# Yankee-class submarine

The Yankee class, Soviet designations Project 667A Navaga (navaga) and Project 667AU Nalim (burbot) for the basic Yankee-I, were a family of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. In total, 34 units were built: 24 in Severodvinsk for the Northern Fleet and the remaining 10 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur for the Pacific Fleet. Two Northern Fleet units were later transferred to the Pacific.
The Yankee-class were subject to a wide variety of modifications; these ships have a different designation to the original model.

## Design

The Yankee-class nuclear submarines were the first class of Soviet ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to have thermonuclear firepower comparable with that of their American and British Polaris submarine counterparts. The Yankee class were quieter in the ocean than were their Hotel-class predecessors, and had better streamlining that improved their underwater performance. The Yankee class were actually quite similar to the Polaris submarines of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy. These boats were all armed with 16 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with multiple nuclear warheads as nuclear deterrents during the Cold War, and their ballistic missiles had ranges from 1,500–2,500 nautical miles (2,800–4,600 km; 1,700–2,900 mi).

## General characteristics (Yankee I)

* Length: 128 m (420 ft)
* Beam: 11.7 m (38 ft)
* Draught: 9 m (30 ft)
* Surface displacement: 7,760 tonnes
* Full (Diving) displacement: 11,500 tonnes
* Speed: 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
* Power plant: 2 VM-4 reactors
* Hull: Low magnetic steel
* Crew: 114
* Compartments: 10
* Armament:
** 4 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes for 14 Type 53 torpedoes or mines.
** 2 16 in (406 mm) torpedo tubes for 4 Type 40 torpedoes
** 16 SS-N-6 liquid-fueled ballistic missiles

## Operational history

The Yankee-class SSBNs served in the Soviet Navy in three oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean beginning in the 1960s. During the 1970s about three Yankee-class were continually on patrol in a so-called "patrol box" in the Atlantic Ocean just east of Bermuda and off the US Pacific coast. This forward deployment of the SSBNs was seen to balance the presence of American, British, and French nuclear weapons kept in Western Europe and on warships (including nuclear submarines) in the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic.
The lead boat K-137 Leninets received its honorific name on 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.
One Yankee-class submarine, K-219, was lost on 6 October 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. This boat had been at sea near Bermuda, and she sank from loss of buoyancy because of flooding. Four of her sailors died before rescue ships arrived. The events surrounding the loss of this boat has continued to be controversial.
At least one other boat in this class was involved in a collision with a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.
Because of their increasing age, and as negotiated in the SALT I, START I and START II treaties that reduce nuclear armaments of the United States and the Soviet Union, all boats of Yankee class were disarmed, decommissioned and sent to the nuclear ship scrapyards.

## Variants

There were eight different versions of the Yankee-class submarines:
Yankee-class submarines :
| First entered Service | NATO reporting name | Project Name and Number | Class | Main Payload | Numbers built | Notes |
| 1967 | Yankee-I | 667А "Навага" | SSBN | 16 x Р-27 Зыбь | 34 | Baseline; first Soviet sub to carry SLBMs in hull, as opposed to the sail. Some were later disarmed and operated as SSNs; sometimes classed as SSNX |
| 1975 | Improved Yankee-I | 667АУ "Налим" | SSBN | 16 x Р-27У | 13 converted | У/U for Improved (Russian: Улучшен; Uluchshen) |
| 1977 | Yankee-II | 667АМ "Навага-М" | SSBN | 12 x Р-31 | 1 converted | First Soviet sub to carry solid-fueled SLBMs. Subsequently theorized as emergency satellite-launcher or to strike ships in aircraft carrier battle groups |
| 1987 | Yankee Notch | 667АТ "Груша" | SSGN/SSN | 32-40 x РК-55 Гранат (SS-N-21 Sampson) | 3 converted + 4 unfinished | Lengthened by 12 metres (39.4 ft) to 141.5 m (464 ft); 8 more torpedo tubes in waist |
| 1989 (program cancelled) | Yankee Sidecar | 667М "Андромеда" | SSGN | 12 x П-750 Метеорит (SS-NX-24 Scorpion) | 1 converted | Delivered as an attack sub due to missile program cancellation. 153 m (502 ft) long, 13,650 tons full displacement |
| 1984 | Yankee Pod | 667АК "Аксон-1" | SSAN | Towed array sonar, pod, other sensor systems | 1 converted | K-403 Kazan. The tailfin-pod is similar to those of the Щука- and Щука-Б SSNs |
| 1996 | Yankee Big Nose | 09780 "Аксон-2" | SSAN | Towed array sonar, Irtysh-Amphora spherical sonar array | 1 converted + 1 unfinished (K-415) | Further modified K-403 Kazan. Tail now resembles those of the 667BDRM and 949А submarines. The Irtysh-Amphora would later equip the lead boat of the Yasen-class |
| 1991 | Yankee Stretch | 09774/667АН | "Research" Submarine | Палтус-class midget submarine | 1 converted (K-411) | 160 m (520 ft) long. Stated to be an oceanographic vessel, but believed to be a spy sub similar to USS Jimmy Carter |
* Yankee-class submarines in life
* Yankee Notch
* Yankee II
* Yankee Big Nose
In addition, Soviet/Russian classification includes the Delta-class submarines within the same family of Project 667; Deltas being Project 667B onwards.

### Units

Yankee class — significant dates :
| # | Project | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
| K-137 | 667A, 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | November 4, 1964 | September 11, 1966 | November 6, 1967 | Decommissioned April 3, 1994 for scrapping |
| K-140 | 667A, 667AM | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | September 19, 1965 | August 23, 1967 | December 30, 1967 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-26 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | December 30, 1965 | December 23, 1967 | September 3, 1968 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-32 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | February 25, 1966 | April 25, 1968 | October 26, 1968 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-216 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | June 6, 1966 | August 6, 1968 | December 27, 1968 | Decommissioned 1985 for scrapping |
| K-207 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | November 4, 1966 | September 20, 1968 | May 30, 1968 | Decommissioned May 30, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-210 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | December 16, 1966 | December 29, 1968 | August 6, 1969 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-249 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | March 18, 1967 | March 30, 1969 | September 27, 1969 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-253 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | June 26, 1967 | June 5, 1969 | November 28, 1969 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-395 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | September 8, 1967 | July 28, 1969 | December 5, 1969 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-339 | 667A | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | February 23, 1968 | June 23, 1969 | December 24, 1969 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-408 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | January 20, 1968 | September 10, 1969 | December 25, 1969 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-411 | 667A, 667AN | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | May 25, 1968 | January 16, 1970 | August 31, 1970 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-418 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | June 29, 1968 | March 14, 1970 | September 22, 1970 | Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-420 | 667A, 667M | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | October 12, 1968 | April 25, 1970 | October 29, 1970 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-423 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | January 13, 1969 | April 7, 1970 | November 13, 1970 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-434 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | February 23, 1969 | May 29, 1970 | November 30, 1970 | Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-426 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | April 17, 1969 | August 28, 1970 | December 22, 1970 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-236 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | November 6, 1969 | August 4, 1970 | December 27, 1970 | Decommissioned September 1, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-415 | 667A, 667AK-2 | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | July 4, 1969 | September 26, 1970 | December 30, 1970 | Decommissioned August 6, 1987 for scrapping |
| K-403 | 667A, 667AK-1 | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | August 18, 1969 | March 25, 1971 | August 12, 1971 | Decommissioned – Scrapping underway in 2010 |
| K-389 | 667A | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | July 26, 1970 | June 27, 1971 | November 25, 1971 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-245 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | October 16, 1969 | August 9, 1971 | December 16, 1971 | Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping |
| K-219 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | May 28, 1970 | October 8, 1971 | December 31, 1971 | Lost October 3, 1986 |
| K-252 | 667A | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | December 25, 1970 | September 12, 1971 | December 31, 1971 | Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-214 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | February 19, 1970 | September 1, 1971 | February 8, 1972 | Decommissioned June 24, 1991 for scrapping |
| K-228 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | September 4, 1970 | May 3, 1972 | September 30, 1972 | Decommissioned September 3, 1994 for scrapping |
| K-258 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | March 30, 1971 | May 26, 1972 | September 30, 1972 | Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping |
| K-241 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | December 24, 1970 | June 9, 1972 | October 23, 1972 | Decommissioned June 16, 1992 for scrapping |
| K-444 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | April 8, 1971 | August 1, 1972 | December 23, 1972 | Decommissioned September 30, 1994 for scrapping |
| K-446 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | November 7, 1971 | August 8, 1972 | January 22, 1973 | Decommissioned March 17, 1993 for scrapping |
| K-451 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | February 23, 1972 | April 29, 1973 | September 7, 1971 | Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping |
| K-436 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | November 7, 1972 | July 25, 1973 | December 5, 1973 | Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping |
| K-430 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | July 27, 1973 | July 28, 1974 | December 25, 1974 | Decommissioned January 12, 1995 for scrapping |

### Popular culture

In Tom Clancy's 1986 techno-thriller Red Storm Rising, the entire Yankee-class of SSBNs are proposed to be taken out of service and scrapped by the Soviet Union as part of the Maskirovka I, in part to have the United States to do likewise with its own first-generation George Washington class, Ethan Allen class and Lafayette class SSBNs, and allay NATO misgivings of the USSR's intentions.