Kresta I-class cruiser


The Kresta I class, Soviet designation Project 1134 Berkut, was a class of guided missile cruiser built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. The ships were designed for a surface warfare role, but Soviet priorities were changed to an anti-submarine role and only four ships were built in the original anti-ship configuration. They were followed by the, an anti-submarine warfare variant.

Design

Though considerably larger, more effective and reliable than the previous Soviet cruiser class, the, the Kresta I surface warfare cruisers carried only half as many Shaddock launch tubes and one-fourth the total number of missiles. Initially it was planned to fit the SS-N-12 Sandbox missile but the protracted development of this missile led to the older SS-N-3 being shipped. The self-defence armament was considerably increased as were command and communications facilities.
The Kresta Is could launch four SS-N-3b SLCMs and 44 SA-N-1 surface-to-air missiles with two twin launchers fore and aft, and had ten torpedo tubes. A single Ka-25 Hormone B helicopter was carried for antisubmarine warfare and perform mid-course corrections for the cruise missile.

Ships

The initial plan was for a single squadron of seven ships armed with long range missiles and two squadrons of fourteen ships armed with shorter range missiles. Only four ships were built before production switched to the anti-submarine variant the Kresta II class.
All the ships were built by the Zhdanov Shipyard in Leningrad.
NameRussianLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissioned
Адмирал Зозуля26 July 196417 October 19658 October 196715 December 1994
Владивосток24 December 19641 August 19661 August 19691 January 1991
Вице-Адмирал Дрозд26 October 196518 November 196627 December 19681 July 1990
Севастополь8 June 196628 April 196725 September 196915 December 1989