The ship's upper superstructure will be changed and the composition of the armament will be revised
The large landing ship "Minsk" of project 775, damaged in Sevastopol, will be restored according to the updated project. Its upper superstructure will change, and the composition of weapons and avionics equipment will also be revised. For their reliability and unpretentiousness, the ships of this project have long earned the fame of "workhorses" among the sailors, experts say. "Minsk" will serve in the fleet for a long time after the restoration, they are sure.
New look
The project of modernization of the large amphibious assault ship "Minsk" has already been developed, it involves changing the upper superstructure, reviewing the composition of weapons and avionics equipment, sources told Izvestia in the military department and the shipbuilding industry.
"Minsk" suffered as a result of a Ukrainian missile strike on the night of August 13 this year, when it was under repair in the dry dock of the Sevastopol Marine Plant. At the same time, the Rostov-on-Don Project 636.3 submarine, which was standing in a nearby dock, was damaged. As a result of the strike, 24 people were injured.
Ten cruise missiles were fired at Sevastopol that day, seven of which were shot down.
A large landing ship "Minsk" in the waters of Sevastopol. 2022
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation immediately reported that the damaged Minsk and the diesel submarine will be fully restored and will continue to serve as part of the Navy.
The decision to restore the Minsk depended on the condition of its hull and engines, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.
— If the decision is made to return the ship to service, then everything is fine with the hull. And the construction of the superstructure is not a big problem," he explained. — The BDK of Project 775 is quite simple. There are no complex weapons systems or electronics, damage or destruction of which could complicate the work.
The expert noted that, most likely, there are several options for restoring the ship.
— The specific project will depend on the decision of the Navy command, — he noted. — The Olshansky BDK of the same project, previously owned by the Ukrainian Navy, has been standing in Sevastopol for a long time. It can be used when restoring Minsk. But these BDK were built a long time ago, so the add-ons can get a new architecture. The experience gained during the construction of the newest BDK 11711 "Ivan Gren" will be useful here.
A large landing ship "Ivan Gren" at the dress rehearsal of the Navy Day parade in the waters of the Gulf of Finland off the coast of Kronstadt. 2023
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Galperin
The restoration of the ship is also a matter of principle and prestige, the expert noted.
— We show the enemy that we can quickly restore ships and the capabilities of our fleet from their attacks have not decreased. There is already a precedent. "The Olenegorsky miner, damaged by a marine drone in Novorossiysk, came to Sevastopol a month later and looked like new," the expert recalled.
According to Dmitry Boltenkov, the ships of Project 775 were used in all fleets of the Russian Navy and earned the fame of "workhorses" for their reliability. For this reason, "Minsk" after the restoration will be a full-fledged combat unit and will serve for a long time, he believes.
Member of the "Syrian Express"
BDK project 775 is designed for amphibious landings on the unprepared coast, as well as for the transportation of goods, including armored vehicles and tanks. It can carry up to ten medium tanks and 340 landing troops.
Minsk entered service on May 30, 1983 and was incorporated into the Baltic Fleet.
The ship is armed with two 57—mm AK-725 artillery launchers with remote guidance, two Grad-M multiple launch rocket launchers and four launchers of the Strela-2 portable anti-aircraft missile system.
BTR-82A at the exercises of amphibious landing ships on the coast at the training ground of the Baltic Fleet Khmelevka in the Kaliningrad region. In the background is a large landing ship "Minsk". 2015
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Igor Zarembo
The ship was involved in the so-called Syrian Express. BDK flights to Syria began after inspections by Europeans of bulk carriers that delivered cargo from Russia to Syria. Third countries cannot detain warships, so the BDK of the Northern, Black Sea and Baltic fleets were involved in cargo transportation.
"Minsk" operated as part of the Mediterranean grouping of the Russian Navy since September 2013, where it performed tasks for about ten months. As a result of the long-distance campaign, ten BDK sailors were awarded medals of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In 2017-2018, he was on a seven-month long-distance campaign, performing tasks to ensure the actions of Russian ships in the Mediterranean and the grouping of Russian troops in Syria.
In February 2022, the Minsk again left the Baltic and went south as part of a detachment of ships: made a short stop in Tartus, and then went to the Black Sea.
The large landing ship "Minsk" during the welcoming ceremony in the military harbor of Baltiysk. 2021
Image Source: Photo: TASS/Vitaly Nevar
On February 10, a detachment of large amphibious ships of the Russian Navy as part of the Minsk, Korolev, Kaliningrad, Pyotr Morgunov, George the Victorious and Olenegorsky Miner entered Sevastopol, completing the transition around Europe.
In the Russian Navy, the ships of Project 775 are replaced by the BDK of project 11711. The Ivan Gren, which joined the Northern Fleet in June 2018, became the first amphibious assault ship designed and built in the modern history of Russia. Now there are two such ships in the Navy — the Ivan Morgunov has been added to the "Grenu".
The BDK of this project became the first full-fledged warships in our fleet capable of carrying out the full range of amphibious operations at sea. Among them are not only the landing and transportation of troops, military equipment and equipment, but also evacuation, participation in humanitarian missions and work as flagships.
Alexey Ramm
Bogdan Stepovoy
