Car theft is by no means a rare event in our lives. Airplanes are hijacked, although much less frequently. In 1991, Russian sailors hijacked the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier from Crimea, which Ukraine claimed its rights to.

The ship was laid down at the shipyard in Nikolaev in 1982. The time of its construction fell on the violent perestroika years, which was already reflected in the numerous renaming of the ship. In the project, it was the "Soviet Union", the "Riga" was laid down, the "Leonid Brezhnev" was launched, the "Tbilisi" was already being tested.

TAVKR "Tbilisi" 1990

In October 1990, the cruiser was renamed for the 4th and last time, becoming Admiral Kuznetsov. In January 1991, the ship was enrolled in the Northern Fleet, and the naval flag was hoisted on it.

Officially, "Admiral Kuznetsov" was not the first aircraft carrier of the Soviet Navy. "Minsk", "Kyiv", "Baku" and "Novorossiysk" have already sailed. However, the ships of the previous series were carriers of vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. In fact, they were helicopter carriers. In contrast, the Admiral Kuznetsov was based on traditional fixed-wing aircraft. He was the first and still remains the only full-fledged aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy.

TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov", 1991

Kravchuk: "This is my aircraft carrier!"

On August 24, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR adopted an Act declaring Ukraine an independent state. Together with the Act, a resolution was adopted that subordinated all military formations stationed on the territory of Ukraine to the newly formed state.

In November 1991, the cruiser was tested near Feodosia. On one of the last days of autumn, the commander received a telegram signed by Leonid Kravchuk, declaring the cruiser the property of Ukraine and instructing him to remain on the roadstead of Sevastopol until an appropriate government decision was made. The officers were perplexed: why does Ukraine, with its Black Sea, need an ocean cruiser? And on what basis does she claim the rights to a ship assigned to the Russian Northern Fleet?

However, there were those among the officers who were not averse to changing the Russian northern sea to the warm Ukrainian Black Sea. An oppressive uncertainty covered the cruiser in a heavy fog. Accustomed to obeying orders, military men waited for what decision politicians and high command would make. A telegram arrived from the Arctic that Vice Admiral Yuri Ustimenko, First Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet, flew to Sevastopol. The officers were looking forward to the distinguished guest.

Steal an aircraft carrier in 60 seconds

On December 1, at about 21:00, an admiral with a Ukrainian surname boarded the cruiser. After greeting the crew and disbanding the crew, Ustimenko ordered the ship's commander, Captain 1st Rank Yarygin, to immediately weigh anchor and go to Severodvinsk. To Yarygin's remark that 2/3 of the officers and midshipmen were on the shore, the answer was "They will catch up on the train." “And our planes left at the coastal airfield?” - "They will fly by themselves." The uncertainty is over. Someone at the very top decided not to give the cruiser to Ukraine. At 23:40, without lighting navigation lights, in pitch darkness, the Admiral Kuznetsov left the raid and headed for the Bosphorus.

Adventure swimming

The Bosphorus passed unhindered, and at Gibraltar the cruiser was met by an American aircraft carrier group. The Yankees began to "put pressure on the psyche": helicopters and planes flew over the ship, each time simulating a combat attack, and practice bombs were thrown at the ship's course. Ignoring these maneuvers, "Admiral Kuznetsov" walked without changing course, but the mood of the officers and sailors was dirty: none of the officers and sailors knew whether all the bombs would be training and whether the next entry of the American aircraft would become combat?

TFR "Zadorny" June 1, 1988 in the Mediterranean Sea

The mood improved when the patrol "Zadorny" appeared near the cruiser. Justifying its name, the watchman himself began to frighten the Americans with his maneuvers. The baton of escorting the Russian ship was handed over by the Yankees to the English frigate, and that frigate to the Norwegian guard. The transition took over three weeks. December 27 "Admiral Kuznetsov" moored in Severodvinsk.

The fate of aircraft carriers inherited by Ukraine

In the Ukrainian media, the epic with the cruiser is still referred to as the theft of a Ukrainian ship by Russians. But the sailors believe that "Admiral Kuznetsov" just had a wonderful fate. It is enough to look at how Ukraine disposed of the wealth it inherited.

Ukraine sold the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Kyiv to China, which turned it into an amusement attraction with a hotel and a restaurant.

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Kyiv"

2/3 of the built "Varyag" was sold to the Chinese under the world's largest floating casino. The Chinese did not make a gambling house out of the ship, but completed the ship and renamed it "Liaoning"

"Varyag" became the first aircraft carrier of the Chinese Navy - the pride of the Celestial Empire and the headache of the US Pacific Fleet.

Guess how much Ukraine sold the aircraft carrier for with a readiness above 90%? Don't guess. In 1998, a heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser was sold for $23 million (An-142 costs $30 million, a tank costs $2-3 million). I don’t even want to think how many tens of millions of bribes the participants in the sale put into their pockets.

TAVKR "Varyag", May 1999

Laid down at the Nikolaev shipyard of the same type as the "Admiral Kuznetsov" "Ulyanovsk", the Ukrainian authorities, having failed to complete the construction, were cut into scrap metal.

And only "Admiral Kuznetsov" proudly plows the seas and oceans under the native St. Andrew's flag, and rejoices that Ukraine did not get it at one time.

Sign "Patrol ship" Zadorny ". 1979". Excellent condition.

Material: light metal (yellow).

Manufacturing technique: stamp.

Coating: enamel.

Fastening: pin.

I sell lots mainly at a fixed price. At the same time, the price of lots is not final, bargaining is possible within reasonable limits.

Some lots are being auctioned.

The buyer is the first to contact within 3 days. Payment is made to a Sberbank card within 7 days, unless otherwise agreed between us. Sending the purchased lot on the next Saturday after the day of payment, unless otherwise agreed between us. I guarantee good packaging. I guarantee timely dispatch of the lot. At the request of the buyer, I send a scan of the postal receipt to the buyer's e-mail address, confirming the fact of sending the lot.

In the future, I am not responsible for the work of the Russian Post!

If there are doubts about the quality of the work of the Russian Post, insure the postal item intended for you by additional agreement at the stage of discussing the details of the transaction. In this case, your costs for the delivery of the lot will increase in accordance with the tariffs of the Russian Post.

Delivery cost in accordance with the tariffs of the Russian Post:

Simple Registered Shipments:
- a letter from 80 rubles, if the weight of the lots with packaging is up to 100 grams;
- a parcel from 100 rubles, if the weight with packaging is more than 100 gr.

1st class shipments:

- a letter from 110 rubles, if the weight of the lots with packaging is up to 100 grams;
- a parcel from 190 rubles, if the weight with packaging is more than 100 gr.

At your request, I can send a valuable letter or parcel post. Courier delivery is possible. I will consider your options for delivery and payment.

With this material, I will open a long-planned series of reports and notes on the ships of project 1135 (code "Petrel"). Until recently, there were four of them in the metal plus one (of various modifications), but 1 (2 hulls) corps went to heaven in summer and autumn, as they say ... The record was conceived as a story about the Ladny TFR, but the search campaign was reformatted more extensive overview
The author does not aim for encyclopedic accuracy of the narrative..

2. According to the data of the free encyclopedia, the Yantar Shipyard (Kaliningrad) and Zaliv Shipyard (Kerch) built 17 ships of project 1135 (and with all modifications - 40 hulls, 1 hull was dismantled in 1995) That's just representatives of the project 1135: TFR "Vigilant", TFR "Cheerful", TFR "Fierce", TFR "Strong" (no photo), TFR "Worthy" (no photo)

2.2 TFR "Active", TFR "Zealous", TFR "Selfless" (bulk in the Black Sea, about this separately),

2.3 TFR "Zadorny", TFR "Irreproachable", TFR "Okay"

2.4 TFR "Pumpy"

On the basis of the ships of project 1135 (code "Petrel"), various modifications were released.
- 1135M (Krivak-II class) - modernization of project 1135 with a displacement of 3,000 tons. Instead of AK-726, 100mm AK-100 with Lev control radar was installed, GAS was replaced by Titan-2T
- 11351 (Krivak-III class) - border patrol ship, code - "Nereus". Instead of the PLUR complex, one 100mm AK-100 AU was placed, instead of the entire aft armament complex, a runway with a hangar for a helicopter and 30mm AK-630 assault rifles with a Vympel control radar were placed. A new podkilny GAS "Platina-S" and a towed GAS "Bronze" were also placed.
- 11352 (Modified Krivak-I class) - modernization of project 1135. Replaced - RBU-6000 on Uran SCRC, Angara radar on Fregat-MA, Titan-2 sonar on Titan-2T sonar.
- 11353 (Modified Krivak-I class) - modernization of project 11352 with a displacement of 3150 tons. Replaced by GAK with Zvezda-MG.
- 11356 - export project based on 11351.
- 11356 - project based on 11356 for the Russian Navy

3. As I wrote above, 4 (5) ship hulls in various modifications have survived to this day. Well, almost made it. This year, SKR "Druzhny" left us for heaven. In the early 2000s. it was bought and converted into a shopping and entertainment complex, but it never worked for its new purpose, having risen since 2003 off the coast of the Khimki reservoir

March 3, 2016, Khimki reservoir. Author: Pantikapey

3.1 Having not found a buyer willing to shell out 120 million rubles for the ship, the owner decided to scrap it... Apparently, the country has money for wars, but no money for history, which is sad. How the ship looked before cutting, you can see in this post at alexdoomer2009 . Based on the photographs of alexdoomer2009, the state of the ship was close to creating a museum on its base.

Video of how it was cut. I can't watch...

4. TFR "Ardent" did not find a new life for a long time by modernizing the ship according to project 11352: it was replaced by RBU-6000 with the Uran anti-ship missile system, the Angara radar with the Fregat-MA, the Titan-2 sonar with the Titan sonar -2T". It was converted in 2012.

October 3, 2012

5. In the course of my searches on the net .. another ship from the Petrels was found, which went to heaven in 2016. This is the TFR "Indomitable". There was a fire on the ship in 2008, and in 2012 it sank right at the pier in Baltiysk.

5.2 In October 2016, the ship was "tamed" to the state of needles.

October 8, 2016

6. Of all the 17 ships of the "clean" project 1135 in combat condition, the Ladny TFR (Black Sea Fleet) has survived to this day.

February 23, 2016.

6.1 Now he is installing turbines taken from the converted BOD "Kerch".

7. Another ship from the "Petrel" flock also serves in the Black Sea Fleet. This is a patrol ship of the modernized project 1135M - SKR "Inquisitive". It differs from the Ladny TFR by the installed 100mm AK-100 gun mounts with the Lev control radar instead of the 76mm AK-726, the GAS was also replaced by the Titan-2T.

May 9, 2015

8. Also, according to the data of the free encyclopedia of the border variants of the "Petrels" of project 11351 (code "Nerei"), 4 hulls remained on the move or on the water. This is the Dzerzhinsky PSKR:


2015 (?) Photo

Ah, Loken, you have much to learn about just how smart the Pack really is. (c) Bror Tyrfingr

Shortly before February 23, 2011, an article began circulating on the Internet entitled "Putin raised the Russian Navy from its knees and put it into recycling." There were other variations of this name. It was based on the approval of Valentin Egorovich Selivanov, who served as Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Navy in the 1990s. In the past, he was a very well-deserved sailor who took part in the introduction of aircraft-carrying cruisers into the fleet and ensured the meeting between Gorbachev and Reagan in Malta. At the end of 2009 Selivanov V.E. stated several interesting facts at the round table of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation:
- Up to 80-85 percent of surface ships, submarines and combat aircraft have been decommissioned in the Navy.
- The fleets are left with 30-35 ships, boats and submarines. Most of them are boats. Just think: 251 nuclear submarines were built by the Soviet Union. 10-11 submarines were handed over to the fleet per year. Now in the Northern and Pacific Fleets there are a few nuclear submarines, while only two diesel submarines are in constant readiness in the Northern Fleet, and one each in the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets.
- They have a miracle! You have no idea! This is a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. We have atomic steam-powered ones. We all know what steam catapults are for taking off from the deck. And they already have electromagnetic catapults.
- The current forces do not allow planning and carrying out at least one of those five operations that each fleet must carry out: neither an operation to defeat the enemy, nor search and destruction, nor disruption of enemy communications, nor defense of one's own, nor landing of operational personnel.
Traditionally for the Communist Party, the blame was placed on V.V. Putin.

I don’t want to blame Admiral V.E. Selivanova is in senile insanity, but he is not a young man (born in 1936) and has confused something a little.

Aircraft carriers with a nuclear reactor on electric propulsion do not exist. The newest US aircraft carrier built is the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), a subclass of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. From the main series has two main differences. Firstly, instead of four brake cables, he has three of them. At the same time, the space saved went to the installation of more powerful braking systems, allowing them to take heavier aircraft. Secondly, to enhance the stability of the ship in heavy seas, this aircraft carrier has a bulb. No electromagnetic catapults, and the screws are driven by conventional steam turbines. In addition, the admiral forgot that the first nuclear aircraft carrier laid down in the USSR - TAAVKR "Ulyanovsk" was not even launched. The hull of the unfinished ship went to Ukraine, which quickly cut it into metal. So there have never been nuclear aircraft-carrying ships in the Russian Navy at all.

But more interesting is his assertion that under Putin, 80-85% of the Navy's fleet was decommissioned. Alas, but even here the memory failed the naval commander. Putin became Prime Minister of the Russian Federation in August 1999, President of the Russian Federation in 2000-2008. and Prime Minister in 2008. He holds this post to the present day. He is not the best person, probably a good one, obviously not a hero and not an example to follow, but until March 1997 he had nothing to do with the fleet at all. He received a direct influence on the ship composition of the fleet only when he became prime minister. Those. in August 1999. What was decommissioned from large surface ships during this period (from a frigate and above):

- BOD "Marshal Vasilevsky"- commissioned in 1983. Decommissioned in 2007. In fact, the ship was decommissioned in 1997. By the early 2000s, its condition was unsatisfactory, but it was still possible to put it into operation.
- BOD "Admiral Spiridonov"- commissioned in 1984. Broken up in 2002. However, the decommissioning of the ship itself took place in 1997. Those. by the "time of Putin" the ship was no longer in the fleet.
- EM "Desperate"- commissioned in 1982. Since 1992, it has stood in Murmansk awaiting overhaul. By 2003, when the ship was dismantled for metal, it was already a looted hull. In fact, it should be considered destroyed in the 1990s, since after 1998 no attempts were made to restore it.
- EM "Flawless"- commissioned in 1985. Delivered for overhaul in Murmansk in 1993. Then in 1994 he was transferred to St. Petersburg. It all ended in decommissioning in 2002, although the actual disposal has not yet taken place.
- EM "Leading" ("Thundering")- commissioned in 1988 as "Thundering". Since 1998, due to the complete wear and tear of machines in the reserve of the second category. Those. in fact, slowly plundered and cannibalized. In 2007, it was decommissioned completely, but again not disposed of.
- TFR "Watchdog"- commissioned in 1973. Decommissioned in 2002. That is, at the age of 29 years. For his class in a very respectable.
- TFR "Friendly". Decommissioned in 2003 after 28 years of service.
- TFR "Hot". Decommissioned in 2002. The same type as "Storozhev" and "Druzhny", but built in 1976. In general, it was assumed that this type of TFR could stay in service for up to 27 years, so in pure theory, the "Hot" could be operated for another year.
- TFR "Easy"(until 1992 - "Leningrad Komsomolets"). Commissioned in 1977. Decommissioned in 2003. After 26 years.
- TFR "Indomitable"- decommissioned in 2009. In 2005, he received damage to the hull from an explosion on an imitation charge, and in 2008 - from a fire. He served 32 years.
- TFR "Flying". Introduced in 1978 and decommissioned in 2005. He served exactly 27 years.
- TFR "Zadorny". Decommissioned at the end of 2005, actually decommissioned in 2006. Served 26 years.
- TFR "Zealous". The last ship in the SKR series, Project 1135. Commissioned in 1979. After 1992, he did not go to sea, but stood at the plant awaiting repairs. Decommissioned in 2003. The age of the ship was 24 years, of which 13 years were in active service.
If you close your eyes to the fact that the Marine Border Troops is not the Navy, but the FSB, then PSKR "Menzhinsky", "Name of the 70th anniversary of the Border Troops", "Kedrov" and "Pskov" (former "Name of the 70th anniversary of the Cheka-KGB") who served for 14-18 years.
In total, it turns out that 21 large surface ships were decommissioned under Putin. True, half of them (10 units) were decommissioned upon reaching the maximum service life, which was at least 26 years. Another six ships were actually withdrawn from service in 1992-1997. At the same time, their actual write-off was carried out when the physical age of the ships (counting from the moment they were commissioned, although it would be more correct from the descent) ranged from 17 to 24 years (an average of about 20). BOD "Ochakov" was never officially decommissioned, but was ditched back in the 1990s. Only four "KGB cruisers" of project 11351 remain. In fairness, it can only be noted that the Menzhinsky PSKR would have turned 30 this year, and the newest of them would have been more than 20 years old. Although for this type 30-35 years is a realistically achievable service life, subject to normal operation and repairs on time.

But even if we assume that these 21 ships could protect the sea borders, regardless of the technical condition and age (for example, the Smetlivy TFR from the Black Sea Fleet continues to serve, although its age will reach 42 this year, and in what Somewhere in South America, warships aged 50-60 years old are not uncommon), then something is still wrong. After all, as stated, under Putin, 80-85% of the ship's composition was decommissioned. 21 ships - 80%? The entire fleet was then 26 ships and a quarter? Then 30-35 ships in the fleet is a big progress. Nonsense, right? It is probably worth looking somewhere else for the "missing" large warships of the USSR Navy (boats and smaller ships and vessels are still overboard, the principle itself can be understood from NK 1-2 ranks). And they will be found. Written off, of course. From 1992 to 2010, 86 large surface ships of the aircraft carrier, missile cruiser, destroyer and frigate classes were decommissioned. Those. Putin "gets" no more than a quarter. And the peak of write-offs has clearly passed before him.

Now, for a very fair opinion, let's see what was written off under Comrade Selivanov. After all, in 1992-1994 he was Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. Unlike Putin, who made a career as an assistant to the governor of St. Petersburg, he had a direct influence on the development of the fleet. Yes, he did not determine which ship to decommission and which to leave, but he could very much influence the decisions made and certainly knew. And could be alarming. I just don't remember the anxiety about the Navy in the early 1990s. But just the sale of ships for a penny, cited in the article "Putin raised the Russian Navy from its knees and let it go for recycling," took place.

Here are the specifics, for already selected types with names and dates:
- TAVKR "Kyiv" - 1976; 1982-84 - repair-modernization; 1987-1990 - renovation; 1993 - disarmed; 1994 - sold
- TAVKR "Minsk" - 1978; 1991 - preparation for renovation; 1992 - conservation; 1993 - disarmed; 1995 - sold and taken away
- TAVKR "Novorossiysk" - 1982; 1988-1990 - reinforced repair; 1993 - disarmed, decommissioned; - 1996 - sold and taken away
- RRC "Grozny" - 1962; 1989-1991 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned; 1993 - butchered
- RRC "Fokin" - 1964; 1993 - disarmed and decommissioned
- TARKR "Kirov" - 1981; 1990 - reactor accident; 1994 - disbanded
- TARKR "Kalinin" ("Nakhimov") - 1988; 1994 - reserve
- KRL "Murmansk" - 1955; 1972-1973 - repair-modernization; 1989 - conservation; 1992 - disarmed and decommissioned; 1994 - sold
- BOD "Savvy" - 1963; 1976-1978 - overhaul; 1988 - conservation; 1992 - decommissioned; 1994 - sold
- BOD "Exemplary" - 1965; 1988 - overhaul; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Guarding" - 1966; 1978 - reserve; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Smyshlyy" - 1968; 1975-77 - repair-modernization; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Strict" - 1968; 1990 - conservation; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Red Crimea" - 1970; 1978-83 - overhaul; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Able" - 1971; 1987-1992 - overhaul; 1992 - reserve; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Fast" - 1972; 1982-1985 - overhaul; 1992 or 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Zozulya" - 1967; 1991-92 - overhaul; 1994 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Isakov" - 1970; 1986-1990 - overhaul; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Makarov" - 1972; 1983-85 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned; 1994 - sold
- BOD "Marshal Voroshilov" - 1973; 1992 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Oktyabrsky" - 1973; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Isachenkov" - 1974; 1982-1986 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned
- BOD "Marshal Timoshenko" - 1975; 1988-1991 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned
- BOD "Vasily Chapaev" - 1976; 1993 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Yumashev" - 1977; 1992 - decommissioned; 1994 - sold
- BOD "Nikolaev" - 1971; 1987-1992 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned; 1994 - sold
- BOD "Tashkent" - 1977; 1989-1992 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned; 1994 - sold
- BOD "Tallinn" ("Vladivostok") - 1979; 1994 - decommissioned
- BOD "Udaloy" - 1980; 1988-1990 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Zakharov" - 1983; 1991 - burned out; 1994 - decommissioned
- BOD "Admiral Kucherov" - 1991 - laid down; 1994 - butchered
- EM "Informed" - 1956; 1992 - decommissioned
- EM "Sharp" - 1961; 1984-1987 - overhaul; 1993 - decommissioned
- EM "Inspired" - 1987; 1994 - reserve
- TFR "Worthy" - 1971; 1993 - decommissioned
- TFR "Fierce" - 1972; 1993 - decommissioned
- TFR "Strong" - 1973; 1990-94 - overhaul; 1994 - decommissioned
- TFR "Valiant" - 1973; 1991-1992 - overhaul; 1992 - decommissioned
- TFR "Smashing" - 1974; 1992 - decommissioned
- TFR "Proud" - 1979; 1994 - decommissioned; 1995 - sold
- TFR "Gusty" - 1981; 1992 - reserve; 1994 - decommissioned
_____________________________________________________________________________
Total decommissioned or put into reserve: 41 ships.

Even if we subtract ships that have obviously served their time, as well as ships that inevitably had to be written off due to underfunding, it will still come out a bit too much. Including it turns out that the "sale for a penny" was just when V.E. Selivanov was "at the helm". You can still see what happened in relation to submarines and boats, but I think the principle itself is clear. The admiral forgot about 41 warships decommissioned and sold in 1992-1994. But now he remembers that we have nothing to threaten Japan with. When more than half of the BOD of the Pacific Fleet was decommissioned before his eyes, who was supposed to remember Japan? Also Putin?