Finish 5th Kirov Class "Battlecruiser"?

[designeraccd]

A new chance for ”Admiral Nakhimov”?2009-02-16 Speaker in the Russian Federation Council Sergey Mironov says he will do what he can to resume the reconstruction of the heavy battle cruiser “Admiral Nakhimov” currently moored at the Sevmash yard in Severodvinsk.During a visit to Arkhangelsk last week, Mr. Mironov highlighted that the federal government should step up financing of the “Admiral Nakhimov”. The vessel has been docked at Sevmash for 12 years and federal authorities do not allocate sufficient annual funding for completion. Over the last years, Moscow has allocated an annual 250 million RUB to the project.

It is expected that about three billion RUB will be needed for the complete modernization of the vessel.

The “Admiral Nakhimov” was delivered to the Russian Navy by the Baltiiskaya Yard in Sankt Petersburg in 1985.


RECON photo of her attached.............DFO :cool::D

[tjstoneman]

I think ADMIRAL NAHKIMOV is the post-Soviet name for the third of the class, originally named KALININ, commissioned in 1988. She went into reserve in 1999, but may be in the process of reactivation. The fifth, variously listed as Dzerzhinsky, Oktybrskaya Revolutsiya and Kuznetsov, was apparently scrapped incomplete.

Tim

[designeraccd]

You are RIGHT...I sit corrected!! DFO :eek::D

[r.morrison]

Will be intersting to see exactly how it will be equipped and where it will be posted to.

Can anyone say if its AA weapons were of the same configuration on the P.V. or does it still retain the SA N 6 / 6 x 30mm AK 630 array ?

With PETER VELIKLEY serving in the North Fleet, it might be logical to see the NAKHIMOV posted to the Pacific Fleet.

In any case it will be good to see such a great ship on the oceans, rather than rusting away at some isolated berth.

[r.morrison]

Apparently KIROV which is still in reserve for either reactor or propulsion problems (given whom one talks to.....), has just had it's name repainted and a new gang plank installed.

In twenty years time she might just crawl out of harbour at last :rolleyes:

Or is she another floating cemetery, pardon, museum ?

[r.morrison]

Let's not forget the ungainly "URAL" filled with electronics, which was based too on the KIROV nuclear powered hull.:(

It's not going back into service thats for sure !

[Rogov]

It's not going back into service thats for sure !

Kapusta 2009

[r.morrison]

Many thanks that does quite positively confirm things,

Best wishes, Jim

[Luca]

Let's not forget the ungainly "URAL" filled with electronics, which was based too on the KIROV nuclear powered hull.:(

It's not going back into service thats for sure !

... and Frunze rusting in the background:(

[Luca]

Gulp!:eek: According to wikipedia the good old rusting Kirov is going to be refitted and put back in service alongside Kalinin... is it true? Mmmh....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirov_class_battlecruiser

Edit: maybe it's easier and cheaper to work on Kirov than towing Frunze around the globe all the way to Sevmash... I read somewhere that in late 80s there were plans to tow the aircraft cruiser/carrier Minsk to her ukrainian shipyard in order to repair her steam boilers (same as Kuznetsov, Baku...).... I guess the Pacific fleet has no facilities for such a refitting.

[r.morrison]

As I showed in post # 5, KIROV has had a new gang plank installed recently, newly painted name etc, is this an indication of further work to be carried out ?:)

[Luca]

Someone changed again Kirov's status on wiki. Now says: "Originally expected back in service in 2011/12 after refit, possibly scrapped" :confused:

[r.morrison]

I've just seen a model of PETER VELIKLEY and amidships, below the water line it is indicated "UK134-6 system", any ideas as to what this is ? Apparently not part of the arms or sonar system at any rate?
Would it be an uptake of sea water to cool the reactor ?

Best wishes:cool:

[Luca]

I've just seen a model of PETER VELIKLEY and amidships, below the water line it is indicated "UK134-6 system"

According to this spanish forum http://www.arismartin2.com/foro/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=92 it's some kind of stabilization device for vertical launch of Sa-N-6 missiles.

"Además, los Slava tienen un sistema de estabilización denominado UK-134-6 que comprende 4 aletas de 6 m2 que automaticamente se orientan para lograr estabilidad con la que poder lanzar los mísiles VLS"

Google translation:
"In addition, Slava have a stabilization system called UK-134-6 comprises four fins 6 m2 that are directed automatically to achieve stability with which to launch the missile VLS"

[Rogov]

Stabilizer (ship), fins on ships to counteract roll?

[r.morrison]

Many thanks indeed, the diagram was very vague but at least we all know it purpose...........

Best wishes, Jim

[designeraccd]

Now this "rumor"(?) has surfaced on a Naval Blog.......one might wonder what is in the VODKA??? DFO :rolleyes:


Thursday, July 29, 2010
Kirovs Back in Service?
This seems unlikely, but nevertheless it appears that the Russian Navy is thinking about returning the three mothballed Kirovs to service by 2020:


Russia will upgrade and put on active duty three mothballed Soviet-era nuclear-powered missile cruisers by 2020, a high-ranking Navy official told RIA Novosti on Saturday.
Russia built four Kirov class nuclear-powered cruisers in 1974-1998. One of them, the Pyotr Veliky, is in active service as the flagship of the Northern Fleet.
"Cruisers Admiral Nakhimov, Admiral Lazarev and Admiral Ushakov will be modernized and returned to the Russian Navy's combat force in 10 years," the official said, adding that their equipment and weapons will be fully modernized.

I have my doubts. The newest of the three will be 32 years old in 2020, and while they didn't see extensive service during their previous careers, I have to wonder about the condition they've been kept in. The first two were scheduled for disposal at points during their repose, and Kirov (now Ushakov) is rumored to have been cannibalized for spare parts. Seems like a waste of resources to bring them back, but then again it could further indicate the decrepit state of Russian shipbuilding...

[r.morrison]

well apparently, the KIROV has just had her dockside appearance dolled up recently with a new gangplank etc installed. There is work going on on board too.........
So if they do KIROV and KALLININ (i.e.NAKHIMOV) and counting PETER VELIKLEY, that will make three.
As usual though "want" and "have" will be decided by financial considerations:)

[Luca]

then again it could further indicate the decrepit state of Russian shipbuilding...

Yep, the decision to refit these.... "museum ships", instead of building new ones, is likely due to the lack of shipbuilding facilities and capabilities, especially in the far east (that's why, imho, Kirov is preferred to the much more modern Frunze).

[designeraccd]

An update from India on the Petyr Veliki............

Nuclear-powered Russian missile cruiser to dock at Goa
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, August 05,


Russia's heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser, Pyotr Velikiy, will dock at a port in Goa for six days from Friday during which the warship will also take part in a joint naval exercise with the Indian Navy. The missile cruiser is visiting port Mormugao Aug 6-11, an official in the Russian embassy
here said.

According to the spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Defence (Navy), the cruiser will participate in joint exercises with Indian naval ships.

There will be air defence, gun firing exercises, manoeuvering and replenishment at sea.

The spokesperson, quoting Russian Navy General Headquarters, said the visit of the Russian cruiser "is another step in strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation between Russian and Indian navies".

Pyotr Velikiy is one of the state-of-the-art and powerful attack ships in the Russian Navy.

It can hit big surface targets and has very effective air defence and anti-submarine capabilities.

The weaponry of the cruiser includes attack cruise missiles (range up to 550 km) air defence systems.

The cruiser has a powerful nuclear propulsion system and can sail at 32 knots (60 km/h). The service life of this system is 50 years.

The energy potential of the cruiser's nuclear power plant enables it to provide energy for a city with population of 150,000-200,000 people, the spokesperson said.

Officers on board the cruiser will call on Indian navy officials in Goa also.

The personnel of the cruiser will go for sightseeing in the India port state and participate in volleyball matches and tug-of-war competitions with Indian naval officers and sailors.


Now won't that be fun??? DFO ;)

[designeraccd]

Scratch one KIROV.........based on the date not news; but has anybody seen this before??? DFO ;)


Italy helps Russia dismantle nuclear-powered missile cruiser

The Russian budget does not have money to decommission nuclear-powered missile cruiser Admiral Ushakov, but Italy pledged to help with 60m euros.
Bellona, 14/12-2004


The surface ship formerly known as the Admiral Ushakov, a heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser of the Northern Fleet awaiting disposal moored at the Zvezdochka military shipyard in Severodvinsk, will be dismantled with Italy's help, ITAR-TASS reported on November 4.

Italy has announced it is ready to allocate 60m euros to prepare the cruiser to be dismantled, an ITAR-TASS correspondent was informed at the plant today. "Italy's aid will first and foremost go towards project and documentation development for it to be scrapped, since no technology has to date been developed in Russia to scrap nuclear-powered surface ships. At the second stage of funding, work to ensure that the ship is in a safe state will take place, which means an operation to unload the nuclear fuel from its reactors," the agency's source said. This is covered by the Global Partnership programme, which was adopted in 2002. It provides for the allocation of $20 billion over 10 years for the disposal of surplus arms from the Soviet era.

It was earlier reported that the Russian state budget did not earmarked any money for the cruiser’s dismantling in 2005 and that the cost of dismantlement was $40m where $10m is the price of the dismantlement project development. Italy , however, generously offered 60m euros for this project, which is not the most needed from the environmental point of view (the cruiser’s reactors are relatively new),but more needed for the tight Russian budget.

The Admiral Ushakov, which before May 1992 was known as the Kirov, was built at the Baltiyskiy plant in St Petersburg in 1980 and was the flagship of the Northern Fleet. In the 1990s, it required repairs and did not sail. It has been moored at Zvezdochka for the past three years. This name has now been re-allocated to a navy destroyer. Its propulsion plant consists of two nuclear reactors. A total of four cruisers of this type were built, only one of which - the Petr Velikiy - is still in service.

[Don Boyer]

Rember back when this ship joined the fleet? Much foaming at the mouth in western navies over this deadly, heavily-armed nuclear "battlecruiser" and the threat it represented. The Kirovs were part of the Reagan-era rationale for the upgrades to all of the Iowa class battleships. And now here she is, abandoned, unloved, and destined for scrap far before her time is up. It is representative of the Soviet system at its best, and the sad legacy such a venal government left behind for its successors.

[designeraccd]

In a sense...a veritable POTEMKIN VILLAGE of a warship, but if BIG is better...must be great??? DFO ;)

[Luca]

I knew that Norway allocated money to scrap Kirov, not my beloved country:) :eek:

By the way, I just found on Youtube a nice soviet-era documentary about this beautiful ship (never saw a Granit launch before!).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_VrZ53IQ7I

[designeraccd]

Does anyone have more recent and concrete information than this from the web??

Admiral Ushakov (ex-Kirov)
At the end of 1997 only the Admiral Nakhimov remained operational.

The Admiral Ushakov, which had been inoperable since 1989-1990, was stricken in October 1998 to provide material for a refit of the other active unit of the Kirov class, the Admiral Nakhimov. However, on 14 January 1999 the Russian Duma voted the Admiral Ushakov be repaired and restored to service, using funding allocated for other construction and repair projects. In September 1999 the Russian Northern Fleet's Admiral Ushakov cruiser was sent from Severomorsk to Severodvinsk to undergo modernisation. The ship's nuclear powerplant will be replaced. Besides, the cruiser wil be armed with the latest weapons and fitted with most advanced navigation equipment. The money for the upgrade was provided by the Russian regions. As of 1999, over 10 million roubles have already been allocated of the total of 100 million roubles needed for the Admiral Ushakov upgrade.

The Admiral Ushakov was reportedly written off in 2001 and eventually decommissioned in 2002.

In October 2003 it was reported that Zvezdochka shipyard’s Director Nikolai Kalistratov stated that Norway will allocate $40m for dismantling the atomic cruiser Admiral Ushakov. $12 million more will be required to upgrade the place where the used nuclear fuel is spent.

Also a pic of her supposedly taken in 1992. Any RECENT photos of her, assuming she still exists??..........DFO ;)

[designeraccd]

From a GEORGIAN site comes this:

In the Pacific Ocean, according to Japanese sources, Moscow is deploying formerly retired ships such as the nuclear powered Admiral Lazarev, a decommissioned Kirov class nuclear missile cruiser, to counter the rise in Chinese power and deter threats ranging from an outbreak of war in Korea to growing Chinese naval and strike power in addition to a US buildup. One high-ranking Russian naval officer openly said that, “in order to maintain a power balance with China in the far eastern ocean area, it has become urgent that we reinstate nuclear ships that enable long-range area navigation and are equipped with advanced attack capabilities” (Tokyo Shimbun Morning Edition, May 10, 2010). Arguably, Moscow is contemplating turning its Pacific Fleet into its main fleet, to ensure the security of its energy deposits and the integrity of the Russian Far East, as this area becomes more central to Russia’s strategic future. Indeed, the first of the newly purchased Mistral class ships is reportedly to be deployed in the Pacific ostensibly to defend the Kurile Islands against Japan (Rossiyskaya Gazeta Online, December 28, 2010). Yet, it will also be able to defend against China, a much more aggressive Asian power.

Any CONFIRMATION from anyone??? DFO :confused:

[r.morrison]

Smell of mothballs, people?:D

[r.morrison]

Latest photos of KIROV and KALLININ on this link, apparently far from combat readiness........

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?99988-Russian-Photos-(updated-on-regular-basis)/page2844

:cool:

[designeraccd]

Thanks for the link, had missed those photos of the..."hulks"....DFO ;)

[r.morrison]

This link shows at the bottom of the page the Admiral NAKIMOV aka KALININ. The recent photos show the ship apparently in dock, but with no sign of activity on board. Apparently still in the same neglected condition......

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?99988-Russian-Photos-(updated-on-regular-basis)/page2861

:cool: