Seven of the best missile cruisers of the Cold War. What are the best ships in World of Warships? What is a cruiser

A cruiser is a class of combat surface vessels that can perform various tasks autonomously, independent of the main flotilla. Recently, this has been superseded by the combined fleet units, consisting of several units, and ships focused on a specific type of operation (mainly on complex resistance to air, land and sea types of enemy equipment). The cruisers are currently used by the Russian, US and Peruvian navies.

general information

The development of the navy began from the time Russian Empire. Other countries in this regard also tried to keep up. This is especially true for the USA, France, Germany, Japan and the UK. The cruiser is one of the components of the army, ensuring the sovereignty of the state and protecting it from enemy encroachments. The ships of the flotilla not only provide control of the water border, but also support its land part.

The Navy has many tasks. Among them:

1. Ensuring the security of the country.
2. Support for various humanitarian and research campaigns that do not contradict the interests of the state.
3. Conducting internal and joint exercises.

In connection with such a different orientation, ships are divided into ranks depending on their main purpose. Classes of ships, in turn, are divided into subcategories. The difference between them lies in the type of power plant, displacement, purpose, and the availability of additional features. In Russia, there are four ranks of ships, the highest of which is the first. Consider first the features brief characteristics and purpose of cruisers.

historical moments

The concept of "cruiser" came into wide use in the seventeenth century. In those days, this term meant an autonomously operating swimming facility. The name was more aimed at determining the purpose of the ship than its device. The ships themselves were small, possessed speed and maneuverability. They were used for reconnaissance, information transfer, individual action in the protection of territories and military conflicts.

Already in the 18th century, a cruiser is a frigate, which, along with compact dimensions, has high speed. It houses artillery weapons. This category also includes corvettes, brigs, sloops and some other modifications of swimming facilities.

Battlecruiser Basics

Such vessels belong to the category of heavy surface ships. Their appearance was the result of a special naval conference held in Washington. Representatives of the British, who have in their arsenal powerful, effective and very expensive analogues of the Hawkins type, after an attempt to change the parameters of the cruisers by the representatives of the conference, insisted on the adoption of certain restrictions in this matter. As a result, the requirements for battlecruisers included a maximum displacement of up to 10 tons and a weapon caliber of no more than 203 millimeters.

In 1936 was signed new treaty with the participation of the USA, Great Britain and France. According to him, the construction of heavy ships was prohibited until 1942. In this regard, the battlecruiser began to have weakened weapons, reduced displacement and a lower price. This mainly applies to samples like "York", "County" and "Surrey".

They tried to build similar ships and in the Kronstadt-type ship they were able to carry artillery weapons of 305 mm caliber, and were also equipped with reinforced armor. Two cruisers were laid down in 1939, but with the outbreak of war, their construction was suspended.

Nuclear-powered ships

The nuclear cruiser in the USSR was represented by four units of project No. 58 ("Grozny"). They were laid down as destroyers, but in 1977 they were reclassified as missile ships. In addition, between 1970 and 1990, six nuclear icebreakers"Arktika", most of which remained in the project or were partially converted to other types.

The cruiser "Slava" became one of the ships that received a limited mass production. One copy was built for about four years. The new generation of the Soviet fleet is designed for maneuvers in open ocean waters. Their main purpose is to counter strike aircraft carrier teams, amphibious equipment, and combat different kind convoys and force support on land and water.

Characteristics that the combat surface ship "Glory" has:

• length / width / draft - 187 / 19 / 7.5 meters;
• power plant - gas turbine engines;
• the ship is equipped with a platform for placing launchers of the "surface-to-surface" category;
• weapons - surface artillery, torpedoes against submarines, anti-aircraft installations and machine guns, the possibility of basing a military helicopter.

Lightweight modifications

The light cruiser caused an increase in interest in the early thirties of the last century. There were several reasons for this:

1. It was easier to comply with interstate agreements on the armed equipment of the ship.
2. The ship became more maneuverable and faster, which made it possible to use it for highly specialized tasks.
3. The cost of building one unit has been significantly reduced.

navy Soviet Union replenished with Project 26 cruisers. The ships were designed with the participation of Italian specialists, they are distinguished by powerful weapons and good speed. The disadvantages include a short cruising range, a low level of booking and poor seaworthiness. In the forties of the twentieth century, on the basis of these prototypes, several Project 68 cruisers were created, distinguished by enhanced protective and seaworthy performance.

Ships of the Russian Navy

The modern fleet of Russia is a reliable growing industry. In 2014, the Navy received five new ships, three submarines and dozens of boats for various purposes. In addition, projects with strategic missile weapons are being developed and created.

The surface forces are based on:

• appointments;
• battle cruisers;
• military destroyers, as well as various modifications of boats, support and support equipment.

In addition, the fleet will be replenished with modernized reserve units. Among them are two dozen submarines, anti-submarine ships and destroyers.

What will be upgraded?

It is planned to improve the TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov". It will be dismantled launchers "Granit", which will increase the area of ​​the aircraft hangar to 4500 square meters. Armament will be reinforced by anti-aircraft systems using medium-range charges.

Also, ships named after admirals will undergo modernization: Nakhimov, Ushakov, Lazarev. Pyotr Veliky is a heavy cruiser, which is also planned to be transformed by 2020. The updates will mainly concern the installation of the latest armed, reconnaissance and radar systems.

In addition, plans for improvement include boats of projects No. 877, 971, 945 (Halibut, Pike, Barracuda, Condor). Presumably, they will be equipped with modern anti-aircraft systems and missiles. By and large, these will be universal combat ships, focused on confrontation with the ground, air and sea forces of the enemy.

Ship "Vasily Bykov"

Types of cruisers in this series are designed to patrol the economic zone, protect the territorial water border, protect against pirate intrusions, environmental monitoring, as well as rescue and search for damaged ships. In addition, this cruiser is capable of performing the following tasks:

1. Guard and escort merchant or military vessels.
2. Perform patrol and rescue mission.
3. Used as a medical supply.

In the next five years, 12 modifications are expected to arrive. This cruiser is a ship named after the hero of the USSR, Rear Admiral V. Bykov.

prospects

The design of a progressive aircraft carrier began in 2005. According to the plans, the ship in 2017 was to take a place in the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation. However, during the construction process, conditions and requirements regularly changed, which led to a delay in the process. In 2013, a mock-up presented by the Krylov State Research Center and the Nevsky Design Bureau was demonstrated.

The designers announced the existence of three projects, the price of each of which, after implementation, will be about 130 billion rubles. The approximate period of construction of samples is 10 years.

The new ships will have the following features:

1. Have a displacement of at least 80 thousand tons.
2. Equipped with four catapults and a pair of springboards.
3. Equipped with several lifts.
4. Have the ability to accommodate several amphibious vehicles, as well as attack helicopters.

In addition, it is planned to install a radar system similar to the improved Mars Passat analogue, as well as accompanying systems and other types of radars, on these ships.

The history of cruisers shows that these vessels have been in demand in the fleet for several centuries. Modern ships can perform a variety of military tasks, as well as provide significant assistance in the elimination of disasters and accidents.

The Russian fleet, despite all the difficulties, remains in the leading positions among the navies of the world powers. It is planned to create the latest ships with the highest performance. Many project parameters are kept secret. However, it is known that several modifications are in development. Among them:

• Patrol vessels for distant sea spaces (project No. 11356).
• The newest frigates for the Black Sea.
• Destroyer "Leader".
• Aircraft carrier designed by KGNTs IMDS-2013.

All developments are equipped with the latest generation of equipment and weapons, they can compete on equal terms with the most famous foreign counterparts.

As well as a number of other types of ships.

The first steam cruisers

In the middle of the 19th century, sailing-propeller ships of various types began to perform cruising functions: frigates, corvettes, sloops, clippers.

US Navy sloop "Kearsarge", which put an end to the career of "Alabama".

A significant impetus to the development of ships of the cruising class was given by the American Civil War of 1861-1865. The Confederation of the Southern States, not having a large fleet, relied on the actions of sail-steam raiders in the struggle at sea. For the first time, the Confederation began to officially use the term "cruiser", although it still united ships by purpose, and not by design. Although they were actually few in number, they managed to capture more than 200 Northern merchant ships. The Florida raiders especially distinguished themselves. Florida), which captured 38 ships and "Alabama" (Eng. Alabama), on account of which there were 69 prizes and the sinking of the enemy gunboat "Gaterras" (Eng. Hatteras). The Alabama's two-year saga came to an end on July 19, 1864, when she was sunk by the northerners' sloop Kearsarge. Kearsarge) in a fierce battle near the French port of Cherbourg. The number of forces involved against the raiders was also impressive. So, for the Shenandoah raider, which operated until the end of the war (eng. Shenandoah), chased up to 100 enemy ships.

The success of the raiders of the southerners also gave rise to imitation from the enemy. Already after the end of the war american navy replenished the Wampanoa-class frigates (Eng. Wampanoag), which were entrusted with the task of combating British shipping in the event of a military conflict. The ships turned out to be very fast, the lead one even set the world speed record - 17.75 knots, but in general they were considered unsuccessful. The wooden hull was too flimsy, the machines had an exorbitant weight, and the cruising range under steam left much to be desired.

The British frigate "Shah" is a typical steam frigate of the 1870s, which performed cruising functions.

In Russia, the first steam ships that performed cruising functions were the screw clippers Razboynik, Dzhigit, Plastun, Strelok, Oprichnik and Rider (1855-1857) built in Arkhangelsk, as well as armored steam frigates ( later renamed cruisers) "Prince Pozharsky" (1867) and "General-Admiral" (1873).

In 1878 in the British and Russian classifications the term "cruiser" officially appeared (although the definitions of cruisers did not coincide: in Russia, an auxiliary unprotected ship was called a cruiser). In the United States, the first cruisers were the Atlanta and Boston built in 1884. In 1892, reclassifications were carried out in Great Britain and Russia, as a result of which, in both countries, lightly armored and unarmored steam-powered artillery ships, including old steam frigates and sail-propeller corvettes, were classified as cruisers.

Cruisers at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries

Armored cruisers

Armored cruiser "Oleg".

Already the first experiments with the use of unarmored cruisers showed their extreme vulnerability. The location of artillery cellars and power plants below the waterline did not allow them to be protected in any way, but with the transition from horizontal to vertical steam engines became completely impossible. However, the requirement of low cost cruisers, and hence the limited displacement did not allow most of the cruisers to be equipped with side armor.

Protection scheme for an armored cruiser.

As a result, this led to a compromise solution - the installation of a special armored deck with bevels on the cruisers, covering the vehicles and ammunition cellars. Additional protection the sides from the shells were provided by "coal pits" that formed part of the hull, a layer of coal 2 feet thick was the approximate equivalent of 1 inch of steel armor. In the navies of that time, new ships began to be called "armored" or "protected" ( protected cruisers). The first representative of the new class was the British Comus, laid down in 1878. In the future, due to the relative cheapness, armored cruisers began to form the basis of the cruising forces of most maritime powers.

Armored cruisers

German armored cruiser Gneisenau.

The vulnerability of unarmored cruisers pushed Russian shipbuilders to a different path. Since in the second half of the 19th century the Russian Naval Ministry was fascinated by the idea of ​​a cruising war against British shipping, a desire arose to increase the combat stability of Russian raiders in the fight against the numerous cruisers of a potential enemy. In 1875, the General-Admiral frigate became part of the Russian Imperial Navy, which became the world's first armored cruiser. Unlike armored cruisers, these ships had not only an armored deck, but also side armor in the waterline area.

Initially, only the Russian and British navies developed the type of armored cruiser, but in the 1890s, all the leading maritime powers began to build such ships. At the same time, it was believed that armored cruisers were capable of supplementing and, if necessary, replacing battleships, the main striking force of the fleets of the late 19th century.

In the wars for the redivision of the world that took place in the late XIX - early XX centuries, armored cruisers played very important role and performed very well. In particular, this applied to Japanese ships, which proved to be excellent in the battles of the Russo-Japanese War. Encouraged admirals from various countries hastily ordered new cruisers of this class, but it was at this time that armored cruisers suddenly and irrevocably became obsolete. Advances in the field of engine building, metallurgy, and the development of fire control systems led to the emergence of battlecruisers that can easily catch up and destroy any armored cruiser.

In addition, unarmored cruisers remained in the fleets of some countries. Small and poorly armed, they were intended for service not related to participation in serious hostilities, for example, to intimidate the population of the colonies or the role of a stationary.

During wartime, auxiliary cruisers were used by a number of states. They were usually armed commercial vessels and were intended for patrol or raiding activities.

Cruisers in World War I

"Birmingham" (UK) - typical light cruiser World War I.

Progress in shipbuilding and related industries led to significant changes in naval technology. The appearance of steam turbines, which had noticeably better weight and size characteristics and power density, as well as the transition to liquid fuel, made it possible to introduce fundamentally new classes of ships into the combat fleets. Although the revolution in naval affairs is usually associated with dreadnoughts, major changes have also taken place in the construction of cruisers. Firstly, new power plants made it possible to equip even relatively small ships with side armor, which led to the appearance of light cruisers in the 1910s. Secondly, the turbines, which had enormous power, made it possible to start building battlecruisers, on which special hopes were placed.

By the beginning of the First World War, cruisers occupied an important place in the system of naval weapons. A large number of tasks were assigned to the cruiser forces:

• Violation of enemy communications;
• Fight against enemy raiders;
• Conducting long-range reconnaissance in the interests of the main forces of the fleet;
• Support for light forces;
• Carrying out torpedo-artillery attacks during the general battle;
• Blockade actions;
• Raid operations.

The largest and most modern cruising forces were possessed by Great Britain due to its dependence on sea communications and Germany, which was about to interrupt these communications. At the same time, the dreadnought race led to a situation in which a number of reputable maritime powers could not pay due attention to the construction of adequate cruising forces. So the United States and France, until the end of the war, did not have a single modern cruiser.

Cruiser forces at the start of World War I

State	battlecruisers	Armored cruisers	light cruisers	Armored cruisers	Note
Austria-Hungary	0	3	3	7
Great Britain	10	34	36	22	plus about 40 old armored cruisers
German Empire	7	9	6	33	plus about 13 old armored cruisers
Italy	0	10	3	9
Russia	0	6	0	8
USA	0	12	6	16
Ottoman Empire	0	0	0	2
France	0	19	0	13
Japan	2	13	3	10

Being relatively numerous and much less valuable combat units than dreadnoughts, cruisers were actively used by all warring parties. Among the most striking cruising battles of the First World War are the battles at Cape Coronel, the Falkland Islands, Helgoland Bay, Dogger Bank.

Battlecruiser "Repulse" (diagram).

In the last three, the British battlecruisers performed well. However, in the Battle of Jutland in 1916, they suffered heavy losses due to design flaws and illiterate tactics, after which confidence in this type of ship fell sharply.

As a blockade force, the British cruisers proved to be quite successful. The German cruisers were unable, despite some successes, to disrupt British communications and their usefulness was reduced to diverting some enemy forces from the main theater of operations.

The mass construction of cruisers during the war years was carried out only by Great Britain and Germany. british navy during the war years, it was replenished with 4 battle and 42 light cruisers, German - 1 battle, 12 light and 2 armored decks. In other countries, cruising forces increased slightly: Japan built 2 battlecruisers, Austria-Hungary - 1 armored cruiser. In Russia, before the war, 4 battlecruisers of the Izmail type and 6 light cruisers of the Svetlana type were laid down, but they could not complete a single one.

Development of the cruiser class between the world wars

Heavy cruisers

First generation of heavy cruisers

The appearance of heavy cruisers was the result of the Washington Naval Conference. In the course of the cruising power debate, a proposal arose for a qualitative limitation of newly built ships of this class. The British, who shortly before completed the construction of the world's strongest cruisers of the Hawkins type, were extremely undesirable to scrap these very expensive ships, and they, with the benevolent attitude of the United States and Japan, insisted on adopting restrictive characteristics close to the Hawkins. Thus, future cruisers had to have a displacement of no more than 10,000 tons, and the caliber of artillery should not have exceeded 203 mm.

Heavy cruiser "Cornwall" type "Kent"

Heavy cruiser "Colbert" type "Suffren"

The first "Washington" cruisers of France of the Duquesne type, built in duplicate, received even weaker armor. Their protection was limited to the thin armor of the artillery cellars, but their speed and seaworthiness met the highest standards. The next type of French cruisers of the Suffren type received noticeably more powerful armor, and it increased from ship to ship. As a result, all 4 units turned out to be quite different.

The Italian fleet has traditionally placed its main emphasis on speed, neglecting seaworthiness, range, and partly armor. A pair of Trento-class cruisers were formally considered the fastest Washingtons in the world, although their record speed was not confirmed in actual operation.

Heavy cruiser Pensacola

The US Navy, after long hesitation between the projects of the defenders of trade and squadron cruiser chose something in between. In terms of armament, they even somewhat surpassed foreign analogues, had high speed and long cruising range, but poor protection. In addition, the cruisers of the Pensacola and Northampton types, due to the miscalculations of the designers, turned out to be underloaded. Fully contractual displacement was used only in the next type - Portland, which had enhanced armor. In total, the US Navy received 10 first-generation heavy cruisers.

The Japanese fleet, which considered heavy cruisers as powerful squadron reconnaissance aircraft, sought to obtain solid ships, but of the smallest possible size. As a result, 4 cruisers of the Furutaka and Aoba types suffered from significant overload, were less armed than any foreign ship of a similar class, had weak armor, but very powerful torpedo armament.

The results of the development of the first generation of heavy cruisers were disappointing for military sailors. Without sufficient experience, shipbuilders of all countries were unable to create balanced combat units. A common drawback of all ships was weak armor. As a result, the cruisers were unsuitable for participation in the battle of the main forces, but they were overarmed and too expensive to fight on communications.

Heavy cruiser "Deutschland"

Another unpleasant surprise was the appearance of the German "battleships" of the "Deutschland" type, often referred to as "pocket" battleships. Bound only by the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles, but not signing the Washington Treaty, Germany was able to create combat units within close to 10,000 tons, inferior to the "Washingtons" in speed, but having a huge superiority in firepower due to the installation of 283-mm guns.

The second generation of heavy cruisers

Meanwhile, the active diplomatic struggle of the leading powers for maritime dominance led to the conclusion of the London Naval Treaty in 1930. According to his decisions, the number of cruisers with 203-mm artillery, henceforth referred to as heavy, was limited to 18 units for the USA, 15 for Great Britain and 12 for Japan. France and Italy did not sign the London Treaty, but a year later they signed the Rome Pact, which limited the number of heavy cruisers to 7 units for each of the fleets. In 1936, a new Treaty of London was signed, with the participation of the United States, Great Britain and France. He prohibited the construction of heavy cruisers until 1942.

Great Britain, which already had 13 heavy cruisers in service, limited itself to the completion of a pair of York-class ships. They were distinguished from the "County" by a reduced displacement, weakened weapons, but also a reduced cost. The laying down of improved Surrey-class cruisers had to be abandoned.

Heavy cruiser "Algeri"

The French fleet had the opportunity to build only one heavy cruiser. They became "Algeri", which was considered the most advanced European ship of the class. Its main features were solid armor and excellent anti-torpedo protection.

Heavy cruiser "Zara"

4 Italian Zara-class cruisers were also distinguished by good protection. Yielding to the cruisers of other countries in seaworthiness and range, and having an outstanding speed, these ships were considered the most protected pre-war cruisers. However, the fighting qualities of the Zar were sharply reduced due to unsatisfactory artillery. Another heavy cruiser of the Italian fleet was Bolzano, in general, repeating the type of Trento. On trials, he managed to set an absolute speed record for heavy cruisers - 36.81 knots. In real operation, the speed was much less.

The US Navy received 7 New Orleans-class cruisers. On these ships, protection was finally sharply strengthened, which is why the American command considered them their first full-fledged cruisers. A further development of the class was the cruiser Wichita, built in a single copy due to the restrictions of the London Treaty. Already after the start of the war in Europe, the American leadership ordered the Baltimore series. Developed on the basis of the Wichita, but without a displacement limit, these cruisers had powerful armor, and also featured sharply reinforced anti-aircraft artillery. They began to enter service already during the Second World War.

Heavy cruiser Takao

The Japanese naval leadership, after failing with the early types of heavy cruisers, decided to build the most powerful ships. The 4 Myoko-class cruisers and the 4 Takao-class cruisers that followed them were very heavily armed, had high speed and relatively reliable armor protection, but their actual displacement was much larger than the contractual one. At this, the quantitative limit of heavy cruisers was exhausted for the Japanese, but during the construction of light cruisers of the Mogami type, the possibility of replacing 155-mm guns with 203-mm guns was initially provided, which was done before the start of the war. The last Japanese Tone-class heavy cruisers were also laid down as light cruisers, but they entered service with 203-mm artillery. Their peculiarity was the placement of all heavy guns in the bow, which made it possible to free the stern for seaplanes.

In the second half of the 1930s, Nazi Germany also wanted to acquire classic heavy cruisers. In total, the Kriegsmarine was replenished with 3 Admiral Hipper-class cruisers, and another one was sold to the USSR in an unfinished form. These ships had a displacement of noticeably more than 10,000 tons, but did not stand out for the better in terms of artillery weapons and armor protection. The advantages of the project included a perfect fire control system, but there were also major drawbacks - the unreliability of the power plant and the limited cruising range, which did not allow the cruisers to be effectively used as raiders.

In addition to the great maritime powers, Spain and Argentina acquired heavy cruisers, two units each. The Spanish Canarias-class cruisers generally repeated the British Kent, the Argentine Almirante Brown was a smaller version of the Italian Trento.

The USSR also made an attempt to build heavy cruisers. In the final version, the Kronstadt-class cruisers were more linear than heavy. Huge ships had to carry 305 mm artillery and powerful armor. In 1939, 2 such ships were laid down, but with the start of the Great Patriotic War, their construction was stopped.

In general, the second-generation heavy cruisers turned out to be noticeably more balanced combat units than their predecessors. Protection has undergone a particular improvement, but this was achieved either by reducing other characteristics, or by tacit violation of international treaties.

light cruisers

Light cruiser "Duguet Trouen"

Light cruisers of the 1920s

In the first post-war decade, relatively little attention was paid to the construction of light cruisers, since the efforts of the leading maritime powers were concentrated on heavy cruisers. As a result, the entry of light cruisers into fleets was limited.

Great Britain limited itself to completing the construction of cruisers laid down during the war "D" and "E". The French fleet, which did not have modern national-built cruisers at all, received three light cruisers of the Duguet Trouin type in 1926. The ships turned out to be excellent walkers and became the first cruisers in the world to be equipped with main-caliber artillery placed in towers in a linearly elevated pattern. However, armor protection was only symbolic.

The United States, which also did not have modern light cruisers, built 10 Omaha-class units in the first half of the 1920s. These very fast ships were poorly protected, and their formally powerful artillery was placed according to an already outdated scheme.

Light Cruiser Omaha

The Japanese Navy developed a very specific type of cruiser, the leader of destroyer fleets. Japanese light cruisers of the 1920s were characterized by high speed, but weak armament and armor. In -1925, 14 cruisers of the Kuma, Nagara and Sendai types, similar in characteristics, were built.

Germany, constrained by the Versailles restrictions, was forced to build cruisers with a displacement of no more than 6,000 tons and with guns no more than 150 mm. The first post-war German light cruiser, the Emden, was only a slightly improved version of the World War I project. Subsequently, the Reichsmarine received 3 K-class cruisers. Equipped with turret artillery, they were too weakly protected, and most importantly, they were distinguished by extremely low seaworthiness.

"Sendai"

Minor maritime powers also showed some activity. The Netherlands completed the 2 Java-class cruisers laid down during the First World War, which were outdated even when they were put into operation.

Spain led the construction of light cruisers with British help. As a result, the Navarra cruiser became a variant of the British Birmingham, 2 Mendes Nunez-class cruisers generally repeated the British Caledon, and 3 Principe Alfonso-class ships - the British E type.

The British Admiralty approached the design of a new generation of light cruisers, which had begun even before the signing of the London Treaty, under tight budgetary constraints. The new Leander-class cruisers and their improved version, the Sydney, were supposed to have moderate performance at an equally moderate price. The main attention was paid to seaworthiness and autonomy, the armament included only 8 152-mm guns of the main caliber, and the armor was limited. Even smaller, but also less expensive, were the Aretheusa-class cruisers, on which the number of main battery guns was reduced by a quarter. These small cruisers were intended for service with squadrons. In total, the British fleet received 5 Linder-class cruisers, 3 Sydney-class and 4 Aretheusa-class cruisers.

Light cruiser Belfast.

The news of the laying of Mogami-class cruisers armed with 15 155-mm guns in Japan forced the British to sharply increase the fighting qualities of the new cruisers. In 1934, construction began on a series of 5 Southampton-class ships - large cruisers armed with 12 152-mm guns. Their improved versions were the Manchester-class cruisers, built in the amount of 3 units. The crowning achievement of the class in the Royal Navy was a pair of Belfast-class cruisers. With the same armament, they were well protected and had reinforced anti-aircraft artillery. However, the cost of cruisers was very high.

The restrictions of the Second London Treaty forced the successful project to be shrunk. This is how Fiji-class cruisers appeared ( Colony series 1). With a standard displacement of about 8000 tons, we had to weaken the armor and limit ourselves to 9 152-mm guns. They began to enter service already during the war.

The United States, under the influence of news from Japan, began to build Brooklyn-class cruisers, also armed with 15 152-mm guns. In total, the US Navy received 9 cruisers of this type. Already in 1940, the construction of Cleveland-class cruisers began, ordered in a record number of 52 units, although a total of 29 were built. By that time, the contractual restrictions had expired, but to save time, the project was based on the Brooklyn, with the reduction of the main battery guns in favor of universal and anti-aircraft guns.

The Italian Navy continued to develop the Condottieri series. Displacement increased from type to type, armor and armament increased. The last "Condottieri" of the "Giuseppe Garibaldi" type were quite consistent with the best foreign models, but their artillery still had serious flaws. Before the start of the war, the idea of ​​a scout cruiser was revived in the Italian navy. In 1939, a large series of Capitani Romani-class cruisers was laid down - small, poorly armed and practically unarmored, but with a speed of up to 40 knots.

The leadership of the Kriegsmarine was more fond of heavy cruisers. In the 1930s, only 2 cruisers of this class, Leipzig and Nuremberg, were built. In terms of their characteristics, they generally did not exceed the K-class cruisers. Seaworthiness was especially bad.

The Japanese Navy did not attach much importance to light cruisers. Before the war, only three small series of highly specialized cruisers such as "Agano", "Oedo", as well as training type "Katori" were laid down. Them combat power was very limited.

A number of small cruisers were added to the fleets of the Netherlands and Sweden, and the Swedish air transport cruiser Gotland also turned out to be a very original, albeit unsuccessful, light cruiser. The Dutch fleet received a single cruiser "De Ruyter" and a pair of small cruisers of the type "Tromp".

The Soviet Navy received cruisers of projects 26 and 26 bis. Designed with Italian assistance, they were distinguished by powerful armament (9 180-mm guns), high speed, but weak armor, low seaworthiness and short cruising range. Prior to the start of the Great Patriotic War, the fleet received 4 ships of these types. In 1940, the construction of Project 68 cruisers with 152 mm artillery, but noticeably more protected and seaworthy, began. With the outbreak of war, their construction was mothballed.

cruiser-minelayers

Cruiser-minelayer "Ebdiel".

In the navies of Great Britain and France, the class of cruisers-minelayers has received some development. Interest in these ships was associated with the successful actions during the First World War of the German ships of this class of the Brummer type.

The British first built the experimental cruiser-minzag Adventure in the 1920s. A relatively large ship had a low speed for a cruiser, but it became the first ship of the Royal Navy, equipped with a partially electric power plant. In 1939, the British began construction of the Ebdiel series, 6 units in total. Small ships were armed only with universal artillery, but they took on board up to 156 mines and were distinguished by an unusual rate for British ships at the maximum possible speed - more than 39 knots.

A similar evolution has undergone similar projects of the French fleet. At first, the fleet received a relatively slow-moving Pluto-class ship, although it outperformed its British counterpart in speed. Then, in 1935, the cruiser-minzag "Emil Bertin" was put into operation. The lightly armored ship, capable of taking up to 200 mines, had a full-fledged cruiser armament of 9 152-mm guns and developed a speed of more than 30 knots during trials.

The fleets of other countries did not build specialized cruisers-minelayers, but often provided for the possibility of placing mines on ships of conventional types.

Air defense cruisers

Air defense cruiser "Atlanta".

The growing threat from the air and the limitations of the Second Treaty of London led naval sailors to the idea of ​​building relatively small but armored cruisers with universal main battery artillery, capable of both fighting an air enemy and acting as destroyer leaders. In the British Navy, such ships were the Dido-class cruisers. In total, the fleet received 16 units of the original project and its improved version, armed with universal 133-mm guns.

The American fleet was replenished with Atlanta-class cruisers of 3 series - a total of 12 units. The main armament of the cruisers was represented by universal 127-mm guns in quantities from 12 to 16 pieces. As an air defense cruiser, the Worcester type, laid down at the end of World War II in two copies, was also designed.

In addition, it was planned to acquire the fleets of Italy and Japan with air defense cruisers, but the lack of shipbuilding capacities did not allow these intentions to be realized.

Cruisers in World War II

Before the start of the war, the main powers participating in the conflict had the following number of cruisers in their fleets: Great Britain - 65 (18 heavy, 47 light), USA - 37 (18 heavy, 19 light), France - 19 (7 heavy, 12 light), Germany - 11 (6 heavy, 5 light), Italy - 20 (7 heavy, 13 light), Japan - 38 (18 heavy, 20 light), Holland - 4 light, USSR - 7 light cruisers.

"Baltimore" (USA) - perhaps the most advanced heavy cruiser of World War II.

In World War II, cruisers, which were an important component of the fleets, were used very actively. Among the most striking and characteristic clashes involving cruiser forces are the battle at the mouth of La Plata on December 13, 1939, the battle in the Java Sea on February 27, 1942, the battle off Savo Island on August 9, 1942, the fighting in the area the islands of Guadalcanal in September - December 1942 and a number of others.

The construction of new cruisers during the war years was carried out on a large scale in the United States and Great Britain. The Americans managed to build 47 cruisers before the end of the war - 2 large, 12 heavy and 25 light and 8 air defense cruisers. The British acquired 35 cruisers - 19 light and 16 air defense. Japan limited itself to the completion of 4 light cruisers, Italy commissioned 3 scout cruisers.

The outbreak of the war annulled international agreements and made it possible to create truly harmonious and powerful cruisers. The crowning achievement of artillery cruisers was the American Baltimore. Baltimore) . A class of "large" Alaska-class cruisers also appeared in the United States. Alaska), but they were not further developed.

The development of the class of cruisers in the first post-war period

In the first post-war period, the construction of new cruisers was very limited. The United States and Great Britain already possessed huge fleets, far superior to any possible enemy. In particular, the American Navy consisted of 83 cruisers, the British 62. The shipbuilding programs of other countries were affected by the difficult economic situation, and for the defeated, the unclear military-political status. Also, the development of the fleets of that time was greatly influenced by the uncertainty associated with the emergence of new means of combat - nuclear weapons and guided missiles.

The United States in the first post-war period limited itself to the completion of a number of cruisers that were in a high degree of combat readiness. 8 Baltimore-class heavy cruisers were commissioned ( Baltimore), "Oregon" ( oregon city) and "Des Moines" ( Des Moines), 3 Atlanta-class light cruisers ( Atlanta, reclassified as air defense cruisers in 1949), 1 Cleveland class ( Cleveland), 2 types "Fargo" ( Fargo) and 2 types "Worster" ( Worcester) . At the same time, the construction of 23 cruisers was stopped, and a significant part of the rest was put into reserve. 6 Cleveland-class cruisers were sold to Latin American countries.

Great Britain, which was in a difficult economic situation, embarked on the path of large-scale reduction of the fleet. In 1945-1955, 32 cruisers were scrapped, 2 cruisers were transferred to India, 1 to Kuomintang China. Construction of 3 Tiger-class cruisers (eng. Tiger) was frozen.

The French fleet consisted of 9 cruisers after the war, 2 of them were decommissioned in 1945-1955. Construction of the cruiser "De Grasse" ( de Grasse), laid down back in 1939, was continued according to a modified project and completed in 1956. By the end of 1945, the Dutch fleet had 2 cruisers in combat strength and completed two more in 1950-1953 according to a modified project ( De Zeven Province). Italy had 9 cruisers by 1946. Of this number, 4 remained in service, 1 was scrapped and 4 were transferred under reparations (France - 2, Greece - 1, USSR - 1).

By the end of 1945, the USSR had 8 cruisers, and two more cruisers were received as reparations from Germany and Italy. Two cruisers ("Red Caucasus", "Red Crimea") were decommissioned in 1953. Nevertheless, the cruising forces of the Soviet Navy could look forward to a great future, since I.V. Stalin was a fan of large ships and dreamed of waging a cruising war against former allies.

The preliminary version of the first post-war shipbuilding program of the USSR included, in particular, the construction of 92 cruisers of various types. In view of the obvious inadequacy of such projects, the construction program of the "Big Fleet" for 1945-1955 planned the construction of 34 cruisers - 4 heavy and 30 light. By 1950, the cruisers of the Chapaev type (project 68K) laid down before the war were completed according to the adjusted project. In 1953-1957, 15 cruisers of the 68-bis project were put into operation, 6 more cruisers of this type were scrapped in a high degree of readiness. In their main characteristics, they corresponded to the American ships of the 1940s. Three heavy cruisers of the "Stalingrad" type (project 82) were laid down in 1951-52, but in 1953 their construction was stopped. In addition, intensive development of new projects for artillery cruisers was also carried out.

missile cruisers

US cruisers

With the advent of usable air defense systems by the mid-50s, work began on installing these systems on warships. Initially, rocket weapons appeared on converted artillery cruisers. In 1955-56, two Baltimore-class cruisers were commissioned, on which, by removing the aft gun turrets, they placed two twin launchers of the Terrier air defense system ( Terrier). In 1957-60. under missile systems "Terrier" and "Talos" ( Talos) six Cleveland-class cruisers were converted, and three more Baltimore-class cruisers received a combination of the Talos and Tartar air defense systems ( Tartar).

Due to the extremely high cost, the Long Beach project was not developed. In the 1960s and 70s, the US Navy preferred to build smaller cruisers. In 1962-64. 9 ships of the Legi type were put into operation ( Leahy). The atomic version of this project was called "Bainbridge" ( Bainbridge) and built in a single copy. In 1964-67. the US Navy received 9 slightly larger Belknap-class cruisers ( Belknap). This type had its own atomic version "Trakstan" ( Truxtun), which is also the only one. Subsequently, they were re-equipped with the Standard air defense system ( standard) of various modifications.

In 1974-75. two California-class nuclear cruisers were built ( California) and finally in 1976-80. completed with the construction of 4 Virginia-class nuclear cruisers ( Virginia). These series were originally armed with the Standard air defense system. The main task of the American missile cruisers of that time was the provision of air defense for aircraft carrier formations. Until 1980, these ships did not have anti-ship missile weapons.

It should be noted that, due to the peculiarities of the national classification, all American missile cruisers of special construction were listed as frigates before the reclassification in 1975.

European cruisers

Missile cruiser Colbert.

The construction of missile cruisers in European countries was extremely limited. France in 1972 converted the Colbert cruiser into a missile cruiser with the installation of a twin Masurka launcher. Italy commissioned two Andrea Doria-class cruisers. 8 County-class light missile cruisers appeared in the British Navy, but most sources classify them as destroyers.

Cruisers of the USSR

The development of the cruising forces of the Soviet Navy was greatly affected by N. S. Khrushchev's rejection of large surface ships. The first victims of this policy were the unfinished cruisers of Project 68 bis. Attempts by the leadership of the fleet to save 7 unfinished cruisers by converting them into missile cruisers according to projects 64, 67, 70 and 71 were not successful. In fact, the Dzerzhinsky cruiser was re-equipped for experimental purposes, which received one twin launcher for the M-2 Volkhov-M air defense system. As for the latest projects of "classic" cruisers - light 84 and heavy 66, these programs were stopped at the stage of preliminary design. The design of the Project 63 nuclear cruiser was also discontinued.

Thus, the only Soviet missile cruisers of special construction in the 60s. steel 4 ships of the Grozny type (project 58) laid down as destroyers. In addition, in 1977, the BOD of the project (4 units) were reclassified into missile cruisers, due to the shortcomings of their anti-submarine weapons. Note that Western military experts ranked BOD types 1134-A and 1134-B as missile cruisers (17 units in total).

Helicopter cruisers

Helicopter cruiser Vittorio Veneto.

The rapid development of submarine forces after World War II necessitated the strengthening of anti-submarine forces. This acquired particular importance by the beginning of the 60s, when nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles began to go on combat patrols. One of the ways to resolve the issue was considered to be the introduction of special helicopter-carrying ships into the combat fleets capable of conducting an effective search for submarines at a great distance from the coast. The United States, which had a large number of specialized anti-submarine aircraft carriers, did not need to build special ships of this type, so helicopter carrier cruisers appeared in the fleets of European countries and the USSR.

European Helicopter Cruisers

The first anti-submarine helicopter carrier was the French cruiser Jeanne d'Arc ( Jeanne d'Ark), which entered service in 1964 and is also capable of operating as a landing helicopter carrier and training ship. In the same year, the Italian Navy received two Cayo Duilio-class cruisers ( Caio Duilio), and later their enlarged version of "Vittorio Veneto" ( Vittorio Veneto). The latter could take on board up to 9 anti-submarine helicopters. British Navy in 1964-69 rebuilt two purely artillery cruisers of the Tiger type ( Tiger) in cruiser-helicopter carriers that received 4 helicopters. The assessment of this type of ships turned out to be so high that the future light aircraft carriers of the Invincible type ( Invincible) were also originally supposed to become helicopter carrier cruisers with an air group of six heavy vehicles.

Soviet Helicopter Cruisers

The first proposals for the construction of helicopter-carrying cruisers were put forward in 1958 as an attempt to save almost finished Project 68-bis cruisers from dismantling by rebuilding them into ASW ships with anti-submarine weapons. However, the size of the cruisers then seemed excessive to the command of the Navy and the development of the project 1123 "Condor" began in 1960 with " clean slate» . The first cruiser of the Moskva project entered service in 1967 and proved to be quite effective for anti-submarine defense purposes due to the presence of 14 anti-submarine helicopters and a powerful sonar. The second cruiser "Leningrad" entered the fleet two years later. The ships spent their entire service as part of Black Sea Fleet, usually operating in the Mediterranean Sea. Initially, it was supposed to build a series of 12 cruisers of this type, but the sharp increase in the combat capabilities of nuclear missile submarines, especially in terms of the firing range of ballistic missiles, forced us to limit ourselves to two ships. The construction of the third cruiser of project 1123 was canceled in 1968 even before the laying. Nevertheless, the Condors played an important role in the development of domestic aircraft carriers.

Modern cruisers

American cruisers

The newest US Navy cruisers to date are the Ticonderoga-class ships ( Ticonderoga). The lead in a series of 27 units entered service in 1981, becoming the first ship equipped with the Aegis multifunctional weapon system ( Aegis), which dramatically increased the capabilities of air defense and missile defense. Starting with the sixth ship of the Bunker Hill series, the cruisers received Mk41 vertical launch installations for Standard, Tomahawk missiles ( Tomahawk) and

Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser

The cruisers participated in operations against Iraq (,) and Yugoslavia (1999) as missile and artillery support ships. In 2004, the first five ships of the series were decommissioned from the fleet. The remaining 22 units, starting from the year, are undergoing modernization, including the adaptation of ships to new anti-aircraft missiles, the replacement of artillery and electronic equipment.

Presumably from 2016-2019 these cruisers will be replaced by 19-24 new CG(X) ships created on the basis of the project Zumwalt DD(X). The project is currently at the research stage.

Soviet/Russian cruisers

Heavy nuclear missile cruisers of the Kirov type (project 1144 Orlan) became a kind of hallmark of the Soviet Navy in the last period of its existence. The lead ship was commissioned in the city of V and two more were added to it, the last of the laid down ships was commissioned after the collapse of the USSR under the name "Peter the Great". These are the largest surface warships (except for aircraft carriers) built after World War II, which gave Western experts a reason to call them battlecruisers. The cruisers carry almost the entire range of modern naval weapons produced by the Soviet military-industrial complex, which is why all ships of the series differ significantly in combat systems.

Each of the four nuclear missile cruisers pr.1144 ("Orlan") had such significant differences in armament that the lead "Admiral Ushakov" (formerly "Kirov") and the last - "Peter the Great" (formerly "Andropov") - can be without busting count as different ships. This practice also had its ideological justifications. One of the influential GUK admirals called it "modernization during construction" and sincerely considered it an objective need to introduce the fruits of "scientific and technological progress." However, the fact that, due to such quasi-progressive decisions, the fleet as a result became a “vinaigrette” of ships of various projects and “sub-options”, apparently did not bother the upper echelons.

In 2007, the only active cruiser of this type was the Peter the Great. The cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov" is under repair, the completion of which is scheduled for 2011, "Admiral Lazarev" and "Admiral Ushakov" will be modernized and accepted into the fleet until 2020.

Regarding the ships of the Orlan project, there are various opinions, from enthusiastic to sharply critical:

As you can see, the cruiser pr.1144 purely mechanically and spontaneously turned out (it turned out) multi-purpose. This required an adjustment of its tasks (note that the process proceeds according to the “cart before the horse” principle: first, a ship is “obtained”, and then tasks are invented for it). These were supplemented by the requirement to defeat enemy NK groupings, or, more precisely, aircraft carrier strike formations (AUS). But then it never occurred to anyone how to “pull” the solution of a new problem from the preserved old one. In the end, even the “most modern” cruiser, which has absorbed virtually the entire range of weapons and weapons for the NK (except, perhaps, mine-sweeping), cannot simultaneously smash and drive enemy SSBNs and smash the AUS. In other words: it’s good that the ship is multi-purpose, but it’s not clear why it’s good?

The construction of missile cruisers with a gas turbine power plant was also resumed. It was supposed to build 6 units of project 1164. From 1979 to 1990 the fleet included three Slava-class ships. The fourth ship of the series "Admiral Lobov" in 1991, with 75% readiness, became the property of Ukraine, renamed "Galicia", then "Ukraine", remains unfinished. Attempts to sell the cruiser were unsuccessful. The remaining two ships were not laid down.

The main purpose of these cruisers was the fight against NATO aircraft carrier formations with the help of Bazalt anti-ship missiles, which is why they were called "aircraft carrier killers". As the main anti-aircraft weapons, the cruisers received the Fort air defense system.

The cruising composition of the fleets of the world for 2011

A modern cruiser is an expensive product of shipbuilding, missile and electronic technology. Only a few states can afford a ship of this type. Only two countries have significant cruising forces - the USA and Russia. The cruisers of the other powers were built in the 50-60s. XX century and are already outdated.

Cruisers of the fleets of the world for 2007 USA - 22 Ticondenrog-class cruisers, Russia - 2 heavy nuclear missile cruisers of the 1144 type (Orlan) and 2 on conservation, 3 missile cruisers of the 1164 type, Peru - 1 cruiser-helicopter carrier "Admiral Grau" ( Admiral Grau) of the De Ruyter type.

Notes

1. gramota.ru - the word Cruiser
2. Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers. 1860 - 1910. - Minsk: Harvest, 2006. - S. 51. - (Library of military history). - ISBN 985-13-4080-4
3. Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers. 1860 - 1910. - S. 48.
4. Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers. 1860 - 1910. - S. 49.
5. Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers. 1860 - 1910. - S. 50.
6. Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers. 1860 - 1910. - S. 52.
7. Content
8. Content
9. Donets A. Hawkins-class heavy cruisers. - Vladivostok: Rurik, 2004. - S. 50. - (Cruisers of Britain).
10. Cruisers of World War II. Hunters and Protectors. - M .: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2007. - S. 9. - (Arsenal collection). - ISBN 5-699-19130-5
11. Donets A. Heavy cruisers of the "County" type. Part. 2. - Vladivostok: Rurik, 1999. - S. 53. - (Warships of the world).
12. Patyanin S. V. Dashyan A. V. and others. Cruisers of World War II. Hunters and Protectors. - S. 10.
13. Malov A. A. Patyanin S. V. Heavy cruisers "Trento", "Trieste" and "Bolzano" // Marine company. - 2007. - No. 4. - S. 3.
14. Malov A. A. Patyanin S. V. Heavy cruisers Trento, Trieste and Bolzano. - S. 19.
15. Stille M. USN Cruiser vs IGN Cruiser. Guadalcanal 1942. - Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2009. - P. 10. - ISBN 1-84603-466-4
16. American cruisers of World War II. - Yekaterinburg: Mirror, 1999. - S. 14. - (Ships close-up-2).
17. Lacroix E. Wells II L. Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. - London: Chutham Publishing, 1997. - P. 55. - ISBN 1-86176-058-2
18. Kofman V.L. Fuhrer's pocket battleships. Corsairs of the Third Reich. - M .: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2007. - S. 5. - (Arsenal collection). - ISBN 978-5-699-21322-1
19. Kofman V.L. Fuhrer's pocket battleships. Corsairs of the Third Reich. - S. 140.
20. Patyanin S. V. Dashyan A. V. and others. Cruisers of World War II. Hunters and Protectors. - S. 12.
21. Patyanin S. V. Dashyan A. V. and others. Cruisers of World War II. Hunters and Protectors. - S. 14.
22. Kofman V.L. Heavy cruiser "Algeri" // Marine collection. - 2007. - No. 4. - S. 32.
23. Kofman V.L. Heavy cruiser Algeri. - S. 31.
24. Patyanin S.V. Zara-class heavy cruisers // Marine collection. - 2006. - No. 2. - S. 31-32.
25. Patyanin S.V. Heavy cruisers of the Zara class. - p. 8.
26. Malov A. A. Patyanin S. V. Heavy cruisers Trento, Trieste and Bolzano. - S. 5.
27. Malov A. A. Patyanin S. V. Heavy cruisers Trento, Trieste and Bolzano. - S. 24.
28. American cruisers of World War II. - S. 19.

The cruiser "Aurora" has become one of the main symbols of St. Petersburg, and the history of its service is covered with myths and legends.

Russian naval commander, Admiral Z. P. Rozhestvensky loved a non-standard approach to standard processes. Among the admiral's favorite quirks was the habit, which amused the sailors, of arbitrarily giving out "nicknames" to warships under his command. So, the battleship Sisoy Veliky became the Invalid Shelter, the yacht Svetlana became the Maid, the cruiser Admiral Nakhimov was named the Idiot, and the Aurora was awarded the title Prostitute Podzabornaya.
We are not responsible for Rozhdestvensky, but he would know what kind of ship he called!

The appearance of the legend

Contrary to the patriotic role of the ship in the history of the country, there is an opinion that famous cruiser was built overseas. In fact, the miracle of shipbuilding arose in the same place where it ended its glorious path - in St. Petersburg. The development of the project began in 1895, but only in July 1897 a contract was signed with the Society of Franco-Russian Factories for the manufacture of machines, boilers and all the mechanisms listed in the specification. So late dates reaching an agreement was due to the reluctance of the management to share the drawings with the Baltic Plant, and over the next six years, the Admiralty Izhora and Aleksandrovsky iron foundries, the Ya. In total, in the direct management of the construction of the cruiser from September 1896 until the end sea ​​trials, that is, in almost eight years, four ship builders, officers of the Corps of Naval Engineers, were employed. Unfortunately, the author of the cruiser project is still unknown - in different sources two names are called: K.M. Tokarevsky and De Grofe, and officially the construction was carried out at the New Admiralty plant, under the leadership of the Society of Franco-Russian Plants.

Battle glory

The Aurora is known to many contemporaries only by the ambiguous fact of its naval biography, as the ship whose guns gave the signal to storm the Winter Palace. But the cruiser participated neither more nor less in four wars and two revolutions. Emperor Nicholas II himself, after the Battle of Tsushima, telegraphed the crew: “I heartily thank you, commanders, officers and the crew of the cruisers Oleg, Aurora and Zhemchug for their unrequited, honest service in hard fight. May you all be consoled by the consciousness of holy duty. Nicholas II". In 1968, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the cruiser "Aurora" for the outstanding services of the Aurora sailors in the Great October Socialist Revolution and the protection of its gains, fruitful work in promoting military and revolutionary traditions and in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Armed Sil was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, and in the harsh years of the Great Patriotic War The sailors of the Aurora took an active part in the heroic defense of Leningrad on the Dudergof Heights, as one of the paintings exhibited in the museum on the Aurora narrates.

The revolutionary nature of the ship

A rebellious ship is not glorious with a single shot. A few years before the historical events of 1917, in 1905, the disarmed Aurora was in the port of Manila under the control of the Americans after the Battle of Tsushima. The Philippine Islands turned out to be a prison for miraculously surviving sailors, forced to eat rotten food, unable to contact their relatives, seized by a brewing outburst of anger. They managed to raise an international signal on the mast, symbolizing the beginning of a riot, which led to the arrival of local police and port officials on board. The Aurors put forward their ultimatum - improved nutrition and immediate distribution of letters addressed to the sailors. The conditions were accepted by the Americans, but immediately led to a new outbreak of rebellion - opened envelopes and read letters, finally, informed the sailors about the horrors of Bloody Sunday. Upon returning to Russia, most of the sailors were decommissioned from the ship - in this way the tsarist government sought to separate the existing combat crews in order to avoid revolutionary sentiments. Attempts were unsuccessful, and in the future it was the sailors, including recruits, who formed the revolutionary backbone of Russia.

historical shot

The volley that signaled the assault on the Winter Palace on October 25, 1917 is one of the most colorful legends about the cruiser. They say that despite the well-known proverb about a woman on a ship, the sailors not only did not drive away the beauty who boarded the ship, but did not dare to disobey. A pale-faced, tall and slender girl of unearthly beauty gave the order “Blow!”, And then disappeared from sight. At the moment, it is not known for certain who dared to become the ghost of the Aurora, but most historians tend to believe that he was the famous journalist, Soviet writer and revolutionary Larisa Reisner. They say that she was not sent to the Aurora by chance, it was purely psychologically calculated that not a single sailor would refuse such a beautiful woman. Yes, and the shot, according to historians, was fired at 21:40, while the assault began after midnight, which, alas, does not confirm the theory of the Aurora's signal function in the capture. Nevertheless, the Aurora cruiser is depicted on the Order of the October Revolution, which he himself was awarded in 1967.

Explosions and drunken sailors

And where without myths about alcohol and its consequences? Recently, curious information has appeared from various sources about the participation of drunken revolutionary sailors of the Aurora in the explosion of Fort Pavel in 1923. It is even rumored that drunken sailors set fire to the mine depot located there. In July 1923, several sailors sailed here on a boat from the battleship "Paris Commune" (formerly "Sevastopol"). The "rest" of the sailors ended with a big fire. Cadets from the cruiser "Aurora" tried to put out a burning mine set on fire by sailors from the "Paris Commune". The fort rumbled for several days, and, they say, in all of Kronstadt there was not a single whole glass left. According to one of the members of the current crew of the cruiser, four sailors died during the fire, and many were awarded medals for their heroic help in extinguishing. The authors of the brochure "Forts of Kronstadt" were among the first to voice the version of the cause of the explosion. In Soviet books this question was bypassed, it was left to think that the evil counter-revolution was to blame.

Cruiser Star Life

Every schoolboy who is going to visit St. Petersburg definitely wants to visit the legendary ship that served faithfully in so many battles and is now a branch of the Central Naval Museum. In fact, in addition to military merit and excursion programs, the Aurora did not bypass the path of show business: in 1946, the cruiser played the role of the no less famous colleague of the Varyag in the film of the same name. To match, the "make-up artists" had to work: they installed a fake fourth tube and several guns on the ship, built a commander's balcony in the stern and redesigned the bow. These two ships are completely different from each other, but for the undemanding viewer, the “fake” went unnoticed. In parallel, the Aurora's hull was reinforced with concrete, which already meant that the ship could not be restored, which determined the future fate of the ship.

Ship or layout

It is believed that the Aurora is the only domestic ship that has retained its original appearance to this day. The legendary cruiser was put on "eternal parking" in front of the St. Petersburg Hotel, however, this is already half the ship that the rumor does not stop: the ship itself was towed to the village of Ruchi near the coastal strip of the Gulf of Finland, sawn into pieces, flooded and taken away by the patriots of the 80s. During the reconstruction in 1984, most of the main part and superstructures of the unforgettable Aurora were replaced, the current museum ship used technology on the new hull welds instead of the rivets that distinguished the original. The batteries, which included guns removed from the cruiser, died on the Dudergof heights, another gun was installed on the Baltiets armored train. About the historical tool that announced " new era proletarian revolution,” the senior midshipman, winking slyly at us, said: “Read carefully the plate on the shield, it says that a historical shot was fired from the cruiser’s bow gun. And about the fact that they shot specifically from this gun - it is not said anywhere. ”

In the second half of the twentieth century, 180 independent states However, out of this wild variety of countries and peoples, only two superpowers had a powerful ocean fleet - the Soviet Union and the United States. For example, no one, except us and the Americans, massively built missile cruisers. Four more European countries, in order to maintain the former status of "sea powers", made efforts to create their own missile cruisers, but all their attempts ended with the construction of a single ship with predominantly American weapons and systems. "Ships of prestige", nothing more.

The pioneers in the field of creating missile cruisers were the Americans - by the end of the 40s, their military industry had created the first combat-ready air defense systems suitable for installation on a ship. In the future, the fate of US Navy missile cruisers was determined exclusively by escort functions as part of aircraft carrier groups; American cruisers were never designed for a serious sea battle with surface ships.

But missile cruisers were especially respected in our country: during the existence of the USSR, dozens of very different designs appeared on the expanses of the World Ocean: heavy and light, surface and underwater, with a conventional or nuclear power plant, there were even anti-submarine cruisers and aircraft carrier cruisers! It is no coincidence that missile cruisers have become the main strike force of the Soviet Navy.

In a general sense, the concept of "Soviet missile cruiser" meant a large multi-purpose surface ship with a powerful anti-ship missile system.

About the seven best missile cruisers - just a brief digression into maritime history associated with the development of this unique class of warships. The author does not consider himself entitled to place any specific ratings and create a rating of "best of the best". No, this will be just a story about the most outstanding designs of the Cold War era, indicating their known advantages, disadvantages and interesting facts associated with these death machines. However, the nature of the presentation of the material will help the reader to independently determine which of this "magnificent seven" is still worthy of the highest pedestal.

Albany-class missile cruisers

1944/1962 Full displacement 17,500 tons. Crew 1200 people.
Full speed - 32 knots. Cruising range - 9000 miles (at 15 knots).
Armament:
- Talos long-range air defense systems (2 launchers, ammunition 104 missiles);
- Tartar short-range air defense systems (2 launchers, ammunition 84 anti-aircraft missiles);
- anti-submarine missile system ASROC (ammunition 24 rocket torpedoes);
- 8 Polaris intercontinental ballistic missiles (never installed);
- two universal guns of 127 mm caliber.

Three American monsters rebuilt from World War II heavy cruisers. After the first successful experiments with the missile, the US Navy decided on a global modernization of the Baltimore-class artillery cruisers - they dismantled all the weapons from the ships, cut off the superstructure and turned their insides around. And now, after 4 years, an incredible “thug” with a tall superstructure and mast-pipes studded with secret radio-electronic equipment entered the sea. The fact that this ship was once a Baltimore-class heavy artillery cruiser was only reminiscent of the shape of the bow.

Despite its ugly appearance, the Albany series of cruisers were cool warships capable of providing high-quality air defense for aircraft carrier formations in the near zone (by the standards of those years) - the Talos SAM range was more than 100 km, and two hundred missiles on board allowed fight off enemy aircraft for a long time.

Advantages:

15 cm armor belt, inherited from the heavy cruiser Baltimore,
- 8 fire control radars,
- high installation height of radars,

Flaws:
- lack of strike weapons,
- superstructures made of aluminum alloys,
- an archaic, in general, design.

Baltimore-class heavy artillery cruiser - this is what the Alban cruisers looked like before modernization

Belknap-class missile cruisers

1964 Gross displacement 8,000 tons. Crew 380 people.
Full speed - 32 knots. Cruising range - 7000 miles (at 20 knots).
Armament:
- universal launcher Mk.10 (80 anti-aircraft and anti-submarine missiles);
- automated artillery installation Mk.42 caliber 127 mm;
- 3 DASH unmanned anti-submarine helicopters (subsequently replaced by a conventional SH-2 Sea Sprite helicopter);
- two auxiliary guns of 76 mm caliber (subsequently replaced by anti-aircraft guns "Phalanx");
- 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles (added after modernization in the early 1980s).

A series of 9 light escort cruisers, on which great hopes were pinned - already at the birth of the Belknap-class cruiser, they received a universal set of naval weapons, including the original computerized CICS, unmanned helicopters and a new AN / SQS-26 under-wing sonar station, supposedly capable of hear the propellers of Soviet boats tens of miles from the side of the ship.

In some ways, the ship justified itself, in some ways it didn’t, for example, the daring project of the DASH unmanned helicopter turned out to be of little use for real use on the high seas - the control systems were too imperfect. I had to expand the hangar and the helipad for the deployment of a full-fledged anti-submarine helicopter.
It is noteworthy that after a short disappearance, 127 mm caliber guns returned to the ship again - the American sailors did not dare to completely abandon artillery.

In the 1960s and 1970s, cruisers of this type regularly patrolled off the coast of Vietnam, firing anti-aircraft missiles at North Vietnamese MiGs that inadvertently flew into the zone of destruction of the cruisers. But Belknap became famous not for its feats of arms - in 1975, the lead ship of this type was crushed in the Mediterranean Sea by the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy.

The cruiser was costly by its navigational error - the flight deck of the aircraft carrier literally “cut off” all the superstructures, and from above, a kerosene shower from the torn fuel lines of the aircraft carrier fell on the mangled remains of the ship. The ensuing eight-hour fire completely destroyed the cruiser. The restoration of Belknap was a purely political decision, otherwise such a stupid death of the ship could undermine the prestige of the US Navy.

Advantages of "Belknap":
- computerized combat information and control system NTDS;
- the presence of a helicopter on board;
- small size and cost.

Flaws:
- the only launcher, the failure of which left the ship essentially unarmed;
- fire-dangerous aluminum superstructures;
- the absence of strike weapons (which, however, is dictated by the purpose of the cruiser).

Burnt "Belknap"

Missile cruisers of project 58 (code "Grozny")

1962 Gross displacement 5,500 tons. Crew 340 people.
Full speed - 34 knots. Cruising range - 3500 miles (at 18 knots).
Armament:
- anti-ship complex P-35 (2 launchers, ammunition 16 anti-ship missiles);
- short-range air defense system M-1 "Volna" (16 anti-aircraft missiles);
- two automatic twin guns of 76 mm caliber;
- 6 torpedoes caliber 533 mm;
- 2 x 12 rocket launchers RBU-6000;
- Helipad

Favorite ship of Nikita Khrushchev. A small Soviet cruiser with colossal strike power for its size. The world's first warship equipped with anti-ship missiles.
Even with the naked eye, it is noticeable how much the baby was overloaded with weapons - according to the plans of those years, the Terrible had to carry watch almost alone in the far latitudes of the oceans. You never know what tasks may arise before the Soviet cruiser - the Terrible must be ready for anything!

As a result, a universal weapon system appeared on board the ship, capable of fighting any air, surface and underwater targets. Highly high speed travel - 34 knots (more than 60 km / h), universal artillery, equipment for receiving a helicopter ...
But the P-35 anti-ship complex was especially impressive - eight four-ton blanks capable of breaking off the rails at any moment and rushing over the horizon at supersonic speed (firing range - up to 250 km).

Despite doubts about the P-35's long-range target designation capabilities, powerful electronic countermeasures and anti-aircraft fire from the American AUGs, the cruiser posed a deadly threat to any enemy squadron - one of the four missiles of each launcher was with a megaton "surprise".

Advantages:
- exceptionally high saturation with fire weapons;
- great design.

Flaws:
Most of the shortcomings of the Terrible were one way or another connected with the desire of the designers to place the maximum number of weapons and systems in the limited destroyer hull.
- short cruising range;
- weak air defense;
- imperfect weapon control systems;
- fire hazard design: aluminum superstructure and synthetic interior trim.

Sea power of the USSR

Missile cruiser "Long Beach"

1961 Gross displacement 17,000 tons. Crew 1160 people.
Full speed - 30 knots. Cruising range - 360,000 miles.
Armament:
- Terrier medium-range air defense systems (2 launchers, ammunition 102 missiles)
- Talos long-range air defense systems (1 launcher, ammunition 52 missiles)
- ASRO anti-submarine missile system (ammunition 24 rocket torpedoes)
- two universal guns of 127 mm caliber;
- two Phalanx anti-aircraft guns, 8 Harpoon anti-aircraft missiles, 8 Tomahawk missiles (modernization in the early 1980s).

First in the world nuclear cruiser definitely worthy of a mention in the list best ships XX century. In combination, Long Beach became the world's first purpose-built missile cruiser - all previous designs (Boston-class missile cruisers, etc.) were just improvisations based on World War II artillery cruisers.

The ship turned out great. Three missile systems for various purposes. The unusual "box" shape of the main superstructure, dictated by the installation of SCANFAR phased radars, also unique radio systems of its time. Finally, the nuclear heart of the cruiser, which made it possible to accompany everywhere nuclear aircraft carrier"Enterprise", for interaction with which this miracle was created.

However, an incredible price was paid for all this - 330 million dollars (about 5 billion at the current exchange rate!), In addition, the imperfection of nuclear technologies did not allow the creation of a compact nuclear control system of the required power in the 50s - the cruiser rapidly "grew" in size, reaching, finally, 17 thousand tons. Too much for an escort ship!
In addition, it turned out that Long Beach did not have the opportunity to put their advantage into practice. Firstly, the autonomy of the ship is limited not only by fuel reserves. Secondly, in the retinue of an aircraft carrier there were many ships with conventional power plants, which made it difficult for the nuclear cruiser to move quickly.

"Long Beach" honestly served 33 years. During this time, he left a million nautical miles behind the stern, while managing to fight in Vietnam and Iraq. Due to its exceptional complexity and cost, it remained the lone "white elephant" of the fleet, however, it had a significant impact on the development of world shipbuilding (including the birth of our next "hero").

Advantages of "Long Beach":
- unlimited autonomy in terms of fuel reserves;
- radars with headlamps;
- versatility.

Flaws:
- monstrous cost;
- less survivability compared to conventional cruisers.

Heavy nuclear missile cruiser pr. 1144.2 (code "Orlan")

1998 Gross displacement 26,000 tons. Crew 635 people.
Full speed - 32 knots. Cruising range - not limited by fuel reserves.
Armament:
- anti-ship complex "Granit" (20 launchers, ammunition 20 missiles);
- S-300F "Fort" long-range air defense system (6 launchers, 48 ​​missiles ammunition);
- long-range air defense system S-300FM "Fort-M" (6 launchers, ammunition 46 missiles);
- short-range air defense system "Dagger" (12 launchers, ammunition 128 missiles);
- anti-submarine complex "Waterfall" (ammunition 20 rocket torpedoes);

- 6 anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems "Kortik";
- three jet bombers;
- three helicopters.

For comparison, TAVKR "Peter the Great" was chosen - the last and most advanced of the heavy nuclear missile cruisers of the "Orlan" type. A real Imperial cruiser with an amazing set of weapons - it has on board the entire range of systems that are in service with the Russian Navy.

Theoretically, in a one-on-one battle, the Orlan has no equal among all the ships of the world - a huge ocean killer will be able to deal with any enemy. In practice, the situation looks much more interesting - the enemy against whom the Orlans were created does not go alone. What awaits "Orlan" in a real battle with an aircraft carrier and its escort of five missile cruisers? Glorious Gangut, Chesma or the terrible Tsushima pogrom? Nobody knows the answer to this question.

The appearance of the first Orlan in 1980 excited the whole world a lot - in addition to its cyclopean size and heroic stature, the Soviet heavy cruiser became the world's first warship with under-deck vertical launch systems. A lot of fears were caused by the S-300F anti-aircraft complex - nothing like that at that time simply did not exist in any country in the world.

In fact, the first ship with the S-300F experimental complex installed was the Azov BOD. In addition, the S-300F guides are not installed quite vertically, but at an angle of 5 ° to the normal to prevent the missile from falling to the deck in the event of a failure of the starting engine.

As in the case of the American "Long Beach", when discussing the "Orlan" one often hears an opinion about the adequacy of creating such a Miracle. Firstly, for the destruction of the AUG, nuclear submarine missile carriers, pr. 949A, look more attractive. The stealth and security of the submarine is an order of magnitude greater, the cost is less, while the 949A salvo is 24 Granit missiles.

Secondly, 26 thousand tons of displacement is a direct consequence of the presence of nuclear reactors, which do not provide any real advantages, only taking up space in vain, complicating maintenance and worsening the ship's survivability in battle. It can be assumed that without the YaSU, the Orlan's displacement would have been halved.
By the way, a paradoxical coincidence, bald eagle- the national emblem of the United States!

Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser

1986 Gross displacement 10,000 tons. Crew 390 people.
Full speed - 32 knots. Cruising range - 6000 (at 20 knots).
Armament:
- 122 vertical launchers Mk.41 (launch of almost all types of missiles in service with the US Navy, with the exception of submarine-launched ballistic missiles);
- 8 anti-ship missiles "Harpoon";
- two lightweight universal artillery systems Mk.45 caliber 127 mm;
— six anti-submarine torpedoes caliber 324 mm;
- two anti-aircraft guns "Phalanx";
- two automatic guns "Bushmaster" caliber 25 mm.

"Stand by admiral Gorshkov: "Aegis" - at sea!" - "Beware Admiral Gorshkov: Aegis is at sea!" - it was with such a message that the first Ticonderoga went to sea - an unsightly ship from the outside, with the most modern electronic filling.
For comparison, the cruiser CG-52 "Bunker Hill" was chosen - the lead ship of the second series of "Ticonderogues", equipped with UVP Mk.41.

Thought out to the smallest detail, a modern ship with unique fire control systems. The cruiser is still focused on providing air defense and anti-submarine defense of aircraft carrier formations, however, it can independently deliver massive strikes along the coast with the help of Tomahawk cruise missiles, the number of which on board can reach hundreds of units.

The highlight of the cruiser is the Aegis combat information and control system. Together with the fixed phased panels of the AN / SPY-1 radar and 4 fire control radars, the ship's computers are capable of simultaneously tracking up to 1000 air, surface, and underwater targets, while automatically selecting them and, if necessary, attacking the 18 most dangerous objects. At the same time, the energy capabilities of the AN / SPY-1 are such that the cruiser is able to detect and attack even pinpoint fast-moving targets in low Earth orbit.

Advantages of Ticonderoga:
- unprecedented versatility at minimal cost;
- huge striking power;
- the possibility of solving missile defense problems and destroying satellites in low orbits;

Disadvantages of Ticonderoga:
- limited dimensions, and, as a result, dangerous congestion of the ship;
- Widespread use of aluminum in the design of the cruiser.

Missile cruiser project 1164 (code "Atlant")

1983 Gross displacement 11,500 tons. Crew 510 people.
Full speed - 32 knots. Cruising range - 6000 (at 18 knots).
Armament:
- anti-ship missile system P-1000 "Volcano" (8 twin launchers, ammunition 16 missiles);
- anti-aircraft missile system S-300F "Fort" (8 drum launchers, ammunition 64 missiles);
- two short-range anti-aircraft missile systems "Osa-MA" (2 beam launchers, ammunition 40 missiles);
- anti-submarine complex "Waterfall" (ammunition 10 rocket torpedoes);
- one twin automated artillery installation of 130 mm caliber;
- three batteries of automatic anti-aircraft guns AK-630 (total 6 guns + 3 fire control radars);
- two jet bombers;
- an anti-submarine helicopter and a hangar for its long-term storage.

With a displacement 2.25 times less than the huge nuclear-powered Orlan, the Atlant cruiser retains 80% of its strike power and up to 65% of its anti-aircraft weapons. In other words, instead of building one Orlan super cruiser, you can build two Atlants!
Two Atlant missile cruisers, by the way, are 32 Vulkan supersonic anti-ship missiles and 128 S-300F anti-aircraft missiles. As well as 2 helipads, 2 AK-130 artillery mounts, two Frigate radars and two hydroacoustic stations. And all this instead of one "Orlan"! Those. the obvious conclusion suggests itself - the missile cruiser pr. 1164 is the very “golden mean” between the size, cost and combat capabilities of the ship.

Even despite the general moral and physical obsolescence of these cruisers, the potential inherent in them is so high that it allows the Atlantes to still act on an equal footing with the most modern foreign missile cruisers and URO destroyers.
For example, the S-300F complex, which has no analogues - even modern US Navy anti-aircraft missiles, due to the limited size of standard Mk.41 UVP cells, are inferior in terms of energy characteristics to the missiles of the Fort complex (in other words, they are twice as light and twice as slow).

Well, it remains to be wished that the legendary "grin of socialism" be modernized as often as possible and remain in combat service as long as possible.

Advantages of Atlanta:
- balanced design;
- excellent seaworthiness;
- S-300F and P-1000 missile systems.

Flaws:
- the only fire control radar of the S-300F complex;
- lack of modern self-defense air defense systems;
- an overly complex design of the gas turbine.

Maltese sunset, November 1989. The stern of the cruiser "Slava" is visible, in the foreground - the bow of the cruiser "Belknap"

CRUISER

CRUISER

(German: Kreizer). Warship sent; into cruising.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Chudinov A.N., 1910 .

CRUISER

high-speed military vessels adapted for long-distance navigation. In wartime, they serve to capture enemy transport and merchant ships, and in peacetime - to monitor smuggling.

Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. - Pavlenkov F., 1907 .

CRUISER

a military vessel sailing in all directions to watch the coast and to prevent smuggling; in wartime, he watches over enemy ships, preventing them from bringing provisions, guns, etc.

Complete dictionary foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language. - Popov M., 1907 .

CRUISER

Goal. cruiser, German Kreuzer. Cruise warship.

Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with the meaning of their roots. - Mikhelson A.D., 1865 .

Cruiser

(Goal. kruiser) is a high-speed warship with powerful artillery and missile weapons, designed to destroy enemy ships and coastal facilities, for reconnaissance and patrol services, to cover convoys and landings (on the sea crossing and during landing), etc.

New dictionary foreign words.- by EdwART,, 2009 .

Cruiser

cruisers, pl. cruisers, cruisers, m. [goal. kruiser] (military sea). Large fast warship. Mine cruiser.

A large dictionary of foreign words. - Publishing house "IDDK", 2007 .

Cruiser

a, pl. cruisers, ov and cruisers, ov, m. ( netherl. cruiser).
Large fast warship.
Cruising- pertaining to a cruiser, cruisers.

Explanatory Dictionary of Foreign Words L. P. Krysina.- M: Russian language, 1998 .

Synonyms:

See what "CRUISER" is in other dictionaries:

CRUISER, cruisers, pl. cruisers cruisers, husband (Dutch. cruiser) (military sea). Large fast warship. armored cruiser. Mine cruiser. Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

CRUISER, a warship that differs from battleships in greater lightness and speed, with a displacement of 7,500 to 21,000 tons. After World War I, according to arms limitation treaties, the caliber of guns on cruisers did not exceed 200 mm. ... ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Combat surface ship for conducting naval combat, disrupting enemy sea communications, etc. EdwART. Explanatory Naval Dictionary, 2010 A cruiser is a large ship with strong artillery, torpedo weapons, having great speed and ... ... Marine Dictionary

- (from Dutch cruiser) warship. As a class of ships, cruisers appeared in the 60s. 19th century During the 2nd World War they were divided into light and heavy. In the modern Navy, there are missile, anti-submarine and other cruisers ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

CRUISER, a, pl. a, ov and s, ov, husband. Large fast warship. Armored, anti-submarine, missile | adj. cruising, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

Exist., number of synonyms: 3 Varangian (10) ship (101) raider (6) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trish ... Synonym dictionary

cruiser- cruiser, pl. cruisers, kind cruisers and cruisers, cruisers. The [cruiser] pronunciation is becoming obsolete... Dictionary of pronunciation and stress difficulties in modern Russian

cruiser- a combat surface ship for conducting naval combat, disrupting enemy sea communications, etc. Appeared in the 60s and 70s of the 19th century. Until the middle of the 20th century, tower artillery (6 9 guns of caliber 203 280 mm) was the main weapon. ... ... Marine Biographical Dictionary

This term has other meanings, see Cruiser (clipper). Cruiser Aurora ... Wikipedia

- (Dutch kruiser, from kruisen to sail by the sea, to cruise) a combat surface ship designed to combat the light forces of the enemy fleet, defend formations of warships and convoys, ensure the landing of amphibious assault forces, fire ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Books

• Cruiser "Zabiyaka", S. D. Klimovsky. The cruiser "Zabiyaka" became the first specially built cruiser in the domestic fleet. At the time - in the late 70s of the XIX century. - it was considered one of the fastest ships in the world. ...