The USSR was consistently ahead of the US in metallurgy. The US was convinced that it wasn't possible to weld titanium for submarine use until the USSR built one. The advantage is that it's the same strength as steel with less weight so it can dive deeper and go faster.
And then, iirc, the Soviets decided it wasn't worth the trouble due to something about the properties of titanium and went back to using steel while the us still didn't know how to do it in the first place.
The USSR was consistently ahead of the US in metallurgy. The US was convinced that it wasn't possible to weld titanium for submarine use until the USSR built one. The advantage is that it's the same strength as steel with less weight so it can dive deeper and go faster.
And then, iirc, the Soviets decided it wasn't worth the trouble due to something about the properties of titanium and went back to using steel while the us still didn't know how to do it in the first place.
The Ti subs were also like an underwater F1 car and they’d routinely just go fast to show off.
Dudes rock.
:yes-hahaha-yes-l: