50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 869 Was it all for naught?
Severodvinsk was founded in 1936. Initially, it consisted of a shipyard and its associated factories and other military industrial enterprises. The city proper was actually a residential area for factory workers.

Later, as the residential area gradually expanded and the influx of people increased, it gradually developed into a city.

It is somewhat similar to cities in China such as Daqing, Jixi, Hegang, and Karamay, where the industrial and mining areas existed before the urban areas developed.

The Severodvinsk shipyard is the heart of the city, and the entire city depends on the shipyard for its existence.

There are now specialized steel plants, pipeline and cable plants, valve and component plants, marine machinery plants, and other core component plants here that supply the shipyard.

Further out are industries that provide these factories with raw materials and transportation services.

This is a complete shipbuilding industry conglomerate with a military background, making it far more difficult to integrate than other cities.

After getting off the plane yesterday, Sun Zhiwei didn't even go to the city center; he went straight to Baihai City.

He returned to Severodvinsk overnight to transfer there and fly to Murmansk, which is further north.

The K-222 Alfa-class titanium nuclear submarine was mothballed at the Murmansk naval base.

Murmansk will be the last stop on Sun Zhiwei's long mission, and he's already a little homesick.

He originally thought he could make it back for Christmas, but it's almost Chinese New Year and he's still messing around at the Russian bear's house.

A few hours later, Sun Zhiwei drove the GAZ truck back to Severodvinsk Airport and bought a ticket for a regional flight to Murmansk the next day.

Once the itinerary was finalized, he wasn't in a rush anymore and started considering going into the city to take a look.

The Severodvinsk shipyard was where the "Komsomolskaya Pravda" and "K-222" were built, and he planned to take the opportunity to look for the design blueprints for these two submarines.

Since both the "Komsomolets" and "K-222" have ceased production, it is theoretically possible to find their design data, which was sealed away like that of the Type 705 submarine.

Moreover, this place can not only build submarines, but also nuclear-powered battlecruisers, which are what people in later generations often call "arsenal ships".

If we can get our hands on the blueprints, they will definitely be of great reference value for our future design and production of 10,000-ton destroyers.

In fact, over the years, Sun Zhiwei has brought back a lot of good things to his family, including finished products of high-end goods such as nuclear submarines, bombers, and missiles.

However, the manufacturing of aircraft, ships, and missiles at home remained lukewarm, and no new models of aircraft, ships, or missiles were launched ahead of schedule because of his involvement.

Moreover, the strength of the naval and air forces has not shown any significant increase.

Therefore, he didn't know whether his efforts had a positive impact on the development of the domestic military industry.

It's actually like playing a video game; if there's continuous positive feedback, people will be more motivated.

But he had been working so hard for so long without getting any feedback, which was very frustrating. Sometimes he even doubted whether everything he had done before was in vain.

In fact, a rational analysis would reveal that he was not wasting his time. Often, his family was quietly accumulating strength, waiting for a major breakthrough.

What the family needs to do now is keep a low profile. While the two big shots are still going up against each other, the most important thing is for the family to make money as quickly as possible.

Even if we have new aircraft, new ships, and new missiles, what's the point of revealing them now? We can't gain an absolute advantage.

The greatest effect is nothing more than boosting national morale and provoking the two major powers and their neighboring allies. Doing so might bring a secret thrill to one's family, but it yields no real benefits and does far more harm than good; it's not something a wise person would do.

The old man once said, "The army must be patient." Sun Zhiwei felt that this statement was also referring to him. He should also learn to be patient, because only by being patient can one go far.

Sun Zhiwei secretly prepared himself mentally, and that very night, he sneaked into the Severodvinsk shipyard.

The Severodvinsk shipyard is, after all, a military enterprise, not a military, and with tens of thousands of workers, it's not difficult to sneak in.

As he explored the space in search of the archives, he saw the shipyard's enormous No. 42 indoor dock workshop.

This workshop is 436 meters long, 130 meters wide, and 72 meters high, with a spacious interior that can accommodate the construction of four nuclear submarines at the same time.

Currently, the No. 42 indoor dock workshop is operating at full capacity, and the four submarines under construction are all very large, which has caught Sun Zhiwei's attention.

Looking at the familiar teardrop-shaped hull, he recognized that the two smaller ones were Type 971 attack nuclear submarines, also known as the famous Akula-class nuclear submarines.

The Akula-class nuclear submarine is a type of nuclear submarine that was started and built simultaneously at both the Amur Shipyard and the Severodvinsk Shipyard.

There are currently two ships under construction in the dock. One is the "Snow Leopard," which started construction in 85, and the other is the "Black Panther," which started construction last year.

Historically, a total of 21 Akula-class nuclear submarines were planned to be built.

Unfortunately, due to the collapse of the giant, many of the subsequent ships were either halted, scrapped, or simply remained on paper, with unfavorable outcomes.

However, among the 15 ships that have been built, they were able to become the backbone of the Russian Navy during the most difficult period of the 1990s.

Even in 2020, there were still nine Akula-class destroyers in service.

The other two larger of the four large submarines under construction are the mainstays of the Russian Navy: the Type 941 strategic nuclear submarine (Typhoon class).

Its iconic twin-hull design and central missile launch port are very eye-catching.

Currently on the slipway are its last two ships, which are also the two largest in terms of displacement, with an underwater displacement of 46,000 tons.

Even the more advanced Borei-class destroyers only weighed a little over 24,000 tons.

Therefore, these two Typhoon-class nuclear submarines are the world's largest nuclear submarines by displacement, bar none.

Photo: The left side is a typhoon-class, and the right side is an Akula-class; the size difference is too great.

The two Typhoon-class ships started construction at different times and have different construction progress.

The first ship started construction in the middle of last year and has now completed its main framework but has not yet been named. The other ship, Severstal, has only been under construction for a few months and can only be seen as an outline.

Strangely, the first ship took four years to build and ultimately failed to enter service, while the second ship, Severstal, seemed to have taken some kind of stimulant and was launched in just over a year.

Sun Zhiwei suspected there was something fishy going on, since they were assigned to different fleets in the plan.

The ship in front belongs to the Black Sea Fleet, and the one behind belongs to the Northern Fleet. In a few years, the Black Sea Fleet will be split up.

(End of this chapter)