Scorpion Fact Sheet

Some Facts about the Scorpion

Life in a Soviet Sub

78 crew shared 2 showers and 3 toilets, for up to 3 months at sea.

Only officers had their own bunks. Ordinary sailors "hot bunked." 27 bunks in the aft torpedo room were shared by 54 crew! 3 shifts per day: duty, maintenance and sleep.

The galley produced 4 cooked meals per day. The crew were fed caviar, red or white wine, chocolate, smoked salmon, meat, fresh or canned fruits and vegetables. Some of these products were not available in Russia.

Food scraps and other kitchen refuse were disposed of in a large tube in the kitchen, which, similar to a torpedo tube, would fire the waste into the ocean.

While larger Soviet submarines had the luxury of a bakery, Foxtrots solved the problem of supplying fresh bread in a more inventive way. The bread was pre-baked and stored unrefrigerated either in tins or plastic bags, together with alcohol. When the bread was heated prior to eating, the alcohol would evaporate and freshen the bread.

Submariners were closely-screened volunteers, an elite group in the largely-conscript Soviet Navy. They spent 10 of their 30 days shore leave convalescing in a sanatorium.

Strategy and Tactics

Foxtrot class was the largest conventional (diesel-electric, non-nuclear) Soviet sub.

It searched for and tracked enemy forces during the Cold War, extensively in the Pacific Ocean. It is strongly suspected that the Scorpion plied the waters off the west coast of the United States. Because it was not a nuclear submarine, it could rest undetected on the ocean floor for up to ten days.

Its nuclear-tipped torpedoes could destroy a port or a battle group.

79 Foxtrots were built between 1958-1984 for both the Soviet Navy and others countries including India, Libya, Cuba and Poland.

Dive...Dive!

3 diesel engines generate power for electric motors that drive the 3 propellers. At periscope depth, air for the diesels can be sucked from the surface using a snorkel. Below that, 4 gigantic battery banks take over.

To dive, the ballast tanks are flooded with water (negative buoyancy). To surface, compressed air from 56 bottles expels the water (positive buoyancy).

The Foxtrot dives and surfaces quite horizontally. At more that 30 degrees it loses control!

Crew could evacuate in survival suits via torpedo tubes, the conning tower or the aft escape hatch. Even from 820 feet down, they had a reasonable chance of reaching the surface alive.

Scorpion Specifications

Russian Designator:	Project 641
NATO Designator:	Foxtrot-Class
Manufacturer's Number:	b-427
Built:	1972
Decommissioned:	1994
Length:	299 feet, 6 inches
Beam:	24 feet, 7 inches
Draft:	20 feet
Displacement:	1,952 tons surfaced, 2,475 tons submerged
Built:	Sudomekh Shipyard, Leningrad
Construction:	3/8 inch outer light hull comprising ballast tanks. 7/8 inch QT28 Nickel Steel pressure hull.
Complement:	12 officers 10 midshipmen 56 seamen
Maximum Diving Depth:	985 feet
Speed:	16 knots surfaced 15 knots submerged 9 knots snorkeling
Range:	20,000 miles surfaced at 8 knots, 11,000 miles snorkeling 380 miles submerged at 2 knots
Endurance:	3 - 5 days submerged
Propulsion:	3 x Kolomna 2D42M diesel engines, 2,000 hp each. 3 x electric motors; 2 with 1,350 hp and 1 with 2,700 hp. 1 x auxiliary motor with 180 hp. 3 x propeller shafts, each with 6 bladed propellers.
Torpedoes:	22 maximum
Radar:	Surface search: Snoop Tray; I band.
Sonar:	Herkules medium-frequency active/passive. Feniks passive search/attack.
Electronic warfare:	Stop Light, Radar Warning. Quad Loop Directional Finder.

Back to the Pics

Life in a Soviet Sub
	78 crew shared 2 showers and 3 toilets, for up to 3 months at sea.
	Only officers had their own bunks. Ordinary sailors "hot bunked." 27 bunks in the aft torpedo room were shared by 54 crew! 3 shifts per day: duty, maintenance and sleep.
	The galley produced 4 cooked meals per day. The crew were fed caviar, red or white wine, chocolate, smoked salmon, meat, fresh or canned fruits and vegetables. Some of these products were not available in Russia.
	Food scraps and other kitchen refuse were disposed of in a large tube in the kitchen, which, similar to a torpedo tube, would fire the waste into the ocean.
	While larger Soviet submarines had the luxury of a bakery, Foxtrots solved the problem of supplying fresh bread in a more inventive way. The bread was pre-baked and stored unrefrigerated either in tins or plastic bags, together with alcohol. When the bread was heated prior to eating, the alcohol would evaporate and freshen the bread.
	Submariners were closely-screened volunteers, an elite group in the largely-conscript Soviet Navy. They spent 10 of their 30 days shore leave convalescing in a sanatorium.
Strategy and Tactics
	Foxtrot class was the largest conventional (diesel-electric, non-nuclear) Soviet sub.
	It searched for and tracked enemy forces during the Cold War, extensively in the Pacific Ocean. It is strongly suspected that the Scorpion plied the waters off the west coast of the United States. Because it was not a nuclear submarine, it could rest undetected on the ocean floor for up to ten days.
	Its nuclear-tipped torpedoes could destroy a port or a battle group.
	79 Foxtrots were built between 1958-1984 for both the Soviet Navy and others countries including India, Libya, Cuba and Poland.
Dive...Dive!
	3 diesel engines generate power for electric motors that drive the 3 propellers. At periscope depth, air for the diesels can be sucked from the surface using a snorkel. Below that, 4 gigantic battery banks take over.
	To dive, the ballast tanks are flooded with water (negative buoyancy). To surface, compressed air from 56 bottles expels the water (positive buoyancy).
	The Foxtrot dives and surfaces quite horizontally. At more that 30 degrees it loses control!
	Crew could evacuate in survival suits via torpedo tubes, the conning tower or the aft escape hatch. Even from 820 feet down, they had a reasonable chance of reaching the surface alive.