Abstract
The offshore defence force is a large, distinctive and important part of the Soviet Navy which is intended primarily for operations in local waters. It comprises about 1,200 frigates and minor combatants of various kinds with a collective displacement tonnage something in excess of 450,000 tons. Since this represents about one-sixth of the Navy’s overall tonnage, the offshore defence force plainly deserves more attention than it usually gets from the West.
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Notes and References
Baker (1980).
W. Hadeler, ‘The Ships of the Soviet Navy’ in Saunders (1958) p. 156.
‘Soviet Expansion’ in Navy International, January 1973, p. 11.
‘Fast Patrol Boats: Political Instruments of the USSR’ in Defence Electronics, September 1978, p. 74.
Jane’s Fighting Ships (JFS) for 1985–6 lists 71. The West German Ministry of Defence lists 68 for January 1987 in Jane’s Defence Weekly, 27 June 1987.
The dates are those of completion for first-in-class according to JFS. 1981–2.
Vice-Adm. Sumner Shapiro, US Navy, quoted in ‘US Navy Intelligence Looks at the Soviet Fleet’ in Maritime Defence, April 1981, pp. 109–10.
Interestingly JFS for 1980–1 lists these ships as cruisers, but more recent editions has them as destroyers.
Khrushchev quoted in MccGwire (1973a) p. 282.
J. G. Hibbits, ‘Admiral Gorshkov’s Writings: Twenty Years of Naval Thought’ in Murphy (1978) p. 18.
This is one of the main arguments in Herrick (1968).
Thus the criticisms of Rep. Claring Cannon in 1959, quoted in Polmar (1974) p. 146.
A. Eremenko, ‘Strategic and Political Significance of Military Bases’, November 1960, quoted in Herrick (1968) p. 121.
Quoted in Martin (1970) p. 49.
Kennedy (1979) pp. 50–2.
Quoted by Hibbits in Murphy (1978) p. 19.
I. Korotkin et al., Avianostsy, 1964 and article by Rear-Adm. V. Lisiutin in Morskoi Sbornik, March 1965, analysed by O. Smolansky, ‘Soviet Policy towards Aircraft Carriers’ in MccGwire and McDonnell (1977).
Adm. of the Fleet V. Kasatonov (first deputy commander-in-chief of the Soviet Navy) quoted by Polmar (1974) p. 178; Vice-Adm. K. A. Stalbo, ‘Aircraft Carriers in the Post War World’ in Morskoi Sbornik, June 1978, analysed in Daniel (1979a) pp. 6–7.
For the strong position of the Tsarist Navy in maritime aviation, see Martin (1970) and Layman and Drashpil (1971).
The debate between Vice-Admiral K. A. Stalbo and Rear-Admiral A. Pushkin is to be found in the pages of Morskoi Sbornik in June 1978, September 1979 and June 1980. For Admiral Amelko’s comment see Narodna Armiya 14 June 1983.
Dygalo, V. A., ‘Air defence of ship groupings’, Voennaya Mysl’ October 1978.
Vice-Admiral Lee Baggett, then Director of Naval Warfare, testimony before US Senate Subcommittee on Seapower, 26 February 1985. Hearings on Appropriations for FY 1986, p. 4402.
Gorshkov, quoted in Watson (1978) p. 96.
Gorshkov (1979) pp. 167–9. This last point in particular is distinctly un-American. Although Gorshkov purported to describe US motivations, he was plainly dealing with Soviet ones.
MccGwire (1973a) pp. 201–4.
MccGwire (1968) p. 149.
As, for instance, in Robert McNamara (the US Secretary of Defense) 16 June 1962, in his celebrated speech at Ann Arbor, Michigan.
K. J. Moore et al., ‘Developments in Submarine Systems’ in MccGwire and McDonnell (1977) pp. 159–60; Clawson (1980).
W. Schilling, ‘US Strategic Nuclear Concepts in the 1970s’ in O’Neill (1981) pp. 35–6.
K. J. Moore et al., op. cit., pp. 151–2.
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See ‘Soviets Score Silent Success in Undersea Race With US’, Washington Post, 17 July 1987. Tyushkevich, S. A., The Soviet Armed Forces: A History of Their Organisational Development. Translated and Published by the US Air Force, 1978.
It should be noted however that Soviet satellites are generally reckoned to be inferior in performance and certainly have a shorter life than those of the United States.
Quoted in O’Neil (1977) p. 26.
Gorshkov (1979) pp. 201–2.
Ibid.
Quoted in Cliffe (1971).
Gorshkov (1979) pp. 197–8.
Daniel (1978a).
See R. B. Remnek, ‘The Politics of Soviet Access to Naval Support Facilities in the Mediterranean’ in Dismukes and McConnell (1979) pp. 357–92; Weinland (1978); and Watson (1978) pp. 403ff.
Krasnaya Zvyezda, 11 December 1985.
See for instance the article of that title, Daily Telegraph, 24 May 1981.
Rear Admiral T. S. Schlomin, ‘Military Science and the Navy,’ Morskoi Sbornik, April 1983.
Ruge (1979) pp. 193–5.
J. French, ‘The Soviet Navy: Achievements and Problems’ in Navy International, April 1972.
Gorshkov (1979) pp. 185, 197, 209–10.
Quoted in Manthorpe (1976) pp. 208–9.
Manthorpe (1978) p. 132.
The full story of the Mutiny was revealed in a master’s thesis by Lt-Cmdr Gregory Young of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey in 1982. See Seapower February, 1985 and Guardian 17 February 1985.
Testimony of Rear-Admiral John Butts, Director of Naval Intelligence, 26 February 1985 before US Senate Subcommittee on Seapower. Hearings on Appropriations for FY 1986, p. 4402. For a description of the Yankee incident and a list of other accidents see Sunday Times 5 October 1986.
Admiral V. N. Chernarvin, Morskoi Sbornik, No. 1, 1984 and No. 1, 1986.
Admiral V. M. Grishanov, Man and Sea Warfare (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1978) pp. 21 and 67.
‘Pacifism in Red Army’ in The Guardian, 21 May 1982; Gorshkov, quoted in Manthorpe (1976) p. 208.
Pravda, 25 July 1976.
J. P. Riva, ‘Soviet Offshore Oil and Gas’ in US Government (1976) p. 485.
See M. D. Davidchik and R. B. Mahoney, ‘Soviet Civil Fleets and the Third World’ in Dismukes and McConnell (1979). Also figures presented by K. A. Moore of the General Council of British Shipping at a Soviet Navy Seminar held at King’s College, London, 22 October 1980.
Ibid.
Rees (1977) p. 47.
See Athay (1971) and his ‘Perspectives on Soviet Merchant Shipping Policy’ in MccGwire (1973a).
C. C. Petersen, ‘Trends in Soviet Naval Operations’ in Dismukes and McConnell (1979), p. 61.
Blackman (1981).
Dunn (1980).
MccGwire (1973a) p. 142.
MccGwire (1976a).
The source for this is the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Soviet Shipbuilding Deliveries 1961–75 of 20 May 1976.
These figures are loosely based on JFS for the years in question.
Understanding Soviet Naval Developments, Washington D.C.: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Department of the Navy, 1985. p. 79.
See ‘Soviets Score Silent Success in Undersea Race with US’, Washington Post, 17 July 1987, Admiral Watkins, Proceedings of the US Naval Institute, August 1983, p. 23.
Boris S. Butman, Soviet Shipbuilding and Ship Repair; An overview Arlington, VA: Spectrum Associates, 1986.
MccGwire (1976a).
Jordan (1977).
Kehoe (1975) and Breemer (1981).
Gabaglio (1977).
Testimony of Rear Admiral John Butts, 26 February 1985 before US Senate Subcommittee on Seapower, Hearings on Appropriations for FY 1986, p. 4367.
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© 1989 Bryan Ranft and Geoffrey Till
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Ranft, B., Till, G. (1989). The Soviet Navy: an Inventory. In: The Sea in Soviet Strategy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-09464-6_6
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