“Budyonny” is located exactly in the middle of the development branch of Soviet cruisers. Level VI does not allow it to be classified as one of its older “brothers in arms”, but many of their features can already be discerned in this ship. It owes its characteristics to the Project 94 light cruiser, and its name to one of the first marshals of the USSR, Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny. True, World of Warships players have already given it another flattering nickname - “Soviet Cleveland”. Let's figure out whether a promising newcomer is really capable of threatening the fame of the famous “American”.
pros
A very strong battery of nine 152 mm guns. Rate of fire - 7.5 rounds per minute. Firing range - 16.6 km with an improved fire control module. Rotate towers 180 degrees in just 25 seconds. You could say this best guns caliber 152 mm.
High probability of causing a fire with a high-explosive shell. + The maximum speed among Tier VI cruisers is 35 knots.
Availability of spotter aircraft.
Quite effective air defense.
Minuses
- Poor maneuverability.
– A long and high citadel.
– Torpedo launch range is too short (4 km).
The older the ship's level, the more diverse the threats awaiting it in battle. The ability to withstand most of them is what distinguishes the most successful participants in naval battles. The Soviet Tier VI cruiser Budyonny has this ability. He himself is ready to cause a lot of trouble to the enemy, regardless of his class.
Shooting destroyers, destroying citadels of cruisers, burning out battleships with aircraft carriers - all this is within the power of its artillery, which, unlike its predecessor, the Kirov, is also very easy to use. The anti-aircraft weapons also look solid. When taking command skills that enhance air defense, Budyonny is ready to repel most attacks from the sky. The cruiser's armor is also something to consider. Most “classmates” with a caliber of 152 mm or less cannot penetrate the Budyonny citadel at a distance of more than 10 km. In short, the transition to this cruiser should seem pleasant to most players.
But it also has tangible drawbacks, first of all its size. The huge citadel makes itself felt, and a successful salvo from a battleship can knock it out even if it hits the bow. The dimensions also have a negative impact on maneuverability; the steering time is 8.6 seconds. You would expect great survivability from such a giant, but no, the cruiser’s combat capability is 30,500 units (not small, but not impressive either). And, perhaps, the last thing: the torpedo armament of the Budyonny, despite the five-tube devices, can be called symbolic.
Tactics
The Budyonny, being a logical continuation of the Kirov, best realizes its potential at long and medium combat distances: for this it has excellent ballistics, a high probability of being set on fire by land mines, a record firing range and a fire spotter. At the same time, the high rate of fire of the guns and the speed of rotation of the turrets make it possible not to experience discomfort when approaching destroyers, and good armor - with cruisers of the same age. If at Kirov you always have to avoid such situations, then Budyonny, with a certain selection of opponents, may well become impudent. Of course, such tactics are not suitable in battles against levels VII–VIII, and “Budyonny” often leads to them. Here the key to your success will be caution, right choice targets and flanks. The speed of the cruiser allows you to easily move around the map during the battle and end up exactly where it will be stronger.
In a word:
1.Use your trump cards (Budyonny has plenty of them).
2. In each battle, be sure to pay attention to the selection of ships in teams.
3. If something does not go according to plan, for example a duel at a short distance, do not panic, feel free to shoot the enemy. Armor-piercing ones will help you.
Commander Skills
The tactics of playing on Budyonny also greatly depend on the choice of commander skills. Here you are given two different ways: to further increase the effectiveness of artillery or to raise the second type of weapon - air defense - to its level. IN team game and in battles with older ships, the option with air defense seems more preferable, despite the fact that you will not be able to outshine the Cleveland. But the first option is also worthy of attention, especially since its implementation will require fewer command skill points.
Option 1: "Duelist"
First level
“Fundamentals of the fight for survivability” Fires are very current problem at any level of battles.
Second level
“Master Gunner” Reducing the turret rotation time to 22.8 seconds.
Third level
“Vigilance” With such and such dimensions, dodging torpedoes will not be easy. It's better to know about the threat in advance.
Fourth level
“Explosive Engineer” We turn our commander into a real pyromaniac.
Such a build-up of skills will require 10 points. We recommend spending the rest on the following:
"Artillery Alert"
A skill that saves lives during long-range firefights. However, if you are confident in your care and experience, you can refuse it.
"Superintendent"
Additional equipment will definitely come in handy in protracted battles.
"Master of Disguise"
Will reduce the visibility range of your cruiser from ships to 11.6 km. Optional, but a nice bonus.
Option 2: “Air Defense Master”
First level
“Basic fire training” +10% to air defense efficiency is what we need.
Second level
“Master Gunner” Let’s not forget about artillery. The best skill for Budyonny is at the second level.
Third level
“Superintendent” Equipment is a very useful assistant in the fight against both aircraft and ships.
Fourth level
"Enhanced fire training"
20% to air defense firing range. By and large, it was for the sake of this skill that everything was started.
"Manual air defense control"
We are further increasing the effectiveness of anti-aircraft weapons. The main thing is to always keep an eye on approaching squadrons and do not forget to highlight them.
Such a build-up of skills will require 14 points. For the remaining ones, it would be a good idea to take “Artillery Alert” and “Vigilance”.
Modernization
“Main caliber guns. Modification 1"
Maximum protection for gun mounts is especially important.
“Fire control system. Modification 1" or "Air defense. Modification 2"
Everything is simple here. If you choose the path of strengthening air defense, be sure to take “Air Defense. Modification 2". If not - “Fire control system. Modification 1 will add a little more efficiency to the artillery. In general, the Budyonny’s salvos are quite dense even without it, but the air defense range without modification leaves much to be desired.
"Power plant. Modification 1"
The Budyonny doesn’t suffer much from critical engine damage, but insurance won’t hurt, because stupor is the worst thing that can happen in battle.
“Steering machines. Modification 2"
Reduces rudder shift time to 6.9 seconds. The best choice!
Modules
As you upgrade the cruiser, you can improve the hull and the Fire Control System. The fire control system will increase the firing range by 1.5 km, and the hull will provide a noticeable comprehensive increase in characteristics. Both will be very useful, but we recommend starting with the body.
), then starting from level V these are very large ships with a large circulation radius, designed for playing from a distance, that is, typical ships of the second (or even third) line. Soviet cruisers can be recommended for upgrades in exactly two cases:
- if you don’t like peppy ship-based hacking at close and medium range, and want to shoot high-explosive shells from behind your allies most of the time;
- you want to play specifically on Soviet technology.
Commander Skills
A few words on choosing Soviet commander skills. I have a separate one for leveling up the commander; many Soviet cruisers are even given there as examples.
In short, upgrading a commander for Soviet cruisers from level V to X depends on the caliber of the guns. Thus, for cruisers with 6-inch guns (up to 152 mm inclusive), it makes sense to take the level 4 skill “Inertial Fuse”, while for cruisers with guns larger caliber you can take some other, more useful skill.
Tier I and II cruisers Orlan and Novik are the type of ships that can be safely completed using free experience. By playing on these ships you will not find anything interesting for yourself, you will only waste time.
Premium ships Diana, Aurora and Oleg will also be of interest only to passionate pixel collectors.
Tier III cruiser Bogatyr
The cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy Bogatyr is one of the brightest sticks in the sandbox, which is what makes it interesting. Like any ship with guns with a caliber of less than 139 mm, to fully unlock its potential, it requires leveling up the commander’s “Basic Fire Training” skill (don’t forget about “Desperado”).
Do you want a monstrous sand bend? Keep the Bogatyr, upgrade the commander and bend over.
Tier IV cruiser Svetlana
After the developers of World of Warships cut off the level of battles for Tier IV ships, the cruiser of the Russian Imperial Navy Svetlana began to sparkle with new colors. This is an excellent landmine spitter at its level with a preferential level of battles.
In total, Svetlana turned out to be a well-balanced, but completely passable ship.
Tier V cruiser Kirov
The Tier V Soviet cruiser Kirov is a large cardboard hull with guns that have a low rate of fire and poor ballistics. Big sizes and weak armor automatically make you target No. 2 (after all, there is also the American Omaha and its equally delicious sisterships!), and the large circulation radius does not give you any room for error when performing a maneuver. All maneuvers on Kirov should be thought out in advance, so that God forbid you do not expose your side to a salvo of enemy ships.
As a result, at level V we have a frankly weak and uncomfortable ship, which seems to be supposed to play from a distance, but the ballistics and rate of fire are let down.
Premium Tier V cruiser Krasny Krym
The Soviet Tier V premium cruiser Krasny Krym was awarded twice for completing simple combat missions, which is why many World of Warships players have it. The ship itself is a Tier IV cruiser Svetlana, moved to a higher level.
Red Crimea performs well in battles of its level, but looks rather weak against the sixes. Playing at the very bottom of the list, Red Crimea can do too little, and therefore it is hardly worth buying it for money.
Premium Tier V cruiser Murmansk
In the old days (around 2015), the Soviet Tier V premium cruiser Murmansk was one of the best premium ships for farming silver in World of Warships. So if you watch enthusiastic guides on it, pay close attention to the date of the video! This was fixed a long time ago.
The ship is a clone of Omaha with all its pros and cons. Currently, it has exclusively collectible value, you can verify this completely free of charge by opening and pumping out the American Omaha. However, even Murmansk in its current form probably has its admirers.
Tier VI cruiser Budyonny
Budyonny is one of the best cruisers of the Soviet upgrade branch. Reasonable dimensions for a Soviet cruiser, excellent for Tier VI 152 mm guns and a large number of inexperienced players in battles make playing on Budyonny quite comfortable. To achieve good results on Budyonny, it is not necessary to play a “second-line cruiser”; this is the last Soviet cruiser that can be played aggressively throughout the battle.
The presence of two three-gun turrets in the front and only one turret in the rear allows you to go head-on into enemy ships with a light heart, because in this case the damage per minute drops by only a third, and the likelihood of tanking enemy shells, including due to misses, increases many times over. Thanks to the high rate of fire and the presence of the GAP, Budyonny is also an excellent hunter, which can and should be used.
Overall, Budyonny is an excellent ship, standing out sharply against the background of all previous and many subsequent Soviet cruisers.
Premium Tier VI cruiser Admiral Makarov
This Tier VI promotional cruiser is a clone of the German cruiser Nürnberg, but with Soviet hydroacoustic search (GAP). One of interesting features The ship has circular rotation towers, which makes it possible to very quickly transfer them from side to side when tanking with the bow.
The cruiser Admiral Makarov can be obtained by connecting to the “Game” tariff from the Internet operator “Rostelecom”. Other players can try Makarov's original gameplay by opening and downloading the German Nürnberg.
Premium Tier VI cruiser Molotov
As it is written in the official wiki of the World of Warships game, the Soviet Tier VI premium cruiser Molotov “is, in fact, an improved version of the Kirov,” and it is impossible to argue with that!
The gun turrets on Molotov are straight from Dmitry Donskoy, and this, for a second, is a Tier IX cruiser with a truly masterpiece of armor penetration, ballistics and rate of fire. Like Donskoy, Molotov knocks out citadels from enemy cruisers from any distance with armor-piercing shells, and inflicts good damage and sets fire to high-explosive shells.
It should be remembered that our corps is from Kirov, and the armor of the citadel is only slightly better. When playing the Molotov, you need to be especially careful and under no circumstances expose yourself.
Is it worth buying a Molotov? If you like Soviet cruisers, playing with armor-piercing shells, and you want to enjoy bending at level VI, or get bonus experience once a day to level up your commander, then definitely yes. But for the most effective farming of silver, it is better to look for a ship more high level. After all, the premium ship, the higher its silver and experience farm.
Tier VII cruiser Shchors
The Soviet Tier VII cruiser Shchors is a simple projectile catcher gigantic size with an epic circulation radius of 900 meters. Fortunately, having twelve 152 mm guns in four three-gun turrets at level VII, Shchors, as a rule, manages to throw enough high explosives in order not to drop the damage statistics below the baseboard and not give the developers the slightest reason to somehow improve this ship!
Shchors is the quintessence of the concept of “second-line cruiser”, so quickly does it develop from any successful salvo.
Tier VIII cruiser Chapaev
Everything is learned by comparison, and the Soviet cruiser VIII level Chapaev is no exception. After Shchors, it looks very good due to its slightly smaller size and the presence of a radar station.
But in comparison with the Tier VIII premium cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov, Chapai is somehow not very good. So I suggest going straight to Kutuzov.
Premium Tier VIII cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov
If the Soviet Tier VIII premium cruiser Mikhail Kutuzov is inferior to Chapaev in one way, it is its lack of radar. However, this is more than compensated for by the Kutuzov’s presence of a smoke generator, a longer firing range, a smaller circulation radius, excellent air defense and torpedoes with a record range for Soviet cruisers of 8 km. So, answering the question “like Mikhail Kutuzov,” I’ll say that this is an excellent Tier VIII premium ship, not at all worth the money, what do you mean!
However, it should be understood that Mikhail Kutuzov is a typical Soviet cruiser, which means playing in support of allied ships and a panicky fear of being tricked by opponents. It’s just that Mikhail Kutuzov is much more convenient and relevant than Chapaev. Shoot from the smoke maximum distance, illuminating the torpedoes with hydroacoustics, and after the smoke dissipates, spam the nearest strait with torpedoes and go into the sunset, dashingly shifting the rudders - this is not about Chapaev.
Please note that in the picture I drew there is nothing about air defense, because although Kutuzov has it, premium ships are intended primarily for leveling up commanders from existing ships. And weak air defense is precisely a feature of most Soviet cruisers. No matter what upgraded light cruiser you put a commander on Kutuzov, he probably won’t have air defense skills.
Is it worth taking Mikhail Kutuzov? If you like Soviet cruisers, it’s definitely worth it, Mikhail Kutuzov is great at farming silver and experience for leveling up commanders.
While a real guide to Soviet cruisers was being prepared, Mikhail Kutuzov was removed from the game and took his rightful place in the most imbalanced premium ships that can no longer be purchased.
Tier IX cruiser Dmitry Donskoy
The Tier IX Soviet cruiser Dmitry Donskoy has monstrous dimensions, and therefore suffers greatly from any attention given by players of the opposing team. The ship doesn’t hold a blow at all, so for the main part of the battle Dmitry Donskoy simply shoots land mines from the maximum distance and tries not to get caught, fortunately the land mines do good damage and set fire well. Armor-piercing shells are excellent at knocking out citadels from enemy cruisers from almost any distance, you just have to have time to load them armor-piercing shells Without the “Master Loader” skill, while the enemy ship is making a turn, it will be problematic - Dmitry Donskoy’s base reload time is 12.5 seconds.
Well, again, everything is learned by comparison. Moscow's artillery and armor-piercing shells are noticeably better.
Overall, the ship is a typical “second-line cruiser” and, due to its size, may seem boring and uncomfortable. However, this is a feature of the entire line of Soviet cruisers, and Dmitry Donskoy is simply its prominent representative, no more.
Tier X cruiser Moscow
The crowning achievement of the line of Soviet cruisers was the Tier X cruiser Moscow. The ship turned out to be very unusual, but interesting. Perhaps the main feature of Moscow is its very weak camouflage; the ship glows all over the map like some kind of ship. It’s up to you, of course, to decide whether to install the “Cloaking System” upgrade on the ship and whether to take the “Master of Camouflage” skill for the commander. However, it should be understood that good camouflage not only reduces the likelihood of being caught in focus during the initial light, but also, with careful play, allows you to “disappear” on the ground 20 seconds after the ceasefire.
Another feature of the ship is its 220 mm guns with a base reload time of just over 10 seconds and a huge firing range of 19.4 km. Both the reload speed and the firing range can be increased by installing the appropriate upgrades. High-explosive fragmentation shells 220 mm guns are excellent at setting fire, while armor-piercing shells are simply masterful at knocking out citadels from enemy cruisers, and from almost any distance. It would seem that Molotov and Dmitry Donskoy also have excellent guns, but, as they say, everything is learned by comparison. Among the disadvantages of the main caliber, it should be noted that the turrets are quite tight for a cruiser.
Unlike other ships in the upgrade branch, the cruiser Moscow is completely devoid of torpedoes, but, taking into account all the features of the ship, that is long-range artillery, huge size and the general cardboard appearance, as well as the presence of a state aviation and radar station, Moscow doesn’t really need them.
The ship's armor is just enough for enemy shells to be cocked without any through penetration. And the citadel is located quite high above the water, so it is highly not recommended to expose yourself to Moscow. But Moscow has a very well armored nasal end, which allows it to successfully tank with its nose. This is also facilitated by the turret layout (2 turrets at the bow, one at the stern), in which the damage per minute indicator when firing only from the bow turrets is reduced by only a third.
Large sizes and, accordingly, poor camouflage, long length the ship and, accordingly, a large circulation radius, as well as a high side with a citadel sticking out above the water, make Moscow an excellent projectile catcher. As, indeed, were most Soviet cruisers.
The key to a successful game in Moscow is not to expose yourself to enemy shots, if necessary, tank with your nose, covering the sides with islands, and not to be targeted. It is recommended to perform all maneuvers behind the islands. A game in Moscow is always a game from a distance or from the islands using GAP and radar. However, like on all other Soviet cruisers.
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“... Wiping the blood flowing from his cut eyebrow with the back of his hand, political officer Shkrofsky made his way through the narrow, gloomy corridors of the Iron Fist. He realized that the cruiser was doomed - that he himself was doomed if he remained on the sinking ship. But all this no longer mattered to Shkrofsky. His entire being was focused on only one goal: to get to the reserve missile post in the stern and launch the deadly Lezginka towards Great Britain. The projectile aircraft would cope - the political officer was sure of this. And then he, Shkrofsky, will finally be avenged...
...The fire caused by the second British missile reached the cellars of the artillery towers, and in a terrifying flash of smoky flame, the Iron Fist split in half and disappeared into the waves ... "
Novelization science fiction film"Iron Fist", BBC, 1965.
In 1922, the situation with cruisers in the young fleet of Soviet Russia could not even be called terrible: it was nothing at all. The Soviet fleet simply did not have a single turbine cruiser in its composition modern type. The entire cruising force of the Baltic Fleet consisted of five obsolete armored and three armored cruisers, a significant part of which were laid down in the last century. Their combat value was best case scenario extremely limited.
At other theaters things were even worse. The only cruiser on the Black Sea that survived the intervention and the civil war was the faulty “Memory of Mercury,” forgotten by Wrangel in Sevastopol. On the Arctic Ocean there were the Varyag and Askold returned by the British and, with some stretch, the archaic Peresvet, which claimed the title of armored cruiser. To top it all off, absolutely all the existing cruisers were faulty to one degree or another.
However, there was no choice, and the RKKF had to start in 1922 with what it had.
In 1923-1927 it was held major renovation armored cruisers “Rurik” (“Profintern”) and “Bayan”, and the same type “Admiral Makarov” was partially dismantled to repair the latter. Although both cruisers were outdated, they were nevertheless still quite suitable for auxiliary service. Profintern, reclassified as a 2nd class battleship, was included in the Second Linear Squadron along with two Andrei Pervozvanny class battleships. The repaired “Bayan” was transferred to the North in 1924 Arctic Ocean- scare Norwegian poachers.
The armored cruisers (excluding the Aurora) were almost all written off and scrapped in 1922-1923. The exception was the cruiser “Bogatyr”.
Preserved as an experimental vessel and floating base, Bogatyr was disarmed in 1927-1928 and subsequently converted into a seaplane carrier. The turrets on the cruiser were dismantled, and instead an above-deck hangar, cranes and a launch catapult purchased in Germany were installed in the aft part. The ship's air group consisted of five flying boats: three more could be stored on the roof of the hangar. Thanks to its relatively high speed (23 knots), the seaplane carrier, called “Red Bogatyr,” could effectively interact with battleships of the “Sevastopol” type, carrying out naval reconnaissance and artillery target designation.
The remaining old ships were designated for scrapping. Unexpectedly, international politics intervened in 1922. In 1923, the Kuomintang government in China, feverishly seeking funds to strengthen its fleet, bought the armored cruiser Rossiya and the armored cruiser Askold for $500,000. The USSR, which at that time was not a member of the League of Nations, was not bound by an arms embargo, and the proposed price was still higher than the cost of the ships as scrap metal.
Six light cruisers of the Svetlana class stood in varying degrees of readiness on the stocks of Petrograd and Nikolaev. In 1923, two of them - “Admiral Nakhimov” and “Svetlana”, which were at the highest level of readiness - it was decided to complete the construction according to the original project, with minor changes caused by the experience of the last world war. Under the designations “Red Crimea” and “Chervona Ukraine”, respectively, these cruisers entered service in 1927-1928.
The Soviet admirals understood very well that completing the construction of ships laid down before the war according to the original design did not solve the problem, but only somewhat mitigated its severity. Compared to the high-speed heavy cruisers with 203-mm artillery that entered service with the leading naval powers in the second half of the 1920s, the completed Svetlanas, with their 30-knot speed and armament of fifteen 130-mm guns, simply looked pathetic. And yet we had to continue to work with them: the difficult economic situation of the USSR and the then dominant doctrine of the “small fleet” made it practically impossible to obtain funds for the laying down of new cruisers.
In 1927, the designers' attention was drawn to the unfinished cruiser Admiral Lazarev.
It was decided to complete this cruiser according to a radically revised design. The engineers took into account the main drawback of the Svetlana-class light cruisers - weak armament - and tried to compensate for it by installing the latest 180-mm BK-1 guns in four single-gun turrets on the new cruiser.
The project was only partially successful. Although the 180-mm 60-caliber cannons had excellent ballistic characteristics, their barrels were heavily overpowered and quickly burned out. And the gun turrets themselves suffered from a lot of shortcomings. As a result, the idea of re-equipping the unfinished Svetlana with 180-mm guns had to be abandoned.
The comparative failure of the “Red Caucasus”, however, did not stop the engineering search. The shipbuilding program of 1929 included the completion of another ship of the Svetlana class - the cruiser Admiral Butakov, which stood at the outfitting wall of the Putilov Plant. Initially, it was also going to be armed with 180-mm guns, but due to doubts that arose, it was decided to review the composition of the weapons.
Renamed “Krasny Ural”, the new cruiser was armed as the main caliber with eight 152-mm 50-caliber guns of the 1908 model, removed from the “Shkval” type monitors. These fairly powerful guns fired at a distance of up to 17,300 meters at a rate of four rounds per minute, and most importantly, they were quite reliable.
It was also possible to take into account a number of other shortcomings of the previous project. Thus, the height of the side in the bow was increased, which improved the seaworthiness of the ship. The auxiliary artillery was positioned more rationally. The new cruiser entered service in 1934.
The fate of two more “Svetlanas” - “Admiral Spiridov” and “Admiral Greig”, for a long time remained uncertain. These ships were stopped at the lowest level of completion, and contractor work on them was only partially completed. In the 1920s, even a plan was considered to convert unfinished cruisers into tankers! With great difficulty, the fleet managed to prove that such a “conversion” simply could not be effective due to the narrow hulls of the ships with small internal volumes.
As a result, in 1929 it was decided to complete the construction of these ships as minelayer cruisers. The armament of the cruisers was reduced to six 130-mm guns, and instead, rails for 180 mines, covered with bulletproof armor, were installed in the aft section below the deck. Another 100 mines could be additionally taken to the upper deck. Immediately before entering service, the cruisers were additionally equipped with eight 76-mm anti-aircraft guns and four anti-aircraft guns (in 1937 they were replaced by eight 100-mm anti-aircraft guns and six 45-mm guns), thereby giving them the ability to serve as air defense ships in the squadron. Under the names “Nachdiv Kotovsky” and “Nachdiv Shchors”, these cruisers entered service in 1933.
New cruisers Soviet fleet
The completion of six old light cruisers of the Svetlana type in 1928-1934 corrected the situation, but only partially. The Soviet navy still did not have fully modern cruisers - and worst of all, Soviet shipbuilding did not have adequate experience in building large warships in general. We had to get out of the situation - turn to foreign experience.
In 1932, diplomatic relations between the USSR and France improved so much that it became possible to conclude a Franco-Soviet non-aggression pact. The warming of relations also affected the naval sphere.
On March 11, 1933, the Soviet government asked the naval arsenal in Brest about the possibility of building two heavy cruisers of the “Foch” type for the USSR. The proposal has put the French government in a difficult position: despite the significant warming of relations, many conservative politicians The Third Republic vehemently protested against the supply of weapons to the communists. On the other hand, the French military feared that if they refused, the USSR would simply turn to the Italians, and trust between the nations would be greatly damaged.
As a result, after long negotiations and consultations, a compromise decision was made in 1934 - France built two ships, but supplied them without weapons, which should have been produced and installed in the USSR. The Council of Ministers of the USSR agreed with the proposal (since the capacity of the Soviet shipyards was still not enough) and in the spring of 1934, two cruisers were laid down on the slipway in Brest.
The cruisers laid down in France were a technical variation between the Suffren-class heavy cruisers (which were the official prototype) and the newest heavy cruiser Algerie. They had a total displacement of 13,210 tons and a speed of 32.5 knots.
The armor protection of the cruisers consisted of an 80-mm belt covering central part housings. The belt stretched from the bow to the stern of the main caliber towers, providing reliable protection from 150 mm guns and acceptable from 203 mm guns. A 70-mm horizontal deck rested on top of the belt.
The main armament of the ships (symbolically named “Varlen” and “Dombrovsky”, in honor of the revolutionary leaders of the Paris Commune) were three three-gun turrets with 180 mm 57-caliber B-1-P guns, developed for the new generation of Soviet cruisers. The French were given all the necessary specifications for the manufacture of cellars and barbettes: the installations themselves were manufactured in Russia and installed on the cruisers after their arrival. Auxiliary weapons consisted of six 100-mm B-34-BM universal guns and eight 45-mm 21-K semi-automatic guns.
Both cruisers were launched in 1935 and were officially transferred to the USSR in the fall of 1936. In May 1937, the still unarmed “Dombrovsky” made the transition to the Baltic and stood at the outfitting wall of the Baltic Plant to install artillery. “Varlen” was delayed in France due to complications in Soviet-Italian relations in connection with civil war in Spain, and arrived in the USSR only at the end of 1937.
These ships were the newest and most modern cruisers of the Soviet fleet. The Soviet government actively used them to politically demonstrate the resurgent power of the USSR. “Dombrovsky” made a long voyage across the Atlantic in 1938, visiting ports of the USA, Mexico, the Pacific Confederation and Chile. The visit of the Soviet cruiser to New York caused great excitement: American naval officers did not miss the opportunity to pay a visit to the ship, carefully studying its main elements.
Finally, in 1935, the USSR began laying down its first own cruisers. Two “medium” cruisers of Project 26 - “Kirov” and “Voroshilov” - were laid down in October 1935 for the Baltic and Black Seas, respectively.
These 8,500-ton ships were a combination of Soviet design solutions, Italian technical advice and French experience. They were armed with a standard combination of nine 180 mm guns in three three-gun turrets. The new 180-mm guns were not as heavily modified as the first 60-caliber guns, but still suffered from barrel burnout, which forced constant revision of ballistics.
The initial design of the cruiser provided for a standard displacement of no more than 7,500 tons. But subsequently, under the influence of French experience, it was decided to increase this by 1,500 tons, which made it possible to install more powerful and effective armor, which included an 80-mm armor belt. The speed dropped from the design 37 knots to 35.4 knots, but was still considered more than sufficient.
Two Project 26 cruisers entered service in 1938-1939. In 1936-1937, it was decided to lay down four more ships according to the improved 26-bis project: one each for the Baltic and Black Sea, and two for the Pacific Ocean. These cruisers - “Maxim Gorky”, “Molotov”, “Kalinin” and “Kaganovich” - entered service in 1940-1942.
Thus, by 1937, the number of built and laid down Soviet cruisers with 180 mm guns amounted to 8 units. The Anglo-Soviet naval agreement of 1937, which recognized these cruisers as “heavy”, stopped the further development of 180-mm cruisers in the USSR. Instead, in 1939, the construction of a huge series of 10,000-ton, formally “light” cruisers of the Chapaev class was planned, but in 1941 these plans were suspended due to the outbreak of war.
Cruisers of the USSR during the war.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet Union had quite significant cruising forces. In service or under construction were eight medium and one light cruiser with 180 mm guns, one light cruiser with 150 mm guns, two obsolete light cruisers with 130 mm guns and two mine cruisers. In addition, two old armored cruisers, the Profintern (renamed the Spanish Republic in 1938) and the Bayan, served as coastal defense ships.
The deployment of cruiser forces was as follows:
KBF - “Dombrovsky”, “Kirov”, “Maxim Gorky”, “Red Ural” and “Nachdiv Kotovsky”
Black Sea Fleet - “Varlen”, “Voroshilov”, “Molotov”, “Red Caucasus”, “Chervona Ukraine”, “Red Crimea”, “Nachdiv Shchors”
Pacific Fleet - under construction “Kalinin”, “Kaganovich”.
From the very beginning of the war, the cruisers of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet suffered a difficult combat work. The cruisers intensively disrupted the work of German minelayers who were trying to “lock up” the Gulf of Finland, and provided cover for Soviet minesweepers and minelayers operating against German forces. Additionally, the cruising forces of the Baltic Fleet also regularly provided fire support Soviet troops, and struck the Finnish coast. “Nachdiv Kotovsky” sank in the fall of 1942 after being hit by two mines.
In April 1943, Goebbels stated in one of his speeches that “ most of The Soviet fleet in the Baltic has been destroyed by the Luftwaffe, and the remnants are so terrified that even Stalin's threats cannot force them to go to sea" This boastful assurance aroused the real rage of Stalin, who ordered an immediate demonstration operation. On May 11, 1943, three cruisers - “Dombrovsky”, “Kirov” and “Krasny Ural” - sneaked through the previously explored minefields of the Gulf of Finland and made a short raid in eastern part Baltic, sinking the German steamer Austloff. Military significance The raid was small, but in propaganda terms it caused significant enthusiasm among Soviet citizens.
At the beginning of hostilities, the Black Sea Fleet had the largest number of cruisers - seven units - of all three main Soviet fleets. He was the only one who had a “permanent” enemy - on June 21, 1941, at Hitler’s request, a formation of two Italian light cruisers - Alberico da Barbiano and Bartolomeo Colleoni - and six destroyers passed through the straits and relocated to Constanta. In the future, this “ Imperio squadrone di incrociatori del Mar Nero“caused the fleet a lot of trouble.
The Black Sea cruisers had the most intense combat work in 1942-1943. They provided support, fire and transport support for the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation of 1942. In many ways, it was thanks to the support provided by the fleet that Manstein’s offensive on Feodosia on January 18 was thwarted, which allowed the Red Army to hold the front and break the blockade of Sevastopol in the summer of 1942.
In August 1942, the light cruiser Chervona Ukraine was lost in a battle with Italian cruisers. This happened on August 18, when an old ship escorting a group of small transports was discovered by German aerial reconnaissance, which sent a detachment consisting of Alberico da Barbiano, Bartolomeo Colleoni and two destroyers to it.
Although the old light cruiser with 130 mm guns had almost no chance against the two faster Italian light cruisers with 152 mm artillery, Chervona Ukraine bravely entered the battle, trying to buy time for the transports to withdraw. At full speed, the Soviet cruiser rushed towards the Italian detachment, which, trying to stay out of the damage radius Soviet guns, was forced to retreat back. The transports managed to escape, but “Chervona Ukraine” received three hits and practically lost its speed.
From immediate destruction, the old cruiser was saved by the approach to the aid of the “Red Caucasus”. Rushed to maximum speed the light cruiser fired a salvo from its overpowered 180-millimeter guns at maximum range, falling behind the Italian cruisers. Believing that they were dealing with a new heavy cruiser of the Kirov class, the Italians considered it best to retreat.
The heavily damaged Chervona Ukraine, however, remained afloat. Soon other ships of the Black Sea Fleet came to the rescue, and the old cruiser, barely developing 7 knots, trudged to Sevastopol. But German aircraft, rising from the airfields of Crimea, struck the squadron. Despite the desperate efforts of the escort ships and those pulled up Soviet fighters, the barely moving Chervona Ukraine received two more hits from 500-kg bombs, completely lost speed, and the Black Sea Fleet commander decided to abandon the ship.
In the summer of 1943, after numerous Axis failures, Benito Mussolini realized that he was on the wrong side and began to look for an opportunity to exit the war. In August 1943, after secret negotiations with Roosevelt and Stalin, Mussolini officially retired and was placed under “house arrest,” and Italy made a separate peace with the United Nations. According to the terms of the truce, Italian ships on the Black Sea moved to Novorossiysk, where they were interned. After the start of the German invasion of Italy, both cruisers were requisitioned by the Soviet government and commissioned by the USSR Black Sea Fleet as “Kerch” and “Evpatoria”. Under these names, they took part in the final operations of the war against Romania and Bulgaria.
The largest scale of work ultimately fell on two Pacific cruisers. They were the only ships of this class in the USSR Navy that had freedom of access to the world's oceans. In 1942, the Kalinin and Kaganovich, which had just been introduced into the active forces, were transferred through the Panama Canal to the Northern Fleet (and due to a shortage in Vladivostok anti-aircraft guns, the ships were temporarily armed with 102-mm British anti-aircraft guns and “pom-poms”).
In the northern fleet, Pacific cruisers mainly acted as guards for convoys. In the winter of 1943, they took part in the Battle of Spitsbergen, where they opposed German light cruisers. In the summer of 1943, during Operation Thorhammer - the German fleet's attack on Iceland and the Faroe Islands - these two cruisers were the only ships under the Soviet flag that took an active part in the battle. Together with other light cruisers, they covered a detachment of British escort aircraft carriers near the Faroe Islands, and later finished off the light cruiser Königsberg, damaged by aviation, which had lagged behind the retreating German fleet.
In 1944, Kalinin took part in Operation Dragoon (landing in Southern France), supporting the Allied forces with fire.
As part of the Lend-Lease program, the USSR in 1943 received from the United States the light cruiser Milwaukee, Omaha class. This obsolete ship, called “Murmansk,” was used in the Northern Fleet as a training ship and was returned to the United States in 1949. In 1944, the USSR was temporarily loaned the modern light cruiser Houston (in the USSR Navy - Spitsbergen), returned in 1949.
After the surrender of Germany, the USSR began to concentrate a significant naval group on the Pacific Fleet, preparing for war with Japan. By August 1945, this included a battlecruiser, four aircraft carriers and three light cruisers - Kalinin, Kaganovich and Varlen, transferred from the Black Sea. Preparations were also made for the transfer of cruising (and battle) forces from the Baltic, in support of the proposed landing operation against Hokkaido, but Japan capitulated before the transfer could be carried out.
After the war:
Immediately after the war, the old cruisers of the Soviet fleet were put into reserve. “Red Caucasus”, disarmed, was shot in 1952 during anti-ship testing cruise missiles. “Red Ural” waited more interesting fate- in 1951, this old cruiser was transferred to communist China, where, renamed “ Shènglì de qízhì” served until the 1980s as first a flagship and then a training ship.
Eight cruisers armed with 180-mm guns remained in the Soviet fleet. The war that ended showed that the bet on this artillery was not very successful: the guns suffered from constant barrel burnout. In 1950, the fleet was replenished with five Chapaev-class cruisers (project 68-k), laid down before the war. Counting the three captured cruisers - “Kerch”, “Evpatoria” and “Admiral Makarov” (formerly “Nuremberg”) - the Soviet fleet in the early 1950s had sixteen modern cruisers, which put it in fourth place in the world.
In 1949-1953, the USSR began implementing its last large-scale program for the construction of heavy artillery ships. The post-war shipbuilding program adopted in 1950 provided for the construction of a huge series of twenty-five (!) modern light cruisers of Project 68 bis - the last and most powerful ships of this class in the world.
The implementation of the program was entrusted to seven main shipbuilding enterprises throughout the USSR. The ships were built using all the innovations of modern military shipbuilding - such as sectional assembly of an all-welded hull - as a result, the average ship construction cycle was 28-36 months. In terms of the totality of their characteristics, these new cruisers successfully surpassed all existing light cruisers of foreign fleets, and were on par with heavy cruisers.
In total, by 1955, 21 Project 68-bis cruisers were laid down. Of these, according to the original project - i.e. as purely artillery light cruisers, only 14 were completed. N.S., who came to power, In 1955, Khrushchev ordered the suspension of work on the last seven cruisers of this type, citing the obsolescence of the very concept of heavy artillery ships. In general, Khrushchev was absolutely right: the rapid progress of atomic and missile weapons(in particular, the beginning of the rearmament of the American fleet with SSM-N-4 “Dingbat” anti-ship missiles in 1953) made purely artillery ships a pointless waste of resources. The ships that were being completed were found a different, more effective use.
Missile fleet cruisers
The history of guided missile weapons in the Soviet fleet began with cruisers. In 1950, the 10X projectile aircraft, developed by the Chelomey Design Bureau, was experimentally adopted into service with the Navy. On the light cruisers Dombrovsky and Kirov, equipment was installed to launch projectiles from a ship’s catapult at coastal targets at a distance of up to 240 km. The idea was not received further development- the projectile itself turned out to be too imperfect, no longer meeting the requirements of modern air warfare.
In 1955, on the Project 68-bis cruiser “Admiral Nakhimov”, a controlled complex was installed for experimental purposes. anti-ship weapons"Quiver". A launch guide was mounted on the elevated bow turret of the cruiser. anti-ship missiles KSS, with a range of up to 40 kilometers. Recharging the installation was carried out using a folding crane from hangars located on the sides of the superstructure. Tests of the complex were successful, and subsequently eight light artillery cruisers of Project 68-K and Project 68-bis were modernized according to Program 67, with the installation of launchers on elevated towers, reloading from a hangar located in the superstructure.
In the early 1950s, the rapid increase in the speed of jet aircraft put an end to the future prospects of heavy aircraft. anti-aircraft artillery. The only way to ensure the survival of warships was to switch to guided anti-aircraft missiles. This was well understood in the USSR, where on January 11, 1955, a decree was issued “on the development of controlled means of protecting warships from aviation.” In accordance with the resolution, it was planned to develop three anti-aircraft missile systems: M-1 “Volna” (short range, similar to the ground-based S-125), M-2 “Volkhov” (medium range, analogous to the S-75) and M- 3 (long range).
The sailors were not happy with this decision. The main objections were raised by the S-75 anti-aircraft missile system, which was supposed to be “bulked”: the liquid missiles of the complex were inconvenient to store, needed to be refueled before launch, and in addition used extremely toxic fuel. Admiral Kuznetsov pointed out that on land, where space is not limited, these features of the air defense system do not pose a problem, but in the limited volume of the ship, a fire during refueling or the entry of toxic vapors into the ventilation can lead to catastrophic consequences. As a result, faced with a “revolt of the admirals,” the USSR government made a compromise: for the ship version of the S-75, the fleet was offered a new B-758 missile, equipped with an axial ramjet engine.
Running on ordinary kerosene, the direct-flow engine created significantly fewer operational problems and was much more convenient to use. Research conducted at the initiative of the Navy showed that through the use of ramjet missiles it is possible to increase the range of the complex to 55 km. Thus, the adoption of two air defense systems - M-2 and M-3 - was considered unnecessary, and they were both replaced by the new M-4 Amur-M.
To test the capabilities of the new air defense system, the light cruiser of Project 68 bis “Dzerzhinsky” was chosen. In 1957-1958, the 3rd main battery turret was dismantled on the cruiser and in its place an experimental two-beam SM-63 launcher and a drum magazine for 12 missiles were installed. During tests carried out in 1958, the first salvo shot down an unmanned Il-28 flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
The Dzerzhinsky was followed by the Ordzhonikidze cruiser, modernized according to a similar project. Since the conversion of ready-made cruisers presented certain difficulties (including those associated with the unscheduled withdrawal of ships from the fleet), it was decided in the future to use the unfinished cruisers of Project 68-bis, standing on the stocks. The fleet was in dire need of missile cruisers - in 1956-1961, four new heavy aircraft carriers of Project 81, which needed escort ships, joined it. In addition, on Khrushchev’s initiative, a program was launched to build 25,000-ton aircraft carriers of the PBIA type (floating base fighter aircraft) also required a reliable escort.
In 1959-1962, two light cruisers, Admiral Kornilov and Petropavlovsk, were completed according to the improved project 72-R. On these cruisers, the entire aft group of turrets was dismantled, and two launchers were installed in its place - SM-63 and SM-65. Two main drum stores could hold 24 B-758 missiles, and one auxiliary store (for mounting the SM-65) could hold 16 B-600 short-range missiles. Upgraded system control system made it possible to effectively guide both types of missiles.
The most extensive modernization was carried out in 1961-1964 by four light cruisers of Project 68 bis - Tallinn, Arkhangelsk, Novorossiysk and Vladivostok - which were in the least degree of readiness.
The heavy artillery weapons on these four cruisers were completely dismantled, replacing them with four (!) SM-65 launchers. Two bow and two stern drum magazines could accommodate forty-eight B-758 missiles, and an auxiliary magazine located behind the fourth launcher in the stern could accommodate sixteen B-600 short-range missiles. Thus, the total ammunition of the cruisers reached 64 missiles of two types! Two guidance posts made it possible to simultaneously aim up to 6 missiles at two targets within a radius of up to 55 km from the cruiser.
Rebuilt guided missile cruisers formed the basis of the escort forces of the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet in the first half of the 1960s. On average, every Soviet aircraft carrier force included one escort cruiser. In 1967, each cruiser's two B-758 missiles were replaced by B-760 missiles, each with a 5 kt equivalent nuclear warhead.
By the end of the 1960s, however, missile escorts became noticeably in short supply. The unfinished Sverdlovs ran out: the idea of a major modernization of artillery cruisers was not approved due to the high cost. The aircraft carrier fleet of the USSR continued to increase, and was in dire need of new missile cruisers.
In 1965, the first four missile cruisers (initially designated as KPVO ships) were laid down air defense) project 1138.
Based on the design of the large Project 1134 anti-submarine ship, the new missile cruisers were 12 meters longer and had a total displacement of about 8,200 tons. Like the previous missile-carrying cruisers of the Soviet fleet, they were armed with the Amur-M long-range air defense system. The ships carried two modified launchers, allowing for faster reloading. The bow launcher had two magazines for 14 B-758 missiles, and the stern launcher had one magazine for 14 B-758 missiles and one magazine for 16 B-601 missiles. In addition to missile weapons, the cruisers carried light AK-725 guns and a hangar for the Ka-25PL anti-submarine helicopter.
"Iron Fist"
To conclude the story about Soviet cruisers, one more funny incident should be mentioned. In the early 1960s, the British television channel BBC, with the active assistance of the Royal Navy, produced the fantastic propaganda film Iron Fist, developing the idea of a Soviet attack on Great Britain. The old cruiser HMS Gamibia, intended by the navy for shooting during exercises, was “invited” to play the role of one of the main objects - the fantastic Soviet cruiser “Iron Fist”. The cruiser was partially rebuilt using iron and plywood decorative elements, and acquired an external similarity in silhouette to the Soviet cruisers of Project 68-bis. At the end of the film, real footage of the sinking of the Iron Fist by Blue Slug missiles from the destroyer HMS County was used.
World of Warships. Vanga Soviet branch cruisers.
(attention!) information for a certain circle of nerds, we're talking about about the game World of Warships.
It’s done, the commissioning of a line of Soviet Cruisers is on the horizon!
I didn’t insert it on the forum, because the text is too big, let it lie here.
Here's what will happen:
1.Orlan- well, in practice we know what kind of device it is (pornography of sand with air defense)
2.Novik- This is an armored cruiser of Imperial Russia. The world's first “25-knot” multi-purpose cruiser
Displacement: 7428 t
Length: 134.1 m
4. Svetlana – armored cruiser (analogous to the French cruiser Friant).
6 × 152/45 mm, 10 × 47 mm
Since 1904: 6 × 152/45 mm, 4 × 75/50, 8 × 47 mm, 2 × 37 mm
7. Shchors and 8. Chapaev
Speed: 32.5 knots (60.19 km/h) (relatively nimble “small”)
Displacement: 11,130 t
Length: 200 m
Width: 18.7 m
The difference between levels 7 and 8 most likely will not be very different; in fact, they are one line of ships. Provided that level 7 is a “paper version”, and level 8 is already a reality. And also this ship “Cartonka” (look at the “Mikhail Kutuzov” in terms of performance characteristics, it is very similar to the “Chapaev”)
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