Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov explained

Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov (Russian: Адмирал флота Советского Союза Горшков) is an frigate of the Russian Navy and the lead ship of the class.

Design

The Admiral Gorshkov class is the successor to the and frigates. Unlike their Soviet-era predecessors, the new ships are designed for multiple roles. They are to be capable of executing long-range strikes, conducting anti-submarine warfare, and carrying out escort missions.

Construction and career

The ship was laid down on 1 February 2006, launched on 29 October 2010 and was first expected to join the Russian Navy in November 2013.[1] However, problems with delivery of the main naval gun,[2] engine fire[3] and testing of the ship's Poliment-Redut air defence system delayed the commissioning date several times.[4] She was finally commissioned on 28 July 2018 with Russia's Northern Fleet. The ship is named after Hero of the Soviet Union Sergey Gorshkov. With pennant number 454 (earlier 417), Admiral Gorshkov is part of the 43rd Missile Ship Division at Severomorsk.

From 23 to 25 December 2017 Admiral Gorshkov conducted sea trials near UK waters in the North Sea,[5] where she was shadowed by .[6]

On 28 July 2018, Admiral Gorshkov was officially accepted into service with the Russian Navy, the day before her debut at the Main Naval Day parade in Saint Petersburg.[7] [8] The ship performed 16 firing exercises during her trials.[9]

On her maiden distant deployment, Admiral Gorshkov travelled some 35,000 nautical miles (65,000 km) in the Russian Navy's first global circumnavigation since Stepan Makarov's 1886–1889 voyage on the corvette .[10] Accompanied by medium sea tanker Kama, logistics support vessel Elbrus and large ocean tug Nikolay Chiker, Admiral Gorshkov visited Djibouti (Djibouti), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Qingdao (China), Vladivostok (Russia), Puerto Bolívar (Ecuador), Havana (Cuba), Praia (Cape Verde) and Kronstadt (Russia),[11] before returning to her homeport Severomorsk. The 175-day long journey took place between 26 February and 19 August 2019.[12] On her route home, she also participated in the "Ocean Shield 2019" major naval exercise of the Russian Navy held in the Mediterranean Sea, thought to be the largest in the independent Russia with some 70 warships, submarines and auxiliary ships participating.[12]

In early January 2020, Admiral Gorshkov test-launched the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile from the Barents Sea, as part of the missile's state trials. This was the first time the Zircon was launched from a naval vessel.[13] Additional launches of the Zircon missile took place in October,[14] November[15] and December.[16] All the tests have been successful.

On 19 February 2021, Admiral Gorshkov entered the Barents Sea for exercises. She conducted anti-submarine and air defence exercises along with the tug Altay.[17] On 24 March, the frigate entered the Barents Sea and launched an Onyx missile, being accompanied by icebreaker Ilya Muromets, supply ship Elbrus and tug MB-110,[18] while hydrographic vessels Romuald Muklevich,[19] Nikolay Skosyrev, Aleksandr Makorta and anti-saboteur ship Valeriy Fedyanin were also active in the Barents Sea at the same time.[20]

On 28 May 2022, the Admiral Gorshkov test fired a 3M22 Zircon missile in the Barents Sea at a target in the White Sea. [21] On 4 June, she was underway in the Barents Sea again conducting helicopter operations.[22] The frigate took part in the parade on the Russian Navy day on 31 July in Saint Petersburg.[23] On the same day, the Russian president Vladimir Putin announced Admiral Gorshkov will be the first ship armed with Zircon missiles.[24] She underwent maintenance in Kronstadt Marine Plant until November and on 23 November conducted firing with the Redut missile complex in the Baltic Sea.[25] On 9 December 2022, she was sailing along the Norwegian coast,[26] finally returning to Severomorsk on 11 December.[27]

In late December 2022, Admiral Gorshkov was preparing to re-enter service in early January 2023 armed with Zircon hypersonic missiles.[28]

On 4 January 2023, Admiral Gorshkov re-entered service equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, and began a voyage that will pass through the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.[29] [30]

On 14 February the frigate docked in Cape Town ahead of planned exercises with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy and the South African Navy.[31] The exercise began on 18 February and involved Admiral Gorshkov together with the tanker Kama from the Russian Navy[32] along with the destroyer Huainan, the frigate Rizhao and the support ship Kekexilihu from the Chinese Navy. Several vessels from the South African Navy were expected to participate including the frigate Mendi as well as the Warrior-class patrol vessel King Sekhukhune I and the hydrographic survey vessel SAS Protea.[33]

Subsequently in March, Admiral Gorshkov and Kama engaged in joint exercises with the Chinese and Iranian navies in the Gulf of Oman.[34] In early April 2023, the lead frigate of Russia's Northern fleet made headlines when docking at the Saudi port of Jeddah, after arriving from South Africa and participating in naval drills in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, the first docking there of a Russian naval vessel in almost a decade. The event was deemed significant and raised concerns in the West about Saudi objectives and due to the ship's hypersonic rocket artillery, and modern anti-submarine weapons.[35] The ship subsequently entered the Mediterranean, docking at Russian naval facilities in Syria.[36]

As of June 2023, the frigate was still reported in the Mediterranean, taking part in a rescue operation in Greek waters.[37] The frigate visited Algeria while in the Mediterranean and returned to her home port on the Kola peninsula in September 2023.[38]

In June 2024, the frigate was one of four Russian vessels to anchor in Havana Bay, Cuba as part of a five-day visit. Earlier, it had undertaken missile drills in the Atlantic.[39]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Severnaya Verf to Launch Corvette Stoiky in May . Rusnavy.com . 3 April 2012 . 17 February 2020 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120512035348/http://rusnavy.com/news/navy/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=14758 . 12 May 2012.
  2. Web site: СМИ: Передачу ВМФ фрегата "Адмирал Горшков" отложили из-за проблем с артустановкой . Media: Transfer of the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" to the Navy was postponed due to problems with artillery mount . ru . flotprom.ru . 25 October 2013 . 17 February 2020.
  3. Web site: Двигатель фрегата "Адмирал Горшков" сгорел из-за сбоя системы управления . The engine of the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" burned out due to a control system failure . ru . flotprom.ru . 28 January 2015 . 17 February 2020.
  4. Web site: Poliment-Redut Issues Delay Delivery of 1st Project 22350 Gorshkov-class Frigate to Russian Navy . NavyRecognition.com . 1 December 2017 . 17 February 2020.
  5. Web site: Admiral Gorshkov (Project 22350/Pennant Number: 417) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/fBiKzl045mk . 2021-12-21 . live. IndraStra Global . 2018-08-19 . YouTube . 2018-11-21.
  6. News: HMS St Albans: UK frigate shadows Russian warship in North Sea . BBC News . 26 December 2017.
  7. Web site: Головной фрегат "Адмирал Горшков" включили в боевой состав ВМФ России . The lead frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" was added to the combat composition of the Russian Navy . ru . . 28 July 2018 . 28 July 2018.
  8. Web site: Russian Navy commissions Project 22350 frigate Admiral Gorshkov . Janes.com . 31 July 2018 . 17 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180801125216/https://www.janes.com/article/82112/russian-navy-commissions-project-22350-frigate-admiral-gorshkov . 1 August 2018 . dead.
  9. Web site: Russian cutting-edge frigate live-fires cruise missiles in Barents Sea drills . . 6 December 2018 . 17 February 2020.
  10. Web site: ВМФ повторил историческое достижение царского флота . The Navy repeats the historical achievement of the Tsarist fleet . ru . . 19 August 2019 . 17 February 2020.
  11. Web site: Фрегат "Адмирал Флота Советского Союза Горшков" завершил кругосветный поход . The frigate "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov" completed a round-the-world voyage . ru . bmpd.livejournal.com . 25 July 2019 . 17 February 2020.
  12. Web site: Russia's Northern Fleet warships return home after round-the-globe deployment . . 19 August 2019 . 17 February 2020.
  13. Web site: Russia test-launches Tsirkon hypersonic missile from ship for first time . . 27 February 2020 . 1 March 2020.
  14. Web site: Фрегат "Адмирал Горшков" выполнил пуск гиперзвуковой ракеты "Циркон" из Белого моря . The frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" launched a hypersonic "Zircon" missile in the White Sea . ru . . 7 October 2020 . 19 February 2021.
  15. Web site: Russian frigate successfully test-launches Tsirkon hypersonic missile in White Sea. . 26 November 2020 . 19 February 2021.
  16. Web site: Russian Navy frigate test-fires Tsirkon hypersonic missile from White Sea . . 11 December 2020 . 19 February 2021.
  17. Web site: Фрегат «Адмирал Горшков» вышел в Баренцево море для выполнения учебно-боевых задач . The frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" sailed into the Barents Sea to carry out combat training missions . ru . . 19 February 2021 . 19 February 2021.
  18. Web site: Фрегат «Адмирал Горшков» выполнил артиллерийские стрельбы в Баренцевом море . The frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" performed artillery fire in the Barents Sea . 26 March 2021 . Russian Ministry of Defence . 1 April 2021 . ru.
  19. Web site: Гидрографическое судно Северного флота «Ромуальд Муклевич» вышло на поиск подводных лодок, погибших в годы войны в Баренцевом море . The hydrographic vessel of the Northern Fleet "Romuald Muklevich" set out to search for submarines sunk in the Barents Sea during the war . 29 March 2021 . Russian Ministry of Defence . 1 April 2021 . ru.
  20. Web site: Силы Северного флота приступили к третьему этапу комплексной экспедиции Северного флота и РГО в Кольском заливе . The forces of the Northern Fleet have started the third stage of the expedition of the Northern Fleet and the Russian Geographical Society in Kola Bay . 6 April 2021 . Russian Ministry of Defence . 7 April 2021 . ru.
  21. Web site: Russian Admiral Gorshkov frigate test-fires Tsirkon missile . 30 May 2022 .
  22. https://www.interfax.ru/russia/844704
  23. https://www.dp.ru/a/2022/07/23/Fregat_Admiral_Gorshkov
  24. https://www.rbc.ru/politics/31/07/2022/62e63dc39a794758a05c8679
  25. https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/16457561
  26. https://www.navyrecognition.com/index.php/naval-news/naval-news-archive/2022/december/12590-russian-frigate-admiral-gorshkov-is-sailing-along-norwegian-coast.html
  27. https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/16562905
  28. Web site: Admiral Gorshkov frigate to enter service in early January — Putin . . 22 December 2022 . 17 February 2023.
  29. Web site: Шойгу: "Адмирал Горшков" отправится в поход по Атлантическому и Индийскому океанам. 4 January 2022. ru. TASS.
  30. Web site: Russian Frigate Sails To The Atlantic With Hypersonic Missiles. 9 January 2023. navalnews.com.
  31. Web site: Russian frigate docks in South Africa ahead of joint naval drills with China and Russia . 14 February 2023. CNN.
  32. Web site: Russia, China and South Africa began naval maneuvers . 17 February 2023. Prensa Latina.
  33. Web site: South Africa's naval drills with Russia, China "tantamount to joining war against Ukraine". 16 February 2023 . Ryabchiy . Kate . Euromaidan Press.
  34. Web site: China, Russia, Iran hold joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman . 15 March 2023 . AP.
  35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RqbQ-W-EXM "Frigate armed with hypersonic missile in Jeddah"
  36. Web site: Russian Navy in the Mediterranean - Week 17 2023 . Russianfleetanalysis.blogspot.com . 28 April 2023 . 2022-04-29.
  37. Web site: RFS Admiral Gorshkov Takes Part in SAR Operation. 2023-06-23. Sea Waves Magazine . 23 June 2023.
  38. Web site: Admiral Gorshkov Returns From Deployment . 2023-10-05. Sea Waves Magazine . 25 September 2023.
  39. Web site: Russian warships arrive in Cuba in show of force. 2024-06-12. BBC News. 12 June 2024.