Kashin-class destroyer

The Kashin class, Soviet designation Project 61, is a series of anti-aircraft guided-missile destroyers, majority of which was built for the Soviet Navy during the 1960s, and which became the first class of major warships in the world to be powered solely by gas turbine engines. As of 2026[update], no ships of this class remain in service with the Russian Navy, but three modified ships built in the late 1970s - early 1980s continue their service with the Indian Navy as Rajput-class destroyers.

At first, these ships were officially classified in Soviet Union as "guard ships" (Storozhevoi Korabl – SKR), later as "large anti-submarine ships" (Bol'shoi Protivolodochniy Korabl - BPK) or "large missile ships" (Bol'shoi Raketniy Korabl - BRK); in the West they are commonly regarded as guided-missile destroyers due to their size and armament. They were the first Soviet purpose-built anti-air warfare ships.

Design

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.[citation needed]

The final ship in the class, Sderzhanny, was completed to a modified design as the Project 61M or 61MP (Kashin-Mod), 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. Six ships were modernised to this standard in the 1970s.[citation needed]

Smetlivy was modernised (Project 01090) 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.[citation needed]

The Rajput-class modification built for the 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.[citation needed]

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.

• Strogy in October 1985.
• The bow of Strogy after a collision
• ORP Warszawa
• INS Ranvijay

See also

• List of ships of the Soviet Navy
• List of ships of Russia by project number
• List of naval ship classes in service

Notes

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

External links

• – article in Russian
• 2015-04-09 at the Wayback Machine