These remarkable-looking submarines started life under an entirely
different guise: originally they were Whisky Class subs (Project 613)
but then they were chosen for a conversion project. This complex
work involved chopping the body in two and inserting an extra section to
extend the length and create the highly-stylized conning tower, as well
as providing 4 internal launches.
Six of these Cold War submarines were produced
between 1961 - 63. Officially known as Project 655 in the Soviet
Union, the NATO codename for these conversions was Whisky Long
Bin.
These guided-missile vessels were operational
until the late 1970s, then used as training submarines, before being
scrapped in the 1980s.
