Neustrashimyy-class frigate

The Neustrashimy class (Russian: Неустрашимый, alternate English spelling Neustrashimyy), Soviet designation Project 11540 Yastreb (hawk), is a series of large frigates built for the Soviet Navy and currently in service with the Russian Navy. Seven ships were planned for the Soviet Navy, but the fall of the Soviet Union disrupted those plans. Two ships were completed, both currently in active service with the Russian Baltic Fleet.

Russian frigate Neustrashimy
Class overview
Name: Neustrashimyy class
Builders: Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad
Operators:

 Soviet Navy

 Russian Navy
Preceded by: Krivak class
Succeeded by:
Planned: 7
Completed: 2
Cancelled: 5
Active: 2
General characteristics
Type: Guided missile frigate
Displacement:
  • Standard: 3,800 tons
  • Full: 4,400 tons
Length: 129 m (423 ft 3 in)
Beam: 15.6 m (51 ft 2 in)
Draught: 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in)
Installed power: 110,000 hp (82,000 kW)
Propulsion: 2 shaft COGAG 2x M70 or D090 cruise and 2x M90 boost gas turbines
Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement: 210
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Radar: 1 Top Plate, 2 Palm Frond, Cross Sword, 1 Kite Screech
  • Sonar: LF bow monted sonar and VDS
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 Ka-27 Helicopter
Aviation facilities: helipad and hangar
Russian frigate Yaroslav Mudry during its voyage through the English Channel, April 2018

Design and construction

The class was designed as a general purpose anti-submarine warfare (ASW) frigate to follow on from the Krivak-class frigates. The ship is equipped with a newly designed Zvezda-1 integrated sonar system (with NATO reporting name Ox Tail) as its primary ASW sensor.

The program started in 1986 and seven ships were originally planned.[1] After the collapse of the Soviet Union the project was frozen and only one ship, Neustrashimy (Неустрашимый - "Dauntless"), was in active service with the Russian Baltic Fleet by the mid 1990s. On 24 February 2009 the second ship in the class, Yaroslav Mudry, left the Yantar shipyard in Russia's Kaliningrad for its first sea trials.[2] As of 2010, both Neustrashimyy and Yaroslav Mudry are operational with the Baltic Fleet.

The ships were built by Yantar Yard, Kaliningrad. Only Neustrashimy was completed by the time the Soviet Union collapsed. Two further ships were incomplete. Yaroslav Mudry (named after the great ruler of the Kievan Rus, Yaroslav the Wise) and Tuman ("Fog", named after a World War II era Soviet patrol boat whose crew exhibited great valour in combat with three German destroyers). As of 2009, the frigate Yaroslav Mudry has begun sea trials and entered service.[2]

Service history

2008–2009 deployment to Somalia

In late September 2008, Neustrashimy left the Baltic Fleet and was sent to the Gulf of Aden waters off the Somali coast to fight piracy in the region.[3] Russian navy spokesman Captain Igor Dygalo told the Associated Press that the missile frigate Neustrashimy had left the Baltic Sea port of Baltiisk a day before the hijacking to cooperate with other unspecified countries in anti-piracy efforts.[4] As of 27 October, the frigate was operating independently in the vicinity of a group of NATO warships near the Somali coast. On 11 November, Neutrashimy helped capture suspected pirates along with Royal Marines from HMS Cumberland; the suspected pirates had been attempting to board the merchant vessel MV Powerful. On 16 November 2008, the frigate prevented pirates from capturing Saudi Arabian ship MV Rabih.

Further deployment

In June 2016 Yaroslav Mudry was part of a maritime incident between Russian and United States navies in which the ship came in close proximity to USS Gravely in the Mediterranean, though both sides claim the other was at fault for the encounter.[5][6] The American destroyer came within 315 yards (288 m) of the Russian vessel.[7]

In April 2018, Yaroslav Mudry and Uda-class oiler Lena were escorted by the Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans as they were passing through the English Channel en route to the Mediterranean Sea.[8]

Yaroslav Mudry was again seen passing the English Channel on 1 November 2018.[9]

Ships
Name Hull No. Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fleet Status
Neustrashimyy 712 Yantar Shipyard, Kaliningrad[1] 1986[1] May 1988[1] 24 January 1993[1] Baltic Fleet Active
Yaroslav Mudry
(ex-Nepristupnyi)		 727 ex (777) 1988[1] May 1991[1] 2009[10] Baltic Fleet Active
Tuman 1990[1] Cancelled[11]

Building

The work on Tuman was suspended in late 1993 when about 47% complete due to lack of funding. In 1996 was launched to clear space in slip, and was subsequently laid up in 1998 to clear space in dry dock. In April 2016 the director of the Yantar shipyard announced the incomplete hulk was to be scrapped as the high cost of completing the ship to an outdated design was considered inefficient and the space freed up by its disposal could be employed on more cost-effective projects.[12] [13]

See also

References

Notes
  1. Gardiner & Chumbly, p. 395
  2. "Russia's Yaroslav Mudry frigate to begin trials in Baltic Sea | Russia | RIA Novosti". Sputniknews. 24 February 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  3. "Russia sends warship to fight piracy near Somalia". Sputniknews. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  4. https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080926/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_somalia_piracy_8;_ylt=Ak.EE4EqWwLVfsF.N3F5obpbbBAF. Retrieved September 26, 2008. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. Martinez, Luis; Reevell, Patrick; McLaughlin, Elizabeth (29 June 2016). "US Officials Say Russian Warship Intentionally Interfered With Navy Operations". ABC News. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  6. "Russia, United States blame each other for maritime incident". MSN. Reuters. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  7. Starr, Barbara (28 June 2016). "U.S. officials say Russian warship came dangerously close to Navy ship". Retrieved 29 June 2016.
  8. "Baltic Fleet ship squadron passes English Channel within long-range cruise". mil.ru. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  9. "HMS Tyne escorts Russian frigate months after returning to service". navaltoday.com. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  10. "Russian Navy takes delivery of new frigate". rusnavy.com. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  11. "Два корабля ВМФ России разрежут на металлолом в Калининграде". Новости Mail.Ru. Archived from the original on 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
  12. ""Янтарь" утилизирует два недостроенных корабля ВМФ России". flotprom.ru (in Russian). 18 April 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  13. "Корпуса недостроенных "Тумана" и "Бородино" будут утилизированы". https://vpk.name/ (in Russian). 18 April 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2020. External link in |website= (help)

Sources
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
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