Reporters Visited Corvette Stereguschiy

16.03.2012 Journalists of northwestern media agencies were invited onboard Baltic Fleet (BF) corvette Stereguschiy on the eve of Leningrad Naval Base anniversary.

To demonstrate service conditions of naval mariners, Western Military District Press Service on March 16 invited reporters on board the most up-to-date ship of Leningrad Naval Base – Project 29380 corvette Stereguschiy.

Several episodes of the ship's preparation for practical exercises were shown to the newsmen.

In particular, navigator Capt Lt Dmitry Minayev demonstrated qualification testing elements, i.e. personnel knowledge quiz and damage control drill. Engineer officer Capt 3 rank Andrei Kuzovin checked how seamen Viktor Scherbakov and Vladimir Kormyshov prepared for damage elimination and put on fire-proof metalized suits in a minute.

The crew is fully manned by contracted servicemen. "It's better to work with them, because conscript sailors serve one year and have few time to master their duties and equipment", pointed out Dmitry Minayev.

The ship's commanding officer Capt 2 rank Mikhail Burkin told reporters about results of the last year and plans for the current one. "In 2011, the ship has covered almost 11,000 miles within 68 cruise days. We have carried out five inter-base cruises from Kronshtadt to Baltiysk and back", Burkin said. "Stereguschiy won't stay idle this year. Since April, she will be used in trials of submarines and attend combat training activities. One of them is participation in the FRUKUS-2012 international exercise in September", he added.

After the exercise, the ship will head for Northern Fleet to attend testing of radioelectronics and missile firing drills.

Reference

Leningrad Naval Base was established 93 years ago. By Order No. 117 issued on March 15, 1919 naval forces deployed in Petrograd were transformed into Petrograd Naval Base. In the summer of 1919, crews of destroyers Gavriil and Azard along with submarine Pantera opened "score" of the base by wrecking British submarine L-55 and destroyer HMS Victoria.

During the Great Patriotic War, about 100,000 naval mariners were fighting at Leningrad frontline. In 1941-1944, ships and boats of Leningrad Naval Base participated in landing operations at Strelna, Peterhof, on the Lake Ladoga, in Vyborg and Narva bays.

Ships of the base provided communication of the city besieged by Nazi Germans with the "mainland" via the Lake Ladoga during the Leningrad Blockade. About 1.7 mln tons of cargo were transported via lifeline water route and evacuated up to 1 mln Leningrad residents.

In the postwar period, main task of Leningrad Naval Base was training of crews and commissioning of new warships.

Since 1994 Leningrad Naval Base is a part of Baltic Fleet, and in 2010 it joined Western Military District.

At present, Leningrad Naval Base comprises ship divisions, training units and troops located in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region. Russian Navy's newest ships (corvette Stereguschiy, diesel submarine St. Petersburg) are the core of present-day Leningrad Naval Base.