List of cruisers of the Russian Navy

Cruisers of the Russian Imperial Navy (1873–1917)

Note on official classification

Until 1892, there was no standardized name for ships of the cruiser type. They were classified as armoured frigates, armoured corvettes and even screw corvettes. The "Cruiser" \ «крейсер» designation appeared in 1878, but only for auxiliary non-protected ships. Starting in 1892 and up to 1907, all of these ships were divided between 1st rank cruisers and 2nd rank cruisers, although this division did not coincide with the delineation between armoured cruisers & protected cruisers. The designation "auxiliary cruiser" officially appeared in 1904. According to the new classification table of 1907, all cruisers, except auxiliary ships, were divided between "armoured cruisers" and "cruisers". During the first decades of the Soviet Navy the only one "cruiser" designation existed, but in 1949 cruisers were divided between "light cruisers", "heavy cruisers" and "training cruisers". Later "missile cruisers", "anti-submarine cruisers", "aircraft-carrying cruisers", "heavy nuclear missile cruisers" appeared.

Armoured cruiser

General-Admiral (1873) — first in the world armoured cruiser.

This type of warship was invented by Russians.[1][2] The ships were intended to conduct the traditional cruiser operations against merchant ships and their protectors. For this reason, they had been armed with heavy main guns and medium armour to fight with light cruisers. The ships also possessed relatively high speed to escape from an opponent's battleships. All of them were officially classified as 1st rank cruisers and were assigned to the Baltic Fleet.

Cruiser Rurik (1906)

Protected cruiser

Russia had nearly not developed this British-designed type of ship, and had instead concentrated on armoured cruisers. Most of these ships were classified officially as 1st rank cruisers, they were assigned to the Baltic Fleet, with the exception of a handful of ships.

Cruiser Askol‘d (1900)

Yacht cruisers

These ships were simply yachts equipped with large calibre artillery. Svetlana was protected, but the others were not.

Torpedo cruisers

The Russian Navy classified these ships as "minnyi kreiser" \ «минный крейсер» (Torpedo Cruiser): something between cruiser and torpedo boat, and the direct predecessor of destroyers, but were rather larger and stronger than the destroyers of the 1900s (decade). The ships were purposed to struggle with an opponent's torpedo boats, as well as to serve as a torpedo boat squadron leader, escort ship, tow-ship, and other missions. Later, the first Russian destroyers were originally classified as torpedo cruisers.

Torpedo cruiser Leytenant Ilyin (1886)

Battlecruisers

Actually, they were not battlecruisers, but rather fast super-dreadnoughts.[3]

Non-protected & auxiliary cruisers

Commissioning of these ships was an extraordinary measure taken during the periods of political crises of 1878 and 1904–1905. Auxiliary cruisers, which were used in 1904–1905, were specially constructed or reconstructed as ships of "double destination": ocean liners at the times of peace and cruisers during war. Most of them were officially classified as cruisers and auxiliary cruisers and belonged to the Baltic Fleet (but two).

Hospital ship Moskva (1898), former naval transport Angara (in fact — auxiliary cruiser) in Port Arthur, 1904.


NOTE: There were some other Dobroflot liners used in the Navy during the Russo-Japanese War, but they were classified as transports.

Cruisers of the Soviet and modern Russian Navy

Light cruisers (KRL[4])

Legkiy kreiser \ «лёгкий крейсер» (КРЛ).

Cruiser Chervona Ukraina (1915), Black Sea, 1930s
Cruiser Voroshilov (1937). Sevastopol, June 20, 1941 (two days before the war)
Project 68bis light cruiser Admiral Ushakov. 1981

Heavy cruisers (TKR)

Tyazhelyi kreiser \ «тяжёлый крейсер» (ТКР). Prior to and during the Second World War, the Soviet Navy attempted to procure heavier cruiser types, including two different battlecruiser designs. Despite these attempts, not one ship of these types was commissioned into Soviet Navy.

Guided missile cruisers (RKR)

Project 58 guided missile cruiser. Mediterranean Sea, 1985-1986

Raketnyi kreiser \ «ракетный крейсер» (РКР).

NOTE: Large antisubmarine ships of Project 1134A (NATO codename Kresta II) and Project 1134B (Kara) never classified as cruisers in the Soviet Navy, nor were cruisers in reality: it was a type of large frigates (due to arming of antisubmarine torpedo-missiles).

Guided missile cruiser Chervona Ukraina underway en route to the Pacific Ocean from the Black Sea. 1990

Heavy nuclear guided missile cruisers (TARKR)

Tyazhelyi atomnyi raketnyi kreiser \ «тяжёлый атомный ракетный крейсер» (ТАРКР). Were reclassified to Heavy Guided Missile Cruisers (TRKR) in 1997.

Heavy nuclear guided missile cruiser Frunze. 1985

Antisubmarine cruisers (PKR)

Protivolodochnyi kreiser \ «противолодочный крейсер» (ПКР). Helicopter-carrying cruisers. Ships were purposed to searching and destroying opponent's guided missile and multi-purpose submarines at the remote boundaries of antisubmarine defence, consisting of ships' squadrons and cooperating with other antisubmarine ships and aircraft.

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers (TAKR)

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Minsk. 1983

Tyazhelyi avianesushchii kreiser \ «тяжёлый авианесущий крейсер» (ТАКР). Ships were purposed to air cover of patrol regions of Soviet ballistic missile submarines (to destroy opponent's antisubmarine helicopters and airplanes), as well as searching and destroying opponent's guided missile & multi-purpose submarines and (3rd purpose) to striking the opponent's above-water ships by guided missiles, consisting of ships' squadrons and cooperating with other fleets' forces. Despite the superficial resemblance, they were not aircraft carriers in that sense, in which this term is applicable to American and British carriers. They were not intended to be the main shock force of the Navy, but only a part of own strategic submarines' defense system (first three units). Fourth ship really became a large training base for fifth, her aircraft (Yak-141) was not completed and she remained with helicopters only, i.e. as antisubmarine cruiser. Fifth unit (and uncompleted sixth) were designed as ships of transitional type, and only seventh, non-completed nuclear Ulyanovsk, although classified officially to cruisers, could become a first Russian relatively full aircraft carrier.[6]

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov underway south of Italy. 1991

Auxiliary cruisers (VKR)

Vspomogatel'nyi kreiser \ «Вспомогательный крейсер» (ВКР).

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Beeler, p 222
  2. ↑ Smirnov G., Smirnov V. Istoriya sozdaniya i sluzby pervykh bronenosnykh kreiserov (russkikh i angliyskikh) // "Modelist-Konstruktor" (The history of creation and service of first armoured cruisers (Russian & English)).
    Moiseev (ref. № 1), p. 15.
  3. ↑ Vinogradov S. E. "Izmail" — sverhdrednout Rossiyskoy imperii // "Morskaya kollektsiya", 2001, № 1 (Izmail — super-dreadnought of Russian Empire)
  4. ↑ This is a Russian class abbreviation, that also is used as prefix, for example: KRL Sverdlov or TRKR Piotr Velikii.
  5. ↑ Solholm, Rolleiv. "Russian wreck to be raised". The Norway Post. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
  6. ↑ Pavlov A. S. Dlinnaya ruka admirala Gorshkova. Yakutsk, 2000. (Admiral Gorshkov's long arm) (concerning the 1143.4).
    Pavlov A. S. Rozhdeniye i gibel' sed'mogo avianostsa. - Yakutsk, 2000. (Generation and corruption of the seventh aircraft carrier).

References

  1. Beeler, John Francis (1997). British Naval Policy in the Gladstone-Disraeli Era. San Francisco: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2981-6. 
  1. Moiseev S. P. Spisok korabley russkogo parovogo i bronenosnogo flota (s 1861 po 1917 god). - Voyenizdat, Moskva, 1948. (List of Russian Ships of Steam and Armoured Navy (from 1861 to 1917))
  2. Boyevye korabli russkogo flota 8.1914-10.1918 gody: Spravochnik / Red. Yu. V. Apalkov. - INTEK, St. Peterburg, 1996. (Warships of the Russian Navy in August 1914 – October 1918).
  3. Korabli i vspomogatel'nye suda sovetskogo Voyenno-Morskogo Flota (1917–1927 gody). Spravochnik / Red. S. S. Berezhnoi i dr. - Voyenizdat, Moskva, 1981. (Ships and auxiliary vessels of the Soviet Navy in 1917–1927. Reference-book)
  4. Berezhnoi S. S. Korabli i suda VMF SSSR 1928–1945. Spravochnik. - Voyenizdat, Moskva, 1998. (Ships and vessels of the USSR Navy 1928–1945. Reference-book)
  5. Burov V. N. Otechestvennoye voyennoye korablestroyenoye v tretyem stoletii svoyei istorii. - Sudostroyeniye, St. Peterburg, 1995. (Native Naval Shipbuilding in 3rd century of its history [i.e. in the 20th century])
  6. Berezhnoi S. S. Trofei i reparatsii VMF SSSR. - Sakhapoligraphizdat, Yakutsk, 1994. (Trophies and Reparations of the USSR Navy)
  7. Kuzin V. P., Nikol'skii V. I. Voenno-Morskoi Flot SSSR 1945–1991. - Istoricheskoye Morskoye Obschestvo, St. Petersburg, 1996. (USSR Navy 1945–1991)
  8. Pavlov A. S. Voyennye korabli SSSR i Rossii 1945–1995. Spravochnik. - Yakutsk, 1994. (Warships of the USSR and Russia in 1945–1995. Reference-book)
  9. Pavlov A. S. Voyennye korabli Rossii 2001 god. - Yakutsk, 2001. (Warships of the Russia, 2001)
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