The crew of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov is likely happy to be home after an extended deployment to the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. After five months, the warship has returned to its homeport of Severomorsk.

“Today the large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov has completed its long-distance deployment tasks and arrived at the Northern Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk,” the Fleet’s press office announced via Tass on Thursday.

“The warship returned together with the medium sea tanker Akademik Pashin and the rescue tug Altai,” the press office added. “The large anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov operated in the Mediterranean Sea from August to November where it held over ten drills for hunting submarines, including in interaction with other ships of the Russian Navy.”

The commander of the Northern Fleet, Vice Admiral Alexander Moiseev, congratulated the sailors on their return from a long voyage, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported. Moiseev also noted that the Vice-Admiral Kulakov was one of the most active participants in long-distance cruises to various regions of the World Ocean and he stressed that all the tasks assigned to the crew were fulfilled with dignity. 

After departing the Mediterranean Sea, the warship’s sailors took part in assigned tasks in the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean northwest of the British Isles. British news outlets including the Daily Mail newspaper also reported that the Russian vessel was one of several that were monitored and shadowed as it transited the English Channel. The Russian warship had previously been shadowed by Royal Navy vessels in June when it began its deployment and was on route to the Mediterranean.

During the Vice-Admiral Kulako’s final stage of deployment in the Norwegian and Barents Seas, the crew took part in a number of naval exercises that included concurrently searching for submarines and employing sonar armament. Over its five-month-long deployment the ASW warship covered a distance of more than thirty thousand nautical miles and made port calls in Algeria, Greece, Cyprus and Syria. In October the warship spent three days at the Greek port of Piraeus, but due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic the crew was not permitted a shore leave, which could make the ship’s return to its homeport all the more welcome. 

During its port visits, the crew had been prescribed to comply with the sanitary regime, wear face masks and maintain social distancing while communicating with foreign colleagues.

The now-completed voyage took place under the flag of the chief of staff of the antisubmarine ships brigade of the Northern Fleet, Captain 1st Rank Stanislav Varik, who during the voyage was appointed commander of this formation. 

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the Vice-Admiral Kulakov is now operational in the Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade of the Northern Fleet's Kola Flotilla of All-Arms Forces based in Severomorsk. It has constantly participated in long-distance deployments to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea and the Arctic – and the warship is also part of the Fleet’s Arctic grouping. 

The Project 1155 Udaloy-class large ASW warship is armed with anti-submarine missile systems, rocket launchers, torpedo tubes and other types of artillery and missile armament. She also carries two Ka-27 ASW helicopters. 

The warship displaces 6,200 tons and measures 535 feet with a beam of 62 feet. Approximately three hundred sailors serve on the warship, and after five months at sea, they are all likely happy to be back home in time for the holidays. 

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. 

Image: Reuters