The Ministry of Defense continues to order unarmed ships
The ceremony of laying the hulls of two research vessels of the 03182P project took place on October 19 at the Zelenodolsk Shipyard named after A.M. Gorky from the Ak Bars Corporation. The event was timed to celebrate the 128th anniversary of the company's founding and was held in the presence of representatives of the customer - the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF).
The length of the hull of the 03182P project vessel is about 100 m, width – almost 16 m, height from the main plane, taking into account the superstructure – 18.6 m. Displacement is estimated at 4 thousand tons. The design of the hull is made to meet the requirements of the ice class Arc4. A number of sources say that the 03182P project was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping for the Ice 3 AUT2 KM class.
The 03182P project was developed by JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau (ZPKB). According to it, a series of unarmed ships are being built at a nearby shipyard to perform complex oceanographic studies of the World Ocean and the shelf zone. The corresponding contract was signed at the international military-technical forum "Army-2021".
The laying of the first two buildings, named "Leonid Bekrenev" and "Boris Bobkov" took place in the summer of 2022. The ships bear the names of admirals who in different years held the post of chief of Naval intelligence of the USSR Navy.
The contract for the second pair of ships – "Mikhail Nefedov" and "Nikolai Zuikov" – was signed at the MVTF "Army-2022". When choosing names, they remembered the Soviet military leaders again. Nikolai Ivanovich Zuikov – military intelligence officer, rear admiral, participant of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Nefedov – Captain of the 1st rank, head of the military highway No. 101 ("Road of Life").
The names of the future ships were assigned by the orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the Russian Federation (Navy of the Russian Federation) Admiral Nikolai Evmenov.
"REMEMBER THE WAR"
In a number of open sources, the vessels of project 03182P are classified as "medium reconnaissance ships". Some media raised the issue of equipping them with remotely controlled combat modules capable of fighting unmanned naval boats (BMCs). Such a decision seems logical in light of several cases of attacks carried out by the Naval Forces of Ukraine (VMSU) on the reconnaissance ships "Ivan Khurs" and "Priazovye". To do this, the Navy used high-speed BMCs filled with explosives. If the scouts had not had 30 mm rapid-firing cannons and Vladimirova heavy machine guns on board, they would not have been able to fend off enemy drones.
Vice Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov, who took part in the wars with Turkey and Japan (1877-1878 and 1904-1905, respectively), drew attention to the weak armament during the analysis of the project of the new cruiser and reasonably noted that warships "are built for guns." And his most famous expression, inscribed on a monument in Kronstadt near the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral – "Remember the war."
Despite the well-known instructions of Admiral Makarov, those in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation who considered and approved the 03182P project accepted it without any weapons. And there is no one to deal with it: the crew of the ship has only 24 people.
The project, however, provides a platform for the Ka-27 helicopter. As you know, this rotorcraft was developed by the experimental design bureau named after him. Kamova is specially designed for the Navy and in accordance with the technical task of the customer is capable of carrying a variety of weapons (it differs depending on the modification, see "Black Sea asks for helicopters", "HVO" from 07.09.23). Does the project provide for hangar storage of the helicopter and provision of everything necessary, including storage of ammunition and its preparation for combat use? If we take into account the small number of the crew, then most likely not.
A GUN AND A SPLINTER
Project 03182P is designed with the expectation that the building built on it can be carried out by inland waterways. Thus, a lot of ships built in Zelenodolsk went out to sea.
Among the interesting programs of the Volga shipbuilders, the flagship of the Caspian Flotilla (CFl) should be mentioned Russian Navy – missile ship (RK) "Dagestan" project 11661K. It is armed with long-range cruise missiles of the Kalibr-NK complex. The Republic of Tatarstan also serves in the Caspian Sea, but instead of the Kalibr-NK, it carries anti-ship missiles (PKR) of the 3M24 type of the Uranus complex.
Based on the documentation of Tatarstan, the export project 11661E was developed, according to which 4 corvettes were built for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) (see "Cheetahs" for the Black Sea", HBO of 19.10.23). The displacement of these ships is about 2 thousand tons.
Even larger ships were built in Zelenodolsk by order of the FSB of Russia – three border patrol ships of the project 22100 "Ocean" with a total displacement of 3.2 thousand tons (see "Sea borders will be protected by "Anadyr", "HVO" from 12.10.23).
Today the plant named after. Gorky is involved in production cooperation with the P.E. Butoma Gulf plant in Kerch for the supply of the Black Sea Fleet of small rocket ships (MRCS) of the project 22800 Karakurt – carriers of long-range cruise missiles of the Kalibr-NK complex (see "Karakurt was started on the Black Sea, " HVO" dated 13.07.23). Such MRCS have better seaworthiness compared to the previous project 11631 "Buyan-M".
According to the apt expression of Admiral Gorshkov, the Soviet MRK carriers of anti–ship missiles represented "a pistol at the temple of imperialism." If we continue the line of verbal images, then the medium reconnaissance ships are designed to serve as a thorn for the military sailors of NATO countries in peacetime. During the Cold War, Soviet naval intelligence officers constantly followed NATO ships to the areas of naval exercises organized by the military-political bloc, turned around in the areas of deployment of nuclear submarines, as well as near naval bases, engaged in mapping the bottom nearby to them. Reconnaissance vessels are often equipped with special equipment for exploring water areas for the presence of communication cables laid along the bottom and various equipment. An additional function of reconnaissance vessels is considered to be participation in search and rescue operations, providing technical support to faulty ships in areas that are considered dangerous for navigation, for example in the Arctic.
SUPPLY VESSEL
It is interesting to note that the development of a new research vessel was carried out by the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau on the basis of a previously created small naval supply vessel of the Russian Navy (it is also classified as a "small sea tanker"). The project retained the same digital set (03182), only at the end the letter "P" was added to it.
In 2014-2016, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation contracted a series of four units, a pair each for the Black Sea and Pacific fleets. The implementation of the program is very late. To date, the customer has accepted only the lead ship "Vice Admiral Ferries" from the industry, and the other three are in varying degrees of readiness.
As for the "Ferry", the order for its construction was first placed by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation at the plant. Gorky, but soon transferred it to a neighboring enterprise – JSC "Volga Shipbuilding Plant" in Nizhny Novgorod.
The hull of the vessel was towed downstream in the summer of 2020, and then brought along the Volga-Don Canal to the Black Sea coast. Local enterprises completed staffing and provided acceptance tests. According to the press service of the Southern Military District (SE) dated May 29, 2021, an acceptance certificate was signed a few days earlier, and then a ceremony of raising the naval flag on the ship "Vice Admiral Ferries" was held in the hero city of Sevastopol. The new unit has joined the squadron of support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet.
Among the many ships based in Sevastopol, Ferries stands out for its characteristic architectural appearance: the superstructure is located in the bow of the vessel; behind it there is a deck with places for cargo placement, crane and other equipment. In the stern there is a platform for providing take-off and landing operations of Ka-27 family helicopters.
Zelenodolsk designers conducted the 03182 project as a "multipurpose platform of a reinforced ice class vessel" in support of the concept of Arctic vessels. The hull has an ice belt and is capable of cracking meter-thick ice.
According to the press service of the Southern Federal District, the small sea tanker of project 03182 is designed for receiving, storing, transporting, transferring (to other vessels) liquid cargo, such as naval fuel oil, diesel and aviation fuel and fresh water. A significant part of the internal volume of the hull accommodates containers for liquid cargo. The deadweight of the vessel (1560 dwt) includes 200 tons of naval fuel oil, 250 tons of diesel fuel, 420 tons of fresh water, 320 tons of own reserves and other cargo.
Speaking to reporters on the day of the Ferry's admission to the Russian Navy, the head of the auxiliary fleet of the Transport Support Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Captain 1st rank Sergey Epifanov, said: "The tanker can supply ships with cargo in barrels, crates, pallets, containers, collection of bilge, sewage and fecal waters, dry garbage and food waste." To do this, he has everything he needs, from a helicopter receiving platform to a crane capable of lifting containers weighing 12 tons. And the first commander Faik Kafisov emphasized the features of his ship: "He is able to effectively solve the tasks of supplying ships and vessels, as well as perform rescue functions at sea. The tanker is capable of patrolling and conducting rescue duty in shipping and fishing areas."
The ship's power plant includes three diesel generators with a capacity of 1600 kW and another pair of 400 kW each. Two propeller columns with electric motors with a capacity of 2175 hp are used as the propulsion, and a thruster is placed in the bow. The columns can rotate 360 degrees, providing the vessel with high maneuverability and controllability. Crew – 33 people (with the possibility of accommodating eight more), cruising range – 1500 nautical miles, autonomy – 30 days.
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Although the tanker and the research vessel created on its basis have a single digital index, they differ significantly in size. The tanker's hull is 21 m shorter and 0.5 m narrower. Accordingly, the total displacement of the ship is 500 tons less. The superstructure of the scout has a different shape and is shifted to the stern, which significantly changes the architectural appearance. Judging by the scale models shown on the Army forum, conventional screws are used instead of screw-steering columns. It is likely that the fashionable concept of electric propulsion has given way to a classic diesel installation.
Among the few similar points for the 03182 and 03182P projects is the complete absence of weapons. This is just disappointing, because the customer is the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and its main function is to protect the interests of the state by force of arms. It is clear that in order to ensure the activities of the Navy, not only warships are needed, but also a great many auxiliary vessels for various purposes. However, let's not forget that during the special operation, the Black Sea Fleet lost its flagship – the Guards missile cruiser "Moscow", the landing ship "Saratov", etc. There is a shortage of large ships, and it cannot be eliminated in the traditional way – by transferring combat units built in the Baltic.
Taking advantage of the provisions of the Motre Convention, Turkey closed the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles for the passage of warships. It is impossible to predict how long such a regime will last in the straits. It is possible to replenish our forces on the Black Sea by using the capacities of shipyards in Kerch and Feodosia, as well as on the Volga. In the conditions of the ongoing special operation, it seems inappropriate to lay new buildings in Zelenodolsk for the sake of replenishing the Northern and Pacific Fleets. Wouldn't it be better to use the capacity of the plant. Gorky for the construction of warships (for example, the 11661E "Cheetah 3.9" corvettes mastered by the enterprise) for Black Sea sailors?
Vyacheslav Ivanov
Vyacheslav Viktorovich Ivanov is a military expert and historian.
