science

Soviet submarine K-64

Soviet submarine K-64 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Soviet submarine K-64 rather than just read about it. In short: K-64 was the lead ship of the Project 705 (NATO reporting name: Alfa class) nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Soviet Navy. Characteristics The Project 705 "Lira" (Russian: Лира, lit. 'lyre', NATO: Alfa) had a double hull made out of titanium alloy and consisted of six compartments, along with an escape chamber for the crew, with a displacement of 2,300 tonnes (2,300 long tons) on the surface and 3,180 tonnes…

Key takeaways

Soviet submarine K-64 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Soviet submarine K-64 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Soviet submarine K-64 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

K-64 was the lead ship of the Project 705 (NATO reporting name: Alfa class) nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Soviet Navy.

Characteristics The Project 705 "Lira" (Russian: Лира, lit. 'lyre', NATO: Alfa) had a double hull made out of titanium alloy and consisted of six compartments, along with an escape chamber for the crew, with a displacement of 2,300 tonnes (2,300 long tons) on the surface and 3,180 tonnes (3,130 long tons) while underwater. The submarine had a length of 81.4 metres (267 ft 1 in), a beam of 9.5 metres (31 ft 2 in), and a draft of 7 metres (23 ft 0 in). Its test depth was 350 m (1,150 ft). The submarine's power source was one 155-megawatt (208,000 hp) liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor that used a lead-bismuth alloy as the coolant. Two reactors types were used for the class, with Project 705 boats receiving the OK-550 reactor and those of the 705K variant using the BM-40A reactor. The reactor provided steam for the OK-7 steam turbine that produced 40,000 horsepower (30,000 kW) for the one propeller shaft. There were also two auxiliary propellers. This gave the submarine a speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph) while submerged. Its armament were six 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes with 12 reloads, which could fire normal torpedoes or RPK-2 Vyuga (NATO: SS-N-15 Starfish) anti-submarine missiles. The crew included 24 officers, 4 warrant officers, and 1 petty officer, for a total of 30.

Fate In 1972, the submarine suffered a major reactor problem in the form of a leak of liquid metal coolant. One of the complications the design had was the need to constantly keep the liquid metal in the reactor heated to at least 123.5C (254.3F) to prevent it from solidifying and freezing the reactor. The metal solidified on contact with the colder outside air, freezing and damaging internal components of the reactor. The submarine was removed from service and towed to Severodvinsk. At the dockyard, the damage to the reactor was deemed too extensive for repair and the decision was made to salvage as much as they could. K-64 was split in half, its bow section (including control spaces) was taken to Leningrad and used for training new Soviet submariners.

References

Citations

Works Gardiner, Robert & Chumbley, Stephen, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. Pavlov, A. S. (1997). Warships of the USSR and Russia 1945–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-671-X. Polmar, Norman; Moore, K. J. (2003). Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines, 1945–2001. Dulles, Virginia: Potomac Books Inc. ISBN 1-57488-594-4. Rawool-Sullivan, Mohini; Moskowitz, Paul D.; Shelenkova, Ludmila N. (2002). "Technical and proliferation-related aspects of the dismantlement of Russian Alfa-Class nuclear submarines" (PDF). The Nonproliferation Review. 9 (1): 161–171. doi:10.1080/10736700208436881. ISSN 1073-6700. S2CID 146142267.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Soviet submarine K-64

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Soviet submarine K-64 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Soviet submarine K-64 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Soviet submarine K-64 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Soviet submarine K-64

In research: Soviet submarine K-64 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Soviet submarine K-64 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Soviet submarine K-64 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1972 in the Soviet Union, Cold War submarines of the Soviet Union, Maritime incidents in 1972, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Soviet submarine K-64 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Soviet submarine K-64 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Soviet submarine K-64 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Soviet submarine K-64 in simple terms?

K-64 was the lead ship of the Project 705 (NATO reporting name: Alfa class) nuclear-powered attack submarines of the Soviet Navy. Characteristics The Project 705 "Lira" (Russian: Лира, lit. 'lyre', NATO: Alfa) had a double hull made out of titanium alloy and consisted of six compartments, along wit…

Why does Soviet submarine K-64 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Soviet submarine K-64?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Soviet submarine K-64.