Baltic Fleet Warships Head for Deployment

07.12.2011 Baltic Fleet (BF) frigate Yaroslav Mudry and replenishment tanker Lena on Dec 7 left BF main naval base Baltiysk heading for the North Sea.

The long-range cruise of BF task unit under command of Capt 1 rank Alexander Ivanovsky will be held in accordance with the Russian Navy Combat Training Plan. The ships will perform duties in Northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. The deployment will last several months.

A solemn farewell ceremony took place in the naval harbor of Baltiysk. Representatives of BF command, veterans of the Navy, and families of the crewmen wished them a good mission. BF Commander Vice Admiral Viktor Chirkov wished the crews fair seas and following wind, and expressed confidence that Baltic Fleet mariners would accomplish all tasks excellently.

In the North Sea BF ships will join the Northern Fleet (NF) carrier group consisting of aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko, rescue tug Nikolai Chiker, and tankers Sergei Osipov, Vyazma, and Kama. Black Sea Fleet (BSF) frigate Ladny will join the task force later.

The purpose of the deployment is maintaining of naval presence in key regions of the World Ocean.

Prior to the long-range cruise, frigate Yaroslav Mudry has successfully completed gun and missile firing drills in the Baltic Sea. During the exercise, the crew practiced searching, tracing and "destruction" of a submarine, repelling of aerial attacks, ship's defense at outer anchorage, and underway takeoff/landing of deck-based helicopter Ka-27.

Joint exercises with ships of Northern and Black Sea fleets will be carried out as well. Besides, the Russian Navy's carrier group will conduct a number of visits and formal calls at foreign ports.