Kashin-class destroyer

The Kashin class, Soviet designation Project 61, were series of anti-aircraft guided missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy since the 1960s. As of 2020, no ships remain in service with the Russian Navy, but four modified ships continue in service with the Indian Navy as Rajput-class destroyers.

Smetlivy in the Red Sea in June 2003
Class overview
Name: Kashin class
Builders:
Operators:
Preceded by: Kanin class
Succeeded by: Sovremennyy class
Subclasses: Rajput class
In commission: 1962–present
Building: 1959–1986
Completed: 25
Active: 4
Lost: 1
Retired: 19
Preserved: 1
General characteristics
Type: Guided missile destroyer
Displacement:
  • 3,400 tons standard,
  • 4,390 tons full load
Length: 144 m (472 ft)
Beam: 15.8 m (52 ft)
Draught: 4.6 m (15 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × COGAG; 2 shafts,
  • 4 × M8E gas turbines M3 unit aggregate; 72,000 hp (54,000 kW) up to 96,000 hp (72,000 kW)[1]
Speed: 38 kn (70 km/h; 44 mph) (4 gas turbines on full power)
Range: 3,500 nmi (6,480 km; 4,030 mi) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement: 266 to 320
Armament:
  • 2 × twin 76 mm (3 in) AK-726 guns
  • 2 × twin SA-N-1 'Goa' surface-to-air missile launchers (32 missiles)
  • 1 × 5 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 12 RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
  • 2 × 6 RBU-1000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
  • 2 × 4 launchers SS-N-25 'Switchblade' anti-ship missiles (Smetlivy)
Aircraft carried: 1 x Ka-27 series helicopter
Aviation facilities: Helipad

In the Soviet Union they were officially classified as "guard ships" (storozhevoi korabl – SKR), then "large ASW ships" (BPK) or "large missile ships" (BRK), but in the rest of world they are commonly regarded as missile destroyers due to their size and armament. They were the first Soviet purpose-built anti-air warfare ships and the first to carry an ASW helicopter.

Design
A Kashin-class destroyer in the Mediterranean in January 1970.

The design specification was approved in 1957; the first ship was laid down in 1959 and commissioned in 1962. Many new components were developed for these ships, including surface-to-air missiles, radars and gas turbine engines. The gas turbines were arranged in two separate spaces and could be removed via the funnels for servicing. These were also the first Soviet ships designed to be closed down for nuclear fallout and had an operations room deep inside the ship rather than a large bridge.

Six ships were modernised in the 1970s as the Project 61M or 61MP (Kashin-Mod), by being fitted with four SS-N-2C Styx anti-ship missiles, new towed-array sonar, a raised helipad and four close range AK-630 Gatling guns. The two RBU-1000 ASW rocket launchers were mounted aft, but later removed.

Smetlivy was modernised (mk01090) at Sevastopol in the early 1990s and fitted with new Kh-35 (SS-N-25 Switchblade, Harpoonski) anti-ship missiles and MNK-300 sonar. In 2020 she decommissioned and opened as a Museum at Sevastopol.

The Rajput-class modification built for Indian Navy has the aft gun turret replaced by a hangar for a helicopter, as well as SS-N-2C anti-ship missiles on the sides of the bridge.

Variants
  • Project 61 (Kashin class): Original design (19 ships).
  • Project 61MP (Modified Kashin class): Modernization of the Project 61 vessels (5 ships).
  • Project 61M (Modified Kashin class): Upgraded design (1 ship).
  • Project 61E (Rajput class): Export version, used by the Indian Navy (5 ships).

Ships

In all, twenty ships were built for the Soviet Navy, one ship (ORP Warszawa) was later transferred to Poland, while five similar ships were built to a modified design for the Indian Navy as Rajput class.

  • Strogiy in October 1985.
  • The bow of Strogiy after a collision
  • ORP Warszawa
  • INS Ranvijay
Name Namesake Builders Laid down Launched Commissioned Fleet Status Notes
Project 61
Komsomolets Ukrainy
(ex-SKR-25)		 Komsomol of Ukraine Mykolayiv Shipyard 15 September 1959 31 December 1960 31 December 1962 Black Sea Decommissioned in 1991, scrapped in 1995
Soobrazitelnyy
(ex-SKR-44)		 Astute Mykolayiv Shipyard 20 July 1960 4 November 1961 26 December 1963 Northern Decommissioned in 1992, scrapped in 1994
Provornyy
(ex-SKR-37)		 Prompt Mykolayiv Shipyard 10 February 1961 23 March 1962 25 October 1964 Black Sea Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1993 In 1974–1977 converted to experimental Project 61E, SA-N-1 'Goa' launchers removed and single SA-N-7 'Gadfly' SAM launcher fitted.
Odarennyy Talented Zhdanov Shipyard 22 January 1963 11 September 1964 30 December 1965 Northern Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1991 Deployed in search for KAL 007 shot down in 1983.
Obraztsovyy
(ex-SKR-2)		 Exemplary Zhdanov Shipyard 29 July 1963 32 February 1964 20 September 1965 Baltic Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1995
Otvazhnyy
(ex-Orel)		 Courageous Mykolayiv Shipyard 10 August 1963 17 November 1964 31 December 1965 Black Sea Sunk after a fire on 30 August 1974 caused by a misfiring missile, with 24 fatalities
Steregushchiy Guarding Zhdanov Shipyard 26 July 1964 20 February 1966 21 December 1966 Pacific Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1994
Krasny Kavkaz Red Caucasus Mykolayiv Shipyard 25 November 1964 9 February 1966 25 September 1967 Black Sea Decommissioned in 1998, scrapped in 2000
Reshitelnyy Decisive Mykolayiv Shipyard 25 June 1965 30 June 1966 30 December 1967 Black Sea Decommissioned in 1989, scrapped in 1999
Strogiy Strict Mykolayiv Shipyard 22 February 1966 29 April 1967 24 December 1968 Pacific Decommissioned in 1993 Sold to India, but on the way the ship sank near Singapore in 1995.
Smetlivy Resourceful Mykolayiv Shipyard 15 July 1966 26 August 1967 25 September 1969 Black Sea Decommissioned and opened as a Museum in 2020 Modernized in the mid 1990s, eight SS-N-25 'Switchblade' launchers fitted.
Krasny Krym Red Crimea Mykolayiv Shipyard 23 February 1968 28 February 1969 15 October 1970 Black Sea Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1996
Sposobnyy Capable Mykolayiv Shipyard 10 March 1969 11 April 1970 25 September 1971 Pacific Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1995
Skoryy Fast Mykolayiv Shipyard 20 April 1970 26 February 1971 23 September 1972 Black Sea Decommissioned in 1997, scrapped in 1998
Project 61MP
Ognevoy
(ex-SKR-31)		 Fiery Zhdanov Shipyard 9 May 1962 31 May 1963 31 December 1964 Decommissioned in 1989, scrapped in 1990
Stroynyy Slim Mykolayiv Shipyard 20 April 1963 28 July 1965 15 December 1966 Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1994
Slavnyy Glorious Zhdanov Shipyard 26 July 1964 24 April 1965 30 September 1966 Decommissioned in 1991, scrapped in 1995
Smyshlenyy Intelligent Mykolayiv Shipyard 15 August 1965 22 October 1966 27 September 1968 Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1994
ORP Warszawa
(ex-Smelyy)		 Warsaw
(ex-Valiant)		 Mykolayiv Shipyard 15 November 1966 6 February 1968 27 December 1969 Decommissioned in 2003, scrapped in 2005 Leased to Poland in 1988, bought by Poland in 1992-1993.
Project 61M
Sderzhanny Restrained Mykolayiv Shipyard 10 March 1971 29 February 1972 30 December 1973 Decommissioned in 2001, scrapped in 2002
Project 61E (Rajput class)
INS Rajput
(ex-Nadezhnyy)		 Mykolayiv Shipyard 11 September 1976 17 September 1977 31 November 1979 Active
INS Rana
(ex-Gubitelnyy)		 Mykolayiv Shipyard 29 November 1976 27 September 1978 30 September 1981 Active
INS Ranjit
(ex-Lovkiy)		 Mykolayiv Shipyard 29 June 1977 16 June 1979 20 July 1983 Decommissioned in 2019
INS Ranvir
(ex-Tvyordyy)		 Mykolayiv Shipyard 24 October 1981 12 March 1983 30 December 1985 Active
INS Ranvijay
(ex-Tolkovyy)		 Mykolayiv Shipyard 19 March 1982 1 February 1986 15 October 1987 Active

See also

References

Notes
  1. "Project 61 Kashin class Project 61 Kashin Mod class Guided Missile Destroyer". fas.org. Retrieved 11 November 2015.

Sources
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • V.V. Kostrichenko, A.A Prostokishin (В.В.Костриченко, А.А.Простокишин): "Poyushchiye fryegaty". Bolshiye protivolodochniye korabli proyekta 61 («Поющие фрегаты» Большие противолодочные корабли проекта 61), Morskaya Kollektsya 1/1999
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