Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov

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Portsmouth Naval Base
, UK.
History
Russia
NameVice-Admiral Kulakov
NamesakeNikolai Kulakov
Ordered13 July 1977
BuilderWorks in the name of A. A. Zhdanov, Leningrad
Laid down4 November 1977
Launched16 May 1980
Commissioned29 December 1981
Refit1991–2010
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Class and typeUdaloy-class destroyer
Displacement
  • 6,200 t (6,102 long tons) standard
  • 7,900 t (7,775 long tons) full load
Length163 m (535 ft)
Beam19 m (62 ft)
Draught7.8 m (26 ft)
Propulsion2 shaft
COGAG
, 4 gas turbines, 89,000 kW (120,000 hp)
Speed35 knots (65 km/h)
Range10,500 nautical miles (19,400 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement300
Sensors and
processing systems		1 × New Fregat MAE radar complex
Armament
  • 2 × 4
    SS-N-14
    anti submarine/ship missiles
  • 4 × vertical launchers for
    SA-N-9
    surface-to-air missiles
  • 1 × Gibka (3M47) ADMS station
  • 2 × 1 100 mm (3.9 in) guns
  • 4 × 30 mm AK630 Gatling guns
  • 2 × 4 553 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes, Type 53 ASW/ASuW torpedo
  • 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
Aircraft carried2 x Ka-27 'Helix' series helicopters
Aviation facilitiesHelicopter deck and hangar

Vice-Admiral Kulakov (Russian: «Вице-адмирал Кулаков») is an Udaloy-class destroyer of the Russian Navy. As of 2022, the ship was in active service. She is named after Soviet naval officer Nikolai Kulakov.

History

Vice-Admiral Kulakov in an exercise

Vice-Admiral Kulakov was commissioned in December 1981 and was in service with the Soviet Northern Fleet until March 1991, when she was retired for repairs that lasted more than 18 years. The ship travelled to Severomorsk base on 7 December 2010 in preparation for the vessel's return to active duty.[1] On 5 January 2011, a fire broke out in one of the ship's mess-rooms. It was reported to be caused by a short circuit. The damage was minimal and did not reduce the combat effectiveness of the ship.[2]

On 3 September 2011 the destroyer conducted the first underway landings tests for the new

Ka-52K helicopter.[3]

Vice-Admiral Kulakov in 1985

In 2012 the destroyer escorted commercial convoys as part of the

anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.[4] In July 2012, Vice-Admiral Kulakov led a flotilla of the Northern Fleet to the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct naval drills, close to the Syrian coast.[5] In August 2012 she paid a five-day visit to Portsmouth Naval Base, England. In September 2012 Vice-Admiral Kulakov visited Cobh
, Ireland.

Vice-Admiral Kulakov was part of the 70th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Atlantic in Liverpool, England in May 2013.[6]

In April 2014, a British destroyer, HMS Dragon, was deployed to waters north of Scotland to track Vice-Admiral Kulakov as the destroyer sailed near the United Kingdom amid heightened tensions between Russia and the UK.[7]

In 2016, she was sent to the eastern Mediterranean, to back the air campaign in Syria and fly the flag [8] In March 2016, as she and supporting Russian ships entered the United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone, they were intercepted and escorted by the British frigate HMS Somerset.[9]

Landing of a K-27 helicopter on the deck of a large anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov

In 2020, it was reported that she would be upgraded to the standard of the recently refitted

Marshal Shaposhnikov.[10][11] On 8 June 2020, Vice-Admiral Kulakov entered the Barents Sea to conduct anti-submarine exercises. Afterwards, she sailed to Kronstadt to participate in the Navy day parade on 26 July.[12] Accompanied by tanker Akademik Pashin and tug Altay, she then entered the Mediterranean Sea and paid several port visits. Between 11–13 August she visited Algeria, between 30 August–2 September Cyprus,[13] between 19–22 October Greece[14] and on 1 November Syria.[15] The ship detachment was commanded by the Chief of staff of the brigade of anti-submarine ships of the Northern Fleet Captain 1st rank Stanislav Varik. On her way to the homeport, the ship passed Pas-de-Calais on 14 November,[16] entered the Barents Sea on 8 December[17] and returned to homeport Severomorsk on 10 December, where the ship detachment was greeted by the commander of the Northern Fleet Aleksandr Moiseyev.[18]

Large anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov. Main naval parade, July 25, 2021

In 2021, Vice-Admiral Kulakov was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and, afterwards, the Gulf of Guinea along with tanker Akademik Pashin and tug Altay, where on 25 October, the destroyer freed the container ship Lucia sailing under Panamanian flag from Togo to Cameroon that came under attack of pirates.[19] On the way back, the destroyer monitored large-scale NATO naval exercise in the Norwegian Sea with two Norwegian frigates, four corvettes, two submarines and other ships, as well as a German, French, Danish and Portuguese frigate.[20]

On 7 February 2022, as part of a concentration of Russian naval forces in the Mediterranean, Vice-Admiral Kulakov again deployed to the Mediterranean, along with the cruiser Marshal Ustinov, frigate Admiral Kasatonov[21] and tanker Vyazma.[22][23] The destroyer departed the Mediterranean on 24 August 2022 ostensibly destined for its home base Severomorsk.[24]

References

  1. ^ ""Admiral Kulakov" returns to Severomorsk". Northern Fleet (in Russian). 19 December 2010. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012.
  2. ^ "Fire at Vice Admiral Kulakov did no harm to the ship's battle-worthiness". Rusnavy.com. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Defense ministry to buy over 100 Ka-52 helicopters". Rusnavy.com. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Russian Destroyer Escorts Fifth Convoy Thru Gulf of Aden". Rusnavy.com. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Russian warships arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean". The Voice of Russia. TASS. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  6. ^ Elson, Peter (24 May 2013). "Liverpool's Battle of Atlantic anniversary under way as special naval fleet fill up docks". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  7. ^ "RAF fighter jets scrambled to investigate Russian planes". BBC News. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  8. ^ Isachenkov, Vladimir (21 January 2016). "Russia displays naval might off Syria's Mediterranean coast". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  9. ^ "HMS Somerset escorts Russian task group". Royal Navy. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Russian Navy upgraded missile frigate deploys to Sea of Japan for 2nd stage of trial". TASS. 19 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Russian Navy to focus on frigates, submarines - part 2". Navy Recognition. 12 February 2020.
  12. ^ "БПК "Вице-адмирал Кулаков" вышел в Баренцево море для поиска подводной лодки условного противника". Russian Ministry of Defence. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  13. ^ ""Вице-адмирал Кулаков" завершил деловой заход на Кипр". redstar.ru. 2 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Большой противолодочный корабль "Вице-адмирал Кулаков" завершил деловой заход в Грецию". Russian Ministry of Defence. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  15. ^ "БПК "Вице-адмирал Кулаков" вышел из Тартуса". Russian Ministry of Defence. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  16. ^ "БПК Северного флота "Вице-адмирал Кулаков" прошёл Па-де-Кале". Russian Ministry of Defence. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Большой противолодочный корабль "Вице-адмирал Кулаков" Северного флота зашел в Баренцево море". Russian Ministry of Defence. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Большой противолодочный корабль "Вице-адмирал Кулаков" завершил дальний поход и прибыл в Североморск". Russian Ministry of Defence. 10 December 2020. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Минобороны России показало кадры освобождения контейнеровоза в Гвинейском заливе - ТАСС".
  20. ^ "Russian warship sailed close-up to Norwegian naval exercise FLOTEX 21".
  21. ^ "Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk06/2022".
  22. ^ "H I Sutton - Covert Shores".
  23. ^ "Russian forces in the Mediterranean - Wk09/2022".
  24. ^ @NavyLookout (29 August 2022). ".@HMSLANCASTER currently shadowing Russian warships RFS Vice-Admiral Kulakov / Marshal Ustinov heading north throug…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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