The first real aircraft carrier
The process of creating aircraft-carrying ships in the USSR took place in difficult conditions of the struggle of opinions in the circles of the military and political leadership of the country. Therefore, the first in the class of aircraft-carrying ships - the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser (TAKR) of project 1143 “Kiev” had limited tasks and was created as an anti-submarine ship giving it the functions of a missile cruiser in the development of anti-submarine cruisers of project 1123 with group based aviation type "Moscow".The lead anti-submarine cruiser with aircraft armament “Kiev” was laid down at the Black Sea Shipbuilding Plant in Nikolaev on July 21, 1970, launched on December 26, 1972 and put into operation the fleet December 28 1975 year.
The event in the fleet was the first arrival in Sevastopol of the heavy aircraft carrier “Kiev” after its construction at the Black Sea plant in Nikolaev and the end of the mooring trials there. Place in the area of coal and fifth barrels prepared in advance. But first, the cruiser settled on the outer roadstead. He was guarded by at least two ships of the 30 Division, including the entire security and defense system of the 68 Brigade of Water District Security Ships (OVR).
In September, the division headquarters was assigned the task: to prepare and conduct a “Special tactical exercise with the TAKR“ Kiev ”to identify the tactical properties of the ship.” Vladimir Samoilov was appointed head, then the first deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF), his deputy was the division commander, and the working headquarters for developing the exercise plan itself, its stages and episodes, tasks for the forces, writing reports was the headquarters of the 30 division.
The division headquarters under my leadership moved to the ship, and we were cut off from the division’s affairs for almost a month. In terms of the exercise, it was necessary to properly build relations with the government testing committee, headed by Evgeny Volobuyev, First Deputy Commander of the Northern Fleet (SF).
Having planned individual episodes of the exercise and linked them to a single tactical background, we conducted the entire necessary training cycle and managed to reach the preparatory exercise twice. We took some combat crews from the ships of the constant readiness division (radar operators VO, ZRK, acoustics, gunners, BIPovtsev). Of course, there were certain discrepancies in this doctrine: the factory ship sailed in a single formation with ships of constant readiness and also carried out combat exercises at the level of tasks K-3 and C-1. A serious issue was that along with state trials weapons automated control systems for connection, mutual information exchange, etc. were tested, for which warrant ships with the same systems were needed. "Totally" mobilized everyone who had this technique.
13 – 14 October at the exit to the sea conducted a planned special tactical exercise. The Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Nikolai Khovrin also arrived on the ship. He had to listen to four sides: Yevgeny Volobuyev, the division commander Yuri Stadnichenko, the commander of the 70 brigade who led the other ships and, of course, the factory. All the combat crews of the division ships were admitted tactically (who can and when to fire), we were all well prepared. The exercise passed in accordance with the developed documents, all the “contours” of the ship worked. After the exercise, the cruiser departed again to Nikolaev to the factory. And the experience gained in this teaching was useful to the division headquarters later, because subsequently Kiev arrived in Sevastopol more than once and was immediately reassigned to the headquarters of the 30 division.
28 December 1975 was signed an act of state acceptance of the anti-submarine, as it was then called, the cruiser "Kiev" in the Navy. Behind this stood the tremendous work of the entire Black Sea Fleet, and the headquarters of the 30 Division declared its priority in mastering the aircraft carrier of a new generation.
VIEWER FOR GLOBE
One of the significant events of the first half of 1976 of the year was an exhibition of ships, modern weapons and military equipment under the leadership of the commander-in-chief of the Navy in Sevastopol. The highlight of the show was TAKR "Kiev" with its technical equipment and aircraft complex. The newest ships and auxiliary vessels of the Navy were concentrated at Minna and Kurinnaya, and in the large inflatable rubberized tents housed the newest equipment, instruments, various devices of all departments and divisions of the Navy. After the three-day familiarization of the participants with the coastal unit, it was planned to conduct the marine unit: launching the TAKR “Kiev” at sea with a show of modern ships and aircraft when they perform combat exercises and inherent tasks. Planned with the closure of the area of action of forces to 55 ships and aircraft. The division was ready to sail to sea under the leadership of the commander-in-chief of the Navy aboard the aircraft carrier. On Kiev there were 10 airplanes and 12 helicopters.
The deployment of forces began on the night of 5 on May 6. However, at dawn, when part of the ships were already at sea, the area of the exercise was covered with thick fog. Such a grand event threatened to collapse. All worried about compliance with security measures. The division was responsible for these questions, since it was she who organized the naval unit. Its commander Yuri Stadnichenko was on the bridge next to the commander in chief, and I was downstairs at the Kiev Center of Arts. By all measures and ways we got the situation. But, since the area of study covered almost the entire western part of the Black Sea, obtaining the situation was extremely difficult. Although all shipping companies and other civilian agencies confirmed the ban on sailing around the area on that day, the situation had to be checked and constantly convinced that the area was clean. The main thing is that no one was going to either transfer or cancel the planned teaching.
Looking ahead, I want to say that the teaching was nevertheless successful. All aviation flights from Kiev and missile firing were performed. And not because the fog dissipated in three hours, but because it was planned to show the participants of the collections of the strategic anti-submarine aircraft Tu-142, which was based in the 33-th center of military use of the Navy in Nikolaev. It was raised four hours earlier in relation to time H and, being in the area, began to give us a sea environment, which we immediately applied to the tablets and devices of the Root system. As it turned out later, the plane was piloted by the regimental commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Deineka.
I remember the last episode of the exercise at sea: a huge Tu-142 plane with rotating propellers of four engines at an altitude of 100 m somewhere in 50 m from the “island” of a cruiser on a countercourse passed next to us, which resulted in indescribable delight of all participants going to sea. The final analysis, which was conducted by Sergey Gorshkov himself, was held in a calm manner, since the main part in all these questions was, of course, the naval part.
JOINT SWIMMING
A memorable event was the joint sailing of two Soviet aircraft carriers, "Kiev" and "Minsk", in the Mediterranean Sea in 1978 year and the holding of exercises to combat the enemy aircraft carrier groups. As a carrier-based multipurpose group (AMG) of the enemy, the Moscow-carrying helicopter with escort ships appeared. For the first time from the "Kiev" was hit by a group of aircraft consisting of eight Yak-38 on the "AMG of the enemy."
In January, 1980, sailing under the flag of the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy Georgy Egorov in the Black Sea took place. Yegorov, at the direction of Gorshkov in Sevastopol, conducted an operational collection. The key event of this collection was the launch of TAKR “Kiev” into the sea and a demonstration of the organization of the encounter battle of shipboard strike groups using aircraft and cruise missiles. Despite the fact that all fleet commanders were participants in the assembly, the situation was calm. The headquarters of the 30 Division, located on TAKR, organized this battle and "played" against the Naval Academy, whose representatives were stationed on the anti-submarine cruiser Leningrad, led by a talented seaman, Rear Admiral Lev Vasyukov. In the development of this battle, an anti-aircraft battle was shown to unite the ships that are in the guard of the Kiev air defense missile force. All targets were shot down by the division ships, and they had to shoot through warrant ships. It has not yet sounded the readiness of combat readiness number 1, Sergey Gorshkov himself called to “Kiev”. When I was on the bridge, George Yegorov reported to the commander-in-chief by telephone the results of this battle. I reported extremely competently according to the express-analysis scheme, which I handed to him directly in my hands almost immediately after the shooting. The commander was satisfied.
DEMONSTRATION OF THE POWER OF ARMY AND FLEET
In 1981, the “West-81” doctrine was planned, where the Soviet Union “shoved weapons” and once again showed NATO the power of its army and navy. The Black Sea Fleet also took part in a number of episodes. For the first time, “Kiev” was to come to this teaching on the Baltic. The ship once again arrived in Sevastopol. The headquarters of the brigade of the Northern Fleet, where the ship entered, instantly disappeared (it was, by the way, always), and we were ordered to prepare the aircraft carrier for the upcoming training. It meant unloading, taking to Nikolaev, establishing control over its repair at the Black Sea Plant, bringing it back, loading, measuring the fields, checking and sending to the Baltic.
The commander of the Black Sea Fleet took all matters relating to the preparation of the cruiser to the doctrine, for personal control, because, as always, the deadlines were tight. Personally, he said to me: “You answer for the preparation of“ Kiev ”with your head!” The headquarters of the 30 division did not have such a load for the first time, and most importantly, the Black Sea Fleet by that time had a well-developed rear. Everything that was tied to it was solved quickly and with a sufficiently high quality.
We prepared “Kiev” for training in the Baltic Fleet, and for the first time such a giant went to the Baltic.
Our division was instructed to prepare for these exercises its own detachment with the flagship of the anti-ship missile complex "Leningrad". We also carefully prepared it together with two large anti-submarine ships of the 61 project and two patrol ships of the 1135 project. The load on the division was very high, because one of the brigades was already in combat service. Every week, arriving at the fleet headquarters with all the schedules and supporting documents, I reported to the fleet commander the progress of the preparation of "Kiev" and the detachment of ships of the Black Sea Fleet.
After full discharge, the aircraft carrier under my command went out into Nikolaev at night. Passing by the fourth barrel, where the cruiser Admiral Ushakov was standing (project 68-bis), from the height of the bridge of the aircraft carrier we felt a big difference with the fleet veteran in everything from the size and ending with rocket armament and radar antennas.
Early in the morning, when entering the Bugsko-Dniester Limansky Canal, the weather was good, and in the evening the aircraft carrier was moored to the factory wall, where necessary repairs were carried out.
At the control exit of the ship, under my leadership, before the departure to the Baltic, the cruiser very beautifully approached the ship of complex supply Berezina. This was done in the shortest possible time at a speed of "Berezina" 14 nodes. Quickly, all the “roads” were filed for accepting stocks to the cruiser using the traverse method. From the starboard "Berezina" and on its stern came two more ships. The photographs of this order went around the entire fleet and the whole country.
1 August 1981 of the year TAKR "Kiev" anchored in the outer roads of Baltiysk. After some time, the cruiser "Leningrad" arrived with escort. As for operational necessity, the arrival of such ships to the Baltic did not make sense, although from the point of view of the show the goal was achieved. All the ministers of defense of the Warsaw Pact Organization countries visited Kiev. Cuban Defense Minister Raul Castro was there.
The exercise "West-81" was successful. Its results, the actions of the forces, including during the maritime part, were replicated by the media. The ships of the 30 Division decided their task, then returned safely to Sevastopol. In addition to showing combat exercises, Sergey Gorshkov, using the moment, presented to the Minister regular proposals for promising aircraft carriers, and Dmitry Ustinov allowed an increase in 10 thousand tons of the fifth aircraft carrier compared to the fourth Baku under construction, which allowed him to take on board the horizontal takeoff . It was a real breakthrough.
6 June 1985, the crew of the first Soviet aircraft carrier "Kiev" was awarded the Red Banner Flag and the Order of the Red Banner.
Unfortunately, "Kiev" was written off before the deadline, having served just the full 19 years and held out longer than other aircraft carriers. It happened in the Northern Fleet at 35 28 plant in August 1994, when the command was sounded for the last time on the cruiser: “Flag, guis, stingovy flags and flags of colorization - to lower!”
25 May 2000, the ship began to move to the Chinese coast, ostensibly for scrap metal. Now it is located in the city of Tianjin, where it is used as an entertainment center.
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