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Storozhevoi Korabl (Project 159)

Light Frigate / Submarine Hunter Warship [ 1961 ]

Storozhevoi Korabl was the Soviet designation given to the Petya-class light frigates of which fifty-four were completed during the Cold War and served various powers.

Authored By: JR Potts, AUS 173d AB and Dan Alex | Last Edited: 04/26/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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Modern naval frigate warships are a class of ship built for many roles - including that of hunting enemy submarines. The Petya-class of the Soviet Navy covered a class of light frigates during the Cold War decades with the name given to the lead ship being "Storozhevoi Korabl", Project 159. All the ships in the group were constructed at two Soviet shipyards - twenty-two by Yantar Kaliningrad and thirty-two by Khabarovsk. The Soviet ships operated for several decades before being retired into the late-1990s - though some remain in service with foreign navies even today (2016).

The class marked the first gas turbine-powered warships of the Soviet Navy.

The class constituted light frigate of similar design to the Mirka-class, having improved speed, weapons support and detection electronics. Petyas were divided into three classes: "Petya I", "Petya II" and "Petya III" - all built during the span of 1961 to 1969. Petya I supported heavy anti submarine weapons (including homing torpedoes and depth charges) and carried a depth sonar. Petya II included an additional bank of five torpedo tubes and Petya III replaced the 406mm tubes with three 533mm torpedo tubes.

Power was from a CODAG (COmbined Diesel And Gas) arrangement which paired 2 x Gas turbines of 30,000 horsepower with 1 x Diesel unit of 6,000 horsepower - providing speeds reaching 30 knots and ranges out to 4,870 nautical miles.©MilitaryFactory.com

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The crew complement numbered ninety personnel and there were no facilities to launch and retrieve navy helicopters off the stern. The "Slim Net" and "Hawk Skreech" systems were carried as was the "Herkules" hull-mounted sonar fit and a dipping sonar. Displacement was 950 tons under standard load and 1,150 tons under full load. The ship's profile saw the mass of the superstructure contained forward of midships with low-profile funnels aft of this. A forward and rear turret dominated the rest of the silhouette. A main mast was set along the aft section of the superstructure.

Export sales to foreign navies were a way to not decommission all the ships early as well as to create (or further strengthen) ties with foreign governments like that of Ethiopia, India and Syria. The Soviets retained some ships for parts to support these overseas sales. The Indian Navy purchased eleven of the Petya III ships but all have since been sold for scrapping. Vietnam purchased a batch of six and some remain in service (2016). Ethiopia purchased four of the vessels but these are now decommissioned. Syria has two boats on active patrol (Al Assari, Al Hirasa) (2016).©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1961

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

DECOMMISSIONED
Destroyed, Scrapped.

Complement

90
PERSONNEL

Class

Petya-class

Number-in-Class

54
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

A total of 54 vessels were built to the class standard.

Ethiopia; India; Soviet Union; Syria; Vietnam

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

✓ Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

✓ Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

✓ Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

✓ Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

Length

268.5 ft
81.84 m

Beam

30.2 ft
9.20 m

Draught

9.5 ft
2.90 m

Displacement

1,150
tons

Installed Power: CODAG (COmbined Diesel-And-Gas): 2 x Gas turbine engines developing 30,000 horsepower with 1 x Diesel engine delivering 6,000 horsepower; 2 x Shafts.

Surface Speed

30.0 kts
(34.5 mph)

Range

4,870 nm
(5,604 mi | 9,019 km)

2 x 76mm Dual-Purpose (DP) guns in twin-gunned turrets.

4 x RBU6000 Anti-Submarine ROCket (ASROC) launcher (2 x 1 on some vessels).

5 x 406mm torpedo launchers (Up to 10 x total tubes on some vessels).

EXPORT MODELS:

3 x 533mm torpedo tubes.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a modern warship turreted deck gun armament

Graphical image of aircraft aerial rockets

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

None.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.