Soviet cruiser Admiral Ushakov

Last updated

AdmiralUshakov1981.jpg
Admiral Ushakov underway on 3 November 1981
History
Naval Ensign of the Soviet Union (1950-1991).svgSoviet Union
Name
  • Admiral Ushakov
  • (Адмирал Ушаков)
Namesake Fyodor Ushakov
Ordered31 August 1950
Builder Baltic Shipyard, Leningrad
Yard number420
Laid down29 September 1951
Launched31 August 1950
Commissioned18 August 1952
Decommissioned28 February 1983
Stricken16 September 1987
Identification See Pennant numbers
Fate Scrapped, 1992
General characteristics
Class and type Sverdlov-class cruiser
Displacement
  • 13,600 tonnes (13,385 long tons) standard
  • 16,640 tonnes (16,377 long tons) full load
Length
  • 210 m (689 ft 0 in) overall
  • 205 m (672 ft 7 in) waterline
Beam22 m (72 ft 2 in)
Draught6.9 m (22 ft 8 in)
Propulsion
Speed32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph)
Range9,000  nmi (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement1,250
Armament
  • 4 × triple 15.2 cm (6.0 in)/57 cal B-38 guns in Mk5-bis turrets
  • 6 × twin 10 cm (3.9 in)/56 cal Model 1934 guns in SM-5-1 mounts
  • 16 × twin 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns in V-11M mounts
  • 2 × quintuple 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in PTA-53-68-bis mounts
Armour
  • Belt: 100 mm (3.9 in)
  • Conning tower: 150 mm (5.9 in)
  • Deck: 50 mm (2.0 in)
  • Turrets: 175 mm (6.9 in) front, 65 mm (2.6 in) sides, 60 mm (2.4 in) rear, 75 mm (3.0 in) roof
  • Barbettes: 130 mm (5.1 in)
  • Bulkheads: 100–120 mm (3.9–4.7 in)

Admiral Ushakov was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Contents

Development and design

The Sverdlov-class cruisers, Soviet designation Project 68bis, were the last conventional gun cruisers built for the Soviet Navy. They were built in the 1950s and were based on Soviet, German, and Italian designs and concepts developed prior to the Second World War. They were modified to improve their sea keeping capabilities, allowing them to run at high speed in the rough waters of the North Atlantic. The basic hull was more modern and had better armor protection than the vast majority of the post Second World War gun cruiser designs built and deployed by peer nations. They also carried an extensive suite of modern radar equipment and anti-aircraft artillery. The Soviets originally planned to build 40 ships in the class, which would be supported by the Stalingrad-class battlecruisers and aircraft carriers.

The Sverdlov class displaced 13,600 tons standard and 16,640 tons at full load. They were 210 metres (689 ft 0 in) long overall and 205 metres (672 ft 7 in) long at the waterline. They had a beam of 22 metres (72 ft 2 in) and draught of 6.9 metres (22 ft 8 in) and typically had a complement of 1,250. The hull was a completely welded new design and the ships had a double bottom for over 75% of their length. The ship also had twenty-three watertight bulkheads. The Sverdlovs had six boilers providing steam to two shaft geared steam turbines generating 118,100 shaft horsepower (88,100 kW). This gave the ships a maximum speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). The cruisers had a range of 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). [1]

Sverdlov-class cruisers main armament included twelve 152 mm (6 in)/57 cal B-38 guns mounted in four triple Mk5-bis turrets. They also had twelve 100 mm (3.9 in)/56 cal Model 1934 guns in six twin SM-5-1 mounts. For anti-aircraft weaponry, the cruisers had thirty-two 37 mm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns in sixteen twin mounts and were also equipped with ten 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes in two mountings of five each. [1]

The Sverdlovs had 100 mm (3.9 in) belt armor and had a 50 mm (2.0 in) armored deck. The turrets were shielded by 175 mm (6.9 in) armor and the conning tower, by 150 mm (5.9 in) armor. [1]

The cruisers' ultimate radar suite included one 'Big Net' or 'Top Trough' air search radar, one 'High Sieve' or 'Low Sieve' air search radar, one 'Knife Rest' air search radar and one 'Slim Net' air search radar. For navigational radar they had one 'Don-2' or 'Neptune' model. For fire control purposes the ships were equipped with two 'Sun Visor' radars, two 'Top Bow' 152 mm gun radars and eight 'Egg Cup' gun radars. For electronic countermeasures the ships were equipped with two 'Watch Dog' ECM systems. [1]

Construction and career

Admiral Ushakov was laid down on 29 September 1951 at Baltic Shipyard, Leningrad and launched on 31 August 1952. The vessel was commissioned on 18 August 1952. On 19 September 1953, she entered the 8th Navy. From 16 to 21 April 1954, she visited Stockholm, Sweden. In 1955, Admiral Ushakov won the prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for artillery shooting. On 24 December 1955, the cruiser transferred to the DKBF. On 3 November 1956, she was transferred to KSF. In 1957, the ship was tested to ensure take-off and landing of a helicopter on the runway.

From 19 to 22 October 1973, Admiral Ushakov visited Messina, Italy. From 7–10 August 1981, the cruiser visited Varna, Bulgaria. On 28 February 1983, the vessel was withdrawn from service and placed in reserve for the second time and mothballed in Sevastopol. On 16 September 1987, the cruiser was disarmed and removed from the Navy.

In 1992, she was sold to a private Indian firm for scrap in India. [2]

Pennant numbers

DatePennant number [3]
19546
195554
195533
195623
195721
195830
1961203
1963160
1967120
844
1971860
1972855
1973859
1974852
1979109
1981100
108
1983113
101

Related Research Articles

<i>Leipzig</i>-class cruiser Class of German light cruisers

The Leipzig class was a class of two light cruisers of the German Reichsmarine and later Kriegsmarine; the class comprised Leipzig, the lead ship, and Nürnberg, which was built to a slightly modified design. The ships were improvements over the preceding Königsberg-class cruisers, being slightly larger, with a more efficient arrangement of the main battery and improved armor protection. Leipzig was built between 1928 and 1931, and Nürnberg followed between 1934 and 1935.

<i>Sverdlov</i>-class cruiser 1950s cruiser class of the Soviet Navy

The Sverdlov-class cruisers, Soviet designation Project 68bis, were the last conventional gun cruisers built for the Soviet Navy. They were built in the 1950s and were based on Soviet, German, and Italian designs and concepts developed before the Second World War. They were modified to improve their sea capabilities, allowing them to operate at high speeds in the rough waters of the North Atlantic. The design carried an extensive suite of modern radar equipment and anti-aircraft artillery. The Soviets originally planned to build 40 ships in the class, to be supported by the Stalingrad-class battlecruisers and various aircraft carriers.

<i>Stalingrad</i>-class battlecruiser Planned class of Soviet battlecruisers

The Stalingrad-class battlecruiser, also known as Project 82, was a Soviet battlecruiser design from 1941. It was a smaller and less-expensive counterpart to the Kronshtadt-class battlecruisers of 1939. The original role was for a light, fast ship intended to break up attacks by British fast-cruiser forces that might attempt bombardment of Russia's northern ports. In keeping with the battlecruiser design concept, they would have been able to outgun any ship with similar speed, or outrun anything more heavily armed. Design work had just started when the German invasion of the Soviet Union opened and the design was put on hold.

Kalinin (Калинин) was one of six Kirov-class cruisers built for the Soviet Navy in the Russian Far East from components shipped from European Russia during World War II. The ship was one of the last pair constructed, known as the Project 26bis2 subclass. Completed at the end of 1942 and assigned to the Pacific Fleet, she saw no action during the Soviet–Japanese War in 1945 and served into the Cold War. Sometimes serving as a flagship, her post-war career was uneventful until she was disarmed and converted into a floating barracks in 1960. She was scrapped in the early 1960s.

Soviet cruiser <i>Kirov</i> Soviet Kirov-class light cruiser

Kirov was a Project 26 Kirov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy that served during the Winter War and World War II, and into the Cold War. She attempted to bombard Finnish coast defense guns during action in the Winter War, but was driven off by a number of near misses that damaged her. She led the Evacuation of Tallinn at the end of August 1941, before being blockaded in Leningrad where she could only provide gunfire support during the siege of Leningrad. She bombarded Finnish positions during the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive in mid-1944, but played no further part in the war. Kirov was reclassified as a training cruiser on 2 August 1961 and sold for scrap on 22 February 1974.

Soviet cruiser <i>Murmansk</i> (1955) Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Murmansk was a light cruiser project no. 68-bis of the Soviet and later the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet.

Soviet cruiser <i>Molotov</i> Soviet Navys Kirov-class cruiser

Molotov was a Project 26bis Kirov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy that served during World War II and into the Cold War. She supported Soviet troops during the Siege of Sevastopol, the Kerch-Feodosiya Operation and the amphibious landings at Novorossiysk at the end of January 1943.

Soviet cruiser <i>Mikhail Kutuzov</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Mikhail Kutuzov is a Project 68bis light cruiser of the Soviet and later the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet.

Soviet cruiser <i>Vasily Chapayev</i> Soviet Navys Kresta II-class cruiser

Vasily Chapayev was a Project 1134A Berkut A class cruiser of the Soviet Navy named for the naval commander Vasily Chapayev. The Project 1134A vessels were envisaged as a counter to the attack and ballistic missile submarines operated by the members of NATO. To that end, they were equipped with two KT-106 quadruple launchers for eight 85R anti-submarine missiles in the URPK-3 Metel system. The ninth ship of the class, Vasily Chapayev was launched in 1974 and served during the Cold War with the Pacific Fleet. Based at Vladivostok, the ship travelled extensively in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, visiting a large number of friendly ports in Angola, Ethiopia, India, Mozambique and Yemen. In 1978 and 1979, the vessel formed part of a Soviet flotilla, including the Project 68bis cruiser Admiral Senyavin, that supported Vietnam in the aftermath of the Sino-Vietnamese War. In 1982, Vasily Chapayev was allocated to support the BOR-4 spaceplane programme, and two years later, the vessel participated in a search for a US Navy submarine that was suspected of being near the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East. In 1985, the ship took part in a simulated joint operations attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor that involved the coordinated use of aircraft, ships and submarines. During the following year, the vessel took part in first joint exercises that involved both the Soviet and North Korean Navies. Taken out of active service in 1992, Vasily Chapayev was decommissioned and transferred to be broken up in 1993.

Indonesian cruiser <i>Irian</i> Sverdlov class cruiser

RI Irian (201), previously named Ordzhonikidze was a Sverdlov-class cruiser, Soviet designation "Project 68bis", of the Soviet Navy that was acquired by Indonesian Navy in 1962.

Soviet cruiser <i>Sverdlov</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Sverdlov was the lead ship of the Sverdlov-class cruisers of the Soviet Navy. The ship was constructed at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad, Soviet Union and was launched on 5 July 1950. The cruiser was commissioned on 15 May 1952. The lead ship of the last class of gun cruisers of the Soviet Navy, Sverdlov spent most of her career making ceremonial port visits to allied and non-allied nations. From 1966 to 1972, the vessel was laid up out of service, only operating again before being laid up again in 1977. In 1989 the ship was disarmed and sold for scrap to an Indian company and broken up in 1993.

Soviet cruiser <i>Zhdanov</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Zhdanov was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of Soviet Navy.

Soviet cruiser <i>Aleksandr Suvorov</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Aleksandr Suvorov was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of Soviet Navy.

Admiral Senyavin was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Soviet cruiser <i>Dmitry Pozharsky</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Dmitry Pozharsky was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Soviet cruiser <i>Aleksandr Nevsky</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Aleksandr Nevsky was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Soviet cruiser <i>Admiral Lazarev</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Admiral Lazarev was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Soviet cruiser <i>Dzerzhinsky</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Dzerzhinsky was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Admiral Nakhimov was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy.

Soviet cruiser <i>Molotovsk</i> Soviet Sverdlov-class cruiser

Molotovsk was a Sverdlov-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy which was later renamed Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gardiner and Chumbley, p. 378
  2. V., Zablotsky (2008). Cold War cruisers. Yauza. p. 224. ISBN   978-5-699-26175-8.
  3. "Light Cruisers - Project 68bis". russianships.info. Retrieved 14 August 2021.