Training Ship Perekop to Pass Repair in Bulgaria

28.11.2012 Stationed in Leningrad Naval Base, training ship Perekop will head for Bulgaria in April or May 2013 for repairs, a source in Russian Navy Main HQ told Central Navy Portal.

Having recently celebrated 35-th anniversary, Perekop will shift same-type ship Smolny currently passing repair in Varna, Bulgaria.

Initially, it was planned to finish repair in mid-2012, but the deadline was postponed then. Bulgaria is performing repair of Smolny as compensation of debt to the Soviet Union.

According to unverified information, after repair in Bulgaria, training ship Smolny will head for French naval base Toulon to be used as floating barracks for Russian naval servicemen trained in France as a future crew of Mistral-class amphibious ship Vladivostok.

Perekop is the second Project 887 training ship built by Stettin Shipyard in Poland. The ship was laid down on Apr 24, 1976; launched on Dec 11, 1976; hoisted Soviet naval ensign on Sept 30, 1977.

General characteristics of Project 887 training ships:

Full displacement – about 7,300 tons
Dimensions: length – 138 meters, beam – 17.3 meters, draft – 5.6 meters
Full speed – 20 knots
Cruising range at 14 knots – about 9,000 nm
Endurance - 45 days
Powerplant: 2 x 8,000-shp diesels, 4 x 800-kW diesel generators, 1 x 120-kW diesel generator
Armament: 2 x 76-mm gun mounts AK-726 (load 1,200 shells), 2 x 30-mm automatic guns AK-230 (load 4,000 shells), 2 antisubmarine rocket launchers RBU-2500 Smerch (load 128 depth charge rockets RGB-25), 2 x 45-mm salute guns 21KM
Crew - 135 men including 12 officers plus up to 300 midshipmen