Krasny Kavkaz

"Krasny Kavkaz" (from Russian: "Красный Кавказ" - "Red Caucasus") was a Soviet cruiser built during World War I.

History

Laid down on October 18 1913 at the Rossud Dockyard as "Admiral Lazarev" for the Imperial Russian Navy as a unit of the "Svetlana" class cruisers, she was launched on June 8 1916. Construction was abandoned in 1917 after the Russin revolution when the ship was 63% complete. The hull was relatively undamaged and the Soviets decided to finish the ship to a modified design. December 14 1926. She was renamed "Krasny Kavkaz" on December 14 1926, and completed to a modernised design, being commissioned on January 25 1932. Her armament of four 180 mm guns would have placed her as a heavy cruiser according to London Naval Treaty, but the USSR was not a part of this treaty. In 1933 the cruiser visited the ports of Turkey, Greece and Italy.

During World War II under the command of officers A. M. Guschin and V. N. Yeroshenko it fought against Germans in Sevastopol, Odessa, Theodosia and Novorossiysk. She was severely damaged by German bombing in January 1942 and paid off in 1954. She was sunk as a target ship by SS-N-1 missiles in June 1952.

External links

* [http://shipandship.chat.ru/military/c002.htm Ship's history (in Russian)]
* [http://flot.sevastopol.info/ship/cruiser/krasniy_kavkaz.htm Cruiser "Krasny Kavkaz" from Black Sea fleet (in Russian, with photos)]
* [http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=102181 - article in Russian from Encyclopedia of Ships]

Bibliography

* А. В. Скворцов. Крейсер "Красный Кавказ"
* M.J Whitley, Cruisers of World War 2, 1995