Poti-class corvette
Bulgarian Navy Poti-class corvette Bditelni in 1987
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Poti class |
Operators | |
Preceded by | Kronshtadt-class submarine chaser |
Succeeded by | Pauk class |
Built | 1960–1968 |
In service | 1960–2005 |
Completed | 66 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Anti-submarine corvette |
Displacement |
|
Length | 59.4 m (194 ft 11 in) |
Beam | 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) |
Draught | 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Propulsion | 2 shaft kW (8,000 bhp ) |
Speed | 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph) |
Range |
|
Complement | 80 |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament |
|
The Poti class was the
Design and description
Designated Maly Protivo Lodochny Korabl (Russian: Small Anti-submarine Ship) by the Soviet Navy, Project 204 (NATO reporting name Poti class) was the first class of corvettes not based on the traditional World War II anti-submarine (ASW) design constructed by the Soviets. The Poti class reversed a trend of smaller ships, being larger than the preceding Kronshtadt and SO1 classes, which allowed the vessels to mount larger guns.[1] The Poti class were also the first large Soviet warships to incorporate gas turbines and were the fastest ASW warships ever constructed by them.[2]
Corvettes of Poti class measured 59.4 metres (194 ft 11 in) long with a
In Soviet service, the corvettes were armed with a single turret mounted forward comprising twin 57-millimetre (2.2 in)/80 dual-purpose guns.[3][4][a] Some of the earlier Soviet ships had open mounts, with later units having closed units.[4] The guns had 85 degree elevation and could fire a 2.8-kilogram (6.2 lb) shell to a range of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) up to 120 rounds per minute.[3] They were also equipped with either twin-mounted or quad-mounted 406 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes for Soviet Type 40 ASW torpedoes.[3][4] The torpedoes had active/passive homing up to 8 nmi (15 km; 9.2 mi) and had a speed of 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) and carried a 100–150 kg (220–330 lb) warhead.[3] The first units constructed mounted two 16-tubed RBU-2500 ASW rocket launchers, with later vessels receiving two 12-tubed RBU-6000 ASW models.[2]
The Soviet Poti class were equipped with Don 2 surface search radar, Strut Curve air search radar, Muff Cobb fire control radar.[4][b] They also had one hull-mounted high-frequency Herkules sonar and one Hormone dipping sonar. For electronic countermeasures, the corvettes had two Watch Dog units. The corvettes had a complement of 80 officers and ratings in Soviet service.[2][c]
Ships
A total of 66 ships were built between 1960 and 1968. In the Soviet Union the Poti-class corvettes were decommissioned by the late 1980s and replaced in service by the Pauk-class corvettes.[4] Builders were:[2]
- Kerch yard 24 ships
- Zelenodolsk yard : 32 ships
- Khabarovsk yard: 8 ships
Export
Bulgaria
Following World War II, Bulgaria entered the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. By the 1950s, the Bulgarian military had been re-organised along Soviet lines and equipped with Soviet armaments. In 1955, Bulgaria acquired Kronstahdt-class submarine chasers to outfit their ASW forces. Bulgaria required replacements for these ships as they became obsolete and six Poti-class ships were transferred between 1975 and 1990 to the Bulgarian Navy.[5] The former Soviet numbers of most of the individual ships are not known, but it is known that MPK-59, MPK-77 and MPK-109 were among the ships given to Bulgaria. By 2008, all of Bulgaria's Poti-class corvettes had been discarded.[6]
Pennant | Name | Launched | Transferred | Commissioned | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
44 (ex-14, 33) | Khrabri | MPK-? | 1960s | 1986[7] | Decommissioned in 2005, sold for scrapping |
45 (ex-44, 34) | Strogi | MPK-? | 1960s | 1990[7] | Decommissioned in 1993,[7] sold for scrapping in Turkey 1997. |
46 (ex-15, 35) | Bezstrashni | MPK-? | 1960s | 1990[7] | Gas turbines removed in 1994. Decommissioned in 2005, sold for scrapping |
41 | Letjashhi | MPK-? | 1960s | December 1975[7] | Decommissioned in 2005, sold for scrapping |
42 | Bditelni | MPK-? | 1960s | December 1975[7] | Decommissioned in 2005, sold for scrapping |
43 | Naporisti | MPK-148 | 1962 | December 1975[7] | Decommissioned in 1993,[7] sank during towing to Turkey in 1997 |
Romania
Post World War II, Romania fell into the Soviet Union's sphere of influence and joined the
Pennant | Name | Soviet name | Launched | Transferred | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | Contraamiral Nicolae Cristescu | MPK-? | 5 December 1968[9] | 1970 | Decommissioned after 1992 |
32 | Contraamiral Nicolae Negru | MPK-? | 1 April 1969[9] | 1970 | Decommissioned after 1992 |
33 | Contraamiral Irimescu | MPK-? | 20 October 1969[9] | 1970 | Decommissioned after 1992 |
See also
Notes
Citations
- ^ Moore 1975, pp. 121–122.
- ^ a b c d e f Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 415.
- ^ a b c d Sharpe 1991, p. 71.
- ^ a b c d e f Couhat 1986, p. 540.
- ^ Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, pp. 37–38.
- ^ Wertheim 2013, p. 71.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 38.
- ^ Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, pp. 323–324.
- ^ a b c d e Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon 1995, p. 325.
- ^ Sharpe 1991, p. 468.
References
- Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Moore, John E. (1975). The Soviet Navy Today. London: MacDonald & Jane's. ISBN 0-356-08335-7.
- Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1991). Jane's Fighting Ships 1991–92 (94 ed.). Surrey, United Kingdom: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0960-4.
- Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World (16th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9-7-815911-4954-5.
External links
- "Russian Project 204 - Complete Ship List". russianships.info.
- boinaslava.net