Mirka class

Project 35

Project 35M frigate in 1986

Ship data Ship type frigate Shipyard Shipyard 820 , Kaliningrad Construction period 1961 to 1965 Units built 18th period of service 1962 to 1992

Ship dimensions and crew length 82.4 m ( Lüa ) width 9.1 m Draft Max. 5.84 m displacement empty: 960 t Use: 1,140 t   crew 96

Machine system machine CODAG * 2 × D3E turbines 2 × 61V-3 diesel engines Machine performance D3E: 2 × 18,000 PS (13,239 kW) 61V-3: 2 × 6,000 PS (4,413 kW) Top speed 31 kn (57 km / h) propeller 2

Armament 2 × 2 76mm L / 59 AK-726 4 × 1 RBU-6000 launcher 1 × 5 torpedo tubes ∅ 40.6 cm

Project 35 , referred to as the Mirka class by NATO , was a class of frigates developed in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy . The main task of the ships of Project 35 was the search for and combat against enemy submarines .

history

Project 35 was developed in 1957 based on the frigates of Project 159 (NATO: Petya class). Both types of ships were armed in a similar way, but with different sensor equipment, and were built at different Soviet shipyards around the same time . The unusual propulsion concept, an essential feature of Project 35, was adopted by the Corvettes of Project 204 (NATO: Poti-Class), as it was hoped to be able to reach speeds of up to 40 knots.

technology

drive

The drive system consisted of a kind of CODAG system ( Combined diesel and gas ), with a 61V-3 diesel engine driving one of the two shafts with 6,000 hp. Two D3E gas turbines with 18,000 hp each could be switched on for high performance .

The two propellers in Project 35 were not exposed, but were mounted in a tunnel several meters long below the stern. It was hoped that this would reduce the water resistance of the propellers when they were not in use and help propel the ships through the turbine.

The turbines were set up in an unconventional way. While the diesel engines were traditionally located amidships in the engine room within the hull, with a downstream gearbox that transferred their power to the waves, the turbines in the aft section were located directly at the stern above the propellers. Two large intake ports for air were placed on the weather deck above the turbines. The turbines could not transfer their power to the shaft and the propellers, but instead generated a stream of air that, similar to the functional principle of a jet aircraft , moved the ships forward. To do this, the turbines pressed air out of openings that were above the propellers in the tunnel below the fuselage.

The ships never reached their forecast speed of 40 knots, the measured top speeds at maximum engine power did not exceed the mark of 35 knots.

hull

Project 35 did not have a curling keel, but was equipped with fin stabilizers to stabilize the hull against the effects of swell and wind . The stabilizers were controlled by a mechanism that was installed in the hull at the height of the mast.

Armament

Project 35M frigate 1986. The “Fut-B” fire control radar is directed to starboard , one of the intake ports for the turbines can be seen at the stern.

The ships carried a five-way torpedo tube set in 40 cm caliber and four twelve-way ASW rocket launchers of the RBU-6000 system . The torpedo tube set was mounted amidships behind the main mast above the longitudinal axis of the ships and could be swiveled to both sides of the ship.

The RBU-6000 launchers were mounted in pairs next to each other on the foredeck on the bridge structure and on the aft.

The ship artillery consisted of two 76 mm L / 59 turrets AK-726 with twin guns. A tower stood on the forecastle in front of the bridge, another on the stern.

In addition, the ships could carry and use up to 96 RGB-60 depth charges.

Sensors and fire control system

In order to be able to fulfill its task as a submarine hunt ship, Project 35 was, based on the dimensions of the hull, equipped with a large sonar system below the hull. While the keel of the ships was only around three meters below the surface of the water, the sonar attachment below the hull increased the draft to 5.84 meters. The extension, installed approximately at the level of the bridge, was shaped so that it offered the lowest possible water resistance. It contained the sensors of the sonar MG-312 Titan (NATO: "Bull Nose") and MG-111 Wychegda (NATO: "Wolf Paw").

Project 35 carried a "Fut-N" radar on top of the main mast to search for air and surface contact . The system, known by NATO as “Slim Net”, worked in the S-band , was developed in 1957 and could locate aircraft up to 150 kilometers away.

A single "Fut-B" radar sensor was mounted on the roof of the bridge to control the fire of the two turrets. Called “Hawk-Sreech” by NATO, the system worked in the X-band and was fully stabilized so that it remained aimed at the target regardless of the sea state.

Versions

Project 35M frigate 1987. The two torpedo tube sets, one in front and one behind the mast, characteristic of the Mirka II class, can be seen on deck

Project 35M - Mirka II

Project 35M was the name of a modernization measure in which a second 400 mm torpedo tube set was installed between the bridge and the main mast on eight ships in Project 35 by 1978 and a Bizan 4B ESM system (NATO: Watch Dog B) on the mast installed. The sonar was changed to the "Platina" MG-335 (NATO: "Bull Horn"). The two RBU-6000 launchers on the aft ship were dismantled.

Ships of project 35

On December 2, 1988, the frigate SKR-6 started to ram the USS Caron . The anchor on the starboard side was lowered slightly.

18 ships of Project 35 were built by shipyard number 820 in Kaliningrad . As a rule, they did not have names, but tactical numbers, combined with the Russian abbreviation "СКР" (German: "SKR") for Russian "сторожевые корабли" , which means "patrol ship" in German .

SKR-7

The ship was laid down on January 7, 1961 at shipyard 820 and launched on December 25, 1961. It did its service in the Baltic fleet . It was taken out of service on October 1, 1987 and later scrapped.

SKR-20

The ship was laid down on January 26, 1961 at shipyard 820 and launched on March 23, 1962. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. In 1989 it was decommissioned and scrapped.

SKR-32

The ship was laid down at shipyard 820 on March 21, 1961 and launched on May 15, 1962. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. On was decommissioned in 1989 and scrapped in Sweden in 1990 .

SKR-39

The ship was laid down on May 26, 1961 by shipyard 820 and launched on June 23, 1962. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. It was mothballed in October 1974 and cleared for scrapping in 1990. In 1991, however, it sank in the port when water penetrated the ship through defective seals. It was later lifted and scrapped.

SKR-86

The ship was laid down on August 10, 1961 at shipyard 820 and launched on August 31, 1962. It was part of the Baltic fleet. In 1990 it was decommissioned and scrapped.

SKR-49

The ship was laid down at shipyard 820 on October 17, 1961 and launched on June 15, 1962. It performed its service in the Baltic Fleet and from 1968 was named "Ivan Sladkow". In 1974 it was decommissioned, initially mothballed and later scrapped.

SKR-53

The ship was laid on November 30, 1961 at shipyard 820 and was launched on December 10, 1962. It was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet in 1965 . It was decommissioned on April 19, 1990 and scrapped in 1991.

SKR-24

The ship was laid down on March 14, 1962 at shipyard 820 and launched on February 10, 1963. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. In 1985 she was decommissioned, capsized at anchorage in 1991 and was eventually lifted and scrapped.

SKR-84

The ship was laid down on May 17, 1962 at shipyard 820 and was launched on April 10, 1963. It served in the Black Sea Fleet from 1966. In 1992 it was decommissioned and scrapped.

SKR-48

The ship was laid down on June 28, 1962 at shipyard 820 and launched on June 21, 1963. It served in the Black Sea Fleet from 1966. On April 19, 1990, it was decommissioned and scrapped.

SKR-12

The ship was laid down on November 12, 1962 at shipyard 820 and launched on May 18, 1963. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. On October 1, 1992, it was decommissioned in Liepāja and sank to the bottom in shallow harbor water. After the Russian forces withdrew from Latvia, it was salvaged and scrapped by a Latvian company.

SKR-35

The ship was laid down at shipyard 820 on December 19, 1962 and launched on September 27, 1963. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. In 1990 it was decommissioned and sank shortly afterwards due to defective flood valves in the port.

SKR-19

The ship was laid down at shipyard 820 on February 25, 1963 and launched on July 27, 1964. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. In 1992 it was decommissioned.

SKR-6

The ship was laid down on April 10, 1963 at shipyard 820 and launched on February 6, 1964. It served in the Black Sea Fleet from 1967. On December 2, 1988, she was parked together with the Project 1135 frigate Bessawetny to drive an American fleet out of waters claimed by the Soviet Union. The commander initially pursued the USS Caron and pulled to starboard at the level of the stern in order to push the ship away. The collision caused little damage to both ships. In 1990, SKR-6 was decommissioned and scrapped.

SKR-13

The ship was laid down on May 31, 1963 at shipyard 820 and was launched on October 13, 1964. It served in the Black Sea Fleet from 1966. It was decommissioned on June 24, 1991 and later scrapped in Sevastopol.

SKR-83

The ship was laid down on July 20, 1963 by shipyard 820 and launched on December 10, 1963. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. On was decommissioned in 1991 and scrapped in 1992.

SKR-117

The ship was laid down at shipyard 820 on October 15, 1963 and launched on February 25, 1965. It did its service in the Black Sea Fleet. It was decommissioned on April 19, 1990 and later scrapped.

SKR-90

The ship was laid on February 10, 1964 at shipyard 820 and was launched on November 30, 1964. It did its service in the Baltic fleet. In 1990, SKR-90 was decommissioned.

Evidence and references

Remarks

1. ↑ Depending on the definition, the presence of diesel engines and turbines in a drive system is not sufficient to describe a drive as a CODAG . Since in this case the turbine does not act directly on the shaft, the term CODAG may not be applicable here. B. on the website "fas.org" so described.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Function of the propulsion system according to the description of the propulsion system from Project 204 in Eric Wertheim: The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. P. 70.
2. ↑ NATO names after Eric Wertheim: The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. P. 596.
3. ^ Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. P. 277.
4. ^ Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. P. 283.

literature

• Юрий В. Апальков: Корабли ВМФ СССР. Том 3. Противолодочные корабли. Часть 1. Противолодочные крейсера, большие противолодочные и сторожевые корабли. (For example: Yuri W. Apalkow: Ships of the Soviet Navy. - Part III “Anti-submarine ships” Section 1 “ Anti -submarine cruisers and large anti -submarine escorts”. Galea Print, 2005, ISBN 5-8172- 0094-5 (Russian)).
• Eric Wertheim: The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. 15th edition, Anapolis 2007, ISBN 978-1-59114-955-2 .
• Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. 5th edition. US Naval Institute Press, 2006, ISBN 978-1-55750-262-9 (English).

Web links

Commons : Mirka class  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Project 35 on atrinaflot.narod.ru ( Memento from September 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Russian)
• Mirka class on fas.org (English)