Project 956 destroyer Sarych: specifications and photos

The ships of this project could become the most massive in its class. They were planned to be launched in huge quantities for our Navy. Fifty destroyers of the first rank - such an armada is enough to complete an entire fleet. In addition, the multipurpose appointment assumed the use of them for solving a wide variety of tasks. The main destroyer Sovremenny (Project 956) was laid in 1975, the last ship of the series launched in late 1993. Of the planned fifty units for the arms of the Navy, the USSR and Russia received 17. Four more go under the Chinese flag. Two ships are mothballed, two are in the modernization stage, two more are in the combat composition of the Northern Fleet, the rest are written off. What is the reason for such a mass cutting on the metal of the old, according to naval concepts, units?

Why did the Soviet Union need new destroyers?

The reasons for the rejection of a large number of ships of Project 956 should be sought in times already far away. It was then, in the mid-fifties, there was a regrettable phenomenon, called the military sailors "Khrushchev's rout". Intoxication with the success of domestic rocket manufacturers led to a major strategic miscalculation. The likelihood of a global conflict has diminished due to the guaranteed mutual destruction, but this did not mean that there was no need for a regional presence of the Soviet Navy, and it was extremely difficult to provide it without the large ships in its arsenal. The action of squadrons on alert in various remote sectors of the World Ocean was hampered (due to the small number of units forming their "core" and causing stability). Aircraft carriers in the USSR were not built because of their high cost, destroyers of early projects (projects 30-2 and 78) and cruisers (draft 68), built under Stalin and "undercut" by Khrushchev, are not only morally obsolete, but also worn physically. The fleet demanded the replenishment of modern ships of large displacement, equipped - along with missile launchers - with powerful artillery. This is what the newest destroyer of Project 956 was thinking about, an urgent need for which was fully realized after the large-scale exercises "Ocean" that took place in the spring of 1970.

What is a destroyer and why is it needed?

A destroyer is a concept more traditional than full of real meaning. Of course, mines are not limited to armaments, and the ship is more like the class of frigates accepted in many fleets of the world, which, in turn, also have little in common with ancient sailboats. The destroyer of Project 956 Sarych (this was the cipher) was intended for a wide range of combat missions, which could not be in the forces of the BOG (large anti-submarine ships), which formed the basis of the Soviet Navy in the late sixties. Officially, its main purpose was formulated as fire support for the assault, expressed in suppressing small-scale ground targets, providing air defense and missile defense and landing units and destroying the boats of the likely enemy. Also planned was a joint use with the BOD (item 1155), which approximated the effectiveness of such a pair to the combat capabilities of the most modern at that time American frigates "Spruens". Proceeding from the tasks assigned, the destroyer of the project 956 was created. The ship costs the budget dearly, it is built on the basis of a specific defense doctrine, especially when it comes to a large series.

Appearance and propaganda significance of aesthetics

It is believed that for military hardware, the appearance is not as important as its functionality, but it's not entirely true. On the basis of how impressive the model looks, it often depends on the impression he makes on the likely enemy that, in the absence of war, can play an important role in the development of the conflict, and possibly prevent it. Proceeding from this premise, the destroyer of the project 956 was created. The model, which was presented to the IMF Chief Commander Admiral SG Gorshkov at the end of 1971, was approved largely due to the formidable form of the ship, its sinister exterior and the propaganda effect that could produce Its silhouette after the appearance of the vessel on the ocean expanses. The model, built on a scale of 1:50, liked the naval authorities: it was quite consistent with the foreign policy doctrine of the USSR and demonstrated progress in science and technology in the second half of the 20th century. But, of course, it was not just a matter of appearance - SG Gorshkov was not so simple to assess the 956 destroyer as a general impression. The characteristics of the ship were more important, and they spoke of very good seaworthiness.

Innovations of shipbuilding

Avantproekt specialist in the field of shipbuilding liked not only aesthetically. The main features of the outer appearance of the ship were the smoothness of the hull, the saddiness of its nose, the successful placement of artillery weapons of the main caliber, the location of anti-aircraft complexes along the sides (which provided excellent opportunities for setting up a barrage) and a large elevation of the radar antennas (to improve the local view). The length of the hull was limited by the capabilities of the shipyards of the plant. AA Zhdanov and should not exceed 146 meters at a width of 17 m. When developing the ship's general shipbuilding ideology, for the first time, many technologies were used. The shape of the nose set up an unmarked (up to 7 points of wave) counter-wave, the board was executed with a double kink of the surface to reduce the visibility. There were other features, which differed destroyer project 956. Drawings of the decks were made with observance of their strict horizontality, regardless of the contours, which greatly improved the technology of installation of equipment. The body is divided into fifteen watertight compartments, the nasal "bulb" underwater part not only reduces the resistance, but also serves to place the post of hydroacoustics (MGK-335MS, the same complex "Platinum"). Rationally applied elements of force hardening in places of greatest stress.

Power installation

To the shortcomings of the ships of this series, specialists attribute a deliberately obsolete power unit. There were reasons for this. When choosing the type of turbine SG Gorshkov preference gave the boiler scheme, rejecting the gas. This was done under the influence of the Minister of Shipbuilding of the USSR B. Ye. Butoma, who argued his opinion with the heavy loading of the South Turbine Plant and the fact that it would be easier to supply fuel oil in a special period than diesel fuel. As a result, the 956 destroyer was equipped with a twin boiler turbine unit with a total capacity of 100,000 liters. from. Today, it is difficult to give a comprehensive assessment and speak out exclusively in favor of this decision or against it. The fact is that in the early 70's there was an ambitious project to create technologically revolutionary co-current CCTs, in case of success the promised to become unique, but it was not crowned with success. In the end, we had to stop at the usual obsolete high-pressure boilers, tested and, in general, also good. And one more argument in their favor was the relative cheapness of fuel oil. The world energy crisis has also affected the USSR.

Cannon armament

The underestimation of the role of artillery in the naval theater during the past decades prompted the Sevmash Design Bureau to arm the Sovremenny destroyer (Project 956) with two coupled AK-130s equipped with Lev-218 multichannel control systems (MP-184). The guidance of the trunks is carried out on the basis of information received from the radar, rangefinder (laser) and television devices, and the parameters of firing handled by the digital computer. The supply of ammunition is mechanized, the rate of fire reaches 90 r / min, the range exceeds 24 km. According to the artillery power, the 956 destroyer surpasses the ships of the First World War that did not have any weapons other than cannon. The weight of shells delivered to the target (per minute) exceeds six tons.

Antiaircraft artillery means provide protection against complex targets (including cruise missiles) and are represented by two 30-mm AK-630M complexes. These facilities include six-barrel systems with water cooling, controlled by the automated control system Vympel. They are capable of hitting high-speed objects at a distance of up to 4 km with a rate of 4,000 rounds per minute.

Rockets

The missile armament of the Sarych destroyer is designed to combat air and sea targets. The "Uragan" complex (in later versions of the "Uragan-Tornado") is equipped with single-beam launchers firing ZURami. In the ammunition set of each of the two PU - 48 jet guided missiles. "Hurricane" - a universal weapon, it is quite suitable for the destruction of surface ships of small tonnage (for example, missile or torpedo boats). The number of escorted and destroyed targets is up to six (at launch every 12 seconds).

Specialized anti-ship defense destroyer project 956 is a complex of "Mosquito" ("Mosquito-M"), equipped with missiles ZM-82. There are two installations, they are protected by armor, each containing four projectiles. The combat radius of the complex is 120 km (170 in the Moskit-M). Missiles are supersonic (M = 3), the mass of explosives in the combat charge compartment is three centners. All eight ZM-82 can be released within a half-minute salvo at the command of the ship's control system.

Terms of Service

"Sarych" favorably differed from many ships of the Navy by improved conditions of habitation. The destroyer is equipped with a single microclimate installation, providing a comfortable atmosphere with an outside temperature ranging from -25 ° C to +34 ° C. For the rest of the ranks there are 16 lounges with a capacity of 10 to 25 people, with each sailor having an area of more than 3 m². Warrant officers (quadruple) and officer (single and double) cabins have an area of 10 square meters. M. Two spacious wardrooms and three dining rooms serve for meals. On board there is everything necessary for life away from home shore: a cinema hall, cable television, a library, an internal radio system, comfortable showers, a sauna. In hot weather, on the orders of the ship's commander, a pool can be built.

Inside the medical unit there is an outpatient clinic, a double insulator, an infirmary and an operating room.

The conditions of habitation and comfort on the destroyers of Project 956 are not inferior to foreign standards, which affected the export potential of these ships.

Hard times

The project was created exclusively for internal use, and before the collapse of the USSR, the sale of ships of this type was not even a question. Fourteen destroyers joined the Soviet Navy in the period 1976-1881, each of them was built on average four years. The ships entered the Northern (six) and Pacific (eight) fleets, took part in large-scale naval exercises, made long-distance marches and friendly visits to foreign ports.

In the last Soviet years and immediately after the collapse of the USSR, the situation changed. State financing has sharply decreased. The maintenance of a warship is not cheap. Over a decade, a dozen of them were written off, five destroyers of this type remained in the ranks, the rest were dismantled or mothballed. In another ten years (in 2011) the combat service was carrying the only destroyer of project 956 Admiral Ushakov in the Northern Fleet. "Persistent" was the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, and "Quick" was in the Pacific Ocean. There are only three operating ships left out of the seventeen built.

By that time, most of the Sarych class weapons systems were obsolete. The planned modernization of the 956 destroyers involved re-equipping with cruise missiles and new air defense and missile defense systems. The replacement of antisubmarine and anti-torpedo defense was required. At the same time, the running characteristics of the destroyers remained very good. The range of autonomous navigation of 4,5 thousand miles, high speed and powerful onboard artillery prompted the fleet command to refrain from full withdrawal of ships from the combat composition.

Modernization and export deliveries

Two unfinished ships that were named after the name "Important" and "Thoughtful", and then renamed "Ekaterinburg" and "Alexander Nevsky", at the turn of the millennium were completed and sold to the PRC. The project was exported and changed to the code 956 E. The names of Chinese ships - "Hangzhou" and "Fuzhou", they have been serving in the Eastern Navy Fleet of the People's Liberation Army of China since 2000 to the present. The modernization of the 956-series E-series (export) destroyers concerned only the power plant and some weapon systems.

More serious changes were made to the following two units, designed for the Chinese fleet. The destroyer of the 956EM project differs from the "E" modification with the sizes, anti-ship missiles of the "Moskit-ME" extended range (they reach targets within 200 km radius) and new anti-aircraft missile-artillery modules "Kashtan". The aft artillery was replaced by a helicopter hangar. For this project, two destroyers (Taizhou and Ningbo) were built in 2005 and 2006.

If the sale of the PRC of the first two ships was explained mainly by the difficult financial situation of the initial post-Soviet period, then the contract for the supply of the next pair can be called a successful foreign trade operation. In the middle of the first decade of the new century, the line for systemic modernization of the Russian armed forces, including the fleet, has already emerged. At that time, the ships were designed more sophisticated than the destroyer of project 956, the photo of which already evoked associations with the past era. Massive superstructures and numerous antennas corresponded to the shape of the fleets of the last century. However, China did not lose it either, buying powerful and reliable combat units that strengthened its Navy.