Soviet Titanium Papa-Class Submarine K-222 Hit 44.7 Knots Underwater in 1970, Still the Record. At That Speed She Was So Loud She Gave Herself Away, and the Stress Cracked Her Hull

Soviet Titanium Papa-Class Submarine K-222 Hit 44.7 Knots Underwater in 1970, Still the Record. At That Speed She Was So Loud She Gave Herself Away, and the Stress Cracked Her Hull

Project 661 Anchar, NATO’s Papa class, was a titanium-hulled, twin-reactor missile submarine built at Sevmash to sprint at a US carrier group, fire ten submerged-launch P-70 Ametist missiles and run. In 1970 the single boat, K-222, reached 44.7 knots, a record no manned submarine has beaten. The price was a deafening acoustic signature, cracked hulls and a bill that earned it the nickname “Golden Fish.” Brandon J. Weichert explains why the Sovie…