Sverdlov (class)

Cruiser Warship [ 1952 ]

Some thirty Sverdlov-class cruisers were planned for the Soviet Union but only fourteen were completed in the end.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/21/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the Public Domain; Admiral Ushakov pictured circa 1981.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

After World War 2 (1939-1945), the Soviet Union became the undisputed power in the East and entered into a "Cold War" (1949-1991) with the West which was led by the United States. To match the United State Navy's (USN) presence on the high seas pound-for-pound, the nation invested heavily in expansion of its surface and undersea fleet. One of the major commitments to the former category was the Sverdlov-class cruiser ("Project 68bis") of which some thirty ships were planned in all in 1947. However, several factors ultimately limited the group to just fourteen vessels as sixteen of the planned lot were cancelled or scrapped.

The class served with the Soviet and Indonesian navies for their time on the high seas but even at the time of their arrival they were more or less anachronistic - designs more akin to World War 2 surface combatants. At the time of their commissioning, the Sverdlov-class became the last gun-based ocean-going cruisers taken into service by the Soviet Navy.

Construction of the class spanned from 1949 until 1955 and the warships were in commissioned service from 1952 until 2000. The design displaced 13,600 tons under standard load and up to 16,640 tons under full load. Dimensions included a length of 689 feet, a beam of 72.1 feet, and a draught of 22.7 feet. Installed power was from 6 x Boiler units feeding 2 x Geared steam turbines developing 118,100 horsepower used to drive 2 x Shafts under the stern. Aboard was a crew of 1,250 personnel and armor ranged from 3.9" at the belt and 5.9" at the conning tower to 2" along the deck and 6.9" at the primary turrets.

Armament-wise, the warship was well-stocked with projectile-based systems. The suite was led by 12 x 152mm (6") /57 caliber B-38 series main guns set in four triple-gunned primary turrets. The secondary battery encompassed 12 x 100mm (3.9") /56 caliber Model 1934 guns set in six twin-gunned turrets (SM-5-1 mountings). Up to 32 x 37mm (1.5") guns were used for the Anti-Aircraft (AA) role and 10 x 533mm *21") torpedo tubes rounded out the suite of available weaponry.

All told, this collection of weapons was heavily influenced by design successes seen in World War 2 - though quickly falling out of place in the post-war, missile-minded world. Some of the obsolete qualities were offset by the emergence of viable radar and air-defense systems brought along by Soviet engineers.

The primary role of these fighting ships was to protect the vast Soviet Empire coastline with operations ranging from the unforgiving North Atlantic to the balmier environments of the Mediterranean. The warships could provide an anti-ship, air defense, convoy escort, or raiding capability such was their general design approach. In addition to this, there was always the added benefit of natural deterrence to European designs lacking search-and-tracking qualities - thus forcing European powers to invest heavily, in turn, in counters to the intimidating Soviet surface and undersea fleets.

Even while under construction, however, the planned total of thirty ships was curtailed due to the rise in missile technology, the dwindling value of "all-gun" warships, and the perceived reduced value of cruiser warship types in the age of the nuclear submarine and aircraft carrier. Stalin's death in 1953 offered the new Soviet authorities some flexibility and it was decided to halt work on additional hulls in 1954 after the fourteenth keel was laid down. At least four warships that were already launched for trials were ended while partially complete and a further two hulls were outright scrapped before seeing the light of day. To keep the remainder of the group viable for the foreseeable future, several modernization efforts were made which allowed them to remain in service into the 1970s.

Today, the only presence of the class that remains is Mikhail Kutuzov, existing as a preserved museum ship floating in Novorossiysk waters.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1952

Origin

Soviet Union

Status

DECOMMISSIONED
Destroyed, Scrapped.

Complement

1,250
PERSONNEL

Class

Sverdlov-class

Number-in-Class

14
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

Sverdlov; Zhdanov; Admiral Ushakov; Aleksandr Suvorov; Admiral Senyavin; Dmitry Pozharsky; Kronstadt; Tallinn; Varyag; Ordzhonikidze; Aleksandr Nevsky; Admiral Lazarev; Shcherbakov; Dzerzhinsky; Admiral Nakhimov; Mikhail Kutuzov; Admiral Kornilov; Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsia (Molotovsk); Murmansk; Arkhangelsk; Vladivostok

Indonesia; Soviet Union

(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

689.0 ft
210.01 m

Beam

72.1 ft
21.98 m

Draught

22.7 ft
6.92 m

Displacement

13,600
tons

Installed Power: 6 x Boiler units feeding 2 x Geared steam turbines developing 118,100 horsepower to 2 x Shafts astern.

Surface Speed

32.5 kts
(37.4 mph)

Range

8,690 nm
(10,000 mi | 16,093 km)

12 x 152mm (6") /57 caliber B-38 main guns set in four triple-gunned primary turrets.

12 x 100mm (3.9") /56 caliber Model 1934 guns set in six twin-gunned turrets.

32 x 37mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns.

10 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a historical warship turreted main gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

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.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain; Admiral Ushakov pictured circa 1981.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)