Hanging on the old barbed wire

Since I got back from our recent cruise, I’ve taken delivery of some more Javis fence posts as well as a pack of their barbed wire. This has enabled me to make some more barbed wire entanglements.

If I see some more fence posts on sale, I may well add some more barbed wire entanglements to my collection, but in the meantime, I think that I have enough to be getting on with.

Nugget 322

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue whilst I was away, and I plan to take it to the printer later today. If everything goes according to plan, it should be ready for me to collect by the end of the week to post out to members.

IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the fourth issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2019-2020 subscription year. If you have not yet re-subscribed, a reminder was sent to you some time ago. If you wish to re-subscribe using the PayPal option on the relevant page of the website, you can use the existing buttons as the subscription cost has not changed.

Back from our latest cruise

Sue and I returned from our latest cruise last Friday, and since we got back, I don't seem to have had much time to do anything except deal with matters that have arisen whilst we were away and that I wasn't here to deal with.

Our cruise took us back to Madeira and the Canary Islands, and was intended to be a pre-Christmas break away from the usual miserable UK weather. It also gave us a break from the build-up to the UK parliamentary elections and all its associated flim-flam.

I'll be writing about where we went and what we did at some point this week ... but first I have a copy of THE NUGGET to download and take to the printers as well as two Masonic meetings to go to!

Seen at Kronstadt: Various training and auxiliary vessels

Like all other navies, the Russian Navy has a large number of small training and auxiliary vessels.

Seen at Kronstadt: The Project 1241 Tarantul-class corvette R-47

The Project 1241 Tarantul-class missile corvettes were built in large numbers and several variants from 1977 until the early 2000s. They have been operated by fifteen countries, and still remain in service with up to ten of them.

The class characteristics are:

• Displacement: 540 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 56.0m
• Beam: 10.5m
• Draught: 2.5m
• Propulsion: 2 x 11,000 hp COGAG turbines plus 2 x 4,000 hp cruising engines driving 2 propellers
• Speed: 42 knots
• Range: 1650 nautical miles at 14 knots
• Complement: 50
• Armament: 4 x P-15 Termit/SS-N-2 Styx or 4 x P-270 Moskit/SS-N-22 Sunburn or 16 x Kh-35 Uran/SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles; 1 x 76mm AK-176 dual purpose main gun; 2 x 6 30mm AK-630 multi-barrelled automatic cannons or 1 x CADS-N-1 Kashtan Close In Weapon System; she can also carry lightweight, hand-held anti-aircraft missiles

Seen at Kronstadt: A Project 872 Kilo-class submarine

The Kilo-class diesel-powered attack submarines were built from 1980 until the mid-1990s, and are operated by the Russian Navy as well as eight foreign navies.

The class characteristics are:

• Displacement: 2,300–2,350 tons (surfaced); 3,000-3,950 tons (submerged)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 70.0 to 73.8m
• Beam: 9.9m
• Draft: 6.2m
• Propulsion: 2 x 1000 kW Diesel generators powering 1 x 5,500 to 6,800 shp electric propulsion motor which drives a single propeller
• Speed: 17 knots (surfaced); 20 knots (submerged)
• Range: 6,000 to 7,500 nautical miles at 7 knots (using her snorkel); 400 nautical miles at 3 knots (submerged and using battery power only); 12.7 nautical miles at 21 knots (submerged and using battery power only)
• Diving depth: 240m (operational); 300m (maximum)
• Complement: 52
• Armament: 6 x 533mm torpedo tubes with 18 torpedoes; 4 x Kalibr-PL launchers four launchers for individual anti-ship, anti-submarine and land attack cruise missiles; 24 mines; she can also carry lightweight, hand-held anti-aircraft missiles

Seen at Kronstadt: The Project 2210 Okean-class coast guard patrol ship Poljarnaya Zvezda

The Russian Coast Guard plan to build five Okean-class coast guard patrol ship. So far three have been launched but only one – the Poljarnaya Zvezda – is currently in service.

The class characteristics are:

• Displacement: 2,700 long tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 91.8m
• Beam: 14.8m
• Propulsion: 1 x diesel engine
• Speed: 21 knots
• Range: 12,000 nautical miles
• Complement: 44
• Armament: 1 x 76mm AK-176M dual-purpose gun; 2 x 14.5mm heavy machine guns
• Aviation: Hanger and helipad capable of handling 1 x Ka-27 series helicopter

Seen at Kronstadt: The Project 956 Sovremenny-class destroyer Bespokiony

Twenty-one Project 956 Sovremenny-class destroyers were built between 1976 and 2004, and they were primarily tasked to conduct anti-ship warfare. They were also equipped to act as escorts, and were well-armed with numerous anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons.

The majority of the class has been retired from active service, and Bespokiony is now a museum ship at Kronstadt.

The class characteristics are:

• Displacement: 8,480 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 156m
• Beam: 17.3m
• Draught: 6.5m
• Propulsion: 4 boilers, 2 shaft steam turbines, each driving a propeller; 2 turbo generators; 2 diesel generators
• Speed: 32.7 knots
• Range: 3,920 nautical miles at 18 knots; 1,345 nautical miles at 33 knots
• Complement: 350
• Sensors: 1 x air target acquisition radar, 3 x navigation radars; fire-control radars; active and passive under-keel sonar
• Armament: 4 AK-130 130mm naval guns (2 x 2); 4 x 6 30mm AK-630 Close In Weapons Systems; 8 x SS-N-22 Sunburn anti-ship missiles (2 x 4); 48 x SA-N-7 Gadfly surface-to-air missiles (2 x 24); 4 x 533mm anti-submarine torpedo tubes (2 x 2); 2 x 6 RBU-1000 300mm anti-submarine rocket launchers
• Aviation: Helipad capable of handling 1 x Ka-27 helicopter

Seen in Kronstadt: The Project 12700 Aleksandrit-class minesweeper Aleksandr Obukhov

Aleksandr Obukhov is the first of a projected forty new Aleksandrit-class minesweepers to be built for the Russian Navy. They will have fibreglass hulls, which will reduce their magnetic signature.

The class characteristics are:

• Displacement: 890 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 61.0m
• Beam: 10.2m
• Draught: 2.68m
• Propulsion: 1 x 1 x 2,500 hp diesel engine, driving a single propeller; 2 x 315 kW diesel generators; 2 x 210 kW diesel generators
• Speed: 16.5 knots
• Range: 1,600 nautical miles at 10 knots
• Complement: 45
• Armament: 1 x 6 30mm AK-630 multi-barrelled automatic cannon; she can also carry a hand-held anti-aircraft missile and may be equipped to lay mines

Seen in Kronstadt: The Project 887 Smolny-class training ship Smolny

Although the Russian Navy has a large number of suitable vessels in its fleets, it has built a number of special training ships. The Smolny (Russian: Смольный)-class of training ships (Smolnyy (Russian: Смольный) and Perekop (Russian: Перекоп) were built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1970s, and two of them currently serve with the Russian Navy’s Baltic Fleet. A third ship – Khasan (Russian: Хасан) – was scrapped in 1998.

The class characteristics are:

• Displacement: 7270 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 138m
• Beam: 17.2m
• Draught: 5.53m
• Propulsion: 2 x 8,000 hp diesel engines, each driving a propeller
• Speed: 20 knots
• Range: 9,000 nautical miles at 14 knots
• Complement: 132 + 30 Instructors + 300 cadets
• Armament: 4 x 76mm guns (2 x 2); 4 x 30 mm anti-aircraft guns (2 x 2); 1 x RBU-2500 anti-submarine weapon system