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Ropucha-class landing ship

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The Ropucha-class landing ship Kaliningrad during a visit to Cartagena in 2004
Class overview
NameRopucha class
BuildersStocznia Północna Shipyard, Gdańsk, Poland
Operators
Preceded byPolnocny class
Succeeded byIvan Gren class
Subclasses
  • Project 775 (Ropucha I)
  • Project 775M (Ropucha II)
In commission1974
Completed28
Active
  • Project 775: 8
  • Project 775M: 3
Lost3
Retired12
General characteristics [1]
TypeLanding ship/tank landing ship
Displacement
  • 3,450 tonnes standard
  • 4,080 tonnes full load[2]
Length112.5 m (369 ft 1 in)
Beam15 m (49 ft 3 in)
Draft3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
RampsBow and stern
Installed power
Propulsion2 × propellers
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range6,100 nmi (11,300 km; 7,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Endurance30 days
Capacity
Complement87–98
Armament

The Ropucha class (NATO reporting name, Polish for "toad"), Soviet designation Project 775, is a class of landing ship (large landing ship or Bol'shoy Desantnyy Korabl' - Russian: Большой десантный корабль (BDK - Russian: БДК) in Soviet classification) built in Poland for the Soviet Navy. The ships were built in the Stocznia Północna shipyards in Gdańsk, Poland. They were designed for beach landings, and can carry 450 tons of cargo. The ships have both bow and stern doors for loading and unloading vehicles, and the 630 square metres (6,800 sq ft) of vehicle deck stretch the length of the hull. Up to 25 armored personnel carriers can be embarked.[2]

While designed for roll-on/roll-off operations, they can also be loaded using dockside cranes. For this purpose there is a long sliding hatch-cover above the bow section for access to the vehicle deck. There are no facilities for helicopters.

The Soviet Navy commissioned a total of 28 ships of this type from 1975 to 1991. The last three ships were of the improved variant Project 775M, also called Ropucha II. These have improved defensive armament and accommodation for a greater number of troops.

Operational history

[edit]
Georgiy Pobedonosets on exercises in the Barents Sea
Alexander Shabalin

Most of the ships became part of the Russian Navy after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. They were used for landing troops at the Georgian port of Poti during the Russo-Georgian War and for deliveries of cargo during the Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war.

One ship of the class was delivered to South Yemen in 1979 and served the Yemeni Navy until 2002, before it was sold as a civilian cargo ship named Sam of Yemen. It was the only one of the class in service outside the former Soviet Union.

On 3 August 2012, international media reported that three vessels of the class, Aleksandr Otrakovskiy, Georgiy Pobedonosets and Kondopoga, would visit the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria. The ships were part of the Northern Fleet. Earlier reports, quoting an anonymous source at the Russian general staff, said the ships would spend a few days in Tartus and take on fresh supplies of food and water. British media added that the ships each had up to 120 marines on board.[3][4] The Russian defence ministry left open the possibility that the ships might dock there at some point for logistical reasons, saying they had every right to do so. The General Staff source had said that after calling at Tartus they would head for the Bosporus and the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.[3][4] From 2013 on, ten Ropucha-class ships, gathered from all four Russian fleets, were used to transport military equipment from Novorosiysk to Tartus, during an intervention in the Syrian civil war.[5]

All four ships of the Russia's Black Sea Fleet, namely Tsezar Kunikov, Novocherkassk, Yamal and Azov, were modernized with installation of the Tsentavr-NM2S, Auriga and Cobham SAILOR satellite phones.[6]

Russo-Ukrainian War

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A PT-76 amphibious tank leaving a Project 775 ship at the bow gate

The Ukrainian Navy's only ship of the class, Kostiantyn Olshansky, was seized by Russian troops and pressed into service with the Russian navy after their invasion and subsequent occupation of Crimea in March 2014.[7]

In February 2022, prior to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the landing ships Korolev, Minsk, Kaliningrad, Pyotr Morgunov (Project 11711), Georgy Pobedonosets, and Olenegorsky Gornyak from the Baltic and Northern fleets departed their bases and passed through the Dardanelles Strait for claimed exercises in the Black Sea.[8][9][10]

In late March 2022, Novocherkassk and Tsezar Kunikov were damaged in a Ukrainian attack in the port of Berdiansk. Tsezar Kunikov's commander, Captain of the 3rd rank Alexander Chirva, was reportedly killed in the strike.[11][12] The ships were unable to return to active duty for several months due to lack of spare parts.[13] Novocherkassk was struck by Ukrainian cruise missiles and destroyed on 26 December 2023.[14] Satellite imagery and local photography taken after the strike showed that an exploded wreck was what remained of the ship.[15] Tsezar Kunikov was reported sunk by several Ukrainian naval drones on 14 February 2024;[16] the sinking was confirmed by Russian sources on 6 March.[17][18]

In early August 2023, Olenegorsky Gornyak was seriously damaged at the Black Sea Novorossiysk naval base after it was struck by a Ukrainian maritime drone carrying 450 kilograms (990 lb) of TNT.[19] The ship was pictured under tow, listing 40–50 degrees to port as tugboats worked to put it in a safe position.[20][21]

On 13 September 2023, Russian military reported that the Sevastopol Shipyard had been struck by a Ukrainian missile attack, damaging Minsk and the Kilo-class submarine Rostov-on-Don.[22][23][24][25]

On 24 March 2024, the two remaining Ropucha-class landing ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet were struck by cruise missiles while they were in port in Sevastopol. The Ukrainian general staff and open-source intelligence sources reported that both Yamal and Azov were hit.[26][27] The recent satellite images did not reveal any damage, showing that the missile hit the pier next to the ship presumably due to the electronic warfare system.[28] [29]

On 26 March 2024, Ukraine claimed to have struck the Konstantin Olshansky with a Neptune missile without providing any direct confirmation. This vessel was seized from Ukraine in 2014, when Russian forces took control of the Crimean peninsula.[30]


List of ships

[edit]
Project[31] Name Hull No. Builders Commissioned Fleet Status Notes
775 BDK-47 (ex-SDK-47) 134 Gdańsk Shipyard 1 July 1974 Baltic Fleet Decommissioned 17 December 1994
BDK-48 (ex-SDK-48) 094 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 June 1975 Pacific Fleet Decommissioned 5 July 1994
BDK-63 (ex-SDK-63) 083 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 June 1975 Pacific Fleet Decommissioned 5 July 1994
BDK-90 (ex-SDK-90) 058 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 November 1975 Pacific Fleet Decommissioned 5 July 1994
Olenegorsky Gornyak (ex-BDK-91) 012 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 June 1976 Northern Fleet Not active Being repaired in drydock As of 2024 after Ukrainian naval drone impact on 4 August 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[21]
BDK-181 (ex-SDK-181) 083 Gdańsk Shipyard 9 October 1976 Pacific Fleet Decommissioned 5 July 1994
Kondopoga (ex-SDK-182) 027 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 November 1976 Northern Fleet Unknown
Kotlas (ex-SDK-183) 035 Gdańsk Shipyard 15 March 1977 Northern Fleet Decommissioned 22 June 2005
BDK-197 (ex-SDK-197) 093 Gdańsk Shipyard 21 September 1977 Pacific Fleet Decommissioned 5 July 1994
BDK-200 (ex-SDK-200) 011 Gdańsk Shipyard 17 December 1977 Northern Fleet Decommissioned 30 June 1993
Alexandr Otrakovsky (ex-SDK-55) 031 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 July 1978 Northern Fleet Active[32]
BDK-119 (ex-SDK-119) Gdańsk Shipyard 27 February 1979 Pacific Fleet Transferred to South Yemen in 1979, decommissioned in 2002 and converted to cargo ship Sam of Yemen, sunk in 2018.
775/II BDK-14 070 Gdańsk Shipyard 31 August 1981 Pacific Fleet Decommissioned 3 May 2001
Oslyabya (ex-BDK-101) 066 Gdańsk Shipyard 19 December 1981 Pacific Fleet Unknown
BDK-105 125 Gdańsk Shipyard 2 March 1982 Baltic Fleet Decommissioned 10 May 2002
Admiral Nevelskoy (ex-BDK-98) 055 Gdańsk Shipyard 28 September 1982 Pacific Fleet Unknown
BDK-32 039 Gdańsk Shipyard 1982 Northern Fleet Decommissioned 10 May 2002
Minsk 127 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 May 1983 Baltic Fleet Not active Heavily damaged in Ukrainian attack on Sevastopol on 13 September 2023.[33][34][35][36] Russian government announced that the ship will be restored.[37]
Kaliningrad (ex-BDK-58) 102 Gdańsk Shipyard 9 December 1984 Baltic Fleet Unknown
Georgiy Pobedonosets (ex-BDK-45) 016 Gdańsk Shipyard 5 March 1985 Northern Fleet Unknown
Konstantin Olshansky (ex-BDK-56) 154 Gdańsk Shipyard 1985 Black Sea Fleet Not active Transferred to Ukraine in 1996, captured March 2014 during the Russian invasion of Crimea.[38] Reported hit by Ukrainian Neptune Missile on 26th of March, 2024. [39]
Alexandr Shabalin (ex-BDK-60) 110 Gdańsk Shipyard 31 December 1985 Baltic Fleet Active Refitted in 2020-2024.[40]
Tsezar Kunikov (ex-BDK-64) 158 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 September 1986 Black Sea Fleet Reported sunk by Ukrainian sources[41][42] Damaged on 24 March 2022 in a Ukrainian attack in the port of Berdiansk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[43] Sunk by a Ukrainian naval drone attack on 14 February 2024.[44][16]
Novocherkassk (ex-BDK-46) 142 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 November 1987 Black Sea Fleet Destroyed Damaged on 24 March 2022 in a Ukrainian attack in the port of Berdiansk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[43] Destroyed in a Ukrainian air strike on Feodosia on 26 December 2023.[45]
Yamal (ex-BDK-67) 156 Gdańsk Shipyard 30 April 1988 Black Sea Fleet Active
775M Azov (ex-BDK-54) 151 Gdańsk Shipyard 12 October 1990 Black Sea Fleet Active
Peresvet (ex-BDK-11) 077 Gdańsk Shipyard 10 April 1991 Pacific Fleet Unknown
Korolev (ex-BDK-61) 130 Gdańsk Shipyard 10 July 1991 Baltic Fleet Unknown

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Black Sea Fleet hazers broke young sailor's jaw". Rusnavy.com. 10 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Ropucha Class (Project 775 Class) Russian Landing Ship, Tank (LST)". OE Data Integration Network (ODIN). U.S. Army. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Russia denies warships heading for Syria's Tartus port". BBC News. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  4. ^ a b Loiko, Sergei L. (3 August 2012). "Russia reportedly sending warships with marines to Syrian waters". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  5. ^ Kubiak, Krzysztof (2017). "Syryjski ekspres". Raport-WTO (in Polish). No. 4. p. 48. ISSN 1429-270X.
  6. ^ "Оснащение больших десантных кораблей Черноморского флота системами спутниковой связи" [Equipping large landing ships of the Black Sea Fleet with satellite communication systems]. bmpd.livejournal.com (in Russian). 11 December 2018. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Russia sets for deploying in Syria large landing ship seized from Ukraine in annexed Crimea - media". Unian. 9 February 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Ukraine crisis: Russia sends 6 landing warships to Black Sea". South China Morning Post. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  9. ^ Sutton, H. I. (8 February 2022). "6 Russian Warships And Submarine Now Entering Black Sea Towards Ukraine". Naval News. Archived from the original on 4 March 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  10. ^ McCleary, Paul (10 February 2022). "'Dangerous moment': Russian naval buildup near Ukraine hits Cold War levels". Politico. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Командир корабля "Цезарь Куников" Чирва погиб на спецоперации на Украине" [The commander of the ship "Tsezar Kunikov" Chirva died in a special operation in Ukraine]. RIA Novosti. 18 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Russian captain of Black Sea landing ship killed in Ukraine in latest blow for Putin". The Independent. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Польша поставила России контрафактные детали для десантных кораблей" [Poland supplied Russia with counterfeit parts for landing ships]. mash.ru (in Russian). 24 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022.
  14. ^ Watling, Tom. "Ukraine-Russia war live: New images show Putin's warship completely destroyed after Kyiv missile strike". The Independent. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  15. ^ Pravda, Ukrainska. "Photos of destroyed Novocherkassk landing ship emerge". Yahoo News. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  16. ^ a b van Brugen, Isabel (14 February 2024). "Video Shows Russian Warship on Fire as Kyiv Claims Latest Black Sea Trophy". Newsweek. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  17. ^ Chris Panella (7 March 2024). "A Russian warship's last-resort machine-gun fire wasn't enough to defeat the Ukrainian sea drone assault that sunk it, video shows". Business Insider.
  18. ^ "Video from the landing ship Caesar Kunikov during the Ukrainian drone attack was released". Ukrainian Military Center. 6 March 2024.
  19. ^ Balmforth, Tom (4 August 2023). "Russian warship damaged in Ukrainian attack on Novorossiysk naval base - sources". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  20. ^ Staalesen, Atle (4 August 2023). "Northern Fleet ship seriously damaged in drone attack". The Barents Observer. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  21. ^ a b Ozberk, Tayfun (4 August 2023). "Ukraine strikes Russian landing ship with Kamikaze USV". Naval News. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  22. ^ Amran, Rachel (13 September 2023). "Update Explosions reported at marine plant in occupied Sevastopol, 24 reported injured". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  23. ^ "Fire at naval shipyard in Russia-annexed Crimea after Ukraine air attack". Aljazeera. 13 September 2023. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  24. ^ Martínez, Andrés R.; Santora, Marc (13 September 2023). "Ukraine Strikes Russian Naval Ships in Black Sea". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  25. ^ Taylor, Will (13 September 2023). "Russia's $300 million Kilo-class submarine hit in attack on Black Sea Fleet naval base as fireballs light up shipyard". LBC. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Ukrainian Armed Forces hit two large Russian landing ships in Sevastopol". Hromadske. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Ukraine war: Two Russian landing ships hit off Crimea, officials say". BBC News. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Военный Осведомитель" [Military Informant]. T.me. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  29. ^ "X.com".
  30. ^ Max Hunder (26 March 2024). "Ukraine says it hit warship that Russia took from it in 2014 with a missile". Reuters.
  31. ^ "Large landing ships - Project 775". russianships.info. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  32. ^ Neves, Carlos Santos (24 March 2024). "Portuguese navy guards Russian warships in Exclusive Economic Zone (PT: Marinha portuguesa vigia navios de guerra russos em Zona Económica Exclusiva)". RTP News. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  33. ^ UK Ministry of Defence [@DefenceHQ] (15 September 2023). "Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 15 September 2023" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Defence Intelligence – communicating probability". Government of the United Kingdom - Ministry of Defence. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  35. ^ Haynes, Deborah (13 September 2023). "British cruise missiles were used in significant Ukrainian attack on Russian submarine". Sky News. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  36. ^ Oryx. "List Of Naval Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  37. ^ "Источник сообщил, что ремонт поврежденного БДК "Минск" начнется в 2024 году" (in Russian). TASS. 29 January 2024.
  38. ^ "Моряки понівечили "Костянтина Ольшанського" перед штурмом – ЗМІ". pravda.com.ua (in Ukrainian). 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  39. ^ "Russian landing ship Konstantin Olshansky hit with Neptune missile, says Ukraine". 26 March 2024.
  40. ^ "Прошедший ремонт БДК "Александр Шабалин" провел тренировку по погрузке и выгрузке техники". Центральный Военно-Морской Портал (in Russian). 8 August 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  41. ^ "How Ukraine sank the Caesar Kunikov—and is beating Russia at sea". The Economist. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  42. ^ "Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  43. ^ a b "Польша поставила России контрафактные детали для десантных кораблей" [Poland supplied Russia with counterfeit parts for landing ships]. mash.ru (in Russian). 24 August 2022. Archived from the original on 28 August 2022.
  44. ^ "Footage just released by the Ukrainian GUR showing the aftermath of this morning's USV attack on the Russian Ropucha-class landing ship Caesar Kunikov this morning". twitter.com. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  45. ^ Watling, Tom (27 December 2023). "Ukraine-Russia war live: New images show Putin's warship completely destroyed after Kyiv missile strike". The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.

Sources

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