Soviet communications ship SSV-33

SSV-33 Ural underway
History
Soviet Union
NameSSV 33 Ural
BuilderBaltic Yard, Leningrad
Yard number810
Laid down25 June 1981
LaunchedMay 1983
Commissioned7 January 1989
Decommissioned27 December 2002
FateScrapping commenced in 2010, completed by the end of 2018.
General characteristics
Class and typeProject 1941 Titan (NATO "Kapusta")
Displacement32,780 tons standard; 36,500 tons full load
Length265 m (869 ft)
Beam30 m (98 ft)
Draught7.5 m (25 ft)
Propulsion
  • 2 shaft combined nuclear and steam (CONAS), 66,500 hp (49,600 kW)
  • 2 × KN-3 nuclear propulsion with 2 × GT3A-688 steam turbines
  • 140,000 shp (100,000 kW)[1]
Speed21.6 knots (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph)
Rangeunlimited
Complement950 (233 officers, 690 NCOs and enlisted men)
Armament
  • 2 × 76 mm guns,
  • 4 × 30 mm guns (AK-630),
  • 9K38 Igla SAM missiles,
  • 4 × 12.7 mm machine guns
Aircraft carried1 × Ka-32 helicopter
Aviation facilitiesHangar and helipad

SSV-33 Ural (ССВ-33 Урал; NATO reporting name: Kapusta, Russian for "cabbage") was a command and control naval ship operated by the Soviet Navy. SSV-33's hull was derived from that of the nuclear powered Kirov-class battlecruisers with nuclear marine propulsion.[2] SSV-33 served in electronic intelligence, missile tracking, space tracking, and communications relay roles. Due to high operating costs, SSV-33 was laid up in 1989.[2]

The onboard radio reconnaissance system was called "Coral"; this involved two computer types: "Elbrus" and several "EC-1046" computers.

SSV-33 carried only light defensive weapons. These were two AK-176 76 mm guns, four AK-630 30 mm guns, and four quadruple Igla missile mounts.

SSV-33 was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, but there was no pier large enough for the ship. She was forced to anchor out. Machinery had to remain running while at anchor to support other systems and its crew; the ship became a floating barracks. She never went to sea, while her powerful radioelectronic equipment gradually began to decay.[3]

The initial value of the ship's disposal contract was $310 million. The work was performed in the Bay of Bolshoy Kamen in Primorsky region and completed by late 2018.

  1. ^ "Kirov (Orlan) class (Type 1144.1/1144.2) (CGN)". Janes.com. 8 September 2000. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009.
  2. ^ a b Pike, John. "SSV-33 Project 1941". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  3. ^ Genys, Andrius. "Ural (Command ship)". MilitaryToday.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013.