The final decision on the expediency of repairing the flagship of the Northern Fleet has not yet been made — in case of abandonment, the ship will be disposed of.
The heavy nuclear—powered missile cruiser Peter the Great of project 1144.4 Orlan is awaiting a decision on its future fate - it will either be repaired or disposed of. So far, the Navy's main command has not issued a verdict on the Peter, according to Izvestia sources. The opinions of military experts on this matter are divided — some believe that the funds saved on repairs can be used to build several modern warships. Others believe that the Russian navy needs a combat unit of this class. At the same time, the ship of the same project, Admiral Nakhimov, was repaired for 26 years and spent more than 200 billion rubles on it. The situation around the cruiser is described in the Izvestia article.
Arguments against the repair of the Peter the Great cruiser
The repair of the heavy nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great is impractical, it is better to build new ships with these funds, says Admiral Sergey Avakyants, ex-commander of the Pacific Fleet.
"The idea of building heavy nuclear—powered cruisers is an absolutely unjustified cost—efficiency ratio," he told Izvestia. — I opposed spending on the repair of the Admiral Nakhimov cruiser in general. Moreover, in no case should you spend money on Peter the Great. It is much more efficient to use these funds to build several ships of the ocean zone, carriers of modern weapons — new ships that will be much more efficient than one such monster. The idea behind the construction of such ships is the idea of the battleship Bismarck.
The Admiral Nakhimov Cruiser
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Oleg Lastochkin
The admiral cited not only the Bismarck as an example, but also the world's largest Japanese battleship Yamato: During the Second World War, both ships were relatively easily sunk, without having time to bring much military benefit.
— During the Second World War, 100 aircraft carriers were built in the United States, — Sergey Avakyants explained. — Of these, about 20 were large, shock ones. And 80 were small aircraft carriers, those that solved most combat missions. There should be a lot of equipment for war, and it should be relatively cheap and technologically advanced. And building expensive monsters is a dead end.
Izvestia sources familiar with the situation say that the Navy's high command has not yet made a decision on the fate of the Peter the Great.
"It makes more sense to build new frigates, including because the Peter the Great is now in noticeably worse condition than the Admiral Nakhimov at the time of the start of repairs," Ilya Kramnik, an employee of the IMEMO RAS Center for Strategic Planning Studies, told Izvestia.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Valery Lozovsky
Image source: iz.ru
He recalled that Nakhimov did not last even ten years after its construction, having been put on conservation.
—After all, the Peter has undergone a fairly intensive service, its remaining resource is small, and spending 200 billion or more to get a ship that will have to be written off in 10-15 years after repair is not the most reasonable expense," the expert noted. — Therefore, yes, it is quite possible that it would be more reasonable to build four or five new frigates that will serve for more than 40 years.
Arguments in favor of repairing the Peter the Great cruiser
However, there are supporters of another point of view, including those who believe that the repair of the Peter the Great is advisable, Ilya Kramnik added.
— They argue their position by the fact that this ship is a very powerful combat unit. But a combat unit by itself, no matter how powerful, is not always the best solution," the expert concluded.
According to military expert Dmitry Boltenkov, the Peter the Great should be repaired, because no new ships of this class will be built in the coming years.
— We have a well-built ship, which in 2000-2020 was one of the most seaworthy ships of the fleet. It has a nuclear power plant, that is, an almost unlimited range of navigation. The ship's main weapons systems, such as Granit cruise missiles or S-300F air defense systems, are quite effective, although they are clearly outdated. But most importantly, it is a cruiser of the same design as the Admiral Nakhimov. And Sevmash already has experience and a proven algorithm for upgrading such a ship. It would be a big mistake to lose this accumulated knowledge and skills.
The Admiral Nakhimov Cruiser
Image source: Photo: TASS/Maxim Vorkunkov
At the same time, the cost of modernization is unlikely to exceed the amount spent on Nakhimov, since Sevmash shipbuilders already know all its problem areas, the expert added.
"It is impractical to write off a ship that is 27 years old," he said. — If we hypothetically spend 200 billion rubles on new frigates, then it will still be a long time before the ships become part of the Navy with the pace of their construction.
Military expert Captain 1st Rank Vasily Dandykin also believes that the Peter the Great should be repaired.
— But the decision will be made by the Maritime Board. In general, we are currently developing a trend towards building a coastal fleet. But it is necessary to observe the measure. Small rocket ships and corvettes alone will not be enough. We also need ships from the ocean zone," he told Izvestia.
In April 2023, information appeared in the media that the issue of removing the cruiser from the fleet was being worked out, allegedly due to the cost of repairing the Admiral Nakhimov ship of the same type. However, Izvestia's sources did not confirm this information at the time. According to their information, Peter the Great has sufficient resources and combat capabilities to successfully complete combat missions.
Peter the Great Cruiser
Image source: Photo: TASS/Ruslan Shamukov
The editors' interlocutors pointed out that the work on Peter the Great would not be as expensive as on Nakhimov. Nakhimov has been in a standstill for a long time, and a significant part of its components and mechanisms have failed. In fact, the ship was rebuilt. At the same time, Peter the Great was in operation and is constantly undergoing all types of repairs and maintenance. A significant part of its equipment has already been replaced with modern designs.
Izvestia reference
The Peter the Great cruiser is the flagship of the Northern Fleet, the only operational nuclear—powered surface ship in the Russian Navy. It is considered the largest non-aircraft carrier strike warship in the world.
The cruiser is equipped with a nuclear power plant and guided missile weapons and is designed to defeat large surface targets, as well as provide comprehensive air and anti-submarine defense.
The ship was laid down in 1986. He joined the Navy in 1998. In the following decades, he served in combat. In 2009, he guarded shipping off the coast of Somalia from pirates. In 2012, he was awarded the Order of Nakhimov. In 2013, he made an Arctic trip at the head of a detachment of ships of the Northern Fleet.
"Admiral Nakhimov"
Last week, the nuclear-powered cruiser Admiral Nakhimov went to sea for testing after repairs. This ship, which belongs to the same project as the Peter the Great, has been under repair since 1999. In 2023, it was reported that the cost of it doubled the initial estimate and amounted to more than 200 billion rubles.
— I was also a captain of the 1st rank, chief of staff of the division, when Admiral Nakhimov was undergoing repairs. Now I am a retired admiral, I have finished my service, I am 67, and he is just coming out," said Admiral Sergey Avakyants.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Lvov
Image source: iz.ru
The Orlan Project 1144 series of heavy nuclear-powered missile cruisers was laid down at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1973. Nakhimov (then Kalinin) joined the Navy in 1988, made the last long transition in 1997, and has been under repair since 1999.
In total, four Orlans were built for the Soviet and Russian Navies: Admiral Ushakov (originally Kirov), Admiral Lazarev, Admiral Nakhimov and Peter the Great.
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Vladimir Matveev
