The destroyer “Besstrashny” (“Fearless”), later renamed “Admiral Ushakov”, is the seventeenth and last ship of Project 956 that joined the Naval Forces of the USSR.
The ships of Project 956 “Sarych” constitute a series of Soviet destroyers of the First Rank. They are equipped with guided missiles designed for operations in the off-shore maritime and ocean zones. The vessels of the series were named after the buzzard (in Russian “sarych”), a bird of prey of the Accipitridae (hawk) family. In total, 17 ships of Project 956 were built for the Soviet and Russian Navies, even though originally the series was supposed to include 50 vessels.
The ships of this series were designed primarily to combat enemy surface forces. They are equipped with a pair of dual barrel 130 mm AK-130 guns, supersonic anti-ship missiles “Moskit” (“Mosquito”), as well as anti-aircraft artillery, 533 mm torpedoes and depth charges. Two installations of the anti-aircraft missile system “Shtil” provide air defense. This is a marine version of the land-based “Buk” system. In addition, the ships of the series 956 carry the Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter. Destroyers with a displacement of 8,000 tons are capable of reaching speeds of up to 32 knots. They can remain in autonomous operation for about a month if the crew is 350 people.
The destroyer Admiral Ushakov was laid down at Zhdanov Shipyard No. 190 in 1988, and launched three years later. In 1994, she entered service with the Russian Navy. At the same time, the ship was sent to Severomorsk. In the Northern Fleet, she was included in the 56th Destroyer Brigade of the Seventh Operational Squadron. In 2004, when the destroyer celebrated her 10th anniversary in the Navy and was renamed “Admiral Ushakov”.
The destroyer, like other ships of the series 956, encountered certain problems in operation. She has been under repair for several years. In 2018, the ship was decommissioned due to technical problems. At that time, there was even a proposal to earmark the destroyer to be scrapped for parts. However, in 2023, after the completion of repairs, the destroyer returned to service. By the late 2010s, in addition to the Admiral Ushakov, only two ships of Project 956 remained in the Russian Navy.
