Soviet Era Submarine at Strood, on the Medway river.

[Stephen]

At Strood, Kent, on the River Medway, a Soviet B-39 Submarine, (Nato "Foxtrot" classification). Awaiting restoration for Museum display, it has a leaking ballast tank, which is causing a bad list. Privately owned.










Last two with the OM Pen "Dramatic Art Filter". Shot OM PM-1 with 14mm-42mm Zoom.

Stephen.

[Stephen]

The Strood Riverside viewpoint, with Jubilee Lantern, using "Dramatic Art" setting on OM PM-1.

Stephen.

[julio1fer]

Dramatic, indeed.

[casualcollector]

So. If it is anchored in the river it is neither Kentish Sub nor Sub of Kent? It's about ten years ago now but I photographed this "Juliet" tied up in Rhode Island, USA. It has since been a casualty of a winter storm. It flooded and sank at the dock and been scrapped.

[matty]

Love the pics. I'm always fascinated by finding old ships and boats tied up in rivers and estuaries, I remember seeing HMS Warrior tied up at Milford Haven back in the 70s as an oil jetty, I next saw her at Hartlepool in 1985 being restored and have seen her fully restored at Portsmouth. I do wonder how a Soviet sub ended up on the Medway, my dad saw a group of Soviet subs at Blyth back in the 90s and was told that they had come as part payment for a deal with Coca Cola to start importing into Russia, is this a part of that deal?
Matty

[Stephen]

Not sure about the Coke deal, it was in London Docks museum in the 1990's, then Folkstone harbour, then the Medway mooring, pending a service and re-paint.I suspect the owner is trying to interest The Chatham Dockyard trust into taking it on for display. It would have to be crane lifted to dry land, as all the working docks surviving are fully used.
Stephen

[Stephen]

May 15, 2013 8:30:06 GMT -5 casualcollector said:

So. If it is anchored in the river it is neither Kentish Sub nor Sub of Kent? It's about ten years ago now but I photographed this "Juliet" tied up in Rhode Island, USA. It has since been a casualty of a winter storm. It flooded and sank at the dock and been scrapped.

It is neither really, as the usual definition of Kentish Man is to be born West or North of the Medway..... and born East or South of the River Medway for the Man of Kent, but the real definition is more complex, Kent was divided between Saxons and Jutes in early Medieval times, and the border was not the River Medway, but a line running from Rainham across the area southwards towards Southborough. The bottom end is unknown, but the top end at the North wss at Rainham Mark, defined by an ancient Marking Stone, hence Rainham Mark.

So at it's current mooring, it is a Kentish Man......but then it is Russian.....

Stephen.

[casualcollector]

Thanks, Stephen. These things usually turn out more complex than legend holds. I once thought I was of entirely Italian descent. I have since found out I am only half Italian. The other half being Sicilian!

The Juliet in my photo has been around a bit. Apparently in Long Beach, California for a while. It came to Rhode Island after being stripped of the superstructure it wore for the making of the film "K-19 Widowmaker".

[Stephen]

On the TV news today, the Submarine is being used to make a cinema film, a black comedy called "The Fitzroy" set after a nuclear war in the 1950's. It is afterwards to be used in two more, as it is to raise money for restoration. The film is not Hollywood exactly, a production from a company called Dresden Pictures, who have raised the funds to make the film via the Internet.
Stephen.