Crazy "Ivans": how Soviet ships put an American cruiser to flight. How Soviet patrol boats rammed American warships off the coast of Crimea (photo, video) Russian ship rams American

Another case, which is discussed below. With video and detailed description.
In the second half of the 1980s, an unusual incident occurred in the history of the Soviet Navy associated with a physical confrontation between two warships of the USSR and the USA off the coast of Crimea. To everyone's satisfaction, the incident ended in a peaceful outcome, although military conflict seemed inevitable.

The picture was taken during the ramming of an American cruiser.

It is known that the Black Sea, in the northern part of which the Black Sea Fleet of the Soviet Union is based and operates, has nothing to do with the Gulf of Mexico, where american ships.

However, in 1986, the American cruiser URO "Yorktown" and the destroyer "Caron", having passed through the Bosporus and Dardanelles, resolutely headed for the coast of Crimea. Having entered from the direction of Feodosia, the American ships proceeded without hindrance along the southern coast of Crimea and retired towards the Bosporus. The test of vigilance and readiness of the Black Sea Fleet to provide timely counteraction ended without conflicts.

American cruiser URO Yorktown, USS Yorktown (CG 48)

In 1988, old acquaintances re-entered the Black Sea, but this time on a counter-course from Sevastopol. The American duo of ships moved along the dial of the Black Sea in the opposite direction - as if clockwise, pressing into our territorial waters so defiantly that any doubts about the good intentions of overseas visitors disappeared.

Project 1135.2 "Petrel" (a mug sticks out in the porthole of the chassis mu_rena )

It should be noted that international convention on shipping, signed by the USSR in the mid-eighties, stipulated the possible peaceful passage of warships with weapons on board through the "appendices" of the territorial waters of coastal states. But only in exceptional cases, in order to shorten the path and the obligatory fulfillment of a number of requirements. Do not perform reconnaissance missions, do not lift into the air aircrafts, not to conduct exercises and not to deliver headache coastal state.

During an exercise on an American ship

The Soviet Union did not ratify this convention, which the American sailors undoubtedly knew about. The American demarche off our shores with two modern warships was clearly reconnaissance in nature. The Americans plotted a course through our territorial waters deliberately, not having the goal of shortening their path.

Soviet patrol ship The Black Sea Fleet of the TFR pr. 1135 "Selfless" has just returned from a six-month voyage in the Mediterranean Sea. The crew was well trained, had experience of sailing in coastal waters a number of foreign states. The months spent at sea were not in vain, they gave the sailors good seamanship practice.

The command of the Black Sea Fleet set the task for the "Selfless" to follow the actions of two American ships, to find out their intentions. Being on parallel courses, our ships warned the Americans several times over the international communication channel: "You are violating the state border of the USSR." The same warnings were duplicated by a flag semaphore. In response, the Americans answered something like “OK”, continuing to follow their course.

Then the commander of the "Selfless" Captain 2nd Rank Vladimir Bogdashin received an order: to displace American ships from Soviet territorial waters. Easy to say, squeeze out! But how to do this without using weapons and considering that the displacement of the TFR is more than two times less than that of an American cruiser.

There could be only one solution in this situation - to carry out a bulk of the Soviet patrol ship on the intruder, or, rather, to inflict a series of blows on the hull of the American ship. In aviation, this maneuver is called "ramming" the enemy.

TFR "Selfless" rams an American

Having received once again from Yorktown - "We are not violating anything!" and guided by the Law on the State Border of the USSR, the crew of the "Selfless" took decisive action. The severity of the situation demanded that the commander, Captain 2nd Rank V. Bogdashin, make an exceptional decision. And it was accepted.

The history of the modern fleet did not know anything like this. Ships stripped of armor and armed with rather delicate rocket and torpedo weapons went to conscious hard contact.

At first, the ships sailed in parallel courses. Yorktown gave big wave that hindered the approach. "Selfless" increased speed and began to quickly overtake the American missile carrier from its port side. The huge hull of the Yorktown seemed unnaturally large and impregnable, obscuring half the horizon with its superstructures. According to the in-ship broadcast, it was announced to the personnel of the Selfless that the ship was making physical contact with the American. Compartments were sealed on the TFR.

"Selfless" took to the right and lowered the starboard anchor, whose paws, like hedgehog thorns, bristled outward.

Undoubtedly, the command of the American cruiser did not understand the actions of the Soviet patrol ship. The sailors free from the watch crowded on the upper bridges of the superstructures, took pictures, shouted something. The carefree appearance of the American sailors, their self-confidence and arrogant calmness emphasized the indifference to the Soviet patrol ship.

The confrontation has reached a climax. "Selfless" reached the "Yorktown", SKR-6 approached the starboard side of the "Caron". Nearby were border ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet. For greater persuasiveness, two TU-95s and BE-12 anti-submarine aircraft with suspended missiles were raised into the air. At the Yorktown, a navigation radar and an air enemy observation station were continuously working, reporting the situation to the cruiser commander.

project 1135 during exercises

The first blow of "Selfless" hit "Yorktown" in the middle part, in the area of the ladder. The railings crumpled, deafening the dumbfounded Yorktowners with the gnashing of steel. The lowered three-ton anchor, having walked along the side of the cruiser, inflicted several blows and dents on it. In the next second, he broke off and fell into the sea.

As if the wind had blown American sailors off the bridge. An emergency alarm could be heard on the Yorktown, and everyone fled to their combat posts.

After the first blow, the stem of the Selfless went to the left, and its stern fell on the cruiser in the area where containers with Harpoon anti-ship missiles were installed, crushing four containers. There was a danger of damage to our torpedo tubes. Having sharply shifted the rudder to the “starboard” position, the “Selfless” again turned with its attacking nose into a combat stance. The second blow to the American was very strong.

"Yorktown" shuddered, and "Selfless" for a moment got a roll of 13 degrees, exposing a titanium bulb. The trim at the stern reached four degrees. So the stern was at the cut of the water level. In the next moment, the stem of the "Selfless" went to sweep away on the "Yorktown" everything that came across along the way - rail posts, bollards, necks, sheets of superstructures and other protruding parts, turning it all into scrap metal. Under the fireworks of sparks, a chilling crack of destroyed structures was heard for several seconds. There were patches of flying paint, smoke from heavy friction - until the prow of the sentry ship slid down.

After this ramming, the commander of the American cruiser finally assessed the danger of the moment. Yorktown shifted the steering wheel to the right. In a matter of minutes, he left the Soviet territorial waters in neutral. The whole action of "crowding out" took no more than fifteen minutes. "Yorktown" entered our waters for about 2.5 miles, "Caron" - almost 7 miles.

While the Selfless was fighting the Yorktown, the patrol ship SKR-6 delivered similar frightening blows with the stem on the Caron, however, due to its small displacement, with less success.

The actions of warships were insured by the Yamal ice-class vessel. The ice belt and the strengthening of the bulk carrier's hull were much more powerful than the hulls of patrol ships, but they could not chase the latest American cruiser Yamal at a speed of twenty knots.

The power of the ramming blows of the "Selfless" was realized later. Cracks of 80 and 120 mm formed at the point of contact of the TFR, a small hole appeared in the area where the ship routes passed, and the nasal titanium bulb also received several impressive dents. Already in the factory, a displacement of four engines and clutches was detected.

On the Yorktown, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe middle superstructure, a fire apparently broke out, the Americans in firefighting suits descended, unwinding fire hoses, with the intention of putting out something.

"Selfless" did not lose sight of the American ships for some time. Then he again increased the speed and finally gave a "lap of honor" around the "Yorktown" and "Caron". The Yorktown seemed dead - not a single person was visible on the decks and bridges.

When about one and a half cables were left before the Caron, probably the entire crew of the ship poured onto the decks and superstructures of the destroyer. Dozens, hundreds of flashlights sparkled on the "Caron", seeing off the "Selfless" with such photo applause.

Shining with gold letters in the stern, "Selfless" proudly swept past and, as if nothing had happened, headed for Sevastopol.

According to foreign sources, after the incident, Yorktown was under repair for several months at one of the shipyards. The cruiser commander was removed from his post for passive actions and the initiative granted to the Soviet ship, which caused moral damage to the prestige of the American fleet. The US Congress froze the budget of the naval department for almost six months.

Oddly enough, but in our country there were attempts to accuse Soviet sailors of illegal actions, sea robbery, and so on. This was done mainly for political purposes and to please the West. They did not have a serious basis, and the accusations crumbled like a house of cards. Because in this case, the fleet showed determination and simply performed the functions assigned to it.

USS Yorktown (CG 48)

Options:

Length: 172 m
Width: 16 m
Displacement: 9600 tons
Power reserve: 6000 miles
Speed: 32 knots

Armament:

Guns: 2 MK.45
Torpedo tubes: 2
Rocket launchers: 2 MK41
Anti-ship complexes: 8 Harpoon
Anti-aircraft installations: 2 Vulkan MK.15; 2 Standard
Anti-submarine systems: 2 ASROK-VLA
Helicopters: 1
Fire control systems: Aegis

Series: Ticonderoga - 27 ships

BOD "Selfless"

Options:

Length: 123.1 m
Width: 14.2 m
Displacement: 3200 tons
Power reserve: 4600 miles
Crew: 180
Speed: 32 knots

Armament:

Guns: 2 AK-726
Torpedo tubes: 8,533 mm
Anti-aircraft installations: 2 Osa / Oca-M
Anti-submarine systems: 2 RBU-6000; 2 Metel/Rastrub-B
Mines: 20
Helicopters: 1

Project:"1135 Burevestnik" - 18 ships

February 1988 military leadership The United States gave a command to two of its ships to enter the territorial waters of the USSR in the area of the main naval base of the Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol.

This mission was entrusted to the missile cruiser "Yorktown" and the destroyer "Caron", which had repeatedly entered the Black Sea and knew the local maritime theater of operations very well.

The ships went deep into the territorial waters of the USSR for as much as six miles. At the same time, their radars, including electronic intelligence equipment, worked at full capacity. That is, the ships were in full combat readiness, which was a frank challenge.

« Selfless» and« Yorktown»

The chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice-Admiral Valentin Selivanov (the commander was in Moscow that day), having reported "upstairs" about the incident, gave the command to stop the provocation. The patrol ships Bezzavetny (project 1135) and SKR-6 (project 35) came out to intercept the Americans. We deliberately focus on the projects of our ships, which were three times (“Selfless” in comparison with the “Yorktown”) and almost nine times (SKR-6 with the “Caron”) less in terms of displacement of American border violators.

When the destroyer evaded a collision with SKR-6 and continued to go deep into the waters of the USSR, the commanders of both guards began to approach. As Retired Rear Admiral Vladimir Bogdashin, commander of the Selfless, recalls today, watching the maneuver, the American sailors, crowded on the upper deck, laughing and showing obscene gestures, were actively photographed against the backdrop of the “crazy Ivans”.

Knowing about the different dimensions (in their favor) of the ships, they had no doubt: the Russians would never make direct contact.

Meeting in the Black Sea

But as soon as the “Selfless” with a soul-rending rattle fell on the port side of the American cruiser, all the merry fellows and photographers were blown away by the wind. At about the same time, the SKR-6 poked the right "cheekbone" of its stem into the port side of the stern of the "Caron".

“The first bulk was easy,” says Bogdashin, “as if in passing. We rubbed against the sides, demolished the ladder on the Yorktown and that's it. However, this produced a shock to the commanders of both American ships, who immediately sounded a combat alert. They did not expect such actions from us. After the first blow, we were ordered to withdraw and not make contact, but it was too late. The cruiser was twice the size of the "Selfless", and from the impact of the stern of my ship went sharply to the left, from which we began to approach the stern. It was very dangerous both for them and for us.”

According to Bogdashin, the four-pipe torpedo tube of the Bezzavetny from the starboard side was in full combat readiness. The American's eight Harpoon rocket launchers were also probably loaded "to the eyeballs."

“If the ships touched the stern parts and my torpedo tubes went under its missile guides, we would hardly be talking to you today. I had only to give the fullest forward with a sharp turn to the right in order to throw the stern aside. As a result, with our bow, we literally climbed onto the left waist of the Yorktown, almost completely demolishing the left side of the helipad of their ship and crushing everything that was in the way. And since before that I gave the command to lower the starboard anchor, it played the role of a projectile fired from a sling. Having entered the side of the cruiser, the anchor flew over its deck, broke off several meters of the chain and went down with it to the bottom. This was the only casualty in that skirmish.”

SKR-6 did not even need a second attempt to bulk. The Americans decided not to tempt their fate again. They made a maneuver, which in the fleet is called "all of a sudden - on the reverse course", and went to the exit from the territorial waters of the USSR.

Outraged State Department

The most striking thing is that the indignant State Department, just a few hours after the incident, sent a note of protest to the USSR Foreign Ministry. But not with apologies, but with claims that, they say, the Soviet Union is provoking a military conflict with the United States.

There is no point in commenting on this situation, especially after three decades. Especially today, when we are seeing very similar reactions from across the ocean in response to any actions of Russian military units.

Even exercises conducted on their own territory are immediately declared an act of aggression by Russia. At the same time, all flights, “swims” and advances of NATO combat units in eastbound they call the practical development of the skills of their military.

Let them say whatever they want. Just let them remember: no one gave the right to our American "partners" (neither then nor now) to deal with Russia from a position of strength. Especially since they never were. Whoever doubts, let him remember this tiny incident in the Black Sea.

And there is another fact that cannot be dismissed. In its more than 240-year history, having provoked and unleashed over two hundred wars and military conflicts outside its country, the American Yankees have not won a single open confrontation.

Exactly 30 years ago, on February 12, 1988, in the Black Sea, two Soviet patrol ships of the SKR Bezzavetny (Project 1135) and SKR-6 (Project 35) conducted an unprecedented operation to displace two of the newest warships of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy - the cruiser "Yorktown" (type "Ticonderoga") and the destroyer URO "Caron" (type "Spruence"), brazenly and deliberately violated the state border of the USSR.

The operation, which took place in the area between Yalta and Foros, is unprecedented in a number of respects. TFR "Bezzavetny" is three times smaller in displacement than the newest cruiser "Yorktown" at that time, and TFR-6 (its displacement is a little over 1000 tons) is six times smaller than the destroyer URO "Caron". The enormous technical and military superiority of the American ships was countered by the courage, determination, courage of Soviet sailors, and skillfully built tactics of action. As a result, they won, and the American ships, having received damage, were forced to withdraw from the Soviet military waters, and then completely leave the Black Sea.

The general management of the displacement operation was carried out by the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral Valentin Yegorovich Selivanov. Prior to this position, he served seven years in the Mediterranean squadron, first as chief of staff, and then as squadron commander. One of the main tasks of the squadron is to confront the ships of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, so Admiral Selivanov knew perfectly well both the TTD and the capabilities of American ships, their history and even commanders.

I think that not only sailors, but even a simple man in the street imagines how difficult and dangerous it is to carry out a bulk of a ship against an enemy in this particular case. A huge cruiser, armed to the teeth, with a displacement of 9200 tons, sees how a patrol boat with a displacement of 3000 tons is catching up with it. American sailors have euphoria and smiles, there is an active photo and video session on the eve of a beautiful “show”. And next to a destroyer with a displacement of 7800 tons, a tiny sharp-nosed watchdog with a displacement of only 1300 tons is operating. What would have happened to our SKR-6 if the destroyer had put the rudder sharply to the left on board, when the guard was preparing to strike and was heading parallel?! He could just roll over.

The pre-planned operation began only when American ships actually entered our territorial waters and did not respond to repeated warnings to leave our territorial waters.

A command follows at the TFR: everyone put on life jackets. And now the "Selfless" runs into the cruiser "Yorktown". Gnashing of metal. TFR "Selfless", having thrown out a three-ton anchor from the hawse, strikes at the cruiser.

A minute after the bulk, Mikheev reports to Selivanov: “We walked along the port side of the cruiser. They broke the Harpoon missile launcher. Two broken missiles hang from launch canisters. They demolished all the rails of the left side of the cruiser. They wrecked the command boat. In some places, the board and side plating of the bow superstructure were torn. Our anchor broke off and sank."

What are the Americans doing? Smiles and euphoria like a cow licked tongue. The cruiser went on an emergency alert. Emergency crews in protective thermal suits spray a launcher with Harpoon missiles from hoses. But very soon they began to drag the hoses inside the ship. As it turned out later, a fire started there in the area of the cellars of the Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Asrok anti-submarine missiles.

There are no more smiles. Explode the cruiser - it would not be good for our ship either.

Soon Mikheev also reported for the actions of the SKR-6: “I passed along the port side of the destroyer, the rails were cut down, the boat was broken. Board plating breaks. The ship's anchor survived. But the American ships continue on the same course and speed."

Selivanov gives a command to Mikheev: "Perform a second bulk."

Valentin Selivanov:
“After some time, I receive a report from Mikheev: “The destroyer Caron has turned off course and is heading straight for me, the bearing does not change.” "Caron" goes to the collision. Selivanov orders Mikheev: “Move to the starboard side of the cruiser and cover yourself with it. Let the Caron ram him."

Further, the Americans began to clamp the TFR "Selfless" in pincers on converging courses. Mikheev ordered the RBU-6000 rocket launchers to be loaded with depth charges and deployed abeam to the starboard and port sides, respectively, against the cruiser and destroyer. The Americans saw it. The play of nerves continued. The decisiveness of the Soviet sailors had an effect - the American ships were turned away.

But the struggle continued. On the cruiser, they began to prepare a couple of helicopters for departure. Mikheev reported to the fleet command post that the Americans were preparing some kind of dirty trick with helicopters. Mikheev told the Americans what would happen to the helicopters if they were lifted into the air. It didn't work. The propeller blades have already turned. But at that time, a pair of our Mi-26 helicopters with a full combat suspension of airborne weapons passed over the Americans at an altitude of 50-70 meters - the view is impressive. They made several circles over the American ships, defiantly hovering somewhat away from them. The Americans surrendered: they drowned out their helicopters and rolled them into the hangar.

The next day, "Yorktown" and "Caron", not reaching our Caucasian sea areas, moved to the exit from the Black Sea. Under the control of a new ship group of our ships. A day later, the battered ships of the 6th Fleet of the US Navy left the Black Sea.

I would like the Americans, who again frequented the Black Sea, to remember this lesson of history 30 years ago.

Ram scheme

Bulk TFR "Selfless" on the cruiser "Yorktown"

one of the episodes of the confrontation between the two world powers of the times cold war, when the provocative actions of one side led to active opposition from the other: two Soviet warships - the patrol ship of the TFR "Bezzavetny" and "SKR-6", made a bulk attack on two American warships - the missile cruiser "Yorktown (CG-48)" and the destroyer "Caron (DD-970)"

Description USS Yorktown (CG 48)

Options:

Length: 172 m
Width: 16 m
Displacement: 9600 tons
Power reserve: 6000 miles
Speed: 32 knots

Armament:

Guns: 2 MK.45
Torpedo tubes: 2
Rocket launchers: 2 MK41
Anti-ship complexes: 8 Harpoon
Anti-aircraft installations: 2 Vulkan MK.15; 2 Standard
Anti-submarine systems: 2 ASROK-VLA
Helicopters: 1
Fire control systems: Aegis

Description of "TFR Selfless"

TFR "Selfless"

Options:

Length: 123 m
Width: 14.2 m
Displacement: 3200 tons
Power reserve: 5000 miles
Crew: 197
Speed: 32.2 knots

Armament:

2 twin 76.2 mm gun mounts AK-726-MR-105
4 PU URPK-5 "Trumpet"
2 x 2 launchers of the Osa-MA-2 air defense system
2 x 12 jet bombers RBU-6000 "Smerch-2"
2 x 4 ChTA-53-1135 533 mm torpedo tubes
up to 16 naval mines

Description USS Caron (DD-970)

USS Caron (DD-970)

Options

Length: 171 m
Width: 17.6 m
Displacement: 8040 tons
Draft: 8.8 m
Crew: 295
Speed: 32 knots

Armament

Guns: 2 MK.45
Torpedo tubes: 6 324mm Mk 32
Rocket launchers: 2 MK41
Anti-ship systems: Harpoon
Cruise missiles: 2 MK-143 for Tomahawk
Anti-aircraft mounts: 2 MK-29 for Sea Sparrow; 2 Vulkan MK.15
Anti-submarine systems: 1 ASROK-VLA
Helicopters: 2

Radar equipment

Sonar: SQS-53B Sonar SQR-19 Tactical Towed Array Sonar
Locator/Radar: SPS-40E,SPS-55
Fire control systems: SPG-60

Description of SKR-6

Options

Length, 82.4 m
Width, 9.1 m
Full displacement, 1140 t
Displacement normal, 960 t
Draft, 3 m
Full speed with gas turbine, 32 knots
Full speed with diesels, knots 20
Travel speed economic, knots 14
GTU power, 2 x 18000 hp
Diesel plant power, 2 x 6000 hp
Cruising range, miles 2000
Crew, pers. 96

Armament

2x2 AK-726 76mm gun mounts
2x5 400mm torpedo tubes
2x12 rocket launchers RBU-6000 (120 RGB-60)

How much big difference even an inexperienced observer can see in size.

background

Such a case was unique in the Black Sea Fleet and the US Navy. This episode is still considered in military naval schools. In the period of the 80s of the 20th century, the Soviet Union was marked by the growth of economic and political crises, which could not but affect the international position countries. The USSR was moving further and further away from the status of a powerful world power, a stronghold of world socialism, capable of successfully resisting the rest of the capitalist world.

In particular, this was reflected in an increase in the number of provocative actions on the part of the main "probable adversary" - the United States.

The breeding ground for such provocations, among other things, was the question of determining the boundaries of territorial waters, namely: the line from which the 12-mile zone of territorial waters should be counted. In the US, they argued that the countdown should be from each point on the coastline. The Soviet Union adhered to the principle of the so-called "base line": for example, when determining the zone of territorial waters in the bays, the distance to the border was measured not from the coastline, but from the line connecting the entrance capes of the bays.

Bulk "SKR-6" on the destroyer "Caron"

An additional factor that was used in provocations was that the UN Convention on maritime law(UNCLOS III), signed by the USSR in 1982, stipulated the possible peaceful passage (innocent passage) of warships with weapons on board through certain sections of the territorial waters of coastal states. This was allowed in exceptional cases, in order to shorten the path and the obligatory observance of a number of conditions: not to carry out reconnaissance missions, not to lift aircraft into the air, not to conduct exercises.

In the waters adjacent to the territory of the USSR there were several areas with a disputed line of demarcation of the state border. One of these areas was located off the Crimean coast with coordinates 44°N. and 33° E In sufficient proximity to it, a number of important strategic facilities were located on the coast: in Saki there was a ground-based test simulator for shipborne aviation (NITKA), on which pilots of the future air group of the aircraft carrier Leonid Brezhnev (Admiral Kuznetsov) were trained, and in Foros a complex of dachas of the Central Committee of the CPSU, equipped with an appropriate government communications system.

On March 13, 1986, the cruiser Yorktown (USS CG 48 Yorktown) and the destroyer Caron (USS DD-970 Caron) entered the territorial waters off the southern coast of Crimea for 6 miles (about 10 km). Moreover, American ships followed with working radar stations and other electronic means, which meant that they were carrying out reconnaissance missions. After this incident, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet Vladimir Chernavin, turned to the Minister of Defense, Marshal Sokolov, with a plan to actively counter such provocations.

On the basis of this plan, Marshal Sokolov made a special report to the Central Committee of the CPSU in the summer of 1986, detailing "the measures in case of another violation by American ships of the territorial waters on the Black Sea." The report proposed to actively tie down the actions of intruder ships up to the bulk of the side on them and ousting them from the country's territorial waters. After that, Admiral Chernavin was invited to the National Defense Council, chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev. In the presence of Gorbachev, Chairman of the KGB Chebrikov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Shevardnadze, Prime Minister Ryzhkov, Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff and commanders-in-chief of all military branches, the admiral spoke in detail about the essence of the problem and about his idea of bulk, giving an example with tanks, more understandable to land commanders. Gorbachev approved the idea, at the same time recommending "pick up stronger ships." He also asked Chernavin to foresee all measures to exclude casualties among the personnel of the ships.

A direct consequence of this meeting was a special directive from the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy to the commanders of the fleets in the North, pacific ocean and on the Black Sea to oust foreign intruder ships.

Events February 12

In early February 1988, it became known about the upcoming entry into the Black Sea of the cruiser Yorktown and the destroyer Caron from the US 6th Fleet. Chernavin ordered the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Khronopulo, to act in accordance with the directive received earlier.

Since Khronopulo was in Moscow at that time, Vice Admiral Selivanov, Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet, became the direct leader of the displacement operation. The task was entrusted to the commander of the TFR "Selfless" Captain 2nd Rank Bogdashin and the commander of the "TFR-6" Captain 3rd Rank Petrov. In addition, the Izmail border TFR and the Yamal search and rescue ship were sent to escort the American ships. The entire group of ships was commanded by the chief of staff of the 70th brigade of the 30th division anti-submarine ships Black Sea Fleet captain 2nd rank Mikheev.

Soviet ships took American ships for escort immediately after leaving the Bosphorus. The Americans passed through the territorial waters of Bulgaria, then the territorial waters of Romania, then turned east, moved to the area 40-45 miles south-southeast of Sevastopol and stayed there for two days.

On February 12, the command post of the Black Sea Fleet received Mikheev’s report at about 9.45: “The American ships lay down on a course of 90 °, which leads to our waterways, a speed of 14 knots. To tervod 14 miles. Selivanov ordered Mikheev to transfer to American ships: “Your course leads to Soviet waters, which is unacceptable. I have an order to drive you out, up to bulk and battering ram. The Americans replied: "We are not violating anything, we are following the same course, the speed is the same." Then Mikheev was instructed to take up positions for ousting.

At 10.45 "Yorktown" and "Caron" entered the territorial waters of the USSR. The border TFR "Izmail" raised a signal: "You have violated the border of the territorial waters of the USSR," and "Bezzavetny", "SKR-6" and "Yamal" began a maneuver to get closer to the Americans. "Selfless" caught up with "Yorktown", and for some time the ships went in parallel courses almost close to each other.

At 11.02 "Bezzavetny" shifted the rudder to the right and made a pile on the stern of the "Yorktown" starboard side at an angle of 30 degrees. From the impact and friction of the sides, sparks fell and the side paint caught fire. The anchor of the "Selfless" with one paw tore the plating of the side of the cruiser, and the other made a hole in the bow of the side of his ship. At the same time, "SKR-6" passed tangentially along the port side of the destroyer "Caron", cut down his rails, tore the side plating and smashed the boat. The Yamal commander also made a dangerous approach to the Caron, but without a collision.

After the impact, “Selfless” and “Yorktown” turned in opposite directions from each other, but both commanders ordered the ships to return to their previous course, and “Selfless” also increased speed, which led to another bulk.

During the second blow, the high stem of the Bezvevetny climbed onto the helipad of the Yorktown (at the same time, the stern of the Soviet ship was at the cut of the water level) and, with a roll to the port side, began to slide towards the cruising poop. At the same time, the guard demolished the cruiser's railing, broke its command boat and the Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher. As a result of the collision, the Yorktown caught fire. The "Selfless" departed from the "Yorktown", but warned that he would repeat the bulk if the American ships did not leave the territorial waters. However, instead of this, the destroyer "Caron" went to rendezvous with the "Selfless", and both American ships on converging courses began, as it were, to squeeze the guard caught between them into pincers. In response, Mikheev ordered defiantly to charge RBU-6000 rocket launchers with depth charges and deploy them abeam to the starboard and port sides, respectively, against the cruiser and destroyer.

The American ships stopped their rendezvous, but on the Yorktown they began to prepare carrier-based helicopters for takeoff. Selivanov ordered Mikheev to tell the Americans: "Helicopters, if they rise into the air, will be shot down as violating the airspace of the Soviet Union," and instructed to send fleet aviation to the area of the incident. After the appearance of two Mi-24s over the American ships, the Yorktown helicopters rolled back into the hangar. The American ships changed course and went into neutral waters, where they drifted. The ram was unexpected for the enemy, and with great damage to the American Navy. They turned around and urgently left the Black Sea.

After the incident, Yorktown was under repair for several months. The cruiser commander was removed from his post for passive actions and the initiative granted to the Soviet ship, which caused moral damage to the prestige of the American fleet. [Source not specified 21 days]

Bogdashin was awarded the Order of the Red Star, and in 1991 he accepted the position of commander of the cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the USSR Black Sea Fleet. After the incident, the TFR "Selfless" was under repair for about a month, after which it continued to serve. On July 14, 1997, the ship's crew was disbanded. On August 1, 1997, under the terms of the division of the Black Sea Fleet, the Bezzavetny was transferred to the Ukrainian Navy.

"SKR-6" was decommissioned in 1990.

The opinion of the American side on the events of February 12, 1988

In 1992, an article was published in the official publication of the US military department "Military Legal Review" (English Dept. Army pamphlet MILITARY LAW REVIEW, winter 1992) mentioning the incident in the Black Sea on February 12, 1988.

According to this source, in 1982 the USSR adopted the Law on State border USSR and a number of by-laws by which the Soviet side introduced restrictions on the free passage of foreign warships in five zones of the territorial waters of the USSR (in the Baltic, Okhotsk, Japanese and Black Seas). The United States believed that the introduction of these restrictions were a violation of international laws and, in particular, the Convention on Free Navigation.

On February 12, 1988, the cruiser Yorktown and the destroyer Caron were instructed by the Pentagon to proceed through the area closed by the Soviet side for free passage in the territorial waters of the USSR near Crimean peninsula. The purpose of this action was "to demonstrate a non-provocative exercise of the right of innocent passage".

According to the source, Caron was first on the warrant, followed by Yorktown. After the exchange of radiograms, at the direction of the Soviet command, SKR-6 made a bulk on the Caron, and three minutes later the Bezzavetny made a bulk on the Yorktown. However, the American ships still continued to follow their course and completed the passage through Soviet territorial waters.

The United States believes that the transits of the Caron and the Yorktown were valid exercises of the right of innocent passage on February 12, 1988. At the same time, Richard Armitage, adviser to the US Secretary of Defense international security(Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs), believed that such passages "from an operational standpoint, the transits were not necessary"

The story of a feat. 1988

25 years ago, two ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR accomplished a feat that is still remembered in the naval world. In Soviet territorial waters, having exhausted methods of influence and not being able to use weapons, the Black Sea men took an unprecedented step - a double sea ram.

The international situation in those years was tense to the limit. The former head of the international department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Valentin Falin, testifies: “There were provocations in the Black Sea, airspace violations became more frequent. Americans are getting ready new doctrine, which provides for a strike by non-nuclear weapons on Soviet bases, on the ports of the Soviet Union.

In 1986, the American cruiser URO "Yorktown" and the destroyer "Caron", having passed through the Bosporus and Dardanelles, resolutely headed for the coast of Crimea. Having entered from the direction of Feodosia, the American ships proceeded without hindrance along the southern coast of Crimea and retired towards the Bosporus. At that time, the check of vigilance and readiness of the Black Sea Fleet ended without conflicts.
In 1988, old acquaintances re-entered the Black Sea, but this time on a counter-course - already from Sevastopol. The American duo of ships moved along the dial of the Black Sea in the opposite direction - as if clockwise, pressing into our territorial waters so defiantly that any doubts about the good intentions of overseas visitors disappeared.

When we approached from the stern - dear mother! - our navigation bridge at the level of their deck. Such a hoot!!! And the Americans from the superstructures take pictures of us and shoot us on video cameras, and more thumbs show, like: "you swim well, native." As though any threat, they did not take us into account. It was very upsetting. When they hit for the first time - slightly, casually; they just froze who was where. The feeling is that they did not believe their eyes, that all this is really happening. And when we bounced back, drew ourselves up, “gave” the second time already seriously and the bow of our ship climbed onto the deck of the cruiser, their shock missile system"Harpoon" (it is located at the stern, at the very transom).

We still pressed and pieces launcher just flew overboard and to our deck. Here for the first time (and with a feeling of deep moral satisfaction) I saw frightened American faces. We saw their square eyes almost point-blank. And in a second - as they rush from their place, they began to scatter, hide in the superstructure. Now that was absolutely correct.

And our ship is trembling like a seizure, in the nose - the crunch of torn metal, short circuits. Our anchor fell out on the poop, crawls along the deck, destroys everything. The star has come off our right cheekbone and is also jumping on the deck of the cruiser. We have a lid from the Harpoon container lying on our right waist, lifelines flying from both ships, and the fleeing Americans enliven this whole picture of destruction! The beauty!

We part with the American and he lowers the Vulkan-Phalanx (such a 6-barreled unit with a rate of fire of 80 rounds per second) down and directs us to the navigation bridge. And with this machine, our ship can be cut in half in a minute. I have a thought: here it is - the end of my brilliant career... Everything that remains of me can be collected in a shoe box. We immediately pricked the wasps, they jumped out of the cellars, and four missiles stared at the cruiser. In the stern, two AK-726s (twin 76-mm gun mounts) completed the guidance. Well, our miner, in full view of the astonished American public (he stood on the upper deck near the torpedo tubes, and the Americans perfectly saw all his actions), began to quickly turn the torpedo tubes, pointing them at close range to the side of the York for a salvo. Here already "Volcano" you will not indulge. Until they kill us (we believe - in 30-40 seconds), in response, they will receive four missiles, two or three torpedoes and a dozen or two 76-mm shells. It is unlikely that we would have drowned this monster, but we would have put it out of action forever.

They wanted to ram for the third time, but we already have a hole half a muzzle, all the compartments of GAK 14 are flooded, the ship is losing speed. Left behind. The American fled from our territorial waters with commendable agility. I took the pieces of our upholstery to my historical homeland. And he left the wreckage of his strike complex to us as a keepsake. This is such a natural exchange.

We went down with the boatswain, and there is a picture from the series " star Wars". The ship was opened like a can opener. Through the holes in the cheekbones, we observe the sea under our feet. There is practically no one side from the hawse to the superstructure, the bow is folded to the side, the hydroacoustic station is broken, water enters the bow compartments. We have a side thickness of 8 mm, and an inch armor on the cruiser.

And then we also learn that our fellow tracking officer, SKR-6, while we were figuring out with Yorktown (why he enters someone else's house without knocking), in turn, managed to ram the destroyer URO Caron. How he managed to do it, I don't know. He has a lower speed, and he himself is five times smaller than the destroyer, and his weapons are prehistoric (there are no missiles at all), and he himself is already old, like the boat of Peter the Great. Well, then, we are not alone in such kamikaze.

We return to the base "on parole and on one wing." There is already a group of people meeting on the pier, mostly from a special department. As soon as we moored, competent comrades get on board, all the documentation of objective control is confiscated from us, the commander is put into an UAZ, taken to the fleet headquarters, and then to the Kachinsky airfield, and by military aircraft to Moscow. No one knows whether we are heroes or criminals, or whoever at all ... The TFR is standing at the mine wall, no one from the authorities comes in, the ship is like a leper. We are waiting for how it all ends, we are getting ready to twist holes for orders and dry crackers. As for the commander, we don’t know whether we will see him, or whether he will immediately go through the stage.

The commander is returning from Moscow. He enters the ship, I run out to meet. He winks, turns away the side of his overcoat, and he has the Order of the Red Star there! Well, that's all! We received a command to love. And every morning - delegations, the reception of pioneers on board the TFR "Unrestrained", veterans. In the morning you go out to build, to raise the flag, and pioneer drums are already pounding on the wall, another team has arrived to join the pioneers. The commander was so tired of speaking in front of an admiring audience that he asked me to write him a short speech on duty, which he first read out, and then practically memorized. Well, after this incident, the crew served in such a way that it was just a song ... Not a single remark, they were terribly proud of the ship, they listened to the officers like dad and mom. And we wrote off two beaten lieutenants, they already had no life in the crew ... "

After the collision with the "Yorktown" TFR "Selfless" long time(until 1997) was under repair.
On July 14, 1997, the ship's crew was disbanded.
On August 1, 1997, under the terms of the division of the Black Sea Fleet, the Bezzavetny was transferred to the Ukrainian Navy.
The new name is the frigate "Dnepropetrovsk" (U134 "Dnipropetrovsk").
On September 8, 1997, he was expelled from the Russian Navy.
In October 2002, the Dnipropetrovsk frigate was withdrawn from the combat ships of the Ukrainian Navy.

In December 2003, the ship was transferred to the category of “technical property” and the Ukrspetsmash enterprise began to sell it.

In March 2005, the proud combat TFR "Bezzavetny" was sold by the Ukrainian military for scrap to Turkey. He went in tow, with muffled boilers, de-energized .... Dead….
And suddenly the dead ship SAMI opened the kingstones .... And he started to leave. Silently. With trim on the nose. And only when the bridge almost disappeared under water, a beep sounded over the Black Sea. When the boilers are off... He said goodbye ... He did not want to be sawn. The warship chose its own death, as befits an officer. (according to eyewitnesses, source forum Sevastopol.info)