Crazy ideas overwhelmed designers in a variety of fields. We have already talked before about the incredible people's tanks and incredible aircraft. This time, m24.ru columnist Alexey Baykov has prepared a selection of the most ridiculous projects in shipbuilding.
Let's be fair - over the millennia-long history of shipbuilding, humanity has managed to produce far fewer crazy designs and outright trash than in more than a hundred years of aviation development. Here, as they say, traditions oblige, and the project must be prepared for years, and the very construction of a vessel with a displacement larger than a fishing boat is an extremely long, thoughtful and labor-intensive process. Involuntarily, you will think and begin to tame your wild imagination.
This is, in general, how it was throughout the entire history of the rowing and sailing fleet: the only materials used are wood, the wind and one’s own hands are used as an engine, and Archimedes’ law viciously pushes to the side, so with the exception of the builders of Chinese “floating jewels” “During the Ming Dynasty, everyone else somehow tried to keep themselves within the bounds of decency.
The flagship of the great Chinese navigator Zheng He. Nearby, for comparison, is Columbus's Santa Maria. Both lived around the same time
But all good things must come to an end, and with the beginning of the steam era, the ideas of crazy designers made their way to ships. If at the beginning of the 19th century Napoleon still declared to the inventors of the first steamships that a ship without sails was nonsense, then by the middle of the same century it became clear that it was time to scrap masts, shrouds and other beams and beams. Additional poignancy was added by the invention of “bomb” guns, which were already vaguely reminiscent of modern artillery and fired explosive shells rather than cannonballs. The lifespan of the venerable battleships of the sailing era under the fire of such guns was calculated in minutes. At the same time, I had to say goodbye to the wooden cladding of the buildings. The global naval arms race began, and then finally the design idea, no longer constrained by anything other than the basic laws of hydrodynamics, began to flow like a fountain.
Independence LCS-2
Let's start the review with the unusual combat trimaran "Independence", which is in service with the United States. The new type of vessel entered combat duty in 2010.
Two gas turbines and two diesel engines allow a speed of 45 knots. Interestingly, to create an unusual warship, the prototype was a passenger-vehicle ferry.
Today it is the largest trimaran in the world, moreover, capable of conducting combat operations in sea conditions of 4–5 points.
11
Planet Solar
The largest of its kind.
People are desperately trying to convert absolutely all types of known transport to solar energy, and ships are no exception. Even though Planet Solar is just a bold experiment, this ship is still the largest of its kind. Deck length – 31 meters. Solar panels are capable of generating 103.4 kW of energy. The speed of the vessel is 8 knots.
Battleship "Bismarck"
In 1939, Germany launched, as history later showed, the most multifunctional and powerful ship of the Second World War.
The weapons and technical indicators of speed and maneuverability allowed the battleship Bismarck to withstand any ship of this type.
In the very first military campaign, the flagship of the English fleet, the battleship Hug, was destroyed. But Bismarck's first voyage also turned out to be his last. Significantly superior enemy forces using aircraft sank it off the coast of France.
SSV-33 "Ural"
Made in USSR.
The Ural reconnaissance ship with a nuclear power plant was built in the USSR during the Cold War. Intended for duty in the largest ocean on the planet. The length of the Ural is 265 meters. The crew consisted of 950 people. Maximum speed – 21.6 knots. Thanks to technical features, the ship could not enter the port for 3 months.
Tone-class cruiser
Let's remember another ship of the bloodiest war in human history. Oddly enough, the best and most powerful ships in the class of heavy cruisers were the Japanese Tone.
For the sake of combat effectiveness, it was necessary to sacrifice amenities for the team, which lived in severe cramped conditions. But in terms of their armament, as well as the level of torpedo protection, the Tone-class cruisers were the strongest and had no analogues.
Large-caliber anti-aircraft guns were installed on the decks, protecting the cruiser from air attacks.
9
Ticonderoga
Missile cruisers of this type, after long trials, entered the US Navy raid in the early 80s of the 20th century. Armament, speed and maneuverability make these cruisers the most dangerous opponents.
The ships are equipped with powerful weapons, and after modernization they were equipped with missiles capable of hitting targets outside the earth's atmosphere.
At the moment, there are 27 cruisers of this type in service, and in the near future it is planned to launch a dozen more such ships.
8
"Peter the Great"
The nuclear-powered cruiser "Peter the Great" is the largest non-aircraft-carrying warship. In terms of its technical and combat characteristics, it is the most powerful ship of the Russian Navy.
It would be superfluous to describe all the weapons; we only note that the cruiser is capable of destroying enemy aircraft carriers, and Granit missiles can hit a target at a distance of more than 550 kilometers.
The power plant provides a speed of up to 35 knots, and the cruising range is unlimited.
7
T.I.
A real barge for the ocean.
Family of the largest oil tankers. The length of TI is 380 meters. The ships were designed and built by the Hellespont Group. There are currently four such tankers in total. One such ship cost 90 million US dollars. The tanker's carrying capacity is 440,000 tons. Maximum speed is 18 knots.
Type 45 Daring
The Daring-class destroyers can rightfully be considered the pride of the British Navy. Capable of covering long distances in a short time, ships of this type pose a danger to any enemy.
The weapons on board are designed to destroy both surface and air targets. The fact is that the combat platform of a destroyer can be easily upgraded into an air defense platform.
6
RMS Queen Mary 2
The title of a mail ship was given for its speed.
One of the largest transatlantic liners at the moment. The length of the hull is 345 meters. The ship was built in 2004 and named after the first Queen Mary, which left the shipyard in 1936. Despite the fact that the ship is a cruise ship, it is awarded the prefix RMS (“Royal Mail Ship”), which only the fastest ships receive. It can carry 2,620 passengers and is served by 1,253 crew members.
"Moscow"
The multi-purpose guards missile cruiser "Moskva", launched back in 1983, has not lost its power and is still in service.
The cruiser's armament allows it to fight not only with ships, but also with submarines, as well as hit air targets. The Russian flagship can sail autonomously for more than a month.
The legendary cruiser began its history as part of the Black Sea Fleet, and continues to serve in Sevastopol.
5
Q-Max
This is how they carry gas.
The largest gas carrier on the planet. The length of the vessel's hull is 345 meters. The total capacity of the vessel reaches 267,000 m3. At the same time, the ship accelerates to 19.5 knots. The vessels belong to Qatar. There are 14 of them in total. The construction of gas carriers was carried out by Samsung, Hyundai and Daewoo.
"Dagestan"
A patrol ship with powerful and modern weapons became part of the Caspian Flotilla in 2012, and significantly exceeds the characteristics of previous models of this class.
Vessels of this type are equipped with new radar detection systems for air and surface targets.
In 2020, missiles were fired from Dagestan at a terrorist group in Syria. It is noteworthy that the Russian Federation delivered two missile cruisers of this type to Vietnam.
4
USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
In the review it is worth mentioning the most powerful submarines. The first is the Sea Wolf, which is in service with the United States.
It was planned to produce 30 boats of this type, but after the collapse of the USSR, the project was reduced to three. The submarines put into operation turned out to be the best in terms of combat and performance characteristics.
It is also worth noting that the project turned out to be the most expensive in the history of the American submarine fleet.
And there is a very interesting article about the largest submarines in the world on TheBiggest.ru.
3
Related news
Is the Russian deadly Su-35 fighter better than the American F-15?
Russia has extensive plans for its navy, but most of them remain at the level of plans. Russia plans to receive at least one more aircraft carrier, as well as a new yet unnamed class of guided-missile destroyers, as well as Borei II-class ballistic missile submarines, Yasen II-class nuclear attack submarines, and also modernized Kilo- and Lada-class attack submarines equipped with conventional weapons. Although the submarines are in the process of construction, the issue of financing the aircraft carrier and destroyers has not yet been resolved, and they exist only as projects for now.
United Kingdom
This list shows the Royal Navy at the time of the most significant reduction in its combat power in history. Like much of the British armed forces, the Royal Navy went through a period of successive waves of reductions in equipment and personnel. The recent decommissioning of two Invincible-class aircraft carriers, as well as the withdrawal of Harrier fighters from naval aviation, has significantly reduced the Royal Navy's capabilities. Nuclear capabilities, as well as plans to build aircraft carriers in the future, ensured the United Kingdom fourth place on this list.
The Royal Navy is the smallest force on this list, with only 33,400 on active duty and 2,600 in the reserves. The British Navy currently operates three large amphibious assault helicopter carriers, 19 frigates and destroyers, seven nuclear attack submarines and four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The Royal Navy Air Wing consists of 149 aircraft, mostly helicopters.
The backbone of the British Navy is made up of six Project 45 guided missile destroyers. Each Daring-class destroyer is equipped with a state-of-the-art SAMPSON air-target tracking radar, similar to the US Navy's SPY-1D Aegis radar. Equipped with 48 Aster-class surface-to-air missiles, these destroyers are capable of dealing with a wide range of air threats, including ballistic missiles.
Destroyer "Edinburgh" (HMS Edinburgh) Photo from open sources
The Royal Navy's submarine fleet has shrunk in recent times and now has fewer than a dozen submarines. Seven nuclear attack submarines are currently being modernized to include the HMS Astute class missile submarines. The Astute-class submarines and their sister ships carry Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles and are considered the most advanced in their class. Four Vanguard-class ballistic missile submarines form the backbone of the UK's nuclear deterrent. The class of submarines displaces 15.9 tons when submerged and is equipped with 16 Trident D II long-range ballistic missiles. The Royal Navy will soon take a quantum leap with the introduction of two new aircraft carriers - HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. At full load they will displace 70,000 tons and will be the largest ships ever to fly the Royal Navy's flag. Each of them will accommodate 36 F-35B fighter-bombers, as well as a number of helicopters.
Japan
The fifth navy on this list is unusual because it technically isn't one. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is not a military force; its personnel are civilian employees, not sailors. While under considerable control, Japan has nevertheless developed one of the most modern and professional navies in the world.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has 114 ships and 45,800 personnel. They are based on a large fleet of destroyers, whose task is to ensure the safety of sea routes to and from Japan, as well as to prevent them from being blocked, as was the case during World War II. Japan has 46 destroyers - more than Britain and France combined - and in recent years its fleet has been expanded and prepared to take on new missions. Since the mid-2000s, Aegis-equipped destroyers and members of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have been required to provide protection against North Korean ballistic missiles.
"Dmitry Donskoy"
The most powerful nuclear-powered submarine of the Russian fleet is today the largest submarine in the world. The heavy nuclear submarine cruiser became the first model of the 941 Akula project.
Underwater, the submarine's powerful nuclear power plant allows it to reach a speed of 27 knots. The weapons make it possible to hit targets at a distance of up to 7 thousand kilometers, and with high accuracy.
But one of the interesting facts worth noting is that in the wardroom there was a museum dedicated to the Battle of Kulikovo. No boat in the world has such a unique museum.
The largest fleet in the world
Home / History / This is interestingWorld War II ended with the signing of the surrender of Imperial Japan on board the American battleship Missouri. After a horrific war, the world was left split in two, centered around the two major victorious military powers: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Each of the warring sides had huge armed forces. Only in the USA the center of gravity of these forces leaned towards strategic aviation (already with atomic bombs on board) and the navy, and in the USSR - towards armored armadas of tank forces and battlefield aviation.
The short-term peace gave way to an exhausting, long-term arms race and the Cold War. The combination of the parties' clear reluctance to engage in direct armed conflict and the emergence of nuclear weapons gave rise to the growing Cold War in the form of a military-industrial confrontation between the two powers.
The coastal and small fleet of the USSR could not compare in any way with the enormous naval potential created by the United States to fight in the vastness of the entire World Ocean with the submarine forces of the Third Reich and the aircraft carrier imperial fleet of Japan. After all, by the end of the war, the US Navy had more than a hundred aircraft carriers!
Almost by 1946, only two naval powers remained: the USA and Great Britain. During the first post-war decade, the USSR continued to implement a slightly adjusted version of the 1937 shipbuilding program. At the proposal of the General Staff of the USSR Navy (and, in fact, Stalin’s personal opinion), according to the ten-year plan of 1946, it was planned to build 4 battleships and 10 heavy (actually battleship) cruisers, 84 cruisers, 12 aircraft carriers, 358 destroyers and 495 submarines. In fact, the task was set to create a navy in 10 years, if not equal, then at least comparable to the US navy and surpass the British fleet. On October 16, 1946, an adjusted ten-year military shipbuilding program for 1946-1955 was approved. In accordance with it, it was planned to expand the construction of large surface ships, in particular, four heavy cruisers - the Stalingrad type (Project 82), 30 light cruisers of the Chapaev / Sverdlov type (Project 68K / 68-bis), 188 destroyers pr.30/41 and 367 submarines.
Surprising was the fact that the USSR continued to build large artillery ships and completely rejected aircraft carriers. Even the fact that we got our hands on the practically finished German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin did not lead to an awareness of the need for its comprehensive study and use as a training or experimental ship. However, the dreadnought from the First World War, the Novorossiysk, remained in the fleet for ten years. 5 Chapaev-class cruisers and 14 Sverdlov-class cruisers were completed (the lead one entered service in 1952). 10 Ognevoy-class destroyers (Project 30), laid down before the war, also entered service. At the end of the 40s. construction began on the largest series of destroyers in the history of Russia and the USSR (70 units). The lead one, "Skory", entered service on December 21, 1949. A prototype of the new ocean-going destroyer Project 41 of the Neustrashimy type (1 unit) was built in 1955.
The development of the fleet in the first post-war decade resulted in the construction of almost 200 surface combat ships of the main classes (cruiser - destroyer - patrol ship) and more than 300 diesel-electric submarines (including new projects: 26 large Project 611, 215 medium Project 613 and 31 small squares, Ave. A-615). By the end of the 50s, the USSR military fleet surpassed the fleet of the “mistress of the seas” in size.
However, the test of a nuclear bomb in the Soviet Union in 1949, the beginning of intensive development of missile weapons and the development of nuclear submarines in the United States, as well as the death of Stalin, predetermined the cessation of the construction of large surface ships in the USSR and the beginning of the creation of the Soviet nuclear missile submarine fleet.
The adoption of a virtually new military doctrine (like “nuclear deterrence”) under N.S. Khrushchev, relied on the successful development of nuclear missile weapons and the introduction of nuclear energy in the navy. This allowed the USSR in the second post-war decade to avoid wasteful quantitative expansion of the fleet and make a qualitative leap in its development. In 1956, 375 warships were mothballed. Looking back, after 40 years, it is worth recognizing the correctness of the sharp reduction in the construction of the surface fleet in order to save huge amounts of money. During the second post-war stage in the construction of the navy, 19 fundamentally new projects of surface combat ships were created, including large missile ships of the Bedovy and Gremyashchiy type, large anti-submarine ships Komsomolets of Ukraine, missile cruisers of the Grozny type ", the first aircraft carrier ship - the anti-submarine cruiser "Moskva", the anti-submarine ship Project 159 and the small anti-submarine ship Project 204, four projects of missile boats, torpedo and patrol boats. These ships became the prototypes of all projects built in the USSR over the next three decades. In fact, since the late fifties, with the advent of Commander-in-Chief S.G. Gorshkov, the creation of an ocean-going nuclear missile fleet, mainly submarine, began. Unfortunately, the appointment of a new commander-in-chief of the USSR Navy was marked by one of the largest tragedies of military fleets in the 20th century. On October 29, 1955, the captured battleship Novorossiysk (former Italian Giulio Cesare) capsized and sank due to an explosion in Sevastopol Bay. 609 sailors died along with him... This tragedy became the reason for the repeated removal of Admiral N.G. from his post. Kuznetsov, who headed the USSR fleet during the war. In contrast to the traditional fleet development strategy, in December 1955 it was decided to equip it with light missile ships. However, it should be noted that naval aircraft were the first to receive missile weapons. The first missile system adopted by the USSR Navy was the Tu-4K naval bomber armed with the KS Comet cruise missile, tests of which were successfully completed on November 21, 1952.
However, it was 1957 that became the year of the “rocket revolution in the USSR.” And not only after the successful launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in history with the famous R-7 rocket, but also in the rearmament of the USSR Navy. The first of these were the Bedovyi-type missile ships (Project 56R) and specially designed large missile ships (LRK) of the Gremyashchiy type (Project 57). The test of the KSSH cruise missiles (CR) from the Bedovy missile ship (project 56E) took place in the Black Sea on February 2, 1957.
Created on the basis of the Project 56 destroyers, the Bedovy class missile ships (4 units) had one KSShch cruise missile launcher (7-8 missiles). Project 57 DBKs were built in a series of 8 units (the lead one entered service on June 30, 1960) and were equipped with 2 launchers and 12 cruise missiles. In parallel, based on the conversion of the same basic project, air defense missile ships of the Bravy type (Project 56K and serial Project 56A) were created, which were armed with the first serial ship-based anti-aircraft missile system, Volna. At the end of the 50s, the Sverdlov-class cruisers Dzerzhinsky (Volkhov air defense missile system) and Admiral Nakhimov (UKR Strela) were modernized for missile systems.
However, unlike the United States, the modernization of artillery ships into missile ships was not developed in the Soviet fleet. Missile cruisers of the “Grozny” type (project 58), initially built as destroyers, became a fundamentally new type of missile ship. The design of these ships, built at the Shipyard named after. A.A. Zhdanov (Leningrad) in a series of 4 units, was developed under the leadership of V.A. Nikitina. With an extremely small displacement (total - 5400 tons), they carried 16 P-35 cruise missiles (a development of the P-5 type) and 16 Volna anti-aircraft missiles. The lead of them, "Grozny", entered service on December 30, 1962. A new type of light missile ships, initially SKR, and then BOD pr.61, was developed by B.I. Kupensky. The lead one, Komsomolets of Ukraine, was built in Nikolaev and entered service a day later than the Grozny RKR. These were the world's first serial (20 units) gas turbine ships of the destroyer class, equipped with the Volna air defense system (32 missiles). One of the ships of this type, the BOD "Brave", was lost in an explosion in 1974 near Sevastopol. Ships of this type became the largest warships built for export to the USSR in a series of 5 units for India. However, the main carriers of missile weapons in the USSR Navy remained submarines and missile boats.
On July 4, 1958, a new era began in the history of the Navy - the lead nuclear submarine K-3 (Project 627) under the command of Cap. 1st Rank L.G. Osipenko sailed the first miles of a nuclear submarine fleet using the energy of a nuclear reactor. However, by this time the submarine fleet had already received missile and nuclear weapons. The first weapons with nuclear warheads (torpedoes and P-5 cruise missiles) were placed on board medium-sized diesel-electric submarines. project 613 (13 units were modernized for cruise missiles) and large squares. Project 611 (6 units upgraded for ballistic missiles). Nuclear torpedoes were tested from the submarine Project 613 in 1955. The first successful launches of R-11FM ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads took place on September 16, 1955 from the submarine B-67 (Project V- 611). The P-5 cruise missile complex, created at the V.N. Chelomey, was also successfully tested on November 22, 1957 from the submarine S-146 (Project 613).
At the second stage, nuclear submarines armed with cruise missiles became the main force of the USSR submarine fleet. 50 submarines with UCR were built (nuclear submarines pr. 659/675 - 34 units and diesel-electric submarines pr. 651 - 16 units) and 31 submarines. with SLBMs (nuclear based on Project 658 - 8 units and 23 units of diesel-electric submarines on Project 629). The most numerous Soviet nuclear power plants. in the 60s, Project 675 boats began to be built, which had eight side containers for cruise missiles, reminiscent in their arrangement of Dzhevetsky’s torpedo tubes on the Leopards during the First World War. 14 nuclear torpedo submarines were built. By the end of 1966, the Soviet submarine fleet was armed with 364 cruise missiles and 105 ballistic missiles (656 in the USA). The first launches of the P-15 missile launcher, created at the Raduga Design Bureau, took place on board two experimental missile boats, Project 183E, built at the shipbuilding plant), on October 16, 1957. Serial missile boats, Project 183R, began to be built in 1959 (a series of 112 units), and since 1960 the new Project 205 is already armed with 4 P-15 cruise missiles. A total of 427 missile boats of this project were built (157 boats of various modifications were exported from 1963 to 1985). Soviet missile boats revolutionized naval affairs. And their combat use was only a matter of time. On October 21, 1967, the Israeli destroyer Eilat was sunk by 4 P-15 missiles from the Soviet-built Project 183R missile boat of the United Arab Republic. In terms of its significance in the history of naval combat operations, this event can be compared with the first combat use of mine boats and submarines. The appearance of several hundred missile boats in the Soviet Navy by the end of the 60s made it possible to be a decade ahead of the NATO navies in this class and create a cheap and reliable class of coastal combat surface ship.
By the end of the second stage (1957-66) of the creation of a nuclear missile fleet of missile surface ships, there were 29 units in the USSR Navy (67 in the US Navy). During this period, 4 cruisers, 49 destroyers, 105 SKR and MPK, 56 nuclear-powered submarines, 102 diesel-electric submarines were built. In terms of the number of nuclear and missile submarines, by the end of the 60s, the Soviet Union surpassed the United States of America. More than 500 cruise missiles were deployed on board USSR ships, even without missile boats. However, in terms of the number of ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles, the Soviet fleet lagged behind the US fleet several times.
Unfortunately, with the coming to power of L.I. Brezhnev began an arms race, unjustified in peacetime conditions, including naval ones. At the third stage of the development of the military fleet in the USSR (1967-1991), the construction of warships began at a pace exceeding the American one. The world's largest navy in terms of displacement and number of warships was built. In terms of the number of weapons placed on board ships (excluding aviation weapons), the USSR also surpassed the United States. Since the mid-60s, carrying out the new program for the construction of the Brezhnev-Grechko-Gorshkov armed forces, intensive construction of large surface ships was launched on the “ship for ship” principle. Almost the entire series of heavy aircraft carrier cruisers of the Kyiv class was commissioned year after year with the American nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of the Nimitz class. During the first decade (1967-1975) while the Vietnam War was ongoing, the US Navy, on the contrary, sharply reduced the construction of warships. The break in the construction of aircraft carriers was 8 years, cruisers - 7 years, and destroyers - 11 years. However, the break in the construction of missile submarines was even longer, and amounted to 14 years!
Since the commissioning of the first strategic missile submarine K-137 “Leninets” into the USSR Navy on November 5, 1967, designed at the S.N. Kovalev, construction began on the world’s largest series of projects 667A, B, BD, BDR, BDRM - 77 units. Together with the world's 6 largest heavy submarine missile cruisers of Project 941 - "Akula", armed with 20 90-ton ICBMs, the number of strategic missile carriers of the USSR was almost one and a half times greater than the United States. Already with the commissioning in December 1972 of the first nuclear-powered missile submarine K-279 of the Murena type (Project 667B) with an R-29 SLBM with a firing range of 7800 km, 1.5 times superior to the American Poseidon missile, the USSR Navy ahead of the US Navy by 7 (!) years (the Trident-I missile system went into operation only in 1979). Over the past two decades, the USSR Navy was able not only to catch up with the US Navy in the number of surface combat ships, but also to sharply overtake the number of submarines, including nuclear submarines. 80 nuclear-powered submarines were built (including 7 heavy submarine cruisers with guided missile cruisers) and 110 ocean-going surface combat ships: 5 aircraft carriers, 3 heavy nuclear-powered cruisers, 1 nuclear-powered measurement complex ship, 42 missile cruisers and 1st-rank BODs (cruisers, according to NATO classification), 42 BOD and TFR 2nd rank (destroyers).
The costs of creating a military fleet in the USSR were unjustifiably high. The main reason for this was the diversity of ships. Only submarine projects in the USSR were developed 10 (!) times more than in the USA.
The displacement of the USSR naval armada exceeded the US Navy by 17%.
The basis of the USSR military fleet were nuclear submarines of Project 671RTM and RT - 33 units and 12 nuclear submarines of Project 670 and 670M. The most powerful were 7 units of Project 949 and 949A missile submarines, each of which had the ability to destroy a US aircraft carrier group.
The USSR fleet also included 12 nuclear submarines with hulls made of titanium alloys, including the fastest in the world (Project 661) and the deepest (Project 685).
The first, specially designed ship with aircraft weapons (ship-based Ka-25 helicopters) and the first anti-submarine missiles "Vikhr" - the anti-submarine cruiser "Moscow" entered service in 1967. In 1975, the first cruiser with aircraft weapons "Kyiv" entered service "with Yak-38 vertical take-off aircraft. This aircraft made its first takeoff from the deck of the Moscow anti-ship missile cruiser on November 18, 1972. A total of 4 aircraft carrier cruisers Project 1143 (Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk, Admiral Gorshkov (formerly Baku) were commissioned "). The service life of the ships of this series was short. The first Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, laid down in 1982, entered combat service in the Atlantic with great difficulty only 13 years later (!).
On November 1, 1989, the first “classic” landing of combat aircraft (Su-27K, MiG-29K, Su-25UTG) on its deck took place in the history of the Russian fleet. On March 27, 1974, a unique warship was laid down at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad - the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Kirov" (project 1144, chief designer - B.I. Kupensky). The entry into service of the cruiser Kirov on December 30, 1980, in terms of its historical significance, can be compared with the entry into service in 1907 of the English battleship Dreadnought. The ship, with a nuclear installation, equipped with two of the latest missile systems, which have no analogues abroad - the anti-ship "Granit" (20 missiles) and the anti-aircraft missile (multi-purpose) "Fort" (96 S-300 missiles), was essentially a prototype of the ship “arsenal type”, the construction of which is only expected at the beginning of the 21st century in the USA. Ships of this type were classified as battlecruisers according to the classification of the Jane's Fighting Ships directory (this most respected naval directory in the world turns 100 years old in 1997).
Despite the fact that the first surface vessel with a nuclear power plant appeared in the USSR back in 1959 - the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin", which was a significant recognition of the importance of developing sea routes in the Arctic, the USSR Navy received the first nuclear warship 20 years later than the Navy USA. A total of 4 such ships were built: “Kirov”, “Frunze”, “Kalinin” and “Peter the Great”, state tests of which began with great difficulties on September 28, 1996 (10 years after laying).
In parallel with the construction of this type of cruisers, the Baltic Shipyard built a unique ship of the measuring complex with a nuclear power plant “Ural” (project 1941), the largest nuclear-powered surface ship of the USSR Navy, with a total displacement of 35,000 tons. The fate of this unique ship, which is of strategic importance not only for the Russian navy, but also for the security of Russia, unfortunately, turned out to be the same as that of the Krasnoyarsk radar station and other strategic facilities in Russia. The newest and very expensive ship is supposed to be used as a power plant for Vladivostok. Truly, the Russian Pacific Fleet at the end of the century became the same grave of warships as the waters of the Tsushima Strait in 1905.
In general, the construction of the surface fleet of the USSR Navy was unjustifiably wasteful and illogical. For example, the urgent need to build large aircraft carriers was ignored, without which the fleet was simply unable to conduct full-fledged combat operations in the conditions of both local military conflicts and unrestricted nuclear war. At the same time, the surface fleet was replenished with 4 (!) types of cruisers simultaneously. Almost every shipyard built its own type of ship (with the exception of the A.A. Zhdanov Shipyard, which built two types in parallel: Project 956 and Project 1155). At the same time, in rich America they built only one type of cruiser - the Ticonderoga, and even then it was unified with its prototype - the Spruence-class destroyers.
Heterogeneity has become a common problem not only in shipbuilding. The weapons and electronic equipment systems aboard Soviet ships were also very diverse. Over the past two decades, 45 types of warships (PL-AV-KR-EM-SKR) were commissioned in the USSR, and 16 types in the USA. 30 types of missiles were adopted for the arsenal of ships (excluding aircraft), while in the United States only 10 types were adopted.
The navies of the two powers had a clearly defined asymmetry in their ship composition. If the USSR has more than half of its submarine fleet, then in the USA 40% of the fleet displacement is made up of aircraft carriers and landing ships. Total displacement built in the USA during 1971-90. aircraft carriers exceeded the displacement of all submarines built (!) and was almost equal to the displacement of all other surface combat ships (see table). Large aircraft carriers are the most effective combat platform in the ocean, capable of conducting both effective control over the air and sea situation in vast water areas, and intensive combat operations to gain air supremacy in local wars and become a forward base of nuclear weapons in the event of a war breaking out with its application. They are capable of performing the entire range of combat activities: from the policy of demonstrating force and intimidation to performing local combat missions anywhere on Earth. Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia are countries on whose coasts US aircraft carriers have operated in just the last few years. In addition to the fact that an aircraft carrier is the most multi-purpose warship, it is also the cheapest (!) type of such ship in terms of cost-effectiveness. The cost of building one ton of displacement of an aircraft carrier is almost 5 times lower than that of nuclear submarines or cruisers.
The Soviet fleet was built with the expectation of a general nuclear war, in which nuclear submarines had the greatest combat stability, the use of which in local wars is more problematic.
During the third stage, the Soviet fleet began to be intensively replenished with 3rd generation ocean-going anti-submarine ships: large anti-submarine ships (BOD) of the Vladivostok, Kronstadt, Nikolaev type, which actually revived the traditions of domestic cruiser construction. A total of 25 units of these projects were built before 1979 (8 with cruise missiles and 17 with anti-submarine missiles). During the 80s and early 90s, three missile cruisers of the Slava type (Project 1164), 13 large anti-submarine ships of the Udaloy type (the last 2 according to a modified project), 20 destroyers of the 1st rank were put into operation "Modern" type (project 956). The 2nd rank ships of the Vigilant type (project 1135), built in several modifications in a series of 41 units, became the basis of the naval forces of the USSR and Russia. Among them are 7 patrol ships of the border troops of the Nereus type (Project 1135.1). The last 2 ships of this series have already become part of the Ukrainian naval forces. The coastal “small” fleet was actively replenished with small anti-submarine ships of the Albatross type (project 1124 - 72 units), a warship project that had been under construction for almost thirty years.
To develop the class of missile boats, the Almaz Central Design Bureau developed a small missile ship of Project 1234; the lead one, Burya, entered service in September 1970. The ship, unlike missile boats, is equipped with a more powerful Malachite missile system (6 P missiles -120) and the Osa-M air defense system. Over the last decade, more than 100 units of small missile and anti-submarine ships of various modifications of the Molniya type (base Project 1241 armed with the Moskit and Termit missiles), almost 50 missile, patrol and torpedo boats on the base Project .206.
The main disadvantage of Soviet patrol, small missile and anti-submarine ships should be considered the lack of on-board aviation weapons in the form of light helicopters. This shortcoming was especially evident in Project 1135. Almost no Western ship of this class was built without standard helicopter weapons or at least a runway.
The construction of landing ships, the need for which was so acutely felt during the war, began almost only twenty years after its end. In 1968, the first large landing ship, Project 1171, was built from a series of 14 units. The total number of large and medium landing ships by 1991 exceeded 100 units. The main landing craft of the USSR Navy were medium landing ships pr.770, 771, 773, built in Poland. The fleet included only 3 large landing ships with docking chambers of the Ivan Rogov type (Project 1174). Ships, vessels and boats with dynamic principles of support received particular development in the Soviet naval, and even in the civilian sea and river fleet. Four large series of landing ships and hovercraft were put into operation: the "Skat" type (project 1205) - 30 units, the "Squid" type (project 1206) - 19 units, the "Djeyran" type (project 1232.1) - 18 units. and the most powerful type “Bison” (project 1232.2) - 8 units in Russia (the last 2 unfinished ones went to Ukraine). Particular credit for the creation of most hydrofoil ships, starting with the famous “Raketa” - created in the same significant year of 1957, belongs to the designers of the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard under the leadership of Rostislav Alekseev. The same team, for the first time in the world, created for the Navy a series of experimental and combat ekranoplanes, the equivalent of which has not been created in any country in the world to this day. The world's largest experimental ekranoplane, KM-1, was created and began testing back in 1965. Serial ekranoplanes (chief designer V.V. Sokolov) were built in Nizhny Novgorod. Type "Dragon" (Project 904) - 5 units and type "Lun" (Project 902) - 2 units (the second is a missile, with a "Mosquito" complex of 6 launchers).
Among the ships with dynamic support principles, missile and anti-submarine ships with controlled hydrofoils stood out - the Uragan-type small missile ships (Project 1240), 2 small skeg-type missile ships Sivuch (Project 1239), the Sokol-type MPK (Project 1141) and its development 2 units pr.1145.
Mine-sweeping warships received great development in the Soviet fleet, which was caused by the significant length of the country's coastline and the closedness of maritime theaters of potential military operations. Ensuring the combat service of the navy and research activities to create and improve modern weapons and detection systems required the creation of a significant number of research vessels (oceanographic, physical field vessels and underwater vehicle carriers). The Soviet Navy had the world's largest number of research vessels (ERVs), reconnaissance vessels (SRVs) and underwater vehicles.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the development of the Russian Navy, in addition to the loss of a significant number of naval bases, ship repair enterprises and training centers, has been determined by residual financing and the absence of a program for its restructuring and reduction. The allocated funds have constantly, over the past five years, not been enough not only for the qualitative development of the fleet in the minimum required volume, but also for its basic maintenance. And this is not surprising. The economic potential of Russia and the amount of its military expenditures during this period decreased several times, however, there was no corresponding reduction in the size of the Russian Navy. No program was adopted for the conservation of surplus ship personnel and their targeted sale abroad, precisely as combat units, and not scrap metal.
The Russian Navy suffered heavy losses due to the lack of a normal basing system and the lack of scheduled repairs of ships. For 5 years, at a time when the country's public circles were actively discussing, and the leadership of the country and the fleet was intensively dividing up the ships of the Black Sea Fleet that were absolutely unnecessary for Russia (the ship composition of the other three Russian fleets was at least three times more than what the Russian fleet could can actually be maintained), a significant number of very modern ships were withdrawn from the fleet, which for many years could form the backbone of the Russian fleet (aircraft carrier cruisers Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk, Admiral Gorshkov, nuclear-powered cruisers Admiral Ushakov " and "Admiral Lazarev"). Only in the last few years, after fires and accidents and the impossibility of repairing them, several large warships were withdrawn from the fleet - the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, the Ural spacecraft, the Admiral Zakharov BOD, etc. Even during the Civil War and subsequent The most valuable ships of the fleet were saved from destruction.
The latest statements by the country's leadership about the planned completion of the Varyag aircraft carrier, which, according to eyewitnesses, was plundered to a terrible state, are yet another political demarche, not supported by any calculations. It was much easier and cheaper to keep what they had.
One of the very negative consequences of the reform mistakes of recent years has been the destruction of the maritime components of the country’s economic power. The capabilities of shipbuilding, which was militarized in past years to the limit, have not been used even by a tenth, the country's maritime transportation is 95% carried out by ships of foreign countries, marine instrument making is practically paralyzed... It is urgently necessary to preserve the technology for the development and construction of warships, incl. development of new weapon systems, electronic equipment and engines. Although, according to many experts, irreversible destruction of scientific and production potential has already occurred in a number of areas of science and technology.
In recent years, Russia has laid down two nuclear submarines of two new unified projects - the strategic missile carrier Yuri Dolgoruky (1996) and the nuclear multipurpose submarine Severodvinsk (1994). The last missile submarine of the Dolphin type (K-407, Project 667BDRM) was completed. 4 heavy nuclear submarine cruisers Project 949A were put into operation - “Orel”, “Omsk”, “Kursk”, “Tomsk”; 2 nuclear submarines Project 945A - “Zubatka” and “Perch”; 6 low-noise nuclear submarines Project 971 - “Dragon”, “Wolf”, “Leopard”, “Tiger”, “Lynx”, “Vepr”. Improved-type diesel-electric submarines “Varshavyanka” (project 636) and “Lada” (project 677) are being built.
In the year of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, at the cost of great effort, the nuclear-powered cruiser "Peter the Great" was finally completed and included in the Northern Fleet.
Of the surface ships, the TFR of the new Yastreb project (pr11540) - Neustrashimy - was built, and the Unstoppable was laid down (1993). 6 EM Project 956 were put into operation - “Restless”, “Persistent”, “Fearless”, “Important”, “Thoughtful”, “Buyny” and the BOD “Admiral Chabanenko”.
Three patrol ships of the Gepard type (Project 11661) were laid down at the Zelenodolsk shipyard. PKB Almaz created a new project for the Novik-type SKR (Project 1244), the first one was laid down on July 25, 1997. It is planned that this small (3000 tons, length - 100 meters) patrol ship, equipped with universal artillery, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and attack missiles and, most importantly, a hangar-based helicopter, will become the basis of the Russian ocean fleet at the beginning of the 21st century.
Taking into account the enormous length of Russia's maritime borders, the urgent need for the new fleet is the comprehensive development of naval carrier-based aviation. The adoption of new types of helicopters (light patrol and multi-purpose), armed with modern detection and weapons systems, and ensuring their deployment on most patrol ships of the fleet will solve most of the problems of protecting the water areas and maritime borders of the country. Russia, probably more than any other country in the world, needs modern naval carrier-based aircraft: from light helicopters to multi-purpose carrier-based aircraft. And, of course, the basis of the fleet should remain low-noise, reliable nuclear and non-nuclear submarines of unified designs. One of the main arguments of apologists for a large navy is the need for each fleet to have a number of ships equal to the size of the fleets of neighboring states. Based on these premises, the Russian fleet should be equal in composition to the fleet of Germany, Norway, Turkey and China or Japan. Even basic common sense suggests that this is impossible in the foreseeable future, and in principle it is not necessary. Russia needs the smallest possible navy.
And its maritime potential needs to be developed in the areas of offshore raw material extraction technology, maritime transport and fishing fleets, port facilities, civil shipbuilding, mariculture and coastal tourism.
Source: www.transport.ru, author: Yuri Egorov
Type 055 destroyer Nanchang
In January 2020, the first large 4th generation guided missile destroyer Nanchang entered service with the Chinese Navy. Its dimensions, technical characteristics, and weapons indicate that this is one of the most powerful ships in the world.
We cannot definitely know about the armament of this ship, but like many others, it carries anti-aircraft, missile, electronic, mine-torpedo and artillery weapons. There are also 2 combat helicopters on board. Presumably, the Nanchang also has the latest electromagnetic cannon, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 200 km.
1
Aircraft carrier Nimitz
Currently, aircraft carriers created in the United States are considered to be the most powerful warships in the world. The largest surface ship is the Nimitz aircraft carrier. The first one was built in the early 70s of the 20th century. Its displacement is more than 100,000 tons. Length – 333 m. Propulsion systems can provide a running power of 260,000 horsepower. At the same time, it develops a speed of 31 knots. The aircraft carrier has a crew of almost 3,200 people.
The United States of America has built 10 ships under this project. The series was named in honor of Chester Nimitz, who commanded the US Pacific Fleet during World War II.
The aircraft carrier of this project is a smooth-deck ship with a corner runway with an area of 18,000 square meters. This most powerful ship in the world has surface and underwater structural protection. Thus, the second bottom is protected by armored decking. There is also a so-called third bottom, which creates additional stability for the aircraft carrier. The main propulsion system is 2 nuclear reactors and 4 turbine units.
The Nimitz class aircraft carriers are identical in their design features, but the last 6 have a larger displacement and draft. Nuclear reactors are designed to be recharged only after 20 years. The main armament is naval aviation.
The aircraft carrier Nimitz is without a doubt one of the top 10 most powerful warships in the world. The latter, named after George W. Bush, was transferred to the US Navy in early January 2009.
"Severodvinsk"
In 2014, Russia’s resurgent nuclear submarine fleet received the Severodvinsk multipurpose submarine.
The submarine, with a crew of 93 people, is capable of autonomous navigation for 100 days, and the submarine’s weapons are designed to conduct combat operations with enemy submarines, surface ships, and hit air and ground targets.
Having passed all the tests, Severodvinsk became part of the North Sea Flotilla. TheBiggest wishes the ship's crew health and success!
⛵️
"Santisima-Trinidad"
Translated from Spanish, the name of this ship sounds like “Holy Trinity”, and it is the most powerful sailing ship in the entire history of the fleet.
The combat equipment of the Spanish flagship, built in 1799, consisted of 136 guns of various modifications.
The Holy Trinity fought its main and last battle on October 21, 1805 at Cape Trafalgar. Surrounded by 7 English ships, the battleship's crew fought bravely. The British were never able to sink the sailing ship, and only when all the masts were shot down and most of the crew were killed was the Santisima-Trinidad captured.
The British wanted to tow it for repairs, but a storm sank the unique and heroic warship.
⛵️
Club Med 2
There is no sailboat bigger than this.
The largest sailing ship to date was built in 1992 in France. The length of the vessel is 194 meters. Load capacity – 14,983 tons. The ship is served by 214 crew members. At the same time, the ship can take another 386 passengers. The speed of the sailboat reaches 10-15 knots. There are seven sails raised on five masts. Used as a cruise ship.
"12 Apostles"
For a complete picture of the history of the fleet, we will also mention the most powerful Russian ship under sail, the 12 Apostles.
It was launched from the Nikolaev shipyard in the middle of the 19th century, and was armed with 130 guns. The interior was so elegant that the ship looked more like an imperial yacht.
The largest Russian battleship was sunk after the battle of Sevastopol. When they were cleaning the fairway, they wanted to lift it, but they couldn’t, so the pride of the Black Sea Fleet was blown up under water.
⚓️
Popovka you, popovka, dear side
If the builders of ocean-going ships still had to balance their fantasies with the concept of “seaworthiness,” then in the class of coastal monitors their thoughts were in full swing. Where it was not necessary to wind thousands of nautical miles on a propeller, but only had to quietly walk along the coast and shoot at sea and on land, unprecedented space for experiments opened up. To the credit of our native flag, it should be said that the most unusual ship of this type was built here.
After, under the terms of the Paris Peace Treaty, Russia was practically disarmed in the Black Sea, and at the same time a “revolution of steel and steam” occurred in shipbuilding, an urgent need arose to protect the passages to the Sea of Azov and the Dnieper-Bug Estuary.
To solve this problem, Admiral A.A. Popov proposed to build two round-shaped monitor battleships for the most powerful guns in service with the fleet at that time - 280-mm Krupp rifled guns. The result was a real floating saucer with six propellers, which no ship had before or since.
As the author himself justified his project, “although the circular formations of the waterlines do not represent favorable conditions for speed, this disadvantage is compensated by the absence of obstacles to the maneuverability of the vessel and an excess of displacement.”
In total, two “popovoks” were built: in 1873, “Novgorod” was launched, two years later – “Kyiv”. Both served safely until 1903 and even managed to take part in the Russian-Turkish War, although only sporadically. But you can’t count the witticisms with which contemporaries jeered at the armored sides of round monitors. Nekrasov even dedicated a piece of his poem “Contemporaries” to them:
Hello, smart little head, how long have you been from foreign countries? By the way, did your “butt” float into the ocean?
- It’s bad, the matter is not going well, Experience is of no use, Everything is spinning and spinning, Everything is spinning and not floating.
And the navy joked: “Amazing ships - they won’t catch up with anyone, they won’t get away from anyone.” Meanwhile, these jokes were, as they say now, over the counter. The monitor does not need to swim in any ocean. In their capacity - that is, as floating fortresses crawling along the coast and capable of holding both sea and land under fire, "popovki" were a simple and cheap solution, although not without drawbacks.
But, as they say, there is no such miracle in the world that the Italians could not overcome. So in the monitor industry they were also noted for their very non-trivial design.
The task before the creators of Faa di Bruno was very ambiguous - to build a ship capable of supporting ground forces in the Trieste region, where there are many picturesque beaches and shallows that are extremely pleasing to today's tourists, but it is quite difficult for a ship to pass there. In such a situation, a German would have designed a special and expensive flat-bottomed hull, and the Italians, as always, found the most interesting and cheap solution.
Given: there is no extra money, no shipbuilding capacity, but in the warehouse there are super-powerful 380-mm guns for the battleship Cristoforo Colombo, which they were not going to complete anyway. Next, an ordinary pontoon is taken, a steam boiler from a decommissioned destroyer is pushed inside with great difficulty, an armored gable deck is laid on top and a two-gun turret is mounted. It turns out to be a battle raft. So what if the speed is only three knots, but the draft is no more than 2.2 meters, which means you don’t have to worry about running aground or hitting a mine.
During the First World War, the career of the Faa di Bruno, by the way, named after the captain of the Re d'Italia rammed at Lissa, to put it mildly, did not work out. All he had managed since the day he launched was to get caught in a storm near Ancona and throw himself ashore. In 1924, it was completely excluded from the lists of the fleet, but for some reason they did not cut it into metal.
But as soon as Italy declared war on the Allies on June 10, 1940, the old man was returned to service, repainted in camouflage, several anti-aircraft guns were installed, renamed “Floating Battery GM 194” and sent to strengthen the naval defense of Genoa. On February 9, 1941, during the British Operation Grog, when the battleships Rinaun and Malaya began shelling the harbor, one of the first shells interrupted the electric drive of the turret rotation of the former Faa di Bruno, so it was not able to fight this time . After that, he was sent to a repair dock, where for two years no one got around to tinkering with such an outdated design.
In 1943, the monitor was captured by the Germans, who quickly repaired it, renamed it Biber, replaced the vehicles and anti-aircraft weapons, and then solemnly introduced it into the Kriegsmarine. There, the former “Faa di Bruno” also did not show himself in any way, and in May 1945 he quietly surrendered to the Allies and was finally cut to pieces.
