What was the alfa really like?

[SquidB]

Hi,

Im reading Rising Tide by Dr Gary E. Weir and Walter J. Boyne. It details russian sub ops throughout the cold war.

Anyway heres the thing, I always thought that the akula, dispite its titanniam hull didnt have the massive dive depth it was credited for. Also it was a noisy sod.

Now check this out.

"Occasionally Kolyada would discover a Los Angeles class boat on his tail. They usaually made no secret about their approach, falling in behind him to see how Kolyada would evade. After a short joust, which would frequently bring both submarines disturbingly close to each other, Kolyada would accelerate and go deep. His titanium submarine , capable of diving to 3,000 feet, could ultimatly go where only American sonar or SOSUS could follow. If he slowed to a patrol-quiet six knots or less at great depth, finding him could well prove impossible"

Now the authors seem to have done their research and the book is a recent one (2003)

So is it time we re-evaluated the Alfa?