Soviet frigate Pytlivyy

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Pytlivyy underway on 1 November 1986.
History
Soviet Union → Russia
NamePytlivyy
NamesakeRussian for Inquisitive
Builder
Yantar shipyard, Kaliningrad
Yard number169
Laid down27 June 1979
Launched16 April 1981
Commissioned30 November 1981
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeProject 1135M Burevestnik frigate
Displacement
  • 2,935 
    standard
    )
  • 3,305 t (3,253 long tons; 3,643 short tons) (
    full load
    )
Length123 m (403 ft 7 in)
Beam14.2 m (46 ft 7 in)
Draft4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Installed power44,000 
kW
)
Propulsion4
COGAG
; 2 shafts
Speed32 kn (59 km/h)
Range3,900 nmi (7,223 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)
Complement23 officers, 171 ratings
Sensors and
processing systems
  • MR-310A Angara-A air/surface
    search radar
  • Don
    navigational radar
  • MR-143 Lev-214
    fire control radar
  • MG-332T Titan-2T, MG-325 Vega, 2 MG-7 Braslet and MGS-400K sonars
Electronic warfare
& decoys
PK-16 decoy-dispenser system
Armament
  • 4 ×
    anti-shipping missiles
    (1×4)
  • 4 × ZIF-122 4K33 launchers (2×2) with 40
    surface to air missiles
    (2×2)
  • 2 × 100 mm (4 in) AK-100 guns (2×1)
  • 2 ×
    anti-submarine rockets
  • 8 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (2×4)

Pytlivyy (also transliterated Pytlivy or Pytliviy, Russian: Пытливый, "Inquisitive") is a Project 1135M Burevestnik-class (Russian: Буревестник, "Petrel") Guard Ship (Сторожевой Корабль, SKR) or 'Krivak II'-class frigate that served with the Soviet and Russian navies. Launched on 16 April 1981, the vessel was designed to operate as an anti-submarine vessel, with an armament built around the Metel Anti-Ship Complex. Part of the Black Sea Fleet, the vessel undertook friendly visits to Algeria, Greece, and Malta, at the last hosting a meeting between the Soviet and US leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush. In 1991, the ship was transferred to the Russian Navy following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and, following a three-year repair, took part in a number of joint exercises with other navies. For example, 2003 found the vessel operating alongside the Indian Navy and 2005 with the Italian Navy. In 2006, Pytlivyy took part in NATO's Operation Active Endeavour and subsequently formed part of Russia's presence in the Mediterranean Sea in the war against terrorism in the early 21st century. The ship also operated as part of the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war. As of 2021, Pytlivyy remains in service.

Design and development

Pytlivyy was one of eleven

anti-ship capability than the earlier members of the class and the Soviet strategy of creating protected areas for friendly submarines close to the coast.[4][5] NATO forces called the vessels 'Krivak II'-class frigates.[6]

Displacing 2,935

COGAG installation and driving one fixed-pitch propeller. Design speed was 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) and range 3,900 nautical miles (7,223 km; 4,488 mi) at 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph). The ship's complement was 194, including 23 officers.[7]

Armament and sensors

Pytlivyy was designed for anti-submarine warfare around four

surface to air missiles which were launched from two sets of twin-arm ZIF-122 launchers. Two 100 mm (4 in) AK-100 guns were mounted aft in a superfiring arrangement.[9]

The ship had a well-equipped sensor suite, including a single MR-310A Angara-A air/surface

towed-array MG-325 Vega that had a range of up to 15 kilometres (9.3 mi).[10][11] The vessel was also equipped with the PK-16 decoy-dispenser system which used chaff as a form of missile defense.[12]

Construction and career

yard number 169 at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Pytlivyy was launched on 16 April 1981.[13] The ship was the eleventh and last of the class built at the yard and took 1.3 million hours to build, a saving of 39% compared to the first of the class.[14] The vessel, named for a Russian word that can be translated as inquisitive, was commissioned on 30 November and joined the Black Sea Fleet.[6][15]

Soviet Navy service

Aerial view of the ship at sea
Pytlivy towards the end of Soviet service on 10 December 1991

Soon after shakedown, Pytlivy was sent on missions to foreign ports to promote friendly relationships between the Soviet Union and other nations. On 30 May 1988, the ship arrived at the port of Algiers, Algeria, for a friendly visit, staying until 3 June.[16] On 2 December the following year, the vessel hosted a meeting between the Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and the US President George H. W. Bush in Valletta, Malta.[13] The ship visited Piraeus, Greece, on 23 January 1990, during which a band composed of sailors from Pytlivy and other Soviet musicians played a concert on the shorefront and the crew took part in sporting events with Greek sailors.[17]

Russian Navy service

With the

Bosphorus into the Adriatic Sea. The voyage was preceded by significant diplomatic activity with Turkey to ensure the smooth passage of the warships from the Black Sea.[19] This was a radical change in Russian naval capability. Previously, they had to rely on members of the Baltic Fleet serving in the Mediterranean Sea due to restrictions imposed by Turkey transiting the strait under the Montreux Convention.[20]

By 2001, Pytlivyy was one of the few Project 1135M ships still in service.[21] Over the following years, the vessel was involved in several joint operations with other navies. On 22 May 2003, the vessel took part in the first INDRA exercise with the Indian Navy.[22] 11 July 2005 found the vessel in Naples, Italy, taking part in a two-day visit that included welcoming Italian Navy sailors onboard.[23] On 15 September the following year, the vessel joined the NATO Operation Active Endeavour, undertaking anti-terrorist patrols in the Mediterranean Sea. The inclusion of a Russian vessel in a NATO operation was innovative, controversial, and brief, lasting one week.[24] The operation involved the sharing of communication codes, operating procedures and other secret information that would normally be restricted to allies only, and would have been unheard of during the Cold War. It led to other similar collaborations between Russia and NATO over the following years.[25]

Subsequently taking part in the Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war, Pytlivyy remained as part of the Russian presence in the Mediterranean.[26] The fleet, which included the battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy, was ostensibly to protect Russian shipping from terrorism and piracy, and operated from a forward base in Tartus, Syria.[27] The vessel remains in service as of 2021, operating between the Black and the Mediterranean Seas.[28]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Pavlov 1997, p. 132.
  2. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 5.
  3. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 18.
  4. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 23.
  5. ^ Friedman 1985, p. 346.
  6. ^ a b Baker 2002, p. 637.
  7. ^ Apalkov 2005, p. 79.
  8. ^ Baker 2002, pp. 637–638.
  9. ^ Apalkov 2005, p. 80.
  10. ^ Apalkov 2005, p. 81.
  11. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 16.
  12. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 17.
  13. ^ a b c Apalkov 2005, p. 83.
  14. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 8.
  15. ^ Thompson 2010, p. 428.
  16. ^ "Visit of Soviet Ships". Krasnya Zvezda: 3. 28 May 1988.
  17. ^ Pasyakin, V. (23 January 1990). "Port Call in Pireaus". Krasnya Zvezda: 3.
  18. ^ Sharpe 1996, p. 544.
  19. ^ "Naval News". Marine News. 53 (6): 270. May 1999.
  20. ^ Polmar 1991, p. 13.
  21. ^ Balakin 2001, p. 28.
  22. ^ "Indo-Russian Naval Exercises after 15 Years". The Tribune, Chandigari. 5 May 2003.
  23. ^ "Russian warships hold joint military exercise with Italy". Sputnik. 12 July 2005.
  24. ^ Adomeit 2007, p. 17.
  25. ^ Pouliot 2010, p. 175.
  26. ^ Jones 2020, p. 77.
  27. ^ Tilenni 2016, p. 8.
  28. ^ "Frigate Admiral Grigorovich and patrol vessel Pytliviy complete tasks in Mediterranean Sea". Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021.

Bibliography