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Photo: Western Military District Press Service
Being written-off from Baltic Fleet (BF) three years ago due to worn-out condition, frigate Neukrotimy sank on Nov 3. After decommission, the ship was reclassified down to "military property" category and moored at naval harbor of Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region. The frigate was put up for sale.
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Overaged Frigate Neukrotimy Sank in Baltic Sea
11/06/2012 |
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Neukrotimy sank because of "leakage in the hull due to corrosion, the ship was very old", a BF spokesman told RIA Novosti. As long as the ship had no crew on board, nobody suffered, emphasized the interviewee.
According to the source, the sunken ship will be lifted from the seabed and then dismantled.
Prior to decommission in 2009, the frigate had been in service for 30 years. Neukrotimy was a lead ship of Project 1135M built in 1977 by Yantar Shipyard (Kaliningrad). Ships of this kind displace about 3,400 tons and are 123-meter long and 17-meter wide. In total, over 30 frigates were built under Project 1135/1135M since 1968. Only few of them are still in service.
Scandals did happen to Neukrotimy before. For one, during final rehearsal of the naval parade in 2005, explosion of a drill mine damaged the ship's hull and nearly scuppered her. The crew failed to cope with the leak; Neukrotimy was deprived of the parade flagship duties and towed to repair docks.
In Dec 2008, a fire occurred onboard the frigate being prepared for decommission. As a result, Snr Lt Nikolai Kuznetsov died. According to investigators, the fire was caused by a short circuit.