The Poti class was the NATO reporting name for a group of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes built for the Soviet Navy. The Soviet designation was Project 204 small anti-submarine ships. These ships were the first Soviet warships powered by gas turbine engines; two propellers were mounted in tunnels to give a very shallow draught. A twin 57 mm (2 in) gun mounting provided self-defence. Three ships of the class were exported to Romania and six to Bulgaria during the Cold War. By 2008, all ships of the class were no longer extant.
Bulgarian Navy Poti-class corvette Bditelni in 1987
Designated Maly Protivo Lodochny Korabl (Russian: Small Anti-submarine Ship) by the Soviet Navy, Project 204 (NATO reporting name Poti class) was the first class of corvettes not based on the traditional World War IIanti-submarine (ASW) design constructed by the Soviets. The Poti class reversed a trend of smaller ships, being larger than the preceding Kronshtadt and SO1 classes, which allowed the vessels to mount larger guns.[1] The Poti class were also the first large Soviet warships to incorporate gas turbines and were the fastest ASW warships ever constructed by them.[2]
Corvettes of Poti class measured 59.4 metres (194 ft 11 in) long with a beam of 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) and a draught of 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in). They had a standard displacement of 508 tonnes (500 long tons) and 589 t (580 long tons) fully loaded. The ships were powered by a two shaftcombined diesel and gas propulsion system consisting of two M-2 gas turbines creating 22,000 kilowatts (30,000 shp) and two M503A diesel engines creating 6,000 kW (8,000 bhp). The two propellers were mounted in thrust tubes which extended the length of the prop. The gas turbines exhausted through ports in the transom and were also used to power air compressors which exhausted into the thrust tubes to create extra thrust. The power plant was similar to those found in the Mirka class. This gave the ships a maximum speed of 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph) and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) or 520 nmi (960 km; 600 mi) at 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph).[2]
In Soviet service, the corvettes were armed with a single turret mounted forward comprising twin 57-millimetre (2.2 in)/80 dual-purpose guns.[3][4][a] Some of the earlier Soviet ships had open mounts, with later units having closed units.[4] The guns had 85 degree elevation and could fire a 2.8-kilogram (6.2 lb) shell to a range of 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) up to 120 rounds per minute.[3] They were also equipped with either twin-mounted or quad-mounted 406 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes for Soviet Type 40 ASW torpedoes.[3][4] The torpedoes had active/passive homing up to 8 nmi (15 km; 9.2 mi) and had a speed of 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) and carried a 100–150 kg (220–330 lb) warhead.[3] The first units constructed mounted two 16-tubed RBU-2500 ASW rocket launchers, with later vessels receiving two 12-tubed RBU-6000 ASW models.[2]
The Soviet Poti class were equipped with Don 2 surface search radar, Strut Curve air search radar, Muff Cobb fire control radar.[4][b] They also had one hull-mounted high-frequency Herkules sonar and one Hormone dipping sonar. For electronic countermeasures, the corvettes had two Watch Dog units. The corvettes had a complement of 80 officers and ratings in Soviet service.[2][c]
Shipsedit
Soviet Poti-class corvette in 1983
A total of 66 ships were built between 1960 and 1968. In the Soviet Union the Poti-class corvettes were decommissioned by the late 1980s and replaced in service by the Pauk-class corvettes.[4] Builders were:[2]
Kerch yard 24 ships
Zelenodolsk yard : 32 ships
Khabarovsk yard: 8 ships
Exportedit
Bulgariaedit
Following World War II, Bulgaria entered the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. By the 1950s, the Bulgarian military had been re-organised along Soviet lines and equipped with Soviet armaments. In 1955, Bulgaria acquired Kronstahdt-class submarine chasers to outfit their ASW forces. Bulgaria required replacements for these ships as they became obsolete and six Poti-class ships were transferred between 1975 and 1990 to the Bulgarian Navy.[5] The former Soviet numbers of most of the individual ships are not known, but it is known that MPK-59, MPK-77 and MPK-109 were among the ships given to Bulgaria. By 2008, all of Bulgaria's Poti-class corvettes had been discarded.[6]
Decommissioned in 1993,[7] sank during towing to Turkey in 1997
Romaniaedit
Post World War II, Romania fell into the Soviet Union's sphere of influence and joined the Warsaw Pact. However, by the beginning of 1964 Romania began to diverge from Soviet direction and as a result, saw limited military support afterwards, with the rift between the two countries widening in 1968 after the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Three ships were transferred to the Romanian Navy in 1970.[8] The Romanian ships carried the older RBU-2500 ASW rocket launchers and twin 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes using Soviet Type 53 torpedoes.[9][10] All three ships were constructed at Zelenodolsk and were transferred upon completion.[9] The former Soviet numbers of the individual ships are not known, but it is known that MPK-106 and MPK-125 were among the ships given to Romania.
Couhat, Jean Labayle, ed. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-85368-860-5.
Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen & Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-132-7.
Moore, John E. (1975). The Soviet Navy Today. London: MacDonald & Jane's. ISBN0-356-08335-7.
Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1991). Jane's Fighting Ships 1991–92 (94 ed.). Surrey, United Kingdom: Jane's Information Group. ISBN0-7106-0960-4.
Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World (16th ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN9-7-815911-4954-5.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to MPK-15 class small ASW ship.
poti, class, corvette, poti, class, nato, reporting, name, group, anti, submarine, warfare, corvettes, built, soviet, navy, soviet, designation, project, small, anti, submarine, ships, these, ships, were, first, soviet, warships, powered, turbine, engines, pro. The Poti class was the NATO reporting name for a group of anti submarine warfare ASW corvettes built for the Soviet Navy The Soviet designation was Project 204 small anti submarine ships These ships were the first Soviet warships powered by gas turbine engines two propellers were mounted in tunnels to give a very shallow draught A twin 57 mm 2 in gun mounting provided self defence Three ships of the class were exported to Romania and six to Bulgaria during the Cold War By 2008 all ships of the class were no longer extant Bulgarian Navy Poti class corvette Bditelni in 1987Class overview NamePoti class Operators Soviet Navy Bulgarian Navy Romanian Naval Forces Preceded byKronshtadt class submarine chaser Succeeded byPauk class Built1960 1968 In service1960 2005 Completed66 General characteristics TypeAnti submarine corvette Displacement508 tonnes 500 long tons standard 589 t 580 long tons full load Length59 4 m 194 ft 11 in Beam7 9 m 25 ft 11 in Draught2 0 m 6 ft 7 in Propulsion2 shaft CODAG 2 gas turbines 22 371 kW 30 000 shp and 2 M503A diesels 5 966 kW 8 000 bhp Speed38 knots 70 km h 44 mph Range4 500 nmi 8 300 km 5 200 mi at 10 knots 19 km h 12 mph 520 nmi 960 km 600 mi at 37 knots 69 km h 43 mph Complement80 Sensors and processing systemsRadar Strut Curve Muff Comb Don 2 Sonar High frequency Herkules hull mounted and Bronza dipping sonar Armament1 twin 57 mm 2 2 in guns 2 RBU 6000 anti submarine rocket launchers RBU 2500 in Romanian and early Soviet ships 1 quad 406 mm 16 in anti submarine torpedo tubes some ships have 1 twin 533 mm 21 in torpedo tubes Contents 1 Design and description 1 1 Ships 2 Export 2 1 Bulgaria 2 2 Romania 3 See also 4 Notes 5 Citations 6 References 7 External linksDesign and description editDesignated Maly Protivo Lodochny Korabl Russian Small Anti submarine Ship by the Soviet Navy Project 204 NATO reporting name Poti class was the first class of corvettes not based on the traditional World War II anti submarine ASW design constructed by the Soviets The Poti class reversed a trend of smaller ships being larger than the preceding Kronshtadt and SO1 classes which allowed the vessels to mount larger guns 1 The Poti class were also the first large Soviet warships to incorporate gas turbines and were the fastest ASW warships ever constructed by them 2 Corvettes of Poti class measured 59 4 metres 194 ft 11 in long with a beam of 7 9 m 25 ft 11 in and a draught of 2 0 m 6 ft 7 in They had a standard displacement of 508 tonnes 500 long tons and 589 t 580 long tons fully loaded The ships were powered by a two shaft combined diesel and gas propulsion system consisting of two M 2 gas turbines creating 22 000 kilowatts 30 000 shp and two M503A diesel engines creating 6 000 kW 8 000 bhp The two propellers were mounted in thrust tubes which extended the length of the prop The gas turbines exhausted through ports in the transom and were also used to power air compressors which exhausted into the thrust tubes to create extra thrust The power plant was similar to those found in the Mirka class This gave the ships a maximum speed of 38 knots 70 km h 44 mph and a range of 4 500 nautical miles 8 300 km 5 200 mi at 10 knots 19 km h 12 mph or 520 nmi 960 km 600 mi at 37 knots 69 km h 43 mph 2 In Soviet service the corvettes were armed with a single turret mounted forward comprising twin 57 millimetre 2 2 in 80 dual purpose guns 3 4 a Some of the earlier Soviet ships had open mounts with later units having closed units 4 The guns had 85 degree elevation and could fire a 2 8 kilogram 6 2 lb shell to a range of 6 kilometres 3 7 mi up to 120 rounds per minute 3 They were also equipped with either twin mounted or quad mounted 406 mm 16 in torpedo tubes for Soviet Type 40 ASW torpedoes 3 4 The torpedoes had active passive homing up to 8 nmi 15 km 9 2 mi and had a speed of 40 knots 74 km h 46 mph and carried a 100 150 kg 220 330 lb warhead 3 The first units constructed mounted two 16 tubed RBU 2500 ASW rocket launchers with later vessels receiving two 12 tubed RBU 6000 ASW models 2 The Soviet Poti class were equipped with Don 2 surface search radar Strut Curve air search radar Muff Cobb fire control radar 4 b They also had one hull mounted high frequency Herkules sonar and one Hormone dipping sonar For electronic countermeasures the corvettes had two Watch Dog units The corvettes had a complement of 80 officers and ratings in Soviet service 2 c Ships edit nbsp Soviet Poti class corvette in 1983 A total of 66 ships were built between 1960 and 1968 In the Soviet Union the Poti class corvettes were decommissioned by the late 1980s and replaced in service by the Pauk class corvettes 4 Builders were 2 Kerch yard 24 ships Zelenodolsk yard 32 ships Khabarovsk yard 8 shipsExport editBulgaria edit Following World War II Bulgaria entered the Soviet Union s sphere of influence By the 1950s the Bulgarian military had been re organised along Soviet lines and equipped with Soviet armaments In 1955 Bulgaria acquired Kronstahdt class submarine chasers to outfit their ASW forces Bulgaria required replacements for these ships as they became obsolete and six Poti class ships were transferred between 1975 and 1990 to the Bulgarian Navy 5 The former Soviet numbers of most of the individual ships are not known but it is known that MPK 59 MPK 77 and MPK 109 were among the ships given to Bulgaria By 2008 all of Bulgaria s Poti class corvettes had been discarded 6 Pennant Name Launched Transferred Commissioned Fate 44 ex 14 33 Khrabri MPK 1960s 1986 7 Decommissioned in 2005 sold for scrapping 45 ex 44 34 Strogi MPK 1960s 1990 7 Decommissioned in 1993 7 sold for scrapping in Turkey 1997 46 ex 15 35 Bezstrashni MPK 1960s 1990 7 Gas turbines removed in 1994 Decommissioned in 2005 sold for scrapping 41 Letjashhi MPK 1960s December 1975 7 Decommissioned in 2005 sold for scrapping 42 Bditelni MPK 1960s December 1975 7 Decommissioned in 2005 sold for scrapping 43 Naporisti MPK 148 1962 December 1975 7 Decommissioned in 1993 7 sank during towing to Turkey in 1997 Romania edit Post World War II Romania fell into the Soviet Union s sphere of influence and joined the Warsaw Pact However by the beginning of 1964 Romania began to diverge from Soviet direction and as a result saw limited military support afterwards with the rift between the two countries widening in 1968 after the invasion of Czechoslovakia Three ships were transferred to the Romanian Navy in 1970 8 The Romanian ships carried the older RBU 2500 ASW rocket launchers and twin 533 mm 21 in torpedo tubes using Soviet Type 53 torpedoes 9 10 All three ships were constructed at Zelenodolsk and were transferred upon completion 9 The former Soviet numbers of the individual ships are not known but it is known that MPK 106 and MPK 125 were among the ships given to Romania Pennant Name Soviet name Launched Transferred Fate 31 Contraamiral Nicolae Cristescu MPK 5 December 1968 9 1970 Decommissioned after 1992 32 Contraamiral Nicolae Negru MPK 1 April 1969 9 1970 Decommissioned after 1992 33 Contraamiral Irimescu MPK 20 October 1969 9 1970 Decommissioned after 1992See also editList of ships of the Soviet Navy List of ships of Russia by project numberNotes edit The 80 after the calibre denotes the length of the gun This means that the length of the gun barrel is 80 times the bore diameter Gardiner Chumbley amp Budzbon state the vessels also mounted Spin Through radar 2 Couhat has a complement of 40 4 Citations edit Moore 1975 pp 121 122 a b c d e f Gardiner Chumbley amp Budzbon 1995 p 415 a b c d Sharpe 1991 p 71 a b c d e f Couhat 1986 p 540 Gardiner Chumbley amp Budzbon 1995 pp 37 38 Wertheim 2013 p 71 a b c d e f g h Gardiner Chumbley amp Budzbon 1995 p 38 Gardiner Chumbley amp Budzbon 1995 pp 323 324 a b c d e Gardiner Chumbley amp Budzbon 1995 p 325 Sharpe 1991 p 468 References editCouhat Jean Labayle ed 1986 Combat Fleets of the World 1986 87 Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 85368 860 5 Gardiner Robert Chumbley Stephen amp Budzbon Przemyslaw eds 1995 Conway s All the World s Fighting Ships 1947 1995 Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 132 7 Moore John E 1975 The Soviet Navy Today London MacDonald amp Jane s ISBN 0 356 08335 7 Sharpe Richard ed 1991 Jane s Fighting Ships 1991 92 94 ed Surrey United Kingdom Jane s Information Group ISBN 0 7106 0960 4 Wertheim Eric ed 2013 The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 16th ed Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 9 7 815911 4954 5 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to MPK 15 class small ASW ship Russian Project 204 Complete Ship List russianships info boinaslava net Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Poti class corvette amp oldid 1213552338, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
