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Kresta II class cruiser

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Preceded by
  
Kresta I class

In commission
  
1968 - 1993

Retired
  
10

Succeeded by
  
Kara class

Completed
  
10

Kresta II-class cruiser

Operators
  
Soviet Navy  Russian Navy

The Kresta II class, Soviet Designation Project 1134A, Berkut A (golden eagle), were Soviet guided missile cruisers of the Cold War. The ships entered service in the late 1960s and were rapidly decommissioned after the end of the Cold War

Contents

These ships were an anti-submarine derivative of the Kresta I-class cruiser. These ships had a new anti-submarine missile (SS-N-14), new surface-to-air missiles (SA-N-3) and advanced sonar. All ships were built by Zhdanov yard, Leningrad.

Design

Conway's states that the first three ships were to have been armed with the SS-N-9 anti-ship missile but Soviet naval doctrine changed with greater emphasis on anti-submarine warfare. The surface-to-air missiles comprised more advanced SA-N-3 missiles with two twin launchers. New 3D search radar and new fire control radars were also fitted. 4 30mm CIWS guns were also fitted for improved anti-missile defence. A more advanced sonar led to the bow being more sharply raked. The machinery suite comprised two TV-12 steam turbines with high-pressure boilers, identical to the Kresta I class.

General characteristics

The Kresta II-class cruisers were 158.5 metres (520 ft) long with a beam of 16.9 m (55 ft) and a draught of 6 m (20 ft). They displaced 6000 tons standard and 7800 full load. They had a complement of 380-400 and were equipped with a hangar aft to stow away a Kamov Ka-25 Hormone-A helicopter.

Kresta II-class vessels were propelled by two TV-12 steam geared turbines powered by four high pressure boilers which created 75,000 kilowatts (101,000 hp). This gave the cruisers a maximum speed of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph). They had a range of 10,500 nautical miles (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) and 5,200 nmi (9,600 km; 6,000 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph).

Armament

For their primary role as anti-submarine cruisers, the Kresta II class mounted two quadruple launchers for eight SS-N-14 anti-submarine missiles. They were also equipped with two RBU 6000 12-barrel and two RBU 1000 6-barrel rocket launchers. The Ka-25 helicopter embarked on the cruiser was also capable of aiding in the search and destruction of submarines.

Against aerial threats the cruisers were armed with four 57mm L/80 DP guns situated in two twin mountings. They also had four 30mm AK-630 CIWS mountings. They were armed with two twin launchers for the 48 SA-N-3 surface-to-air missiles they carried.

The ships also mounted two quintuple mountings for 533 mm (21.0 in) dual-role torpedoes.

Electronics warfare

The Kresta II class were equipped with MR600 air search radar MR-310 Angara Don navigational and Volga navigational radars. For anti-submarine warfare they had MG-322 hull mounted sonar. For fire control purposes they had Grom SA-N-1 fire control, MR103 AK725 fire control and Drakon RP33 fire control. They also had a MG-26 communications outfit and a MG-35 Shtil.

Ships

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References

Kresta II-class cruiser Wikipedia