Soviet cruiser Varyag (1963)

Varyag (Russian: Варяг) was the fourth and final ship of the Soviet Navy Project 58 Groznyy-class Guided Missile Cruisers (Ракетные крейсера проекта, RKR), also known as the Kynda Class.

Varyag on 9 September 1989.
History
Soviet Union
NameVaryag
NamesakeVarangians
BuilderA.A. Zhdanov, Leningrad
Yard number783
Laid down13 October 1961
Launched7 April 1963
Commissioned20 August 1965
Decommissioned19 April 1990
StrickenApril 1990
FateScrapped
General characteristics
Class and typeGroznyy class cruiser
Displacement4,350 tonnes (4,280 long tons; 4,800 short tons) standard, 5,400 tonnes (5,300 long tons; 6,000 short tons) full load
Length142.7 m (468 ft)
Beam16 m (52 ft)
Draft5.01 m (16.4 ft)
Propulsion2 shaft; 4 x KVN-95/64 boilers, 2 x TV-12 GTZA steam turbines, 45,000 shp (34,000 kW)
Speed34.5 knots (64 km/h)
Range4,500 nmi (8,334 km) at 14.3 knots (26 km/h)
Complement25 officers, 304 men
Sensors and
processing systems
2 x MR-300 Angara air/surface search radars, 1 x Bizan, 1 x MRP-11-12, 2 x MRP-13-14 and 2 x MRP-15-16 Zaliv reconnaissance radars, 1 x Don navigation radar, 2 x Nickel-KM and 2 x Khrom-KM IFF, 1 x Vizir-1 and 1 x GS-572 Gerkules-2M sonar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
2 x Krab-11, 2 x Krab-12 ESM radar system
Armament
Aircraft carriedHelipad for 1 Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone-A'

Design

Displacing 4,350 tonnes (4,280 long tons; 4,800 short tons) standard and 5,300 tonnes (5,200 long tons; 5,800 short tons) full load, Varyag was 142.7 m (468 ft) in length.[1] Power was provided by two 45,000 horsepower (34,000 kW) TV-12 steam turbines, fuelled by four KVN-95/64 boilers and driving two fixed pitch screws. Top speed was 34.5 knots (64 km/h).[2]

The ship was designed for anti-ship warfare around two quadruple SM-70 P-35 launchers for 4K44 missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-3 'Shaddock’), the vessel carrying a full set of reloads making a total of sixteen missiles.[2] To defend against aircraft, the ship was equipped with a single twin ZIF-102 M-1 Volna launcher with sixteen V-600 4K90 (SA-N-1 ‘Goa’) missiles forward and two twin 76 mm (3 in) guns aft, backed up by two single 45 mm (2 in) guns.[2] Four AK-630 close-in weapon systems were added in the early 1980s.[3] Defence against submarines was provided by two triple 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes and a pair of RBU-6000 213 mm (8 in) anti-submarine rocket launchers.[1]

Service

Laid down 13 October 1961 with the name Soobrazitelnyy (Russian: СообразительныйAstute), the vessel was renamed Varyag on 31 October 1962 while under construction.[4]

Varyag was launched on 7 April 1963 and accepted to the Pacific Fleet on 23 September 1965 as part of the 175th Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade, sailing to Vladivostok via the northern sea route. The vessel served in the Indian Ocean between 13 December 1971 and 6 March 1972 as part of a substantial Soviet naval presence during the Indo-Pakistani War ostensibly as a counterweight to ensure non-intervention by the Royal Navy and US Navy. Between 1975 and 1981, Varyag underwent repairs and modernisation, returning to service in the Indian Ocean with a cruise that included a visit to Da Nang, Vietnam between 10 and 14 October 1981. The ship was attached to the 183rd Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade from 1 March 1985, taking part in a large surface fleet exercise with other Soviet vessels between 7 and 10 October 1988.[4]

Varyag was the first in the class to be decommissioned, being stricken in April 1990.

Pennant numbers

Pennant Number[2]Date
3431965
2801965
6211966
8221967
8351968
8301970
8351972
8361974
0151976
0491981
0471982
0431985
0121987
0321990
641
821
079

References

  1. Moore, John (1980). Jane's Fighting Ships 1980-1981. London: Jane's. ISBN 9780710607034.
  2. Volkov, Roman; Brichevsky, Andrew (2016). "Guided Missile Cruisers: Project 58 Grozny". Russian Ships. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. Hampshire, Edward (2017). Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p. 45. ISBN 9781472817402.
  4. Holm, Michael (2015). "Project 58 Kynda class". Soviet Armed Forces 1945–1991. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
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