Corvette Volgodonsk Commissioned into Russian Navy

29.06.2012 The ensign-hoisting ceremony on Project 21630 corvette Volgodonsk took place in St. Petersburg on Friday, June 29 at JSC Almaz Marine Yard.

The ceremony was attended by Leningrad Naval Base Commander Capt 1 Rank Oleg Zhuravlev, Director General of JSC Almaz Shipbuilding Firm Leonid Grabovets, and Yakov Kushnir, the Buyan project chief designer and winner of Government Award.

Before hoisting of the St. Andrew's Flag [Russian naval ensign], commander of 13-th Repaired Ship Brigade Capt 1 Rank Ali Hasbulayev read off the naval commander's order No. 010 dated June 26, 2012 on commission of the Project 21630 corvette Volgodonsk (serial number 702) into Russian Navy's 73-rd Harbor Defense Brigade based in Astrakhan.

Capt 1 Rank Oleg Zhuravlev handed over the St. Andrew's Flag to the ship's commanding officer Guards Capt Lt Vladimir Zaitsev. Then the ensign was consecrated by archpriest of St. Nicholas Marine Cathedral Father Vladimir.

In the next week the corvette will be towed to her basing site in the Caspian Flotilla via inland waterways.

Recall that the acceptance certificate of the Project 21630 Buyan corvette Volgodonsk was signed in Dec 2011 at Baltiysk Naval Base after successful completion of state trials. It is the first batch-produced ship built by JSC Almaz Shipbuilding Firm under the Buyan project.

Launched in May 2011, corvette Volgodonsk was at the first time presented to public at the International Maritime Defense Show IMDS-2011 in St. Petersburg. The project was developed by JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau under direction of Yakov Kushnir.

General characteristics:

displacement – about 500 tons
length – 62 meters
beam – 9.6 meters
height – 6.57 meters
draft – 2 meters
propulsion plant – CODAD two-shaft diesel
propulsor - 2 water jets
speed – 28 knots
fuel range – up to 1,500 nautical miles
endurance – 10 days
complement – 48 men including 6 officers

Armament of Project 21630 Buyan corvette:

navigation aids – radar MR-231, tactical data system Sigma
radar equipment – radar Pozitiv, radar 5P-10 Laska for gun mounts and antiaircraft guns
radioelectronics – 2 x 10 launchers of PK-10 Smelyi decoy system
artillery arms – 100-mm gun mount A190-01 Universal, two 14.5-mm machinegun mounts MTPU, 1 x 40 122-mm MLRS A-215 Grad-M
antiaircraft artillery – 2 x 6 30-mm antiaircraft guns AK-306
antiaircraft missile armament – 1 x 4 launcher of 3M47 Gibka with Igla (Igla-S) surface-to-air missiles