The ships of the Sverdlov class, launched between 1950 and 1955, were the last conventional cruisers built for the Soviet Navy. Regarding armament
and protection they compared unfavorably with the American contemporary counterparts of the Oregon City class. Still, they were powerful units
gifted with good operational range and powerful antiaircraft armament, whose fire control directors were similar to those installed in German
warships during the Second World War. These ships featured a very bulky bridge superstructure and conning tower and a network of rails in the aft deck to lay
mines.
Seventeen units had their keel laid but only fourteen would be completed before Krushev ordered to discontinue the program.
Ordzhonikidze was transferred to Indonesia and rebaptized as Iran in 1962, but she demonstrated to be a "white elephant" for such a country
so she was later returned and scrapped. Admiral Nakhimov had an SS-N-1 antiship missile launcher installed in place of the turrets A and B in 1957.
This installation was not successful and the ship was rapidly decommissioned and finally used as a target ship in 1961.
Meanwhile Dzerzhinsky had her turret X replaced by a twin launcher for surface-to-air missiles SAN-2 Guideline, installation that resulted unsuccesful as well.
Her armament of antiaircraft cannons was modified and the communication systems were improved in 1972. Admiral Senyavin and Zhdanov, turned into command
ships, had their turret X replaced by a hangar for a helicopter and were fitted with a SA-N-4 surface-to-air missile system.
Sverdlov class: 14 units - Admiral Lazarev, Admiral Nakhimov, Admiral Senyavin, Admiral Ushakov, Aleksandr Nevsky,
Aleksandr Suvorov, Dmitry Pozharsky, Dzerzhinsky, Mikhail Kutuzov, Murmansk, Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsia (ex Molotovsk), Ordzhonikidze, Sverdlov, Zhdanov
Type: Cruiser
Length: 210 meters
Beam: 22 meters
Draught: 7.5 meters
Displacement (standard): 15700 tonnes
Propulsion: 2 x shaft, 2 x steam turbine, 6 x boiler, 130000 horsepower
Speed: 34 knots (63 kilometers/hour)
Range: 8700 nautical miles (16112 kilometers) at 18 knots
Fuel: 4050 tonnes of petrol
Complement: About 1000
Armament (as built): 12 x 152-millimeter 57-caliber cannon, 12 x 100-millimeter 70-caliber cannon, 32 x 37-millimeter cannon,
10 x 533-millimeter torpedo tube, 150 mines
Armament (in 1972): 9-12 x 152-millimeter 57-caliber cannon, 12 x 100-millimeter 70-caliber cannon, 16 x 37-millimeter cannon,
8 x 30-millimeter cannon (Admiral Senyavin), 1 x twin SA-N-4 missile launcher (Admiral Senyavin and Zhdanov), 1 x helicopter (Admiral Senyavin and Zhdanov)
Armor: 100-125 millimeters in belt, 40-50 millimeters in ends, 25-50 millimeters in upper deck, 50-75 millimeters in main deck,
125 millimeters in main turrets
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