If the missile cruiser "Moscow" sank, then it probably received serious damage, suggested in a conversation with "Lenta.<url>" fleet historian, editor-in-chief of the portal "News of Mechanical Engineering" Dmitry Zhavoronkov. He described possible options for the future fate of the ship.
What will happen to "Moscow"
According to Zhavoronkov, the ship can be lifted and disposed of or lifted and restored. The latter is unlikely. In addition, it is possible that the "Moscow" will remain under water.
"This is possible if there is no obstacle to navigation. Then the divers will pull out everything they need from the ship: documentation, weapons and other special technical means. Or all this will be destroyed underwater, as the first compartment of the Kursk nuclear submarine was destroyed," the specialist explained.
The historian expressed doubts about the possible restoration of the cruiser, since with a strong and prolonged fire there is a risk of structural damage to the hull. "No matter how good and durable construction steel the hull of the ship is made of, in this case it may lead, that is, the parameters of the hull may change, and, accordingly, it will lose its geometric characteristics. This means that the hydrodynamics will deteriorate and change, which will affect the parameters of the object's movement in the water, that is, speed, stability," he noted.
Modernization of "Moscow"
Since the Moskva was created back in the 1970s, and technology, aviation, anti-ship means, air defense and other systems have significantly advanced, the ship, like the other two project 1164 Atlant cruisers, needed modernization, Zhavoronkov noted. Only the Marshal Ustinov cruiser managed to be completely modernized, and the Moskva was successfully repaired with the restoration of technical readiness.
The historian also noted that the average age of ships of the Russian navy, especially combat surface ships of the I, II and III rank, is quite large. According to him, the fleet is being updated, but the average age of Russian surface ships is much greater than that of the American or Chinese Navies. This indicator needs to be systematically improved, developing shipbuilding and building ships in large series, he believes.
"We got the cruisers from the Soviet nuclear missile fleet, whose creators were Admiral [Sergei] Gorshkov and Marshal [Dmitry] Ustinov, that is, a fleet created for tasks within the framework of the Cold War," the source said.
According to him, the main issues of modernization necessary for Moscow could concern such issues as the improvement of anti-aircraft missile systems and anti-aircraft defense of the cruiser, as well as fire safety systems.
"If we talk about the future fate of the Varyag, then we can either talk about modernization on the model of Marshal Ustinov, or about decommissioning after 5-7 years as an outdated combat unit. "Modernization" money could be invested in the construction of frigates of our magnificent project 22350 or 22350M," Zhavoronkov drew attention. The Commander-in-chief of the Navy will make the decision in any case, he concluded.
On April 14, it became known about the fire on the cruiser "Moscow". The Defense Ministry said that the ship was seriously damaged as a result of the detonation of ammunition. Later, the department reported that the cruiser "Moscow", which was injured in the fire, sank while being towed during a storm.
