The ship "Shrewd" is the only active vessel of the domestic fleet of all the developments of the project 61. For the Soviet Union, the "sixty first" were considered truly revolutionary products among the existing BOD. A distinctive feature of these ships was a multi-mode gas turbine installation. In the fleet, the “sixty-first” were baptized by singing frigates for the melodious whistling of gas turbines and the elegance of the silhouette. For the USSR Navy, ships of Project 61 were a kind of calling card.
Short story
TFR was built in Nikolaev and on September 25, 1969, replenished the flotilla. Since then, the ship “Shrewd” took part in numerous exercises, armed conflict, transported the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called and was involved in many other events. Despite its age, TFR still has something to snap. Eight launch containers of the Uran missile anti-ship complex were installed on board the ship.
In September 18, 2015, SKM Smetlivy, carrying the number 810 on board, after being repaired at the thirteenth ship repair plant, was part of the 30th division of the Black Sea Fleet. The group entered the Mediterranean Sea for military service from Sevastopol.
With the start of the Russian VKS operation in Syria as part of a flotilla led by the cruiser Moscow and the watchtowers Pytlyny and Ladny, the anti-submarine ship Smetlivy participated in exercises on the Syrian coast, which grew into patrols between Syria and Cyprus. The group provided air defense of Latakia and Tartus from the coastal direction. The convoy of the Syrian Express ships was also carried out.
The relics of St. Andrew
The watchful ship "Shrewd" took part in an international event. And he went into the Greek ports of Lafada and Corfu. During the call at the port of Patras on September 22, Metropolitan of Patras handed over the ark with the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called as a gift to the Black Sea Fleet. By order of the Foundation for the preservation of the sacred relic, an ark was made, which is located in the Sevastopol church of the Archangel Michael. This was facilitated by Fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Vitko. After the events, the ship continued to perform tasks in the Mediterranean as part of the Russian Navy.
Modern weapons
Russian ships of project 1155 were equipped with modern weapons. Deep modernization was not advisable, but still further improvement is being gradually carried out. The main direction of modernization is to equip modern weapons. Updated ships are able to last even more than ten years after repair.
Today, the Navy includes eight large vessels of Project 1155 and one built according to the advanced program 1155.1. In addition to the latter, ships of this type are equipped with anti-submarine systems and air defense systems without cruise missiles that hit coastal and surface targets.
Russian-Turkish relations
On the morning of December 13th, regular events occurred that contributed to the formation of today's Russian-Turkish relations. The Black Sea Fleet’s ship, “Ancestor”, anchored off the coast of Lemnos at a distance of twelve nautical miles, was forced to fire a warning shot in the direction of the Turkish seiner “Balik Hechitsiler Chilik” to avoid a collision. This event intensified the tension in interstate relations that arose on November 24, 2015 after the attack of our Su-24 bomber by the Turkish Air Force in Syria.
Theoretically, SKR was able to launch a gas turbine unit within ten minutes and move forward. But, according to the Ministry of Defense, the anchor was at the bottom at this time. If at the same time the ship was on alert, then it could only be anchored for 15-20 minutes. Our TFR clearly did not have the opportunity to launch or withdraw from the anchor so that the collision would not occur. Seiner, at its usual speed, would have sailed to an anti-submarine ship in just three minutes.
Warning shot
Having no opportunity to leave the course of the Turkish ship on their own, the commanders of the ship "Shrewd" attempted to attract attention. Messages were sent on the radio, visual warning light semaphore, as well as flares. Seiner did not respond, despite the efforts made by the TFR crew.
It was not possible to avoid a collision. Seiner did not go off course. In this situation, the ship's commanders ordered a warning shot. In accordance with the order in the direction of movement of the seiner from six hundred meters, several shots were fired by a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a machine gun.
The Turkish ship abruptly changed direction, and then simply left the scene. The "smart" immediately reported aboard the flagship "Moscow". The cruiser relayed the message to the capital of the Russian Federation.
Possible reasons
After reviewing all available information, it will be advisable to inquire about the reasons that prompted the seiner to take such risky actions. Since the motivation of Turkish fishermen remains unknown, one can only speculate. It remains to simply list some possible reasons. One of them may be a banal lack of professionalism of the crew of a fishing vessel.
Perhaps the reason lies in the desire of the Turkish side to push the patrol ship “Shrewd” with a seiner. This incident can be used as an excuse to block the straits for the movement of our ships. Also, the possibility of the connection of this event with the Turkish special services conducting their operations is not ruled out. The fact is that a fishing seiner was quite often seen near NATO military marinas in the Mediterranean.
The testimonies of military sailors indicate that there were a lot of electronic equipment on board the Turkish boat. This is not normal for a fishing vessel. It is also possible that a third party had a hand in increasing tension between Russia and Turkey. It will be possible to shed light on the real causes of this event only after an investigation has been conducted.
Not the first time
Russian ships have repeatedly become parties to conflicts with Turkish courts. So, in September 25, 1985, the P325 missile boat flying the Turkish flag began to impede the maneuvering of the Soviet training vessel of the 1st rank “Hassan” during the passage through the Bosphorus. The training ship eventually rammed the boat and cut it into two parts. The bow of the P325 capsized and 5 crew members died. Local authorities detained the ship "Hassan" until the circumstances were clarified, the guilt of the command of the Turkish boat was proved very quickly.
One day our submarine on the return trip was nearly rammed by a tugboat, which managed to jump out onto the fairway of military ships at the wrong time. The reason for this was the need for the captain to leave for a latrine, and his assistant at that moment just needed to go for cigarettes. The intern stayed at the helm. They indicated the course to him, but did not say how long it takes to go on it. The intern went exactly in the direction indicated, until he nearly rammed the side of the submarine.
I've had worse
If we look at the history of the Black Sea Fleet, the incident at Lemnos cannot be called something extraordinary. Events happened more serious than those in which the watchful ship "Shrewd" participated. The condition of the crew members and the moral and psychological situation on board after what happened, of course, are in perfect order.
The incident is far from unique. At the same time, it is possible that the “Shrewd” ship could be lost as a result of Turkey’s next attempt to “answer” Russia for obstructing oil supplies from Syria captured by ISIS terrorists. This incident will only aggravate our relationship. It is difficult to understand the reasons for this behavior of the Turkish side. Perhaps the further development of events will shed light on many questions.
Conclusion
The anti-submarine ship Smetlivy is the last active development of the Soviet project 61. The designers did everything possible to prepare the TFR for service in modern conditions. For this, new weapons were installed on board. Further partial modernization of the patrol ship with tail number 810 is gradually carried out. Designers do not see the need for a complete replacement of parts. Many outdated components function normally. The ship is equipped with modern radio equipment and shows itself perfectly, even in comparison with some new frigate models.