Musical Submarine Rescue Ships

"Sayany" submarine rescue ship in Valletta, Malta - September 3, 2015
[credit" Emmanuel L.]

On August 31, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Black Sea Fleet Prut-class submarine rescue ship "EPRON" had departed the Black Sea en route to India for unspecified "international military cooperation" with that country's naval forces. The ship transited the Suez Canal, entered the Red Sea on September 3, and is scheduled to arrive in India in early October. "EPRON" last deployed out of the Black Sea in 2011 to support NATO's Bold Monarch submarine rescue exercise near Spain.

What exactly "EPRON" will do in India and for how long is unknown. With the departure of the Black Sea Fleet's sole fully functional submarine rescue ship, this would appear to indicate no submarine operations will occur in the Black Sea for some time. However, Pacific Fleet Rudnitskiy-class submarine rescue ship "Sayany" is currently in the Mediterranean Sea. It was photographed in Valletta, Malta, on September 3, and there is reason to believe it will head into the Black Sea in the near future.

So, what's really going on?

All of Russia's four fleets have submarine rescue ships in their inventories:

- The Northern and Pacific Fleets each have two Rudnitskiy-class ships equipped with deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV); the Pacific Fleet also has the DSRV-equipped Elbrus-class ship "Alagez". Both fleets also have two DSRVs; however, one of the Northern Fleet's DSRVs is currently undergoing a two-year maintenance cycle at Kanonerskiy Shipyard (St. Petersburg).

- The Baltic Fleet has one DSRV-equipped Kashtan-class ship - SS-750.

- The Black Sea has the "EPRON" and the 100-year-old Kommuna-class ship "Kommuna". While "EPRON" is equipped with a rescue chamber, since 2007 the "Kommuna" has had no equipment capable of bringing stranded submariners to the surface. It is equipped only with small remotely-operated vehicles (ROV) capable of surveying the distressed submarine and providing limited support to rescue operations.

Thus, the Pacific Fleet is the only fleet with two operational DSRVs, and the only fleet capable of deploying it (on board "Sayany") to the Mediterranean Sea. As with the Baltic and Northern Fleets, the Pacific Fleet can continue submarine operations with a single operational DSRV.

"Kommuna" submarine rescue ship with "AS-5" DSRV on board - December 2005

In a July 17 Krasnaya Zvezda article about "Kommuna" was this tell-tale paragraph:

In the future, "Kommuna" will again have rescue work. In the near future, six new diesel-electric submarines will arrive in the Black Sea Fleet, and the safety of their operations needs to be ensured. And so plans for "Kommuna" include receiving a rescue submersible and carrying out rescue ship missions.

"Kommuna" was last equipped with a DSRV (Project 1837-class "AS-5") between 1998 and 2006. In 2007, "AS-5" was transferred to the Baltic Fleet, where it served until being stricken from service last year. The above statement, however, suggests the rescue ship may once again serve as the mothership for a DSRV. And that DSRV may be delivered by "Sayany".

If the Krasnaya Zvezda article is correct in suggesting "Kommuna" will take on the Pacific Fleet DSRV on a permanent basis, that means "Sayany" will return to Vladivostok empty, leaving the Pacific Fleet with only one DSRV. While that may be workable for a short time, it would be impossible to operate submarines were the sole remaining DSRV to be out-of-service, either for routine or unscheduled maintenance, for many months. And while Russian Navy's four newer Project 18551/Priz-class DSRVs can be transported via air, road, and train between fleet areas, that is far from the optimal way of providing submarine rescue support.

Yet, the Pacific Fleet was forced to operate in just this way in 2005-2008 and 2012-2013 when the fleet's two DSRVs took turns undergoing long-overdue repairs and upgrades. And it is under these conditions that the Northern Fleet is currently operating - one operational DSRV, one undergoing upgrades. However, from a geographical perspective, the impact on the Northern Fleet is negligible compared to the Pacific Fleet. The farthest distance between Northern Fleet submarine bases (Kola area and Severodvinsk) is approximately 330 nautical miles. Placing a rescue ship somewhere between those two bases would ensure a DSRV could be on station to support operations near both bases and could arrive at the location of a distressed submarine in less than 10 hours. The Pacific Fleet, on the other hand, has two submarine bases (Vladivostok and Kamchatka Peninsula) that are located nearly 1,200 nautical miles apart. Placing a DSRV-equipped submarine rescue ship at 600 nautical miles from either base means it would not arrive at the location of a downed submarine for nearly 30 hours.

"Igor Belousov" with "AS-40" DSRV on board - May 7, 2015
[credit: Curious]

Enter Russia's newest submarine rescue ship, "Igor Belousov", with the fleet's newest DSRV, Project 18271/Bester 1-class "AS-40". Since leaving Baltiysk in August for Phase 4 of factory sea trials, the "Igor Belousov" crew has been testing the ship's diver chamber and Pantera Plus ROV at design depths in the Atlantic Ocean. After being commissioned, the rescue ship will eventually join the Pacific Fleet, probably in 2016, which means the fleet will once again have two DSRVs in its inventory.

The transfer of the Pacific Fleet DSRV will provide the Black Sea Fleet with a much needed boost in submarine rescue capabilities. With the arrival of the first new Kilo-class submarine in the Black Sea later this month and five more over the next 18 months, the Russian Navy cannot risk supporting its growing undersea arsenal using 1950's technology.

Court is Now in Session: Lazurit, Admiralty Shipyards, and "Igor Belousov" Sub Rescue Ship

On October 24, 2005, the RF Ministry of Defense signed a contract (702/05/28/KN/0028 - "Creation of New-Generation Rescue Ship") with Admiralty Shipyards for the construction of Belousov submarine rescue ship "Igor Belousov". To support that effort, on May 18, 2006, Admiralty Shipyards signed a contract (#2618-06 - "Development of Working Design Documentation for Deep-Water Diver System for Project 21300 Rescue Ship (Delfin-GVK) and Production and Testing of Prototype Component Equipment") with Lazurit Central Design Bureau.

On November 9, 2011, the RF Ministry of Defense and Admiralty Shipyards signed an agreement (N/1/5/0609/D21-11-DGOZ) by which the previous state contract (702/05/28/KN/0028) was cancelled. On December 6, 2011, Admiralty Shipyards informed Lazurit that their contract (#2618-06) had been cancelled as a result.

On January 31, 2012, the RF Ministry of Defense issued a decision (#235/1/5/744) under which Admiralty Shipyards and the 208th MOD Representation Office were to determine the actual costs incurred by Lazurit under the cancelled contract (#2618-06). In its letter (#26-PDO-1092) to Admiralty Shipyards on April 6, 2012, Lazurit provided documentation of completed work under the contract totalling RUB 836,903,813, to include work completed by Italian sub-contractor DRASS Galeazzi.

After reviewing the documents, Admiralty Shipyards established that it had already paid Lazurit an advance of RUB 660,542,424, but that Lazurit had only spent RUB 472,988,767 at the time the contract had been cancelled [difference = RUB 187,553,657]. Admiralty Shipyards also determined it would not pay for the stages of the contract that were not completed, as the equipment had not been delivered and as some of the work stages (3.1, 3.2, 5, and 6.1) and related expenses linked to the contract had not been approved by Admiralty Shipyards.

In 2012, Lazurit filed a suit (Case #A56-24829/2012) against Admiralty Shipyards for payment of work [expenses (RUB 836,903,813) - advance (RUB 660,542,424) = RUB 176,361,389] completed under the contract. In its July 2013 ruling, the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast ruled in favor of Lazurit, and Admiralty Shipyards was ordered to pay. Following several appeals that ended with a September 2013 decision in favor of Lazurit, Admiralty Shipyards finally paid Lazurit on December 25, 2013.

Citing unfair business practices, on April 28, 2014, Lazurit filed a new suit (Case #A56-26894/2014) with with Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast against Admiralty Shipyards. In its suit, Lazurit sought to receive (a) RUB 29,763,836 in penalties for late payment of expenses incurred by Lazurit between April 2012 and December 2013, (b) RUB 11,147,911 in lost revenue due to currency exchange rate variations, and (c) RUB 72,635,154 in lost profits [total = RUB 113,546,901]. By the trial date, however, those numbers had been corrected to (a) RUB 29,521,064 in penalties for late payment of expenses incurred by Lazurit between April 2012 and December 2013, (b) RUB 11,147,911 in lost revenue due to currency exchange rate variations, (c) RUB 58,941,791 in lost profits for work under Supplementary Agreement #13, and (d) in lost profits for work under Supplementary Agreement #14 [total = RUB 113,304,129].

Admiralty Shipyards argued that:

• according to previous court decisions (A43-3989/2012 and A56-24829/2012), the RF Ministry of Defense's cancellation of the original contract (702/05/28/KN/0028) naturally led to the cancellation of the sub-contract (#2618-06) with Lazurit.

• the RUB 176,361,389 earlier paid to Lazurit was based on Lazurit's own calculations, which included RUB 71,445,984 in profits for Lazurit.

• Supplementary Agreement #14 was not legal, as it was not signed by Admiralty Shipyards or the 175th or 208th MOD Representation Offices.

• Lazurit did not prove the necessary conditions to seek lost revenue due to currency exchange rate variations because the contract between Admiralty Shipyards and Lazurit (#2618-06) stated rubles as the contract's currency, and because Admiralty Shipyards was not a party to the contract (РН1/2009, dated December 22, 2009) signed between Lazurit and DRASS Galeazzi.

• it should not have had to pay the RUB 176,361,389 required by the court's previous ruling (A56-24829/2012), as Lazurit never provided proof that the RF Ministry fo Defense had paid Admiralty Shipyards that amount of money for work performed by Lazurit.

In reviewing the materials provided by both parties, the court:

• found that Admiralty Shipyards took 20 months to pay Lazurit for expenses incurred under the contract. In accordance with Higher Arbitration Court Letter #51 (January 24, 2000), payment by a general contractor for work by a sub-contractor must be paid regardless of whether the customer has paid the general contractor. Thus, Admiralty Shipyards [general contractor] should have paid Lazurit [sub-contractor] within one week of Lazurit's April 2012 submission of calculated expenses under the contract.

• lowered Admiralty Shipyard's penalties to RUB 24,600,887 after determining Lazurit had miscalculated them.

• denied Lazurit's claims for lost revenue due to currency exchange rate variations and lost profits for work under Supplementary Agreements #13 and #14.

On December 1, 2014, the court ordered Admiralty Shipyards to pay Lazurit RUB 24,600,887 in penalties and RUB 43,425 in state taxes.

On January 30, 2015, Admiralty Shipyards filed an appeal with the 13th Arbitration Appeals Court, which will begin hearing the case on March 2.

XLT+: New DSRV Completes Next Stage of Sea Trials

Project 18271/Bester-1 deep-submergence rescue vehicle "AS-40" - August 22, 2014

                                                 [Translation of RF MOD press release]

INDEPENDENT FACTORY SEA TRIALS OF BESTER-1 DEEP-SUBMERGENCE VEHICLE COMPLETED
November 21, 2014
http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12000949@egNews

The crew of the Bester-1 deep-submergence rescue vehicle has successfully completed a phase of independent factory sea trials and will participate in sea trials of the new "Igor Belousov" rescue ship in late November of this year.

Following joint testing of the "Igor Belousov" rescue ship, which is scheduled for the first half of 2015, the Bester-1 rescue vehicle will become a fully functional component of the ship's suite of search and rescue equipment.

With the vehicle's acceptance into the Russian Navy's search and rescue forces inventory, the Navy's ability to render assistance to submariners involved in an accident will significantly expand.

The crew of this unique and modern submersible consists of six men. The crew has completed all required preparations and on-the-job training aboard a similar Northern Fleet submersible.

The Bester-1 deep-submergence rescue vehicle is unique in terms of its characteristics.

Distinguishing features include: vehicle control systems; level of accuracy in navigating and maintaining position while at a given depth; integrated automated control system; more powerful and practically new propulsion and steering systems; new system for guiding, landing and attaching the vehicle to a disabled submarine; and new chamber for mating to a submarine escape hatch, through which the crew can evacuate, when the submarine is listing at up to 45 degrees.

All previous rescue vehicles built in our country and abroad could only render assistance to the crew of a distressed submarine that was listing at up to 15 degrees.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Project 18271/Bester-1 "AS-40" was towed from Admiralty Shipyards to Kronshtadt on October 30 and then back to Admiralty Shipyards on November 10. This 12-day period may be the "independent factory sea trials" referenced in the above press release.