Don-class submarine tender

Dmitriy Galkin in 1988
Class overview
NameDon class (Project 310 Batur)
BuildersNikolayev Shipyard
Operators
Succeeded byUgra class
Built1956–1961
In commission1958–1998
Completed7
Retired7
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine tender
Displacement
  • 5,030 t (4,950 long tons) standard
  • 7,150 t (7,040 long tons) full load
Length140 m (460 ft)
Beam17.7 m (58 ft)
Draught6.4 m (21 ft)
Propulsion4 diesel engines, 8,000 hp (6,000 kW)
Speed17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range21,000 nmi (39,000 km; 24,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement300
Sensors and
processing systems
Radar: Hawk Screech, Slim Net
Electronic warfare
& decoys
2 Watch Dog ECM systems, Vee Cone communication system
Armament
  • 4 × 100 mm (4 in) guns
  • 4 × 57 mm (2.2 in) guns,

The Don-class submarine tender was the NATO reporting name for a group of seven submarine tenders built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1950s. The Soviet designation was Project 310 Batur. Evolving from a need for dispersed basing of submarines in the advent of a nuclear war, the ships were designed to support distant operations of the Soviet Union's submarine fleet, capable of repairing and resupplying. However, the Soviets returned to stationary basing of their submarines and the Don class were later converted into flagships. One vessel was exported to Indonesia in 1962 and due to the ship's heavy armament, was used primarily for patrol duties. The ships of the Don class were removed from service in the mid 1990s and broken up for scrap.