BSF flagship to pay first-ever visit to Vladivostok

09.03.2010
In May 2010 flagship of Black Sea Fleet (BSF) guided missile cruiser Moskva along with support vessel arrives to Vladivostok to participate in operational strategic exercise Vostok-2010 jointly with Pacific Fleet ships, reports Interfax referring to source in BSF HQ.

Cruiser Moskva starts a half-year long cruise in a month. According to the program, in Indian Ocean the cruiser will practice interaction with Russian naval aviation, perform missile strike upon sea target by P-500 Bazalt missile system, and take part in Russo-Indian joint naval exercise.

In addition, Moskva will train cooperative maneuvering in the Mediterranean with French and Italian warships in spring 2010.

Moskva is a Project 1164 Atlant guided missile cruiser, lead ship of the project.

REGISTRATION

Sevastopol, Black Sea Fleet

CONSTRUCTION, NAME

The cruiser was laid down on November 4, 1976 at Nikolayev 61 Kommunara Shipyard and launched on July 27, 1979 under the name of Slava. Naval flag was hoisted on January 30, 1983 and the cruiser was commissioned into Soviet Navy. Since June 22, 1995 the cruiser is known as Moskva.

MILESTONES

The cruiser was repeatedly deployed in the Mediterranean, paid numerous calls at ports of the region. In December 1989 she enhanced security of Soviet delegation at meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev, Secretary General of Soviet Union's Communist Party and the US President George Bush at Malta. In 1990 the cruiser was laid up for modernization at Nikolayev Shipyard where stayed for 8.5 years. On May 13, 1998 she obtained flag and guard rank from Guard ASW destroyer Krasny Kavkaz. In 2003 the cruiser took part in INDRA joint Russian-Indian naval exercise. In September 2004 she participated in IONIEX-2004 joint Russian-Italian naval exercise. At the beginning of 2008 the cruiser patrolled the Mediterranean along with Northern Fleet's ships – Admiral Kuznetsov with carrier group. Early 2009 the ship took part in memorial activities at Italian port Messina associated with 100th anniversary of ruinous earthquake at Sicily.

PERFORMANCE

Powerplant: gas turbine; 2 screws
Power: 4 x 22,500 shp
Maximum speed: 32 knots
Endurance: 30 days
Crew: 510 men

DIMENSIONS

Displacement: 9,800 tons (total displacement: 11,490 tons)
Length: 186.4 meters
Beam: 20.8 meters
Draft: 8.4 meters

ARMAMENT

16 antiship missile launchers (16 P-500 Bazalt missiles; after cruiser's modernization – 16 P-1000 Vulkan missiles)
1 x 2-barreled 130-mm gun mount AK-130
6 x 6-barreled 30-mm gun mounts AK-630
8 x 8-tube B-204 launchers of S-300F Rif SAM system (ammunition load is 64 missiles)
2 coupled launchers of Osa-MA SAM system (ammunition load is 48 missiles)
2 x 5 533-mm torpedo tubes
2 x 12-tube RBU-6000 antisubmarine rocket launchers
Ka-27 helicopter

Source: RusNavy.com, photo: cruiser Moskva (defense-update.com)