As of the mid-1970s, over 30 multipurpose nuclear submarines, the same number of strategic nuclear submarines, fifty diesel-electric submarines, 100+ combat surface ships and support ships were in combat service in the five operational squadrons of the USSR Navy. In total, during the "era of stagnation", the number of combat patrols of submarines of the USSR Navy increased 20 times, the number of long-distance cruises made by surface ships - 10 times. By 1985, up to 160 Soviet ships and support vessels were serving daily in different parts of the World Ocean.
The operational squadron (OpEsk) of the USSR Navy is a tactical formation formed to carry out service in important regions of the planet. In total, there were five OpEsk in the history of the Russian fleet:
- 5th Mediterranean operational squadron;
- 7th operational squadron (area of responsibility - Atlantic);
- 8th operational squadron (Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean);
- 10th OPESK (Pacific Ocean);
- 17th OPESK (aka 15th), for solving operational and tactical tasks in the Asia-Pacific region (mainly - the South China Sea, Vietnam and Southeast Asia).
The increase in the number of warships in positions in the World Ocean required a change in the approach to the organization of combat service and control of ship formations. Already by the mid-60s, with the intensification of countermeasures against enemy submarine missile carriers in the Mediterranean Sea and the strengthening of the presence of the USSR Navy in zones of military conflicts, an urgent need arose for advanced flagship command posts (FKP). The Soviet fleet needed a specialized command ship equipped with modern communication systems, means of planning combat operations and coordinating measures for logistic and special support of the fleet forces.
A real "think tank" where all information about the current situation in the OpEsk area of responsibility would flow and from where the disparate forces of the squadron could be controlled (anti-submarine forces, missile-artillery and landing ships, reconnaissance ships, support ships, naval aviation and submarines).
The solution to the problem of command ships was the re-equipment of two obsolete artillery cruisers of Project 68-bis (code "Sverdlov") into control cruisers of Project 68-U. According to the original plan, "Zhdanov" and "Admiral Senyavin" were to lose part of their artillery weapons, in exchange the ships expected to receive special communications equipment, prepared premises for organizing the work of the FKP, as well as modern self-defense systems, electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare.
Representative of the project 68-bis. Cruiser "Mikhail Kutuzov"
The choice of Project 68-bis cruisers was by no means accidental - a large warship with a total displacement of 16 thousand tons, with many working rooms and ample opportunities for placing external antenna devices. The stock of fuel oil on board provided an ocean cruising range of 9000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 16 knots, and a maximum speed of 32 knots made it possible to carry out combat missions on a par with modern naval ships.
The project 68-bis cruiser, as the heir to the glorious era of the dreadnoughts, had increased combat survivability and an excellent level of protection - unlike modern "armored" ships, the old cruiser was securely wrapped in a 100 mm "fur coat" of the main armor belt.
Finally, 9 six-inch guns in the three surviving main turrets provided the ship with solid firepower in naval combat at short and medium distances.
Control cruiser "Zhdanov"
In 1965, the cruiser Zhdanov was reactivated and transferred from the Baltic to Sevastopol. The modernization of the ship took seven years - in June 1972, after going through a cycle of state tests and test firing, "Zhdanov" was enlisted in the 150th brigade of large missile ships of the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet.
To solve the main tasks, instead of the third tower of the main caliber, a new superstructure and a 32-meter truss mast with antennas of the Vyaz HF radio communication system and Tsunami space communication units appeared. On board the cruiser there were 17 KB- and SV-radio transmitters, 57 KB-, BB-, SV- and DV-receivers, nine UKB radio stations, three VHF radio relay systems and satellite communications equipment - a total of 65 antennas and 17 posts for placing radio equipment, which made it possible to form up to 60 data transmission channels. Reliable radio communication with ships and the coast was carried out at a distance of up to 8 thousand kilometers, and on satellite lines they provided communication with any region of the planet.
Due to a significant increase in energy consumption (the power of only one Vyaz transmitter reached 5 kW), the ship's power plant underwent a change - the power of the generators had to be increased by 30% with a corresponding expansion of the premises for the installation of new equipment.
Significant changes took place in the interior of the ship - the FKP of the fleet commander was located here, as part of the squadron command post, reconnaissance and communications headquarters, a room for encryptors, as well as a group for operational planning and execution of operational-tactical calculations. A total of 350 square meters were provided for these purposes. meters of space with the possibility of expansion due to adjoining premises. There are also several comfortable cabins for senior command personnel and a high-quality salon for receiving foreign guests. On board there was even its own printing house, a photographic laboratory and a cockpit for a musical orchestra.
The living conditions have significantly improved - a low-pressure air conditioning system was installed on the ship, which ensured comfortable conditions in living quarters, at combat posts and compliance with the norms for storing ammunition in the cellars at elevated air temperatures outside the ship.
As for the armament complex, the decrease in the cruiser's artillery power was offset by an increase in its defensive capabilities - a launcher for the Osa-M air defense missile system (20 short-range anti-aircraft missiles) appeared in the stern of the ship, and the air defense circuit was formed of four paired automatic anti-aircraft guns with radar guidance AK-230 (30 mm caliber, rate of fire 2,100 rds / min, power supply - metal tape for 1,000 rounds).
The total displacement of the ship has increased by 2000 tons in comparison with the design value of the cruiser 68-bis.
During military campaigns, the headquarters of the 5th Mediterranean operational squadron was located on board the Zhdanov. In addition to the standard FKP and relay functions, the ship performed representative missions during business calls at the ports of Yugoslavia, Syria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy. The Black Sea cruiser regularly went into combat service in the North Atlantic, made visits to the cold Severomorsk, provided continuous radio communications along the entire route across the Atlantic Ocean during L. I. Brezhnev in the United States and Cuba (1973).
In the center - "Zhdanov". Moored on the starboard side is the selfless cruiser, famous for the bulk of the US Navy cruiser Yorktown
Periodically, he independently monitored the ships of the "potential enemy", threatening to turn the flimsy decks of modern frigates and destroyers into ruins with one salvo of his large-caliber guns. In 1982, during the Lebanese war, "Zhdanov" was in Syria, providing air defense of the Soviet naval base Tartus from possible Israeli air raids. The cruiser took an active part in the combat training of the fleet, received on board delegations of high-ranking officials of the USSR and foreign countries, did not give up the pleasure of acting in films or taking part in holiday parades. In recent years, cadets of the naval schools of the USSR have often had practical training on the ship.
A good cruiser in all respects, having honestly served 35 years under the flag of the USSR Navy.
On December 10, 1989, by the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, the command cruiser "Zhdanov" was excluded from the ships of the Navy. The fate of "Zhdanov" ended in November 1991, when the disarmed hull of the old cruiser was taken to the Indian port of Alang for cutting.
Control cruiser "Admiral Senyavin"
A much more interesting and dramatic fate awaited the second representative of the command cruisers of the USSR Navy.
The story of the appearance of this ship is amazing - in someone's brisk mind a project for an even more serious modernization of the "Admiral Senyavin" with the removal of both main turrets aft. On this basis, such a heated dispute flared up between supporters and opponents of naval artillery that, by order from Moscow, an armed cordon was set up around the fourth tower of the Main Command.
During the modernization at the Vladivostok Dalzavod, the cruiser was nevertheless "amputated" with an extra turret, and when the gunners missed it, it was too late - the turret and guns were nailed down, and instead of the fourth main battery turret, a helicopter pad and a hangar appeared on the cruiser to accommodate the Ka-25 … In general, the decision turned out to be correct, and the appeared reserve of space and weights made it possible to strengthen the air defense of the cruiser - instead of four, as on the Zhdanov, the Admiral Senyavin received 8 AK-230 anti-aircraft installations with fire control radars.
In order to somehow hide the fact of the incident with the tower, the Senyavin modernization project was retroactively assigned a new number 68-U2 (Zhdanov, respectively, received the designation 68-U1).
The second command cruiser served for a long time and righteously as part of the Pacific Fleet, cruised the ocean a lot in distant latitudes, visited India, Somalia, Vietnam, the island of Mauritius on business visits …
However, in June 1978, a misfortune happened on the Admiral Senyavin cruiser - even in the official documents of that time with the "secret" stamp, it is referred to as "heavy." On the "unlucky" day, according to all beliefs, June 13, 1978, during the test artillery firing, in the presence of a large number of high-ranking officials on board, an emergency occurred in the turret of Main Command No. 1 - after eight volleys in the right 152 mm gun, the ninth shot was missed. When the next, tenth, projectile was sent into the barrel of the projectile, he crushed the ninth stuck inside. The ship jerked and trembled shallowly from the powerful impact, the bow turret of the main ship was enveloped in a ghostly veil of smoke. When the armored door was removed, all 37 people inside the tower and the transfer compartment were dead.
GK Tower No. 1. It was here that the explosion thundered
The results of the investigation of the special commission showed that there was no one to blame for the catastrophe - someone removed the blockage from the calculation of the weapon. The situation was aggravated by the notorious "general effect", the recent demobilization (a couple of months before the tragedy, many experienced sailors went ashore) and the general nervousness of the extraordinary "demonstration" exercises. Fortunately, a terrible fire did not occur, the ammunition cellar was urgently flooded and the ship, after repairs, returned to service.
In July 1983, "Admiral Senyavin" himself took part in the rescue operation to raise the nuclear submarine in the Sarannaya Bay in Kamchatka (the boat sank during trimming at a depth of 45 meters).
The Pacific command cruiser ended service in 1989, and a couple of years later, like its cousin Zhdanov, replenished a pile of scrap metal on a distant Indian coast.
Epilogue
The command cruisers of project 68-U1 / 68-U2 reflected the current submission of the USSR Navy command to the structure and tactics of the use of oceanic battle groups. As practice has shown, ships of this class turned out to be a very specific tool, whose use was justified when conducting large operations off foreign shores, with the involvement of diverse aviation, marines and navy forces. That was quite consistent with the concept of using the forces of the Black Sea and Pacific Fleets.
At the same time, the strategic Northern Fleet - the largest and most powerful in the Soviet Navy - did just fine without command cruisers. As well as his "colleague" - the modest Baltic Fleet. To control the squadrons of ships, the usual command posts on cruisers and destroyers were sufficient. Relay was carried out by numerous SSVs (communications ships, naval reconnaissance ships) and orbiting satellites, and important orders were usually given directly from the offices of the Kremlin, the General Staff of the Navy and coastal PCFs.
As for our time, progress in radio electronics and combat information and control systems does not stand still. Now the role of the flagship can be performed by a heavy nuclear cruiser, as well as by any of the destroyers or even frigates. For this, they have all the necessary equipment on board.
Returning to the command cruisers "Zhdanov" and "Admiral Senyavin" - that was a successful impromptu, created to solve specific problems in the conditions of the Cold War. The fleet received powerful combat units, in addition to having special capabilities to ensure coordination and control of ship formations.
Photo gallery of command ships
Aft part of the cruiser "Admiral Senyavin"
The command ship of the United States Navy USS La Salle (AGF-3). Launched in 1964 as a landing dock. In 1972 it was converted into a command center. He served in all hot spots of the Cold War, having received from his crew the proud nickname Great White Target (large white target) due to the lack of any weapons (except for two three-inch machines from the Second World War). Sunk during a training exercise in 2007
The command ship of the United States Navy USS Mount Whitney. One of two Blue Ridge-class specialized ships. A hefty vessel with a displacement of 18 thousand tons, launched in 1970. Today in the ranks.
The pride of the Ukrainian Navy is the command ship "Slavutich". Inherited from the USSR. Initial purpose - special transport of nuclear waste on the basis of freezing trawler pr. 1288. Subsequently, it was converted into a command ship.
"Slavutich" from the stern
Control cruiser "Zhdanov"
Visit of a command cruiser of the USSR Navy to a foreign port
