Large anti-submarine ship "Smart". Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy

The ship "Smarter" is the only operating vessel of the domestic fleet from all the developments of the project 61. For the Soviet Union, the "sixty-first" were considered truly revolutionary products among the existing BOD. A distinctive feature of these ships was a multi-mode gas turbine plant. In the fleet, the "sixty-first" were baptized by singing frigates for the melodic whistling of gas turbines and the grace of silhouette. For the Soviet Navy, the ships of Project 61 were a kind of visiting card.

Short story

The TFR was built in Nikolaev and on September 25, 1969, it filled the flotilla. Since then, the ship "Smetlivy" has participated in numerous exercises, armed conflict, transported the relics of Andrew the First-Called and was involved in many other events. Despite its age, the TFR still has something to snap at. On board the ship there are eight launch containers of the missile anti-ship complex "Uranus".

In 2015, on September 18, the SMR "Smetlivy", bearing the number "810" on board, was repaired at the thirteenth ship-repair plant as part of the 30th Division of the Black Sea Fleet. The group went to the Mediterranean Sea for military service from Sevastopol.

With the beginning of the operation of Russian military security services in Syria as part of the flotilla led by the cruiser Moskva and the watchmen Pytlivy and Ladny, the anti-submarine ship Smetlivy participated in exercises off the Syrian coast, which grew into patrols between Syria and Cyprus. The group provided air defense of Latakia and Tartus from the seaside direction. The convoy of the ships of the Syrian Express was also carried out.

The relics of St. Andrew the First Called

The watchman Ship "Smetlivy" took part in the international event. And he went to the Greek ports of Lafkada and Corfu. During the call to the port of Patra on September 22, Metropolitan Patrsky handed over the ark with the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called as a gift to the Black Sea Fleet. By order of the Foundation for the preservation of the sacred relic, the ark was made, which is located in the Sevastopol church of the Archangel Michael. This was promoted by Fleet Commander Admiral Alexander Vitko. After the events, the ship continued to fulfill tasks in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the Russian Navy compound.

Modern weapons

The Russian ships of Project 1155 were equipped with modern weapons. Deep modernization was not expedient, but so far, further improvement has been carried out. The main direction of modernization is the equipping with modern weapons. Updated ships can last even more than ten years after repair.

Today, the Navy consists of eight large ships of Project 1155 and one built under the advanced program 1155.1. In addition to the latter, ships of this type are equipped with anti-submarine systems and anti-aircraft missile systems without cruise missiles, affecting coastal and surface targets.

Russian-Turkish relations

On the morning of December 13, there were regular events that contributed to the formation of today's Russian-Turkish relations. The ship of the Black Sea Fleet Smetlivy, anchored off the coast of the island of Lemnos at a distance of twelve nautical miles, was forced to make a warning shot in the direction of the Turkish seiner "Balik Gechiciler Chilik" to avoid a collision. This event intensified the tension in interstate relations that arose on November 24, 2015 after the attack of our Su-24 bomber by the Turkish Air Force in Syria.

Theoretically, the TFR had the opportunity to launch a gas turbine plant within ten minutes and move forward. But, according to the Ministry of Defense, the anchor was at the bottom at this time. If the ship was in combat readiness, then it could only be dismantled for 15-20 minutes. Our TFR clearly did not have the ability to move or disengage, so that the collision did not happen. At its usual speed, the Seiner would have reached the anti-submarine ship in just three minutes.

Warning shot

Having no possibility to leave the Turkish ship on its own, the commanders of the ship "Smetlivy" made an attempt to attract attention. Messages were sent by radio, visual notification by a light semaphore, as well as by signal rockets. Seiner did not respond, despite the efforts of the crew of the TFR.

It was not possible to avoid a collision. Seiner did not quit his course. In the circumstances the commanders of the ship ordered to make a warning shot. In accordance with the order on the direction of motion of the seiner from six hundred meters, the Kalashnikov assault rifle and the machine gun were fired several times.

The Turkish ship sharply changed the direction of the traffic, and then simply left the scene. "Smart" reported immediately on board the flagship "Moscow". The cruiser relayed a message to the Russian capital.

Possible reasons

After acquaintance with all available information it will be useful to inquire about the reasons that prompted the seiner to take such risky actions. Since the motivation of Turkish fishermen remains unknown, one can only speculate. It only remains to list some possible reasons. One of them may be a banal lack of professionalism of the crew members of a fishing vessel.

Perhaps, the reason lies in the desire of the Turkish side to push the watchman ship "Smarter" with the seiner. This incident can be used as an excuse to block straits for the movement of our ships. It is also possible that this event could be linked with the conduct of Turkish operations by its special services. The matter is that the fishing seiner was often seen near the military berths of NATO in the Mediterranean.

The indications of the military seamen indicate that there were a lot of radio electronic equipment on board the Turkish boat. This is not normal for a fishing boat. It is also possible that a third party has made a hand in strengthening the tension between Russia and Turkey. Shed light on the real causes of this event will be possible only after an appropriate investigation.

Not for the first time

Russian ships have repeatedly become participants in conflict situations with Turkish courts. So, in 1985 on September 25, the P325 missile boat under the Turkish flag began to prevent the maneuvering of the Soviet training ship of the 1st rank "Hasan" during the passage through the Bosphorus Strait. The training ship eventually rammed the boat and cut it into two parts. The nose of the P325 capsized and five crew members were killed. Local authorities detained the ship "Hasan" until the circumstances were clarified, the fault of the command of the Turkish boat was proved very quickly.

One day, our submarine on the way back to the hike almost tore the tug, who managed to jump out to the fairway of military ships at the most appropriate time. The reason for this for the captain was the need to leave for a latrine, and his assistant at that moment just had to go for cigarettes. The trainee remained at the helm. The course was pointed out to him, but they did not say how long to go on it. The trainee walked exactly in the direction indicated, until he almost rammed the submarine's side.

I've had worse

If we consider the history of the Black Sea Fleet, the incident at Lemnos can not be called something extraordinary. There were more serious events than those in which the guard ship "Smarter" participated. The condition of the crew members and the morally psychological situation on board after the incident is, naturally, in perfect order.

The incident is by no means unique. It is not ruled out that the ship "Smarter" could be lost as a result of another attempt by Turkey to "respond" to Russia for hindering the supply of oil from the territory of Syria, seized by terrorists IGIL. This incident will only exacerbate our relationship. It is difficult to understand the reasons for this behavior of the Turkish side. Perhaps further developments will shed light on many issues.

Conclusion

The anti-submarine ship Smetlivy is the last active development of the Soviet project 61. The designers have done their best to prepare the TFR for service in modern conditions. For this purpose, new weapons have been installed on board. Gradually, there is a further partial modernization of the patrol ship with the number 810. The designers do not see the need for a complete replacement of the parts. Many obsolete components function normally. The ship is equipped with modern radio equipment and perfectly shows itself, even in comparison with some new models of frigates.