PF task unit sailed off to fight piracy

24.02.2010
Fourth Russian anti-piracy task unit consisting of large ASW ship Marshal Shaposhnikov, ocean salvage tug and tanker Pechenga sailed off Vladivostok on Feb 24 and heads for the Gulf of Aden to secure shipping, informs RIA Novosti.

Representatives of PF command, Vladivostok Eparchy of Russian Orthodox Church, military band, and relatives of mariners attended the farewell ceremony. Rear Admiral Sergei Avakiants, PF Chief of Staff in his valedictory wished sailors to worthily represent Russian Navy in international counter-piracy mission and to return home without scathe. Benjamin, Archbishop of Vladivostok and Far East blessed the campaigners.

The task unit commander is Capt 1 rank Ildar Akhmerov. Each vessel will carry PF marine unit on board; there will be two deck-based helicopters at Marshal Shaposhnikov for air reconnaissance.

The first Russian warship deployed for counter-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden was Baltic Fleet's frigate Neustrashimy. She had been performing tasks on enhancing navigation security there since Oct 2008 till Jan 2009. In January 2009 the frigate was shifted by Pacific Fleet's large ASW ship Admiral Vinogradov; she had been taking part in anti-piracy mission until March 2009. In April Admiral Vinogradov was changed by large ASW ship Admiral Panteleev returned back to Vladivostok in June. After that the watch in the Gulf of Aden since July till Oct was kept by large ASW ship Admiral Tributs. On Nov 16 she returned to Vladivostok. Northern Fleet's large ASW ship Admiral Chabanenko undertook anti-piracy mission on Dec 1, 2009. Late Jan 2010 she took over the watch to Neustrashimy.

Russia intends to escalate its military presence off Somalia to continue fighting piracy, said Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to NATO summarizing NATO-Russia Council held in Dec 2009.

In 2009 Somali pirates carried out 217 attacks; 47 vessels were hijacked and 867 crewmembers were taken hostage.

Piracy emerged near Somalia as a consequence of civil war, poverty and impossibility to find legal job in this country. Since 1991 Somalia has not effective centralized power. Over 20,000 have been killed and 1.5 mln people have become homeless in Somalia since the beginning of 2007. Dozens of warships from over 15 countries has been deployed for anti-piracy missions at the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean since late 2008.

Marshal Shaposhnikov is a Project 1155 large ASW ship.

REGISTRATION

Pacific Fleet

CONSTRUCTION, NAME

The ship was laid down in 1983 at Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad; launched in January 1985; commissioned on February 15, 1986.

MILESTONES

In 1987 the ship visited ports of Mozambique, India, Angola and Seychelles.

In 1988-1989 she was deployed at the Persian Gulf.

In 1990 the ship called a visit to North Korean port; evacuated Soviet citizens from Ethiopia.

In 1993-1994 she was under complete overhaul at Dalzavod shipyard in Vladivostok.

In 1994 the ship visited Hawaii; in 2006 – Guam.

In September 2008 a fire occurred on board the ship during exercise in the Sea of Japan. Two seamen died.

BASIC CHARACTERISTICS

Speed: 29.5 knots, cruising – 14 knots
Endurance: 30 days
Crew: 220 men
Total displacement: 7,480 tons
Standard displacement: 6,840 tons
Length: 163 meters
Beam: 19 meters
Draft: 7.8 meters

PROPULSION

2 shafts, 4 gas turbines, 61,000 shp (2 x 8,000 shp cruise gas turbines GTU M-70 and 2 x 22,500 shp boost gas turbines GTU M-8KF)

ARMAMENT

2 x quadruple launchers of Rastrub rocket torpedo system
6-26 mines
8 Kinzhal SAM launchers (64 missiles)
1 coupled 100-mm AK-100 gun mount
4 x 6-barreled 30-mm machineguns AK-630M
RBU-6000 ASW rocket launchers
2 Ka-27 helicopters

Source: RusNavy.com, photo: sailors on board Marshal Shaposhnikov (Reuters)