Komsomolsk-na-Amure submarine handed over to Pacific Fleet
KHABAROVSK. Jan 27 (Interfax) - A Project 877 (Varshavyanka) diesel electric submarine called Komsomolsk-na-Amure (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) has been handed over to the Pacific Fleet after being repaired and upgraded at the Amur shipyard, Svetlana Litvinova, a spokeswoman for the governor and the government of Khabarovsk Territory, told Interfax on Friday.
"This is a historical event. For the first time in the past 25 years a strategic submarine is being handed over to the Russian Navy," she said.
On Monday the pier at Ulysses Bay in Vladivostok hosted a ceremony on the occasion of the completion of mid-level repairs and the upgrade of the large B-187 Komsomolsk-na-Amure diesel electric submarine. Attendees included Khabarovsk Territory governor Vyacheslav Shport, Primorsky Territory governor Vladimir Miklushevsky, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants, representatives from the Russian Defense Ministry, the Navy, United Shipbuilding Corporation, and others.
Project 877 submarines are designed for use against surface ships and submarines, for minelaying and reconnaissance missions, the Eastern Military District's spokesperson for the Pacific Fleet said. One of their main advantages is a low noise level.
Between 1993 and 1995 the submarine completed three fully autonomous deployments rated as "excellent." In 1995 the ship's crew won a challenge pennant as "The best Pacific Fleet ship by results of combat-training." In 1997 the B-187 participated at international arms exhibitions in Vladivostok, Thailand and Malaysia.
The Komsomolsk-na-Amure was laid down at the Amur shipyard on May 7, 1991. In May 2016 the submarine was undocked and floated.
The submarine was assigned this name in 2015 at the public request from the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.