At the Admiralty Shipyards (part of USC), a commemorative plaque dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the laying of the first nuclear submarine (NPS) of project 671 K-38 took place at the enterprise.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of the administration and employees of the enterprise, veterans and young specialists of shipyards, as well as members of the crew of the first nuclear submarine. The event was held in one of the aisles of the slipway-delivery shop.
“Speaking about boats of the 671 project, it is worth noting their high speed qualities and great diving depth. They could serve in any area of the World Ocean, including under the ice of the Northern Arctic Basin, – said Ruslan Sheremetyev, Acting Chief Engineer of the Admiralty Shipyards. – Communicating with the participants in the construction of K-38, I often heard that they worked, regardless of the time, with great enthusiasm. This order, like most of those built at our enterprise, was characterized by increased complexity and required from its creators a broad outlook, the highest qualifications and professional skills. All these qualities have always been and are among our shipbuilders. The Admiralty shipyards still remain the leading Russian enterprise in the construction of now non-nuclear submarines.
Nikolai Shcherbina, a member of the first crew of the K-38 nuclear submarine, thanked the employees of the enterprise.
“The Admiralty created a reliable ship, in which I had to serve for about 17 years in a strong hull,” Shcherbina noted. “All these years the submarine has been my home. I was lucky enough to ride it under the ice of the Arctic Ocean. These were wonderful times when the nuclear submarine fleet in its development reached its apogee thanks to the courage and dedication of the workers of the Admiralty Plant and submariners.
The lead nuclear submarine of project 671 “K-38” became a new word in the shipbuilding of those years – the shipyards moved on to the construction of the second generation of submarines. The nuclear submarine corresponded to the best world standards and surpassed the boats of the first generation in terms of low noise, the power of hydroacoustic stations, automation of control systems and enemy detection.
The K-38 nuclear submarine was transferred to the USSR Navy in 1967. From February to May 1970, the submarine took part in the Ocean-70 exercises in the Atlantic Ocean; in 1979-1980 she served in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf during the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In total, from 1963 to 1992, the enterprise built 31 nuclear submarines of project 671 and its modifications (671 RT and 671 RTM). These ships in the Soviet years were the main forces of multi-purpose submarines of the Russian Navy.