CIS – Commonwealth of Independent States Ex-Soviet Bloc Submersibles
Conspicuous by its absence is any discussion of Soviet Bloc submersible design. The reason is quite simple: There is no easy way to authenticate what information is available. Mr. Lee Boylan of Informatics Inc., Rockville, Maryland summarized Soviet-bloc submersible development in a 1969 monograph for the Marine Technology Society Journal (v. 3, n .2) and updated this report in 1972 in the same Journal (v. 6, n. 5). Mr. Boylan’s original work was based on 206 acticles and reports from the Soviet Union and elsewhere. It is most comprehensive, but Boylan himself admits that his 45-year history does not comprise the entire Soiet Bloc. There are a few other articles which serve to reinforce Boylan’s tabulation, but the picture is still confusing.From those details that are available, Soviet submersible development and use have been primarily aimed at fisheries investigations. In 1957 the Soviets converted a fleet-type submarine into the fisheries research vehicle SEVERYANKA. Seven research cruise were conducted by this vehicle during the next few years. Then it appears to have been decommissioned in the early sixties.
At present, Russian, according to Boyland, has or has had four submersibles which followed SEVERYANKA; these are: The 6,562-ft SEVER 2, the 810-ft GVIDON, the 984-ft TINRO, and the DOREA for which no operating depth is state. International Hydrodynamaics of Canada is constructing a PISCES-class submersible (6,500-ft depth) and the lock-out vehicle ARIES (1,200-ft depth) for the Soviet Union for delivery sometime in 1974.
Admiittedly, this is making very short shrift of Soviet Bloc undersea efforts. Although they seem quite active in habitats and swimmer delivery (wet) vehicles, there is little information available on the actual submersible field. A report by V.S. Yastrebov, Head of the Laboratory of Underwater Research Technique, Academy of Sciences, USSR, tends to confirm that there is really very lettle to report is Soviet submersible activities. Yastrebov’s report (presented at the Brighton Oceanology International Conferences, 1972) compares the efficiency of divers and underwater devices. He speaks of an unmanned Soviet bottom crawler, CRAB, and of manipulator experiments at the Academy of Sciences, but every example of submersible performance he cites is of a U.S. vehicle. Furthermore, of 14 references in Yastrebov’s report, 11 are from U.S. sources. In another paper given at the Brighton Conferences, V.G. Azhazha of the Central Research Institute of Fisheries Information and Economics analyzed the efficiency of submersibles in fishery investigations. Here again, except for a brief mention of SEVERYANKA, all of the submersibles mentioned are U.S., English or Canadian. One is left to conclude, therefore, that Soviet-bloc at-sea submersible experience is quite limited, of a confidential nature, or both.
