Krivak-class frigate explained

The Krivak class, Soviet designation Project 1135 Burevestnik (storm petrel), are a series of frigates and patrol ships built in the Soviet Union primarily for the Soviet Navy since 1970. Later some sub-branches, like the Nerey (Nereus) were designed for coastal patrol by the KGB Border Troops. Until 1977, the ships in the class were considered to be large anti-submarine warfare vessels.

These ships are commonly known by their NATO reporting class name of Krivak and are divided into Krivak I, Krivak II, Krivak IV (navy), and Krivak III (coast guard) classes.

History

The frigates were designed as a successor to the . The design started in the late 1950s and matured as an anti-submarine ship in the 1960s. The first ship was that was commissioned in 1970.

A total of 40 ships were built, 32 ships for the Soviet Navy and 8 modified ships of the Nerey (Krivak III) subclass for the KGB Maritime Border Guard. Currently 2 vessels of the Nerey subclass are in service with the FSB Coast Guard and one was the flagship of the Ukrainian Navy (scuttled in 2022 to avoid capture).

The ship's unique features — the bow missile box, the stack and the angled mast, earned it a rap-like nickname among U. S. sailors that comes from their foreign ship silhouette identification training — "Hot dog pack, Smokestack, Knife in the Back, two Guns in the Back — Krivak."^{[1] [2]}

The Indian Navy ordered six frigates of upgraded Krivak III class as the . Three ships were delivered in 2003–2004. Three more were delivered in 2011–2012.

On 12 October 2010, it was announced that the Yantar Shipyard at Kaliningrad had won a contract for construction of three new warships for the Russian Navy. The construction of the frigates for the Russian Navy will be carried out in parallel with the construction of the same-type frigates for the Indian Navy.^[3]

Variants

• Project 1135 Burevestnik (Krivak I): Design process started in 1956 as an anti-surface frigate successor to the Riga-class frigate. The role changed to an anti-submarine ship powered by gas turbines and armed with the SS-N-14 missile. The main building yards were Zhdanov Yard (now known as Northern Shipyard) (Leningrad), Yantar Yard (Kaliningrad) and Kamysh Burun Yard, (Kerch, Crimea). NATO referred to these ships as Krivak I-class. (21 ships built).
• Project 1135M Burevestnik M (Krivak II): This group of ships were fitted with single 100 mm AK-100 guns instead of the twin 76 mm AK-726 weapons of the Burevestnik design. They also had a redesigned Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) installation. All of these ships were built in Kaliningrad. NATO referred to these ships as Krivak II class. (11 ships built).
• Project 11351 Nerey (Krivak III): These ships lacked the SS-N-14 missile system, which was replaced by a helicopter and hangar, and only one 100 mm gun at the bow of the ship. All ships were built in Kerch and were intended for the Soviet Border Troops under the KGB. Two ships remain in service with the Russian FSB Coast Guard and one ship was in service with the Ukrainian Navy until being scuttled in 2022 to avoid capture. It is believed that a single incomplete Krivak III hull (Hetman Bayda Vyshnevetsky c. 1995) from Ukraine was transferred to Russia and then to the Korean People's Navy. NATO referred to these ships as Krivak III class. (8 ships built).
• Project 11352/11353 (Krivak IV): This was a modernization of the Project 1135 (Krivak I) ships Leningradski Komsomolets (renamed Legkiy in 1992), Letuchiy, Pylkiy and Zharkiy of the Krivak I group. The refit involved replacing the RBU-6000 anti-submarine mortars with SS-N-25 anti-ship missiles, new radar, sonar and ECM equipment. These ships completed their refits in 1990–1992, and others were to have been modernised but the programme was cancelled with the collapse of the Soviet Union. NATO referred to these ships after their modernization as Krivak IV class.
• Project 11356 : This is an advanced derivative built for the Indian Navy from 1999 to 2012. Three improved Nerey frigates were ordered by the Indian Navy on 17 November 1997. They are known as Talwar-class frigates in Indian naval service. Three more, armed with the BrahMos missile, were ordered on 14 July 2006. (6 ships built).
• Project 11356R/M : Derivative of the Talwar class intended for the Russian Navy. Six ships were ordered for the Russian Black Sea Fleet under two contracts signed in 2010–2011, with the first ship laid down on 18 December 2010. However, due to the non-delivery of the Ukrainian gas-turbines, construction of frigates Admiral Butakov and Admiral Istomin was suspended in spring 2015.^[4] Despite earlier reports about the resumption of construction of the incomplete frigates,^[5] in October 2018, it was announced the frigates Admiral Butakov and Admiral Istomin will be sold to India under a $950 million contract signed the same month.^[6] The last frigate, the former Admiral Kornilov, is to be sold abroad. (Total: 3 ships built for the Russian Navy, 3 ships under construction for sale abroad).

Ships

Name	Namesake	Builders	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status	Notes
Project 1135 (Krivak I)
	Watchful	Yantar, Kaliningrad	21 July 1968	28 March 1970	31 December 1970	Baltic	Decommissioned in 1996
	Brisk	Yantar, Kaliningrad	15 January 1969	28 April 1971	31 December 1971	Baltic	Decommissioned in 1997
	Virtuous	Zaliv, Kerch	11 August 1969	8 May 1971	31 December 1971	Northern	Decommissioned in 1993
	Fierce	Yantar, Kaliningrad	15 June 1970	27 January 1971	29 December 1972	Baltic	Decommissioned in 1993
	Strong	Yantar, Kaliningrad	15 March 1971	29 August 1972	30 June 1973	Baltic	Decommissioned in 1994
	Valorous	Zaliv, Kerch	30 November 1970	22 February 1973	28 December 1973	Northern	Decommissioned in 1992
	Vigilant	Yantar, Kaliningrad	20 July 1972	21 March 1973	30 December 1973	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2002	This ship was involved in a mutiny in 1975, which inspired the novel The Hunt for Red October
	Clever	Yantar, Kaliningrad	26 June 1972	20 July 1973	30 September 1974	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1998
	Striking	Yantar, Kaliningrad	28 September 1972	22 July 1974	30 December 1974	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1992
	Friendly	Yantar, Kaliningrad	12 October 1973	22 January 1975	30 September 1975	Baltic	Decommissioned in 2002	Scrapped 2016
	Active	Zaliv, Kerch	21 June 1972	5 April 1975	25 December 1975	Black Sea	Decommissioned in 1995
	Ardent	Zhdanov, Leningrad	12 June 1974	14 August 1976	28 December 1976	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1995
Bezzavetnyy	Serene	Zaliv, Kerch	28 May 1976	7 May 1977	30 December 1977	Black Sea	Decommissioned in 2000	Collided with in February 1988 in the Black Sea bumping incident.^[7] Transferred to Ukrainian Navy on 1 August 1997
	Passionate	Zhdanov, Leningrad	10 November 1977	25 March 1979	31 August 1979	Northern	Decommissioned in 2005
Bezukoriznennyy	Irreproachable	Zaliv, Kerch	12 July 1978	3 June 1979	29 December 1979	Black Sea	Decommissioned in 2000	Transferred to Ukrainian Navy on 1 August 1997
Ladnyy	Harmonious	Zaliv, Kerch	25 May 1979	7 May 1980	29 December 1980	Black Sea	Active	Completed refit in 2021 and returned to the fleet^[8]
	Impetuous	Zaliv, Kerch	21 May 1980	16 May 1981	29 December 1981	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1994	Transferred to Vladivostok 25 November 1994 as a training base
Project 1135M (Krivak II)
	Frisky	Yantar, Kaliningrad	12 December 1973	30 May 1975	30 December 1975	Northern	Decommissioned in 2001
	Sharp	Yantar, Kaliningrad	28 July 1974	17 February 1976	30 September 1976	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1995
	Striking	Yantar, Kaliningrad	11 February 1975	1 July 1976	31 December 1976	Black Sea	Decommissioned in 2004	Transferred to Ukrainian Navy on 1 August 1997
	Threatening	Yantar, Kaliningrad	4 May 1975	7 February 1977	30 September 1977	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1995
	Indomitable	Yantar, Kaliningrad	22 January 1976	7 September 1977	30 December 1977	Baltic	Decommissioned in 2009	Sank on 5 November 2012 in the Baltic Sea
	Loud	Yantar, Kaliningrad	23 June 1976	11 April 1978	30 September 1978	Northern	Decommissioned in 1998
	Unchanging	Yantar, Kaliningrad	11 January 1977	9 August 1978	26 December 1978	Northern	Decommissioned in 1998
	Proud	Yantar, Kaliningrad	26 July 1977	3 May 1979	20 September 1979	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1994
	Spirited	Yantar, Kaliningrad	1 March 1978	1 September 1979	31 December 1979	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1997
	Zealous	Yantar, Kaliningrad	1 March 1978	1 September 1979	31 December 1979	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2003
	Keen	Yantar, Kaliningrad	27 June 1979	16 April 1981	30 November 1981	Black Sea	Active^[9]
Project 11351 Nerey (Krivak III)
	Vyacheslav Menzhinsky	Zaliv, Kerch	14 August 1981	31 December 1982	29 December 1983	Pacific	Decommissioned in 1998
	Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky	Zaliv, Kerch	20 January 1983	2 March 1984	29 December 1984	Pacific	Active	Serves with Russian Coast Guard.^[10]
(ex-Imeni XXVII siezda KPSS, ex-Yuri Andropov)	Oryol	Zaliv, Kerch	26 September 1983	2 November 1985	30 September 1986	Pacific	In reserve	Serves with Russian Coast Guard.
(ex-Imeni 70-letiya VChK-KGB)	Pskov	Zaliv, Kerch	26 December 1985	18 February 1987	29 December 1987	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2002
(ex-Imeni 70-letiya Pogranvoysk)	Anadyr	Zaliv, Kerch	2 April 1987	2 March 1988	30 December 1988	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2002
	Mikhail Sergeevich Kedrov	Zaliv, Kerch	4 April 1988	30 April 1989	28 December 1989	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2002
	Vatslav Vorovsky	Zaliv, Kerch	15 May 1989	28 July 1990	29 December 1990	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2017
(ex-Kirov)	Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny	Zaliv, Kerch	5 October 1990	29 March 1992	2 April 1993		Scuttled March 2022 to avoid capture^[11]
Hetman Vyshnevetskyi (ex-Krasny Vympel)	Dmytro "Baida" Vyshnevetsky	Zaliv, Kerch	27 December 1992				Scrapped incomplete in 1995
Head no. 210		Zaliv, Kerch	Construction had begun prior to scrapping, but never laid down				Scrapped incomplete in 1995^[12] ^[13]
Project 11352/11353 (Krivak IV)
Lyogky (ex-Leningradskiy Komsomolets)		Zhdanov, Leningrad	22 April 1974	1 April 1977	29 September 1977	Northern	Decommissioned in 2003
Letuchiy	Flighty	Zhdanov, Leningrad	9 March 1977	19 March 1978	10 August 1978	Pacific	Decommissioned in 2005
Pylkiy	Fervent	Zhdanov, Leningrad	6 May 1977	20 August 1978	28 December 1978	Baltic	Decommissioned in 2012
Zharkiy	Heated	Zhdanov, Leningrad	16 April 1974	3 November 1975	29 June 1976	Northern	Decommissioned in 2002
Project 11356 (Talwar)
	Sword	Baltic Shipyard, Saint Petersburg	10 March 1999	12 May 2000	March 2002 (Russia), 18 June 2003 (India)		Active
	Trident	Baltic Shipyard, Saint Petersburg	24 September 1999	24 October 2000	February 2002 (Russia), 25 June 2003 (India)		Active
	Battle axe	Baltic Shipyard, Saint Petersburg	26 May 2000	25 May 2001	January 2004 (Russia), 19 April 2004 (India)		Active
	Saber	Yantar, Kaliningrad	28 July 2007	27 October 2009	27 April 2012 (India)		Active
	Quiver	Yantar, Kaliningrad	27 October 2007	23 June 2010	October 2012 (Russia), 9 November 2012 (India)		Active
	Mythological arrow consisting of three arrowheads	Yantar, Kaliningrad	12 June 2008	25 May 2011	April 2013 (Russia), 29 June 2013 (India)		Active
Project 11356P/M (Admiral Grigorovich)
	Ivan Konstantinovich Grigorovich	Yantar, Kaliningrad	18 December 2010	14 March 2014	11 March 2016^[14]	Black Sea	Active
	Nikolai Ottovich Essen	Yantar, Kaliningrad	8 July 2011^[15] ^[16]	7 November 2014^[17]	7 June 2016^[18]	Black Sea	Active
^[19] ^[20] ^[21]	Stepan Osipovich Makarov	Yantar, Kaliningrad	29 February 2012^[22]	2 September 2015^[23]	27 December 2017^[24]	Black Sea	Active
ex-Admiral Butakov	Grigory Ivanovich Butakov	Yantar, Kaliningrad	13 July 2013^[25]	5 March 2016^[26]	By 2024^[27] ^[28]		Sold to India, under construction
ex-Admiral Istomin	Vladimir Ivanovich Istomin	Yantar, Kaliningrad	15 November 2013	16 November 2017^[29]	By 2024
ex-Admiral Kornilov	Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov	Yantar, Kaliningrad^[30]		16 November 2017	By 2026		2016 report indicated sold to India;^[31] but later simply reported as to be sold abroad^[32]

See also

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

Further reading

• Book: Gardiner . Robert . Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 . 1995 . Conway Maritime . London . 0-85177-605-1 . 34284130. Also published as Book: Gardiner, Robert . Chumbley, Stephen . Budzbon, Przemysław . Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 . 1995 . . . 1-55750-132-7 . 34267261.
• Book: Pavlov, A. S. . Warships of the USSR and Russia 1945–1995 . Chatham Publishing . 1997 . 1-86176-039-6.
• .

External links

• Project "1135" in Encyclopedia of Ships
• Project 1135 Burevestnik/Krivak class frigate at FAS.org
• 1135 Krivak class at Warfare.be
• Krivak-2 Class Frigate "Pitlivy" Photo album
• Russian Navy Sinks Flagship With Parade Mine – 1995 mine accident
• All Krivak I and II Class Frigates – Complete Ship List
• All Krivak III Class Frigates – Complete Ship List

Notes and References

1. Warship recognition mnemonic device employed by U.S. Navy intelligence officers during the Cold War when preparing deploying unit level combat "operators" (e.g., Pilots, Naval Flight Officers, Surface Warfare Officers, Submarine Officers) for overseas deployments.
2. Web site: Storozhevoy (Project 1135) Frigate / Submarine Hunter Warship . Military Factory . 2017-04-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170612203814/http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=Storozhevoy-Project-1135 . 2017-06-12 . live.
3. Web site: Yantar shipyard to build three warships for Russian Navy . Brahmand.com . 2010-10-13 . 2014-03-08 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140308050644/http://www.brahmand.com/news/Yantar-shipyard-to-build-three-warships-for-Russian-Navy/5170/1/10.html . 2014-03-08.
4. Web site: Фрегаты (сторожевые корабли) проекта 11356Р . Frigates (patrol ships) of Project 11356R . . 6 June 2016 . 19 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190419220410/https://tass.ru/info/2728560 . 19 April 2019 . live.
5. Web site: Russia to resume the construction of the "last three" Project 11356 frigates in 2018 . Navyrecognition.com . 3 June 2017 . 19 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170604223955/http://navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2017/june-2017-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/5253-russia-to-resume-the-construction-of-the-last-three-project-11356-frigates-in-2018.html . 4 June 2017 . live.
6. Web site: India signs USD950 million deal for two Russian-built frigates . 2018-10-29 . Jane's . 2018-11-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181116063551/https://www.janes.com/article/84129/india-signs-usd950-million-deal-for-two-russian-built-frigates . 2018-11-16 . live.
7. William J. . Aceves . Diplomacy at Sea: U.S. Freedom of Navigation Operations in the Black Sea . International Law Studies . 1993 . 68.
8. Web site: Russian Black Sea Fleet guard ship deploys to sea after repairs . 7 April 2021 . TASS.
9. Web site: Russian guard ship returning to Sevastopol from Mediterranean . 9 October 2018 . TASS . 2018-10-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011224/http://tass.com/defense/1025089 . 2018-10-10 . live.
10. Web site: Krivak III (Nerey) class frigate of the Russian Coast Guard . Naval Analyses . Imgur.
11. Web site: Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaidachny reportedly scuttled .
12. Web site: Coast guard patrol ship - Project 11351 .
13. Web site: Ukrainian frigate "Hetman Sagaidachny" flooded in Nikolaev .
14. Web site: http://www.i-mash.ru/news/nov_predpr/77299-psz-jantar-sdal-admirala-grigorovicha.html . ru:ПСЗ "Янтарь" сдал "Адмирала Григоровича" . PSZ "Yantar" passed "Admiral Grigorovich" . ru . 10 March 2016 . i-mash.ru . 5 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171011130239/http://www.i-mash.ru/news/nov_predpr/77299-psz-jantar-sdal-admirala-grigorovicha.html . 11 October 2017 . live.
15. Web site: http://kaliningrad.ru/news/item/12885-na-zavode-yantar-zalozhili-novyj-storozhevoj-korabl-admiral-essen . ru:На заводе «Янтарь» началось строительство корабля для ВМФ России (фото) . Construction of a ship for the Russian Navy has begun at the Yantar shipyard (photo) . Kaliningrad.ru . ru . 8 July 2011 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120128201256/http://kaliningrad.ru/news/item/12885-na-zavode-yantar-zalozhili-novyj-storozhevoj-korabl-admiral-essen . 28 January 2012 . dead.
16. Web site: "Адмирал номер два": фоторепортаж "Нового Калининграда.Ru" . "Admiral number two": photo report of Novy Kaliningrad.ru . ru . Newkaliningrad.ru . 8 July 2011 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160808125813/https://www.newkaliningrad.ru/news/foto/1309138-admiral-essen.html . 8 August 2016 . live.
17. Web site: Admiral Essen frigate to be handed to Russian Navy by end of 2015 . . 7 November 2014 . 7 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141108012740/http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/758678 . 8 November 2014 . live.
18. Web site: Russian Navy receives Admiral Essen frigate . Novichkov . Nikolai . 9 June 2016 . Janes.com . 5 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160809025514/http://www.janes.com/article/61116/russian-navy-receives-admiral-essen-frigate . 9 August 2016 . dead.
19. Web site: http://flot.com/news/navy/?ELEMENT_ID=59776 . ru:Новые фрегаты для ВМФ России получат имена царских адмиралов . New frigates for the Russian Navy will be named after Tsarist admirals . ru . Flot.com . 8 December 2010 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161105225303/http://flot.com/news/navy/?ELEMENT_ID=59776 . 5 November 2016 . live.
20. Web site: First frigate of the new project was laid down in Kaliningrad for Russian Navy . Rusnavy.com . 20 December 2010 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170613182845/http://rusnavy.com/news/newsofday/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=11120 . 13 June 2017 . dead.
21. Web site: New frigate laid down at Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad . ru . ITAR-TASS . 2011-12-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120913000950/http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/199507_print.html . dead . 2012-09-13.
22. Web site: http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/component/k2/item/813-flotu-+-novyiy-fregat . ru:Флоту – новый фрегат . A new frigate for the fleet . redstar.ru . Gavrilenko . Andrew . ru . 25 February 2012 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170620162544/http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/component/k2/item/813-flotu-+-novyiy-fregat . 20 June 2017 . dead.
23. Web site: http://www.flotprom.ru/2015/Янтарь28/ . ru:В Калининграде спустили на воду новейший фрегат "Адмирал Макаров" . The newest frigate "Admiral Makarov" was launched in Kaliningrad . ru . flotprom.ru . 2 September 2015 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161022145649/http://www.flotprom.ru/2015/%D0%AF%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C28/ . 22 October 2016 . live.
24. https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12156553@egNews . ru:На новейшем фрегате «Адмирал Макаров» поднят Андреевский флаг . The newest frigate "Admiral Makarov" raised the St. Andrew's flag . . ru . 27 December 2017 . 27 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171228001129/https://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12156553@egNews . 28 December 2017 . live.
25. Web site: Russia Lays Down New Frigate for Black Sea Fleet . RIA Novosti . 13 July 2013 . 5 November 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140302023625/http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20130713/182213396.html . 2 March 2014.
26. Web site: Rosja: W Kaliningradzie zwodowano fregatę rakietową. Bez zainstalowanej siłowni . Russia: A missile frigate has been launched in Kaliningrad. No power plant installed . pl . Defence24.pl . 5 March 2016 . 5 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160513145201/http://www.defence24.pl/321155,rosja-w-kaliningradzie-zwodowano-fregate-rakietowa-bez-zainstalowanej-silowni . 13 May 2016 . dead.
27. Web site: Russia to Deliver 2 Guided-Missile Frigates to India by 2024 . Franz-Stefan . Gady . 7 February 2020 . The Diplomat.
28. Web site: India, Russia Sign $950 Million Deal For 2 Guided-Missile Frigates . 2018-10-29 . Franz-Stefan . Gady . The Diplomat . 2018-11-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181120140010/https://thediplomat.com/2018/10/india-russia-sign-950-million-deal-for-2-guided-missile-frigates . 2018-11-20 . live.
29. Web site: Yantar Shipyard Launched Two Project 11356 Frigates in Kaliningrad . navyrecognition.com . 16 November 2017 . 17 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222410/https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/news/defence-news/2017/november-2017-navy-naval-forces-defense-industry-technology-maritime-security-global-news/5729-yantar-shipyard-launched-two-project-11356-frigates-in-kaliningrad.html . 18 November 2017 . live.
30. Web site: Les frégates, future épine dorsale de la flotte de surface russe . Frigates, the future backbone of the Russian surface fleet . 26 April 2017 . Le portail des forces navales de la Fédération de Russie . fr . 2018-11-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170428052409/http://www.rusnavyintelligence.com/2017/04/les-fregates-future-epine-dorsale-de-la-flotte-de-surface-russe.html . 2017-04-28 . live.
31. Web site: http://tass.ru/info/2728560 . ru:Фрегаты (сторожевые корабли) проекта 11356Р . Frigates (patrol ships) of project 11356R . ru . 11 March 2016 . TASS . https://web.archive.org/web/20170604071326/http://tass.ru/info/2728560 . 4 June 2017 . live.
32. Web site: Последний фрегат проекта 11356 продадут за рубеж . 24 September 2021 .