Soviet Cold War Submarine Walkthrough & Audio tour - Project 641B/Tango class
Join me in a walkthrough inside of a Soviet Tango class diesel submarine - one of the few to be found as museums in Europe.
The submarine is located in Hamburg in Germany
If you like the video, please like and subscribe to assist me in building my channel, so I can make more videos :)
Sources :
"Cold war submarines", Norman Polmar and K.J. Moore
www.navygeneralboard.com/the-...
www.deepstorm.ru/DeepStorm.fil...
www.deepstorm.ru/DeepStorm.fil...
Script advisor : Blair Shaw, EMLog MInsTA MSOE CMILT
Link to the museum:
www.u-434.de/en/u-boat-museum...
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:42 Torpedo room
3:24 Accomodations & medical
6:25 Pump cellar / control room
11:56 Accomodations, galley & radio room
15:04 Diesel engine controls
16:21 Diesel engines
17:47 Electric motors & controls
Sound FX : Epidemic Sound
The complexity of submarines is mind boggling, they’re much closer in engineering terms to a space ship than to a sea going ship.
They do have the whole "needtobeabletodiveandsurface" complexity on top of "just" sailing 🙂
@@BecksHobbyProductions It’s like that old saying about flying- taking off is optional but landing is mandatory. 😂 It the same with boats only the opposite.
They are in some ways, harder to desing than a spaceship, since in space the pressure u have to endure its just 1 atm from the inside, but in a sub it can go to a lot more.
@@timmi59 good one! :D I spend time in MSFS and the landing is clearly the hardest part. That does not mean taking of is easy by default - Every time I take my Spitfire out it wants to kill me on take off and it tries even harder on landing! :D
@@BecksHobbyProductions Haha! 🤣 ✈️
As a former sonar operator, (20yrs) I used to chase these guys around the world. Nice to see the inside. They were rattlers.
Wow. I always wanted to get an idea of how that worked. Let me know if you would be interested in sharing some of those stories.
@@BecksHobbyProductions Sailing from Sydney Harbour 0800 cleared the heads on a Leander class destroyer. Heading south for the exercise area. In the ops rm doing DSOTS (Daily operability test systems). Powered up the 177 long-range sonar, ran through various ranges, and feq took a bathy for water layer temp, sat back and had a bit of a play. After about 30min was preparing to shut down as the Casex was due to commence at 1400. Sudden;y quite unexpectedly, the 177 returned a signal, then another at about 5000yds. Strange. It takes 3 pings to class pos sub another hit called the OOW to have a look at the bearing and range with their binocs. Sure enough, a periscope dipping through.the small swell. Hmm, not one of ours. Chinese, maybe, or Russian went passive, slowed our ship down, and scanned the bearing bit of sea clutter, but very difficult to judge. Capt came in for a sitrep and said well done, let's play. So the destroyer ran down the bearing, and we closed to about 2500 yds, with no more scope and sub. It must have dived under the layer which bends sonar beams and forms a shadow for the sub to hide under a P3 was on task, and we handed the contact over, switched off the sonar, and I think I had helmsman duty. Life went on. Had some good contacts in the Indian Ocean off India and the Gulf War also during RIMPAC x4. Best life ever being a sailor. Where men were men and women were for in-depth conversation.
I once heard someone say when the Russians build a sub and launch it , it’s normally quite a capable boat but every single day it’s gets noisier and noisier as the Russians don’t seem to maintain them very well
Former P-3 Aircrew here. Yeah, those Soviet diesel boats were noisy. Everyone had it's own 'mechanical signature'. Our sensor operators would joke that we didn't need to drop sonobouys to hear them.
@@pb68slab18 I was so jealous of you blokes swanning around in the air. But was great to see the P3 rip past low. Got a ride once on advanced course 737 was a cattle car compared to the P3 luxury. Keep well, mate.
What I love about this video is that the background noise, as the person with the camera visits the different section of the vessel the sound changes. Tbh this sounds so soothing. Really liked the production for this video. Good work!
Thank you so much 😊 I do try to have the audio aspect compliment the video.
my wife's father served as the commander of the BCH5 on the submarine 613 project (this is the predecessor of the 641 project) in the Pacific Fleet in the USSR for many years. They participated in many campaigns up to the shores of South America. He said that the boats were extremely reliable and maintainable. There were technical accidents, but they were eliminated by the crew and the boat continued the hike. These diesel-electric submarines of the USSR like the T-34 and T-55 tanks are simple, reliable and very effective
I’ve seen a few video tours of various submarines and this is one of my favorites. Some of the things I appreciate- 1. I like how periodically you show us the map of where we are about to go next. 2. I liked how you took your time and gave a decent view of each compartment. 3. And I appreciate that you give us some information about the boat and what we are seeing. Good, solid work here. Tak skal du have!
Thank you for the very kind comment. What you observed is something I learned early to adopt for my videos : Slow movements and ensure the audience is always aware of where they are 😊
Thanks for a good look around the sub. I was amazed at the number of gages. dials, pipes, junctions, electrical wiring (what an untidy lot of wires). Everything was crammed into the smallest space possible! I don't think there was a cabin without a wall full of pipes! What on earth were they all for ? Not a place that felt comfortable, I was glad to get outside!
It really is a place where no matter where you look there will be some kind of technical installation...
I served on a Los Angeles class SSN. It's amazing how many similarities exist with the Tango. Our Radio room was next to the galley as well. Even Officers hotbunked on our boat from time to time though.
Yeah the Los Angeles is "only" about meters longer, but not much wider. Maybe some day I can visit one 🙂
How'd you like it
А Los Angeles тоже такой же страшный как русская субмарина 🤣? Русская субмарина как из фильма ужасов! Я сомневаюсь что у вас есть с ней что-то общее ☝️
Really? You had good air, unlimited power, water etc….
Impressing!! I've bin there in Hamburg couple months ago, seen the sub inside. Just amazin how they lived like that with 80 people
Thank you 👍
At 3:21, the passage into the forward torpedo room can be seen. The men working in the forward room were not always free to move about the boat. For example, only one man would be dispatched to the galley to get the food for all the rest. Toilet time was also regulated. The men were allowed to use the toilet on a fixed schedule. The forward torpedo room had a "honey bucket" to be used when one couldn't wait for their toilet time.
Always interesting to see how the other half of the Cold War equation lived in the little black tube. Sonarman, fast attacks and one boomer patrol, 73-79. (can neither confirm nor deny)
I visited this former soviet boat in the harbour of Hamburg as shown. That boat was actually on reconnaissance duty on the eastern seabord of the U.S. during september 11 of 2001, if i remember correctly. Always wanted to be a submariner, but became a tank guy, well, even more crowded that was for sure.
I am constantly reminded by the comments that these vessels had a real life in a service. They made their mark on history and people in one way or the other and served as temporary home.
Tanker crew, on top of death carousel in T-72 Ural?
I visited this submarine in Hamburg a couple of years ago. It was a interesting tour for sure! 😎👍
Great tour ! My father served aboard U.S. Fleet Ballistic Missile submarines during the height of the Cold War ( 60’s and 70’s ). The FBM’s strived very hard to avoid any encounters with vessels such as the Tango class. Their mission was to stay undetected and remain a viable deterrent to any first strike by the Soviets. I hope there comes a time in this world where there is no longer a need for vessels such as this.
Thanks! It really was a period of great tension during the cold war. I can't imagine the responsibility put on these sailors.
The tensions are even more extreme nowadays.
wow - that was awesome - really enjoyed this exploration of something I will never ever get to see so thank-you for posting this gem!
Thank you 😊 Glad you enjoyed it
Those winding staircases really surprised me. Thanks for a great tour!
Yeah, they are obviously just museum guests entry and exit point 🙂
I visited the Foxtrot class that was moored as a museum in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Despite it's smaller size, I find that Foxtrot was roomier for the crew and better finished/furnished as well, even if some had to hotbunk. This one is positvely claustrophobic. I almost feel sorry for the crew that had served in that thing ! Great tour. So many people pan around too fast.
I would really like to see s Foxtrot/Whiskey class but they are getting hard to come by unless I go to the US. The one you saw was sent to the breakers :( In any case thanks for watching - glad you liked it 👍 And yes, I try to pace myself when moving around 😊
@@BecksHobbyProductions ... yes, the local authorities wouldn't put up the money for a permanent drydock so the sub couldn't be maintained properly. So sad it was scrapped. There were always plenty of visitors.
Really a pitty. I hope the ones residing the in the US has better luck.
that was because they broke most of the equipment out after it was sold giving more space. This Tango is in almost complete state.
The three Soviet subs in America are either scrapped (2) or awaiting scrapping... the one near the RMS Queen Mary
This is a great video! Thank you for sharing. I've developed a strange fascination with Cold War subs, especially those of Soviet/USSR origin.
Thank you very much. It was indeed a very interesting period for submarines. Unfortunately, the Soviet submarines most likely to be accessible as museums in the West are quickly disappearing. More specifically I mean the Whiskey and Foxtrot classes.
Excellent presentation, camerawork and narration!
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you will like my other content as well👍
Thanks for the tour. You make a good guide.
Thank you very much 😊 I am also a tour guide on a submarine in my spare time 👍
I LOVE how you produce your videos.
Thank you very much 😊 I do try to put some effort into it.
Excellent tour!
Thank you very much 😊
Totally amazing. thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you very much for the kind comment 😊 Glad you enjoyed it
As always, an incredible video! Cheers from America
Thanks Dan - I am really glad you enjoyed it :)
Wow ! I enjoyed your video and research 🔬 thanks 🙏🏼!
Thank you very much :) I have a few more videos on submarines you might want to check on.
😊😊🎉 thanks for Sharing the video of the Soviet Submarine.
Of course! I hope you enjoyed it 😊
GREAT video. Very informative.
Thank you 🙂
Everybody sure did like the Type XXI! Great video. Very informative and well presented.
Thank you very much. The XXI is also very influential on post WWII designs of Diesel/Electric submarines. I have a video touching upon this topic I recommend 😊
@@BecksHobbyProductions My interest in the 21 is I am currently doing a novel that incorporates the finding of one. My question to you is... What would be the minimum crew to run a 21?
I actually don't have that information - sorry.
@@BecksHobbyProductions ok...thanks for your reply.
I have to assume the Russian submariners yearned to be on a modern sub towards the end of it's commission, I mean even in 2001 that thing was ancient, heck, being a POW on a US sub would have likely gotten you better amenities. No doubt about it though back in the Soviet days that submarine was something to be feared and respected.
nice video, thanks. The interior seems somehow less finished and more unorganized than i imagined it would be
I was a bit surprised with the medical isolation ward, the separate secret documents room etc. Somehow shows the separation/segregation onboard
Very interesting! I was an ASW operator in helicopters, thus required to memorize the acoustic parameters of the various boats throughout the world. I wasn’t aware of the extensive use of automation in the Tango. Crew habitability was also an eye opener. Although, I found the galley was quite crude compared to US boats.
Thanks for sharing! I always enjoy the comments from people with the real life experience 🙂
Thanks for the great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Regardless of nationality.... gotta be a special kinda person to server on submarines, 👍
Great work mate.
Thank you ☺️
A great tour and a very ominous sound track in the background.
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Great tour, well done ! I certainly would not feel happy to serve on such a boat.
Thank you very much 😊
My mother s first cousin used to tell her things going on in the Cold War ! The way they would come in to Hawaii beat all to hell ! Like they were having underwater crash derby with the Soviet submarines lol !!
The cold war had some very interesting and dangerous encounters with submarines. I can highly recommend Blind mans bluff : en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Man%27s_Bluff:_The_Untold_Story_of_American_Submarine_Espionage
That was awesome....Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Great job thanks
Thank you 👍
nice work
Thank you very much 😊
Great video and greetings from Hamburg.
Thank you! I hope to visit this great city again. Much more to see
@@BecksHobbyProductions I live 20km south of Hamburg and study there. You are absolutely right, Hamburg has a lot to discover.
Live just south of Cleveland. The USS Cod is a museum boat there. Cod is the only World War II Fleet submarine that is still intact and in her wartime configuration.[
That would be a great visit. So what's the story of other fleet submarines?
@@BecksHobbyProductions Not many left here. Some were used as training boats into the 60's...some were ' modified" after the war..I believe all had modifications to allow the public easier access..only pieces of some ( periscope , sail , etc ) are left. I was a Sonar tech in the Navy for 6 years....surface...I looked for submarines
@@spaceghostohio7989 True, several have been through variations of the Guppy program. I have visited the Cavella and Pampanito. I should put the Cod on my list as well :)
Very fine boat..i love uboats.....
Wow, what an improvement,from Ww2 subs. Thanks Bearhunter5
Indeed. Also shows that diesel electric submarines still had value, even in the advent of nuclear submarines
Went on this submarine in 2017 it's was very busy so didn't get chance to really look at everything. A silly woman had a panic attack and had to be taken off as well because of claustrophobia.
Good job
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 👍
Very interesting. I used to be a tour guide on a WWII American Balao Class submarine, the USS Ling (SS297) in Hackensack, NJ. Sadly, the museum has closed and the Ling is rusting away in the river from neglect. On the Tango, where did the crew sleep? I saw a few bunks here and there for enlisted men, but no crew berthing compartment like the Ling had.
I was following an initiative to restore the Ling for some time. Even offered to lend my services as support. It looks it's not going to happen. About the bunks - good catch! I never sat down to count before, so did a little research, but could only confirm that the officers had the cabins you see. The enlisted men was supposed to have permanent berths, but I don't see them either. I revisited the overview and can't find compartments I have missed. So this leaves me with the conclusion that the bunks were put where there was space, but have been removed to allow guests to move around.
@@BecksHobbyProductions Thanks! For both the answer and the support for the Ling. I did what I could, too.
I walked through an older conventional Soviet sub that used to be moored on the River Thames in London at the Thames Barrier. My claustrophobia was overwhelming. Only the Captain had a cabin. It was very small. By comparison this sub appears liveable especially the cabins, galley messes and no hot bunking. Is it still open btw?
Good to see that even mannequins are following the Covid protocols.
Oh yeah 😂
Soviet subs have the ambience of an unfinished basement.
cool vide thanks
Thank you very much 😊
FANTASTIC!!! Great warm submarine that would be a joy to protect the peace with! thank you
I like the period wood paneling and brass fixtures and fittings. One thing I'm curious about, did subs of any period have parts to fix hull damage, or a machinery room for making and repairing mechanical parts? I hear on naval channels they sometimes used mattresses to try to plug holes , just wonder if any sub ever had purpose made materials for the job or carry out onboard repairs
That's a good question and I am not sure what the correct answer is. I mean, it's often presented in fiction that they do some repairs, but if it's correct and to what extend I don't know.
@@BecksHobbyProductions perhaps some expanding foam and plywood 🤣
On US Subs, yes, they have the ability to machine parts if needed. There are lots of spare parts too.
@@NoOne-zo6gj I guess the modern ones do, being so big they both have the space for it and need. Thanks 👍
His submarine walk throughs are unparalleled
Thank you very much 😊
? What is the gadget(s) hanging from cabin ceiling at 3:35 - 3:45 mins. ? What/who is that cabin for ? Nice vid!
Thanks
Thanks for the support 😊
Aparantly I would have been an amazing welder on soviet submarines, and I've never welded in my life...
Great walk through! The hose and wire management is not that of say a u boat but impressive nonetheless.
Thank you very much 😊 Glad you enjoyed it
It makes me wonder if I, along with my crew, ever tracked this submarine from the air. I was a U.S. Naval Aircewman on Lockheed P-3C Orion's from 1990-1995.
What puts a smile on my face are comments like this. It makes the subject of my video come alive - it draws a line to how the world worked when this was out on patrol. Your comment is not alone in this - I saw another comment describing the life on a ship searching for submarines. I even think there was a reference to the P-3Cs. Thank you for your service and comment.
i can almost smell it through the screen. are those creepie sounds part of your soundtrack? or the natural groans and noises of the boat?
Everything you hear is part of the soundtrack I put together 🙂
Opps, sorry about the useless mask comment, nice tour video.
Thank you 😊 Glad you enjoyed it 👍
The banging noises. Is that just expansion and contraction of hull and pipes etc?
That's the idea of the effect, but its obviously added as an effect in my audio post production
@@BecksHobbyProductions they should play it on speakers inside would be cool
To everyone going on about the masks on mannequins; it's meant to be a joke! I find it hilarious
Have you also visited U 995 in Laboe ?
Yes :) I also made a video of that submarine : kzhead.info/sun/h8abnKZ5a6Gnh5E/bejne.html
Just wondering did you edit in the creaking sounds? Because if those are real they are absolutely horrifying
I did indeed add the effects in post production. Actually, none of the original audio from the walkthrough is in what you see on KZhead 😊
Are the background sounds free and can you link them for me?
Hey. They are not free 😊 I got them via my subscription with Epidemic Sound.
Can you do a walkthrough of the Red October? Thanks lol
Hahahaha - if only! That would take a very looooong time to cover 😂
Much bigger than I thought
Right? It's huge! 🙂
I like mecanics and stuff
Imagine being in that thing while a nuke world war breaks out
I am really ashamed of the behaving of my co-citizens. Year 2022: While most countries of the world had already left the Covid-P(l)andemic behind, the Germans still suffered from such bad virus madness that even poor lifeless plastic dolls had to wear mouth guards. At least the sick Guy in he medical isolation hadn't to wear a mask ;) Thanks for the interesting video!!! I couldn't spend a single day in this tight space.
To be fair, this video was recorded at a time when European countries were in the process of removing the restrictions. So what is shown here is part humor/joke and part representative of the time of recording - not when the video was completed and uploaded to KZhead.
No mention of the zampolit?
Good question. I did not see a reference to a political Officer.
Is this similar to the sub in the Medway, Kent
Are you referring to the Foxtrox class? Is that open for visits?
@Becks Hobby Productions I'm really not sure it's a long time since I was back in Kent
@@garethbarnes3680 Okay, thanks anyway. I just have a perception that this submarine was decommissioned. However the HMS Ocelot is still there I think :)
Your 641B is much better preserved than the same class boat in Moscow, almost all equipment remains intact (at least what's shown on the video). They had to cut the bulkheads to make wide passageway (throwing away half of the equipment in the middle) to comply with "disability/wheelchair access-friendly" laws. No living compartment at all - turned in a museum. You have the rare chance to see her in full glory! On the other hand, your sub is way more rugged and dirtier - here they've cleaned ours and painted it with fresh paint... looks good but not really genuine. This one looks like it haven't been cleaned and painted since her service days.
It really is a shame when a submarine, which has tight space, is changed too much to allow room for visitors. I volunteer as a guide on a submarine in Copenhagen and we try to keep it as authentic as possible.
No access to the control room ? If so that's a real shame
There is, but as far as I can gather only on guided tours. This was a bit of an impromptu visit as I was in Hamburg on business 🙂
It looks like the russian part of the ISS or the old MIR space station.
LA class was shaped like a torpedo not like a tango box.Not a myth!!
Check out the soviet sub in Seattle ❤
As far as I can tell, it has been scrapped :(
@@BecksHobbyProductions nooooo! Lol
@Becks Hobby Productions I was a naval contractor from 2001 to 2005. I worked at the puget sound naval shipyard in Bremerton Washington. I was lucky enough to work on U.S.S Nimitz, U.S.S Sacramento (A.O.E) and the submarine U.S.S SEAWOLF! ❤️ these videos!
@@mrouncervideos2905 There is one next to the Queen Mary, but its at risk as well :(
@@mrouncervideos2905 wow - that's some cool places! And I am very pleased that you enjoy my content 👍
I'm wondering why brass handrails? Anyone?
Brass in submarines and other naval vessels for handles etc is due to resistance to corrosion as far as I am informed
Stays shiny even after it sinks 😮 😁
My mother wore shoes alternately with my brother, because it was necessary to appear Soviet, but not to be.
was the manequin quarantined due to the cornoavirus
You could say that as filming was done during Corona restrictions were enforced in Germany 👍
What do most Soviet Submarines call their closest neighbor? The Ocean floor.
That's right they're the deepest diving military subs
Compared even to our desiel boats these boats are a claptrap of cluttered equipment! Another thing I laughed at MASKS FOR ALL THE MANAQUINS???!!!!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video 👍
Excellent videography, even allowing for hand held. I would have loved to have been an engineer on board……NOT!!
Thank you very much. This was shot with a GoPro 10 🙂
Hows its condition today?
The video was recorded spring/summer last year, so I would expect it to be more or less the same today 🙂
The maximum submerged speed of the Tangos was exaggerated.
For its age and probably severe lack of funding that submarines in pretty good condition
Well, its located in Hamburg so maybe funding is better there.
@@BecksHobbyProductions probably,that a Germans + anything mechanical is like unicorns farting rainbows,we don't know what wizardry they use but yet it does .
@@thomaspavelko9412 literally laughed out loud reading that comment 😂😂
Nope clostopobic God bless the men who sailed on these things
Far cry from the Kursk. Cool though.
Very much. Kursk is an Oscar II nuclear submarine :)
Didn’t see control room….diving plane positions….periscope.
Access is limited to special arrangements, but I peak up through a hole from 8:58 :)
It's obviously a very capable boat. But the welding and general fit out of piping and cable management looks like sh!t. It looks like a spaghetti of pipes, controls and wiring. I'm not confused by submarines in general, I have been on several Western submarines (Oberon class, Collins, Type 212) and they are much better in those regards.
Thanks for the comment. It really does feel like there are pipes and wires everywhere and in every compartment.
One of the things I should have mentioned, which really impressed me (apart from the double hull) was the access arrangements to the battery compartments. From above. Western submarines require you to enter a tunnel to access the batteries and it's cramped and very hard to reach ones on the ouboard. The Russians by having hatches over the *top* have much easier access, and I was thinking "why the hell didn't we think of that?"
The look more comfortable than the german ones 😂
Well, to be fair size does offer more options :) But yes, each country does have a different approach to crew accommodations.
Where’s the vodka compartment?
Everythere, my friend!
U-434 is a German submarine, not a Soviet submarine. I see EITGANG written on the doorway which means "EXIT" in German. This submarine doesn't resemble a Soviet Tango class diesel submarine. Soviet submarines have "B" for identification.
Please find the official museum information here : www.u-434.de/en/the-u-boat-434.html Its located in Hamburg which explains some German sings for the museum guests.
creepy device!
Why, oh why, did you feel the need to add those irritating sound effects?
The sound effects always seem to be a topic that devides my audience - some love it, some hate it. I try to strike a balance, but I will never get it perfect and to everyone's satisfaction.
Becks Hobby Productions I thinks it's nice. Thanks for the video partner. I enjoyed it .
Why is the crew shown wearing surgical masks?
Those manikins must be really scared of catching covid
Masochist's dream. I see absolutely no reason to choose this as a profession.
Not a front line sub by any standard.
I can smell the diesel exhaust from here