Soviet cruiser Admiral Fokin

Sistership Groznyy in 1985
History
Russia
NameAdmiral Fokin
NamesakeVitaliy Alekseyevich Fokin
BuilderA.A. Zhdanov, Leningrad
Yard number781
Laid down5 October 1960
Launched19 November 1961
Commissioned28 December 1964
Decommissioned30 June 1993
FateSold to be broken up, 1995
General characteristics
Class & typeGroznyy class cruiser
Displacement4,350 tonnes (4,280 long tons; 4,800 short tons) standard, 5,400 tonnes (5,300 long tons; 6,000 short tons) full load
Length142.7 m (468 ft)
Beam16 m (52 ft)
Draft5.01 m (16.4 ft)
Propulsion2 shaft; 4 x KVN-95/64 boilers, 2 x TV-12 GTZA steam turbines, 45,000 shp (34,000 kW)
Speed34 knots (63 km/h)
Range4,500 nmi (8,334 km) at 14.3 knots (26 km/h)
Complement25 officers, 304 other crew
Sensors &
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys		2 x Krab-11, 2 x Krab-12 ESM radar system
Armament
Aircraft carriedHelipad for 1 Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone-A'

Admiral Fokin (Russian: Адмирал Фокин) was the second ship of the Soviet Navy Project 58 Groznyy-class Guided Missile Cruisers (Ракетные крейсера проекта, RKR), also known as the Kynda Class. Designed for the Soviet Navy, the ship was designed to counter the aircraft carriers of the United States Navy and was therefore fitted with eight launchers for 4K44 (NATO reporting name SS-N-3 'Shaddock') anti-ship missiles. Launched on 19 November 1961, the vessel served with the Russian Pacific Fleet from the latter half of the 1960s through the 1980s. Between 1968 and 1969, the ship undertook a tour of the Indian Ocean, which included visits to seven foreign countries, subsequently visiting Mauritius in 1970 and 1972. The journeys encompassed more than 60,000 km (37,000 mi) sailing. Admiral Fokin was transferred to the Russian Navy after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, was decommissioned in 1993 and sold to be broken up.

Design and development

After his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy in 1956, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Sergey Gorshkov instigated a new vision for the service with a focus on destroying the aircraft carriers of the United States Navy using anti-ship missiles. Key to this was the development of a weapon system able to operate at long distance.[1] Leadership for the design was given to V. A. Nikitin,[2] The subsequent Project 58 ships were given the designation of Ракетные крейсера проекта (Guided Missile Cruiser) or RKR.[3] They were known as the Kynda-class cruisers to NATO.[4] Of the four of the planned ten were constructed, Admiral Fokin was the second to be ordered, approval for the design being given on 6 December 1956.[5]

Displacing 4,350 tonnes (4,280 long tons) standard and 5,300 tonnes (5,200 long tons; 5,800 short tons) full load, Admiral Fokin was 142.7 m (468 ft 2 in) in overall length with a beam of 16 m (52 ft 6 in) and a draught of 5.01 m (16 ft 5 in).[6] Power was provided by two 45,000 horsepower (34,000 kW) TV-12 steam turbines, fuelled by four KVN-95/64 boilers and driving two fixed pitch screws.[3] Design speed was 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph), which the ship exceeded, and range was 4,500 nmi (8,334 km; 5,179 mi) at 14.3 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[7] The ship's complement consisted of 25 officers and 304 other crew.[8]

The ship was designed for anti-ship warfare around two quadruple SM-70 P-35 launchers for sixteen 4K44 missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-3 'Shaddock').[7] To defend against aircraft, the ship was equipped with a single twin ZIF-102 M-1 Volna launcher with sixteen V-600 4K90 (SA-N-1 'Goa') missiles forward and two twin 76 mm (3 in) guns aft, backed up by two single 45 mm (2 in) guns.[8] Defence against submarines was provided by two triple 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes and a pair of RBU-6000 213 mm (8 in) anti-submarine rocket launchers.[6]

Admiral Fokin was equipped a MR-310 Angara (NATO reporting name 'Head Net A') search radar, and one Don (NATO reporting name 'Don Kay') navigational radar. For fire-control purposes, the vessel had a single Binom radar for the surface-to-surface missiles and a 4R90 Yatagan radar (NATO reporting name 'Peel Group') for the surface-to-air missiles. Two R-105 Turel radars supported the AK-726 guns. A Burya fire control system was fitted for the anti-submarine rockets and a Zummer system for the torpedoes. The ship carried two each of the Nickel-KM and Khrom-KM IFF systems and electronic warfare equipment that included two Krab-11 and two Krab-12 radar-jamming devices. A GS-572 Gerkules-2M sonar was also fitted.[6][9]

In 1975, the missiles were updated, the main radar was upgraded to MR-310A and two Uspekh-U radars were added.[10] Four AK-630 close-in weapon systems were also added in the 1980s to improve anti-missile defence.[7]

Construction and career

Laid down on 5 October 1960 at the A.A. Zhdanov shipyard in Leningrad with yard number 781 and launched on 19 November 1961 with the name Steregushyy. (Russian: стерегущий –vigilant), the vessel was renamed Vladivostok (Russian: Владивосто́к – ruler of the east) on 31 October 1962 and eventually received a definitive name of Admiral Fokin (Russian: Адмирал Фокин) on 11 May 1964.[9] Named after the Soviet admiral, Vitaliy Alekseyevich Fokin, the warship was commissioned into the Soviet Navy on 28 December 1964.[11][3] The ship sailed in 1965 from Severomorsk to Vladivostok to join the 175th Missile Ship Brigade that served in the Pacific Fleet.[12]

At the end of the 1960s, Admiral Fokin toured the Indian Ocean, encompassing visits to seven countries and steaming over 60,000 km (37,000 mi).[13] The tour included stops at Mombasa, Kenya, between 26 November and 2 December 1968, Aden, South Yemen, from 2 to 7 January 1969, Al Hudaydah, North Yemen, from 9 to 12 January, Mumbai, India, during February, and Nairobi, Kenya, between 5 and 9 April.[14][12] During the last of the visits, over 1,500 people boarded the vessel to meet the crew and see the ship.[15] Between 19 and 23 April 1970, the cruiser was in Port Louis, Mauritius, returning on 10 March 1972 as part of the celebration of nine years of independence.[16][17] In February and March 1979, Admiral Fokin joined a large fleet of Soviet warships led by Sverdlov-class cruiser Admiral Senyavin that operated in the South China Sea in support of Vietnam during clashes along their border with China. The vessel continued to serve in the Indian Ocean in the 1980s, returning to South Yemen in May 1980.[12]

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Admiral Fokin was briefly transferred to the Russian Navy but did not serve long with the service, being decommissioned on 30 June 1993 and sold to be broken up in 1995.[12]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Bonner & Bonner 2000, p. 105.
  2. ^ Kostev 2004, p. 105.
  3. ^ a b c Malykh, Dyadik & Balakin 2025, p. 187.
  4. ^ Bonner & Bonner 2000, p. 77.
  5. ^ Friedman 1995, p. 380.
  6. ^ a b c Moore 1980, p. 493.
  7. ^ a b c Hampshire 2017, p. 22.
  8. ^ a b Khmelnov 1996, p. 358.
  9. ^ a b "Guided Missile Cruisers: Project 58 Grozny". Russian Ships. 2016. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025.
  10. ^ Katorin & Volkovsky 2010, p. 552.
  11. ^ Skinner 1986, p. 137.
  12. ^ a b c d Holm, Michael. "Project 58 Kynda class". Soviet Armed Forces 1945–1991. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017.
  13. ^ Stepanov 1970, p. 3.
  14. ^ "Внедение советского флота в Индийский океан" [Introduction of the Soviet Fleet in the Indian Ocean]. The Sentinel (in Russian). No. 511. p. 9.
  15. ^ "Дружественный визит" [Friendly visit]. Pravda (in Russian). No. 96. 8 April 1969. p. 9.
  16. ^ "Визиты, переговоры" [Visits, negotiations]. Pravda (in Russian). No. 108. 18 April 1970. p. 3.
  17. ^ "Визит Советских военных кораблей" [Visit of Soviet warships]. Pravda (in Russian). No. 59. 11 March 1972. p. 3.

Bibliography

  • Bonner, Kit; Bonner, Caroline (2000). Cold War at Sea: an Illustrated History. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing. ISBN 978-0-76030-732-8.
  • Friedman, Norman (1995). "Soviet Union". In Chumbley, Stephen; Gardiner, Robert (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 337–426. ISBN 978-1-55750-132-5.
  • Hampshire, Edward (2017). Soviet Cold War Guided Missile Cruisers. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-47281-740-2.
  • Katorin, Yuri; Volkovsky, Nikolai (2010). Все о кораблях: От гребного флота древнего мира до наших дней [All About Ships: From the Rowing Fleets of the Ancient World to the Present Day] (in Russian). Moscow: Astrel. ISBN 978-5-89173-417-3.
  • Khmelnov, Igor Nikolaevich (1996). Надводные корабли России: история современность. Книга первая [Russian Surface Ships: History and Modern Times. Book One] (in Russian). Vladivostok: Izd-vo "Ussuri". ISBN 978-5-85832-061-6.
  • Kostev, Georgiĭ Georgievic (2004). Военно-морской флот Советского Союза и России, 1945–2000 [The Navy of the Soviet Union and Russia, 1945–2000] (in Russian). Moscow: Tip. PT︠S︡ "Petergof print". ISBN 978-5-87579-038-6.
  • Malykh, Nikolay; Dyadik, Alexander; Balakin, Alexey (2025). Энергетические установки кораблей [Ship power plants] (in Russian). Moscow: ЛитРес. ISBN 978-5-04786-826-4.
  • Moore, John (1980). Jane's Fighting Ships 1980–1981. London: Jane's. ISBN 978-0-71060-703-4.
  • Skinner, Michael (1986). USN Naval Operations in the 80's. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 978-0-85368-822-8.
  • Stepanov, V. (22 February 1970). "Мы служим родине своей" [We serve the motherland]. Труд (in Russian). Vol. 44, no. 14953. p. 3.
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