Alesha-class minelayer
The Alesha-class minelayers, known in the Soviet Union as Project 317 or the Alyosha Popovich class, were a class of three ships in service with the Soviet Navy beginning in 1967. Designated minelayers by the Soviet Navy, they could also be used as netlayers, command ships and act in a general support role. Equipped with naval mines, one ship of the class was assigned to each major fleet, one with the Northern Fleet, one with the Pacific Fleet and one with the Black Sea Fleet. All three ships were deleted in the 1990s.
Background and description
The Project 137 ships, designated minelayers by the Soviet Navy, measured long with a beam of and a draught of. They had a standard displacment of and a full load displacement of. The ships were powered by four Kolomna 37D diesel engines powering two generators and turning two shafts creating. This gave the ships a maximum speed of and a range of at or at.The minelayers were armed with four /80-calibre guns situated in a single quad mount forward. At the stern were four tracks for deploying naval mines. They carried up to 300 mines. The ships were equipped with Strut Curve surface search radar operating on the F band, Don 2 navigational radar operating on the I band, Muff Cob fire control radar operating on the G/H bands and High Pole B identification friend or foe. At some point, the High Pole B was replaced with Cage Flask and Salt Vat masts.