Built at the Leningrad plant under number 419, the control cruiser Zhdanov was named after a prominent socialist figure. This ship is known for its voyages, the courage of the crew and the skilful guidance of the ship's captain. For those interested, the characteristics of this ship, built according to the successful 68-bis project, seem especially curious.
How it all began
The famous Soviet cruiser survived its first festival in January 1953 - on the 25th it solemnly raised the flag of the power fleet. The construction took place with the participation of the commander of the eighth compound of the KBF. The ship is assigned to the Tallinn base. The ship was built by the Leningrad 189th plant named after Ordzhonikidze. Vehicles released under 419th number. The name was chosen in honor of the famous Soviet figure, born in the nineteenth century and who died in 1948. Zhdanov during his political career was the secretary of the regional committee of the CPSU (b) in Leningrad. The acceptance certificate for the vessel was issued on the last December day of 1952. From this moment the ship is in service.
Although the port of registry of the cruiser "Zhdanov" was Tallinn, this does not mean that the ship was here all the time. The first distant passage in the history of the ship occurred in 1957, when in the fall a light ship was sent to Yugoslavia. Syria was also visited during the voyage, after which the cruiser returned. The crew of the ship successfully completed all the tasks assigned to it. As a result of the event, staff discipline, exceptional training of all staff, and organizational skills of the management team were noted. All sailors, foremen, officers who became participants in this campaign of 1957 received a special badge confirming participation in the distant sea passage.
The story goes on
The date of launching the cruiser Zhdanov is considered to be December 27, 1950, and from that moment the glorious history of the ship and its crew began. Fifteen years after the first appearance in the native element, the cruiser was sent to the factory docks. According to the program, it was planned to re-equip the ship, repair it on an average scale, and slightly modernize it. The ship was built according to the project 68 bis, but the modernization was expected such that, based on its results, the ship could be considered a type 68-U1, that is, a full-fledged control cruiser. In 1971, the ship successfully passed the autumn tests at the plant; closer to the beginning of winter, they organized state tests, which were also successfully passed by the machine and its personnel.
Since 1971, the project 68 bis cruiser has been finally retrained in the switchgear. From this moment, the ship is used to control the forces of the fleet and its resources. The cruiser is designed for the commander of the connection and is equipped with everything necessary for constant communication with personnel. At the same time, equipment was installed for data collection, analysis and storage. The ship was equipped with the most advanced communications equipment for that year, including satellite.
The completion of the history of the ship
The cruiser, built according to the “68 bis” project, then converted into the switchgear, has been deprived of its former name obtained in honor of the party leader since the second month of 1989. From this moment on, the ship is called “KRU 101”. The beginning of the summer of that year was marked by a transfer to reserve forces. The crew transfers the ammunition to the responsible organizations, escorts the car to Troitskaya Bay, where it will have to defend. In December of the same year, the Defense Ministry issued an order in which it noted the unsatisfactory condition of the ship. At the same time, the country's authorities acknowledge that it is not possible to further use the vessel as a switchgear. From this moment on, the 101st ship was expelled from the combat structure of the Soviet flotilla. In the near future it should be handed over for scrapping.
An order according to which a ship equipped with advanced equipment and a satellite navigation system was expelled from the Navy was signed on 05/10/1990. An official document came out under the visa of Kasatonov. Issued by number 0163. From this moment, work begins on the complete disarmament of the vessel, the elimination of equipment and technical support. By mid-October, everything was ready for the descent of the flag, which happened on 10.24.1990. From that moment, the crew serving the cruiser was disbanded. It was decided to sell vehicles for scrap. The deal was made with a foreign interested company, scrapping was supposed in India.
About options
Most people who are keen on the fleet are interested in the basic characteristics of the Zhdanov cruiser. According to documentation that has reached us, the displacement reached 17,890 tons. The ship traveled at a speed of up to 32 knots, that is, it traveled a little less than 60 km per hour. The total range of the transitions reached nine thousand miles (about 17,000 km). The staff totaled 1083 units. The engine system is with two shafts. The ship was equipped with two turbo-gear systems designed in accordance with the standard project TV-7.
The ship reached 210 m in length, the draft was estimated at 730 cm, and its width was almost 23 m. The total power when moving forward in accordance with the design documentation of the transport was 124.1 thousand horsepower, for the rear direction the parameter reached 27 thousand.
Weapon
The armament of the cruiser "Zhdanov" for its time was quite powerful. Three towers built according to the MK-5BIS project were put on the ship. Each was calculated on three guns. The caliber of the artillery system is 152 mm. Also installed 6 x 2 universal gun systems with a caliber of 100 mm. As antiaircraft artillery, 12 * 2 artillery installations, designed by the M3A B11 project, were made. Caliber - 37 mm. Finally, 4 * 2 installations according to the project AK-230, caliber - 30 mm.
Additionally, the ship was equipped with Wasp missile launchers.
Dates & Events
As indicated above, for the first time the flag on a ship was raised on 01/25/1953. Exactly one year after this event, Kuznetsov, who at that time held the position of commander in chief of the country's fleets, arrived on a cruiser named after Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov. Two years after raising the flag, the ship is officially credited to the combined fleet of the Baltic. It takes a little less than a year after this moment, and in November, the transport participates in a rescue operation - the personnel of the submarine Revenge need help. A year later, the first long sea voyage begins. The cruiser was sent to it, accompanied by the "Free". The vessel is advancing under the direction of Gavrilov. The flag of Kotov was raised on transport. First, the Yugoslav settlement of Split was visited, the visit took place on September 12-18. From the 21st day of the same month, the cruiser is in Syrian Latania.
Named in honor of the political Soviet figure Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov, transport was mothballed for the first time in the spring of 1960, this period lasts until February 1965. At this time, the ship is still in the port of registry, it belongs to the reserve. Since the beginning of March, transport has been re-opened and put into the list of ships that are constantly ready for operation in battle conditions. In October of the same year, sailing from the home base to Sevastopol begins. The route runs around the European powers. The ship moves under the command of Maximov. In December of the same year, repair work began at Sevmorzavod, as a result of which the ship will be improved with the latest technologies.
New days and new milestones
On one of the cold November days of 1970, the crew of the cruiser "Zhdanov" had the honor to welcome representatives of SMEs, GUK, and the General Staff of the Russian Federation on their territory. The ship also honored with his attention Gorshkov, who at that time held the post of commander in chief. In May of the following year, tests begin, which the vessel successfully passes by September of the same year, and from October it was decided to switch to state tests. November 27 draw up an acceptance certificate, from the end of the year change the class and status of transport. From that moment on, the crew was under the control of Proskuryakov, Kornikov was his deputy for political work, and Shakun was taken as the senior clerk. The complete re-equipment ends by the beginning of the last month of 1971. From this moment, transport has the most modern satellite navigation system and technology for receiving and processing a huge amount of information.
In mid-January of next year, transport re-visited the highest ranks of the Navy. The inspection is under the control of the Chief of the General Staff Sergeev. Since April of this year, the ship has been transferred to the 150th brigade of large ships equipped with missiles. In August, the ship moves to the North Sea base. The first autumn month was marked by participation in KSHU on the topic of communications. After completing the exercises, the cruiser becomes the venue for the organization of the meeting. The event takes place under the control of Gorshkov and unites all the highest ranks of the sovereign flotilla. A month later, the ship leaves the port of location, accompanied by several ships, including submarines. Transport has everything you need to overcome the defense lines in Gibraltar and near the Faroe Islands of Iceland. The ships are sent to serve in the Mediterranean Sea. One day, a severe storm broke out at sea, which caused the overload of an officer of the representative set on the destroyer bound for Conakry. The uniqueness of the event is that the wake operation was carried out without stopping the course of transport. According to official reports, at that moment the wind blew at a speed of up to 35 m / s, the waves were estimated at seven points. The transition was commanded by the Captain.
The story goes on
In November 1972, the cruiser "Zhdanov" took over the staff of the fifth naval allied squadron, which at that time was controlled by Volobuev. The personnel switched to the vessel from the Victor Kotelnikov floating base. Subsequently, the headquarters was again transferred to the base, and by the second of December the cruiser returned to Sevastopol, where repair work began in mid-January. On the 25th of the same year, they celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the first flag-raising on the ship. The event was celebrated with the release of a commemorative medal. Repair work was completed by the third of February, and on the fifth of March the ship again went into free waves, heading for the Atlantic. Military exercises and training exercises were organized with the participation of aviation and the involvement of other navigational facilities. Partially, the exercises took place in extremely difficult conditions of the North Atlantic storms.
Once again, the battle cruiser "Zhdanov" set off on May 16. This voyage lasted until the ninth of August. About a hundred sailors and several foremen fell under a special order issued by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, in accordance with which they were forced to serve three months longer than originally intended. Three days after the start of this voyage, the control of the fifth squadron boarded the ship. On the last day of May, the headquarters transferred to the Grozny ship, while Zhdanov was ordered to follow the Atlantic to provide Brezhnev with communications - at that moment the secretary general was supposed to fly to New York, to Cuba, and then to France. The political situation changed, which required the ship to cover 1240 miles in the direction of Faroe. The average speed in this period reached 26 knots. The government officials held the return route through Paris, which required a new traverse, already in the direction of the Azores.
Dates and numbers: events in history
As is known from the logbook of the cruiser "Zhdanov", on the first July day of 1973, warrant officer Nikitin was forced to dive into the Atlantic waters in a diving suit at the time of the yoke of Gibraltar. The reason was the need to urgently clean the screws around which three cables were wound, lost at the time of refueling from the tanker. After completion of the operation, the ship lay on a course to the Mediterranean Sea in order to provide staff needs. On the 27th of the same month, the ship entered the Egyptian port. The ship was on full alert due to the approach of the Arab-Israeli military forces. The operation was carried out under the control of Captain Proskuryakov. In September of that year, the cruiser became a participant in the parade dedicated to the thirtieth anniversary of the liberation of Novorossiysk. As part of this celebration, the locality receives the status of a hero city.
From the end of October to the second half of December, the cruiser Zhdanov is in Novorossiysk docks. In May and June of the following year, he becomes the object of interest of Gorshkov, the Commander-in-Chief personally visits the ship. On the 27th, the ship will have a new voyage. For five months, the ship takes headquarters, provides commanding personnel with all types of communications. Especially important are its functions in the light of the events taking place in Cyprus at that time - the invasion of Turkish troops and a military coup. On the last day of August, the ship calls at the Egyptian port of Alexandria, where it remains for six days. The headquarters is under the control of Akimov, the cruiser is commanded by Proskuryakov.
Combat missions and holidays
In the last month of 1974, the ship sailed to Sevastopol, sent to the factory, where experts examine its condition. The cruiser "Zhdanov" gets first place among all the floating vehicles at the disposal of the 150th RP. Since the end of March 1975, the ship has been carrying out combat missions, and since April 10, has been participating in the training program. The main complex maneuver of exercises is the firing of artillery of the largest caliber in night darkness through the formation of their ships. In May of the same year, the ship took part in a visit to Yugoslav Split, accompanied by the ships Skryy and Srezhenny. In July of that year, the cruiser sailed to Toulon, accompanied by the "Red Crimea". July 27, in honor of the Navy’s Day in Sevastopol, “Zhdanov” is appointed the master of the holiday, and the ship receives the Kuban representation of the party and government.
In August 1975, the cruiser receives a pioneer camp. Children are given boat trips. A little time passes, and from mid-May 1976, the ship again goes to military service in the Mediterranean Sea. From July 13-17, he is in Tartus, the Syrian port, where he makes a business visit. On the 23rd, a meeting with the Kiev ship was planned and implemented. In August, the ship was urgently transported to the conflict area of the Krasnogvardeets submarine and the USS FF-1047 Voge. The boat, guarded by the cruiser and the ship "Courageous", moves to Kitaru, where he receives the necessary assistance.
Life, work and service
In 1977, Zhdanov received representatives of the Ukrainian SSR, deputies of the USSR Armed Forces. In the fall of the same year, an average repair begins, during which the transport receives the latest navigation systems. Since 1981, it has been reckoned among the vessels that must constantly be on alert. At the beginning of 1982, the cruiser happened to serve in the Mediterranean Sea. Just then the ship is both a signalman and a drummer. In particular, the crew is forced to monitor the movements of the aircraft carrier Nimitz. In the summer of 1982, Zhdanov was responsible for providing Syria with air defense. In January 1983, a new commemorative badge dedicated to the thirty years of the cruiser was released in the homeland of the ship. In April of the same year, Shakun left his post, eight years as the commander of the ship. His position is occupied by Ryzhenko.
In 1984, the ship again serves in the Mediterranean Sea, enters Tripoli on a business trip, participates in military exercises. The ship will be in combat conditions for the last time in May 1985. The service lasts until the penultimate September day of the same year. By the thirty-fifth anniversary of the ship in 1988, a commemorative badge was issued, and a year later the ship was deprived of its name. He makes his last journey on November 27, 1991. The ship could not move on its own; it was transported by the Shakhtar tugboat for scrapping.