Russian cruiser Marshal Ustinov

Marshal Ustinov leaving Norfolk, Virginia, 1989
History
Russia
Name:	Marshal Ustinov
Namesake:	Dmitriy Ustinov
Laid down:	1978
Launched:	April 1982
Commissioned:	1986
Homeport:	Severomorsk
Status:	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Slava-class cruiser

RFS Marshal Ustinov , Маршал Устинов, is a Slava-class cruiser of the Russian Navy. The Russian name for the ship type is Gvardeysky Raketnyy Kreyser (GRKR), meaning "Guards Missile Cruiser". She is named after Dmitriy Ustinov, a former Soviet Minister of Defence.

Marshal Ustinov is assigned to the 43rd Missile Ship Division of the Russian Northern Fleet, whose homeport and the Fleet HQ is in Severomorsk.

History

Marshal Ustinov on the right next to Admiral Ushakov at Severomorsk in 1992.

Hull number 070 was laid down at the 61 Kommuna #445 Yard, Nikolayev (Mykolaiv) in 1978 as the second Slava class ship. She was launched in 1982 and commissioned in the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet four years later in 1986.

In 1994, then commissioned in the Russian Northern Fleet, Marshal Ustinov was laid up somewhere in the Baltic awaiting extensive repairs. In December 1996, the People's Republic of China purchased two Sovremenny class destroyers and the income from this sale made it possible to pay for the $US169 million repairs to Ustinov.

In March 2011 it was reported that Marshal Ustinov could be transferred to the Russian Pacific Fleet.^[1][2]

Marshal Ustinov has been known to carry two other hull numbers than her original (070); 088 and 055.^[3]

In 2012 the cruiser was laid up for repairs and upgrades at the Zvyozdochka Shipyard. The ship was rejoined the navy in 2016.^[4][5]

References

External links

• FAS.org
• GlobalSecurity.org