SUBMARINE-RELATED CONSTRUCTION AT LITSA BAY, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84T00171R000100210001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 23, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 1, 1983
• Content Type: REPORT

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DUNE 1983.
Copy "44
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SUBMARINE-RELATED CONSTRUCTION AT
LITSA BAY, USSR (S)
INTRODUCTION
1. Several continuing, long-term expansion programs in the Litsa Bay area (Figure 1) and the
first arrival of a new Typhoon-class Nuclear-Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN) there in
late December 1982 suggest that the Soviet Union intends to station these new-class SSBNs in the
Litsa Bay area in the near future. In the past, installations in this area have predominately sup-
ported only cruise missile and attack-class submarines. The new Typhoon-class SSBN (Figure 2)
had deployed to this area from the Severodvinsk Complex for winter testing and fleet acceptance
in the ice-free regions of the Kola Peninsula. It will most likely, when testing is complete, return
to Severodvinsk, where it will receive final repairs, adjustments, and missile loadout, making it a
fully operational unit. Current construction at the Litsa Bay installations will facilitate the future
basing Typhoon-class SSBNs there. This report uses all applicable satellite imagery through March
1983 and contains a location map, a table of installations in the area, and seven annotated
photographs. (S/WN)
2. Expansion at Litsa Bay includes building a rail line, improving a repair and handling
facility, increasing the size of the housing/administration area in the naval missile storage facility,
continuing activity in the tunnel area, and building a new support facility. When construction is
complete-probably in 1986 or 1987-these facilities will be able to fully support and provide
minor repair/maintenance for SSBN units operating from Litsa Bay. The installations will also
provide an additional submarine repair facility in the forward basing area, which will free the
major shipyards and repair facilities from minor maintenance requirements. Anticipated long-
term overhauls of newer SSBN-class submarines could subsequently be performed at the major
repair bases and shipyards on a more timely basis. (S/WN)
DESCRIPTION
3. There are six naval-related installa- Of these, three are submarine bases, all situat-
tions within the Litsa Bay area. They are: ed in small protected inlets on the eastern
Guba Litsa Submarine
69-27-1 1 N
Base North
032-26-26E
Guba Litsa Submarine
69-26-21 N
Base South
032-25-OOE
Guba Litsa Submarine
69-26-01 N
Base Southwest
032-21-32E
Litsa Guba Naval
69-23-57N
Missile Storage
032-26-44E
Andreeva Bay Nuclear
69-27-05N
Sub Spt Facility
032-21-36E
Litsa Guba Tunnel
69-25-20N
Complex South
032-19-25E
(NOTE: For clarity, these facilities will be referred to by their
general names in the text.)
WNINTEL
Z-12060/83
shore of the bay, about 1 nautical mile (nm)
apart (Figure 1). Guba Litsa North and South
became operational in the early sixties; Guba
Litsa Southwest did not become operational
until after 1973. These bases are, and have
been, the home ports for the Soviet Union's
newest nuclear-powered cruise missile and
nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSGN
and SSN, respectively). Guba Litsa South is the
primary operating base, while the other two
facilities provide basic support functions. The
remaining three naval installations-the naval
missile storage area and the submarine tunnel
and support facilities-are all in close proxim-
ity. All six are connected by an all-weather,
two-lane road to the Murmansk-Pechenga
highway. The nearest rail facility is about 23
nm to the south, near Kilpyavr Airfield (BE
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SECRET
A new rail line (Figure 1) is pres-
ently being extended northward and may
eventually connect the rail facility with the
Litsa Bay area. (S/WN)
4. Cruise missile and attack units operat-
ing from the Litsa Bay bases deploy to the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterra-
nean Sea. They also conduct security patrols in
the North Sea and provide support for de-
ployed SSBN units. Cruise missile and attack
classes now operating from Litsa Bay include
Oscar SSGN, Charlie-I/-Il SSGNs, Papa SSGN,
Victor-I/-11/-Ill SSNs, and Alfa-class SSNs. Al-
though Echo-II SSGN units are observed there,
they operate from and are based at Ara Guba
Naval Facility PUG Their
presence at Litsa Bay is believed to be for
maintenance-related purposes and for con-
ducting missile/weapons transfer operations
before and after repairs are made there and at
other Northern Fleet repair facilities. (S/WN)
5. The oldest of the active SSBNs in the
Northern Fleet, the Hotel-11 class SSBNs, have
been observed in Litsa Bay since late Septem-
ber 1981. They are believed to be near the end
of their useful life, estimated at about 20 years.
Removed from their ballistic missile submarine
operating bases, these SSBNs are not believed
to have conducted operational ballistic missile
patrols in several years. They are believed to
be operating without their SS-N-5 missiles;
they have moved to and from repair bases
without ever being observed to have trans-
ferred their missiles, a practice normally re-
quired before entering docks for mainte-
nance. The last time a Hotel-11 SSBN was
observed conducting a probable missile trans-
fer operation was in December 1980 at Sadya
Guba Submarine Base These
submarines may be stationed at Litsa Bay to
provide submarine crew training and to con-
duct local training operations until such time
that the boats are dismantled/converted.
(S/WN)
CONSTRUCTION
6. The expansion program at Litsa Bay
centers on five different activities: extending a
rail line toward the bay area, improving the
repair and handling facilities at one of the
submarine bases, increasing the size of the
housing/administration area in the naval mis-
sile storage facility, continuing activity at the
tunnel installation, and building a new support
facility. (S/WN)
Rail Line Extension
7. A new rail line is being built north-
ward from the existing Murmansk-Pechanga
rail line (Figure 1). If the line is extended to
the Litsa Bay area, it is expected to be capable
of supporting the Typhoon's SS-NX-20 missile.
Under construction for about a year, it cur-
rently has approximately 10 nm of completed
rail bed/track; an additional 13 nm of rail
bed/track is needed to extend it to the Litsa
Bay area. This rail line will probably provide
service to both the current missile storage
facility and the new probable repair/ support
facility, which has been under construction
near the submarine tunnel facility since 1978.
(S/WN)
Repair and Handling Facility
8. The repair and handling facility is be-
ing expanded with additional support build-
ings, berthing facilities, and landfill operations
(Figure 3). An underground sensitive opera-
tions area, possibly for weapons storage, is
nearly complete and comprises one adit and
two buildings secured by a triple fence and
four guard towers (Figure 4). A second adit,
which is west of the main support building,
may also be related to the sensitive operations
facility. A Yugoslavian-built 30,000-ton Large
Floating Drydock (YFDB), believed to be capa-
ble of handling the Typhoon SSBN, Oscar
(Continued p. 7)
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SSGN, or as many as four Charlie-Victor-class
submarines, has had limited usage since its
arrival at Submarine Base Southwest in late
July 1979. For the first two years, no vessels
were observed in the dock; between July 1981
and July 1982, only support and yard craft were
seen. The first observation of a submarine in
the dock was in July 1982, an indication that
this dock will be used for the repair and
maintenance of submarines. (S/WN)
Naval Missile Storage Facility
9. The naval missile storage facility con-
sists of a storage, a support, and an extensive
housing/administration area (Figure 5). The
facility became operational in 1963 but has
been undergoing expansion ever since. Expan-
sion has centered on the housing/administra-
tion area, which supports all the naval facilities
in the Litsa Bay area and is also believed to
contain training schools for the submarine
crews.' Since 1980, 14 multistory apartment/
administration buildings have been, or are
being, built. In the missile storage area, no
additional bunkers have been installed. Suffi-
cient space exists, however, for additional
missile storage bunkers in an area south of the
housing/administration area. (S/WN)
Tunnel Facility
10. Construction has been underway at
the tunnel facility at the southern end of Litsa
Bay. The tunnel has three entrances: two at its
eastern and one at its western end. Pilings,
possibly for a new quay, have been installed
near the western tunnel entrance and have
been extended to a point that now prevents
access to the bay by a submarine (Figure 6). If
these pilings result in a new quay and if this
facility becomes rail served, then this area
could become a future cargo/missile handling
area. Extensive dredging in the area, however,
would be required before this possible quay
could be used as a berth to conduct loading
operations. About one-third of the pilings
have been covered with precast concrete, and
additional landfill construction is still continu-
ing. An extensive blasting and land reclama-
tion project has been underway northeast of
the possible quay, conceivably for a future
sea-access tunnel (Figure 6). (S/WN)
New Support Facility
11. Construction is also underway south
of the Tunnel Facility (Figure 7). Since 1980, a
new, separately secured fuel-/steamplant has
been built. This new plant is being connected
by steamline to the power plant at Submarine
Base Southwest. An administration/support
area is near the plant and consists of seven
buildings (two multistory). The specific func-
tion for the new support facility is not clear at
this time. West of this installation, additional
construction was observed on an area of re-
cent landfill. (S/WN)
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All applicable satellite imagery acquired through March 1983 was used in the preparation of this report.
(S/WN)
1. DIA. DDB-1200-12278, Soviet Kola Peninsula Missile Submarine Bases: Two Decades in the Making
(U), Aug 78. (SECRET/NOFORN/WNINTEL*)
DIA. DIADIN 356-2A, USSR: Submarine Activity, Dec 82. (SECRET/NOFORN/WNINTEL)
*Extracted information is releasable
RELATED DOCUMENT
USN, Soviet Strategic Forces Division, Imagery Exploitation Group, NPIC,
Comments and queries regarding this report are welcome. They may b
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