Secrets of the AS-12: the most classified submarine of the Russian Navy

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Nothing was known about the very existence of this military underwater vehicle for decades, until recently. And even now information about the incident that took place on it is very scarce - there was a fire, there are human casualties. At the moment, it remains only to speculate about what work was actually carried out by the crew members, and what the AS-12, the most secret submarine of the Russian Navy, is intended for.

The history of the nuclear submarine AS-12 began in the days of the USSR as part of the defense project 10831, which was being developed at that time. Construction was carried out in conditions of special secrecy in order to hide it from the Americans. According to the plans of the Soviet leadership, the AS-12 should be transferred to one of the most secret structures of the USSR Navy - the deep-sea research center.

According to Novate.ru, the center was engaged in the study of the marine environment and other underwater research, in particular, with the aim of compiling topographic bottom maps. The need for constant navigation using submarines was a consequence of continuous changes in the earth's crust. It was for this that the center entered into operation AS-12, whose tasks also included: maintenance of communication systems, violation of underwater communication systems and hydroacoustic systems of a potential enemy. They also used it in testing new weapons.

However, the construction of the submarine in practice took a very long time. The work that began on the eve of the collapse of the USSR was suspended several times in the 1990s due to the cessation of funding - the then weak Russian economy was unable to “pull” such an expensive project.

As a result, construction lasted for many years, and only in 2010 the submarine was transferred to the Northern Fleet of Russia. Its carrier was an atomic missile submarine cruiser. However, other sources report that AS-12 is not part of the Northern Fleet, and its secret missions are coordinated directly by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

However, for some time the AS-12 continued to remain secret for the majority of the world. It was first mentioned in 2012 after an open statement from the Russian side about the conducted marine research at the North Pole. The submarine took part in the development of the North - in order to obtain samples of the bottom, she sank to a depth of 2-3 kilometers.

At the same time, information began to appear about the military apparatus itself, its parameters and assumptions regarding the tasks that it is capable of performing. The length of the AS-12 is 70 meters, the width is 7 meters, and the displacement is 2000 tons. The number of crew on board is 25 people. Thus, the submarine is one of the smallest in the world.

AS-12 has an atomic engine and develops a speed of up to 30 knots. The maximum immersion depth, according to some sources, is 6,000 meters. This is possible, in particular, due to the unique internal design of the submarine - a series of titanium spherical compartments.

Interesting fact:the structure of the AC-12 "gave" the device an unofficial name - "Losharik": the unusual shape of the body makes it similar to the character of the same name in the Soviet cartoon.

Despite the fact that the submarine has been known for several years, the exact information regarding its appearance and the specific list of tasks that it performs. Many have tried to find an answer to this question, including NATO and the Pentagon. However, the Russian command neither confirmed nor denied any of the versions. There are also only a few photographs believed to have caught the AC-12, but most of them are only speculative images.

A new, but this time tragic turn in the history of Russia's most secret submarine took place on July 2, 2019. Then it was published a message from the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation about the incident that occurred in the Barents Sea on the eve of July 1. It said that a fire had occurred on one of the submarines within the boundaries of the territorial waters of Russia. 14 crew members died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The disaster raised a new wave of interest in the AS-12. Now domestic and foreign structures and experts are trying to find out the circumstances of the tragedy, as well as the reasons why the submarine ended up there at all. There is very little official information, according to it, AS-12 was engaged in "planned robots", but not everyone is satisfied with this version.

There are at least two other points of view regarding the tasks that Losharik could perform: conducting underwater topographic reconnaissance in order to support other nuclear submarines, or preparing for the construction of new generation sonars to increase the level of Russia's submarine defense.