Ugra-class_submarine_tender Knowpia

	An Ugra-class ship in the 1960s
Class overview
Name	Ugra class (Project 1886)
Builders	Nikolayev Shipyard
Operators	Soviet Navy; Russian Navy; Indian Navy;
Preceded by	Don class
Subclasses	Borodino class; INS Amba;
Completed	10
Retired	10
General characteristics For Ugra class
Type	Submarine tender
Displacement	6,780 t (6,670 long tons) standard; 9,950 t (9,790 long tons) full load;
Length	145.0 m (475 ft 9 in)
Beam	17.7 m (58 ft 1 in)
Draught	6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
Propulsion	2-shaft, 4 diesel engines, 6,000 kW (8,000 bhp)
Speed	17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range	21,000 nmi (39,000 km; 24,000 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	450
Sensors and ; processing systems	2 × Muff Cob fire control radar; 1 × Strut Curve air search radar; 1–3 × Don-2 navigation/surface search radar;
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	4 × Watch Dog EW
Armament	4 x twin 57 mm/80 anti-aircraft guns; 16 x Strela 2 surface-to-air missiles;
Aircraft carried	1 × Ka-25 "Hormone-C" helicopter
Aviation facilities	Helicopter pad

The Ugra class was the NATO reporting name for a group of seven submarine tenders built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1960s. The Soviet designation was Project 1886. One further ship was built for the Indian Navy to a modified design. The ships were intended to provide afloat support for Soviet submarines, including supplies, water, torpedoes, fuel, and battery charging; minimal repair facilities, and were often employed as flagships/command ships for submarine squadrons. A subclass, the Borodino class, of two ships were constructed for use as training ships and lacked missiles and the ability to support submarines. Instead, the Borodino class had classrooms and training facilities.

Design and description edit

The Ugra class were submarine tenders of the Soviet Navy designed to support eight to twelve submarines at sea, providing them with supplies, fresh water, fuel, torpedoes and repair services.^[1] They were improved versions of the preceding Don class.^[2] The class, named Project 1886 by the Soviets, designated the type of ship as Russian: Plavuchaya Baza meaning "Floating Base".^[1] The Ugra class had extensive command and control facilities for fleet/task force commanders and were often used as flagships.^[3]

Submarine tenders of the Ugra class measured 145.0 metres (475 ft 9 in) long overall with a beam of 17.7 m (58 ft 1 in) and a draught of 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in). They had a standard displacement of 6,780 tonnes (6,670 long tons) and displaced 9,950 t (9,790 long tons) at full load.^[2] On most of the vessels, the superstructure stretched aft to the funnel,^[4] which was larger than that found on the Don class and the Ugra class also had a shorter funnel.^[2] Along the hull, the ships had mooring points every 30 m (100 ft) and baggage ports for loading and unloading coastal craft and submarines. All of the ships had one 10-tonne capable crane and two 5-ton capable cranes. Within the ships were workshops capable of providing repair services.^[4]

The vessels were powered by a diesel-electric system composed of four Kolomna 2D 42 diesel engines and two electric motors turning two shafts, creating 6,000 kilowatts (8,000 bhp).^[4] This gave the submarine tenders a maximum speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) and a range of 21,000 nautical miles (39,000 km; 24,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).^[1] They had a complement of 450 officers and ratings.^[4]

The Ugra class were armed with two quad launchers for sixteen 9K32 Strela-2 (NATO reporting name: SA-N-5 "Grail") surface-to-air missiles and four twin-mounted 57-millimetre (2.2 in)/80 anti-aircraft guns.^[2]^[a] The ships mounted two "Muff Cob" fire control radars, one "Strut Curve" air/surface search radar and between one and three "Don-2 navigational radar.^[2] They were also equipped with four "Watch Dog" electronic warfare/jamming radar, two "Square Head" and one "High Pole B" identification friend or foe antenna.^[2]^[4] Two ships, Ivan Kucherenko and Volga, were equipped with lattice masts for "Vee Cone" HF communications antenna. All of the ships had a small helicopter pad aft but only Ivan Kolyshkin had a hangar installed capable of supporting a Kamov Ka-25 "Hormone-C" helicopter.^[2]

Ships edit

Seven ships were built for the Soviet Navy in Nikolayev.

Construction data^[5]
Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate	Notes
Ivan Kolyshkin	Black Sea Shipyard, Nikolayev, Soviet Union	30 March 1972	27 December 1972
Ivan Kucherenko		28 November 1965	14 January 1967
Ivan Vakhrameev		5 November 1968	30 August 1969
Volga		30 December 1966	30 May 1968	Scrapped
Tobol		31 September 1963	25 September 1965
Vladimir Yegorov		29 September 1962	27 December 1963	Scrapped
Lena		28 April 1963	29 December 1964

Service history edit

The last two Russian Navy ships Vladimir Yegorov and Volga were scrapped in the late 1990s.^[5]

Export edit

One ship of the class was constructed for the Indian Navy. The ship was identical to the Soviet vessels except for armament and radars. Named INS Amba, the ship was commissioned on 28 December 1968 and given the pennant number A 54. Amba was armed with two 76.2 mm (3.00 in) anti-aircraft guns and equipped with one "Slim Net", two "Hawk Screech" and one "Don-2" radars.^[6] Amba was decommissioned in 2006.

Construction data^[6]
Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate	Notes
INS Amba	Black Sea Shipyard, Nikolayev, Soviet Union		28 December 1968

Borodino-class training ships edit

Two ships were completed to a modified (Project 1886U, Russian: 1886У) design as training ships.^[5] Designated Russian: Uchebnoye Sudo meaning "training ship", they were named Borodino and Gangut. Instead of workshops and storerooms they had increased accommodation and training facilities. They lacked the missile air defence and no helicopter facilities but had an enlarged aft deckhouse that incorporated a navigation training space with additional navigator training positions. Both underwent a refit in Yugoslavia in 1989.^[7] They were scrapped in the late 1990s.^[5]

Construction data^[5]
Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate	Notes
Borodino	Black Sea Shipyard, Nikolayev, Soviet Union	30 January 1970	16 January 1971	Scrapped
Gangut	Black Sea Shipyard, Nikolayev, Soviet Union	30 December 1970	10 October 1971	Scrapped

Notes edit

^ /80 describes the gun's calibre and denotes the length of the gun. This means that the length of the gun barrel is 80 times the bore diameter.

Citations edit

^ ^a ^b ^c Prézelin 1990, pp. 634–635.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Polmar 1984, p. 274.
^ Polmar 1984, pp. 273–274.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Sharpe 1990, p. 633.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e A.S. Pavolv: Voyennye korabli SSSR i Rossiy 1945-1995, Yakutsk, 1994, p. 163
^ ^a ^b Prézelin 1990, p. 243.
^ Prézelin 1990, p. 668.

References edit

Polmar, Norman (1984). Guide to the Soviet Navy (3rd ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-239-7.
Prézelin, Bernard, ed. (1990). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991: Their Ships, Aircraft and Armament. Translated by Baker III, A. D. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-250-8.
Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1990). Jane's Fighting Ships 1990–91 (93 ed.). Surrey, United Kingdom: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0904-3.