Russian Submarine's Damaged Hull During Cuba Visit Raises Questions

Russian Marines stand guard on top of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, part of the Russian naval detachment visiting Cuba, arrives at Havana's harbor, June 12, 2024. The Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan -- which was not carrying nuclear weapons -- and three other Russian naval vessels, docked in the Cuban capital from June 12-17.

Images of a Russian nuclear-powered submarine that docked in Havana last week for military drills appear to show some damage to its hull, raising questions on social media.

The nuclear-powered submarine Kazan and other naval vessels docked in the port of Havana on June 12 and left on Monday after a five-day stay. Russia deployed warships and aircraft to the Caribbean Sea last week for planned military drills—a move the U.S. has said it is not alarmed by.

Observers of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war shared photographs of the docked submarine on social media, pointing to gaping holes in the vessel's hull.

Submarines are typically fitted with stealth coatings, or anechoic tiles, which are designed to absorb sound waves, making them less vulnerable to attacks and harder for enemy ships to track. It is common to see patches of missing tiles on submarine hulls.

Newsweek contacted Russia's defense ministry for comment by email.

"The Russian submarine started falling apart during its trek to Cuba," wrote Igor Sushko, a Ukrainian military blogger and the executive director of the Wind of Change Research Group, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Will it make it back to Russia?? I say declaring an emergency and heading to a port a few hours away in Florida to defect is the best course of action," he added.

Marijn Markus, a Netherlands-based data scientist, said on LinkedIn: "Russia's newest nuclear submarine, the Kazan, falls apart as it visits Cuba. Its soundproofing panels are falling off, meaning the 'stealth' sub is likely very loud underwater and lights up on sonar."

"Anechoic tiles are meant to be replaceable but OMG that gaping hole on the right...," Markus wrote.

"While docked, Russian divers were seen around the sub, presumably trying to repair the tin tub. Shockingly, the sub is only 6 years old. Note losing tiles is a problem Western subs also suffer from. Usually adhesive problem and the continual compression and expansion of the hull."

H.I. Sutton, a maritime security researcher, said in an article for Forbes in 2020 that the anechoic coatings present an engineering challenge because they "need to stay attached in some of the most challenging environments on earth."

"The hull of the submarine, despite being made of super-strong steel, flexes as the submarine goes deep. And the coating is exposed to temperature changes," he said.

"The U.S. Navy is not alone in having challenges with its stealth coatings. The Royal Navy, which deploys in similar patterns, often has parts of the coating come off. And the Russian Navy, which operates in the harsh Arctic, faces similar problems," said Sutton. "Their challenges are further exacerbated by the titanium hulls of some of its submarines, which appears to be even harder to stick the coating to.

"So next time you see a submarine with visible scars where the coating has come off, realize that it is a common problem which reflects the hard operating conditions. A fix may be in the works."

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