In what periods was the Soviet fleet called the navy. History of the Russian fleet: “the USSR navy in the second half of the 20th century. Handyman

USSR Navy (USSR Navy)- the naval fleet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that existed from 1918 to 1992, created on the basis of October revolution... In 1918-1924 and 1937-1946 it bore the name Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF); in 1924-1937 and 1950-1953 - Naval Forces of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (Red Army Navy).

Creation of the fleet

The Soviet Navy was created from the remnants of the Russian Imperial Navy, which was almost completely destroyed as a result of the October Revolution and the Civil War.

During the revolution, sailors left their ships en masse, and officers were partially repressed or killed, partially joined the White movement or resigned. Work on the construction of the ships was stopped.

The battleships of the "Soviet Union" type were supposed to become the basis of the naval power of the Soviet fleet, and the construction of a modern fleet was one of the priority tasks of the USSR, but the beginning of the Great Patriotic War prevented the implementation of these plans.

The workers 'and peasants' Red Fleet took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, which came down mainly to artillery duels between Soviet ships and Finnish coastal fortifications.

The Second World War

In 1941, as a result of an attack by the Nazi German army on the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union suffered huge losses, many sailors were transferred to the ground forces, and naval guns were removed from ships and turned into coastal ones. The sailors played an especially important role on land in the battles for Odessa, Sevastopol, Stalingrad, Novorossiysk, Tuapse and Leningrad.

Submarine type M.

The composition of the Red Navy in 1941

Soviet Navy on the eve of World War II

By 1941, the Soviet Union's Navy included the Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets.

In addition, it included the Danube, Pinsk, Caspian and Amur flotillas. The combat power of the fleet was determined by 3 battleships, 7 cruisers, 44 leaders and destroyers, 24 patrol ships, 130 submarines and more than 200 ships different classes- gunboats, monitors, torpedo boats, auxiliary vessels ... .. 1433 aircraft numbered naval aviation ....

The forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet consisted of 2 battleships, 2 cruisers, 2 leaders, 17 destroyers, 4 minelayers, 71 submarines and more than 100 smaller ships - patrol boats, minesweepers, torpedo boats and others. The aviation attached to the fleet consisted of 656 aircraft.

The Northern Fleet, formed in 1933, by 1941 had 8 destroyers, 7 patrol ships, 2 minesweepers, 14 submarine hunters, and a total of 15 submarines. The Navy's Air Force had 116 aircraft at its disposal, but half of them were obsolete seaplanes. On ships and in parts of the fleet, there were 28 thousand 381 personnel.

By the beginning of World War II, a well-equipped fleet at that time was created on the Black Sea, consisting of 1 battleship, 5 cruisers, 3 leaders and 14 destroyers, 47 submarines, 2 brigades of torpedo boats, several divisions of minesweepers, patrol and anti-submarine boats, the Air Force of the fleet (St. 600 aircraft) and strong coastal defense. The Black Sea Fleet included the Danube (until November 1941) and the Azov military flotilla, created in July 1941.

The Pacific Fleet included: 2 leaders of destroyers - "Baku" and "Tbilisi", 5 destroyers, 145 torpedo boats, 6 patrol ships, 5 minelayers, 18 minesweepers, 19 submarine hunters, 86 submarines, about 500 aircraft.

With such forces, the fleet met the news of the beginning of the Second World War.

In August 1941, after the attack of the Nazis, 791 civilian ships and 251 border guard ships were "seconded" to the Navy after going through the appropriate re-equipment and armament. For the needs of the Red Banner Fleet, 228 coastal defense batteries, 218 anti-aircraft batteries and three armored trains were formed.

The Red Fleet in 1941 included:

• 7 cruisers (including 4 light cruisers of the Kirov class)
• 59 destroyers (including 46 ships of the Wrathful and Sentinel class)
• 22 patrol ships
• a number of smaller ships and vessels

Another 219 ships were under construction in varying degrees of readiness, including 3 battleships, 2 heavy and 7 light cruisers, 45 destroyers and 91 submarines.

During the years of World War II, the United States and Great Britain transferred ships, boats and vessels with a total displacement of 810,000 tons to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program.

Fleet fighting

After the capture of Tallinn by the German army, the Baltic Fleet was blocked by minefields in Leningrad and Kronstadt. However, surface ships continued to play an important role in the defense of Leningrad - they actively participated in the air defense of the city and fired at German positions with main battery guns. One of the examples of the sailors' heroism is the actions of the battleship "Marat", which continued to fight and fire from main battery guns until the end of the war, despite the fact that on September 23, 1941, as a result of an attack by German Ju-87 dive bombers, the ship was actually broken into two parts and was in a semi-submerged state.

The submarines of the Baltic Fleet managed to break through the naval blockade and, despite the losses, they made a great contribution to the destruction of enemy sea lanes in the Eastern European theater of operations.

Cold war

The military potential of the United States was already enormous by the mid-1940s. Their armed forces included 150,000 different aircraft and the largest fleet in the world, with over 100 aircraft carriers alone. In April 1949, at the initiative of the United States, a military-political bloc, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was created, followed by two more blocs - CENTO and SEATO. The goals of all these organizations were directed against the socialist countries.

The international situation dictated the need to oppose the united forces of the capitalist countries with the united might of the socialist states. To this end, on May 14, 1955 in Warsaw, the heads of government of the social. countries signed a collective allied Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, which went down in history as the Warsaw Pact.

Development of the Soviet Navy after World War II

In the first post-war years The Soviet government set the task of accelerating the development and renovation of the Navy. In the late 40s - early 50s, the fleet received a significant number of new and modern cruisers, destroyers, submarines, patrol ships, minesweepers, submarine hunters, torpedo boats, and ships of pre-war construction were undergoing modernization.

At the same time, much attention was paid to improving the organization and raising the level of combat training, taking into account the experience of the Great Patriotic War. The existing statutes were revised and new statutes were developed and tutorials, and to meet the increased personnel needs of the fleet, the network of naval educational institutions was expanded.

Equipment and weapons of the USSR Navy at the end of the 1980s

Aircraft carriers Riga and Tbilisi.

A.S. Pavlov cites the following data on the composition of the USSR Navy at the end of the 1980s: 64 nuclear and 15 diesel submarines with ballistic missiles, 79 submarines with cruise missiles (including 63 nuclear ones), 80 multipurpose nuclear torpedo submarines (all data on the submarine as of January 1, 1989), four aircraft carriers, 96 cruisers, destroyers and missile frigates, 174 patrol and small anti-submarine ships, 623 boats and minesweepers, 107 landing ships and boats. A total of 1380 warships (not counting auxiliary ships), 1142 combat aircraft (all data on surface ships as of July 1, 1988).

In 1991, shipbuilding enterprises of the USSR built: two aircraft carriers (including one nuclear), 11 nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles, 18 multipurpose nuclear submarines, seven diesel submarines, two missile cruisers (including one nuclear), 10 destroyers and large anti-submarine ships, etc.

Organization

As of the end of the 1980s, the USSR Navy organizationally consisted of the branches of the forces:

• underwater
• surface
• naval aviation
• coastal missile and artillery troops
• marines

The fleet also included special-purpose units and units, ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, as well as various services. The main headquarters of the USSR Navy was in Moscow.

The following naval associations were part of the USSR Navy:

• Red Banner Northern Fleet

  After the collapse of the USSR and the end Cold war The Soviet Navy was divided between the former Soviet republics... The main part of the fleet passed to Russia and on its basis the Navy of the Russian Federation was created.

  Due to the ensuing economic crisis, a significant part of the fleet was dismantled.

  Base points

  Over the years, the USSR Navy by foreign points of material and technical support (PMTO of the USSR Navy):

  • Porkkala Udd, Finland (1944-1956);
  • Vlore, Albania (1955-1962);
  • Surabaya, Indonesia (1962);
  • Berbera, Somalia (1964-1977);
  • Nokra, Ethiopia (1977-1991);
  • Victoria, Seychelles. (1984-1990);
  • Cam Ranh, Vietnam (1979-2002)

  And this is only a small part of the basing system of the Soviet fleet - the Soviet Navy managed to "light up" in many other places:

  • Naval base (naval base) Cienfuegos and naval communications center "Priboy" in the town of El Gabriel, Cuba);
  • Rostock, GDR;
  • Split and Tivat, Yugoslavia;
  • Piggy, Poland;
  • Hodeidah, Yemen;
  • Alexandria and Marsa Matruh, Egypt;
  • Tripoli and Tobruk, Libya;
  • Luanda, Angola;
  • Conakry, Guinea;
  • Bizerte and Sfax, Tunisia;
  • Tartus and Latakia, Syria;
  • Training ground of the Marine Corps on the island. Socotra in the Arabian Sea, Yemen.

  In addition, the USSR Navy used listening stations in Poland (Piggy), Germany (Rostock), Finland (Porkkala-Udd), Somalia (Berbera), Vietnam (Kamran), Syria (Tartus), Yemen (Hodeida), Ethiopia (Nokra), Egypt and Libya.

  Ships and vessels prefix

  Ships and vessels belonging to the Soviet Navy did not have prefixes in their names.

  Flags of ships and vessels

  The naval flag of the USSR was a rectangular panel white with an aspect ratio of 2: 3, with a narrow blue stripe along the bottom edge. Above the blue stripe on the left side of the flag was a red star, and on the right - a red hammer and sickle. The flag was adopted on May 27, 1935 by the decree of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR No. 1982/341 "On naval flags Of the USSR ".

  Insignia

  see also

  Notes (edit)

  Literature

  • Ladinsky Yu.V. On the fairways of the Baltic... - Military Memoirs. - Moscow: Military publishing house of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR, 1973 .-- 160 p.
  • Achkasov V.I., Basov A.V., Sumin A.I. and others. The combat path of the Soviet Navy... - Moscow: Military Publishing, 1988 .-- 607 p. - ISBN 5-203-00527-3
  • Monakov M.S. Commander-in-Chief (Life and work of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S.G. Gorshkov)... - M .: Kuchkovo field, 2008 .-- 704 p. - (Library of the club of admirals). - 3500 copies. -

Judge the sins of others. You strive so diligently, start with your own and you won't get to strangers.
- W. Shakespeare

The Iron Curtain collapsed, and the established Age of Glasnost allowed millions of Soviet citizens to learn many new and shocking secrets associated with their former country.

For example, the free press found out that the Soviet Navy was ruled by completely incompetent and incompetent people. Instead of developing a fleet on the American model (with an emphasis on aircraft carrier strike groups), the marasmatics from the Soviet General Staff began to look for "asymmetric answers", spending tens of billions of people's rubles on the construction of expensive but ineffective submarines, cruisers and supersonic missile carriers.

Against the 14 American "Nimitz", "Kitty Hawks" and "Forrestols", which constituted the combat core of the US Navy in the 1980s, the Soviet Navy fielded an incredibly diverse "squadron" consisting of:

15 surface missile cruisers - from the simplest "Grozny" to the incredible nuclear-powered "Orlan";
- numerous series of SSGNs: projects 659, 675, 670 "Skat", "killers of aircraft carriers" pr. 949 and 949A - a total of about 70 submarines with cruise missiles;
- monstrous titanium boats "Anchar", "Lyra", "Fin", "Condor" and "Barracuda";
- dozens of "conventional" multipurpose submarines and diesel-electric submarines;
- missile boats and corvettes (MRK);
- missile-carrying aircraft of the Navy - hundreds of Tu-16, Tu-22M2 and Tu-22M3;
- anti-ship missile systems- from primitive "Termit" to fantastic "Granites", "Volcanoes" and "Basalts".

Obviously, this impressive set had an exorbitant cost, but it was never able to solve the task assigned to it - the problem of effectively countering the American AUG remained in question.

The Soviet system for issuing target designation to missile weapons raises many complaints. American AUGs moved in the ocean at a speed of 700 miles a day - to track down and take such moving objects for escort was an extremely difficult task. And without quality information about the current location of the AUG, the formidable "aircraft carrier killers" became helpless.

And try to knock it down!

Any scout Tu-16R or Tu-95RTs who ventured to approach the AUG in war time, will inevitably be shot down by an air patrol many hundreds of miles from the order of the aircraft carrier group. The only acceptable solution is space reconnaissance. The Soviet naval space reconnaissance and target designation system (MKRTs) "Legenda-M" was a real nightmare - every 45 days, the US-A satellite, equipped with a small-sized nuclear reactor and a side-looking radar, burned up in the dense layers of the atmosphere, and with it burned out millions of full-fledged Soviet rubles.

The list of comments on the organization of the USSR Navy service usually ends with a statement about the need to build a huge number of airfields for the naval missile-carrying aviation (MRA) of the Navy, reconnaissance aircraft and cover fighters. Again, a lot of costs without any useful return.

Each problem solved opened a series of new difficulties: the leadership of the USSR Navy drove the fleet to a dead end. Having spent insane amounts of money on "asymmetric weapons", the Soviet navy remained an extremely ineffective system, unable to fight on an equal footing with the US Navy.

The result of this dispute can be a simple and logical conclusion: the leadership of the Soviet fleet should have adopted the over-the-top experience and begin the creation of aircraft carrier strike groups modeled on the US Navy. It would have turned out more powerful, more efficient, and most importantly - cheaper (according to the well-known legend, the cost of two Project 949A submarines exceeded the cost of the Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser).

Or shouldn't it?

Various speculations about the exorbitant cost of the Soviet Navy are broken, like on a rock, on a single fact:

The budget of the Soviet Navy was less than the budget of the US Navy.

Expenditures for the USSR Navy in 1989 amounted to 12.08 billion rubles, of which 2,993 million rubles for the purchase of ships and boats and 6,531 million for technical equipment)

- reference book “Soviet Navy. 1990-1991 ", Pavlov A.S.

It is planned to allocate $ 30.2 billion for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for the US naval forces, of which $ 8.8 billion will be spent on the purchase of aviation equipment, 9.6 billion - warships and auxiliary vessels, 5.7 billion . - missile weapons, artillery and small arms and torpedoes, 4.9 billion - other military equipment.

- Foreign military review, No. 9 1989

Even without going into the details of exchange rates (official and real), pricing, the level of corruption and the specifics of the implementation of military programs on both sides of the ocean, the fact remains unchanged: despite its titanium submarines and super-cruisers, the Soviet fleet was several times cheaper!

Actually, on this wave it was possible to finish the story, but the public is interested in the main question: was the Russian Navy in the form in which it was capable of neutralizing aircraft carrier groups in the North Atlantic?

The answer is obvious: YES.

According to calculations carried out on both sides of the ocean, in the event of a war, the submarines and the MRA of the USSR Navy sank the American fleet, while the Soviet sailors and pilots themselves suffered severe losses - after the attack of the AUGs, the MRA of the USSR Navy would actually cease to exist.

Whenever someone tries to write about the confrontation between our and the American fleets, the mantra is necessarily pronounced: "three aviation regiments of missile-carrying bombers were allocated to destroy one AUG!" Usually, the mantra is pronounced in an ominous tone, goggling frighteningly in order to convince everyone present of the "invulnerability" of the American fleet.

Supersonic bomber-missile carrier Tu-22M3

Although, if you look at it, you cannot do without losses in war. And the destruction of an aircraft carrier, five cruisers, frigates and 50 ... 60 units of enemy aircraft in exchange for the loss of one hundred Soviet aircraft (let's take the most pessimistic scenario) is a more than fair exchange.

Or did someone seriously hoped that a pair of supersonic Tu-22Ms would be enough to counter the mighty US fleet, on the maintenance and development of which the Yankees spent $ 30 billion a year?

All-seeing eye

Another misconception is associated with the detection of the enemy: it is commonly believed that the ships of the USSR Navy, devoid of high-quality reconnaissance, circled helplessly across the vastness of the World Ocean, like blind kittens. And the Americans? Americans are great! The US Navy has both carrier-based aircraft and AWACS naval aircraft - the E-2C Hawkeye flying radars will instantly detect the enemy, and the deck Hornets will tear apart any surface or air target, preventing it from reaching the AUG closer than 500 miles.

In this case, theory is strongly at odds with practice.

Of course, being in an ideal "spherical vacuum", aircraft from an aircraft carrier must be the first to detect the enemy, and the first to strike. Caught under continuous attacks by carrier-based aircraft, any of the nuclear-powered "Orlans" will perish, even without having time to reach the range of launching their missiles.
Supporters of such scenarios usually do not take into account the fact that the Soviet "Eagles" and submarines did not NEED to break through anywhere - the Soviet warships were constantly in the most important regions of the World Ocean:

5th operational squadron - solving operational and tactical tasks in the Mediterranean;
- 7th OpEsk - Atlantic;
- 8th OpEsk - Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean;
- 10th OpEsk - Pacific Ocean;
- 17th OpEsk - ensuring Soviet interests in the Asia-Pacific region (mainly the South China Sea and Southeast Asia), the emergence of a squadron is a consequence of the Vietnam War.

The USSR Navy practiced tracking the ships of the "potential enemy" - missile cruisers and submarines were constantly on duty somewhere near the American AUG and NATO warship formations, ready to open fire to kill at point-blank range. In such conditions, carrier-based aircraft lost their main advantage: a longer range. Soviet "Skaty", "Eagles" and "Antei" reliably held the "pistol" at the temple of the American fleet.

Launch of an anti-ship missile of the Vulkan complex with the Moskva missile launch vehicle

It only remains to add that in addition to warships, with shock weapons, for naval forces The United States and NATO were continuously monitored by numerous naval reconnaissance officers of the Soviet Navy - large, medium and small communications vessels (SSC), in the amount of more than 100 pieces. Modest ships, outwardly almost indistinguishable from fishing trawlers and dry cargo ships, whose tasks included visual observation of the "probable enemy", electronic reconnaissance and relaying signals. Despite the lack of weapons, the Soviet SSV unceremoniously strolled alongside the formidable Nimitz and Ticonderogs, measuring electromagnetic fields and marking the current coordinates of the American connection.

The Soviet submarine wound the secret American TASS antenna on the propeller and lost its speed. SSV-506 "Nakhodka" arrived first to help. In the background is the USS Peterson. Sargasso Sea, 1983

The Yankees gnashed their teeth in frustration, but offend the "kids" in Peaceful time prohibited - the security of the SSV was ensured by the military and political power of the Soviet Union. In the event of a war, the SSV became pure suicide bombers, but before their death they would have time to contact the strike force and transmit the coordinates of the "elusive" American squadron. Retribution will be brutal.

Handyman

Sometimes the Soviet Navy is criticized for its "one-sidedness" - allegedly the Soviet fleet was focused exclusively on the global nuclear conflict, but was completely useless in solving tactical tasks.

It is worth noting that before the invention of high-precision sea-based cruise missiles, any of the modern fleets played a purely episodic role in local wars - except for the super-large-caliber guns on the four surviving battleships of the US Navy, the fleet could not provide any real help and fire support. In all local conflicts of the twentieth century, the main role was assigned to the ground forces and aviation.
You see! - the supporters of the creation of the AUG will exclaim - the fleet cannot do without aircraft carriers in local wars!

Fans of flying from decks, please do not worry: air is the domain of the Air Force. Deck air wings are too small and weak to cause significant damage even to such a small country as Iraq. Desert Storm, 1991 - Six US Navy carrier strike forces provided only 17% of the Coalition's sorties. All the main work was carried out by ground-based aviation - on their side were massiveness, and quality superiority, and special equipment for solving difficult issues(E-8 J-STARS, RC-135W, stealth aircraft, etc.).

During the bombing of Yugoslavia, the only American aircraft carrier, Roosevelt, pushed on only on the 12th day of the war - without it, 1,000 NATO aircraft would certainly not have been able to cope. Libya, 2011 - none of the 10 "Nimitz" even lifted a finger, but the US Air Force "frolicked" enough in the Libyan sky. Comments, as they say, are superfluous. The value of aircraft carriers in local wars tends to zero.

The only significant function of the American fleet in local wars is the delivery to the region of several hundred SLCM "Tomahawk", with the help of which the Yankees "take out" the most difficult and highly protected targets - positions of air defense systems, radars, command centers, air bases, etc. objects.

As for the domestic fleet, it did everything that a normal fleet was supposed to do, with the exception of striking targets in the depths of the coast.

The fleet did an excellent job of escorting ships during the tanker war in the Persian Gulf - that's what, and there were always plenty of destroyers (large anti-submarine ships) in the USSR Navy, more than 100 units.

The fleet was highly regarded in the trawling and mine clearance operations of the Suez Canal and Chittagong Bay (Bangladesh). Naval sailors provided the delivery of military and humanitarian aid to the countries of Africa and the Middle East, simultaneously being a visual demonstration military power THE USSR. The ships took part in suppressing the coup in the Seychelles, rescuing the crew of the American reconnaissance aircraft Alfa-Foxtrot 586, ousting the cruiser Yorktown from Soviet territorial waters. in the right place at the right time.

Soviet KIK (ships of the measuring complex) were regularly on duty at the Kwajalein missile range (Pacific Ocean), observing the trajectories and behavior of the warheads of American ICBMs, they were monitoring launches from foreign cosmodromes - the USSR was aware of all the missile innovations of the "potential enemy".

Anti-submarine cruiser "Leningrad"

The USSR Navy was responsible for assistance within the framework of the Soviet space program - the ships were more than once involved in the search and evacuation of those splashed down. spacecraft in the Indian Ocean.
The Russian fleet did not have bulky and monstrously expensive helicopter docks like the American "Wasp" and "Taravam". But the USSR Navy had 153 large and medium landing craft, trained marine units, as well as 14 old artillery cruisers and 17 destroyers with automated 130 mm guns for fire support. With the help of these means, the Soviet fleet could easily carry out a precision landing operation in any corner of the Earth.

This is such a "one-sidedness" ...

The Soviet Navy was run by literate people who perfectly understood their goals and objectives: despite its smaller budget, the Russian Navy could adequately resist even the mighty American fleet - the ships performed tasks anywhere in the World Ocean, protecting the interests of their Motherland.

The main headquarters of the USSR Navy was pierced with slippery tentacles of terror: the commander-in-chief saw the nuclear aircraft carrier "Enterprise" everywhere, officers threw themselves out of windows in panic shouting "Aircraft carriers are coming!" A pistol shot clicked - the deputy chief of the General Staff shot himself in his office, information about the laying of new Nimitz-class aircraft carriers is coming from the United States ...

According to "investigative journalism" recent years, then the Soviet Navy was only engaged in chasing American aircraft carrier groups, for which it built packs of "aircraft carrier killers" - special surface and submarines designed to destroy the Enterprise, Nimitz, Kitty Hawks and other floating airfields of the "probable enemy".

Needless to say, the strike aircraft carrier Enterprise is a noble goal. Large, with a huge combat potential. But it is very vulnerable - sometimes one unexploded missile of 127 mm caliber is enough for an aircraft carrier to "exit the game". But what will happen if a fiery barrage of fifty 100 and 152 mm rounds falls on the Enterprise's flight deck? - a Soviet cruiser in line of sight tirelessly keeps an aircraft carrier at gunpoint.

Constant tracking of the "probable enemy" is an indispensable attribute of peacetime. And it doesn't matter that the combat radius of the deck "Phantoms" is dozens of times greater than the firing range of the old cruiser cannons - in the event of a war, the first move will be for the gunners.

The jolly cruiser pr. 68 bis is just a warm-up. Real trump cards are hidden in the sleeve of the Soviet commanders-in-chief - the nuclear submarines of projects 949 and 949A, Tu-22M missile carriers, space reconnaissance systems and ultra-long-range anti-ship missiles. There is a problem - there is a solution.

But the Soviet fleet also had Real Problems. After all, it is no coincidence that most of the surface forces of the USSR Navy were classified as "Large anti-submarine ships." The Soviet leadership understood perfectly well who was the main threat - one "George Washington" with SLBM "Polaris" could do more damage than a thousand aircraft carriers "Enterprise".
Quite right, dear reader, the USSR Navy was focused primarily on the search and fight against nuclear submarines enemy. Especially with the "city killers" carrying long-range ballistic missiles. The ocean surface was continuously scanned by Il-38 and Tu-142 anti-submarine aircraft, underwater killers pr. 705 and 671 scoured the water column, and the legendary BODs were on duty at the anti-submarine lines - Soviet cruisers and destroyers focused on anti-submarine missions.

Singing frigates

Large anti-submarine ships of project 61. Total displacement of 4300 tons. The crew is 270 people. Full speed 35 knots. Cruising range 3500 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:
- 2 launchers SAM M-1 "Volna" (ammunition 32 anti-aircraft missiles);

- 2 rocket launchers RBU-6000 (192 depth charges);
- 2 rocket launchers RBU-1000 (48 depth charges);
- five-tube torpedo tube of 533 mm caliber;
- a helipad, a storage facility for aviation fuel (5 tons), a cellar for aviation torpedoes and equipment.

A series of twenty Soviet patrol ships (5 more ships of this type were subsequently built for the Indian Navy) in the early 60s, later classified as BOD. The world's first combat ships with a gas turbine power plant designed for all modes of operation.
Project 61 became an important stage in the domestic shipbuilding - for the first time a ship with an aluminum hull and a gas turbine was created. Two anti-aircraft missile systems, universal artillery, rocket depth charges and deep-sea torpedoes - a small glorious ship could use its weapons even in a storm: the sharp "snub-nosed" hull contours allowed the BOD to easily go against any wave.

There were also disadvantages: the sailors complained about the high noise in the cockpits - the powerful roar of gas turbines penetrated into every room, making service on the BOD pr. 61 a rather unpleasant event. But the question of the survivability of the ship was much more serious - the fears were confirmed in 1974, when the Otvazhny BPK died on the roadstead of Sevastopol - after the explosion of the rocket cellar, fire quickly spread through the ship, destroying flimsy bulkheads made of aluminum-magnesium alloy AMG on its way.

However, some circumstances make it possible to disagree with the statement about the low survivability of the "singing frigates" - 480 kg of explosives and six tons of gunpowder detonated in the Otvazhny's aft cellar, but the small ship continued to fight the fire for 5 hours.

Until now, one ship of this type is listed in the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.

BOD "Sharp-witted" in the Mediterranean Sea. In the background is the USS Aegis destroyer Mahan.

Large anti-submarine ships of project 1134A (code "Berkut-A")

Full displacement of 7500 tons. The crew is 380 people. Full speed 33 knots. Cruising range 5500 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:

- 2 launchers SAM M-11 "Storm" (ammunition 48 missiles);
- 2 universal automatic artillery systems AK-725 caliber 57 mm;

- 2 RBU-6000 (192 depth charges);

A series of ten BODs built between 1966 and 1977. for the USSR Navy. Just good ships, without any special frills. Provided the Soviet naval presence in the World Ocean, regularly served in the Atlantic, in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They provided military and political support to "friendly" regimes, patrolled in zones of military conflicts, deployed submarine strategic missile carriers of the USSR Navy to combat positions, provided combat training for the fleet, took part in firing and naval exercises. In a word, they did everything that a warship was supposed to do during the Cold War.

Anti-submarine cruisers of project 1123 (code "Condor")

Full displacement of 15,000 tons. Crew of 700 people. Full speed 28 knots. Cruising range 6,000 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:
- an air group of 14 helicopters: Ka-25PL anti-submarine, Ka-25TSU long-range radar detection and target designation helicopters, Ka-25PS search and rescue vehicles.
- 4 helipads, a below deck hangar, a small hangar in the aft superstructure, two helicopter lifts;
- anti-submarine missile system "Whirlwind" (1 launcher, 8 special ammunition with nuclear warheads);
- 2 launchers SAM M-11 "Storm" (96 missiles);

- 2 universal automatic systems AK-725 of 57 mm caliber.
- initially the ship had a torpedo weapon and 30 mm AK-230 rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns (they were removed during the modernization).

The anti-submarine cruisers "Moscow" and "Leningrad" became the first aircraft carriers (helicopter carriers) of the USSR Navy. The reason for the appearance of these large ships was the appearance on alert of American strategic missile carriers of the "George Washington" type - 16 "Polaris A-1" ballistic missiles with a flight range of 2,200 km pretty much frightened the USSR leadership.

The result was a "hybrid" with powerful missile weapons, the entire stern of which was a runway with an extended under-deck hangar. To detect enemy submarines, in addition to 14 Ka-25 helicopters, there was an Orion sub-keel sonar and a towed Vega sonar station on board.

Project 1123 is not a BOD, but based on the purpose of the anti-submarine cruiser and its armament, it has the right to take a place among the same "large anti-submarine ships" - an extremely vague definition that covers ships of the USSR Navy of various sizes and characteristics.

The main drawback of "Moscow" and "Leningrad" became clear already during the first combat services on anti-submarine lines. Only 4 helipads (the space of the flight deck where takeoff and landing operations can be carried out) and 14 helicopters turned out to be too few to provide a round-the-clock anti-submarine patrol over a given area of ​​the ocean.

In addition, by the time the lead helicopter-carrying cruiser Moskva entered service, the US Navy received a new Polaris A-3 ballistic missile with a firing range of 4,600 km - the Washington and Eten Allenov combat patrol area expanded, which made countering strategic missile carriers is an even more difficult task.

Anti-submarine cruisers served for almost thirty years as part of the USSR Navy, made numerous visits to ports of friendly states ... Cuba, Angola, Yugoslavia, Yemen. The anti-submarine cruiser "Leningrad" was the flagship of a detachment of ships of the Soviet Navy during the demining of the Suez Canal (1974). Both cruisers were part of the Black Sea Fleet. "Leningrad" after two major overhauls ended service in 1991, and "Moscow" was withdrawn to the reserve in 1983, and decommissioned in 1997.

Patrol ships of project 1135 (code "Petrel")

Full displacement of 3200 tons. The crew is 190 people. Full speed 32 knots. Cruising range 4000 miles at 14 knots.
Armament:
- "packet" PU anti-submarine complex "Blizzard" (4 rocket torpedoes);
- 2 short-range missile launchers "Osa-M" (40 missiles ammunition);
- 2 automated gun mounts AK-726 of 76 mm caliber;
- 2 RBU-6000 (96 depth charges);
- eight torpedoes of 533 mm caliber;
- sea mines - up to 20 pcs. on the upper deck.

A series of 32 patrol ships (until 1977 were classified as BODs of rank II) to solve a wide range of tasks to provide anti-submarine and air defense of ship formations in open sea areas and the littoral zone, escort convoys in areas of local armed conflicts and protect territorial waters.

Project 1135 differed from its predecessors not only in its elegant appearance, but also in its solid armament, the latest means of detecting enemy submarines, and a high level of automation - the Burevestniki brought anti-submarine defense to a qualitatively new level. The successful design provided them with a long active service in all fleets of the USSR Naval Forces, and two of them still remain in the Russian Navy.

Objectively, due to the weakness of the air defense and the lack of a helicopter, the Burevestnik was outperforming its famous peers - the American frigates Knox and Oliver H. Perry. But the circumstances are such that the US Navy remembers "Petrel" much better than its "Knox" and "Perry" - in 1988 the patrol ship "Selfless" rudely forced the missile cruiser "Yorktown" out of Soviet territorial waters. The patrol boat broke the crew boat and the Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher for the American ship, tore the skin in the superstructure area, deformed the helipad and demolished all the railing on the port side.

Large anti-submarine ships of project 1134-B (code "Berkut-B")

Full displacement 8500 tons. The crew is 430 people. Full speed 32 knots. Cruising range 7000 miles at 18 knots.
Armament:
- 8 launchers of anti-submarine missile system "Metel";
- 2 launchers SAM M-11 "Storm" (80 missiles ammunition);
- 2 short-range missile launchers "Osa-M" (40 missiles ammunition)
- 2 universal automatic artillery systems AK-726 caliber 76 mm;
- 2 batteries of six-barreled anti-aircraft guns AK-630;
- 2 RBU-6000 (144 depth charges);
- 2 RBU-1000 (48 depth charges);
- 2x5 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber;
- anti-submarine helicopter Ka-25PL, deck hangar.

Constellation of seven large anti-submarine ships of the USSR Navy. Large ocean-going BODs with tremendous combat potential - anti-submarine rocket torpedoes, four anti-aircraft missile systems, universal and rapid-fire artillery, depth charges and an anti-submarine helicopter. Outstanding seaworthiness, cruising range of 6,500 miles - enough for the passage from Murmansk to New York and back. "Bukari" (as the 1134-B was affectionately called in the fleet) were indeed the best BODs in the Soviet Navy, the most balanced in terms of characteristics and most fully meeting the Navy's tasks.

Most of the BOD pr. 1134-B served in the Pacific Ocean. Combined into several anti-submarine groups, "Boukari" continuously "combed" the Philippine Sea, where there was an area of ​​combat patrols by American strategic submarines preparing to launch a missile strike on the Far East and Siberia.

There were big plans for the modernization of the BOD pr. 1134-B - the modernization potential of the ships made it possible to mount on board the new Rastrub-B anti-submarine missile system and even the S-300 long-range anti-aircraft system! As an experiment, one of the BODs of this type - "Azov" received instead of the aft SAM "Storm" two underdeck launchers and the fire control system of the S-300F air defense missile system - it turned out perfectly. In the long term, the shipyard of the USSR Navy could replenish unique BODs, whose foreign counterparts would appear only 10 years later. But alas ...

Large anti-submarine ships of project 1155 (code "Udaloy")

Full displacement of 7500 tons. The crew is 220 people. Full speed 29 knots. Cruising range 5000 miles at 14 knots.
Armament:
- 8 launchers of the Rastrub-B anti-submarine missile system;
- 8 under-deck launchers of the drum type SAM self-defense "Dagger" (64 missiles ammunition);
- 2 automated artillery guns of 100 mm caliber;
- 2 batteries of six-barreled anti-aircraft guns AK-630;
- 2 RBU-6000 (96 depth charges)
- 2x4 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber
- 2 Ka-27PL helicopters, 2 hangars.

"Udaloy" was a mistake of the leadership of the Soviet Navy. No, at first glance, the BOD pr. 1155 is a real masterpiece of shipbuilding, equipped with a 700-ton sonar system "Polynom", a multi-channel SAM "Dagger" to repel massive attacks of anti-ship missiles, two helicopters and a whole range of naval weapons - from universal artillery to homing torpedoes. "Brave" would have become an undoubted masterpiece ... if it had not been for its predecessor - 1134-B. Compared to the "Bukar", BOD pr. 1155 turned out to be a step backward.

Because of the 30-meter fairing of the GAS "Polynom", the driving performance and seaworthiness of the new ship were seriously affected - the complex turned out to be too heavy for a modest BOD. Of course, the Polynom gave great opportunities in terms of detecting enemy nuclear submarines, which it detected at a distance of up to 25 miles, which to some extent compensated for the deterioration of the Udaliy's seaworthiness. But a much more serious drawback was the complete absence of medium or long-range air defense systems - the "Dagger" had a firing range of only 6.5 miles and could only fight anti-ship missiles, but not their carriers.

The rest of the BOD project 1155 was a remarkable ship with a noble forecastle line and powerful anti-submarine weapons. In total, before the collapse of the USSR, the fleet managed to receive 12 large anti-submarine ships of this type. In the 90s, only one BOD was built according to the modified project 11551 - the only representative of this project, Admiral Chabanenko, retained all the advantages of Project 1155, but additionally received an AK-130 artillery system, Kortik anti-aircraft systems and Moskit anti-ship missiles ...

Conclusion

The above 90 large anti-submarine ships and anti-submarine cruisers are just the "tip of the iceberg" of the anti-submarine defense system of the USSR Navy. There was a whole system of basic patrol aircraft with hundreds of anti-submarine aircraft and helicopters. Ordinary trawlers with unusual trawls plowed the ocean expanses - camouflaged anti-submarine patrols with a multi-kilometer low-frequency antenna stretching behind the stern (try to prove that this is not a trawl!) Frayed a lot of nerves to American sailors.

Fantastic projects have been developed, such as the Project 1199 Anchar nuclear power plant. Moreover, all four heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers of Project 1143 carried a squadron of anti-submarine helicopters on their decks and had on board a solid anti-submarine weapon system (the grandiose SJSC Polynom and anti-submarine missiles “Vikhr” with nuclear warheads). So, contrary to the well-known myth, during the passage through the Bosphorus, the Soviet sailors did not deceive the Turkish representatives at all, calling their aircraft-carrying cruisers anti-submarine ships.

By the way, the US Navy developed in exactly the same scenario - the Americans were afraid to death of Soviet submarines, which is why they planned the ship composition of their fleet on the basis of "one frigate for one Russian boat." Worldwide sonar system SOSUS for tracking submarines, FRAMM programs for converting hundreds of obsolete destroyers into anti-submarine ships, huge series of anti-submarine frigates "Knox" and "Oliver H. Perry", unique destroyers of the "Spruance" class with hypertrophied anti-submarine weapons, but no systems zonal air defense - just American "twins" BOD pr. 1155 "Udaloy".

It remains to add that the idea of ​​a "large anti-submarine ship" died with the advent of sea-based intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range of 10,000 km. From now on, strategic missile carriers could launch missiles from the territorial waters of their state.

« Judge the sins of others You strive so hard,
start with yours and you won't get to strangers»
- W. Shakespeare

The Iron Curtain collapsed, and the established Age of Glasnost allowed millions of Soviet citizens to learn many new and shocking secrets associated with the history of their former country.

For example, the free press found out that the Soviet Navy was ruled by completely incompetent and incompetent people. Instead of developing a fleet on the American model (with an emphasis on aircraft carrier strike groups), the marasmatics from the Soviet General Staff began to look for "asymmetric answers", spending tens of billions of people's rubles on the construction of expensive but ineffective submarines, cruisers and supersonic missile carriers.

Against the 14 American "Nimitz", "Kitty Hawks" and "Forrestols", which constituted the combat core of the US Navy in the 1980s, the Soviet Navy fielded an incredibly diverse "squadron" consisting of:

- 15 surface missile cruisers - from the simplest "Grozny" to the incredible atomic "Orlan";
- numerous series of SSGNs: projects 659, 675, 670 "Skat", - a total of about 70 submarines with cruise missiles;
-, "Lyra", "Fin", "Condor" and "Barracuda";
- dozens of "conventional" multipurpose submarines and diesel-electric submarines;
- missile boats and corvettes (MRK);
- missile-carrying aircraft of the Navy - hundreds of Tu-16, Tu-22M2 and;
- anti-ship missile systems - from the primitive "Termit" to the fantastic "Granites", "Volcanoes" and "Basalts".

Obviously, this impressive set of weapons had an exorbitant cost, but could not solve the task assigned to it - the problem of effectively countering the American AUG remained in question.

The Soviet system for issuing target designation to missile weapons raises many complaints. American AUGs moved in the ocean at a speed of 700 miles per day - tracking and tracking such moving objects was an extremely difficult task. And without quality information about the current location of the AUG, the formidable "aircraft carrier killers" became helpless.

And try to knock it down!

Any Tu-16R or Tu-95RTs reconnaissance officer who dares to approach the AUG in wartime will inevitably be shot down by an air patrol many hundreds of miles from the order of the aircraft carrier group. The only acceptable solution is space reconnaissance. The Soviet naval space reconnaissance and target designation system (MKRTs) "Legenda-M" was a real nightmare - every 45 days, the US-A satellite, equipped with a small-sized nuclear reactor and a side-looking radar, burned up in the dense layers of the atmosphere, and with it burned out millions of full-fledged Soviet rubles.

The list of comments on the organization of the USSR Navy service usually ends with a statement about the need to build a huge number of airfields for the naval missile-carrying aviation (MRA) of the Navy, reconnaissance aircraft and cover fighters. Again, a lot of costs without any useful return.

Each problem solved opened a series of new difficulties: the leadership of the USSR Navy drove the fleet to a dead end. Having spent insane amounts of money on "asymmetric weapons", the Soviet navy remained an extremely ineffective system, unable to fight on an equal footing with the US Navy.

The result of this dispute can be a simple and logical conclusion: the leadership of the Soviet fleet should have adopted the over-the-counter experience and began to create aircraft carrier strike groups modeled on the US Navy. It would have turned out more powerful, more efficient, and most importantly - cheaper (according to the well-known legend, the cost of two Project 949A submarines exceeded the cost of the Kuznetsov aircraft-carrying cruiser).

Or shouldn't it?

Various speculations about the exorbitant cost of the USSR Navy are being broken like a rock, on the only fact - the budget of the Soviet fleet was less than the budget of the US Navy.

Expenditures for the USSR Navy in 1989 amounted to 12.08 billion rubles, of which 2,993 million rubles were for the purchase of ships and boats and 6,531 million for technical equipment.

- reference book “Soviet Navy. 1990-1991 ", Pavlov A.S.

It is planned to allocate $ 30.2 billion for the purchase of weapons and military equipment for the US naval forces, of which $ 8.8 billion will go to the purchase of aviation equipment, 9.6 billion - warships and auxiliary vessels, 5.7 billion . - missile weapons, artillery and small arms and torpedoes, 4.9 billion - other military equipment.

- Foreign military review, No. 9 1989

Even without going into the details of exchange rates (official and real), pricing, the level of corruption and the specifics of the implementation of military programs on both sides of the ocean, the fact remains unchanged: despite its titanium submarines and super-cruisers, the Soviet fleet was several times cheaper!

Actually, on this wave it was possible to finish the story, but the public is interested in the main question: was the Russian Navy in the form in which it was capable of neutralizing aircraft carrier groups in the North Atlantic?

The answer is obvious: YES.

According to calculations carried out on both sides of the ocean, in the event of a war, the submarines and the MRA of the USSR Navy sank the American fleet, while the Soviet sailors and pilots themselves suffered severe losses - after the attack of the AUGs, the MRA of the USSR Navy would actually cease to exist.

Whenever someone tries to write about the confrontation between our and the American fleets, the mantra is necessarily recited: “ for the destruction of one AUG, three aviation regiments of missile-carrying bombers were allocated"! Usually, the mantra is pronounced in an ominous tone, goggling frighteningly in order to convince everyone present of the "invulnerability" of the American fleet.

Supersonic bomber-missile carrier Tu-22M3

Although, if you look at it, you cannot do without losses in war. And the destruction of an aircraft carrier, five cruisers, frigates and 50 ... 60 units of enemy aircraft in exchange for the loss of one hundred Soviet aircraft (let's take the most pessimistic scenario) is a more than fair exchange.

Or someone seriously hoped that a pair of supersonic Tu-22Ms would be enough to counter the mighty US fleet, on the maintenance and development of which the Yankees spent $ 30 billion a year?

All-seeing eye

Another misconception is associated with the detection of the enemy: it is commonly believed that the ships of the USSR Navy, devoid of high-quality reconnaissance, circled helplessly across the vastness of the World Ocean, like blind kittens. And the Americans? Americans are great! The US Navy has both carrier-based aircraft and AWACS naval aircraft - the E-2CHawkeye flying radars will instantly detect the enemy, and the deck Hornets will tear apart any surface or air target, preventing it from reaching the AUG closer than 500 miles.

In this case, theory is strongly at odds with practice.

Of course, being in an ideal "spherical vacuum", aircraft from an aircraft carrier must be the first to detect the enemy, and the first to strike. Caught under continuous attacks by carrier-based aircraft, any of the nuclear-powered "Orlans" will perish, even without having time to reach the range of launching their missiles.

Supporters of such scenarios usually do not take into account the fact that the Soviet "Eagles" and submarines did not NEED to break through anywhere - Soviet warships were constantly in the most important regions of the World Ocean:

- 5th operational squadron - solving operational and tactical tasks in the Mediterranean;
- 7th OpEsk - Atlantic;
- 8th OpEsk - Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean;
- 10th OpEsk - Pacific Ocean;
- 17th OpEsk - ensuring Soviet interests in the Asia-Pacific region (mainly the South China Sea and Southeast Asia), the emergence of a squadron is a consequence of the Vietnam War.

The USSR Navy practiced tracking the ships of the "potential enemy" - missile cruisers and submarines were constantly on duty somewhere near the American AUG and NATO warship formations, ready to open fire to kill at point-blank range. In such conditions, carrier-based aircraft lost their main advantage: a longer range. Soviet "Skaty", "Eagles" and "Antei" reliably held the "pistol" at the temple of the American fleet.

Launch of an anti-ship missile of the Vulkan complex with the Moskva RRC

It only remains to add that in addition to warships with strike weapons, the naval forces of the United States and NATO were continuously monitored by numerous naval reconnaissance officers of the USSR Navy - large, medium and small communications vessels (SSV), in the amount of more than 100 pieces. Modest ships, outwardly almost indistinguishable from fishing trawlers and dry cargo ships, whose tasks included visual observation of the "probable enemy", electronic reconnaissance and relaying signals.

Despite the lack of weapons, the Soviet SSV unceremoniously strolled alongside the formidable Nimitz and Ticonderogs, measuring electromagnetic fields and marking the current coordinates of the American connection.

The Soviet submarine wound the secret American TASS antenna on the propeller and lost its speed. SSV-506 "Nakhodka" was the first to come to the rescue. In the background is the USS Peterson. Sargasso Sea, 1983

The Yankees gnashed their teeth in frustration, but it is forbidden to offend the "kids" in peacetime - the security of the SSV was ensured by the military and political might of the Soviet Union. In the event of a war, the SSV became pure suicide bombers, but before their death they would have time to contact the strike force and transmit the coordinates of the "elusive" American squadron. Retribution will be brutal.

Handyman

Sometimes I criticize the Soviet Navy for its "one-sidedness" - supposedly the Soviet fleet was focused exclusively on the global nuclear conflict, but was completely useless in solving tactical tasks.

It is worth noting that before the invention of high-precision sea-based cruise missiles, any of the modern fleets played a purely episodic role in local wars - except for the super-large-caliber guns on the four surviving battleships of the US Navy, the fleet could not provide any real help and fire support. In all local conflicts of the twentieth century, the main role was assigned to the ground forces and aviation.

You see! - the supporters of the creation of the AUG will exclaim - the fleet cannot do without aircraft carriers in local wars!

Fans of flying from decks, please do not worry: air is the domain of the Air Force. Deck air wings are too small and weak to cause significant damage even to such a small country as Iraq. Desert Storm, 1991 - Six US Navy carrier strike forces provided only 17% of the Coalition's sorties. All the main work was carried out by ground-based aviation - on their side were mass character, and quality superiority, and special equipment for solving complex issues (E-8 J-STARS, RC-135W, stealth aircraft, etc.).

During the bombing of Yugoslavia, the only American aircraft carrier, Roosevelt, pushed on only on the 12th day of the war - without it, 1,000 NATO aircraft would certainly not have been able to cope. Libya, 2011 - none of the 10 "Nimitz" even lifted a finger, but the US Air Force "frolicked" enough in the Libyan sky. Comments, as they say, are superfluous. The value of aircraft carriers in local wars tends to zero.

The only significant function of the American fleet in local wars is the delivery to the region of several hundred SLCM "Tomahawk", with the help of which the Yankees "take out" the most difficult and highly protected targets - positions of air defense systems, radars, command centers, air bases, etc. objects.

As for the domestic fleet, it did everything that a normal fleet was supposed to do, with the exception of striking targets in the depths of the coast. The fleet did an excellent job of escorting ships during the tanker war in the Persian Gulf - that's what, and there were always plenty of destroyers (large anti-submarine ships) in the USSR Navy, more than 100 units.

The fleet was highly regarded in the trawling and mine clearance operations of the Suez Canal and Chittagong Bay (Bangladesh). Naval sailors ensured the delivery of military and humanitarian aid to the countries of Africa and the Middle East, simultaneously being a clear demonstration of the military power of the USSR. The ships took part in suppressing the coup in the Seychelles, rescuing the crew of the American reconnaissance aircraft Alfa-Foxtrot 586, ousting the cruiser Yorktown from Soviet territorial waters. in the right place at the right time.

Soviet KIK (ships of the measuring complex) were regularly on duty at the Kwajalein missile range (Pacific Ocean), observing the trajectories and behavior of the warheads of American ICBMs, they were monitoring launches from foreign cosmodromes - the USSR was aware of all the missile innovations of the "potential enemy".

Anti-submarine cruiser "Leningrad"

The USSR Navy was responsible for assisting in the framework of the Soviet space program - the ships were more than once involved in the search and evacuation of spacecraft that splashed down in the Indian Ocean.

The Russian fleet did not have bulky and monstrously expensive helicopter docks like the American "Wasp" and "Taravam". But the USSR Navy had 153 large and medium landing ships, trained marines, as well as 14 old artillery cruisers and 17 destroyers with automated 130 mm fire support equipment. With the help of these means, the Soviet fleet could easily carry out a precision landing operation in any corner of the Earth.

This is such a "one-sidedness" ...

Main caliber

The Soviet Navy was run by literate people who perfectly understood their goals and objectives: despite its smaller budget, the Russian Navy could adequately resist even the mighty American fleet - the ships performed tasks anywhere in the World Ocean, protecting the interests of their Motherland.