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Admiral Nakhimov (Kalinin)

1988 COLD WAR MODERN NAVY

History of Admiral Nakhimov (Kalinin)

Until the late Soviet Empire, battlecruisers remained an important part of the Soviet Navy. The Kirov class was developed as a nuclear-powered surface fighter, armed primarily with missiles, and four of the five planned were eventually completed.

After the fall of the Soviet Empire, the ships were given entirely new names, but ultimately only one remained from active service. As of today (2017), the only survivor remains "Admiral Nakhimov", originally known as "Kalinin" when it was launched in 1986.

The Kirov-class construction program started in December 1977, and it became one of the largest postwar programs involving surface combatants in addition to aircraft carriers. Although classified as battlecruisers and intended from the outset as dedicated submarine hunters, they were essentially developed into cruisers with missiles before the end and were dubbed "missile cruisers" by the Soviets - capable of The sea plays several important roles, including the task group command of the carrier fleet.

Admiral Kalinin/Nakhimov at the Baltisky Naval Shipyard in Leningrad on May 17, 1983. Launched on April 25, 1986, the battleship officially entered service with the Soviet fleet on December 30, 1988, under the flag "180" and then "064" in 1989.

In 1990 their pennant identifier was (again) changed to "085" and in 1994 to "080".

When finished, Kalinin displaces 24,300 tons under standard load and 28,000 tons under full load. She has a length of 827 feet, a beam of 94 feet, and a draft of 30 feet.

Unlike traditional Western powered surface combatants, the Kirov class is designed to use a hybrid propulsion unit, using a dual-core system and steam turbines for propulsion. Kalinin carried a nuclear power plant (connected to an oil-fired boiler) to generate steam to power turbines, which in turn produced 140,000 horsepower to drive two shafts below the stern.

The boat can go forward at 32 knots (an impressive size for its size) and reach 1,000 nautical miles while cruising at 30 knots. Due to the customization of the reactor, her true range is essentially unlimited, limited mainly by the ship's oil supply, crew fatigue and food supplies.

There were 727 crew members on board, including 18 crew members. The Air Wing consists of three to five Kamov Navy helicopters (usually Ka-25 "Hormon" and Ka-27 "Helix"). The stern provides a full service hangar and flight deck.

The helicopter itself is equipped with various anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems and electronic intelligence (ELINT) equipment, and performs critical over-the-horizon (OTH) work.

The shape of the Kalinin is more or less traditional, with most of the superstructure located amidships. The bow rises significantly, while the beamline extends unobstructed to the stern. The tail is designed to be flat to accommodate the operation of the helicopter. The middle section of the superstructure towers over the bridge area and is equipped with various sensors and processing systems - 3D search radar, navigation radar, fire control system (dome for short), short-range fire control system - in the weapon system (CIWS) ) middle. etc. eventually become part of their operating suite.

A hull sonar is installed to detect and track enemy maritime threats, and a variable depth (VDS) "ponytail" sonar is also installed aft for this purpose.

Kalinin's weapons (different from the parts of the main ship Kirov) were mainly missile weapons. There is a set of 10 x 8 3M-54 "Klub" rockets and a set of 16 x 8 3K95 "Kinzhal" (SA-N-9) rockets. In addition, another group of 12 x 8 S-400PMU "Triumph" missiles and 44 x OSA-MA (SA-N-4 "Gecko") missiles were installed.

All of these weapon types are surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), giving Kalinin a formidable air defense capability at any distance (short, medium, and long). 2 RBU-1000 and RBU-12000 anti-submarine rocket (ASROC) launchers are installed to counter submarine threats, and 10 533mm torpedo tubes - these can also be used to counter surface threats.

Close air threats are handled by 6 x Kashtan gun/missile systems and 1 x twin-barreled 130mm AK-130 CIWS.

Kalinin's early service was interrupted by the fall of the Soviet Empire in 1989-1991, and the resulting budgetary problems limited any action on the expensive Kirov-class. After an overhaul in 1994, the warship was not seen for many years, and in 1999 she ended her life at a semi-permanent facility in Sefmarsh, but remains active in the Russian fleet. It wasn't until 2006 that the Russian government embarked on an overhaul of the warship, returning it to active duty - and a revived Russian military.

This modernization process is underway (2017), with upgrades including support for the P-800 Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) and wider implementation of digital power systems.

The Kirov class was originally named after the participants in the Bolshevik Revolution of the late 1910s, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, this period of Soviet history ended with it. Therefore, the group was all renamed, and Kalinin became Admiral Nakhimov.

The sister ships are Admiral Ushakov (formerly "Kirov"), Admiral Lazarev (formerly "Frunze") and Peter Veliki. The Kuznetsov was abandoned prior to launching and was not renamed, although her name reappears on the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov (described in detail elsewhere on this site).