The Priz class (Project 1855) is a type of Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

A Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle is a type of Deep Submergence Vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy other nations have different designations for their vehicles.- Chinese models :The People's...

 (DSRV) operated by the government of Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. There are known to be at least five vessels of the class, several of which were involved in the failed rescue attempt when the Kursk

Russian submarine K-141 Kursk

K-141 Kursk was an Oscar-II class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy, lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000...

sank on 12 August 2000. The Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

 word "Priz" (“приз”) means "prize".

Specifications

The titanium

Titanium

Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....

 hulled

Submarine hull

The term light hull is used to describe the outer hull of a submarine, which houses the pressure hull, providing hydrodynamically efficient shape, but not holding pressure difference...

 vessels are 13.5 m long, 3.8 m wide and 4.6 m high, with a displacement of 55 tonnes. Capable of operating at depths up to 1000 metres, they have a range of 21 nautical miles (38.9 km), at a top speed of 3.3 knots (6 km/h). With a crew of four, they can stay submerged for up to 120 hours, but with the crew and a full complement of 20 passengers aboard this is reduced to 10 hours. The Priz vessels are equipped with manipulators that can lift up to 50 kg.

According to a report on Russian television (Vesti, on Rossiya channel, August 7, 2005), the Project 1855 Priz vessel was designed by the Lazurit design bureau

OKB

OKB is a transliteration of the Russian acronym for "Опытное конструкторское бюро" - Opytnoe Konstructorskoe Byuro, meaning Experimental Design Bureau...

 and four modifications were made: AS-26 (developed in 1986), AS-28 (1989), AS-30 (1989), and AS-34 (1991).

Operations

The Priz is thought be operable either manned or unmanned with a battery endurance of three hours. There has been a proposal to upgrade the class to allow it to dock with damaged submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

s and improve its navigational ability.

The Priz submarines are carried by Pionier Moskvyy class submersible support ships (Project 05360/05361), which can carry up to two of the submarines. The ships are equipped with special equipment to deploy Priz in rough seas.

List of boats

There are currently four "Priz" vessels operating. (disabled off the coast of Kamchatka

Kamchatka Peninsula

The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...

, August 5, rescued August 7, 2005)

See also

• Russian submarine Kursk
• Deep Submergence Vehicle
  Deep Submergence Vehicle
  A Deep Sea Submergence Vehicle is a deep diving manned submarine that is self-propelled. The term DSV is generally one used by the United States Navy, though several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs...
  
  
• Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle
  Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle
  A Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle is a type of Deep Submergence Vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy other nations have different designations for their vehicles.- Chinese models :The People's...
  
  
• Major submarine incidents since 2000
  Major submarine incidents since 2000
  Since the year 2000, there have been twenty major naval incidents involving twenty-two submarines: nine American submarines, five Russian, four British, one Chinese, one Canadian, one Australian, and one French.-Kursk explosion:...
  
  

External links

• Current submarine rescue services, Jane's Information Group
  Jane's Information Group
  Jane's Information Group is a publishing company specializing in transportation and military topics.-History:It was founded by Fred T...
  
  
• Rescuing the Rescue Sub - Hammernews
• Priz Class Submarines - Complete Ship List (English)