Ocean fleet of the USSR. "wrong" Soviet fleet

You are trying so hard to judge the sins of others, start with your own and do not get to strangers.
- W. Shakespeare

The Iron Curtain collapsed, and the established Glasnost era allowed millions of Soviet citizens to learn many new and shocking secrets related to their former country.

For example, the free press found out that the Soviet Navy was run by completely mediocre and incompetent people. Instead of developing the fleet along the American lines (with an emphasis on aircraft carrier strike groups), the senile from the Soviet General Staff began to look for "asymmetric answers", spending tens of billions of people's rubles on the construction of expensive but inefficient submarines, cruisers and supersonic missile carriers.

Against 14 American "Nimitz", "Kitty Hawks" and "Forrestal", which constituted the combat core of the US Navy in the 1980s, the Soviet Navy put up an incredible squadron in its diversity, consisting of:

15 surface missile cruisers - from the simplest Grozny to the incredible nuclear-powered Orlan;
- numerous series of SSGNs: projects 659, 675, 670 "Skat", "aircraft carrier killers" pr. 949 and 949A - a total of about 70 submarines with cruise missiles;
- monstrous titanium boats "Anchar", "Lyra", "Fin", "Condor" and "Barracuda";
- dozens of "ordinary" multi-purpose submarines and diesel-electric submarines;
- missile boats and corvettes (RTOs);
- missile-carrying aviation of the Navy - hundreds of Tu-16, Tu-22M2 and Tu-22M3;
- anti-ship missile systems - from the primitive "Termite" to the fantastic "Granites", "Volcanoes" and "Basalts".

It is obvious that this impressive set had an exorbitant cost, but could not solve the task assigned to it - the problem of effectively countering the American AUG remained in question.

The Soviet system of issuing target designation to missile weapons causes a lot of complaints. American AUGs moved in the ocean at a speed of 700 miles per day - tracking down and escorting such moving objects was an exceptional task in its complexity. And without high-quality information about the current location of the AUG, the formidable "aircraft carrier killers" became helpless.

And try to beat him!

The list of comments on the organization of the service of the USSR Navy usually ends with a statement about the need to build a huge number of airfields for naval missile-carrying aviation (MRA) of the Navy, reconnaissance and cover fighters. Again, a considerable expense without any useful return.

Each solved problem opened up a series of new difficulties: the leadership of the Soviet Navy drove the fleet into a dead end. Having spent insane amounts of money on "asymmetric weapons", the Soviet fleet remained an extremely inefficient system, unable to fight on an equal footing with the US Navy.

The result of this dispute can be a simple and logical conclusion: the leadership of the Soviet fleet learn from foreign experience and start creating carrier strike groups modeled on the US Navy. It would turn out more powerful, more efficient, and most importantly - cheaper (according to famous legend, the cost of two Project 949A submarines exceeded the cost of the Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser).

Or shouldn't it?

Various speculations about the exorbitant cost of the Soviet Navy are shattered like a rock, about the only fact:

The budget of the Soviet fleet was less than the budget of the US Navy.

Expenses for the Soviet Navy in 1989 amounted to 12.08 billion rubles, of which 2993 million rubles for the purchase of ships and boats and 6531 million for technical equipment)

It is planned to allocate 30.2 billion dollars for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for the US Navy, of which 8.8 billion will go to the purchase of aviation equipment, 9.6 billion - warships and auxiliary vessels, 5.7 billion - rocket weapons, artillery and small arms and torpedoes, 4.9 billion - other military equipment.

Even without going into the details of exchange rates (official and real), pricing, the level of corruption and the specifics of the implementation of military programs on both sides of the ocean, the fact remains unchanged: despite their titanium submarines and super-cruisers, the Soviet fleet was several times cheaper!

Actually, on this wave it was possible to end the story, but the audience is interested in main question: was the Russian Navy, in the form in which it was, capable of neutralizing aircraft carrier groups in the North Atlantic?

The answer is obvious: YES.

According to calculations carried out on both sides of the ocean, in the event of war, the submarines and MRAs of the USSR Navy sank the American fleet, while the Soviet sailors and pilots themselves suffered severe losses - after the attack by the AUGs, the MRAs of the USSR Navy would actually cease to exist.

Whenever someone tries to write about the confrontation between our and the American fleets, the mantra is sure to be pronounced: “three aviation regiments of missile bombers were allocated to destroy one AUG”! Usually the mantra is uttered in an ominous tone, with frightening goggles in order to convince everyone present of the "invulnerability" of the American fleet.

Supersonic bomber-missile carrier Tu-22M3

Or did someone seriously hope that a pair of supersonic Tu-22Ms would be enough to counter the mighty US fleet, for the maintenance and development of which the Yankees spent $30 billion a year?

All-seeing eye

Another misconception is related to the detection of the enemy: it is commonly believed that the ships of the USSR Navy, deprived of high-quality intelligence, circled helplessly across the expanses of the oceans, like blind kittens. And the Americans? Americans are great! The US Navy has both carrier-based aviation and naval AWACS aircraft - E-2C Hawkeye flying radars will instantly detect the enemy, and carrier-based Hornets will tear apart any surface or air target, not letting it closer to the AUG than 500 miles.

In this case, theory is at odds with practice.

Of course, being in an ideal "spherical vacuum", aircraft from an aircraft carrier should be the first to detect the enemy, and the first to strike. Having fallen under the continuous attacks of carrier-based aircraft, any of the atomic "Orlans" will die, without even having time to reach the launch distance of their missiles.
Proponents of such scenarios usually do not take into account the fact that the Soviet "Orlans" and submarines DID NOT NEED to break through anywhere - Soviet warships were constantly in the most important areas of the oceans:

5th operational squadron - solution of operational-tactical tasks in the Mediterranean Sea;
- 7th OpEsk - Atlantic;
- 8th OpEsk - Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean;
- 10th OpEsk - Pacific Ocean;
- 17th OpEsk - ensuring Soviet interests in the Asia-Pacific region (mainly the South China Sea and Southeast Asia), the appearance of the squadron is a consequence of the Vietnam War.

The Soviet Navy practiced tracking the ships of the "probable enemy" - missile cruisers and submarines were always on duty somewhere near the American AUGs and NATO warship formations, ready to open fire at point-blank range. Under such conditions, carrier-based aviation lost its main advantage: a greater range. Soviet "Skaty", "Orlan" and "Antey" securely kept the "pistol" at the temple of the American fleet.

Launch of an anti-ship missile of the Vulkan complex from the Moskva missile launcher

The Soviet submarine wrapped a secret American TASS antenna around the screw and lost its course. SSV-506 "Nakhodka" was the first to come to the rescue. In the background is the USS Peterson. Sargasso Sea, 1983

Handyman

Sometimes the Soviet Navy is criticized for its "one-sidedness" - supposedly the Soviet fleet was focused exclusively on a global nuclear conflict, but was completely useless in solving tactical problems.

It is worth noting that before the invention of high-precision sea-based cruise missiles, any of the modern fleets played a purely episodic role in local wars - with the exception of extra-large-caliber guns on four surviving US Navy battleships, the fleet could not provide any real help and fire support. In all local conflicts of the 20th century, the main role was assigned to ground forces and aviation.
Here you see! - supporters of the creation of the AUG will exclaim - the fleet cannot do without aircraft carriers in local wars!

Fans of flying from the decks, please do not worry: air is the sphere of activity of the Air Force. Deck air wings are too small and weak to cause significant harm even to such a small country as Iraq. Desert Storm, 1991 - Six US Navy aircraft carrier strike groups provided only 17% of the Coalition's sorties. All the main work was done by ground-based aviation - on their side were both mass character, and qualitative superiority, and special equipment for solving complex issues (E-8 J-STARS, RC-135W, stealth aircraft, etc.).

During the bombing of Yugoslavia, the only American aircraft carrier "Roosevelt" pinned down only on the 12th day of the war - without it, 1000 NATO aircraft, of course, would not have coped. Libya, 2011 - not one of the 10 Nimitzes even lifted a finger, but the US Air Force had plenty of "frolic" in the Libyan sky. Comments, as they say, are unnecessary. The value of aircraft carriers in local wars tends to zero.

The only significant function of the American fleet in local wars is the delivery of several hundred Tomahawk SLCMs to the region, with the help of which the Yankees "carry out" the most difficult and highly protected targets - the positions of air defense systems, radars, command centers, air bases, etc. objects.

As for the domestic fleet, he did everything that a normal fleet should have done, with the exception of striking targets inland.

The fleet did an excellent job of escorting ships during the tanker war in the Persian Gulf - well, what, and destroyers (large anti-submarine ships) in the USSR Navy were always in abundance, more than 100 units.

The fleet has been highly commended for minesweeping and mine clearing operations in the Suez Canal and Chittagong Bay (Bangladesh). Navy sailors ensured the delivery of military and humanitarian aid to the countries of Africa and the Middle East, along the way being a clear demonstration of the military power of the USSR. The ships took part in suppressing the coup in the Seychelles, rescuing the crew of the American reconnaissance aircraft Alpha Foxtrot 586, pushing the Yorktown cruiser out of Soviet territorial waters - due to their large number, versatility and world wide web naval bases, ships of the USSR Navy always promptly found themselves in right place at the right moment.

Soviet KIKs (ships of the measuring complex) were regularly on duty at the Kwajalein missile range (Pacific Ocean), observing the trajectories and behavior of warheads of American ICBMs, launches from foreign spaceports were monitored - the USSR was aware of all the missile innovations of the "probable enemy".

Anti-submarine cruiser "Leningrad"

Here is such a "one-sidedness" ...

The Navy of the USSR was run by competent people who perfectly understood the goals and tasks facing them: despite its smaller budget, the domestic Navy could adequately withstand even the mighty American fleet - the ships performed tasks anywhere in the World Ocean, protecting the interests of their homeland.

The main headquarters of the USSR Navy was pierced by slippery tentacles of horror: the commander-in-chief saw the nuclear aircraft carrier Enterprise everywhere, officers in a panic jumped out of the windows shouting “Aircraft carriers are coming!” A pistol shot clicked - the deputy chief of the General Staff shot himself in his office, data are coming from the USA about the laying of new aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type ...

If you believe the "journalistic investigations" of recent years, then the Soviet Navy was only engaged in chasing American aircraft carrier groups, for which it built "aircraft carrier killers" in batches - special surface and underwater ships designed to destroy the "Enterprise", " Nimitsev", "Kitty Hawks" and other floating airfields of the "probable enemy".

Needless to say, the strike aircraft carrier Enterprise is a noble target. Large, with huge combat potential. But it is already very vulnerable - sometimes one unexploded 127 mm caliber missile is enough for an aircraft carrier to “leave the game”. But what will happen if a fiery barrage of fifty shells of 100 and 152 mm calibers hits the Enterprise's flight deck? - Going in direct line of sight, the Soviet cruiser tirelessly keeps the aircraft carrier at gunpoint. Constant monitoring of the "probable enemy" is an indispensable attribute of peacetime. And it doesn’t matter anymore that the combat radius of the deck Phantoms is ten times greater than the firing range of the guns of the old cruiser - in the event of a war, the first move will be for the gunners.

The cheerful cruiser pr. 68 bis is just a warm-up. The Soviet commanders-in-chief have real trump cards up their sleeves - nuclear submarines of projects 949 and 949A, Tu-22M missile carriers, space reconnaissance systems and ultra-long-range anti-ship missiles. There is a problem - there is a solution.

But the Soviet Navy also had Real Problems. After all, it is no coincidence that most of the surface forces of the USSR Navy were classified as "Large anti-submarine ships." The Soviet leadership was well aware of who the main threat came from - one George Washington with the Polaris SLBM could do more harm than a thousand Enterprise aircraft carriers.
Quite right, dear reader, the USSR Navy was primarily focused on searching for and combating enemy nuclear submarines. Especially with the "city killers" carrying long-range ballistic missiles. The ocean surface was continuously scanned by Il-38 and Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft, submarine killers pr. 705 and 671 scoured the water column, and legendary BODs were on duty at the anti-submarine lines - Soviet cruisers and destroyers focused on performing anti-submarine missions.

Singing frigatebirds

Large anti-submarine ships of project 61. Total displacement 4300 tons. Crew 270 people. Full stroke 35 knots. Cruising range 3500 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:
— 2 launchers SAM M-1 "Volna" (ammunition 32 anti-aircraft missiles);

- 2 rocket launchers RBU-6000 (192 depth charges);
- 2 rocket launchers RBU-1000 (48 depth charges);
— five-pipe torpedo tube caliber 533 mm;
- helipad, aviation fuel storage (5 tons), cellar for aviation torpedoes and equipment.

There were also disadvantages: the sailors complained about the high noise level in the cockpits - the powerful roar of gas turbines penetrated into every room, making service on the BOD Project 61 a rather unpleasant event. But a much more serious issue was the survivability of the ship - fears were confirmed in 1974, when the Brave BOD died on the roadstead of Sevastopol - after the explosion of the missile cellar, the fire quickly spread throughout the ship, destroying flimsy bulkheads made of aluminum-magnesium alloy AMG in its path.
However, some circumstances allow us to disagree with the statement about the low survivability of the "singing frigates" - 480 kg of explosives and six tons of gunpowder detonated in the aft cellar of the "Brave", but the small ship continued to fight the fire for 5 hours.

Until now, the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy has one ship of this type.

BOD "Sharp-witted" in the Mediterranean Sea. In the background is the USS Mahan Aegis destroyer.

Large anti-submarine ships of project 1134A (code "Berkut-A")

Full displacement 7500 tons. Crew 380 people. Full stroke 33 knots. Cruising range 5500 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:

— 2 launchers SAM M-11 "Storm" (ammunition 48 missiles);
- 2 universal automatic artillery systems AK-725 caliber 57 mm;

- 2 RBU-6000 (192 depth charges);

Project 1123 anti-submarine cruisers (code "Condor")

Full displacement 15,000 tons. Crew of 700 people. Full stroke 28 knots. Cruising range 6000 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:
- an air group of 14 helicopters: Ka-25PL anti-submarine helicopters, Ka-25TsU long-range radar detection and target designation helicopters, Ka-25PS search and rescue vehicles.
- 4 helipads, an underdeck hangar, a small hangar in the aft part of the superstructure, two helicopter lifts;
- anti-submarine missile system "Whirlwind" (1 launcher, 8 special ammunition with nuclear warheads);
— 2 launchers SAM M-11 "Storm" (96 missiles);

- 2 universal automatic systems AK-725 caliber 57 mm.
- initially, the ship had torpedo weapons and 30 mm AK-230 anti-aircraft guns (they were removed during the modernization).

Project 1123 is not a BOD, but based on the purpose of the anti-submarine cruiser and its weapons, it has the right to take a place among the same "large anti-submarine ships" - an extremely vague definition that covers ships of the USSR Navy of various sizes and characteristics.

The main drawback of "Moscow" and "Leningrad" became clear already during the first combat services on anti-submarine lines. Only 4 helipads (flight deck space where takeoff and landing operations can be carried out) and 14 helicopters turned out to be too few to provide a round-the-clock anti-submarine patrol over a given ocean area. In addition, by the time the head cruiser-helicopter carrier Moskva entered service with the US Navy, the new Polaris A-3 ballistic missile with a firing range of 4600 km had entered service - the combat patrol area of ​​the Washingtons and Eten Allen expanded, which made countering strategic missile carriers is an even more difficult task.

Patrol ships of project 1135 (cipher "Petrel")

Full displacement 3200 tons. Crew 190 people. Full stroke 32 knots. Cruising range 4000 miles at 14 knots.
Armament:
- "package" PU anti-submarine complex "Metel" (4 rocket torpedoes);
- 2 launchers of the Osa-M short-range air defense system (ammunition load of 40 missiles);
- 2 automated gun mounts AK-726 caliber 76 mm;
- 2 RBU-6000 (96 depth charges);
- eight 533 mm torpedoes;
- naval mines- up to 20 pcs. on the upper deck.

TFR "Petrel" and USS Yorktown (CG-48)

Large anti-submarine ships of project 1134-B (code "Berkut-B")

Full displacement 8500 tons. Crew 430 people. Full stroke 32 knots. Cruising range 7000 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:
- 8 launchers of the Metel anti-submarine missile system;
— 2 launchers SAM M-11 "Storm" (ammunition 80 missiles);
- 2 launchers of the Osa-M short-range air defense system (ammunition load of 40 missiles)
- 2 universal automatic artillery systems AK-726 caliber 76 mm;
- 2 batteries of six-barreled anti-aircraft guns AK-630;
- 2 RBU-6000 (144 depth charges);
- 2 RBU-1000 (48 depth charges);
- 2x5 torpedo tubes of caliber 533 mm;
- anti-submarine helicopter Ka-25PL, deck hangar.

Most BOD pr. 1134-B served on pacific ocean. Reduced to several anti-submarine groups, the Bukari continuously "combed" the Philippine Sea, where the combat patrol area of ​​​​American strategic submarines was located, preparing to launch a missile attack on the Far East and Siberia.

Large anti-submarine ships of project 1155 (code "Udaloy")

Full displacement 7500 tons. Crew 220 people. Full stroke 29 knots. Cruising range 5000 miles at 14 knots.
Armament:

8 launchers of the Rastrub-B anti-submarine missile system;
- 8 below-deck drum-type launchers of the Kinzhal self-defense air defense system (ammunition load of 64 missiles);
- 2 automated artillery pieces of 100 mm caliber;
- 2 batteries of six-barreled anti-aircraft guns AK-630;
- 2 RBU-6000 (96 depth charges)
- 2x4 533 mm torpedo tubes
- 2 Ka-27PL helicopters, 2 hangars.

Due to the 30-meter fairing of the Polynom GAS, the driving performance and seaworthiness of the new ship were seriously affected - the complex turned out to be too heavy for the modest BOD. Of course, the Polynomial provided great opportunities in terms of detecting enemy nuclear submarines, which it detected at a distance of up to 25 miles, which to some extent compensated for the deterioration in the seaworthiness of the Udaly. But a much more serious drawback was the complete absence of medium or long-range air defense systems - the "Dagger" had a firing range of only 6.5 miles and could only deal with anti-ship missiles, but not with their carriers.

Conclusion

The above 90 large anti-submarine ships and anti-submarine cruisers are just the “tip of the iceberg” of the anti-submarine defense system of the USSR Navy. There was a whole system of base patrol aircraft with hundreds of anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters. Ordinary trawlers with unusual trawls plowed the expanses of the ocean - camouflaged anti-submarine patrols with a multi-kilometer low-frequency antenna stretching behind the stern (try to prove that this was not a trawl!) ruffled a lot of nerves for American sailors.

Fantastic projects were developed, such as the atomic BOD of project 1199 Anchar. Moreover, all four project 1143 heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers carried a squadron of anti-submarine helicopters on their decks and had on board a solid anti-submarine weapon system (the grandiose Polynom SJSC and Whirlwind anti-submarine missiles with nuclear warheads). So, contrary to the well-known myth, during the passage through the Bosphorus, Soviet sailors did not deceive the Turkish representatives at all, calling their aircraft-carrying cruisers anti-submarine ships.

By the way, the US Navy developed according to exactly the same scenario - the Americans were scared to death of Soviet submarines, which is why they planned the ship composition of their fleet at the rate of "one frigate per one Russian boat." The SOSUS worldwide sonar system for tracking submarines, FRAMM programs to convert hundreds of obsolete destroyers into anti-submarine ships, a huge series of Knox and Oliver H. Perry anti-submarine frigates, unique Spruence-class destroyers with hypertrophied anti-submarine weapons, but no systems zonal air defense - just the American "twins" of the BOD pr. 1155 "Udaloy".

It remains to add that the idea of ​​a "large anti-submarine ship" died with the advent of sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range of 10,000 km. From now on, strategic missile carriers could launch missiles from the territorial waters of their state.

During the 1990s, the second-largest Navy in the world of the USSR was actually reduced several times in terms of the number and tonnage of ships. Using the example of the largest ships of the USSR Navy - aircraft carrier cruisers - we will confirm or deny the guilt of the leadership New Russia in the collapse of the Soviet Navy. No interpretation. Only facts. In the first part of our "debriefing" we talked about the legacy that remained from the USSR Navy at the time of the collapse of the Union. Now let's talk about what happened next...

Let me remind you that at the time of the collapse of the Union, we had 4 warships in the rest of the aircraft carrier, 2 ships under construction at the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Plant and 2 ships in anticipation of serious repairs. Plus, the Leningrad helicopter carrier has already been decommissioned from the Navy. To begin with, I propose to look at what happened to the Varyag heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser under construction and the first domestic real aircraft carrier, the nuclear-powered Ulyanovsk. By the way, it was planned to install the first steam catapults in the Russian Navy at Ulyanovsk. Another nuance - on the "Ulyanovsk" there was an ammunition load of anti-ship "Granites" (not to be confused with "Grenades") - the same as on the "Admiral Kuznetsov" and "Varyag". So... On November 1, 1991, the construction of the aircraft carrier was stopped. During November, it became clear that the Russian Navy was not planning to make payments to the Chernomorsky shipyard in Nikolaev. Without payment, it became impossible to conduct the Varyag aircraft carrier (readiness 65-75% according to various estimates) and ATAKR Ulyanovsk (readiness 18-20% according to various estimates, 29,000 tons of hull steel) for the construction. The plant had to live and the unfinished ATAKR project 11437 "Ulyanovsk" was disposed of by the plant starting from February 4, 1992 by the decision of the Council of Ministers of Ukraine No. 69-r (the dismantling of the hull was completed before the end of 1992). Could Russia save the first domestic nuclear aircraft carrier? Complex issue. I think no. It is fantastic. Why? Over the past few years, oil has been several times more expensive than then. How many modern Russia builds large ships per year? The answer is not a single one ... Oil is several times more expensive .. Not a single one ... Let's be realistic ...

Unfinished hull ATAKR pr.11437 "Ulyanovsk", December 6, 1990, shipyard in Nikolaev, slipway "0" (photo - Vladimir Puchkov).

Move on. "Varangian". Readiness 68-75%. A little more and the ship could be brought to mooring lines, and then to sea trials and taken out from the Black Sea to the North. Also in November 1991, the construction of the ship was stopped due to non-payments by the Russian Navy. The completion of the ship and the transfer to the domestic Navy was quite possible - there were no insoluble obstacles from the Ukrainian side. Only financial problems. In 1995, the Varyag was expelled from the Russian Navy and handed over to the construction plant on account of the debts of the Russian Ministry of Defense. After lengthy negotiations, the ship was sold to Macau. It happened in April 1998, the buyer is a company from Macau Chong Lot Travel Agency Ltd, the price is $ 20 million. The purpose of the purchase is an amusement park. The ship ended up in China, where it is being completed as the first Chinese aircraft carrier since 2002. This summer, 2011, the Chinese aircraft carrier Shi Lang should begin testing. Could we have saved the Varyag? I think yes, they could. What was needed for this?
- firstly, the understanding of the need for such a ship for the Russian Navy - whether it was or not - we do not know - it is possible that there was an understanding of uselessness - this also cannot be ignored, and this is a question primarily for the leadership of the country's Navy.
-and secondly, financial opportunities - and they were! In the end, there was gas and there was oil ... in which Ukraine is vitally interested and through offsets for which a little later we received several strategic bombers from there from the legacy of the USSR.

Aircraft carrier "Shi Lang" of the Chinese Navy in completion, April 6, 2011 (photo - Polar lean camel, http://www.fyjs.cn).

Anti-submarine cruiser-helicopter carrier "Moscow"- he is the then flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia - the oldest domestic aircraft carrier. On November 18, 1972, test pilot Dexbach made the first landing of an aircraft on the deck of a ship in the USSR - it was a vertically taking off Yak-36M - a prototype of the Yak-38 attack aircraft. In 1975, the ship was seriously on fire, then it was under repair for more than a year. In November 1993, the Moskva cruiser, whose main aircraft armament was Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopters, made its last exit to the sea. In 1995, due to age (28 years), the ship was put into reserve and reclassified to the floating barracks PKZ-108. On November 7, 1998, the former cruiser was decommissioned from the Russian Navy and in 1997 was sold for scrap to India (as was the Leningrad cruiser in 1995). Here the question is ambiguous - the combat value of the ship has previously raised doubts - for example, the main anti-submarine weapons ship - the Whirlwind missile system could only fire missiles with nuclear warheads. There were other features as well. Without major modernization, most likely, the ship was not needed in the modern Navy of the USSR and Russia. In addition, the decision on the fate of cruisers of this type was made before 1991.

Cruiser "Leningrad" pr.1123 waiting for cutting at the ship cemetery in Alang, India, late 1990s.

So we approached the most scandalous aircraft carriers - three Project 1143 cruisers and a cruiser project 11434 "Admiral Gorshkov"(former "Baku" and he is the future Vikramaditya). let's start with the last one. The ship became part of the Northern Fleet of the USSR Navy at the end of 1987 and was the last ship of Project 1143 with elements of the original "non-carrier" layout retained. Those. it was the last "aircraft-carrying missile cruiser". The ship was supposed to be based on vertical takeoff and landing aircraft Yak-141. The Yak-38 did not suit the Soviet Navy and aircraft of this type were planned to be scrapped in the near future (completed in 1992), replacing them with new supersonic Yak-141s. But one Yak-141 crashed in the fall of 1991 just on the aircraft carrier "Admiral Gorshkov". The leadership of the Navy considered the continued testing of the Yak-141 to be ruinous and wasteful and curtailed the program. God is their judge. By the way, part of the Yak-141 technology was used much later to create the newest F-35 ... well, this is more about the metamorphoses of the domestic military-industrial complex than about the Navy ... And our "Admiral ..." continued to serve in the Northern Fleet. In 1993, the ship was put in for repairs in the village of Rosta near Murmansk. There, on February 2, 1994, a fire broke out on the ship, which completely disabled one of the two engine rooms. But despite everything, the ship was repaired! In those years in that chaos! And in July 1995, he participated in the parade in Severomorsk and even made some training evolutions. But miracles do not happen - in the same year, due to the expiration of the guarantee for the safe operation of the main mechanisms, access to the sea was prohibited and the ship was placed in the village of Rosta for long-term storage. And in July 1999, the TAKR was transferred to Severodvinsk and delivered to the berth of the Sevmash Production Association in anticipation of re-equipment according to project 11430 in light aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy- Vikramaditya. Who is to blame and is it possible and necessary? The leadership of the Navy or the leadership of the country? Was there money for serious repairs and modernization? Here you can argue for a long time - and until recently there were rumors that Inlia would be "thrown" and "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" would join the ranks of the Russian Navy. For the sake of truth, I note that these are just rumors inspired to resolve financial issues with India, which is still thrown (but only for money and time).

Former aircraft carrier "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" project 11434 - the future aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya of the Indian Navy at the Sevmash production facility in Severodvinsk, photo in autumn 2009 - March-April 2010 (http://chhindits.blogspot.com).

"Kyiv", "Minsk" and "Novorossiysk" ... a criminal trio. All three ships in 1994-1996 were sold for metal and at the price of scrap metal to South Korean and Chinese companies. Under what circumstances and how and why? In August 1991 the fate of "Kyiv" was decided - the ship was decommissioned from the fleet to reserve. How many cases do we have of returning from the reserve to the combat strength during the heyday of the might of the USSR Navy in the 1970-1980s? Not a single ship of this class. Those. actually written off. In addition, we remember that the main armament of this type of aircraft carrier - the Yak-38 "attack aircraft" in 1992 was withdrawn from service both due to wear and poor performance characteristics. And there were no plans in the still mighty Navy of the USSR to modernize the TAKR pr.1143 of the Kyiv type. One is ready in general ... in fact, under the USSR. Chronology of further events:
- October 26, 1992 on TAKR "Kyiv" the Andreevsky flag of the Russian Navy was raised;
- August 28, 1993 - the flag of the Russian Navy was lowered - the ship was disarmed and handed over for sale or cutting to the stock property department of the Navy.
- August 28, 1994 - TAKR "Kyiv" was sold to a Chinese private company and 05/20/2000 was taken by the Daewoo tugboat to Shanghai, where it was converted into a floating tourist entertainment center, which is still to the delight of Chinese children and tourists . Chinese monument to OUR FLEET!!!

TAKR "Kyiv" project 1143, 1985

"Minsk" and "Novorossiysk" were based on the Pacific Ocean. Let me remind you that in 1991 "Minsk" began to prepare for the transition to the shipyard in Nikolaev for repairs ( 50% of the propulsion system did not work cruisers). On August 31, 1992, the flag of the Navy was lowered on the Minsk, and already in October the cruiser arrived at the place of conservation (to lay down) in Postovaya Bay in Sovetskaya Gavan. October 20, 1995 "Minsk" was taken by tug to South Korea for cutting into metal. And in 1998, TAKR "Minsk" was resold to a Chinese company and after a set of works since September 27, 2000, it has been used as a museum and entertainment center in the port of Shenzhen (Hong Kong area). The second Chinese Museum of the Soviet Navy! Remember the remark of one of the presenters in the "Radio Day", facing the corridor?

TAKR "Minsk" - entertainment and tourist center in Shenzhen, China

You can’t throw words out of a song: " Small land comrades, friends..." TAKR "Novorossiysk" :
- until 1990, a two-year repair took place;
- January 28, 1991 - was tested after repair, did some tasks, but it was not possible to completely return the ship to service after repair ...
- May 1991 - the ship was decommissioned decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy. Dot.
- January 1993 - while in the sludge on the ship in the engine room there was a fire.
- June 30, 1993 - TAKR "Novorossiysk" was disarmed and expelled from the Russian Navy.
- January 1996 - TAKR "Novorossiysk" was sold to a South Korean company for scrap, taken to the port of Busan and subsequently dismantled for metal ...

TAKR "Novorossiysk" project 11433, 1982-1983

Let's stop ... In the third part, we will tell you how the fate of the only combat aircraft-carrying ship modern navy Russia - TAKR "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" and let's sum up both the ships and the personalities who held posts and made decisions ... It will be tomorrow.

Navy of the USSR (Navy of the USSR)- the navy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that existed from 1918 to 1992, created on the basis of after the October Revolution. In 1918-1924 and 1937-1946 it was called Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF); in 1924-1937 and 1950-1953 - Naval Forces of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (Navy of the Red Army).

Creation of a fleet

The Soviet Navy was created from the remnants of the Russian Imperial Navy, which was almost completely destroyed as a result of the October Revolution and civil war.

During the revolution, sailors left their ships en masse, and officers were partially repressed or killed, partially joined the White movement or resigned. Work on the construction of ships was stopped.

The basis of the naval power of the Soviet fleet was to be battleships of the "Soviet Union" type, and the construction of a modern fleet was one of the priority tasks of the USSR, but the beginning of the Great Patriotic War prevented the implementation of these plans.

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet took part in the 1939-1940 Soviet-Finnish War, which was reduced mainly to artillery duels between Soviet ships and Finnish coastal fortifications.

The Second World War

In 1941, as a result of the attack of the army of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union, the army of the Soviet Union suffered huge losses, many sailors were transferred to ground troops, and naval guns were removed from ships and turned into coastal guns. The sailors played a particularly important role on land in the battles for Odessa, Sevastopol, Stalingrad, Novorossiysk, Tuapse and Leningrad.

Submarine type M.

Composition of the Red Fleet in 1941

Soviet Navy on the eve of the Great Patriotic War

By 1941, the Navy of the Soviet Union included the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleet.

In addition, it included the Danube, Pinsk, Caspian and Amur flotillas. The combat power of the fleet was determined by 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 44 leaders and destroyers, 24 patrol ships, 130 submarines and more than 200 ships of various classes - gunboats, monitors, torpedo boats, auxiliary vessels ... .. 1433 aircraft totaled naval aviation ....

The forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet consisted of 2 battleships, 2 cruisers, 2 leaders, 17 destroyers, 4 minelayers, 71 submarines and more than 100 smaller class ships - patrol boats, minesweepers, torpedo boats and others. The aviation assigned to the fleet consisted of 656 aircraft.

The Northern Fleet, formed in 1933, by 1941 had 8 destroyers, 7 patrol ships, 2 minesweepers, 14 submarine hunters, 15 submarines in total. The Fleet Air Force had 116 aircraft at its disposal, but half of them were obsolete seaplanes. There were 28,381 personnel on ships and in parts of the fleet.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, a well-equipped fleet for that time was created on the Black Sea, consisting of 1 battleship, 5 cruisers, 3 leaders and 14 destroyers, 47 submarines, 2 brigades torpedo boats, several divisions of minesweepers, patrol and anti-submarine boats, the Air Force of the Fleet (over 600 aircraft) and strong coastal defense. The Black Sea Fleet included the Danube (until November 1941) and the Azov military flotilla, created in July 1941.

The Pacific Fleet included: 2 leaders of destroyers - "Baku" and "Tbilisi", 5 destroyers, 145 torpedo boats, 6 patrol ships, 5 minelayers, 18 minesweepers, 19 submarine hunters, 86 submarines, about 500 aircraft.

With such forces, the fleet met the news of the beginning of the Second World War.

In August 1941, after the attack of the Nazis, 791 civilian ships and 251 border guard ships were “seconded” to the Navy, having undergone appropriate re-equipment and armament. For the needs of the Red Banner Fleet, 228 coastal defense batteries, 218 anti-aircraft batteries and three armored trains were formed.

The Red Fleet in 1941 included:

• 7 cruisers (including 4 Kirov-class light cruisers)
• 59 destroyers (including 46 Wrathful and Sentry class ships)
• 22 patrol ships
• a number of smaller ships and vessels

Another 219 ships were under construction in varying degrees of readiness, including 3 battleships, 2 heavy and 7 light cruisers, 45 destroyers and 91 submarines.

During the years of World War II, the United States and Great Britain transferred ships, boats and ships with a total displacement of 810,000 tons to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program.

Fleet combat

After the capture of Tallinn by the German army, the Baltic Fleet was blocked by minefields in Leningrad and Kronstadt. However, surface ships continued to play an important role in the defense of Leningrad - they actively participated in the air defense of the city and fired at German positions from their main battery guns. One example of the heroism of the sailors is the actions of the battleship Marat, which continued to fight and fire from main battery guns until the end of the war, despite the fact that on September 23, 1941, as a result of an attack by German Ju-87 dive bombers, the ship was actually broken into two parts and was in a semi-flooded state.

The submarines of the Baltic Fleet managed to break through the naval blockade and, despite the losses, they made a great contribution to the destruction of the enemy's sea lanes in the Eastern European theater of operations.

cold war

By the mid-1940s, the military potential of the United States was enormous. Their armed forces included 150 thousand different aircraft and the largest fleet in the world, which had over 100 units of aircraft carriers alone. In April 1949, at the initiative of the United States, the military-political bloc of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created, after which two more blocs were organized - CENTO and SEATO. The goals of all these organizations were directed against the socialist countries.

The international situation dictated the need to counter the combined forces of the capitalist countries with the combined might of the socialist states. To this end, on May 14, 1955 in Warsaw, the heads of government of the Socialist. countries signed a collective allied Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, which went down in history as the Warsaw Pact.

Development of the Soviet Navy after World War II

In the very first post-war years, the Soviet government set the task of accelerating the development and renewal of the Navy. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the fleet received a significant number of new and modern cruisers, destroyers, submarines, patrol ships, minesweepers, submarine hunters, torpedo boats, and pre-war ships were modernized.

At the same time, much attention was paid to improving the organization and raising the level of combat training, taking into account the experience of the Great Patriotic War. The existing charters and training manuals were revised and new ones were developed, and the network of naval educational institutions was expanded to meet the increased personnel needs of the fleet.

Equipment and armament of the USSR Navy at the end of the 1980s

Aircraft carriers Riga and Tbilisi.

A. S. Pavlov gives the following data on the composition of the USSR Navy at the end of the 1980s: 64 nuclear and 15 diesel submarines with ballistic missiles, 79 submarines with cruise missiles (including 63 nuclear), 80 multi-purpose nuclear torpedo submarines (all data on submarines as of January 1, 1989), four aircraft carrier ship, 96 cruisers, destroyers and missile frigates, 174 patrol and small anti-submarine ships, 623 boats and minesweepers, 107 landing ships and boats. A total of 1380 warships (excluding auxiliary vessels), 1142 combat aircraft (all data on surface ships as of July 1, 1988).

In 1991, shipbuilding enterprises of the USSR built: two aircraft carriers (including one nuclear), 11 nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles, 18 multi-purpose nuclear submarines, seven diesel submarines, two missile cruisers (including one nuclear), 10 destroyers and large anti-submarine ships, etc.

Organization

As of the end of the 1980s, the USSR Navy organizationally consisted of the branches of forces:

• underwater
• surface
• naval aviation
• coastal missile and artillery troops
• marines

The fleet also included units and units special purpose, ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, as well as various services. The main headquarters of the Soviet Navy was in Moscow.

The composition of the Soviet Navy included the following naval associations:

• Red Banner Northern Fleet

  After the collapse of the USSR and the end of the Cold War, the Soviet Navy was divided between the former Soviet republics. The main part of the fleet passed to Russia and on its basis the Navy of the Russian Federation was created.

  Due to the ensuing economic crisis, a significant part of the fleet was scrapped.

  Locations

  Over the years, the USSR Navy by foreign logistic support points (PMTO of the USSR Navy):

  • Porkkala Udd, Finland (1944–1956);
  • Vlora, Albania (1955-1962);
  • Surabaya, Indonesia (1962);
  • Berbera, Somalia (1964-1977);
  • Nokra, Ethiopia (1977–1991);
  • Victoria, Seychelles. (1984-1990);
  • Cam Ranh, Vietnam (1979-2002)

  And this is only a small part of the basing system of the Soviet fleet - the Soviet Navy managed to "light up" in many other places:

  • Naval Base (Navy) Cienfuegos and Naval communications center "Priboy" in the town of El Gabriel, Cuba);
  • Rostock, GDR;
  • Split and Tivat, Yugoslavia;
  • Swinoustie, Poland;
  • Hodeida, Yemen;
  • Alexandria and Marsa Matruh, Egypt;
  • Tripoli and Tobruk, Libya;
  • Luanda, Angola;
  • Conakry, Guinea;
  • Bizerte and Sfax, Tunisia;
  • Tartus and Latakia, Syria;
  • Marine Corps training ground on about. Socotra in the Arabian Sea, Yemen.

  In addition, the Soviet Navy used listening stations in Poland (Svinouste), Germany (Rostock), Finland (Porkkala-Udd), Somalia (Berbera), Vietnam (Kamran), Syria (Tartus), Yemen (Hodeida), Ethiopia (Nokra), Egypt and Libya.

  Prefix of ships and ships

  Ships and vessels belonging to the Soviet Navy did not have prefixes in their names.

  Flags of ships and vessels

  The naval flag of the USSR was a rectangular white panel with an aspect ratio of 2: 3, with a narrow strip of blue color along the bottom edge. A red star was depicted above the blue stripe on the left side of the flag, and a red hammer and sickle on the right side. The flag was adopted on May 27, 1935 by the resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 1982/341 "On the naval flags of the USSR."

  Insignia

  see also

  Notes

  Literature

  • Ladinsky Yu.V. On the fairways of the Baltic. - War Memoirs. - Moscow: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1973. - 160 p.
  • Achkasov V. I., Basov A. V., Sumin A. I. and others. Battle path of the Soviet Navy. - Moscow: Military Publishing House, 1988. - 607 p. - ISBN 5-203-00527-3
  • Monakov M.S. Commander-in-Chief (Life and work of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S. G. Gorshkov). - M.: Kuchkovo field, 2008. - 704 p. - (Library of the club of admirals). - 3500 copies. -

The largest fleet in the world
Magazine "Sea"

Yuri Egorov

Second World War ended with the signing of the surrender of Imperial Japan aboard the American battleship Missouri. After a horrific war, the world was left split in two, grouped around the two major military victorious powers: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Each of the warring parties possessed huge armed forces. Only in the United States did the center of gravity of these forces lean towards strategic aviation (already from atomic bombs on board) and the navy, and in the USSR - in the direction of armored armadas tank troops and battlefield aviation.

The short-term peace was replaced by an exhausting long-term arms race and the Cold War. The combination of the clear reluctance of the parties to a direct armed conflict and the emergence nuclear weapons was the cause of the growing "cold war" in the form of a military-industrial confrontation between the two powers.

The coastal and small fleet of the USSR could not in any way be compared with the huge naval potential created by the United States to fight the submarine forces of the Third Reich and the aircraft carrier imperial fleet of Japan in the vastness of the entire oceans. Indeed, by the end of the war, the US Navy had more than a hundred aircraft carriers!

By almost 1946, only two naval powers remained: the United States and Great Britain. During the first post-war decade, the USSR continued to carry out a slightly revised version of the 1937 shipbuilding program. At the suggestion of the General Staff of the USSR Navy (and in fact - Stalin's personal opinion), according to the ten-year plan of 1946, it was planned to build 4 battleships and 10 heavy (actually - battleship) cruisers, 84 cruisers, 12 aircraft carriers, 358 destroyers and 495 submarines. In fact, the task was to create a navy in 10 years, if not equal, then at least comparable to the US navy and surpass the British fleet. On October 16, 1946, an amended ten-year military shipbuilding program for 1946-1955 was approved. In accordance with it, it was planned to expand the construction of large surface ships, in particular, four heavy cruisers - the "Stalingrad" type (project 82), 30 light cruisers of the "Chapaev" / "Sverdlov" type (project 68K / 68-bis), 188 destroyers pr.30/41 and 367 submarines.

Surprising was the fact of the continuation of the construction of large artillery ships in the USSR and the complete denial of aircraft carriers. Even the fact that the practically finished German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was taken into their own hands did not lead to the realization of the need for its comprehensive study and use as a training or experimental ship. However, the dreadnought of the times of the First World War - "Novorossiysk", which had served all the terms of the First World War, remained in the fleet for ten years. 5 Chapaev-class cruisers and 14 Sverdlov-class cruisers were completed (the lead one was commissioned in 1952). 10 destroyers of the "Fire" type (project 30), laid down before the war, also entered service. At the end of the 40s. the construction of the largest series of destroyers in the history of Russia and the USSR (70 units) began. The head, "Skory", entered service on December 21, 1949. Was built in 1955 a prototype of a new ocean destroyer pr. 41 type "Neustrashimy" (1 unit).

The result of the development of the fleet in the first post-war decade was the construction of almost 200 surface combat ships of the main classes (cruiser - destroyer - patrol ship) and more than 300 diesel-electric submarines (including new projects: 26 large pr. 611, 215 medium pr. 613 and 31 small square pr. A-615). By the end of the 1950s, the USSR navy surpassed the fleet of the "mistress of the seas" in size.

However, the testing of a nuclear bomb in the Soviet Union in 1949, the beginning of the intensive development of missile weapons and the development of nuclear submarines in the United States, as well as the death of Stalin, predetermined the cessation of the construction of large surface ships in the USSR and the beginning of the creation of the Soviet nuclear missile submarine fleet.

The adoption of a virtually new military doctrine (like "nuclear deterrence") under N.S. Khrushchev, relied on the successful development of nuclear missile weapons and the introduction of nuclear energy in the fleet. This allowed the USSR in the second post-war decade to avoid the wasteful quantitative expansion of the fleet and make a qualitative leap in its development. In 1956, 375 warships were mothballed. Looking back, after 40 years, it is worth recognizing the rightness of a sharp reduction in the construction of the surface fleet, in order to save huge amounts of money. During the second post-war stage in the construction of the navy, 19 fundamentally new projects of combat surface ships were created, including large missile ships of the "Trouble" and "Thundering" type, large anti-submarine ships "Komsomolets of Ukraine", missile cruisers of the "Grozny" type ", the first aircraft carrier - the anti-submarine cruiser Moskva, the anti-submarine ship pr.159 and the small anti-submarine ship pr.204, four projects of missile boats, torpedo and patrol boats. These ships became the prototypes of all projects built in the USSR in the next three decades. In fact, from the end of the fifties, with the coming to the leadership of the fleet commander-in-chief S.G. Gorshkov, the creation of an ocean-going nuclear missile fleet, mainly underwater, began. Unfortunately, the appointment of a new Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy was marked by one of the biggest tragedies of the navies in the 20th century. On October 29, 1955, the captured battleship Novorossiysk (former Italian Giulio Cesare) capsized and sank from an explosion in the Sevastopol Bay. Together with him, 609 sailors died ... This tragedy became the reason for the second removal from his post of Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov, who headed the USSR fleet during the war years. In contrast to the traditional development strategy of the fleet, in December 1955 it was decided to equip it with light missile ships. However, it should be noted that naval aircraft were the first to receive rocket weapons. The Tu-4K naval bomber armed with the Kometa KS cruise missile, the tests of which were successfully completed on November 21, 1952, became the first missile weapon system adopted by the Soviet Navy.

However, it was 1957 that became the year of the "rocket revolution in the USSR." And not only after the successful launch of the first ever artificial Earth satellite with the famous R-7 rocket, but also in the rearmament of the Soviet Navy. The first of these were the Bedovy-type DBK (project 56R) and specially designed large missile ships (BRK) of the Thundering type (project 57). The test of cruise missiles (CR) KSCH from the board of the missile ship "Badovy" (project 56E) took place in the Black Sea on February 2, 1957.

Created on the basis of destroyers pr.56, missile ships of the "Bad" type (4 units) had one launcher of cruise missiles KShch (7-8 missiles). Project 57 DBKs were built in a series of 8 units (the lead one was commissioned on June 30, 1960) and equipped with 2 launchers and 12 cruise missiles. At the same time, on the basis of the re-equipment of the same basic project, air defense missile ships of the Bravy type (Project 56K and serial Project 56A) were created, which were armed with the first serial ship-based anti-aircraft missile system Volna. At the end of the 50s, cruisers of the Sverdlov type - Dzerzhinsky (SAM Volkhov) and Admiral Nakhimov (UKR Strela) were modernized for missile systems.

However, unlike the United States, the modernization of artillery ships into missile ships was not developed in the Soviet fleet. A fundamentally new type of missile ship was the Grozny-class missile cruisers (Project 58), which were originally built as destroyers. The project of these ships, built at the Shipyard named after. A.A. Zhdanov (Leningrad) with a series of 4 units, was developed under the direction of V.A. Nikitin. With an extremely small displacement (total - 5400 tons), they carried 16 P-35 cruise missiles (development of the P-5 type) and 16 Volna anti-aircraft missiles. The lead one, Grozny, was put into operation on December 30, 1962. A new type of light missile ships, originally TFR, and then BOD pr.61, was developed by B.I. Kupensky. The lead one, "Komsomolets Ukrainy", was built in Nikolaev and entered service a day later than the RRC "Grozny". These were the world's first mass-produced (20 units) destroyer-class gas turbine ships equipped with Volna air defense systems (32 missiles). One of the ships of this type - BOD "Brave" was killed by an explosion in 1974 near Sevastopol. Ships of this type became the largest warships built for export to the USSR in a series of 5 units for India. However, submarines and missile boats remained the main carriers of missile weapons in the Soviet Navy.

On July 4, 1958, a new era began in the history of the Navy - the lead nuclear submarine K-3 (project 627) under the command of cap. 1 rank L.G. Osipenko passed the first miles of the nuclear submarine fleet using the energy of a nuclear reactor. However, the submarine fleet had already received missile and nuclear weapons by this date. The first weapons with nuclear warheads (torpedoes and P-5 cruise missiles) were placed on board medium-sized diesel-electric ships. project 613 (13 units were modernized for cruise missiles) and large square. project 611 (6 units were upgraded for ballistic missiles). Nuclear torpedoes were tested from a submarine (submarine) pr. 613 in 1955. The first successful launches of R-11FM ballistic missiles capable of carrying combat nuclear units took place on September 16, 1955 from the submarine B-67 (project V- 611). The complex of cruise missiles P-5, created in the design bureau of V.N. Chelomeya, was also successfully tested on November 22, 1957 from the S-146 submarine (Project 613).

At the second stage, nuclear submarines armed with cruise missiles became the main force of the USSR submarine fleet. 50 submarines with RCC were built (atomic submarines pr. 659/675 - 34 units and diesel-electric submarines pr. 651 - 16 units) and 31 pl. with SLBMs (nuclear according to project 658 - 8 units and 23 units of diesel-electric submarines project 629). The most numerous Soviet nuclear pl. in the 60s, Project 675 boats began, which had eight on-board containers for cruise missiles, reminiscent of Dzhevetsky's torpedo tubes on Bars during the First World War. 14 nuclear-powered torpedo submarines were built. By the end of 1966, the Soviet submarine fleet was armed with 364 cruise missiles and 105 ballistic missiles (656 in the USA). The first launches of the KR P-15, created at the Raduga design bureau, took place on board two experimental missile boats, pr. 183E, built at shipyard No. 5 (now Almaz), on October 16, 1957. be built since 1959 (a series of 112 units was built), and since 1960 new project 205 already armed with 4 P-15 cruise missiles. In total, 427 missile boats of this project were built (for export from 1963 to 1985 - 157 boats of various modifications). Soviet missile boats revolutionized naval affairs. And their combat use was only a matter of time. On October 21, 1967, the Israeli destroyer "Eilat" was sunk by 4 missiles P-15 of the Soviet-built project 183R missile boat of the United Arab Republic. This event, in terms of its significance in the history of military operations at sea, can be compared with the first combat use of mine boats and submarines. Appearance in combat strength By the end of the 1960s, the Soviet Navy, with several hundred missile boats, made it possible to outperform the navies of NATO countries by a decade in this class and create a cheap and reliable class of combat coastal surface ship.

By the end of the second stage (1957-66) of the creation of the nuclear missile fleet, there were 29 missile surface ships in the USSR Navy (67 in the US Navy). During this period, 4 cruisers, 49 destroyers, 105 TFRs and MPKs, 56 nuclear submarines, 102 diesel-electric submarines were built. In terms of the number of nuclear and missile submarines, by the end of the 60s, the Soviet Union surpassed the United States of America. Cruise missiles on board the ships of the USSR, even without missile boats, more than 500 units were placed. However, in terms of the number of ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles, the Soviet fleet lagged behind the US fleet several times.

Unfortunately, with the coming to power of L.I. Brezhnev, an arms race unjustified in peacetime, including naval arms, began. At the third stage of the development of the navy in the USSR (1967-1991), the construction of warships began at a rate exceeding the American one. The largest navy in the world in terms of displacement and the number of warships was built. In terms of the number of weapons placed on board the ships (excluding aviation weapons), the USSR also surpassed the United States. Since the mid-60s, performing new program construction of the armed forces of Brezhnev - Grechko - Gorshkov, intensive construction of large surface ships was launched on the principle of "ship for ship". Almost the entire series of heavy aircraft carrier cruisers of the "Kyiv" type was put into operation year after year with the American nuclear aircraft carriers of the "Nimitz" type. During the first decade (1967-1975), while the Vietnam War was going on, the US Navy, on the contrary, sharply reduced the construction of warships. The break in the construction of aircraft carriers was 8 years, cruisers - 7 years, and destroyers as much as 11 years. However, the break in the construction of missile submarines was even longer, and amounted to 14 years!

From the commissioning of the USSR Navy on November 5, 1967 of the first missile submarine strategic purpose K-137 "Leninets", designed by S.N. Kovalev, the construction of the world's largest series of projects 667A, B, BD, BDR, BDRM - 77 units has begun. Together with 6 of the world's largest heavy missile submarines of project 941 - "Akula", armed with 20 90-ton ICBMs, the number of strategic missile carriers of the USSR exceeded the United States by almost one and a half times. Already with the commissioning in December 1972 of the first missile nuclear submarine K-279 of the Murena type (project 667B) with the R-29 SLBM with a firing range of 7800 km, which is 1.5 times superior to the American Poseidon missile, the Soviet Navy overtook the US Navy by 7 (!) years (the Trident-I missile system entered service only in 1979). Over the past two decades, the Soviet Navy has been able not only to catch up with the US Navy in terms of the number of combat surface ships, but also to dramatically overtake the number of submarines, including nuclear submarines. 80 nuclear submarines were built (including 7 heavy submarine cruisers with RCC) and 110 combat surface ships of the oceanic zone of action: 5 aircraft carriers, 3 heavy nuclear cruisers, 1 nuclear ship of the measuring complex, 42 missile cruisers and BOD of the 1st rank (cruisers, according to NATO classification), 42 BODs and TFRs of the 2nd rank (destroyers).

The costs of creating a navy in the USSR were unreasonably high. The main reason for this was the variety of ships. If you look at the table, you can see that only 10 (!) times more submarine projects were developed in the USSR than in the USA.

This table clearly shows that the displacement of the Soviet naval armada exceeded the US Navy by 17%.

The basis of the USSR military fleet was the nuclear submarines of project 671RTM and RT - 33 units and 12 nuclear submarines of project 670 and 670M. The most powerful were 7 units of project 949 and 949A missile submarines, each of which had the ability to destroy a US aircraft carrier group.

The USSR fleet also included 12 nuclear submarines with titanium alloy hulls, including the fastest in the world (project 661) and the deepest (project 685).

The first specially designed ship with aviation weapons (ship-based helicopters Ka-25) and the first anti-submarine missiles "Whirlwind" - the anti-submarine cruiser "Moskva" was commissioned in 1967. In 1975, the first cruiser with aviation weapons "Kyiv" was commissioned "with Yak-38 vertical takeoff aircraft. This aircraft made its first takeoff from the deck of the Moskva anti-ship missile on November 18, 1972. In total, 4 aircraft carrier cruisers pr.1143 (Kyiv, Minsk, Novorossiysk, Admiral Gorshkov) (formerly Baku "). The service life of the ships of this series was short. The first Russian aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov", laid down in 1982, entered combat service in the Atlantic with great difficulty only 13 years later (!).

On November 1, 1989, the first "classic" landing of combat aircraft (Su-27K, MiG-29K, Su-25UTG) on its deck took place in the history of the Russian fleet. March 27, 1974 in Leningrad at the Baltic Shipyard was laid down a unique warship - heavy nuclear missile cruiser "Kirov" (project 1144, chief designer- B.I. Kupensky). The entry of the cruiser "Kirov" into service on December 30, 1980, in terms of its historical significance, can be compared with the entry into operation in 1907 of the English battleship "Dreadnought". ship, with nuclear installation, equipped with two state-of-the-art missile systems that have no analogues abroad - the anti-ship "Granit" (20 missiles) and the anti-aircraft missile (multi-purpose) "Fort" (96 S-300 missiles), was in essence a prototype of an "arsenal-type" ship, the construction of which is only expected at the beginning of the 21st century in the USA. Ships of this type were classified as battlecruisers according to the classification of the Jane's Fighting Ships directory (this most respected naval directory in the world turns 100 years old in 1997).

Despite the fact that the first surface ship with a nuclear power plant in the USSR appeared back in 1959 - the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin", which was a significant recognition of the importance of developing sea routes in the Arctic, the USSR Navy received the first nuclear warship 20 years later than the Navy USA. In total, 4 such ships were built: "Kirov", "Frunze", "Kalinin" and "Peter the Great", the state tests of which began with great difficulty on September 28, 1996 (10 years after the laying).

In parallel with the construction of this type of cruisers, a unique ship of the measuring complex with a nuclear power plant "Ural" (project 1941), the largest nuclear-powered surface ship of the USSR Navy, with a total displacement of 35,000 tons, was built at the Baltic Shipyard. The fate of this unique ship, which is of strategic importance not only for the Russian Navy, but also for the security of Russia, unfortunately, turned out to be the same as that of the Krasnoyarsk radar station and other strategic objects of Russia. The newest and very expensive ship is supposed to be used as a power plant for Vladivostok. Truly, the Pacific Fleet of Russia at the end of the century became the same grave of warships as the waters of the Tsushima Strait in 1905.

In general, the construction of the surface fleet of the USSR Navy was unjustifiably wasteful and illogical. For example, the urgent need to build large aircraft carriers was ignored, without which the fleet was simply unable to conduct full-fledged combat operations in the conditions of both local military conflicts and unlimited nuclear war. At the same time, the surface fleet was replenished with 4 (!) Types of cruisers at the same time. Almost every shipyard built its own type of ship (with the exception of the Shipyard named after A.A. Zhdanov, which built two types in parallel: project 956 and project 1155). At the same time, only one type of cruiser was built in wealthy America - the Ticonderoga, and even then it was unified with its prototype - destroyers of the Spruence type.

Diversity has become a common problem not only in shipbuilding. The weapons and electronic equipment systems that were on board the Soviet ships were also very diverse. Over the past two decades, 45 types of warships (PL-AV-KR-EM-SKR) were put into operation in the USSR, and 16 types in the USA. 30 types of missiles were adopted for the armament of ships (without aviation), in the USA - only 10 types.

The navies of the two powers had a clearly expressed asymmetry in the ship composition. If the USSR has more than half of the submarine fleet, then in the USA 40% of the displacement of the fleet are aircraft carriers and landing ships. Total displacement built in the USA during 1971-90. aircraft carriers exceeded the displacement of all built submarines (!) and was almost equal to the displacement of all other combat surface ships (see table). Large aircraft carriers are the most effective combat platform in the ocean, capable of effective control over the air and sea situation in vast areas, as well as intensive military operations to gain air supremacy in local wars and become a forward base for nuclear weapons in the event of a war with their use. They are capable of performing the entire range of combat activities: from the policy of demonstration of force and intimidation to the performance of local combat missions anywhere on Earth. Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia - these are the countries off the coast of which US aircraft carriers have operated in the last few years alone. In addition to being the most versatile warship, an aircraft carrier is also the cheapest (!) type of such ships in terms of cost-effectiveness. The cost of building one ton of displacement of an aircraft carrier is almost 5 times lower than that of nuclear submarines or cruisers.

The Soviet fleet was built on the basis of a general nuclear war, in which nuclear submarines had the greatest combat stability, the use of which in local wars is more problematic.

During the third stage, the Soviet fleet began to be intensively replenished with ocean-going anti-submarine ships of the 3rd generation: large anti-submarine ships (BPK) of the Vladivostok, Kronstadt, and Nikolaev types, which actually revived the traditions of domestic construction of cruisers. In total, until 1979, 25 units of these projects were built (8 with cruise missiles and 17 with anti-submarine missiles). During the 80s and early 90s, three Slava-class missile cruisers (project 1164), 13 large Udaloy-class anti-submarine ships (the last 2 according to a modified project), 20 destroyers of the 1st rank type "Modern" (project 956). Ships of the 2nd rank of the "Vigilant" type (project 1135), built in several modifications in a series of 41 units, became the basis of the naval forces of the USSR and Russia. Among them are 7 patrol ships of the border troops of the "Nerei" type (project 1135.1). The last 2 ships of this series have already become part of the Ukrainian Navy. The coastal "small" fleet was actively replenished with small anti-submarine ships of the Albatross type (project 1124 - 72 units), a project of warships that had been under construction for almost thirty years.

To develop the class of missile boats, the Central Design Bureau "Almaz" developed a small missile ship of project 1234; -120) and the Osa-M air defense system. Over the past decade, more than 100 units of small missile and anti-submarine ships of various modifications of the Molniya type have been accepted into the Soviet fleet (the base pr. .206.

The main disadvantage of the Soviet patrol, small missile and anti-submarine ships should be considered the lack of airborne weapons in the form of light helicopters. This shortcoming manifested itself especially clearly in Project 1135. Virtually no Western ship of this class was built without standard helicopter armament or at least a runway.

The construction of landing ships, the need for which was so acutely felt during the war years, began almost only twenty years after its end. In 1968, the first large landing ship, project 1171, was built from a series of 14 units. The total number of large and medium landing ships by 1991 exceeded 100 units. The main landing craft of the USSR Navy were medium landing ships pr.770, 771, 773, built in Poland. The fleet included only 3 large landing ships with dock chambers of the Ivan Rogov type (Project 1174). Ships, ships and boats with dynamic support principles received special development in the Soviet naval, and even in the civilian sea and river fleet. Four large series of landing ships and hovercraft were put into operation: the Skat type (project 1205) - 30 units, the Kalmar type (project 1206) - 19 units, the Jeyran type (pr. 1232.1) - 18 units. and the most powerful type "Zubr" (project 1232.2) - in Russia 8 units (the last 2 unfinished went to Ukraine). Special merit in the creation of the majority of hydrofoils, starting with the famous "Rocket" - created in the same significant year 1957, belongs to the designers of the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard under the leadership of Rostislav Alekseev. The same team, for the first time in the world, created for the Navy a series of experimental and combat ekranoplanes, the analogue of which has not been created in any country in the world to this day. The world's largest experimental ekranoplan KM-1 was created and began testing as early as 1965. Serial ekranoplanes (chief designer V.V. Sokolov) were built in Nizhny Novgorod. Type "Dragon" (project 904) - 5 units and type "Lun" (project 902) - 2 units (the second - missile, with the "Mosquito" complex of 6 launchers).

Among the ships with dynamic support principles, missile and anti-submarine ships with controlled hydrofoils stood out - RTOs of the Uragan type (project 1240), 2 small missile ships of the Sivuch skeg type (project 1239), MPK of the Sokol type (pr. 1141) and its development 2 units project 1145.

Mine-sweeping warships were greatly developed in the Soviet fleet, which was caused by the considerable length of the country's coastline and the closeness of maritime theaters of potential military operations. Ensuring the combat service of the navy and research activities to create and improve modern weapons and detection systems required the creation of a significant number of research ships (oceanographic, ships of physical fields and carriers of underwater vehicles). The Soviet Navy operated the world's largest number of research vessels (EOS), reconnaissance vessels (SVs) and submersibles.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the development of the Russian Navy, in addition to the loss of a significant number of naval bases, ship repair enterprises and training centers, was determined by financing on a residual basis and the absence of a program for its restructuring and reduction. The allocated funds constantly, over the past five years, have not been enough not only for the qualitative development of the fleet in the minimum required amount, but also for its elementary maintenance. And this is not surprising. The economic potential of Russia and the value of its military spending over the specified period decreased several times, however, there was no corresponding reduction in the strength of the Russian Navy. No program was adopted for the conservation of surplus naval personnel and their targeted sale abroad, namely as combat units, and not as scrap metal.

The Russian navy suffered heavy losses from the lack of a normal basing system and the lack of scheduled ship repairs. For 5 years, at a time when the public circles of the country were actively discussing, and the leadership of the country and the fleet were intensively dividing the ships of the Black Sea Fleet that were absolutely unnecessary for Russia (the ship composition of the remaining three fleets of Russia is at least three times more than what the Russian fleet could actually contain), a significant number of very modern ships were withdrawn from the fleet, which for many years could form the backbone of the Russian fleet (aircraft carrier cruisers Kyiv, Minsk, Novorossiysk, Admiral Gorshkov, nuclear cruisers Admiral Ushakov "and" Admiral Lazarev "). Only in the last few years, after fires and accidents and the impossibility of repairing them, several large warships were withdrawn from the fleet - TAKR "Admiral Gorshkov", KIK "Ural", BOD "Admiral Zakharov", etc. Even during the Civil War and subsequent the devastation had saved the most valuable ships of the fleet.

The latest statements by the country's leadership about the planned completion of the aircraft carrier "Varyag", plundered according to eyewitnesses, to a terrifying state, are another political demarche, not supported by any calculations. It was much easier and cheaper to keep what they had.

One of the very negative consequences of the mistakes of reforms in recent years has been the destruction of the maritime component of the country's economic power. The possibilities of shipbuilding, which was militarized in the past to the limit, have not been used even by a tenth, sea transportation of the country is 95% carried out by ships of foreign countries, marine instrumentation is practically paralyzed ... It is imperative to preserve the technology for the development and construction of warships, incl. development of new weapon systems, electronic equipment and engines. Although, according to many experts, in a number of areas of science and technology, the irreversible destruction of the scientific and production potential has already occurred.

Per last years Russia laid down two nuclear submarines of two new unified projects - strategic missile carrier"Yuri Dolgoruky" (1996) and nuclear multi-purpose submarine "Severodvinsk" (1994). The last Delfin-class missile submarine (K-407, project 667BDRM) was completed. 4 heavy nuclear submarines pr.949A - "Orel", "Omsk", "Kursk", "Tomsk" were put into operation; 2 nuclear submarines pr.945A - "Zubatka" and "Perch"; 6 low-noise nuclear submarines pr.971 - "Dragon", "Wolf", "Leopard", "Tiger", "Lynx", "Vepr". Diesel-electric submarines of an improved type "Varshavyanka" (project 636) and "Lada" (project 677) are being built.

In the year of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, at the cost of great efforts, the nuclear cruiser "Peter the Great" was finally completed and enlisted in the Northern Fleet.

From surface ships at the Yantar plant, the TFR of the new project Hawk (project 11540) - Undaunted was built, laid down - Unstoppable (1993). 6 EM pr.956 were put into operation - "Restless", "Persistent", "Fearless", "Important", "Thoughtful", "Wild" and BOD "Admiral Chabanenko".

At the Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant, three Gepard-type patrol ships (project 11661) were laid down. Design Bureau "Almaz" created a new project of the TFR of the "Novik" type (project 1244), the lead one was laid down on July 25, 1997 at the Yantar plant. It is planned that this small (3,000 tons, length - 100 meters) patrol ship, equipped with universal artillery, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and strike missiles and, most importantly, a hangar-based helicopter, will become the basis of the Russian ocean fleet at the beginning of the 21st century.

Taking into account the vast extent of Russia's maritime borders, the urgent need for the new fleet is the comprehensive development of naval carrier-based aviation. Adoption of new types of helicopters (light patrol and multipurpose), armed modern systems detection and weapons, ensuring their deployment on most patrol ships of the fleet will solve most of the problems of protecting the country's water areas and maritime borders. Russia, probably like no other country in the world, needs modern naval carrier-based aviation: from light helicopters to multi-purpose carrier-based aircraft. And, of course, low-noise, reliable nuclear and non-nuclear submarines of unified designs should remain the backbone of the fleet. One of the main arguments of the apologists for a large navy in terms of payroll is the need for each fleet to have a number of ships equal to the payroll of the fleets of neighboring states. Based on these prerequisites, the Russian fleet should be equal in composition to the fleet of Germany, Norway, Turkey and China or Japan. Even elementary common sense suggests that this is impossible in the foreseeable future, and it is not necessary in principle. Russia needs the smallest possible navy.

And its maritime potential needs to be developed in the areas of offshore raw material extraction technology, maritime transport and fishing fleet, port facilities, civil shipbuilding, mariculture and seaside tourism.