Project 1143.5
Kuznetsov class
Drawings:
Ships:
Riga - Black Sea SY, Nikolayev - serial no. 105 - laid down 1.4.82 - launched 6.12.85 - completed 25.12.90; 18.2.82 renamed Sovetskiy Soyuz; 18.2.83 renamed Leonid Brezhnev; 11.8.87 renamed Tbilisi; 4.10.90 renamed Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov; 21.10 to 23.11.89 (while only at 82-86% readiness) landing trials were conducted using Su-27K (20 landings), MiG-29K (13 landings) and Su-25UTG (2 landings); 25.5 to 31.7.90 and 1.8 to 4.10.90 extensive aircraft tests (454 flights with Su-27K, MiG-29K, Su-25UTG, Ka-27, Ka-29 and Ka-32); 1.12 to 20.12.91 sailed from Sevastopol to Vidyaevo - now attached to the 43rd Missile Ship Division; the Su-27K (Su-33) air group was finally ready 9.94, after having completed a Northern Fleet exercise, where several La-17 drones were shot down at long range; 11.94 to 5.95 the boilers were repaired; 23.12.95 to 22.3.96 operations in the Mediterranean, together with EM "Besstrashnyy", SKR "Pylkiy", submarine "Volk", tankers "Dnestr", "Olekma", "Ivan Bubnov", "Shakhter" and tug "SB-406" - carried 12 Su-33, 2 Su-25UTG and 11 Ka-27, Ka-27PS and Ka-29 (524 aircraft sorties and 996 helicopter sorties) - visited Tartus, Syria (2.2 to 3.2.96) and La Valetta, Malta (17.2 to 18.2.96) - suffered boiler failures during the mission, about half where unusable; 8.4 to 15.7.96 repairs at SRZ-35, Rosta; 1996 to 1999 local exercises and training with the Su-25KUB aircraft; second tour to the Mediterranean was planned for October 2000, but was cancelled after the submaine "Kursk" sank - instead repairs and modifications were conducted at SRZ-35 in Rosta - completed 9.2004; 27.9.04 to 24.10.04 operations in the Northern Atlantic, together with TAVKR "Peter Velikiy", RKR "Marshal Ustinov", BPK "Severomorsk", "Admiral Levchenko", EM "Admiral Ushakov", tanker "Sergey Osipov" and recue tug "Altay"; 8.05 to 9.05 operations in the Northern Atlantic; 5.12.2007 left Severomorsk, together with BPK "Admiral Levchenko", "Admiral Chabanenko", supply ships "Nikolay Chiker" and "Sergey Osipov" - 15.12.2007 joined in the Atlantic by tankers "Lena" and "Kola" - 28.12.2007 sailed through Gibraltar - joined by tankers "Iman" and "Ivan Bubnov" in the Mediterranean - 4.1 to 7.1.2008 BPK "Admiral Levchenko" visited Tripoli, Libya - 12.1.2008 joined by RKR "Moskva" - 14.1 to 17.1.2008 BPK "Admiral Chabanenko" visited Toulon, France - returned to the Atlantic Ocean - 21.1 to 23.1.2008 exercise in the Atlantic - 25.1 to 28.1.2008 RKR "Moskva" visited Lisbon, Portugal - 2.2008 returned to Severomorsk
Riga - Black Sea SY, Nikolayev - serial no. 106 - laid down 6.12.85 - launched 25.11.88; construction stopped 12.91; 19.6.90 renamed "Varyag"; 11.91 payment from the Ministry of Defence was stopped, and work was suspended 12.91 - 68% complete at this time - planned completion date was late 1993/early 1994 for the Pacific Fleet; 4.93 the Russian government delared ready to continue with the construction, but no action were taken; 6.95 an agreement were signed between the Russian and Ukrainian government, which led to the hulk being taken over by the contruction yard; 25.5.98 sold to an entertainment company in Macao; 14.5.2000 towed from Nikolayev, but held up at the Bosphorus Strait for 1.5 years after the Turkish government stopped the transfer through the strait; finally arrived in Daolyan, China in 3.2002
