Helicopter Carriers: Moskva Class

[designeraccd]

Seems to be past time to show daa glorious soviet helo carrier missile cruisers of this two ship class.

Apparently a not very successful design that was truncated to just the 2 ships. They were noted for trimming by the bow; apparently leaving a bit to be desired! I well remember the surprise of these first soviet aviation carrying "cruisers" when they came into the Med from the Black Sea. They seemed, at first, to be a potent addition to their Med Squadron, but...........

Specs (Wiki):

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: 2 × twin SA-N-3 'Goblet' surface-to-air missile launchers
2 × twin 57 mm (2.2 in)/80 guns
1 × SUW-N-1 launcher for FRAS-1 anti-submarine missiles
2 × RBU-6000 ASW rockets
10 × 553 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (2 × 5)

Aircraft carried: 18× Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone' or Mi-8 helicopters
DFO

[designeraccd]

The pair did display a very interesting "look" in the mid 60s when they came out, so to speak. Definitely hybrid warships whose primary purpose was to hunt and destroy USN Polaris subs. DFO

[designeraccd]

A colorful two view......... DFO

[jbryce1437]

I was serving on HMS Undaunted around 1969ish doing the usual stuff in the Portland training areas when we were ordered back into Portland at full speed. Berthing at Q pier, we were welcomed by a group from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment with a mountain of gear, which was loaded aboard and off we went again at full speed towards Lands End then off into the Atlantic where we met up with Moskva. We "accompanied" her down to the Bay of Biscay , where we were relieved by a frigate that had been despatched from Gibraltar. No doubt the monitoring equipment was to take sound bights of her underwater profile. I believe she then went through the Med.

Jim

[Brian James]

Soviet era,Moskva Class Helicopter Carrier 'Leningrad'.
Leningrad was the second of two Moskva Class helicopter carriers in service with the Soviet Navy. Laid down at Nikolayev South,she was commissioned in late 1968. Preceded by Moskva, there were no further vessels built, reportedly due to the poor handling of the ships in rough seas. She was 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 ASW vessels, and her weapons and sensor suite was optimized against the nuclear Submarine threat. Shipboard ASW armament included a twin SUW-N-1 launcher capable of delivering a FRAS-1 projectile carrying a 450 mm torpedo (or a 5 kiloton nuclear warhead); a pair of RBU-6000 ASW mortars; and a set of torpedo tubes. For self-defense, the Moskvas had two twin SA-N-3 SAM launchers with reloads for a total of 48 surface-to-air missiles, along with two twin 57 mm/80 guns. A 'Mare Tail' variable depth sonar worked in conjunction with heliborne sensors to hunt Submarines.
She was laid down at the Black Sea Shipyard in Nikolayev with yard number 702 on January 15th 1965, launched on July 31st 1966 and entered service on June 2nd 1969. She became part of the Black Sea Fleet on July 9th of that year.
On June 24th 1991 she was removed from the navy after being transferred for disarmament and scrapping. On December 5th the crew was disbanded and on August 24th 1995 she was towed from Sevastopol to India for scrapping.

[designeraccd]

This pair was not a smashing Soviet Navy success, but they did cause a "stir" when they first appeared in the Med! DFO

[designeraccd]

A few more of LENINGRAD from the "glory" days of the soviet navy............DFO

[designeraccd]

The MOSKVA, hanging a tight turn or catching a wave broadside??? DFO

[jbryce1437]

I was serving on HMS Undaunted around 1969ish doing the usual stuff in the Portland training areas when we were ordered back into Portland at full speed. Berthing at Q pier, we were welcomed by a group from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment with a mountain of gear, which was loaded aboard and off we went again at full speed towards Lands End then off into the Atlantic where we met up with Moskva. We "accompanied" her down to the Bay of Biscay , where we were relieved by a frigate that had been despatched from Gibraltar. No doubt the monitoring equipment was to take sound bights of her underwater profile. I believe she then went through the Med.

Jim

This is a photo taken at the time, with Moskva refuelling from a civilian tanker in the Atlantic. I presume there was a leak of fuel during the replenishment as there was a big fuel stain near her bow. The photo was taken by a RAF Shackleton aircraft.

Jim

undaunted and moskva atlantic ocean.jpg