Name Sverdlov class Succeeded by Kynda class | Preceded by Chapayev class Planned 30 | |
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Builders Baltic Yard, Leningrad
Nikolayev
Admiralty yard, Leningrad
Severodvinsk Operators Soviet Navy
Indonesian Navy | ||
The Sverdlov-class cruisers, Soviet designation Project 68bis, were the last conventional gun cruisers built for the Soviet Navy, in the 1950s. They were based on Russian, German and Italian designs and concepts developed prior to the Second World War, but were modified to improve their sea keeping capabilities that allowed them to run at high speed in the rough waters of the North Atlantic. The basic hull was more modern and had better armor protection than vast majority of the post WW2 gun cruiser designs built and fielded by peer nations and they also carried an extensive suite of modern radar equipment and anti-aircraft artillery. This class of cruiser satisfied Stalin's and Soviet Navy leadership's desire to field a ship that was in keeping with a Soviet Naval doctrine that was focused on supporting the defense of the Russian coastline, operating out of naval bases worldwide and protecting Arctic, Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea interests. A secondary commerce raiding and political presence mission in the third world was also envisioned for this class of ship. They were considered obsolete by Soviet Premier Khrushchev, who believed they had a limited role in supporting strategic and tactical naval operations during 1955-1967 era, when theories of mutually assured destruction limited their use.
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The Soviets originally planned to build 40 ships in the class, which would be supported by the Stalingrad-class battlecruisers and aircraft carriers. This represented a significant risk to the Royal Navy, especially in the North Atlantic. Britain responded by introducing the Blackburn Buccaneer, a carrier-based strike aircraft that had the performance required to approach and attack Sverdlov class ships at ultra low level, using toss bombing attacks to deliver nuclear ordnance, while remaining outside the 5km lethal range of the Russian 100mm/37m gun. When the building program was cut back and the battlecruisers and carriers were cancelled, the Sverdlovs were left dangerously unprotected when operating in areas outside the cover of land-based aircraft. Their secondary mission, operating on their own as commerce raiders was also compromised as they would be extremely vulnerable, in good weather, to USN Carrier Battle Groups equipped with modern strike aircraft and the few remaining Baltimore class conventional cruisers equipped with 8 inch guns. The Royal Navy's few remaining Colony and Tiger class conventional gun cruisers probably lacked the range and speed required to counter the Sverdlov, which was also true of the USN's Gearing and Forrest Sherman class destroyers.
In 1954 Sverdlov class construction was cancelled by Nikita Khrushchev after 14 hulls had been completed. Two additional hulls were scrapped on the slip and four partially complete Sverdlovs launched in 1954 were scrapped in 1959. The remaining ships in the Soviet Fleet remained in service through the 1970s when the underwent a limited modernization program before finally leaving service in the late 1980s.
Only Mikhail Kutuzov is preserved, in Novorossiysk.
Design
These ships were improved and slightly enlarged versions of the Chapayev class. They had the same main armament, machinery and side protection as the earlier ships, but had increased fuel capacity for greater range, an all welded hull, improved underwater protection, increased anti-aircraft artillery and radar. The project was formally approved on 27 May 1947 and the first three sh8ips of the class were named after cancelled ships of the Chapayev class. Thirty ships were originally ordered; however, upon Joseph Stalin's death in 1953, this order was cut to 21 in 1954. Once the first fifteen hulls were laid down, orders for a second group of 6 ships was modified to include provisions for protection against nuclear fallout, but none were completed. Plans were developed and drawings were created to upgrade the ships to support a cruise missile capability; however, these plans were dropped and new construction was cancelled in 1959; incomplete ships were all scrapped by 1961. Reductions in cruiser force levels was contrary to the views of Soviet Navy leadership who insisted cruisers still provided a valuable capability to act as command ships for naval gunfire support of amphibious operations and to provide a political presence in contested areas of the third world, e.g. Cuba and Indonesia. Had more Sverdlov's been available at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 they would certainly have been deployed. The Soviet Navy intended to base several, older Chapayev class cruisers at Cuban ports had the operation succeeded.
The Sverdlov class displaced 13,600 tons standard and 16,640 tons at full load. They were 210 metres (689 ft 0 in) long overall and 205 metres (672 ft 7 in) long at the waterline. They had a beam of 22 metres (72 ft 2 in) and draught of 6.9 metres (22 ft 8 in) and typically had a complement of 1,250. The hull was a completely welded new design and the ships had a double bottom for over 75% of their length. The ship also had twenty-three watertight bulkheads. The Sverdlovs were had 6 boilers providing steam to two shaft geared steam turbines generating 118,100 shaft horsepower (88,100 kW). This gave the ships a maximum speed of 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). The cruisers had a range of 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).
Sverdlov-class cruisers main armament included twelve 152 mm (6 in)/57 cal B-38 guns mounted in four triple Mk5-bis turrets. They also had twelve 100 mm (3.9 in)/56 cal Model 1934 guns in six twin SM-5-1 mounts. For anti-aircraft weaponry, the cruisers had thirty-two 37 mm (1.5 in) anti-aircraft guns in sixteen twin mounts and were also equipped with ten 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes in two mountings of five each.
The Sverdlovs had 100 mm (3.9 in) belt armor and had a 50 mm (2.0 in) armored deck. The turrets were shield by 175 mm (6.9 in) armor and the conning tower, 150 mm (5.9 in) armor.
The cruisers' ultimate radar suite included one 'Big Net' or 'Top Trough' air search radar, one 'High Sieve' or 'Low Sieve' air search radar, one 'Knife Rest' air search radar and one 'Slim Net' air search radar. For navigational radar they had one 'Don-2' or 'Neptune' model. For fire control purposes the ships were equipped with two 'Sun Visor' radars, two 'Top Bow' 152 mm gun radars and eight 'Egg Cup' gun radars. For electronic countermeasures the ships were equipped with two 'Watch Dog' ECM systems.
Modifications
By the early 1960s, the torpedo tubes were removed. In 1957 the Admiral Nakhimov had an SS-N-1 anti-ship missile launcher installed to replace "A" and "B" turrets. This trial installation was not successful and the ship was rapidly decommissioned and used as a target ship in 1961.
Dzerzhinsky had a SAM launcher for the SA-2 missile, which replaced the aft turrets in 1960-62. This conversion was also considered to be unsuccessful and no further ships were converted. As the entire missile installation was above the armored deck and the missile itself, based on the SA-2 "Guideline" was liquid-fueled (acid/kerosene), it would have represented a serious hazard to the ship in action.
Senyavin and Zhdanov were converted to command ships in 1971 by replacing the aft turrets with extra accommodation and electronics. These two command ships were fitted with a helicopter deck and hangar and a SA-N-4 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system. Senyavin had four twin 30 mm guns installed atop the SA-N-4 missile system.
Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsia was refitted with an enlarged bridge in 1977, with Admiral Ushakov and Aleksandr Suvorov receiving the same modification in 1979, and later, Mikhail Kutusov.
Service history
These ships were outclassed as surface combatants, due to their lack of an anti-ship cruise missile capability. The limited modernization of those ships still in service in the 1970s relegated them to service as naval gunfire support platforms.
The standard Soviet practice was to pass the cruisers in and out of reserve status. Most were relegated to a reserve status by the early 1980s.