Kashin-class destroyer

Smetlivy in the Red Sea in June 2003
Class overview
Name:	Kashin class
Builders:	61 Kommunara Zavod Nikolayev Yard, Zhdanov yard, Leningrad
Operators:	Soviet Navy / Russian Navy Polish Navy Indian Navy
Preceded by:	Kanin class
Succeeded by:	Sovremennyy class
Subclasses:	Rajput class
In service:	1962
In commission:	1962
Completed:	25
Active:	6
Lost:	1
Retired:	19
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	3,400 tons standard, 4,390 tons full load
Length:	144 m (472 ft)
Beam:	15.8 m (52 ft)
Draught:	4.6 m (15 ft)
Propulsion:	2 × COGAG; 2 shafts, 4 × M8E gas turbines; 72,000 hp (54,000 kW) up to 96,000 hp (72,000 kW)
Speed:	38 kn (70 km/h; 44 mph) (4 gas turbines on full power)
Range:	3,500 nmi (6,480 km; 4,030 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement:	266 to 320
Armament:	2 × twin 76 mm (3 in) AK-726 guns 2 × twin launchers (NATO reporting name: SA-N-1 Goa) for navalised version of the Isayev S-125 (SA-3 Goa) surface-to-air missile system (32 x missiles) 1 × 5 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes 2 × twelve barrel RBU-6000 ASW rocket launchers 2 × six barrel RBU-1000 ASW rocket launchers
Aircraft carried:	1 x helicopter (Rajput class only)
Aviation facilities:	Landing pad

The Kashin-class destroyers were a group of guided missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy in the 1960s and early 1970s. Their Soviet designation was Project 61. As of 2007, one ship is in service with the Russian Navy, and five modified ships are in service with the Indian Navy as Rajput-class destroyers.

In the Soviet Union they were officially classified as "guard ships" (storozhevoi korabl – SKR), then "large ASW ships" (BPK) or "large missile ships" (BRK), but in the rest of world they are commonly regarded as missile destroyers due to their size and armament. They were the first Soviet purpose-built anti-air warfare ships and the first to carry an ASW helicopter.

Design

A Kashin-class destroyer in the Mediterranean in January 1970.

The design specification was approved in 1957; the first ship was laid down in 1959 and commissioned in 1962. Much new equipment was developed for these ships, including surface-to-air missiles, radars and gas turbine engines. The gas turbines were arranged in two separate spaces and could be removed via the funnels for servicing. These were also the first Soviet ships designed to be closed down for nuclear fallout and had an operations room deep inside the ship rather than a large bridge.

Six ships were modernised in the 1970s as the Project 61M or 61MP (Kashin-Mod), by being fitted with four SS-N-2C Styx anti-ship missiles, new towed-array sonar, a raised helipad and four close range AK-630 Gatling guns. The two RBU-1000 ASW rocket launchers were mounted aft, but later removed.

Smetlivy was modernised (mk01090) at Mykolaiv in the early 1990s and fitted with new Kh-35 (SS-N-25 Switchblade, Harpoonski) anti-ship missiles and MNK-300 sonar. She is the only Kashin-class vessel currently active in the Russian Navy.

The Rajput-class modification built for Indian Navy has the after gun turret replaced by a hangar for a helicopter, as well as SS-N-2C anti-ship missiles on the sides of the bridge.

Ships

File:Strogiy.jpg

The Kashin-class destroyer Strogiy in October 1985.

The bow of Strogiy after a collision

In all, twenty ships were built for the Soviet Navy, one ship (ORP Warszawa) was later transferred to Poland, while five similar ships were built to a modified design for the Indian Navy as the Rajput class.

Original design

Name	Russian	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Komsomolets Ukrainy	Комсомолец Украины	Nikolayev	31 December 1960	31 December 1962	Decommissioned in 1991, scrapped in 1995
Soobrazitelny	Сообразительный	Nikolayev	25 September 1961	26 December 1963	Decommissioned in 1992, scrapped in 1994
Provorny	Проворный	Nikolayev	23 March 1962	25 October 1964	Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1993 (in 1974-1977 converted to experimental Project 61E, with Volna launchers removed and single SA-N-7 Uragan SAM launcher fitted.
Obraztsovy	Образцовый	Zhdanov	23 February 1964	29 September 1965	Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1995
Odarenny	Одаренный	Zhdanov	11 September 1964	30 December 1965	Deployed in search for KAL 007 shot down in 1983. Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1991
Otvazhny	Отважный	Nikolayev	17 October 1964	31 December 1965	Sunk after a fire on 30 August 1974 caused by a misfiring missile, with 24 fatalities
Steregushchy	Стерегущий	Zhdanov	20 February 1966	21 December 1966	Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1994
Krasny Kavkaz	Красный Кавказ	Nikolayev	9 February 1966	25 February 1967	Decommissioned in 1998, scrapped in 2000
Reshitelny	Решительный	Nikolayev	30 June 1966	30 December 1967	Decommissioned in 1989, scrapped in 1999
Strogiy	Строгий	Nikolayev	29 April 1967	24 December 1968	Decommissioned in 1993, the hull was sold to India, but on the way the ship sank near Singapore in 1995
Smetlivy	Сметливый	Nikolayev	26 August 1967	5 September 1969	Modernized in the mid 1990s and in service with the Black Sea Fleet (2015)
Krasny Krym	Красный Крым	Nikolayev	28 February 1969	15 October 1970	Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1996
Sposobny	Способный	Nikolayev	11 April 1970	25 September 1971	Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1995
Skory	Скорый	Nikolayev	26 February 1971	29 September 1972	Decommissioned in 1997, scrapped in 1998

Modified ships

Ship	Russian	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Ognevoy	Огневой	Zhdanov	31 1963	31 December 1964	Decommissioned in 1989, scrapped in 1990 (Project 61MP)
Slavny	Славный	Zhdanov	24 April 1965	30 September 1966	Decommissioned in 1991, scrapped in 1995 (Project 61MP)
Stroyny	Стройный	Nikolayev	28 July 1965	15 December 1966	Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1994 (Project 61MP)
Smyshleny	Смышленый	Nikolayev	22 October 1966	27 September 1968	Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1994 (Project 61MP)
Smely	Смелый	Nikolayev	6 February 1968	27 December 1969	Decommissioned 9 January 1988, leased to Poland as ORP Warszawa (Project 61MP) in 1988. Bought by Poland in 1992 or 1993. Decommissioned in 2003
Sderzhanny	Сдержанный	Nikolayev	25 February 1972	30 December 1973	Decommissioned in 2001, scrapped in 2002 (Project 61M)

Export versions

Polish ship

File:Warszawa II TW 6-91.jpg

ORP Warszawa

File:INS Ranvijay Malabar 07.jpg

INS Ranvijay

• ORP Warszawa - ("Warsaw") - ex-Smely commissioned 9 January 1988, decommissioned 5 December 2003 to the reserve and scrapped in 2005.

Indian ships

• Rajput class (Project 61ME), all were built by 61 Kommunara yard, Nikolayev
  • INS Rajput (1980)
  • INS Rana (1982)
  • INS Ranjit (1983)
  • INS Ranvir (1986)
  • INS Ranvijay (1988)

See also

• List of ships of the Soviet Navy
• List of ships of Russia by project number

References

Sources

• V.V. Kostrichenko, A.A Prostokishin (В.В.Костриченко, А.А.Простокишин): "Poyushchiye fryegaty". Bolshiye protivolodochniye korabli proyekta 61 («Поющие фрегаты» Большие противолодочные корабли проекта 61), Morskaya Kollektsya 1/1999

External links

• [1] - article in Russian
• - article in English from the Federation of American Scientists
• All Russian Kashin Class Destroyers - Complete Ship List