Looks like the Peter the Great made it through...

Peter the Great apparently made an uneventful transit through the Suez Canal. Meanwhile, the Moskva is supposed to make a port call in Muscat, Oman on 24 April en route exercises in the Indian Ocean and eventual participation in Vostok-2010.

In other deployment news, the escort ships Yaroslav Mudriy and Neustrashimyy along with the tanker Olekma returned to their Baltic Fleet base in Baltiysk. The Yaroslav Mudriy was in the Mediterranean on her first deployment when the Neustrashimyy joined her as the Neustrashimyy was returning from her duty off the Horn of Africa.

Do the Russians Have OPTAR to Burn or What?

Northern and Black Sea Fleet ships will carry out joint exercises in the Med.

A Northern Fleet strike group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov will leave Severomorsk and head for the Mediterranean Sea for exercises with ships of the Black Sea fleet led by the missile cruiser Moskva.

The ships will conduct a month long exercise simulating battle between two strike groups.

"The main goal of the deployment - resolution of operational-strategic tasks and showing the St. Andrew's flag in foreign ports", RIA Novosti quoted sources in the Navy Headquarters.

The Northern Fleet strike group will be on deployment for three months.

Comment: This is pretty big if it happens - when was the last time the Russians had THREE battle groups at sea at once? Plus they're establishing what looks like an East Africa station. Plus they are talking with the Libyans about building a base in Tripoli.

Have the Russians forgotten that oil is closer to $60/bbl and not $120/bbl?

Peter the Great Update: Avast Ye Scurvy Dogs and Prepare to Be Boarded!

Gist: Board a captured ship and free the hostages alive. This is what Marine Spetznaz practiced today aboard ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Spetznaz repelled out a KA-27 and boarded the hijacked ship, which was played by the Peter the Great. The Northern Fleet ships have joined with ships from the Baltic and Black Sea fleets on their way to exercises with Venezuela. They also practiced a medevac from one of the tankers and Marines practiced hand to hand combat. They will conduct a demonstration in one of the foreign ports.

Peter the Great Update: PtG Enters the Med

Nothing in here worth gisting, just nice video of the Straits of Gibraltar while the Peter the Great steams toward Tripoli, Libya.

Peter the Great Update: The Pillars of Hercules

The Peter the Great prepares for an "historic first", the entry into the Med by the Russian Navy flagship:



Gist: After traveling 6000km across the rough Atlantic, the Peter the Great prepares to enter the Med for a port call in Tripoli, Libya.

Cut to a meeting of the Navigation planning meeting where Nav Department is discussing the details of the entry into the Med through the Stratits of Gibraltar. The flag navigator explains to the rest of the navigation department how the straits are 65km long and that there are certain international rules they must follow while transiting the straits. They are not allowed to anchor out, carry out repairs or reduce speed and the task force must proceed at regular intervals in a line ahead formation. The straits are busy and 120 vessels a day proceed through the area. Unedifying interview with the navigator and commentary follows.

Cut to a shot of the crew watching a broadcast of TV Zvezda on the TV for some random reason.

First Look - Weekend Edition

Forward to the Med!

The Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Escort Ship (SKR) “Ladnyy” is taking part in joint task force operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Together with the NATO ships, the SKR “Ladnyy”, commanded by Captain 2nd Rank Aleksandr Shvarts, will track ships suspected of participating in terrorism, transporting weapons of mass destruction and means for their delivery, illegal maritime transport of narcotics and other activities. After preparations at base and learning the NATO governing documents, the SKR “Ladnyy” will conduct integration procedures and will be accepted into the order of battle of the Standing NATO Forces Mediterranean.

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It is worth noting that the “Ladnyy” successfully participated in a similar operation last year…


Russian MRKs in Belgium

The crews of two small missile ships (MRK) “Passat” and “Zyb’” met with the permanent Russian representative to NATO Dmitriy Rogozin and the chief military representative to NATO HQ Vice Admiral Valentin Kuznetsov in the port of Zebrugge, Belgium.

The ships arrived in port 28 June and were invited by the Commander in Chief of the Belgian Navy, Admiral Jan-Paul Robins to take part in an international naval festival.



Black Sea Fleet Ships Conduct Exercises at Sea

Tactical training took place in the central regions of the Black Sea under the command of the Black Sea Fleet Chief of Staff Aleksandr Troyan. During the exercises held in the past week, various aspects of the Black Sea Fleet participated including anti-submarine and strike forces, surface ships and aviation. Auxiliary ships supported the exercises.

The Escort Ship “Ladnyy”, small anti-submarine ships “Suzalets”, “Muromets” and “Aleksandrovets”, the small missile ship “Mirazh”, missile cutters and the submarine “Alrosa” performed specific tasks according to a unified plan, including torpedo firings…

Also warships from the strike forces conducted a missile strike on the landing force of a notional enemy, conducted salvage drills on damaged ships and practiced radiological, chemical and biological defense.

First Look - 11 June 2008

The Russian Fleet Will Receive New Ships in 2008

The latest tests of the Shchuka Project (Akula 2) SSN at the Amur Shipyard at Komsomol’sk na Amur have been successful.

According to the Ministry of Defense, the boat will be commissioned into the fleet in 2008. According to experts, it will be the fastest and quietest multi-purpose submarine in the fleet.

In addition, the Caspian Sea Flotilla will receive the newest escort ship “Dagestan” and two small landing craft. This is according to the Commander in Chief of the Caspian Sea Flotilla Vice Admiral Vikto Kravchuk, speaking on front of the Makhachkala Brigade of Maritime Security for the Caspian Flotilla region on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.
(See next article for further details.)



The Caspian Sea Flotilla will receive the newest escort ship “Dagestan” and two small landing craft. This is according to the Commander in Chief of the Caspian Sea Flotilla Vice Admiral Vikto Kravchuk, speaking on front of the Makhachkala Brigade of Maritime Security for the Caspian Flotilla region on the occasion of its 25th anniversary.

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The celebration of this anniversary takes place with intensive preparations for the exercise “Caucauses-2008” in the background. According to the Admiral, “Now the ships of the brigade are charged with defense of shipping, supporting maritime commerce, guarding the fishing industry and development of the continental shelf”.

The escort ship “Tartarstan”, built in the Zelenograd Shipyard, was commissioned into the brigade in 2003 as well as the small “Serna” class small landing craft. Earlier, the CinC Russian Navy noted that “Dagestan” will significantly exceed the armament of the “Tartarstan”. The escort ship will perform search, surveillance and destruction of surface, subsurface and air targets. It is equipped with the universal strike missile “Uran”, with a range of 350 km, anti-air and anti-submarine defenses, special devices to detect and destroy torpedoes as well as acoustic detection devices. A Ka-28 or Ka-31 can be based on board.

The “Serna” class small landing craft can transport and land on an unequipped beach 45 tons of military equipment and 92 marines, a greater amount than other classes of landing craft. The “Serna” class is capable of speeds of 30 knots in sea states up to five while delivering a medium T-80 tank to a beach up to 1000km away. Additionally, the “Serna” is capable of getting itself off of bars.




Ships of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF) Will Take Part in International Exercises

Ships of the Russian BSF will participate in international exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, according to K1R Igor’ Dygalo, the press secretary for the Russian Navy.

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He added that the BSF escort ship “Ladnyy” has finished initial preparations for her participation for the second time in “Active Endeavor” in August 2008, a joint NATO anti-terror exercise in the Mediterranean Sea.

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He also said that the Black Sea Maritime Operational Group BLACKSEAFOR is planned for activation in August.

“From the moment of the creation of the BLACKSEAFOR group in 2001, BSF ships have operated with ships from other countries in the Black Sea littoral, carrying out missions with the goal of supporting security and stability.”




Aircraft of the Russian Northern Fleet Carried Out Flights over the Arctic.

Two Northern Fleet Aviation Tu-142 Bear F ASW aircraft carried out a planned flight over the Arctic today…including over the polar regions.

Cold War Stories - Playing Chicken

One of several photographs of a collision with the Echo II K-22, 22 August 1976. Source: Aviation Week via John Kessler and Destroyersonline

K-22 and Voge (FF 1047) Collide in the Mediterranean Sea

The Soviet Echo II class SSGN K-22 was finishing up operations in the Mediterranean Sea near Crete. On 28 August, 1976 the boat was 150 miles to the south-west of the island when it came to PD at 1628. The commander spotted the Knox-class frigate Moinester (FF 1097) in the periscope. The captain immediately estimated bearing and range by eye, bearing 183 relative, range 40-50 cables (in reality, B192 R20 cables). Instead of breaking off, the captain decided to maintain contact for training.

At 1636 the boat dove to 140 meters, turning on C110 10kts and began to close the American frigate. The water depth was 2900 meters, SS 1-2, wind 280 3m/sec, visibility daytime unlimited. The captain of the submarine considered himself as detected by the frigate and maneuvered and varied his speed in order to carry out a break away maneuver. Thanks to his incompetent actions he created a poor sonar environment for his sonar and received spotty data from the targets, and didn’t have a clear view of the surface situation. Maneuvering on a parallel course with the Moinester, distance became 17.5 cables, unacceptably close (course 050).

In these conditions, he came to PD three times – 1650, 1738 and 1753 – and never saw the second frigate. The submarine captain gave the verbal order to quit updating the log, did not sound a general alarm, did not share the data on target movement with the XO, the Nav or the tracking party. He constantly made mistakes in estimating distance and more than once approached at high speed into the skip zone (3-5 cables) from the frigate Moinester. At 1753, the captain detected the frigate bearing 062 relative, 7 cables and turned sharply left, beginning a zig-zag maneuver. The SSGN continued on a general heading of 320 at a depth of 4-5 meters, exposing the sail above the surface of the water. Because of the zig-zagging and the vibration produced by the violent maneuvers, observation through the periscope was difficult and the captain lost sight of the frigate several times, finally losing contact at 1815.

Ten minutes later, unexpectedly for him he saw a second American frigate at very close range. At 1825 the commander of K-22 gave the command “Emergency deep” and “Down periscope”. These measures were too late and the SSGN plowed into the port side of the frigate Voge a minute later at 17 knots under the helo hanger. The blow was struck by the bow of the boat and followed up with the forward part of the sail. The boat received huge dents in the hull, cracks in the bulkheads and a damaged screw. The Voge lost way and was towed at first to the base in Crete and to Toulon, France for repairs in September. The Soviet boat suffered damage to the bow on the outer hull and the sonar dome for the “Kerch’” system was damaged as was the “Argument” missile guidance antenna. The boat had to surface and departed the area of the accident under its own power while being escorted by Soviet ships. Emergency repairs were conducted at Kithera anchorage and after than the boat returned to Severodvinsk for major repairs.

Time Magazine described the incident in its 27 March 1977 issue like this:

One day last August a Soviet Echo Il-class submarine cruising almost submerged trailed a slowly steaming American frigate, the U.S.S. Voge, for nearly an hour. Suddenly, the sub turned straight toward the Voge and sped up sharply. The American sailors, who photographed the sub as it charged toward them, waited for it to turn away. But it kept coming. Moving fast—about 17 knots—the sub slammed into the left quarter of the Voge, bounced off, then wallowed in the frigate's wake. The Voge limped off with one injured crewman and a gashed hull. The sub, with damage visible on its bow, deck, conning tower and missile ports, eventually churned off slowly in another direction.