The world's largest warship was constructed in Russia. This reconnaissance vessel was called the Ural.
The unique development has become a real disaster for the domestic fleet. It all started with a number. Surprisingly, 1941 was chosen from hundreds of combinations. It is not even worth explaining what associations these numbers cause in millions of people. Mystery is a matter or not, but the Ural project, which was spent on more than one billion Soviet rubles, ultimately did not bring any benefit.
What was it for?
To understand why Soviet designers created the world's largest warship, let us turn our eyes to the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. It is there that the top-secret American training ground is located, where intercontinental ballistic missiles of the MX and Minimen type, launching from California for testing, land. Since 1983, this place has played the role of one of the research centers of the United States, implementing a strategic defense initiative. The idea of its creation belongs to Ronald Reagan, who planned to disarm the Soviet Union. Soon, missiles were launched from this training ground, the purpose of which was to intercept and destroy Soviet nuclear warheads. Telemetry of such trials could shed light on the intrigues of Reagan, but how could they be obtained? Civilian ships like the “Academician Korolev” or “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” were not suitable for reconnaissance purposes. Although these vessels were equipped with special control and measuring systems for observing space objects, they could not obtain intelligence about what was happening at the above-described base in Kwajalein.
The main reason was that they did not have functioning radars and only received signals sent by domestic satellites. That is why the idea came up to build a powerful warship capable of catching all available information about any subcosmic object on any part of the trajectory in all areas of the oceans. So there was a project under number 1941 - "Titan". It was developed on the basis of the Leningrad Design Bureau under the name Iceberg, and they built a ship at the Ordzhonikidze Baltic Plant.
Painstaking work
In order to create the world's largest warship, equipped with the latest technology, powerful electronics were needed, otherwise collecting a huge amount of information about the test launches of American missiles was not possible. Eighteen ministries worked on the creation of the necessary equipment for the Urals, with the active participation of their own design bureaus and research institutes. To equip the ship with equipment, specialists from the Leningrad Production and Technical Enterprise, created for this purpose, were involved.
Labor results
The world's largest warship was equipped with a powerful Coral surveillance system. It was based on seven highly efficient electronic complexes. Information was processed by computers unique at that time. They provided the opportunity to decipher the characteristics of any space objects at a distance of up to one and a half thousand kilometers. According to the creators, the composition of the exhaust gases of moving objects, the crew of the Urals was able to determine the secret components of the fuel. In addition, the largest Russian warship possessed outstanding defensive characteristics. So, he was equipped with artillery, approximately corresponding to the destroyer's armament. The ammunition was enough for at least twenty minutes of continuous combat. Aft there was an aircraft hangar in which the Ka-32 helicopter was waiting in the wings.
Crew of a combat vehicle
To manage the Urals, a team of a thousand people was needed, of which at least four hundred midshipmen and officers. At the same time, it was supposed to divide the crew of the intelligence complex into six services.
The designers took care of the conditions for the rest of the ship's crew. So, in the Urals, a smoking room, a cinema and a gym, a billiard room, slot machines, a pool and two saunas, as well as a nature salon were provided.
Naturally, to accommodate the equipment and everything else, a housing of appropriate sizes was needed. The design of project 1144 "Kirov" (nuclear missile cruiser) was taken as the basis. As a result, the Urals boasted two football fields long and from keel to klotik with a twenty-eight-story house!
Big plans
The hopes placed on the “Urals” by the USSR Ministry of Defense were simply enormous. This is evidenced by the fact that after the completion of the work, the chief designer of the project, Arkharov, who was not connected in any way with military service, was awarded the title not only Hero of Socialist Labor, but also Rear Admiral.
The launch of the Urals took place in 1983. Six years later, he entered the combat structure of the Navy of the USSR. In the same year, the ship went to its permanent base in the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
At first everything went well. The crew successfully tested all the possibilities of unique equipment. The Urals easily discovered the launching American space shuttle Columbia, located a thousand kilometers away. The ship received more and more information about the movements of military equipment of the enemy. However, working with constantly failing systems was very difficult. The situation was aggravated when the Urals arrived in Pacific - to the place of permanent deployment.
The first trip of the unique ship turned out to be the last. A berth wall was not prepared for him, so it was not possible to supply electricity, fuel, or water from the shore. Boilers and diesel generators of the Urals never shut down, reducing precious motor resources, which were supposed to be spent only during the campaigns. We can say that the ship "ate" itself. In addition, in 1990, a fire broke out in the Urals, as a result of which the aft engine room failed. For more than a year, the bow was replenished with electricity, but then it burned out. After that, only emergency generators were the only energy sources. Funds for repair were not found.
Inglourious End
In 1992, the ship’s nuclear reactors were shut down. He was put at a remote pier and turned into a huge officer dormitory. SSV-33 “Ural” was caustically called a cabin carrier, and the abbreviation was deciphered as a “special sleeping car”.
Current state of affairs
Russian warships fully comply with the classification adopted in the world. Morally obsolete vessels are replaced by modernized models. The fleet is constantly being improved.
Admiral Kuznetsov
The largest warships of Russia, of course, are represented by the class of aircraft carriers. The pride of the fleet is the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov. Seventy meters wide decks accommodate fifty helicopters and various types of aircraft. The hull is armored. He is able to withstand a direct hit of a charge weighing up to four hundred kilograms.
"Peter the Great"
Russian warships join the ranks of cruisers. So, the Peter the Great strike rocket ship embodies the power of the modern fleet. Its nuclear power plant is designed for fifty years of operation. This is the flagship of the Northern Fleet - a thunderstorm of strike air groups. A speed of thirty-two knots can be infinitely maintained during a course at a nuclear installation. The crew’s autonomous life support is enough for sixty days.
The strike complexes of cruise missiles are designed for a range of more than five hundred kilometers. A truly unique group guidance system: it was built on a multivariate intelligent control algorithm.
"Varangian"
Modern warships are represented by another powerful cruiser - “Varyag”. It is similar to the American missile ships of the Ticonderoga series, however, it develops great speed and is characterized by impressive firepower.
The latest warships will soon be represented by a class of universal landing ships. Russian experts plan to launch these new products closer to 2020. In the process of creating more and more improved corvettes and frigates.
The largest warships such as the "Guardian" provide confidence in the forces of the Navy. Russian ships are becoming world leaders in the following indicators: the presence of airborne aviation, the versatility of tasks, firepower, autonomy, state-of-the-art electronics, and excellent driving performance.
Most modern projects have a low cost of creation and operation, which is in line with global trends. According to statistics, at present, the number of the Russian fleet is at least two hundred units. Unfortunately, some ships are physically and mentally outdated, do not meet the latest requirements of naval combat, need modernization, or at least repair. In addition, hydrographic services, marine units and support vessels require additional funding.
The largest sailing warship
Santisima Trinidad is a true giant among sailing warships. He was launched in Havana back in 1769. He was listed in the Spanish fleet for thirty-five years. The entire hull of the ship was made of very durable expensive material - Cuban red wood. The thickness of the sides reached sixty centimeters, which made the ship almost unsinkable.
The armament of this marine giant consisted of one hundred and thirty guns of various calibers. After the modernization, there were already one hundred and forty-four most powerful guns at that time on the deck. The crew of the ship included from eight hundred to one thousand two hundred people.
Important mission
During the American Revolutionary War, Santisima-Trinidad was tasked with scaring off British ships in the English Channel. During the battle near Cape St. Vincent, the ship miraculously escaped English captivity.
Final chord
The last for Santisima-Trinidad was the Battle of Trafalgar. It was the nineteenth century's largest amphibious sailing battle. The described ship played the role of the flagship of the French-Spanish forces. The leading British vessel was Victoria. It concentrated all its power on Santisima-Trinidad as the most dangerous opponent. Eight British battleships attacked the ship at the same time. Each of them had at least seventy-two guns, but they could not cope with the assigned task: the Santisima-Trinidad remained afloat. The huge ship was boarded after about four hundred crew members were wounded and about the same number were killed. Two days after the end of the battle, the ship was decided to sink. So the unique creation of human hands went into oblivion.