Russian Navy deploys forces for large-scale exercise

30.03.2010
Russian Navy deploys forces to conduct the largest exercise in recent years, reported Navy's official on Tuesday.

The fist ship sailed off Northern Fleet's (NF) main base to participate in the exercise was heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Petr Veliky, NF flagship. The ship will spend at least 2 months at sea; take part in naval maneuvers jointly with Black Sea Fleet warships in Indian Ocean; and visit ports of the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean.

Following Petr Veliky, other warships of Baltic, Northern and Pacific fleets will be deployed on Tuesday. Naval aviation will be involved as well.

The exercise is conducted within the framework of strategic and regional deterrence program and to support naval presence of the Russian Federation. The exercise scenario comprises a number of training activities aimed to improve naval skills of crews, pointed out the official.

Petr Veliky [Peter the Great] is a Project 11442 Heavy Nuclear-powered Guided Missile Cruiser; flagship of Northern Fleet; world's largest non-carrier attack ship (as of 2008).

REGISTRATION

Severomorsk, Northern Fleet

CONSTRUCTION, NAME

Petr Veliky was laid down on April 25, 1986 at Baltic Shipyard under the name of Yury Andropov; launched on April 25, 1989; commissioned in 1988 under the name of Petr Veliky.

MILESTONES

On October 27, 1996 during trials at Polar region the steam pipe was ruptured in the cruiser's fore engine and boiler compartment. Five sailors and delivery board members died.

Best Russian Ship-2000 on results of training year.

Winner of Navy Commander's Prize on results of 2002 training year.

Best ship of Northern Fleet on results of 2003 training year.

In December 2008 the cruiser participated in VENRUS-2008, Russo-Venezuelan joint naval exercise. On February 13, 2009 Petr Veliky arrested 3 vessels in the Gulf of Aden with 10 Somali pirates.

Baltic Shipyard provides maintenance service of the cruiser despite warranty period is expired. This precedent has no parallel in history.

PERFORMANCE

Propulsion: CONAS; 2 steam turbines and nuc reactor; 140,000 shp
Speed: 31 knots
Endurance: 60 days for provisions and supplies, 3 years for fuel (unlimited for nuc reactor)
Crew: 655 men

DIMENSIONS

Length: 251.1 meters
Beam: 28.5 meters
Height: 59 meters
Draft: 10.3 meters
Standard displacement: 23,750 tons
Total displacement: 25,860 tons

ARMAMENT

AK-130 dual-mount 130-mm multipurpose turret artillery system
20 SM-233 separate underdeck vertical launchers
12 launchers (96 missiles) of Rif zonal AD system
2 eight-tube containers of Klinok (Kinzhal) short range and close-in AD system; 6 3M87 Kashtan (Kortik) missile/gun AD systems
2 RPK-6M Vodopad 533-mm ASW missile and torpedo systems
RKPTZ-1 Udav-1M antitorpedo system
RBU-12000 and RBU-1000 Smerch-3 antisubmarine rocket launchers
2 PK-14 coupled 150-mm decoy launchers
2 Ka-27 Helix heavy multipurpose helicopters

Source: RusNavy.com, photo: Petr Veliky (aktualne.centrum.cz)