Belgorod is the biggest sub built in 30 years at over 600ft long and 30,000 tons

Can carry 6 80ft Poseidon torpedoes with up to 100 megaton nuclear warheads

Coastal attack would cause 500m tsunami and 'devastating' radiation spread 

Russian Navy chief claimed the sub will be used for scientific research missions

Experts fear sub could sabotage undersea cables with special unmanned drones

Delivered to Russian Navy yesterday after being spotted on surface last month

The Russian Navy were delivered a 'doomsday' submarine yesterday equipped with nuclear torpedoes 'the size of a school-bus' so powerful they could cause a 'radioactive tsunami'

The 184m (604ft), 30,000 ton Belgorod submarine is the largest sub built in 30 years and can fit six 80ft long Poseidon nuclear torpedo drones  armed with an up to a 100 megaton nuclear payload, US Naval Institute News reports.

These unmanned weapons could produce a tsunami up to 500m (1,650ft) high and are built to cause 'devastating' widespread radioactive contamination akin to a cobalt bomb.

Poseidon torpedoes are designed to cause 'destroy' economically important coastal cities  by 'creating wide areas of radioactive contamination, rendering them unusable for military, economic or other activity for a long time', according to a leaked Russian document translated by the BBC in 2015.

It was also revealed the weapon has a range of thousands of miles.

A warhead of this size would destroy the US coast with a gigantic tsunami and radioactive fallout - and Russian military experts suggested the 2015 leak was a warning to the US.

In May 2020 state-run Russian news agency TASS reported the payload could be up to two megatons to 'destroy enemy naval bases' and have a operation depth of over 1km.

The Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolay Tevmenov said at the submarine's delivery ceremony yesterday, July 8, that it will be used for 'research and scientific expeditions', according to  TASS.

He said: 'The submarine Belgorod opens new opportunities for Russia in holding various researches and helps carry out diverse scientific expeditions and rescue operations in remote areas of the World Ocean.'

The ship was built at the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk, the largest shipbuilding operation in Russia, and delivered to the Russian Navy Northern Fleet's headquarters in Severodvinsk yesterday.

The handover to the Russian Navy comes after  beginning it's first sea trials last year reportedly under the secretive Main Directorate of Undersea Research after threats to sink British and American warships in the Black Sea.

'On July 8, 2022, a special ceremony was held at the Sevmash Production Association (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation), Russia's largest shipbuilding enterprise, to sign a certificate of the acceptance/delivery of the Belgorod research submarine to the Navy,' the Shipyard said in a statement reported by TASS.

In January this year, the Russian Navy said they would receive the 'special-purpose sub with nuclear-armed drones' in July 31 this year - meaning the transfer is three weeks early.

It will be operated by the navy but it's missions will be controlled by President Vladimir Putin.

The Belgorod sub was was caught via satellite imagery on on the surface of the White Sea along with the second biggest sub in the world, Dmitry Donskoi on June 26 according defence analyst HI Sutton, who labelled Belgorod a 'doomsday submarine'.

He said: 'These subs are ginormous, much bigger than anything in the West, even the US Navy's Ohio Class'.

The sub could also contain 'unique' drones designed for covert missions such as cutting undersea phone and internet cables, causing untold damage to Western economies.

Last year Sidharth Kaushal, from the Royal United Services Institute, told The Mail on Sunday he believed the fleet of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) could be of strategic value for President Putin.

Dr Kaushal said: 'The Belgorod is large enough to act as a mother ship for a unique set of smaller vessels which have deep-diving capabilities and the ability to tamper with undersea infrastructure. 

'It's well equipped for sabotage and clandestine operations. Its Poseidon nuclear torpedoes could also be a very effective means of attacking an aircraft carrier in wartime – one against which at present no defence exists.

'The Belgorod will not be part of the Russian Navy per se, meaning its covert and aggressive actions will effectively be deniable. 

'The submarine appears set up for non-attributable Special Forces warfare with its commanders answering directly to the [political] leadership and bypassing the Russian naval command structure.' 

Daily Mail