Caspian Flotilla

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend. Today in the US is Memorial Day. Take a moment to remember those who have given their lives so that others could remain free.

Now as I promised on Friday we will cover the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy. This flotilla is probably the most forgotten about unit in all of the Russian Navy. They don't have the big ocean-going ships or submarines that  carry nuclear tipped missiles. 

What they do have is a very important mission. The Caspian Sea is bordered by five countries, and is very important economically to all of those nations. It is the mission of the Caspian Flotilla to protect these economic interests for Russia. It is also tasked with stopping smuggling of narcotics into Russia. 

The Caspian Flotilla is one of the oldest units in the Russian Navy and was established in 1704 in the city of Kazan by order of Tsar Peter the First (Later known as the Great).  

Units from the Caspian Flotilla served in the Great Patriotic War (World War Two in the West). During the Soviet era this unit was largely forgotten, and was used for testing new units. 

Today the Caspian Flotilla is expanding and receiving new units. If you want to know more of the history of the Caspian Flotilla here is a good write-up from the Russian Ministry of Defense. 

Russian Navy news from this week

Happy Friday! This is a time that the Russian Navy is rebuilding, transforming, and preparing for future missions. I have covered it in the past with blog posts about new ships and new weapons systems. So check past blog posts for anything that you might have missed, or for anything that might be interesting to you. 

This week was full of news about this rebuilding process. Here are a few of the stories that I found.

Yuri Dolgorukiy is set to joint the fleet in October. This was confirmed by a source within the Russian Navy. The official also stated that the second ship in the class, the Alexander Nevskiy, will be joining the fleet at a later date. It is not known if the Yuri Dolgorukiy will remain in the Northern Fleet or if it will be transferred to the Pacific fleet.  The Pacific fleet has much older ballistic missile submarines than the Northern Fleet, but the Northern Fleet has always been the main fleet of Russia, but that could be changing with the emergence of China and the United States in the Pacific. 

The sailing ship Nadezhda has left Vladivostok and is headed to South Korea in order to conduct training and also to take part in a sailing regatta in the city of Yusa. 

The large ASW ship Admiral Kulakov from the Northern Fleet has assumed anti-piracy duties in the Gulf 

of Aden.

A new frigate for the Caspian Flotilla fired missiles during sea trials. This will be the second frigate of the Gepard class to join the Caspian Flotilla. 

In Monday's update we will cover the Caspian Flotilla. Have a great weekend, and remember in the US that this is Memorial Day weekend. I suggest that we all take a moment to remember all those who have given their lives in defense of their homeland.

Bulava

Bulava being fired from Dmitri Donskoy

The RSM-56 is a new ballistic missile for the Russian Navy that has been in some form of development since 1999. The missile was to be the new missile for a new class of SSBN, which had been laid down in 1996.

The missile however failed its first three tests, and both the missile and the construction of the submarine were delayed.

The design bureau started from the ground up, and designed the Bulava. The new missile was significantly different, and because of this the SSBN that had been laid down had to be heavily modified.  

Spiral glow after a failed Bulava launch

The Russian Navy expected to take delivery of the missile and submarine in 2005.

However the missile again failed tests and the missile was delayed. 

In 2009 the missile's chief designer resigned, and the program was examined once again.

Since a new chief designer has been in place the missile tests have been successful.

Yuri Dogorukiy being loaded with Bulava

The missile has now been fired from the new SSBN Yuri Dolgorukiy, and will enter serial production.

Yuri Dolgorukiy getting ready to head to sea.

This missile is the most expensive weapons system ever developed by the Russian Federation. Because of the delays in development and deployment the very force structure of the Russian Navy has been effected, and will continue to be effected for the next several years.

 

Pomor- 2012

The Russian-Norwegian joint naval exercise kicked off on the 11th of May. The Russian large anti-submarine ship Admiral Chabanenko and the Norwegian frigate Fridtjof Nansen left from the port of Severomorsk to conduct the drills. 

Together the ships covered more than 1000 nautical miles, completed 20 military tasks including firing of the artillery and conventional firing weapons, and worked on firefighting and life saving drill. 

The exercises concluded in the Norwegian port of  Bodo. 

On the last day of the exercise, representatives from the headquarters of the Northern Fleet held a ceremonial flag raising. The honor guard and an orchestra from the Northern Fleet paid their respects at a memorial for those who died  in World War II. 

During their time in the city the Russian sailors were given an opportunity to visit some of the local landmarks, including the aviation museum. 

Both sides agreed that the exercises were successful. 

Viktor Chirkov

Viktor Viktorovich Chirkov was appointed as the new commander of the Russian Navy on President Medvedev’s last day in office.

 

Chirkov was born in Almaty, in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.

In 1982 he graduated from the Higher Naval School S.O. Makarov in the city of Vladivostok.

He has been in command of a frigate and destroyer.  He has also served in a number of staff and support assignments.

He is also a graduate of the Kuznetsov Naval Academy and the General Staff Military Academy.

Before becoming the commander in chief of the Russian Navy Chikov served as the commander of the Baltic Fleet.

After his appointment, Chirkov said he would prioritize the construction of navy fleets in Russia.

New President, New Commander

Putin with veterans during the Victory Day celebrations

This week Russia inaugurated a new president (kind of new). 

 However on President Medvedev’s last day in office he replaced the commanders of the Air Force and Navy. Prior to this Vladimir Vysotsky had been the commander of the Russian Navy for nearly five years. However his time in the post was seen as one laden with accidents, and the leadership felt that he had done little to improve the capabilities of the navy.

Vladimir Vysotsky

While he was commander in chief there was an accident on a submarine in the Pacific Fleet that killed 20 people, and more recently in December there was a fire while a nuclear submarine carrying nuclear weapons was in dry dock.

Igor Korotchenko, chairman of the Defense Ministry’s Public Council previously said that the reshuffle was a normal practice for military officials.

“Medevedev’s move will give the road to new, younger military specialists,” Korotchenko said.

While Vysotsky cannot be held personally responsible for these accidents, they happened under his leadership.  Sometimes it’s better to bring in a new person and see what they can do.

Viktor Chirkov

The new commander of the Russian Navy is Viktor Chirkov. He was commander of the Baltic Fleet prior to this assignment. We will cover his biography in our Monday morning update.

Kirov Class

 

Project 1144.2 is a heavy missile cruiser that is nuclear powered. The four ships of this class were built in St. Petersburg, but only one of the units remains active.  One unit of the class is on Severodvinsk ship yard undergoing refit and repair.

It is one of the largest surface combatants in active service with a Navy (excluding aircraft carriers). They are roughly the size of a World War I era battleship. Because of their size they are often referred to as battle cruisers in the West.

 

These ships are meant to be the center of battle groups, and carry weapons in order to engage surface, subsurface, and air targets. The main armament of the ship is the SS-N-19 Shipwreck. This is a weapons system that is intended to engage large surface combatants.

 

Here is a list of the ships of this class and their current disposition:

Kirov (renamed Admiral Ushakov after the fall of the Soviet Union)- Commissioned in late 1980, the lead ship of the class suffered a reactor accident in 1990 while on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea.  She was never repaired, and likely became cannibalized in order to supply parts to the other ships of the class. Currently the ship is moored at the shipyard in Severodvinsk. It is unclear if she will be repaired and returned to service, but according to the Russian Navy all three cruisers not in active service will be refitted and modernized in order to return to the fleet by 2020.



Admiral Lazarev in Severodvinsk



Frunze (renamed Admiral Lazarev)- Commisioned in Oct. 1984. Joined the Pacific Fleet in Dec 1984.  The ship served until 1999, and was defueled in 2004-2005. According to reports she will also be returned to service.  The ship is moored in Vladivostok.

Admiral Nakhimov

Kalinin (renamed Admiral Nakhimov) – Commisioned in 1989. The ship saw little action, and has been moored in Severodvinsk since 1999. The ship entered refit in 2008, and should rejoin the fleet sometime in the next few years.

Pyotr Veliky

Pyotr Veliky (originally named Yuri Andropov)- Because of finiacial delays this unit wasn’t commissioned until 1996. Upon commissioning the ship joined the Northern Fleet and became the flagship. This is by far the most active unit, and deployed as recently as 2010.

Victory Day

Victory Day is one of the biggest holidays in Russia. This holiday marks the victory over Nazi Germany, in which the Soviet Union suffered by some accounts 25 million casualties. 

Sailors in the 1945 Victory Day parade

Throughout the country the day is marked by parades of military units. This includes the navy. 

Victory Day parade 2010

It is a common sight to see the veterans of the war out in their uniforms. The black and orange ribbon is a sign of remembrance for those that did not return home from the war. Every one in the area of the former Soviet Union was affected by the war. They either lost loved ones and/or were in territory occupied by the Germans. 

The military units that participate in the parade are chosen for their outstanding performance. They practice for weeks ahead of the parade in Moscow.  It is considered a great honor for the soldiers and sailors who take part in the parade. 

For those who have never seen parts of the parade, here is a video.