Soviet cruiser Vasily Chapayev

Vasily Chapayev (Russian: Васи́лий Чапа́ев) was a Project 1134A Berkut A (NATO reporting name Kresta II) class cruiser of the Soviet Navy named for Soviet commander Vasily Chapayev. The ninth ship of the class, the vessel served mostly during the Cold War from being launched in 1974.

Vasily Chapayev underway on 24 January 1983
History
Soviet Union
Name: Vasily Chapayev
Namesake: Vasily Chapayev
Builder: Zhdanov Shipyard
Laid down: 22 November 1973
Launched: 28 November 1974
Commissioned: 30 November 1976
Decommissioned: 30 June 1993
Fate: Sold for scrap, 1993
General characteristics
Class and type: Kresta II-class cruiser
Displacement:
Length: 156.5 m (513 ft)
Beam: 17.2 m (56 ft)
Draught: 5.96 m (19.6 ft)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 2 shaft steam turbines
Speed: 34 kn (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range:
  • 10,500 nmi (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph)
  • 5,200 nmi (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Endurance: 1830 tons fuel oil
Complement: 343
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Radar
    • Volga
    • MR-600 Voskhod
    • MR-310U Angara M
    • 2 x 4R60 Grom
    • 2 x MR-103 Bars
    • 2 x MR-123 Vympel
  • Sonar
    • MG-332T Titan-2T
Armament:
  • 2 × quad SS-N-14 'Silex' anti-submarine missiles
  • 2 × twin SA-N-3 'Goblet' surface-to-air missile launchers (72 missiles)
  • 2 × twin 57-mm/70-cal AK-725 anti-aircraft guns
  • 4 × 30mm AK-630 CIWS
  • 2 × quintuple 533mm torpedo tubes
  • 2 x RBU-6000 12-barrel anti-submarine rocket launchers
  • 2 x RBU-1000 6-barrel anti-submarine rocket launchers
Aircraft carried: 1 Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone-A'
Aviation facilities: Helicopter deck and hangar

After a tour that encompassed Cuba, Angola, Yemen and India, Vasily Chapayev served during the Cold War with the Pacific Fleet as part of the 201st Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade from 1978. The cruiser was relegated to reserve in 1992 and decommissioned in 1993.

Design
Main article: Kresta II-class cruiser
A United States Navy-produced profile drawing of a Kresta II-class cruiser

Vasily Chapayev was the ninth ship of her class of ten Project 1134A Berkut A (NATO reporting name Kresta II-class) cruisers, designed by Vasily Anikeyev.[1] They were designated as Large Anti-Submarine Ships in accordance with their primary mission of countering NATO ballistic missile submarines, particularly the United States Navy fleet of Polaris-equipped submarines.[2] However, before the ships began to be built, commander-in-chief of the Soviet Navy Admiral Sergey Gorshkov changed the role of the ships to that of destroying NATO attack submarines to allow Soviet Yankee-class ballistic missile submarines to reach the central Atlantic and Pacific, from which the latter could launch their comparatively short-ranged ballistic missiles against targets in the United States.[3]

As a Kresta II-class cruiser, Vasily Chapayev was 156.5 metres (513 ft 5 in) long with a beam of 17.2 m (56 ft 5 in) and a draught of 5.96 m (19 ft 7 in). She displaced 5,600 tons standard, 6,500 tonnes (6,400 long tons; 7,200 short tons) light and 7,535 tonnes (7,416 long tons; 8,306 short tons) full load, and had a complement of 343. The ship was equipped with a hangar aft to carry a single Kamov Ka-25 (NATO reporting name Hormone-A) helicopter.[1][4]

Vasily Chapayev was propelled by two TV-12 steam geared turbines powered by four high pressure boilers which created 75,000 kW (100,577 hp), giving a maximum speed of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph). The vessel had a range of 5,200 nautical miles (9,630 km; 5,984 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) and 1,754.86 nautical miles (3,250 km; 2,019 mi) at 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph).[1][5]

Armament

For her primary role as an anti-submarine cruiser, Vasily Chapayev mounted two quadruple KT-M-1134A URPK-3 launchers for eight anti-submarine missiles in the Metel anti-ship complex (NATO reporting name SS-N-14 Silex). She was also equipped with two RBU-6000 12-barrel and two RBU-1000 6-barrel rocket launchers to protect against close-in threats.[5] The Ka-25 helicopter embarked on the cruiser was also capable of aiding in the search and destruction of submarines.[6]

To protect against aerial threats, Vasily Chapayev was armed with two twin launchers for the 48 V-611 surface-to-air missiles carried in the M-11 Shtorm system (NATO reporting name SA-N-3 Goblet), supported by four AK-725 57 mm (2 in) L/80 dual-purpose guns in two twin mountings and four 30 mm (1 in) AK-630 close-in weapon system mountings. The vessel also carried two quintuple mountings for 533 mm (21 in) dual-role torpedoes.[5]

Electronics warfare

Vasily Chapayev was equipped with the MR-600 Voskhod (NATO code name Top Sail) early warning air search radar, the MR-310U Angara-M (NATO code name Head Net C) search radar, and the Volga (NATO code names Don Kay and Don-2) navigational radar. For anti-submarine warfare she had improved MG-332T Titan-2T hull mounted sonar.[7] For fire control purposes, the ship had Grom-M for the surface-to-air missiles, MR-103 Bars for the AK725 guns and MR-123 Vympel for the AK-630 system.[1] Vasily Chapayev also had a MG-26 communications outfit and a MG-35 Shtil sonar.[5][7]

Construction

Built in the Zhdanov Shipyard with the serial number 729, Vasily Chapayev, named for Soviet Russian Civil War commander Vasily Chapayev, was laid down on 22 November 1973 and launched on 28 November 1974.[8]

References

Citations
  1. Hampshire 2017, pp. 27–28.
  2. Hampshire 2017, p. 5.
  3. Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 345.
  4. Pavlov 1995, p. 78.
  5. Chant 1987, p. 196.
  6. Hampshire 2017, p. 14.
  7. Averin 2007, p. 45.
  8. Berezhnoy 1995, p. 15.

Bibliography
  • Averin, A.B. (2007). Адмиралы и маршалы. Корабли проектов 1134 и 1134А. [Admirals and Marshals: Ships Project 1134 and 1134A] (in Russian). Moscow: Voennaya Kniga. ISBN 978-5-902863-16-8.
  • Berezhnoy, S.S. (January 1995). Советский ВМФ 1945-1995: крейсера, большие противолодочные корабли, эсминцы [Soviet Navy, 1945–1995: Cruisers, large anti-submarine ships, and destroyers]. Морская коллекция [Morskaya kollektsiya] (in Russian). Modelist-konstruktor (1).
  • Chant, Christopher (1987). A Compendium of Armaments and Military Hardware. Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 978-0415710725.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Hampshire, Edward (2017). Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers. New Vanguard 242. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1740-2.
  • Pavlov, Alexander (1995). Военные корабли СССР и России 1945-1995 гг. Справочник. [Warships of Russia and the Soviet Union, 1945–1995: Handbook] (in Russian). Yakutsk: Sakhapoligradizdat. OCLC 464542777.
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