out of service and still leave port occasionally. Of the other units, a dozen are waiting to be converted into scrap and three have been fixed up as museums. Museum submarines of the Foxtrot class can be visited in Sydney (Australia), London (Great Britain) and Zeebrugge (Belgium). The last mission of our submarine consisted in its participation in the annual naval pageant in St Petersburg in the summer of 1994. The submarine, which has practically been preserved in its original state, gives one an idea of life and work on board a submarine that contributed to the global arms balance during the cold war. LIFE OF THE CREW ON BOARD The food on board of a submarine was, to Soviet standards, excellent! There were 4 meals a day, prepared in a caboose comparable to a large wardrobe. Once a day bread was baked for the entire crew, which consisted of 75 people. There were three private cabins on board, one for the political commissioner, one for the commander and one for the chief officer. The petty officers and the officers had small rooms to eat and relax. All other crew members ate and slept in one and the same room. They had folding tables and sat on the beds. There were 2 lavatories on board, which also had shower facilities that could be used once every ten days, provided enough water had been gained through evaporation. For their daily personal hygiene, the crew members had to use washbasins
to wash and brush their teeth. To be able to work on board of a submarine, one should have a number of qualities to keep functioning normally under stress and tension. The test for submarine crews is one of the most difficult tests in the world. The psychological test sometimes takes three days and examines whether one is crazy enough to follow a normal work scheme in the seclusion of a room comparable to a sewer pipe without experiencing any stress. Not panicking when being locked up in a narrow room is probably an aberration, which makes a man eligible to work in a submarine. After all, fear is a normal human phenomenon. The physical test is usually taken in 1 day. In the end one is declared "submarine fit". A training to escape from submarines usually follows these tests. To this end special towers are filled with water in Portsmouth (England), Neustad (Germany) and Bergen (Norway), where this exercise can be done at depths of 30 and 60 metres. Most important here is gaining confidence in the fact that one still has a possibility to escape from a submarine when in need and to become trained in performing such an escape. Another aspect is the home situation. If the home situation is good, the man in the submarine functions well, since he doesn't have to worry about life at the home front. Secondments ashore are often arranged to completely restore the contacts with the home front, since it is better to have a mentally healthy crew member who is not hindered by worries about the home front. All these aspects weigh down on the work climate in a submarine and a direct dialogue between the crew members is the only way to work together properly. Therefore, the motto of a submariner is: "Always talk to each other and not about each other". The submarine
Location information Vismijnstraat 7 | 8380 Zeebrugge | Phone. 050 55 14 15 Photographs taken
at the museum are allowed. Toilets are free. Personal note The entrance fee
is quite expensive (10,5 €), however visiting a Soviet Submarine is
worth it!. |
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