Russia's D 2 museum: Tribute to first ever Soviet designed submarine

    Russia's D 2 museum
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    Russia's D 2 museum

    <b>Manu Pubby, ET Bureau</b><br><br>From the Foxtrots to the Kilos and the 'Chakra II' Akula submarine, India's underwater fleet has an unmistakable Russian legacy. Not only are most of Indian submarines of Russian origin, generations of officers and sailors have been trained in underwater operations on Soviet era subs designed to win the cold war. <br><br>In Vizag, an Indian Navy effort to preserve the legacy is a museum inside an old Foxtrot submarine. In Russia, the finest example of submarine history is in St Petersburg – a well preserved and refurbished sample of its WW II legacy. <br><br><i>Set up by the Rubin Design Bureau, the museum gives an inside view into the life of a submariner. The thing to remember is that this D 2 submarine served in the harsh WW II struggle against the Nazis, securing 5 kills from the then heavily blockaded St Petersburg...</I>

    From the outside
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    From the outside

    From the outside, the D 2 museum looks imposing, an entire submarine exposed.<br><br>The thing to remember is that this was constructed over 80 years ago.

    A German torpedo
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    A German torpedo

    Inside the museum, before stepping into the submarine is a reminder of its German legacy. A German torpedo.

    Torpedo tubes
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    Torpedo tubes

    The aft Torpedo tubes of the D 2, the submarine could fire two torpedoes from the back.

    Rather cramped sleeping quarters
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    Rather cramped sleeping quarters

    For its crew of 56, the submarine had sleeping bunks for half the crew only. The rest were supposed to be on duty.

    Electrical sections
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    Electrical sections

    Perfectly preserved are the electrical sections of the submarine, the batteries that powered it underwater.

    Small compartments
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    Small compartments

    It takes Yoga postures to fit through the small compartments of the submarine.

    Conning tower
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    Conning tower

    The conning tower of the submarine, a place where the captain would command the boat from.

    Captain's cabin
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    Captain's cabin

    This is a replica of the Captain's cabin.

    Memorabilia
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    Memorabilia

    Certain sections of the D2 have been taken apart and the museum has pictures, memorabilia and artifacts of its WW II legacy.

    Sleeping comfortably!
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    Sleeping comfortably!

    A majority of the beds for sailors to rest were next to the stored torpedoes on the ship.

    Front of the submarine
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    Front of the submarine

    The front of the submarine tripled as a torpedo loading zone, a sleeping area and the main dining area for soldiers.

    The Economic Times
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