Zvezdochka Shipyard floats out missile cruiser RFS Marshal Ustinov (photo release)
Ship Repair Center Zvezdochka (part of United Shipbuilding Corporation) early this morning, 25 June 2013 launched the missile cruiser RFS Marshal Ustinov of Slava-class (Project 1164 Atlant), the shipbuilding company said.
The missile cruiser was floated out of the dock and moored in the shallow embankment for outfitting and upgrade. Workers will replace more than 50% of cables and modernize the ship missile, communications and intelligence systems. The repair work will be completed within 2014. Upon modernization of the ship missile system cheduled for completion in 2015, the RFS Marshal Ustinov will be delivered to the Russian Navy.
The warship docked at Zvezdochka Shipyard in June 2011 for scheduled repair. The vessel overhaul is carried out in the framework of the state contract for maintenance of the Northern Fleet, signed between the Ministry of Defense and of the shipbuilding firm. In November 2012 the company commenced dry docking phase maintenance. During the stage the shipyard workers and engineers have repaired drainage and fire fighting systems, steering wheel shaft, screws, stabilizing, other systems and mechanisms and painted the exterior hull and tanks.
RFS Marshal Ustinov is the first ship of Project 1164 undergoing scheduled maintenance at Zvezdochka Shipyard.
The shipbuilding company’s General Director Vladimir Nikitin said the Marshal Ustinov will be followed by another warships of the series - the flagships of the Black Sea and Pacific Fleets missile cruisers "Moskva" and "Varyag."
RFS Marshal Ustinov of Project1164 (hull number 070) was laid down at the 61 Kommuna #445 Yard, Nikolayev in 1978. She was launched in 1982 and commissioned in the Soviet Red Banner Northern Fleet four years later in 1986.
During 26 years of iservice the RFS Marshal Ustinov performed over 370 combat exercises with the use of rocket, artillery and anti-submarine systems and covered nearly 150,000 nautical miles staying 1089 days on the high seas.
According to open sources, the Slava-class cruisers have displacement of 11380 tonnes, length - 186 m, beam - 20.8 m, max speed - 34 knots. The complement - 510. The class warships are fitted with sixteen SS-N-12 Sandbox nuclear-capable supersonic anti-ship missiles, which are mounted in four pairs on either side of the superstructure. The cruisers carry 64 SA-N-6 Grumble long-range surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and 40 SA-N-4 Gecko short-range SAMs.
