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Admiral Levchenko (605)

1988 COLD WAR MODERN NAVY

History of Admiral Levchenko (605)

The guided missile destroyer is an evolution of the historical "destroyer" naval vessel, itself an evolution of the original "torpedo boat destroyer" designed to counter the threat of enemy torpedo boats attacking capital ships. The guided-missile destroyer ditched most of its conventional weapons in favor of missile-guided weapons and more modern solutions to counter the more modern naval threats that emerged during the Cold War and beyond. Admiral Levchenko (605) represents a Soviet Cold War guided missile destroyer still in service with the modern Russian Navy. She was part of the Udaloy class, which was originally intended to consist of twelve ships (two planned ships were cancelled and four were decommissioned).

Eight are currently in service with the Russian Navy, and three others have made up the modified "Udaloy II" class - as of September 2014, only one is still in active service.

The design and configuration of the Levchenko is consistent with the rest of the Udaloy class. The standard load is 6,200 tons, and the full load is 7,900 tons. The ship is 535 feet long, 62 feet beam, and has a draft of 26 feet. The engines include four gas turbines delivering 120,000 horsepower to twin shafts in a COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) arrangement.

COGAG simply means paired turbines on one shaft, thus using four turbines and only two propeller shafts. This arrangement results in a more economical boat in terms of fuel efficiency, and the pilot can utilize the power of all four engines or just two, depending on the desired cruising or jetting action.

Under ideal conditions, the propulsion system enables the Levchenko to achieve a straight forward speed of 35 knots and a range of up to 10,500 nautical miles.

Levchenko's profile shows a typical layout with a bridge layout amidships forward. The deck guns were mounted above the forecastle, and the rocket launchers were located aft. Using the double mast, the smoke funnel across the midship. The forward superstructure is simply separated by an aft structure serving the aft flight deck.

Levchenko has facilities to support two Navy Kamov Ka-27 Helix-class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters and their respective crews and support personnel. The standard crew of the ship is 300 people.

As a guided missile destroyer, Levchenko's main armament is two SS-N-14 anti-submarine rocket launchers mounted on quad launchers. Introduced in the late 1960s and still a viable anti-submarine threat today, this family of missiles is 24 feet long, powered by solid-fuel rocket boosters, and has a range of up to 50 kilometers with air guidance support from ship-based helicopters . The missile has a depth of up to 500 meters.

The ship also supports 553 mm anti-ship/anti-submarine torpedoes ("Type 53" series) through two built-in quadruple torpedo launchers. A pair of RBU-6000 series missile launchers is also another anti-submarine measure. 2 x single-barreled 100mm turret deck guns provide conventional firepower for maritime bombing missions against long-range surface threats or inland targets. The air defense system is provided by 8 Vertical Launch Systems (VLS) equipped with SA-N-9 series of anti-aircraft missiles.

Additional air defense (close range) is provided by 4 x 30mm Gatling turrets and 2 x Altair CADS-N-1 "Kashtan" CNC Closed Weapon System (CIWS).

Levchenko experienced her keel laying on January 27, 1982, and officially launched on February 21, 1985. The destroyer entered service on September 30, 1988, and successfully weathered Russia's post-Cold War military retreat and budget problems. Continue to serve into the new millennium. She served in the Russian Northern Fleet - whose ties date back to the Russian Empire in 1703 - defending the northwestern seas bordering Russia's vast coastline.

In 2010, she was also involved in operations against Somali pirates.