Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov

Vice-Admiral Kulakov (Russian: «Вице-адмирал Кулаков») is a Udaloy-class destroyer of the Russian Navy. As of 2020, the ship was in active service. She is named after Soviet naval officer Nikolai Kulakov.

Vice-Admiral Kulakov on 24 August 2012 visiting Portsmouth Naval Base, UK.
History
Russia
Name: Vice-Admiral Kulakov
Ordered: 13 July 1977
Builder: Works in the name of A. A. Zhdanov, Leningrad
Laid down: 4 November 1977
Launched: 16 May 1980
Commissioned: 29 December 1981
Refit: 1991–2010
Status: In active service
General characteristics
Class and type: Udaloy-class destroyer
Displacement:
  • 6,200 t (6,102 long tons) standard
  • 7,900 t (7,775 long tons) full load
Length: 163 m (535 ft)
Beam: 19 m (62 ft)
Draught: 7.8 m (26 ft)
Propulsion: 2 shaft COGAG, 4 gas turbines, 89,000 kW (120,000 hp)
Speed: 35 knots (65 km/h)
Range: 10,500 nautical miles (19,400 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 300
Sensors and
processing systems:		 1 × New Fregat MAE radar complex
Armament:
  • 2 × 4 SS-N-14 anti submarine/ship missiles
  • 4 × vertical launchers for SA-N-9 surface-to-air missiles
  • 1 × Gibka (3M47) ADMS station
  • 2 × 1 100 mm (3.9 in) guns
  • 4 × 30 mm AK630 Gatling guns
  • 2 × 4 553 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes, Type 53 ASW/ASuW torpedo
  • 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
Aircraft carried: 2 x Ka-27 'Helix' series helicopters
Aviation facilities: Helicopter deck and hangar

History

Vice-Admiral Kulakov was commissioned in December 1981 and was in service with the Northern Fleet until March 1991, when she was retired for repairs that lasted more than 18 years. The ship travelled to Severomorsk base on 7 December 2010 in preparation for the vessel's return to active duty.[1] On 5 January 2011, a fire broke out in one of the ship's mess-rooms. It was reported to be caused by a short circuit. The damage was minimal and did not reduce the combat effectiveness of the ship.[2]

On 3 September 2011 the destroyer conducted the first underway landings tests for the new Ka-52K helicopter.[3]

Vice-Admiral Kulakov in 1985

In 2012 the destroyer escorted commercial convoys as part of the anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.[4] In July 2012, Vice-Admiral Kulakov led a flotilla of the Northern Fleet to the Eastern Mediterranean to conduct naval drills, close to the Syrian coast.[5] In August 2012 she paid a 5-day visit to Portsmouth Naval Base, England. In September 2012 Vice-Admiral Kulakov visited Cobh, Ireland.

Vice-Admiral Kulakov was part of the 70th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Atlantic in Liverpool, England in May 2013.[6]

In April 2014, a British destroyer, HMS Dragon, was deployed to waters north of Scotland to track Vice-Admiral Kulakov as the destroyer sailed near the United Kingdom amid heightened tensions between Russia and the UK.[7]

In 2016, she was sent to the eastern Mediterranean, to back the air campaign in Syria and fly the flag [8] In March 2016, as she and supporting Russian ships entered the United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone, they were intercepted and escorted by the British frigate HMS Somerset.[9]In 2020, it was reported that she would be upgraded to the standard of the recently refitted Marshal Shaposhnikov.[10][11]

References
  1. ""Admiral Kulakov" returns to Severomorsk (in Russian)". Northern Fleet website. 19 December 2010. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012.
  2. "Fire at Vice Admiral Kulakov did no harm to the ship's battle-worthiness". Rusnavy.com. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  3. "Defense ministry to buy over 100 Ka-52 helicopters". Rusnavy.com. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  4. "Russian Destroyer Escorts Fifth Convoy Thru Gulf of Aden". Rusnavy.com. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  5. "Russian warships arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean". The Voice of Russia. TASS. 2 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  6. Elson, Peter (24 May 2013). "Liverpool's Battle of Atlantic anniversary under way as special naval fleet fill up docks". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  7. "RAF fighter jets scrambled to investigate Russian planes". BBC. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  8. Isachenkov, Vladimir (21 January 2016). "Russia displays naval might off Syria's Mediterranean coast". Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  9. "HMS Somerset escorts Russian task group". Royal Navy. 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  10. https://tass.com/defense/1213755
  11. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/focus-analysis/naval-technology/8044-russian-navy-to-focus-on-frigates-submarines-part-2.html
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