Moskva-class helicopter carrier

The Moskva-class helicopter carriers, Soviet designation Project 1123 Kondor, was the first class of operational Soviet aircraft carriers (helicopter carrier in the Soviet classification).[1]

This article is about helicopter carriers. For the Moskva missile cruiser, see Slava-class cruiser.
Leningrad underway in 1990.
Class overview
Name: Moskva class
Operators:
Succeeded by: Kiev class
Built: 1962–1969
In service: 1967–1996
Planned: 3
Completed: 2
Cancelled: 1
Retired: 2
General characteristics
Type: Helicopter carrier
Displacement:
  • 14,950 tons standard
  • 17,500 tons full load
Length: 196.6 m (645 ft)
Beam: 35 m (115 ft)
Draught: 7.6 m (25 ft)
Propulsion: 2 shaft steam turbines, 4 pressure fire boilers, 75,000 kW (100,000 hp)
Speed: 31 knots (57 km/h)
Range: 14,000 nautical miles (25,928 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement: 850
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 18× Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone' or Mi-8 helicopters

These ships were laid down at Nikolayev South (Shipyard No.444). The lead vessel was launched in 1965 and named Moskva; she entered commission two years later. Moskva was followed by Leningrad, which was commissioned in late 1968; there were no further vessels built, reportedly due to the poor handling of the ships in rough seas. Both were conventionally powered.

The Moskvas were not true "aircraft carriers" in that they did not carry any fixed-wing aircraft; the air wing was composed entirely of helicopters. They were designed primarily as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels, and her weapons and sensor suite was optimized against the nuclear submarine threat. Their strategic role was to defend the Soviet ballistic missile submarine bastions against incursions by Western attack submarines, forming the flagships of an ASW task force.

Design

The operational requirement was issued by Admiral Sergey Gorshkov in 1959. The aim of the ships was to counter NATO Polaris submarines and act as a flagship for anti-submarine warfare. Initially it was hoped to operate 10 helicopters from an 8000 ton ship. The design evolved into a larger vessel capable of operating up to 14 helicopters with self defence armament.

Armament

Shipboard ASW armament included a twin SUW-N-1 launcher capable of delivering a FRAS-1 projectile carrying a 450-millimetre (18 in) torpedo (or a 5 kiloton nuclear warhead); a pair of RBU-6000 ASW mortars; and a set of torpedo tubes. For self-defence, the Moskvas had two twin SA-N-3 surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers with reloads for a total of 48 surface-to-air missiles, along with two twin 57 mm (2.2 in) /80 guns.

Sensors
Radar
  • Top Sail (air warning)
  • Head Net
  • 2 x Head Light (SAM guidance)
  • 2 x Muff Cob (gun fire control)
  • 2 x Don 2 (navigation)
Sonar
  • Moose Jaw (low frequency bow mounted)
  • Mare Tail VDS

Propulsion

Gas turbines were considered but were as yet untried in such a large vessel. Instead a high pressure steam plant similar to that used by the Kynda-class cruisers was used. The machinery of Moskva had severe problems and had to be rebuilt in 1973 following a fire. Operational performance was disappointing with a practical maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and 24-knot (44 km/h; 28 mph) maximum sustainable speed. Sea keeping was also disappointing.

Ships
Moskva off the Moroccan coast in January 1970.
A port-quarter fantail view of Leningrad.

Both vessels were part of the Black Sea Fleet. Leningrad was retired in 1991 and Moskva in 1996. Leningrad was scrapped in 1995 and Moskva in 1997. A third ship to be named Kiev was cancelled in 1969, which was to have been an anti-surface warfare vessel. The Moskva class was succeeded by the Kiev class.

Name Namesake Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
Moskva City of Moscow Soviet Shipyard No. 444, Mykolaiv 15 December 1962 14 January 1965 25 December 1967 Broken up at Alang, 1997
Leningrad City of Leningrad 15 January 1965 31 July 1968 2 June 1969 Broken up, Greece, 1995
Kiev City of Kiev December 1967 N/A N/A Cancelled 1969

See also

References

Citations
  1. Jordan,John, 'Soviet Warships 1945 to Present', Revised & Expanded Edition, ISBN 1-85409-117-4, Published by Arms & Armour Press (London, UK), 1992

Sources
  • Gardiner, Robert (ed.) (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-605-1. OCLC 34284130.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) Also published as Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947–1995. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. OCLC 34267261.
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