The idea of ​​creating large oceanic ships, the role of the power plant of which would be played by an atomic reactor, has haunted scientists and engineers almost from the moment the first experiments in the field of atomic fission appeared. Of course, most of all the military dreamed of such a thing: unlimited range and a great time of autonomous navigation - what else is needed for happiness? In general, this is exactly how the Kirov cruiser appeared in the USSR.
Prerequisites for creating
In 1961, the US Navy received an unexpected replenishment - the atomic cruiser Long Beach. This led scientists to begin hasty research in the field of creating domestic surface nuclear powered ships. Naturally, such work could not be started right away, and therefore the project officially started only in 1964. During this time, all the necessary theoretical data were obtained. The main task was formulated simply - the creation of a large oceanic ship of the first rank, capable of operating for a long time both offline and as part of large groups, carrying out their support and cover.
Of course, that "just" it was only on paper, since the engineers immediately had to face a huge number of difficulties. So the cruiser “Kirov” can rightfully be considered the real crown of engineering military thought of that period. 1144 (draft) was able to demonstrate to the whole world the true capabilities of the USSR. Ships of this class are still highly respected in the West.
Primary Terms of Reference
Initially, the terms of reference involved the creation of a large anti-submarine ship, the displacement of which would not exceed eight thousand tons. B. Kupensky, who had previously successfully created many anti-submarine vessels (such as the Komsomolets of Ukraine), was immediately appointed curator of the project. The captain of the second rank A. Savin was appointed by the observer from the Navy.
Challenges and Overcoming
Navy Commander S. Gorshkov immediately fell in love with this project and constantly inquired about the progress of work on it. But the creation of a unique ship took quite a long time and was difficult, since the designers had to solve many problems on the go. In particular, almost from the first months of research it turned out that it would be necessary to increase the displacement, since the steam-conducting installation of a dual-circuit reactor simply did not fit into the originally proposed design of the hull. If the engineers were given the go-ahead for this project, the Kirov nuclear-powered cruiser would be three times more than it is now, but the ship is already rather big!
As a result, the project grew to completely indecent values, there was simply no space left for missiles and other weapons. The solution was logical, but difficult: to design a new installation specifically designed for long-range combat ships. Gorshkov’s categorical requirement for the mandatory presence of a power plant using diesel or other organic fuel added to the difficulties. However, everyone agreed immediately and unanimously: the Kirov 1144 cruiser is not a pleasure boat, we always had problems with the location of such vessels (nevertheless, this is not the USA with its enormous reserves of a convenient coast), and the experience of operating such installations was small.
Armed Disputes
From the very beginning, it became clear that the Kirov cruiser would be able to carry out all the tasks assigned to it only if it simply constructed phenomenal combat stability. In simple terms, the ability to repel various types of aggression in all possible conditions. American successes in creating aviation immediately attracted attention: these aircraft would surely become the main threat to the ship. I had to introduce a huge number of anti-aircraft weapons into the design, which would allow us to create a deep, layered missile defense system.
Oddly enough, but anti-ship missiles were introduced into the project far from immediately. The fact is that the USSR simply did not have enough experience in their creation and application. Even the ships we had in those years did not carry serious weapons of this class, which sharply reduced their combat effectiveness in the event of a possible conflict with America. And there, things were much better with anti-ship missiles: they had already begun to massively equip all suitable warships. Thus, it became clear that the future cruiser “Kirov” should become a multi-functional heavy missile cruiser, TAKR.
Design completion
In 1973, the design was completely completed, and the next year the ship was already laid. Since then, the cruiser "Kirov", in 1992 renamed the "Admiral Ushakov", has its history. As you might guess, the construction was slow and not too uniform, since nothing like this had been built before. In 1977 he was launched, another two years were completed in the "floating" mode. Only in 1980 he passed all the tests and was solemnly transferred to the Northern Fleet. In 1984, the construction of Frunze (Admiral Lazarev) was completed, and four years later Kalinin (Admiral Nakhimov) appeared. Well, “Yuri Andropov,” aka “Peter the Great”, could only be transferred to the fleet in 1998.
The uniqueness of the domestic project
Our cruisers of this class in the world certainly do not have analogues: the closest American variant, Virginia, is 2.5 times less in displacement. The Long Beach mentioned above is generally one and a half times less. In addition, these cruisers received the maximum unification with land-based armament models, which theoretically allows replenishing the ammunition at almost any base with coastal defense complexes. However, this is especially noticeable in the example of the second and subsequent ships, since on Kirov these technologies have not yet been sufficiently tested.
Power point
But the main "highlight" is a truly unique nuclear power plant. There are two of them, with a capacity of 70,000 l / s. The engines are powered by turbines that receive energy from diesel plants on the backup power plant. Full speed - up to 30 knots, on reserve engines - at least 14. Engineers managed to halve (compared to the battleship “October Revolution”) crew size. It is made up of 655 people. Of these, 105 have officer ranks, 130 - midshipmen, the rest falls on the rank and file. By the way, the heavy cruiser "Kirov" (like other ships of this series) is still a desirable duty station for sailors. The reason is simple - comfort.
The vessel has comfortable cabins, many single cabins for officers and midshipmen, spacious and comfortable cockpits for ordinary crew. The average city hospital can envy the equipment of a local medical office, and in the gym you can easily maintain excellent physical shape due to the considerable choice of exercise machines. Is it worth mentioning the on-board sauna with pool and several spacious showers? Perhaps, until that time, comfort of this class was available only to submariners, and crews of aircraft carriers.
Missile weapons and armor
The main weapon is the Granit long-range missile system. They are completely autonomous, have a complex approach to the target, and are protected from possible jamming. Ship missile silos are armored, so even with a direct clash with the enemy, the risk of damage to them is minimal. And further. Like other ships of the project 1144, the heavy nuclear cruiser Kirov is unique in having a good reservation.
No, during the Second World War it was not something out of the ordinary, but with the beginning of the rocket era, warships lost their armor. In principle, Soviet engineers would hardly have returned to the "origins", but the situation was special: an atomic cruiser, and even with a supply of serious missile weapons on board! It was impossible to allow any banal blow or other impact to put the ship out of action.
Because of this, the main armored belt that protects the vessel from the stern to the bow has a thickness of 100 mm. Separately protected rocket mines, stocks of diesel fuel, a reactor, a command center, a helicopter hangar.
Characteristics of other weapons
They decided not to get carried away with the air defense systems, leaving well-proven systems. The main artillery weapons are a pair of 100-mm automatic installations with radar detection of potential targets. It must be remembered that the Kirov cruiser of project 1144 was the first and last ship on which this weapon was mounted. After him began to mount a 130-mm artillery paired automatic installations. As a means of self-defense , eight six-barreled automatic guns are used.
Starting with Nakhimov, the artillery and missile systems of self-defense were combined, making the ship's missile defense much more reliable. The target is also detected by radar, but not only artillery, but also missile weapons are aimed at it. We can assume that the Kirov nuclear-powered cruiser has two-level air defense, while on the other ships of the series it is three-level.
Anti-submarine weapons
The Polynom multifunctional sonar system is responsible for detecting enemy submarines. The compartment for its towed external antenna is mounted in the stern of the ship. There is also a “Metel” torpedo launcher (which “Waterfall” replaced on other ships of the series). We note that the Kirov missile cruiser is to some extent protected much weaker than its descendants. This is easily explained: all of them (theoretically) no longer belong to the 1144 project, but the 11441 series, which implies a significant modernization and replacement of updated equipment and weapons directly during construction. Again, only Peter the Great fully meets this requirement.
Subsequent ships have already installed universal missile-bomb systems, which significantly increased the combat stability of these ships. These installations can be used both for firing missiles and torpedoes. Unfortunately, the cruiser "Kirov" (the ship’s photo is in the article) is not well protected, but it is far from defenseless.
Other means to combat enemy submarines
A set of tools to combat potential enemy submarines is complemented by RBU missile and bomb systems (RBU-6000, RBU-1200, RBU-12000 Udav). Unlike previous weapons, they are not intended to attack, but to repel enemy torpedo salvos. Starting with the third cruiser of the series, the effectiveness of these systems was significantly increased due to the installation of the latest examples of anti-submarine weapons on them. In addition, the ship has a helicopter hangar, which can simultaneously hold up to three anti-submarine helicopters.
The Kirov nuclear missile cruiser can carry: Ka-27, Ka-27PS, Ka-31 and Ka-39. It should be noted that they can be used not only in anti-submarine, but also in rescue and search versions, which significantly increases the number of scenarios for the effective use of these ships. For their placement and maintenance, there is not only an armored helicopter hangar, but also individual tanks with a fuel reserve and ammunition depot. This greatly improves the safety of helicopters.
Finally
In recent years, all the remaining cruisers of Project 1144 were equipped with modern electronic warfare equipment, on-board electronics were replaced with new models, which are distinguished by expanded functionality and a high degree of reliability. “Recent” - because Kirov itself was sent for recycling in 1999 ... due to a lack of funds for repairs.
Thus, the nuclear cruiser "Kirov Project" 1144 incorporated all the advanced achievements of Soviet engineering. There is no doubt that TARCs of this type are the best in the whole class and are still very relevant in the vast expanses of the oceans.