SOVIET SHIPBUILDING TECHNIQUES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61S00137A000100110010-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 24, 2000
• Sequence Number: 10
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61S00137A000100110010-7
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Approved For Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61S00137A000100110010-7
UCS
ip ii. ns illations, con-
,
ve op Ufa repor for several years
niques. er World War
-
.. .
-scale initial upswin Soviet shipbuild-
.
,
ement
-,industry g technique dates back to about 1946
ustr? *hentheshipyards all over the country
prior t 951 waist Shipbuilclin
ere in the process of reconditioning,
rogram had been a 'naval constructio Modernfaation and 'iexpansion. Building
program for all,Practicarpurposas. Most ways were-ripieadvwedit--12-old stationary cranes
,heavy duty traveling
vessel* :*.e.r.a,:bulit ? 'rritiet instances adjoining
f :the: A?Vi,,;iii--""Ifirrog re added.
ildirig ways ee Iii
?
r 110 p
refabrication.1 :The oldtime sta.
ved subassembly areas we
ionary bedding cranes with limiied New workihops, prefabrication shops, and
ing area and lifting capacity were *till assembly sheds were built in the major
being used. A minor exception. to this shipyards. and covered building ways and
type *i construction was the ectional -"building sites became more common.
laying millinelrailways for the launching
construction of submartnes. 'Many Soviet shipyards had been em-
'rhe Soviet naval construction prograrn
had come to * standstill during World ships from the building sitesz instead
War II. Alter the war naval vessels up usinA building ways which would re-
to and including destroyers which had not quire more overall area and length of
been damaged during the bombardments shoreline. Transferring the vessels from
-
were slowly completed, while the large the building sites to the marine railways
vessels like battleships and battle cruisere had been a slow and cumbersome task due
%I. the difference in slopes between the
sere scrapped
Soviet shipyard 'facilities, in general upper and lower part of the marine rail-
'.poor condition and the allied in- ays and the slopes of the building sites.
were unable to produce a reason he Soviets now developed a hydraulically
.
ably good standard of propulsion and - .
controlled platform or cradle so the
auxiliary machinery for ships. Electrical vessel could be built on flat ground and
quipment. including cables, was of very ,
launched over varying *lopes and still
inferior quality by Western standards. ., amain in a nontilt,o4tion. The cradle
Many failures in machinery and electrical consists of a platform supported by two
equipment, both on new-constructed ships
,
bogies or trucks, or sets of trucks. which
orrever. 'strayers 61 the D s ENINGRA h
been transported in section to the Fir East and assem-
bled in graving docks in Vladivostok. These ships had
been Conetructed at tlikotayev and disassembled into
fPections for shipment. These destroyers bad been con-
structed in the convolutional manner on building ways
from keel-up with a small amount of subassemblies such
Ss bow and stem sec-limns.
19
I-DECLASSIFICATION/RELEASE
STRUGTIONS ON FILE
elease 2000/08/26 : CIA-RtP61S00137A000100110010-7
ve .vertical telescopic tubes fastened
: ;twine railways are defined as two or more rails lead-
ing down al slope on land into the Neter with a truck or
cradle. This facility is often used for lausching ships
under control of brakes, as well as for hauling ships for
repairs. A side launching way consists of .0 sled on a set
yt runners and cannot be used for flawing ships.
a by binge pins and boltsdto
or cradle. , The loieshocapriic
cmtrolled to allow trucks
the ,lop.d rac
t
catic
untris., with o?etai1s forticular
velopad *lor auseisa eonaitiOne, past.).I' 111
it Soviet design showed Athol.** t.cb?jtrUCt1
e which "hadlrilut developed ;through *fa
s.acbn4 Ii1oot.ttc
the
el
are o*5ider.4i*ObS on
Par with tha'beat 64thalrardittriitenintrieso
beginniag of at Mertflaint ehip coa
structicin program for Oceangoing vessels -,
took place in? 1951 whir& Nowa* Shipyard
in NikolaYev.built -12.000.4,1rT .?,tanker
which became the proto ler nAlerie
Althaallh all *Id irfard iacditiaa
en reconditioned or raPlared.by 1949
the ,-floviets --boas ,Atiesti1itus4 b band/ as
in fact, 11e UeWIU dTDflh1fS
"'production yard, V4144
? ,The latest development loinasies pro-? 0,
duction of. large merchant ',floosie is a
T new shipyard The Outstand
ing feature of this Terd is that
tn the .shipyard, including aitsembly and
Eitting-out ways and launching basin pier D.
are st ground level.. The launching basin
? constructed of reinforced concrete
bulkhaads abovo ground level.*.r,The eye .?
Om of multirsile and about 4110 ?truck,
requfrad for. osisinwy itioTopalinuction.,
y have,'" -high initial cost, hat ft is bi-
tted a time- and coStfiarid$ isciitty. it
La believed thrall', first tnber built in
Nikolayev in 1951 was constructed on new
facilities *Miler ?.$0thasa-
-
?
atm
Ian t
upon 'etst OprtlisallSvellion
t1o0.'4411"ito
*ach1ag*$* 40144
es ,prolinCtion
parts where accuracy in essential,
j*qhlso
a:tittle tufortn?on o? s
cut in Soittst shipyards lather
Approved For Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61S00137A000100110010-7
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ceret Supplement
Approved For Release 2000108/26: CIA-RDP61S00137A000100110010-7
Ap r ved For Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61S00137A0094R11194061e7nent
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pproved For Release 2000108/26 : CIA-RDP61S00137A000100110010-7
App'roved For Release 2000/08/26
Secret Supplement
though most Western shipyards do grind
the welds to a smooth shell surface it is
not necessarilf poor workmanship to leave
the welds rough. It is more a question of
appearance than of strength and efficiency
with respect to the resistance of the bull
n the seaway. The Soviet requirements
for welding of ships as shown in the Soviet
Sea Register is as strict as Western rules.
Their inspection is carried out with the
most modern equipment. The Russian*
control the welding of sheU plating with
the help of radiation from radioactive
cobalt which is a more convenient method
than X-ray photography in many instances.
Material control by gamma rays is now
in general use in most industries in the
USSR. ?
Thicknesses of platings are checked
with ultrasonic resonance gauges where
accurate measurements a r required
without having to drill holes in the plates.
The Soviet Sea Register for merchant
ships also requires greater strength in
the plating amidships, including stringer
plates, sheer strokes, and one or two
: CIA-RDP61S00137A00010011rep9jew
strikes below the sheer strokes depend-
ing on the depth of the vessel. The
ultimate tensile strength of steel called
"Aldur SO" which the Soviets obtain
from Austria, and which meets the re-
quirements. le about ZS percent higher
than that of Class "B" steel which is
used in the United States. The minimum
yield point is almost 60 percent higher
than that of Class "B" steel. "Aldur
SO" is not always available in quantities
and a steel named "Union 56" made by
Union Horde, Dartmund. Germany. is
often substituted for it. This steel has
properties equivalent to "Aldur SO" and
is cheaper. However, special electrodes
are needed for "Union 56" steel. The
requirements for the rest of the shell
plating of the ships are about the same
as United States requirements
Soviet armor plating for naval vessels
Is generally considered to be on a par
with or even better than United States
armor plating. Tensile strength is ade-
quate for deep submergence of sub-
marines. Special requirements are also
made for naval and merchant vessels
operating in heavy ice.
Turbines installed in cruiser* and de-
stroyers after World War II were un-
reliable and caused constant breakdowns.
With the aid of German technicians and
turbine experts the turbine designs were
improved. The manufacturing was also
improved when the Soviets moved a com-
plete turbine manufacturing plant from
Germany to Leningrad. Today the?"bugs"
have listen taken out of the turbiries and
brealtdowne are seldom reported.
There are six known manufacturers of
, 'roar me diesel engines in the USSR. Kuyby-
shev Locomotive Works in Kolornna is the
only one known to be producing diesel en-
gines for eubmarines, but is estimated to
have the srepacity of producing all the
engines required to supply the MALIIIMUM
capacity for submarine construction as
well as for replacements. MO plant is
also manufactu ringheavy-duty, slow-
speed, marine diesel engines. The largest
engine manufactured for a merchant ship
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??1. ?
AmrRyAgfor Release 2000/08/26 : CIA-RDP61S00137A0001010,1MCguOWlenient
.,-,rloped 6,600 BHP at 125 r.p.m., but
..(;:le larger than about 2,000 BHP have
heen placed in mass production. The en-
gums for the first 12,000-DWT tanker
KAZBEK were two 1,400-BHP German
diesel engines. The next 32 tankers of
the same class received 2,000-BHPunits.
Diesel engine research and designwork
is being done at the Kuybyshev Loco-
motive Works in collaboration with the
Research Institute for Diesel Engines in
Leningrad and the Central Design Bureau
of the Ministry of Shipbuilding.
Experimental work was conducted with
closed-cycle Walther turbines after World
War II and an experimental prototype may
have been launched in 1955. There is no
indication, however, that development
progressed to the production of operational
boats.
Hydrofoil boats have beendeveloped and
PT-boat size vessels maybe in production
by 1957.
There are indications that the Soviets
are designing and are possibly already
constructing an atomic powerplant on
board at least one large vessel of about
16,000 or 25,000 tons displacement. This
plant is believed to be very similar to
their developed land plants, which con-
sist of reactors having low-percentage
fuel rods and operating with low-pressure
turbines, probably with saturated steam
of about 250 pounds per square inch.
It is not known whether nuclear-
propelled submarines have been under
construction nor have any construction
plans been divulged. There are, however,
indications that research on reactors
suitable for use in submarines is in
progress in the USSR and that these could
be installed in a submarine ready for
commission before the end of 1957.
The Soviet shipbuilding know-how has
been vastly improved since World War II.
With the interest shown by the govern-
ment to develop and encourage ship de-
signers and with the German technical
personnel and the experience obtained
from recent naval construction, Soviet
shipbuilding today rates among the lead-
ing shipbuilding industries in the world.
Secret Suppiernent 25
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