In the fall of 1945, the Soviet Union approved a 10-year plan for military shipbuilding. On April 22, 1946, an order was issued to transform the TsKB-17 branch, located on the territory of the present-day Severnaya Verf, into a separate Central Design Bureau under number 53. It is from this date that the history of the Northern Design Bureau, which has been part of United Shipbuilding Corporation.
The activities of the newly formed bureau were aimed at designing destroyers and patrol ships. Almost the entire oceanic fleet of the Soviet Union was created by his specialists, and many of the projects became truly epoch-making. For a number of parameters, they are recognized as the standard in the world shipbuilding. Western experts have repeatedly noted that Russian ships are an excellent example of industrial design, since they combine crushing striking power, excellent protection, the effectiveness of engineering solutions and a dynamically aggressive architectural appearance.
The creation of a modern warship is the labor and intellect of many teams and thousands of specialists in various branches of shipbuilding. And yet the main role in the design of the ship is played by the design bureau, the creator of the engineering structure. And Severnoye PKB has been successfully solving all the tasks assigned to it for 70 years.
WHAT THE FRIGATES SING ABOUT
The bureau's projects were always ahead of their time - almost each of them became a milestone in the history of not only domestic, but also world military shipbuilding, and at the same time the hallmark of the Northern Design Bureau. Today, every new project, created not on drawing boards, but with the help of the most modern computer technology with the use of a computer-aided design system, includes the most advanced technical means and weapons. In total, over the years of the existence of the Northern Design Bureau, about 500 ships and vessels were built according to its projects.
The Northern PKB designed the world's first ship with anti-ship missile weapons (in the terminology of that time "a ship with a rocket weapon") - Project 57-bis destroyer (chief designer - Orest Yakob). Project 58 destroyers were also created there (chief designer - Vladimir Nikitin). Due to the enormous striking power for their time, after construction, they were reclassified into missile cruisers - a completely new class of ships.
Large anti-submarine ships of project 61 (chief designer - Boris Kupensky) became the first large combat surface ships on which gas turbines were used as the main power plant. For the characteristic sound of the power plant operating at full power, they were nicknamed "singing frigates".
The Northern Design Bureau is an unparalleled in the world anti-submarine ships of projects 1134, 1134A, 1134B (chief designers - Vasily Anikiev and Alexander Perkov), 1155 and 11551 (chief designers - Evgeny Tretnikov and Valentin Mishin) and "aircraft carrier killers" - missile cruisers of project 1164 (chief designers - Alexander Perkov and Valentin Mutikhin). The bureau's engineers created Project 956 destroyers with exceptional seaworthiness, armed with anti-ship missile systems and four 130mm universal artillery pieces (chief designers Vasily Anikiev and Igor Rubis), and Project 1135 patrol ships (chief designer Nikolai Sobolev). Nowadays, project 11356, created on their basis, is being built for the Russian fleet.
And finally, the pride of the Russian Navy is the Project 1144 heavy nuclear missile cruiser (chief designer Boris Kupensky). The last in a series of four cruisers "Peter the Great" (project 11442) is the flagship of the Northern Fleet.
As part of the state defense order, work is underway to create a fundamentally new destroyer, documentation is being developed for the repair and modernization of the Admiral Nakhimov heavy nuclear missile cruiser (project 11442M), which is being operated by Sevmash.
BLACK SEA ADMIRALS
Today the bureau is working on the design and construction and delivery of patrol ships and frigates of projects 11356 and 22350. Patrol ships of project 11356 (chief designer - Peter Vasiliev) are being built at the Yantar shipyard of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. The lead ship "Admiral Grigorovich" was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet on March 11, 2016.
Two more ships of the "Admiral" series - "Admiral Essen" and "Admiral Makarov" - will be commissioned by the end of 2016.
The basis of the strike weapons of the patrol ship of this project is a vertical launcher designed for the strike missiles of the "Caliber" complex. The ship is also armed with a 100-mm universal automatic artillery mount, the Shtil-1 anti-aircraft missile system and two six-barreled 30-mm AK-630M mounts. Anti-submarine and anti-torpedo weapons are represented by two torpedo tubes and a rocket launcher.
The creation of the ship was carried out taking into account the stealth technology (stealth technology). In addition, measures have been taken to reduce acoustic signature and protect against weapons of mass destruction.
One of the features of the ship is its main power plant. It consists of four gas turbine engines, but is designed in such a way that the ship can only be propelled by one turbine. This achieves high efficiency of the power plant, increases the resource of its operation. At one time, the decision to build patrol ships of this type caused an ambiguous reaction. A number of experts pointed to the fact that the Russian fleet simultaneously orders two types of patrol ships - 11356 and 22350. However, there are objective reasons for this. First of all, the patrol ships of Project 11356 have been mastered by the domestic industry. Six ships of this project were built for the Indian Navy and are being successfully operated. This greatly reduced the risks when creating ships for the domestic fleet. It should be borne in mind that these ships are intended for the Black Sea Fleet, while the Project 22350 frigates are designed taking into account the operation in the Northern and Pacific fleets.
Project 22350 frigates (chief designer Igor Shramko) are ships of a completely new quality, technology of the XXI century. Their serial construction is carried out at the Severnaya Verf. Project 22350 frigates became the first large surface warships laid down at Russian shipyards after the collapse of the USSR. The lead ship "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" is already undergoing state tests. The frigates "Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov", "Admiral Golovko" and "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Isakov" are in varying degrees of readiness.
The project 22350 multipurpose frigate is equipped with the most modern integrated complexes and weapons systems and provides a highly effective solution to a wide range of combat missions. When designing the ship, elements of stealth technology were widely introduced, which ensured a decrease in the level of physical fields and, accordingly, the ship's visibility in the corresponding ranges. The ship is equipped with highly efficient radar, optoelectronic systems for lighting the air and surface situations, powerful sonar systems, the latest generation of combat information and control systems, modern integrated electronic warfare and jamming systems, as well as communication systems.
The aviation complex provides for the placement of a helicopter and a supply of aviation fuel. The ship is equipped with a highly efficient diesel-gas turbine unit. The control of the power plant, electric power and general ship systems is carried out by an integrated control unit for technical means, equipped with data exchange facilities and being an element of an integrated ship control system.
When designing, great attention was paid to the placement of personnel. The seaworthiness of the frigate allows it to serve in any areas of the World Ocean, but primarily these ships are intended for the Northern Fleet.
BET ON MODULE
Project 22350 frigate "Admiral Gorshkov". Photo courtesy of Severnoye PKB JSC
Another fundamentally new project that is being implemented for the Russian fleet at the Zelenodolsk plant named after V. I. A. M. Gorky, - patrol ships of the far sea zone of project 22160 (chief designer - Alexey Naumov). This is the first Russian ship designed using a modular weapon concept. Part of it is mounted already at the construction stage and does not change during the entire service. Areas and volumes have been reserved, which, during repair or modernization, can be used to accommodate additional weapons. In addition, there are special places for removable modules for various purposes, which can be changed during operation depending on the tasks to be solved. The dimensions of the modules are specially selected for the dimensions of standard shipping containers. A wide variety of equipment and weapons can be installed in them: strike missiles, medical modules, mine action and diving rescue systems, and much more. In addition, a helicopter hangar and a supply of aviation fuel are provided on board. Ships of project 22160 are distinguished by good autonomy and seaworthiness - with a displacement of 2 thousand tons, they will have the same seaworthiness as a frigate of project 11356 that is twice as large in displacement.
SEA BORDERS
The Northern Design Bureau continues to build ships for Russian border guards. At the Almaz shipbuilding company and Vostochnaya Verf, the serial construction of border ships of project 22460 (chief designer - Alexey Naumov) is being carried out.
Seven ships: "Ruby", "Diamond", "Pearl", "Emerald", "Amethyst", "Sapphire" and "Coral" - have already been transferred to the border service, the other five are under construction. It is planned to order two more units of the series. For the creation of the project of this ship, the group of designers was awarded the Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation.
The armament consists of one AK-306 30mm artillery mount and two 12.7mm Kord machine guns. Such a composition of weapons is sufficient to carry out the tasks assigned to ships of the Rubin class.
One of the main features of the project is the aft landing site for a light helicopter of the Ka-226 type or an unmanned aerial vehicle of a helicopter scheme. There is also a multifunctional hangar with a stern slip, which can accommodate special equipment or high-speed rigid-inflatable boats, designed, for example, for the quick delivery of an inspection team to an intruder. All this significantly expands the functionality of small ships. Today one ship of the project is serving in the Caspian Sea, four in the Black Sea and two in the Pacific Ocean. Ships of the "Ruby" class can rightfully be considered a new generation of patrol boats. They have proven themselves in the toughest tests.
3D FUTURE
In the development of all modern projects, the most advanced system of automated three-dimensional modeling FORAN is actively used. The first layouts of three rooms using this technology were made on order 11356. Technological modules of the FORAN system were also purchased, which allow cutting metal for hull structures in automatic and semi-automatic modes and obtaining sketches of pipes for automated pipe bending machines.
The first project, completed with maximum detail in 3D, is the lead frigate of Project 22350. The introduction of 3D design and change management technology based on a 3D model made it possible, for example, to reduce the amount of purchased materials, to reduce by an order of magnitude the number of questions during the construction of the lead order, to ensure rational and convenient placement of mechanisms and systems in the hull, high maintainability of the ship, tight deadlines for its design and high rates of construction.
To interact with the construction plant on various issues, an electronic book of questions and answers has been developed. The messaging format made it possible to automate communications and increase the efficiency of decision-making. In 2015, a project for the exchange of design data between the bureau and the construction plant through a secure channel was implemented. This allowed the operational group of the bureau at the factories in Severodvinsk and Zelenodolsk to remain in a single information space with the designers in St. Petersburg. In the future, this will provide an opportunity to create a unified information environment with the construction plant.
LESSONS OF GEOGRAPHY
The topic of foreign trade cooperation of the bureau with foreign customers deserves special attention. Since 1957, ships designed at the Northern Design Bureau have been supplied to Bulgaria, Poland, the German Democratic Republic, Egypt, Indonesia, Finland and the PRC. Among them are destroyers of projects 30-bis (30BA, 30BK), 31 and 56A, as well as patrol ships of project 50. Some of them were built in the PRC according to the documentation of TsKB 53.
Cooperation with the Republic of India should be especially noted. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the creation of the Indian surface navy is largely due to the specialists of the Northern Design Bureau. In 1974-1976, on the basis of the domestic project 61M, the bureau developed the frigate 61ME (chief designer - Alexander Shishkin). The lead frigate of the Rajput series was delivered to the customer in 1981, and the last (five ships in total) in 1987. The ships of the 61ME project are now undergoing modernization, which consists in equipping them with the Indian-Russian BrahMos anti-ship complex, as well as modern anti-aircraft missile systems.
At the request of the Indian government, the Northern Design Bureau, together with representatives of the Navy, determined the composition of Soviet-made weapons and military equipment for installation on ships designed in India. At the customer's shipyards, with the technical assistance of the Russian side, ships of projects 15, 15A, 16, 16A, 25 and 25A were built and handed over to the fleet. Since 1999, the Northern Design Bureau provided technical assistance in the creation by Indian specialists of the project 17 ship. The transfer of the lead frigate Shivalik to the Indian Navy took place on April 21, 2010. Such ships will become the backbone of the Indian fleet in the first half of the 21st century. In the late 90s, technical documentation was developed for a new frigate of Project 11356 for the Indian fleet (chief designer - Vilyor Perevalov). Subsequently, Indian sailors were given two series of three ships each.
In 1999, the patrol and patrol ship of the PS-500 project (chief designer - Valentin Mutikhin) was transferred to the naval forces of the Republic of Vietnam. In the 90s, in an extremely difficult time for our country, all these orders played a huge role not only for the bureau, but also for the domestic shipbuilding industry as a whole, allowing us to retain qualified engineering and labor personnel. The main merit in this belongs to Vladimir Yukhnin, who at that time held the post of chief and chief designer of the Northern Design Bureau.
Created by specialists from the Northern PKB and the basis of the naval forces of the People's Liberation Army of China. In the late 1980s, a naval doctrine began to be developed in this country. China needed modern technology that it did not possess. This also applied to naval technology.
In 1999-2000, the PRC received two Project 956 destroyers, modified according to Project 956E (chief designer - Igor Rubis). The first ship made an unprecedented crossing of 13 seas and three oceans. At the same time, all the equipment behaved impeccably. As a result of successful cooperation, in January 2002, a new contract was signed for the supply of two more destroyers of Project 956EM (chief designer - Valentin Mishin). The ships were built and handed over to the Chinese Navy in 2005 and 2006. At the end of February 2001, a contract was signed for the provision of technical assistance for the installation of weapons and equipment complexes on the Chinese destroyers of Project 052B. The theme was named "968". A large number of systems installed on ships of Project 956 were used on the ships, in this regard, in the West, it was dubbed "Chinese modern". The collaboration was completed in 2005. The project 052B ship became a platform for the design of the already Chinese destroyer of the 052C project. In April 2002, an intergovernmental agreement and a contract were signed for the provision of technical assistance for the installation of Russian equipment on the Chinese destroyers of Project 051C.
In 2004-2005, by order of Kazakhstan, the bureau developed a project for a supply boat of project 22180 (chief designer - Alexey Naumov), designed to deliver cargo and personnel to the Caspian drilling platforms.
STRONG LINK
Along with designing ships for the military fleet, the Northern Design Bureau continues to develop ship designs for the civilian fleet.
Currently, the most promising and science-intensive work in this direction is the creation of projects of ships for the transportation of liquefied natural gas. Technical and conceptual designs of gas carriers of various capacities using different cargo storage systems were completed (chief designer - Dmitry Kiselev). The ships, created by the designers of the bureau, carry out their difficult service in all fleets of the World Ocean and adequately ensure the defense capability of Russia.
As one of the essential links in the structure of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the Northern Design Bureau supports and shares its plan for the further development of the domestic shipbuilding industry, the intensification of technical progress in the field of naval weapons and the formation of Russia as a great maritime power.
