''Bditel'nyy'' or ''Bditelnyy'' (russian: link=no, Бдительный, "Vigilant") was a Project 1135 ''Burevestnik'' (russian: link=no, Буревестник, " Petrel") Large Anti-Submarine Ship (, BPK) or Krivak-class

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

that served with the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and Russian Navies. Launched on 28 March 1970, the vessel served as part of the

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

but operated more widely than the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

, demonstrating the emerging blue water capability of the Navy. A dedicated

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

vessel, with an armament built around the ''Metel'' system, the ship spent the period between 26 December 1970 and 30 September 1971 undertaking trials and tests to prove the new systems. During that time

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; uk, links= no, Леонід Ілліч Брежнєв, . (19 December 1906– 10 November 1982) was a Soviet Union, Soviet politician who served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Gener ...

and Admiral of the Fleet Sergey Gorshkov were both hosted on board. The vessel then subsequently undertook tracking of submarines in the Baltic,

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

and

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

s, and even travelled as far as Cuba, crossing the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The ship also visited friendly ports like

Annaba Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River ...

in Algeria, Gdynia in Poland and

Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...

in East Germany. With the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the ship also travelled to Belgium and visited

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. During June 1993, ''Bditelnyy'' took part in BALTOPS-93, the first joint exercise between

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

and Russia. However, soon afterwards, the ship was retired and, on 31 July 1996, decommissioned and subsequently broken up.

Design and development

''Bditelnyy'' was the first Project 1135 ''Burevestnik'' (russian: link=no, Буревестник, " Petrel") Large Anti-Submarine Ship (, BPK) laid down. Project 1135 was envisaged by the Soviet Navy as a less expensive complement to the Project 1134A ''Berkut'' A (

NATO reporting name NATO reporting names are code names for military equipment from Russia, China, and historically, the Eastern Bloc (Soviet Union and other nations of the Warsaw Pact). They provide unambiguous and easily understood English words in a uniform manne ...

'Kresta II') and Project 1134B ''Berkut'' B (NATO reporting name 'Kara') classes of ships. The design was originally given to TsKB-340, which had designed the earlier Project 159 (NATO reporting name 'Petya') and Project 35 (NATO reporting name 'Mirka') classes. However, the expansion in the

United States 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 ...

ballistic missile submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN – t ...

fleet and the introduction of longer-ranged and more accurate

submarine-launched ballistic missile A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhead ...

s led to a revisit of the project, which was transferred to TsKB-53 in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. The design, by N. P. Sobolov, combined a powerful missile armament with good seakeeping for a blue water role and shared the same BPK designation as the larger ships. NATO forces called the new vessels Krivak class

s. Displacing standard and full load, the vessel was in

overall length The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads in ...

, with a maximum

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and an average draught of . Power was provided by two M7K combinations each consisting of a combination of a DK59 and a M62 gas turbine combined in a

COGAG Combined gas turbine and gas turbine (COGAG) is a type of propulsion system for ships using two gas turbines connected to a single propeller shaft. A gearbox and clutches allow either of the turbines to drive the shaft or both of them combined. ...

installation and driving one fixed-pitch

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

for a design speed of . Range was at . The ship’s complement was 197, including 23 officers.

Armament and sensors

The ship was designed for

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

around four URPK-4 ''Metel'' missiles (NATO reporting name SS-N-14 'Silex'), backed up by a pair of quadruple mounts for

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

es and a pair of

RBU-6000 The RBU-6000 Smerch-2 (Реактивно-Бомбовая Установка, ''Reaktivno-Bombovaja Ustanovka''; reaction engine-bomb installation & Смерч; waterspout) is a 213 mm caliber Soviet Union, Soviet anti-submarine weapon, a ...

''Smerch-2'' anti-submarine rocket launchers. Defence against aircraft was provided by forty 4K33 OSA-M (SA-N-4 'Gecko')

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

s which were launched from two sets of ZIF-122 launchers, each capable of launching two missiles. Two twin

AK-726 The AK-726 (abbr. of ) is a twin naval gun, which was developed in the Soviet Union and is still in service in various navies. History In 1954 the Soviet Union began development of a naval gun which could be used against both air and sea targets. ...

guns were mounted aft and provision was made for carrying 18 mines. The ship had a well-equipped sensor suite, including a single MR-310A ''Angara-A'' air/surface search radar, ''Volga'' and ''Don-2'' navigation radar, MP-401S ''Start-S'' ESM radar system and ''Spectrum-F'' laser warning system. An extensive

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

complex was fitted, including MG-332 ''Titan-2'', which was mounted in a bow radome, and MG-325 ''Vega''. ''Vega'' was a towed array sonar specifically developed for the class and had a range of up to . The ship was also equipped with the PK-16 decoy-dispenser system.

Construction and career

''Bditelnyy'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

by on 21 July 1968 with the yard number 151 at the

Yantar Shipyard Yantar Shipyard (russian: Прибалтийский судостроительный завод «Янтарь») is a Russian shipbuilding company based in Kaliningrad, Russia. Yantar Shipyard builds military ships, including antisubmarine and ...

Kaliningrad Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...

and launched on 28 March 1970. The ship was named for a Russian word that can be translated alert, vigilant or watchful. The crew arrived, led by Captain of the Third Rank Gennady Mikhailovich Generalov, on 5 October and the flag was first raised on 5 December. After sea trials between 26 and 31 December, the vessel was commissioned on the final day of 1970.

1970s

On 16 March 1971, the ship joined the 128th Brigade of the

and, later that month undertook test firing of the ''Metel'', although not all weapons were operational until 30 September. In the interim was the vessel's first voyage, from the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

between 1 and 20 June. To ensure the smooth running of the ship so soon after commissioning, thirty motive power specialists travelled with the ship. It was during this voyage that NATO first named the ship Krivak. After arriving in

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

, the ship undertook more weapons tests, including test launches of

s. On 4 August, the ship hosted

and Admiral of the Fleet Sergey Gorshkov, the latter who returned again later in the year. Between 18 June and 29 November 1972, the vessel joined sistership , newly commissioned, as part of Task Force KUG-1 in the

. Anti-submarine systems were successfully tested with three contacts made with

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s. During the time, the vessel also supported the withdrawal of Soviet military advisors from Egypt before 29 July 1972 following the Corrective Revolution. This was followed by two visits to Gdynia, Poland, between 5 and 9 October 1973 and 20 to 24 July 1974, and participation in ''Sever-77'' between 14 and 24 April 1977. Along with the rest of the class, the ship was redesignated a

Guard Ship A guard ship is a warship assigned as a stationary guard in a port or harbour, as opposed to a coastal patrol boat, which serves its protective role at sea. Royal Navy In the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century, peacetime guard ships were usual ...

(, SKR) on 28 July 1977 to reflect the change in Soviet strategy to one of creating protected areas for friendly submarines close to the coast. However, this did not restrict international operations, which increasingly demonstrated the Soviet ability to operate as a

blue-water navy A blue-water navy is a maritime force capable of operating globally, essentially across the deep waters of open oceans. While definitions of what actually constitutes such a force vary, there is a requirement for the ability to exercise sea cont ...

. The vessel served in the

between 18 August and 2 February 1978, tracking submarines and observing NATO forces as well as visiting

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba, twice, between 17 and 22 December and 25 December and 14 January. ''Bditelnyy'' then returned to the Baltic Sea, participating in ''Baltika-78'' between 28 June and 7 August 1978, and visiting

, East Germany, between 3 and 10 October the following year.

1980s and end of service

''Bditelnyy'' returned to Cuba between 15 April and 11 May 1981. The vessel revisited Havana and spent time in

Cienfuegos Cienfuegos (), capital of Cienfuegos Province, is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about from Havana and has a population of 150,000. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba's main industrial centers, especial ...

, as well as taking part in joint manoeuvres with the

Cuban Revolutionary Navy The Cuban Revolutionary Navy ( es, Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria) is the navy of Cuba. History The Constitutional Navy of Cuba was the navy of Cuba that existed prior to 1959. During World War II, it sank the German submarine ''U-176'' on 15 ...

. 25 May 1982 found the ship back in the Mediterranean, and between 22 and 29 June, the ship visited

, Algeria. The ship then returned to the Baltic, escorting the Project 1143 ''Krechyet''

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

, between 24 July and 1 August 1983. On 12 February the next year, the vessel was sent to Yantar for repairs and upgrades. The main armament was upgraded to URPK-5 ''Rastrub'' (SS-N-14B) missiles to add anti-shipping capability. Reentering service on 25 January 1986, the vessel subsequently revisited Rostock and Gdynia and then, between 12 and 24 June 1988,

Szczecin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major s ...

, Poland, and then Rostock again between 6 and 10 October 1989. The new decade saw rapid changes in the Soviet Navy. With the end of the

, the ship undertook an official visit to

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium, between 6 and 25 June 1991 and at the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, joined the Russian Navy. In June 1993, the ship joined BALTOPS-93, the first joint naval exercise between NATO and Russian forces. This was the last operation for the vessel and the ship was retired soon after. Attempts to preserve the vessel, the first of the class, as a floating museum failed and ''Bditelnyy'' was decommissioned on 31 July 1996. The ship was subsequently broken up.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bditelnyy 1970 ships Krivak-class frigates of the Russian Navy Ships built at Yantar Shipyard Cold War frigates of the Soviet Union Ships built in the Soviet Union