Displacing standard and full load, Varyag was 142.7m (468.2feet) in length.[1] Power was provided by two 45000hp TV-12 steam turbines, fuelled by four KVN-95/64 boilers and driving two fixed pitch screws. Top speed was 34.50NaN0.[2]
The ship was designed for anti-ship warfare around two quadruple SM-70 P-35 launchers for 4K44 missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-3 'Shaddock’), the vessel carrying a full set of reloads making a total of sixteen missiles.[2] To defend against aircraft, the ship was equipped with a single twin ZIF-102 M-1 Volna launcher with sixteen V-600 4K90 (SA-N-1 ‘Goa’) missiles forward and two twin 760NaN0 guns aft, backed up by two single 450NaN0 guns.[2] Four AK-630 close-in weapon systems were added in the early 1980s.[3] Defence against submarines was provided by two triple 5330NaN0 torpedoes and a pair of RBU-6000 213mm anti-submarine rocket launchers.[1]
Laid down 13 October 1961 with the name Soobrazitelnyy (Russian: italic=yes|Сообразительный – Astute), the vessel was renamed Varyag on 31 October 1962 while under construction.[4]
Varyag was launched on 7 April 1963 and accepted to the Pacific Fleet on 23 September 1965 as part of the 175th Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade, sailing to Vladivostok via the northern sea route. The vessel served in the Indian Ocean between 13 December 1971 and 6 March 1972 as part of a substantial Soviet naval presence during the Indo-Pakistani War ostensibly as a counterweight to ensure non-intervention by the Royal Navy and US Navy. Between 1975 and 1981, Varyag underwent repairs and modernisation, returning to service in the Indian Ocean with a cruise that included a visit to Da Nang, Vietnam between 10 and 14 October 1981. The ship was attached to the 183rd Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade from 1 March 1985, taking part in a large surface fleet exercise with other Soviet vessels between 7 and 10 October 1988.[4]
Varyag was the first in the class to be decommissioned, being stricken in April 1990.
| Pennant Number | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| 343 | 1965 | |
| 280 | 1965 | |
| 621 | 1966 | |
| 822 | 1967 | |
| 835 | 1968 | |
| 830 | 1970 | |
| 835 | 1972 | |
| 836 | 1974 | |
| 015 | 1976 | |
| 049 | 1981 | |
| 047 | 1982 | |
| 043 | 1985 | |
| 012 | 1987 | |
| 032 | 1990 | |
| 641 | ||
| 821 | ||
| 079 | ||