The Koni class is the NATO reporting name for an anti-submarine warfare frigate built by the Soviet Union. They were known in the Soviet Union as Project 1159. 14 were built in Zelenodolsk shipyard between 1975 and 1988. They were originally intended to replace the older s, but were instead chosen as a design for export to various friendly navies. The Koni I sub class were designed for European waters and the Koni II were made for warmer waters.[1] One ship was retained by the Soviets in the Black Sea for training foreign crews. Only a few of these vessels remain in service today.
The Romanian Tetal-class corvettes were similar.
The armament consisted of two AK-726 twin gun mountings and two AK-230 twin anti-aircraft guns, 4 P-15M Termit anti-ship missile launchers were fitted in some ships, depth charge and naval mine racks were fitted at the stern. The Libyan vessels had a redesigned layout with the P-15M missiles forward of the bridge. The ships had contemporary Soviet radar and sonar.
The ships had 3-shaft CODAG machinery suite, identical to that used in the s (Project 1124). The middle shaft had an gas turbine while the outer two shafts had diesel engines with in total for economical cruising.
| Project 1159 - Koni I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | |
| Delfin | 21 April 1973 | 19 July 1975 | 31 December 1975 | to Bulgarian Navy as Smeli in service 2014 | |
| Nerpa | 22 October 1974 | 4 June 1977 | 31 December 1977 | to East Germany as Rostock, scrapped after 1990 | |
| Krechet | 19 January 1977 | 3 July 1978 | 31 December 1978 | to East Germany as Berlin - Hauptstadt der DDR, scrapped after 1990 | |
| Sokol | January 1978 | 21 April 1979 | 30 November 1979 | to Yugoslavia as Split, later to Serbia & Montenegro, scrapped 2013 | |
| SKR-481 | 25 December 1979 | 24 December 1981 | 30 September 1982 | to Yugoslavia as Koper, scrapped 1998 | |
| SKR-149 | 8 April 1983 | 30 June 1984 | 25 June 1985 | to East Germany as Halle, scrapped after 1990 | |
| Project 1159T - Koni II | |||||
| 10 June 1978 | 12 January 1980 | 30 September 1980 | to Algeria as Mourad Rais | ||
| SKR-28 | 17 July 1979 | 21 June 1980 | 30 December 1980 | to Cuba as Mariel | |
| 11 June 1980 | 30 April 1981 | 30 November 1981 | to Algeria as Rais Kellik, in service | ||
| SKR-471 | 24 April 1981 | 31 July 1982 | 17 August 1983 | to Cuba as 356 | |
| 7 July 1982 | 11 November 1983 | 30 August 1984 | to Algeria as Rais Korfu, in service | ||
| SKR-451 | 6 May 1986 | 3 May 1987 | 25 December 1987 | to Cuba as Moncada | |
| Project 1159TR - Koni II | |||||
| SKR-201 | 22 September 1982 | 27 April 1985 | 30 December 1985 | to Libya as Al Hani; in Malta for refit since 2013[2] [3] | |
| SKR-195 | 18 April 1985 | 27 April 1986 | 25 December 1986 | to Libya as Al Ghardabia, sunk 2011 during the Libyan civil war | |
On July 16, 1998 the former Cuban Navy Koni II-class frigate designated 353 was scuttled in shallow water near the Cuban resort town of Varadero in the Parque Submarino Cayo Piedra del Norte as an attraction for divers. It is rumored that Fidel Castro promoted the project, being an avid diver himself. The frigate sank upright, and sits on the sand bottom in 90feet of water. For an unknown reason her hull number was changed from 353 to 383 prior to the scuttling.[4] The dive operators in the Varadero area refer to the dive site as Patrol Boat 383 or simply P.B even though it is a frigate.