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Russia's second Black Sea Fleet Varshavyanka sub to take northern deepwater trials

The Rostov-on-Don submarine should make a crossing to the Black Sea in the first half of 2015
Project 636.3 second diesel-electric submarine Rostov-on-Don TASS/Denis Vyshinskiy
Project 636.3 second diesel-electric submarine Rostov-on-Don
© TASS/Denis Vyshinskiy

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. Project 636.3 second diesel-electric submarine Rostov-on-Don designed for Black Sea Fleet will take northern deepwater trials in the near future. The sub will sail to the Black Sea in the first half of 2015, Russia’s Navy Chief Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov said on Tuesday.

The St. Andrew naval flag was hoisted on the submarine earlier on Tuesday, from this moment of time it is considered officially taken into naval service. Rostov-on-Don was enrolled in 4th separate brigade of the Black Sea Fleet with a base in southern Russian Krasnodar territorial city of Novorossiisk.

“The submarine will take deepwater trials,” the admiral said, adding that the submarine should make a crossing to the Black Sea in the first half of 2015.

Project lead submarine Novorossiisk taken into naval service this year is passing trials in the Barents Sea. This submarine will be the first to join the Black Sea Fleet, the chief commander added.

Project 636.3 six submarines, also known as Varshavyanka, should be brought into service of the Black Sea Fleet by 2016. “When submarines of this class join the Black Sea Fleet, this fleet’s forces can fulfil their tasks effectively in different groupings in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea,” Chirkov noted. He also recalled that Novorossiisk was finalizing construction of a complex basing system.

Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class submarines are armed with torpedoes, mines and strike missile system Kalibr which enable to destroy surface targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers. This submarine displaces around four thousand tons and can reach an underwater speed of 20 knots (37 kph).