Surely many compatriots remember such a film as "Peculiarities of National Fishing". The list of the highlights of this film includes, of course, the heroes' swim in a small submarine, the engine of which is capable of consuming vodka. What kind of boat is this, and was it really possible to refuel it with alcohol?
Foreshadowing a much more important question from the context of the recalled feature film, we immediately give an answer - no submarine can run on vodka. What was shown in "Peculiarities of National Fishing" is nothing more than an artistic fiction of the author, who decided that such a joke (to his taste) would be appropriate and funny. As for the submarine, the film featured a very real example of domestic technology, namely the Piranha submarine.
The small diesel submarine Piranha was created in the Soviet Union as part of Project 865 in 1976 and operated until 1984. As already noted, the submarine did not eat vodka at all. The vessel was equipped with a diesel power plant. It is noteworthy that an actual rarity fell into the hands of filmmakers! The fact is that only two such submarines were produced in the USSR.
However, not only the work of the ship's engine, but also the number of crew members was artistically distorted in the film. In the cinema, the boat was driven by one person. However, in practice, this was not possible in principle. To control the Piranha, a crew of at least 3 specialists was required. In addition, the boat could take on board a certain amount of cargo and had a troop compartment for 6 people.
In 1976, it was assumed that in the future, "Piranhas" will be used for reconnaissance activities, and in case of war, they can also be used to send small sabotage groups. The submarine was armed with either 4 mines or 2 torpedoes. The vessel could go 200 meters under water, the cruising range reached 480 km under water and 1850 km above water, and the autonomous operation time was 10 days.
The fate of both "Piranhas" was sad. Having starred in the famous film in 1998, already in 1999 the submarines were sold and cut for scrap.
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