The cruiser "Admiral Ushakov" - Project 68-bis, development of the Soviet Union. The vessel was laid down in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1950 at the Baltic Shipyard. In 1951, the cruiser was launched, and in 1953 she officially entered the Navy.
History of creation
Soon after the end of the bloody Second World War, the major world powers began to prepare for a new military threat. Churchill's famous speech in Fulton, the split of the world into two camps, a complete redistribution of it by the victors and a tough struggle for spheres of influence did not promise universal peace and prosperity.
According to the first post-war program of military shipbuilding for the next ten years, it was planned to build light cruisers to modernize the fleet.
It was decided to create two types of ships: a cruiser (project 63), the second and an air defense ship (project 81). It was planned to install a nuclear reactor on the ships.
After a while, project 81 was closed, and work on both types of ships was united in one direction. Unfortunately, Project 63 also closed soon after.
In the late 1960s, the Leningrad Central Design Bureau was entrusted with the creation of a nuclear-powered patrol ship.
The ship was supposed to have a displacement of about 8000 tons, be able not only to accompany other ships, but also provide them with fire support, as well as track down and, if necessary, destroy enemy ships. One of the main advantages of the ship was to be an unlimited cruising range.
In the spring of 1971, weapons are being actively developed for both ships. The future ship receives the latest weapons options at that time.
In 1973, the lead cruiser was laid down at the Ordzhonikidze Baltic Shipyard.
In the latest version of the Orlan project, it was planned to create five ships, four of which were built. But it should be noted that the fourth ship ("Peter the Great") was different from its "brethren". It had a greater autonomy of navigation, improved anti-submarine and hydroacoustic weapons, and more modern cruise missiles were installed on board.
In the winter of 1977, the heavy nuclear cruiser "Admiral Ushakov" (formerly "Kirov") was launched and officially enlisted in the Soviet Navy.
An important point: this year a new classification was introduced, and the ship from the category of a simple anti-submarine ship becomes a heavy nuclear missile cruiser.
The cruiser did not receive its current name "Admiral Ushakov" right away, it happened in 1992. He and three other ships received new names. One of them bears the name "Peter the Great", and the other three became "admirals" (Ushakov, Lazarev and Nakhimov).
Construction and description of the ship
The ship "Admiral Ushakov" has a fully welded hull, extended by a forecastle and reinforced anti-aircraft weapons. To protect important parts of the ship, the traditional armor was made: anti-cannon, anti-bullet and anti-fragmentation. Mainly homogeneous armor was used for protection.
Almost all of the ship's superstructures are made of aluminum-magnesium alloys. Most of the weapons are located in the stern and bow parts. Additional armor shields cover the engine room and ammunition storage.
The cruiser has an elongated forecastle and a double bottom for the entire length of the vessel. The surface part consists of five decks (along the entire length of the hull). In the rear there is a hangar below deck that can accommodate three helicopters. Here, a lifting mechanism is designed and rooms are provided for storing materials necessary for flights.
The main power plant of the cruiser was a mechanical twin-shaft with two steam turbine-toothed units and 6 boilers, which were located in eight adjacent compartments in the middle of the ship's hull.
Armament
According to the plan, the cruiser "Admiral Ushakov" was supposed to strike at enemy aircraft carrier groups, track down and destroy enemy submarines, and also ensure the safety of its territories from air threats. Based on the assigned tasks, the ship received a lot of all kinds of weapons.
The main strike armament is represented by the Granit system, an anti-ship missile system located in the bow. It consists of twenty missiles, the maximum flight range of which reaches 550 km. The warhead of the missiles is atomic, the warhead weighing 500 kg.
The ship's anti-aircraft armament is the Fort missile system. The cruiser is equipped with twelve drum sets of eight missiles each.
In addition to air targets, "Admiral Ushakov" is capable of hitting enemy ships up to a destroyer class.
The ship's anti-submarine equipment includes the Metel missile system - 10 missile-torpedoes, the firing range of which reaches 50 km, and the depth of destruction - up to 500 m. In addition to the Metel, there are two five-tube torpedo tubes. There are also many small cannons and guns on the deck of the ship.
Service of "Admiral Ushakov"
The ship was officially in the service of the Navy and participated in many combat and training missions. There are several interesting points among them. For example, in the winter of 1983, NATO ships, acting on the side of Israel, began to conduct military operations against Syria and Lebanon, which were allies of the USSR. The ship's command was ordered to go to the Mediterranean.
When the "Admiral Ushakov" entered the required waters, and less than a day's journey remained to the destination, the NATO ships immediately ceased fire and left for the island zone. The Americans did not dare to approach our ship less than 500 km away.
In 1984, the ship made its first military voyage to the Mediterranean Sea.
A feature of the cruiser "Admiral Ushakov" was the presence of special artillery radar stations. In addition to two command and rangefinder posts KDP-8 and tower artillery rangefinders DM-8-2, the Rif radar and the Zalp radar were used to control the fire of the main caliber, and on the II and III towers MK-5-bis were installed own radio range finders. Competent use of the main caliber artillery was ensured by the Molniya ATs-68bis A fire control system. Ships of this type were also equipped with the means of communication modern at that time.
In 1971, the cruiser underwent a large-scale modernization according to project 68-A. One of the tasks was to strengthen air defense, as well as communications. In addition, the technical plan provided for the installation of the Tsiklon-B navigation space complex with the Tsunami-BM communication system, additional 30-mm AK-230 automatic units with the MR-104 Lynx control systems, modern communications and radar countermeasures, and also with special devices for transferring goods on the go.
The ship's hull was reequipped for the installation of the bow and stern groups, four installations in each, 30-mm short-range artillery.
Communications on board the vessel were coordinated from the flagship command post. To set up active jamming, the Crab-11 and Crab-12 SAP stations were installed.
After modernization, the cruiser performed combat and training missions until 1991. Due to a number of technical malfunctions, the vessel was put to a repair stop.
Unfortunately, the ship was never rebuilt and modernized. The country had a difficult turning point, and there was simply no money to restore such a huge vessel.
For many years "Admiral Ushakov" stood idle. In 2013, specialists from the Zvezdochka Shipbuilding Center announced the need to dispose of the cruiser's core.
In the summer of 2015, the final decision was made to dispose of the cruiser "Admiral Ushakov".
Interesting Facts
It is noteworthy that the cruiser "Admiral Ushakov" (formerly "Kirov") was mentioned more than once in popular culture. For example, in 1982 he appeared in the Soviet film "Case in the square 36-80".
Also, the Russian cruiser is mentioned in the novel "The Red Storm Rises" by the writer Tom Clancy. As planned by the author, during the third world war, the ship went out to the Atlantic to hunt for enemy ships and was sunk by a Norwegian submarine, which shot the cruiser with torpedoes.
The cruiser is also the focus of the Kirov series of books by John Shettler. According to the plot, in 2017-2021, the ship underwent a total modernization, for which three other cruisers were dismantled for parts. After that, he became the flagship of the Northern Fleet.
During the first rocket firing "Kirov" due to a mystical anomaly falls into the past, namely in August 1941, where its appearance leads to a change in history. As a result, the cruiser begins a long journey through different times and alternative realities.
Also, the Soviet nuclear cruiser "Kirov" appears in the film "Threads", filmed for the BBC TV company.
