The Uda class, Soviet designation Project 577, is a class of
replenishment oiler
A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers.
The ...
built for the
Soviet Navy between 1962 and 1967.
Construction
Project 577 vessels were
built at the
Vyborg
Vyborg (; rus, Вы́борг, links=1, r=Výborg, p=ˈvɨbərk; fi, Viipuri ; sv, Viborg ; german: Wiborg ) is a town in, and the administrative center of, Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus ne ...
,
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
during the 1960s and were designated VTR ''Voyenyy Tanker'', Military Tanker) by the
Soviet Navy. They are capable of
replenishment at sea
Replenishment at sea (RAS) (North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Commonwealth of Nations) or underway replenishment (UNREP) (U.S. Navy) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. First develope ...
and an
A-frame
An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached at the top, like an uppercase lett ...
kingpost
A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above fro ...
provides two amidships refueling positions. They are also capable of refueling over the stern.
The Project 577 is similar in design to a
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
AO fleet tanker or a
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...
fleet support tanker and performs the same operational role. Unlike US or British vessels of this type, the Project 577 does not have facilities for helicopters and is incapable of
vertical replenishment
Vertical replenishment, or VERTREP, is a method of supply of seaborne vessels by helicopter. The United States Department of Defense defines VERTREP as:
...the transfer of cargo between ships using helicopters. VERTREP is often used to supplement ...
.
There are provisions for fitting eight ZIF-75 57mm AA guns in quad mounts, plus one MR-302 Strut Curve and two
MR-103 Bars radar, but no weapons systems have been reported fitted to the Uda class since the 1960s.
Ships in class
There were nine vessels in the class.
[russian-ships.info (accessed 29 Feb 2012)]
See also
*
List of ships of Russia by project number
The list of ships of Russia by project number includes all Russian ships by assigned project numbers. Ship descriptions are Russian assigned classifications when known. (The Russian term "проект" can be translated either as the cognate "pr ...
*
*
References
{{reflist, 30em
External links
Project 577 medium seagoing tanker(English)
Cold War naval ships of the Soviet Union
Oilers
Auxiliary replenishment ship classes