How to recognize the Varyag missile cruiser in the ocean

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Meeting the Varyag missile cruiser on the ocean, American warships semaphore the phrase “You’re Looking Good!”, which means “You look good!” Forgetting that the vessel of a potential enemy is in front of them, they express admiration for this formidable vessel, nicknamed the "aircraft carrier killer".

A special feature of this ship (project 1164) are eight large double containers directed at an angle upwards, four on each side. They, of course, are not for beauty, each contains the Vulkan P-100 complex. This is a terrible weapon.

A volley that can be fired by the Varyag missile cruiser is deadly for an entire squadron that makes up an aircraft-carrying group of ships. A "wolf pack" of eight five-ton rockets rushes to the specified target, controlled by an electronic brain. As expected, this "group of comrades" has its own leader, who gives commands to the other seven members of the attack. It is he who chooses for himself the largest target - the flagship aircraft carrier - and gives instructions where to fly to others. In case of premature death of the main rocket, command takesonto the next one, which at that moment will be at the highest height. Only this is unlikely, it is very difficult to shoot down an aircraft traveling at a speed of almost 3000 km / h and making deceptive maneuvers. And if you consider that there are eight of them, and each has a nuclear charge…

The Varyag missile cruiser, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, was built in Nikolaev more than thirty years ago. Until 1996 it was called Chervona Ukraine.

The original design called for six double launch containers (three on each side). The intervention of Admiral Gorshkov led to a change in the original plan in the direction of increasing firepower. The commander of the Navy also influenced the composition of the artillery armament: instead of the automatic naval gun A-100, a double-barreled AK-130 was installed on the tank. The displacement increased, the driving characteristics worsened somewhat, and the ammunition had to be reduced. It is difficult to judge how much all these measures improved the combat qualities of the ship, but the fact remains, and today the Varyag missile cruiser is one of the most formidable combat units in the world.

The Pacific Fleet had a chance to participate in a campaign to the coast of Somalia (2011). Pirates near the African coast obstructed shipping, endangering the safety of merchant seamen. A squadron of several ships was led by the Varyag missile cruiser. Photos of Russian ships were published by all the print media of the world after they carried out successful operations that stopped the activity of the newly-minted corsairs. Anti-ship systems were not needed in this campaign,to use them would be as rational as firing cannons at sparrows. But the artillery turned out to be very useful.

In 1991, Ukraine, like all other republics of the USSR, ceased to be red. Five years later, the crew offered to give the ship a name, glorified back in 1904. Then, during the Japanese War, the unconquered Russian cruiser did not lower the Andreevsky flag at Chemulpo and went to the bottom, not getting to the enemy. The feat of the last parade impressed the German poet Rudolf Greitz, who composed the lyrics of the song that became the unofficial anthem of the Russian Navy. The proud and dear name was inherited by the guards missile cruiser "Varyag", cutting the ocean waves with its bow in the 21st century.