Riga-class frigate

The Riga class was the NATO reporting name for class of frigates built for the Soviet Navy in the 1950s. The Soviet designation for these ships was Storozhevoi Korabl (escort ship) Project 50 Gornostay (Ermine stoat). The Riga class was analogous to World War II era destroyer escorts.

Finnish Riga class Hämeenmaa
Class overview
NameRiga class
Operators
Preceded byKola class
Succeeded by
Completed69
General characteristics
Class and typeFrigate
Displacement
  • 1,160 tons (standard)
  • 1,416 tons (full load)
Length91 m (299 ft)
Beam10.2 m (33 ft)
Draught3.16 m (10.4 ft)
Propulsion2 × shaft steam turbines, 2 × boilers; 21,000 hp (16,000 kW)
Speed28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range1,950 nmi (3,610 km; 2,240 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement175
Armament
  • 3 × 100 mm guns/56 (B-34) (3×1)
  • 4 × 37 mm guns (2×2)
  • 4 × 25 mm guns (2×2) - Some ships
  • MBU-600 anti-submarine rocket launchers (replaced by two RBU-2500)
  • 2 or 3 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (1×2 or 1×3)

Design

These ships were a smaller and simpler version of the Kola class. According to Conway's, this simpler group of ships were ordered by Joseph Stalin who was concerned about the cost of large ships. The class introduced high pressure steam turbines and new radars into Soviet service. The bridge, gun turrets, and magazines were covered in 8 mm (0.31 in)-thick armour. The main armament comprised three single dual-purpose 100 mm (3.9 in) guns with remote power control and a single Yakor type fire control director. The machinery comprised two TV-9 steam turbines with two boilers and had initial problems with reliability.

The Project 50 Riga class was a rather simplistic and straight forward design. With their basic capabilities, moderate size and ease of operation, they made perfect export vessels for smaller navies where such ships could easily fill the multi-purpose role, taking the place of large minesweepers and actual destroyers.

There was a modernisation programme designated Project 50 A in the late 1950s early 1960s. This included fitting anti-submarine rocket launchers (RBU-2500) new radar and adding permanent ballast for improved stability.

Ships
A Soviet Riga class during Exercise OKEAN in April 1970
Karl Marx of the Volksmarine

A total of 68 ships were built by Nikolayev yards (20 ships), Komsomolsk-on-Amur (7 ships) and Kaliningrad (the lead yard 41 ships). Most ships were decommissioned by 1980, however some were sold to China. The programme was cut short by Nikita Khrushchev in 1956 as the ships were becoming obsolete and the last ship was completed in 1959.

Riga-class frigates of the Soviet Union[1]
Name Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
Leopard Kaliningrad 21 December 1952 30 April 1953 30 April 1954
Bars Kaliningrad 25 April 1952 25 July 1953 30 June 1954
Rosomacha Kaliningrad 19 June 1952 16 August 1953 30 April 1954
Sobol Kaliningrad 27 September 1952 5 November 1953 13 October 1954 Transferred to East Germany in 1959 as Karl Liebknecht
Barsuk Kaliningrad 2 December 1952 27 February 1954 15 September 1954
Kuguar Kaliningrad 27 March 1953 31 December 1953 31 August 1954
Yenot Kaliningrad 17 October 1953 9 April 1954 30 October 1954 Transferred to East Germany in 1959 as Friedrich Engels
Filin Kaliningrad 27 August 1953 6 June 1954 9 December 1954 Transferred to Finland in 1964 as Uusimaa
Luń Kaliningrad 20 October 1953 5 August 1954 27 December 1954
Kobchik Kaliningrad 26 December 1953 2 November 1954 31 May 1955 Transferred to Bulgaria in 1985 as Bodri
Tur Kaliningrad 24 March 1954 16 December 1954 31 May 1955 Transferred to East Germany in 1957 as Karl Marx
Loś Kaliningrad 26 May 1954 29 March 1955 31 July 1955
Oleń Kaliningrad 2 August 1954 29 April 1954 27 August 1955 Transferred to East Germany in 1956 as Ernst Thälmann
SKR-76 Kaliningrad 29 April 1957 16 December 1957 15 June 1958
SKR-69 Kaliningrad 29 July 1956 28 December 1956 30 May 1957 Transferred to Finland in 1964 as Hämeenmaa
SKR-70 Kaliningrad 13 August 1956 19 February 1957 20 June 1957
SKR-71 Kaliningrad 21 September 1956 3 April 1957 13 July 1957
SKR-72 Kaliningrad 26 January 1957 16 May 1957 26 September 1957
SKR-73 Kaliningrad 24 December 1956 21 June 1957 30 September 1957
SKR-74 Kaliningrad 4 February 1957 27 July 1957 26 November 1957
SKR-54 Kaliningrad 20 December 1954 31 August 1955 31 December 1955
SKR-75 Kaliningrad 14 March 1957 3 September 1957 30 December 1957
SKR-77 Kaliningrad 17 June 1957 20 January 1958 29 June 1958
SKR-80 Kaliningrad 17 September 1957 13 March 1958 31 July 1958
SKR-81 Kaliningrad 17 October 1957 15 April 1958 31 August 1958
SKR-10 Kaliningrad 27 November 1957 30 May 1958 21 October 1958
SKR-4 Kaliningrad 22 January 1958 30 July 1958 13 December 1958
SKR-5 Kaliningrad 24 December 1957 1 September 1958 31 December 1958
SKR-8 Kaliningrad 24 April 1958 18 October 1958 31 December 1958
SKR-14 Kaliningrad 29 May 1958 9 January 1959 September 1959
SKR-15 Kaliningrad 10 July 1958 27 February 1959 1 October 1959
SKR-59 Kaliningrad 21 June 1955 2 February 1956 25 May 1956
SKR-60 Kaliningrad 8 December 1955 13 April 1956 29 June 1956
SKR-61 Kaliningrad 17 October 1955 24 May 1956 23 August 1956
SKR-62 Kaliningrad 21 December 1955 27 June 1956 25 September 1956
SKR-64 Kaliningrad 8 February 1956 1 August 1956 31 October 1956
SKR-55 Kaliningrad 18 February 1955 30 September 1955 31 December 1955
SKR-65 Kaliningrad 28 March 1956 4 September 1956 27 December 1956
SKR-68 Kaliningrad 17 May 1956 27 October 1956 23 March 1957
SKR-56 Kaliningrad 16 April 1955 6 January 1956 21 May 1956
SKR-50 Kaliningrad 12 October 1954 16 August 1955 3 January 1956
Gornostay Nikolayev 20 December 1951 30 June 1952 30 June 1954
Pantera Nikolayev 21 February 1952 20 August 1952 21 May 1954
Ryś Nikolayev 22 April 1952 31 December 1952 21 May 1954
Yaguar Nikolayev 23 July 1952 14 February 1953 24 April 1954
Sarych Nikolayev 24 September 1952 31 March 1953 31 August 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1963 as RI Jos Sudarso (351)
Puma Nikolayev 25 November 1952 29 April 1953 31 August 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1963 as RI Slamet Rijadi (352)
Volk Nikolayev 26 February 1953 23 July 1953 31 October 1954
Kunitsa Nikolayev 27 May 1953 30 November 1953 23 December 1954
Korsak Nikolayev 1 August 1953 29 April 1954 30 December 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1963 as RI Ngurah Rai (353)
Norka Nikolayev 12 January 1954 29 April 1954 30 April 1955
Voron Nikolayev 12 March 1954 11 November 1954 18 June 1955
Grizon Nikolayev 15 April 1954 29 November 1954 30 June 1955 Transferred to Indonesia in 1963 as RI Monginsidi (354)
SKR-51 Nikolayev 25 June 1954 26 February 1955 28 September 1955
SKR-52 Nikolayev 1 September 1954 15 April 1955 26 November 1955
SKR-53 Nikolayev 20 November 1954 15 April 1955 31 December 1955 Transferred to Bulgaria in 1958 as Smeli
SKR-57 Nikolayev 23 December 1954 21 July 1955 28 February 1956
SKR-58 Nikolayev 15 March 1955 21 July 1955 7 May 1956
SKR-63 Nikolayev 5 May 1955 28 October 1955 30 May 1956
SKR-66 Nikolayev 10 February 1956 30 May 1956 29 September 1956
SKR-67 Nikolayev 1 March 1956 10 July 1956 22 December 1956 Transferred to Bulgaria in 1957 as Druzki
Zubr Komsomolsk-on-Amur 29 August 1952 9 July 1953 31 May 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1965 as RI Hang Tuah (358)
Bizon Komsomolsk-on-Amur 4 October 1952 9 July 1953 30 June 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1965 as RI Kakiali (359)
Aist Komsomolsk-on-Amur 25 December 1952 25 August 1953 27 August 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1965 as RI Lambung Mangkurat (357)
Giena Komsomolsk-on-Amur 5 March 1953 18 May 1954 25 October 1954
Pelikan Komsomolsk-on-Amur 1 August 1953 18 April 1954 30 November 1954 Transferred to Indonesia in 1965 as RI Nuku (360)
Pingvin Komsomolsk-on-Amur 10 September 1953 13 August 1954 31 December 1954
Gepard Komsomolsk-on-Amur 21 December 1953 13 August 1954 31 December 1954

Export operators
 Bulgaria
Bulgarian Navy : 3 ships (Druzki, Smeli and Bodri) operated 1957-1990, decommissioned 1990[2][3]
 People's Republic of China
4 ships were built in kits for the People's Liberation Army Navy to be licence assembled in China as Chengdu class (Type 6601/01) frigate. After that, PRC built 5 ships with a different gun arrangements as Jiangnan class (Type 065) frigate, reverse-engineered copies from type 6601.
 Finland
Finnish Navy : 2 ships (Uusimaa and Hämeenmaa) acquired 1964, decommissioned 1979 and 1985 (source Conway's)
 East Germany
East German Navy : 4 ships (Ernst Thälmann, Karl Marx, Karl Liebknecht, Friedrich Engels)
 Indonesia
Indonesian Navy: 8 ships (Jos Sudarso, Slamet Rijadi, Ngurah Rai, Monginsidi, Lambung Mangkurat, Hang Tuah, Kakiali, Nuku) transferred 1962-1964, decommissioned 1971-1986 (Source Conway's)

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Riga class frigate.

Notes
  1. "Guard Ships - Project 50". russian-ships.info. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. "Bulgaria Naval Forces". Library of Congress Reports. June 1992. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  3. Sanders, Deborah (2014). Maritime Power in the Black Sea. Ashgate. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4094-5296-6. Retrieved 13 November 2014.

References
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