Russian Navy May Modernize Only One of its Giant "Battlecruisers"
Though intimidating at the height of the Cold War, the four Kirov-class battlecruisers have all been afloat since the 1980s and are showing their age. Two are out of commission and are slated for scrapping.
The exception is Admiral Nakhimov, which underwent a multiyear deep overhaul and modernization. Nakhimov spent 28 years in varying states of layup or repair, redelivering only this year after an expenditure of an estimated $2.5 billion. The cost and duration of Nakhimov's overhaul - combined with the material condition of the Velikiy - prompted a Russian Navy advisory committee to recommend against an attempt to repeat the process.
"The commission has already made a preliminary decision; the final decision has not yet been announced: the cruiser [Pyotr Velikiy] cannot be restored. The ship has a certain degree of wear and tear," said Vladimir Maltsev, head of the All-Russian Movement for the Support of the Fleet (DPF), speaking to TASS at a conference.
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
In a second, conflicting set of comments made later to RIA Novosti, Maltsev said that a pair of Kirov-class battlecruisers would be a formidable force, and emphasized that the committee's conclusion has not been finalized.
At present, Pyotr Velikiy is primarily used as extra berthing for personnel at the Russian Navy base in Severomorsk, according to www1.ru. Her material condition is reported to be worse than that of Admiral Nakhimov before the start of Nakhimov's overhaul in the 2010s, raising questions about the cost - and tradeoffs - of pursuing a refit that might take years to achieve.
Content Original Link:
" target="_blank">
