The Black Sea Fleet was reinforced with an Arctic rescue rocket carrier. Its composition will be supplemented by the most multifunctional logistics support vessel "Vsevolod Bobrov". The novelty is able to transport and reload tons of various cargo and ammunition to other ships. It can also conduct rescue operations in difficult weather conditions. According to experts, "Vsevolod Bobrov" will deal, in particular, with the supply of ship groups that are already operating in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, as well as in the Indian Ocean.
The Black Sea Fleet was reinforced with an Arctic rescue rocket carrier. Its composition will be supplemented by the most multifunctional logistics support vessel "Vsevolod Bobrov". The novelty is able to transport and reload tons of various cargo and ammunition to other ships. It can also conduct rescue operations in difficult weather conditions. According to experts, "Vsevolod Bobrov" will deal, in particular, with the supply of ship groups that are already operating in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, as well as in the Indian Ocean.
Rear support
The multifunctional logistics support vessel "Vsevolod Bobrov" of the project 23120 will be included in the Black Sea Fleet. The crew for it has already been formed and recently arrived in St. Petersburg, sources in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia. According to the interlocutors of the publication, after the acceptance of the vessel, the team will conduct its comprehensive tests.
From the bases on the Black Sea, Vsevolod Bobrov will be able to supply various cargoes and ammunition to the Russian group in the Mediterranean region, and if necessary, further. Our ships are increasingly active in the Red Sea, along the east coast of Africa and in the Indian Ocean.
The United Shipbuilding Corporation said that factory sea trials of the new vessel will begin in March. The crew is already being handed over property, documentation and premises. Vsevolod Bobrov will check the operation of the main power plant and cranes under full load.
In December, Deputy Defense Minister Alexey Krivoruchko said that the construction of the Bobrov at the Severnaya Verf plant is on schedule and its delivery to the fleet is expected in the first half of 2021.
"In Soviet times, the Mediterranean naval unit did not have a permanent base at all," military expert Viktor Murakhovsky told Izvestia. — All ships were supplied from supply points and tankers. Ammunition, missiles, spare parts, food - all this must be replenished, and in this case only supply vessels can deliver cargo. Until recently, they were not built at all.
The expert noted that support vessels will be needed not only to supply ships in the Mediterranean, but in the future in other parts of the world.
"According to the current maritime doctrine, we must be present in all regions of the world's oceans," Viktor Murakhovsky explained. - Obviously, we need to operate in the Indian Ocean, and Russia has no bases there. There are also problems with basing in the Pacific Ocean. In such cases, it is impossible to do without modern support vessels. They are essentially floating bases for naval operations.
An outpost in the Mediterranean
The new vessel may be used to support maritime operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Since September 21, 2013, a permanent naval task force has been established there. According to the principle of rotation, ships and submarines of the Black Sea, Northern and Baltic fleets are on duty in it. At various times, it included the largest surface units of the Russian navy, including the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great.
The ships of the compound took an active part in the Russian operation in Syria. They fired about a hundred cruise missiles at the targets of terrorists and extremists. During the fighting, the ships sometimes had to be refueled and supplied with ammunition directly at sea.
The main burden of supplying this compound, the naval base in Tartus and the Russian group in Syria lies precisely with the Black Sea Fleet. To do this, it was necessary to use not only special support vessels, but also additionally purchased civilian, as well as large landing ships.
"For a long time, our priority was warships, and not enough attention was paid to the auxiliary fleet, "military historian Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia. — Without reliable and modern naval support vessels, it is difficult to operate in the Mediterranean Sea, and even more so in long-distance campaigns. And now our ships are spending more and more time away from their bases.
Today, the Black Sea Fleet does not have a single auxiliary vessel with comparable characteristics. All of them are much older and inferior to "Vsevolod Bobrov". It will be able to transport cargo, supply ships, including at sea. It is capable of carrying out rescue operations and lifting sunken objects from the bottom of the sea. In total, it was planned to build three ships of the project 23120, the expert noted.
Multifunctional base
"Vsevolod Bobrov" will be the second unit of the project 23120 in the Russian Navy. The lead Elbrus was accepted into the Northern Fleet in 2018. The very next year, he was sent on a 175-day circumnavigation of the world with a detachment of warships, which included the newest frigate "Admiral Gorshkov".
The total displacement of the Project 23120 vessels is 9.5 tons. They can transport and reload dry cargo and weapons to unequipped berths and ships on the high seas. They are also able to take another ship in tow if necessary. The equipment includes a diving module with a pressure chamber and means for mapping the seabed.
The autonomy allows the vessels of this project to spend up to 60 days continuously at sea. They are equipped with two 50-ton electro-hydraulic cranes for loading. On the cargo deck there is a space of 700 sq. m. m for the placement of cars, containers and other cargo. The reinforced body of the Arc4 ice class allows it to operate with an ice thickness of up to 60 cm. This feature is in demand in the Northern and Pacific fleets. The standard crew is 27 people. If necessary, the "Bobrov" can accommodate up to 55 people.
The unique vessel is also adapted for loading and unloading cargo by Ka-27 and Ka-29 helicopters. This function is necessary when working in places where it is impossible to approach the shore, and for the rapid delivery of ammunition to ships at sea.
