The legacy of Admiral Gorshkov: mistakes or greatness?
Unobtrusively, without a pump, and generally without any extra memories, February 26th passed the 110th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov.
Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, a man who left behind not some virtual legacy in the form of memoirs, memoirs, thoughts, but a very real confirmation of his work.
Some today allow themselves to criticize everything created under Gorshkov. Yes, there were things that are difficult to understand today. For example, the rejection of the construction of aircraft carriers in favor of cruisers. But what was done under Gorshkov. was done.
And most importantly, even today, after 30 years ago, Admiral Gorshkov went on his last voyage, his creations are the backbone of the Russian fleet.
You can criticize as much as you like, but what was done under Gorshkov was done for a long time. And we should remember his merits with a great deal of gratitude. The main one is that under Gorshkov, with his labors, we had a fleet, to which even the USA belonged with a certain amount of respect. And this is a fact from which it is impossible to get out.
In 1959, the fleet was armed with nuclear submarines of project 658.
26 knots at a depth of 300 meters, autonomy of 50 days. In 178, the K-1963 submarine was the first in the world among submarines with nuclear ballistic missiles. rockets on board made a 16-day trans-Arctic underwater passage. K-178 covered four and a half thousand miles from Zapadnaya Litsa in the Murmansk region to the Far East, to Krasheninnikov Bay. These boats made the Americans think. Think about security and the fact that America is not so invulnerable.
Submarines of project 658 and 658M for a long time acted as a counterbalance to the American nuclear submarines and an important component of the nuclear triad of the USSR, having served from the 60s to 90s of the last century.
Nuclear submarine of project 667BDR Kalmar.
Armed with 16 R-29R ballistic missiles with monoblock or multiple warheads. Each "Squid" carried on board about 600 kilotons. In accuracy, these complexes were not inferior to the nuclear strikes of strategic bombers.
On these ships hydroacoustic equipment quite modern by world standards, space communications and navigation aids appeared. On board the nuclear powered ships appeared saunas, tanning salons and gyms.
One “Squid” (“Ryazan”) still serves in the Pacific Ocean.
Nuclear submarine of project 941 "Shark".
The largest submarines in stories. They were created in response to the American Trident program, under which they built the Ohio nuclear submarine with 24 nuclear intercontinental missiles.
The USSR also developed a new ballistic missile R-39 with ten individually guided warheads. There was a boat under the rocket. An underwater monster with a displacement of about 50 thousand tons, a length of 172 and a width of more than 20 meters carried on board two dozen ballistic missiles.
In fact, these were two combined submarines parallel to each other. Now the Russian Navy has only one submarine of this project: the Dmitry Donskoy nuclear submarine, adapted for testing and running the new Bulava missile system.
The submarine fleet of the USSR and Russia by inheritance became a real nightmare for potential opponents. He is now no less formidable weaponsthan in those years when Gorshkov personally escorted submarines on responsible campaigns.
But the surface fleet was not left behind. Under Gorshkov, ships were developed and created that could independently operate in the far ocean zone in isolation from the main forces and coastal bases.
Nuclear-powered missile cruisers of Project 1144 Orlan.
Four cruisers were to become the basis of the new Soviet Navy. Able to withstand any enemy at sea, designed to deal with enemy aircraft carrier formations, the largest ships in the world not carrying aviation. Still.
And until now, one "Orlan" is still in service, and perhaps another one will join it.
However, the projects that survived the collapse of the USSR, the heavy nuclear cruisers Peter the Great and Admiral Nakhimov, the missile cruisers of the Atlant project 1164 (Varyag and Moscow), nuclear submarines - all this was a small part of the admiral’s global strategy Gorshkov, who dreamed of an indestructible ocean nuclear missile fleet, which could act as a counterweight to US carrier strike groups.
A concept was developed to contain US carrier strike groups.
To do this, it was necessary to form autonomous formations of warships (nuclear, of course), capable of ensuring the security of the country's long sea borders and delivering surprise strikes anywhere in the World Ocean.
The shock nuclei of such compounds were to be the nuclear carriers of project 1143.7. The main Ulyanovsk was laid in 1988, but perestroika began. The ship was dismantled on a slipway in the early 90's.
To cover these aircraft carriers far from their native shores was supposed to be “Orlanes” and atomic anti-submarine ships of Project 11437 “Anchar”. And if the "Eagles" still built, then the "Anchars" remained on paper. The project was recognized too expensive and eventually closed.
The meaning of the "Gorshkov doctrine" was reduced to creating the possibility for the destruction of enemy carrier groups on the principle "we do not have aircraft carriers, but you will not have them."
Here, Gorshkov’s interests coincided with the vision of Nikita Khrushchev, who is known to have relied on missile weapons.
In 1956, Admiral Sergei Gorshkov became commander in chief of the Navy of the USSR. It was very difficult. It was very difficult. It was necessary to reduce the fleet and send for scrap ships that could still serve and serve. Alas.
In order to please Nikita Sergeyevich, the new commander in chief had to seriously reduce the personnel of the fleet, send ships declared “unnecessary” “under the knife”.
After the resignation of Khrushchev in 1964 and the rise to power of Leonid Brezhnev, Gorshkov got a real chance to implement his plans. Brezhnev reasonably believed that the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy was better versed in his economy and did not meddle in the affairs of the fleet.
Gorshkov worked hard to create the so-called "high seas fleet", in fact, similar to the German one. Over the creation of groupings of ships carrying combat duty for a long time away from their native shores.
The “High Seas Fleet” was to become a tool for solving the geopolitical tasks of the Soviet Union.
The British, who, whatever one may say, understood in maritime affairs, wrote that if someone turned the USSR into a superpower at sea, it was Admiral Gorshkov.
When Sergey Georgievich resigned, he left behind a fleet capable of accepting the challenge of any opponent.
Yes, the Gorshkov Doctrine is criticized today. Considering it too costly, too fragmented and unbalanced. And it is true.
But the truth is that Sergey Georgievich Gorshkov brought the Soviet fleet to such a level that it was simply unattainable to him. And which is unlikely to be achieved in the coming decades.
Admiral Gorshkov in life was lucky three times. He fought and became a winner. He built ships and built a beautiful and strong fleet. He died without seeing what the followers of perestroika did to his brainchild.
110 years ago, in the small town of Kamenetz-Podolsky, a real admiral was born.
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