 Kirov in 1989 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 → Soviet Union → Russia | |
| Name | Kirov →Admiral Ushakov (since 1992) |
| Namesake | Sergei Kirov →Fyodor Ushakov |
| Builder | Baltic Shipyard,Leningrad |
| Laid down | 26 March 1974 |
| Launched | 27 December 1977 |
| Commissioned | 30 December 1980 |
| Out of service | In reserve, 1990 |
| Stricken | Decommissioned, 2002 |
| Status | Laid-up, to be scrapped. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Kirov-classbattlecruiser |
| Displacement | 24,300 tons Standard, 28,000 (Full load) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 28.5 m (94 ft) |
| Draft | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 32 knots (59 km/h) |
| Range |
|
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armour | 76 mm plating around reactor compartment, light splinter protection |
| Aircraft carried | 3KamovKa-27 "Helix" orKa-25 "Hormone" |
| Aviation facilities | Below-deck hangar |
Admiral Ushakov is thelead ship of the Project 1144 Orlan (NATO reporting nameKirov class) ofbattlecruisers. Originally built for theSoviet Navy asKirov and passed onto the succeedingRussian Navy, it and its three sister ships are the largest and heaviestsurface combatant warships (i.e. not anaircraft carrier oramphibious assault ship) built by them. It waslaid down on 26 March 1974 at theBaltic Shipyard inLeningrad,launched on 27 December 1977, andcommissioned on 30 December 1980. In May 1992 all four ships of the class were renamed, andKirov was given the nameAdmiral Ushakov.[1]
Kirov entered service in theNorthern Fleet in 1981 and remained in service until 1990, when it suffered a reactor accident while in theMediterranean Sea. In 1999 there was a proposal to modernize the ship, but the plan was abandoned, andAdmiral Ushakov was decommissioned in 2002.[2]
She was laid down on 27 March 1974, at theBaltiysky Naval Shipyard inLeningrad, launched on 26 December 1977, and commissioned on 30 December 1980, part ofSoviet Northern Fleet.
When she appeared for the first time in 1981,NATO observers called her BALCOM I (Baltic Combatant I). Her first major deployment was in 1984 where she undertook a voyage to theMediterranean Sea.
During her second major deployment from 1 December 1989 to 17 February 1990 to the Mediterranean, she suffered a reactor accident. Afterwards, she was placed in reserve. Repairs were never carried out, due to lack of funds and the changingpolitical situation in theSoviet Union. She may have beencannibalized as a spare-parts cache for the other ships in her class.[3][4]
For political reasons,Kirov was renamedAdmiral Ushakov after the 18th-century admiralFyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov in 1992, but subsequent photos suggest that it has since reverted to its original name. An overhaul was started in 1999, but the ship was written off in 2001 and was slated to be dismantled in 2003.[4][5]
In June 2004, the nameAdmiral Ushakov was transferred to theSovremennyy-classdestroyerBesstrashnyy. In September 2004, it was revealed that the Severodvinsk-based Design Bureau Onega had been tasked with developing the dismantlement project for the cruiser, currently moored at the Severodvinsk Zvezdochka plant. According to the Zvezdochka plant, dismantlement of the formerAdmiral Ushakov would cost $40 million.[6] This plan was halted when the Russian Navy planned to bring her back to service.[7]
In 2010, the Russian Navy again announced new plans for an overhaul of the cruiser. At the time, the plan was to modify and reactivate all of theKirov battlecruisers by 2020.[7] However, in 2012 it was reported thatAdmiral Ushakov andAdmiral Lazarev would not be overhauled due to being in a state of "beyond repair".[8] In 2015, Zvezdochka shipyard CEO Vladimir Nikitin claimed that it was dangerous to remove the spent nuclear fuel from the vessel's two reactors given the fact the ship had been given minimum maintenance for 34 years.[8][9]
In April 2019, Russia decided to scrap and recycle theAdmiral Ushakov in 2021.[10]
This ship had an armament of missiles and guns as well as electronics. Its largestradar antenna is mounted on its foremast and called "Top Pair" byNATO.Kirov's main weapons are 20P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) missiles mounted on deck, designed to engage large surface targets, and air defense is provided for with 12S-300F (SA-N-6 Grumble) launchers with 96 missiles, twoOsa-M (SA-N-4 Gecko) with 40 missiles and theKashtan CIWS (CADS-N-1) air-defence missile/gun system.[citation needed]
Other weapons are the automatic 130 mm AK-130 gun system, 30 mm AK-630, 10 torpedo/missile tubes,Udav-1 (SS-N-14 Silex) with 40 anti-submarine missiles and the two RBU-1000 six-tube launchers.[citation needed]
Featured in the 66 book Kirov alt history series by author John Schettler
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1990 | |
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| Other incidents |
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