Soviet cruiser Admiral Isakov

For her primary role as an anti-submarine cruiser, Admiral Isakov mounted two quadruple launchers for eight anti-submarine missiles in the Metel anti-ship complex (NATO reporting name SS-N-14 Silex). She was also equipped with two RBU-6000 12-barrel and two RBU-1000 6-barrel rocket launchers.[6] The Kamov Ka-25 helicopter embarked on the cruiser was also capable of aiding in the search and destruction of submarines.[7]

To counter aerial threats, Admiral Isakov was armed with a total of four AK-725 57-millimetre (2.2 in) dual-purpose guns in two twin mountings. She also had four 30-millimetre (1.2 in) AK-630 close-in weapon system mountings, and was armed with two twin launchers for the 48 V-611 surface-to-air missiles they carried in the M-11 Shtorm system (NATO reporting name SA-N-3 Goblet). She mounted two quintuple mountings for 533-millimetre (21.0 in) dual-role torpedoes.[6]

Admiral Isakov was equipped with the MR-600 Voskhod (NATO code name Top Sail) early warning air search radar, the MR-310U Angara-M (NATO code name Head Net C) search radar, and the Volga (NATO code names Don Kay and Don-2) navigational radar. For anti-submarine warfare she had improved MG-332T Titan-2T hull-mounted sonar.[8] She had two Grom (SA-N-1) and two MR-103 Bars (AK-725) fire-control systems. Admiral Isakov also had a MG-26 communications outfit.[6][1][9] As one of the first four ships in her class, Admiral Isakov lacked a Vympel fire-control radar, and relied on manual targeting for the AK-630.[1]

Her electronic warfare equipment included the MRP-15-16 Zaliv and two sets each of the MRP-11-12 and MRP-13-14 direction finding systems, as well as the MRP-150 Gurzuf A and MRP-152 Gurzuf B radar jamming devices.[10]

Admiral Isakov was assigned to the Northern Fleet on 16 January 1971, under the command of Captain Lyudvig Agadzhanov.[12] She began her voyage to the fleet in April after receiving ammunition and completing other preparatory tasks, suffering a boiler malfunction in the Norwegian Sea on 19 April. Upon arrival in Severomorsk on 22 April, she became part of the 120th Missile Ship Brigade of the Northern Fleet's 7th Operational Squadron. Admiral Isakov shadowed a United States Navy carrier group in the Norwegian and Barents Seas between 11 August and 21 September. On 13 December she departed for a Mediterranean cruise, calling at Annaba to show the flag between 12 and 17 February. After a period at Sevastopol for repairs from 5 March 1972, she returned to Severomorsk on 24 June, despite a boiler failure on 13 June while crossing the Norwegian Sea. First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral of the Fleet Vladimir Kasatonov visited the ship on 6 March 1973.[13]

Having begun another Atlantic cruise on 22 March that would last until 24 November, Admiral Isakov participated in Exercise Laguna, tracking possible NATO submarine movements in the North Atlantic alongside Kresta I-class missile cruiser Sevastopol and her sister ship Admiral Makarov between 12 and 29 May. During the exercise, a NATO submarine was detected during the exercise, and the crew of her Ka-25 made their first night landing on a moving ship. With the Kanin-class destroyer Derzky, she visited Havana between 4 August and 15 October. After participating in Exercise Okean-75 in April 1975, she operated in the Central Atlantic and Mediterranean with the missile cruiser Admiral Zozulya between 1 June and 1 December, visiting Annaba from 31 July to 4 August.[13]

Between August and October 1976, Admiral Isakov escorted the aircraft cruiser Kiev during tests of the latter's main missile systems off Kolguyev Island.[13] In difficult weather, Isakov sailed to the Lofoten Islands with the Kashin-class destroyer Smyshleny and the oiler Genrikh Gasanov during the April 1977 Exercise Sever-77. Between June 1977 and April 1980, she underwent repairs and modernization at the SRZ-35 shipyard in Murmansk, which included the addition of jet blast deflectors under the barrels of the V-611 missiles of the Shtorm system.[14]

After the completion of her refit, Admiral Isakov conducted combat training in the Barents and Norwegian Seas, near the Lofoten and Faroe Islands. On 27 May 1981 she deliberately rammed the British destroyer HMS Glasgow in the Barents Sea while the latter was collecting intelligence. The damage aboard Glasgow was minor, after the British captain matched his speed with that of Admiral Isakov. Escorting the battlecruiser Kirov along with her sister Kronstadt and the destroyers Smyshleny and Stroyny, she participated in Exercise Sever-81 between 9 and 10 July. The cruiser was transferred to the 170th Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade on 12 February 1982.[15]

Admiral Isakov once again cruised into the Atlantic and the Mediterranean between 27 July and 2 October 1982, beginning with anti-submarine Exercise Natyag in the Greenland Sea and passed Jan Mayen on 1 August. After participating in Exercise Atoll from 6 to 8 August, she escorted Kiev during Exercise Shchit-82 from 25 September to 1 October. Following repairs at Sevastopol, Admiral Isakov, under the flag of Northern Fleet First Deputy Commander Vice Admiral Vladimir Kruglikov, steamed westwards alongside the frigate Revny and Genrikh Gasanov. She visited Havana and Cienfuegos between 2 and 10 December 1982 before returning to Severomorsk on 21 February 1983. During the voyage, on 16 January, the Soviet group came within 50 miles of the Mississippi River Delta.[16] She escorted the aircraft cruiser Novorossiysk during the latter's voyage to the Pacific to the latitude of Gibraltar in October, with the destroyers Otchayannyy, Udaloy, and the oiler Genrikh Gasanov.[15]

Before participating in command staff Exercise Atlantika-84 from 31 March to 4 April 1984, the cruiser suffered a partial flooding of her ammunition storage while preparing for the exercise on 20 February. She underwent a mid-career refit at SRZ-35 between 9 October 1986 and 27 August 1990, receiving updated Rastrub-B missiles for her Metel, the Shlyuz satellite navigation system and the Tsunami-BM satellite communications system. On 1 October 1991, the 170th Brigade was redesignated as the 44th Anti-Submarine Warfare Division.[17]

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Admiral Isakov was transferred to the Russian Navy. Due to reduced naval funding she was decommissioned on 30 June 1993, crew disbanding on 31 December; the naval jack was lowered for the last time on 14 January 1994. In mid-1994, the ship was sold to an Indian company for scrapping, but sank under tow en route.[17]

During her career, Admiral Isakov was assigned the temporary tactical numbers 587, 251, 298, 550, 549, 647 (from 1990), and 672.[17]

• Averin, A.B. (2007). Адмиралы и маршалы. Корабли проектов 1134 и 1134А. [Admirals and Marshals: Ships Project 1134 and 1134A] (in Russian). Moscow: Voennaya Kniga. ISBN 978-5-902863-16-8.
• Belov, Gennady (2015). Атлантическая эскадра, 1968–2005 [Atlantic Squadron, 1968–2005] (in Russian). Moscow: Gorizont. ISBN 978-5-9906772-5-8.
• Chant, Christopher (1987). A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-4157-1072-5.
• Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
• Hampshire, Edward (2017). Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers. New Vanguard 242. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1740-2.
• Pavlov, Alexander (1995). Военные корабли СССР и России 1945-1995 гг. Справочник. [Warships of Russia and the Soviet Union, 1945–1995: Handbook] (in Russian). Yakutsk: Sakhapoligradizdat. OCLC 464542777.