Moscow has decommissioned its last Typhoon-class nuclear submarine after over 40 years of operation, the Russian state-owned RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday.
At nearly 600 feet long, Typhoon submarines are the largest of their kind in the world. According to Naval Technology, Russia introduced the class in the early 1980s, with the ships constructed at Severodvinsk Shipyard near Archangel.
The Kremlin has constructed six of the ships since that time. But the last vessel, the Dmitry Donskoy, was reportedly removed from the fleet this year.
"The submarine Dmitry Donskoy has been removed from the fleet and is to be scrapped," a source within the Russian defense industry told the outlet.
Still, some conflicting information exists. Representatives of Archangel allegedly told other Russian state-owned media that the report was incorrect, a translation by Newsweek revealed.
One source told TASS that the Russian navy would decide the future of the Typhoon class before the end of the year, but an assessment of the vessel's technical condition is still required.
"Recent reports about the withdrawal of Dmitry Donskoy from the Russian Navy do not correspond to reality. The ship is currently performing combat training tasks at sea, [and] participating in combat training activities. It will remain in combat formation at least until the end of the year," another source said.
The Typhoon class had a maximum diving depth of 400 meters, with a speed of 12 knots when surfaced and 25 knots when submerged. In addition, it was capable of spending 120 days at sea, according to Naval Technology.
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