Russian battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov
Admiral Nakhimov (Russian: Адмирал Нахимов) is the third battlecruiser of the Russian Navy's Kirov class. The ship was originally commissioned into service with the Soviet Navy in the 1980s, known back then as Kalinin (Калинин), a name the ship kept until 1992. Admiral Nakhimov is currently undergoing a refit to receive new and improved weaponry and is scheduled to re-enter service with the Russian Navy by 2021.[2][3]
Kalinin c. 1991 | |
History | |
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Name: | Kalinin |
Namesake: | Soviet cruiser Kalinin (in Soviet service) |
Builder: | Baltiysky Naval Shipyard, Leningrad |
Laid down: | 17 May 1983 |
Launched: | 25 April 1986 |
Commissioned: | 30 December 1988 |
Identification: | Pennant number: 180 (1988) → 064 (1989) → 085 (since 1990) |
Namesake: | Pavel Nakhimov (in Russian service) |
Renamed: | Admiral Nakhimov (since 22 April 1992) |
Identification: | Pennant number: 080 (1994) |
Fate: | To be refitted and return to service after 2015 |
Status: | Undergoing refit |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Kirov-class battlecruiser |
Displacement: | 24,300 tons Standard, 28,000 (Full Load) |
Length: |
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Beam: | 28.5 m (94 ft) |
Draft: | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
Propulsion: |
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Speed: | 32 knots (59 km/h) |
Range: |
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Complement: |
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Sensors and processing systems: |
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Armament: |
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Armour: | 76 mm (3 in) plating around reactor compartment, light splinter protection |
Aircraft carried: | 3-5 Kamov Ka-27 "Helix" or Ka-25 "Hormone" |
Aviation facilities: | Below-deck hangar |
Differences from lead ship
Kalinin was constructed differently from the lead ship of the class. On the forward part of the ship, the twin SS-N-14 ASW missile launcher was replaced with eight SA-N-9 surface-to-air missile vertical launchers (not installed). The forward 30 mm CIWS cannons were replaced by CADS-N-1. On the aft part, a single twin AK-130 130 mm gun, similar to the guns used on Slava and Sovremennyy, was used instead of two 100 mm guns. Near the flight deck, the 30 mm CIWS cannons were replaced by Kashtan CIWS and moved to the aft superstructure and replaced with eight SA-N-9 vertical launchers (not installed).
History
Kalinin was laid down on 17 May 1983 at Baltiysky Naval Shipyard, Leningrad, launched on 25 April 1986, commissioned on 30 December 1988.[4] It joined the Northern Fleet on 21 April 1989[5] though GlobalSecurity noted the cruiser was a Pacific fleet unit.[4] On 4 January 1991 she went on long voyage to the Mediterranean Sea. [6]After the end of the Cold War the cruiser was rarely deployed and by 1999 it was permanently docked in Sevmash awaiting repairs.
Reactivation
In 2006, a decision was made to modernize this ship instead of completing the construction of the submarine Belgorod.[7] Later in 2006, she was undergoing refit at Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, but was reported finished ahead of schedule and was announced to again be in service with the Northern Fleet. However, later reports state that the cruiser has been docked at Sevmash since 1999 without any activity.[8] On 30 October 2008, Russian Navy representatives of the Northern Fleet announced that the first modification on Admiral Nakhimov had been started and that the ship would re-join the Russian fleet by 2012.[9][10] In November 2010 the director of Sevmash, Nikolai Kalistratov, repeated this statement confirming that the Russian government had appropriated money for Admiral Nakhimov to be repaired in 2011 (costing over 50 billion rubles.) However he also said that the funds were insufficient and more were needed to bring the ship back to active service. After finishing repairs, Admiral Nakhimov is to join the Russian Pacific Fleet.[11]
In December 2011 the Sevmash shipyard stated that the refit of the ship would not be finished until after 2012. According to Sevmash General-Director Andrei Dyachkov the repairs were stopped because it was senseless to continue without having determined the final variant of modernization.[12]
Work on modernizing Admiral Nakhimov was resumed in January 2014 with the vessel being projected to rejoin the Russian Navy in 2018. Admiral Nakhimov is slated to carry the P-800 Oniks supersonic anti-ship missile and a navalized variant of the S-400 (missile) SAM system, among other weapons.[13] According to Sevmash as of 2 November 2015 work on removing the battlecruiser's old equipment had been completed, and work to install its replacement was about to be commenced.[14]
In 2018, Aleksey Rakhimov, the leader of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, stated that the end date of the reconstruction remained 2021 or 2022, but additional changes made by the Ministry of Defense had made would require an amendment to the contract or a new contract.[15] Trials are due to begin in 2020.[16] In September 2019, state news agency TASS quoted Russian deputy defense minister Alexsey Krivoruchko that "It will be the most powerful navy warship. We inspected the project, the ship is now about 50% ready. As was agreed with Sevmash shipyard, we expect to receive the ship in late 2022." as reported by Jane's.[17]
She's expected to be launched in July 2020 and start mooring trials about a year later [18]. It's expected to receive 174 VLS tubes: 80 for anti-surface and 94 for anti-air warfare [19]
References
- Ремонт и модернизация тяжелого атомного ракетного крейсера «Адмирал Нахимов» идет в соответствии с графиком Archived 2017-09-29 at the Wayback Machine Russian MoD, 27 September 2017.
- Ремонт атомного ракетного крейсера "Адмирал Нахимов" завершат к 2021 году Archived 2017-09-29 at the Wayback Machine RIA Novosti, 27 September 2017.
- "Project 1144.2 Orlan Kirov class Guided Missile Cruiser (Nuclear Powered)". GlobalSecurity.org. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- "Атомные крейсера типа Киров" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2016-01-17.
- https://wiki.wargaming.net/ru/Navy:Адмирал_Нахимов_(1986)#.D0.98.D1.81.D1.82.D0.BE.D1.80.D0.B8.D1.8F_.D1.81.D0.BB.D1.83.D0.B6.D0.B1.D1.8B
- "No plans to commission Belgorod nuclear submarine - minister". sputniknews. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- "The Return of Admiral Nakhimov". Barents Observer. 21 May 2008. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010.
- http://www.zibb.com/article/4388497/Russias+Admiral+Nakhimov+cruiser+scheduled+to+be+back+in+service+in+2012. Retrieved January 16, 2009. Missing or empty
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(help) - Pettersen, Trude (27 September 2012). "Only one nuclear cruiser to be modernized". Barents Observer. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ВМФ России модернизирует атомный крейсер "Адмирал Нахимов". lenta.ru (in Russian). 25 March 2011. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- "Russia to refit Admiral Nakhimov nuclear cruiser after 2012". RIA Novosti. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- "Russia Begins Nuclear-Powered Missile Cruiser Overhaul". sputniknews. 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- "Готовимся принять оборудование". sevmash.ru (in Russian). 2 November 2015. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- "Most powerful Navy vessel now almost 20 years under reconstruction". The barents Observer. July 18, 2018. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
- https://twitter.com/statuses/1086329881808429061
- "Russian nuclear-powered cruiser to return to fleet in 2022". Jane's 360. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- "Россия получит второй атомный крейсер-гигант". Яндекс Дзен | Платформа для авторов, издателей и брендов. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- Admiral Nakhimov modernization. February 2020, retrieved 2020-05-17
External links
- Kirov class - Project 1144.2 at GlobalSecurity.org
- reports from Sevmash indicate work is getting underway, March 2020