Soviet frigate Doblestnyy

Designed by N.P. Sobolov, Doblestnyy was the fifth Project 1135 Large Anti-Submarine Ship (Большой Противолодочный Корабль, BPK) laid down and the sixth one launched.[1] The vessel is named for a Russian word which can be translated valorous.[2] Doblestnyy served with the Soviet Navy as an anti-submarine frigate.[3] The ship was redesignated a Guard Ship (Сторожевой Корабль, SKR) from 28 July 1977 to reflect the change in Soviet strategy of creating protected areas for friendly submarines close to the coast.[4][5]

Doblestnyy displaced 2,835 tonnes (2,790 long tons; 3,125 short tons) standard and 3,190 tonnes (3,140 long tons; 3,520 short tons) full load. Overall length was 123 m (404 ft), with a beam of 14.2 m (46 ft 7 in) and a draught of 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in). Power was provided by a combination of two 18,000 horsepower (13,000 kW) M3 and two 6,000 horsepower (4,500 kW) M60 gas turbines installed as a COGAG set named М7, which gave a design speed of 32 knots (59 km/h). Range was 4,000 nmi (7,408 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h), 3,515 nmi (6,510 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h), 3,155 nmi (5,843 km) at 24 knots (44 km/h) and 1,240 nmi (2,296 km) at 32 knots (59 km/h). The ship’s complement was 192, including 23 officers.[6]

The ship was designed for Anti-submarine warfare around four URPK-3 Metel missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-14 'Silex'), backed up by a pair of quadruple 533 millimetres (21.0 in) torpedoes and a pair of RBU-6000 213 mm (8 in) anti-submarine rocket launchers.[7] The main armament was upgraded to URPK-5 Rastrub (SS-N-14B) between 1985 and 1986, which provided a much increased anti-ship capability.[8] Defence against aircraft was provided by forty 4K33 OSA-M (SA-N-4'Gecko') surface to air missiles which were launched from four ZIF-122 launchers.[5] Two twin 76 mm (3 in) AK-726 guns were mounted aft. Mines were also carried, either eigthteen IGDM-500 KSM, fourteen KAM, fourteen KB Krab, ten Serpey, four PMR-1, seven PMR-2, seven MTPK-1, fourteen RM-1 mines or twelve UDM-2.[6]

The ship had a well-equipped sensor suite, including a single MR-310A Angara-A air/surface search radar, Volga navigation radar, Don navigation radar, MP-401S Start-S ESM radar system, Nickel-KM and Khrom-KM IFF and ARP-50R radio direction finder. An extensive sonar complement was fitted, including MG-332 Titan-2, MG-325 Vega and MGS-400K, along with two MG-7 Braslet anti-saboteur sonars and the MG-26 Hosta underwater communication system. The PK-16 ship-borne decoy dispenser system was fitted; this was replaced by the PK-10 system in 1983.[6]

Doblestnyy was laid down by Zalyv Shipbuilding yard in Kerch on 30 November 1970, and was given the yard number 12. Launched on 22 February 1973 and commissioned on 28 December that year, the ship was deployed to the Northern Fleet on 17 February 1973. To that end, Doblestnyy left Sevastopol and sailed to Severomorsk arriving during June 1974. The vessel became part of the 10th Anti-Submarine Brigade, transferring to the 130th Brigade in December 1982. During this period, the ship served mainly in the region of the Arctic Ocean. On 11 May 1985, the vessel undertook operations further afield, initially in the Mediterranean Sea, travelling further between 22 August 1989 and 1 February 1990, when Doblestnyy operated in the Atlantic Ocean, travelling as far as Angola. On 19 June 1991, the ship was removed from service to be upgraded. A lack of funding meant that this was cancelled and, on 3 July 1992, Doblestnyy was the first in the class to be decommissioned. The ship was disarmed and sold on 18 July 1985 to a firm in the United States to be scrapped.[9]