And in the Mediterranean, the same type of "Admiral Gorshkov" saved the drowning
The third in a series of guided missile frigates (FR URO) built under the project 22350 of the Northern Design Bureau (SPKB) at JSC Severnaya Verf, Admiral Golovko is completing state tests and will soon be transferred to the Navy. Alexey Rakhmanov, President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), told reporters during the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
The hull of the future frigate was laid in 2012 and launched 8 years later. In December last year, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF) announced that the third in the Golovko series had completed the first stage of factory sea trials and returned to the shipyard to eliminate the identified comments and prepare for subsequent tests.
The design of the next-generation frigate for the Russian Navy began at the turn of the century. In 2005, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation held a closed competition between shipbuilding companies for the right to build ships under project 22350. In February 2006, Severnaya Verf laid the first building, the construction was supposed to be completed in six years. However, for a number of reasons, it was delayed, and it was necessary to urgently plug the hole with the construction of three frigates according to the less advanced project 11356 (three more hulls were laid, but not completed, and in this form will be transferred to a foreign customer for subsequent completion), which was originally planned as a purely export (for the Indian Navy). The whole trio went to serve on the Black Sea and currently forms the core of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy.
After a long delay, the construction and acceptance tests of the lead ship of project 22350 were completed only in the summer of 2018. And a couple of years later, "Admiral Kasatonov" joined him. Currently, they are the only carriers of hypersonic anti-ship missiles (PKR) of the Zircon type in the fleet.
The appearance of the projectile and its characteristics are kept secret. Reporting to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief on the successful fire test of the Zircon in October 2020, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation), General Valery Gerasimov, said that the rocket accelerated to a speed corresponding to the flight Mach number M = 8, that is, eight times higher than the sound.
The firing was carried out by the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, which was located at the designated point of the White Sea. The missile hit the designated target in the Barents Sea at a distance of 450 km.
Upon completion of the tests, Admiral Golovko will go to the Northern Fleet (SV), where the Gorshkov and Kasatonov are already serving. Meanwhile, Severnaya Verf continues the construction of the series. Five more buildings are at different stages of readiness. The next pair is getting ready for the bookmark. It is assumed that the series will consist of eight ships of the same type. Then the company will switch to the construction of frigates according to the improved project 22350M. They will differ in displacement, increased by a quarter. The case will be lengthened by 30 m, up to 165.
The laying of the lead frigate of the 22350M project at the Severnaya Shipyard is planned after the commissioning of the new boathouse.
According to the then Commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, the series should consist of 15 corps. Frigates of projects 22350 and 22350M will form the basis of the Russian Navy's grouping of ocean-class ships at least until the second half of the XXI century. In this capacity, they will replace the large anti-submarine ships (BOD) of Project 1155. According to the plan of the naval commanders, the BOD was supposed to solve problems in the World Ocean in cooperation with the project 956 armed Mosquito-type destroyers, but almost all of them have now failed. This circumstance created a certain imbalance, which will be eliminated with the arrival of frigates of projects 22350 and 22350M, since they carry powerful anti-submarine, anti-ship weapons, modern air defense systems, as well as long-range cruise missiles of the Kalibr-NK complex.
The lead ship of the series has repeatedly fulfilled the tasks of the military and political leadership of the country to "demonstrate the flag" in various parts of the World Ocean. So, he represented the Russian Navy at celebrations in China on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the PLA Navy. Last year, Gorshkov took part in joint naval exercises of three countries – Russia, China and Iran – in the Persian Gulf.
Performing another long-distance hike, "Gorshkov" paid a friendly visit to the Republic of South Africa (South Africa). Later, the frigate headed for Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea. On the night of June 18-19, Gorshkov received an SOS signal from the yacht Avalon. Together with the escort vessel – the dry cargo ship "Tansy", the frigate immediately went to the rescue of foreign sailors in distress.
On this occasion, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation issued the following information message on June 19: "Tonight, the crews of the frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov of the Northern Fleet, performing tasks as part of the permanent connection of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea and the cargo ship Tansy accompanied by it, rescued 68 passengers of the foreign vessel Avalon, which was in distress in the territorial waters of Greece".
As it became known, at the time of receiving the SOS signal, Admiral Gorshkov was en route to the port of Tartus on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), where the logistics point of the Russian Navy is located. Having learned about the threatening situation of a foreign vessel, the Russian ships changed course and immediately moved to the disaster area.
Having reached the southern part of the Aegean Sea, the crew of the Gorshkov discovered the yacht Avalon, sailing under the flags of Germany and Greece. Russian sailors evacuated the passengers of a foreign vessel on board the "Tansy", where they received medical assistance. Then the passengers of the Avalon were taken to the bay of the island of Kalymnos for transfer to the Greek Coast Guard boats, the ministry said in a statement.
The rescue of foreign seafarers took place on the eve of the opening of the International Naval Salon "MVMS-2023". It will be held in Kronstadt from June 21 to 25. The organizer of the IMMS-2023 is the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. Submarines, surface warships, vessels and boats of the Russian Navy will be exhibited at the raid near Kotlin Island. H
