Nanuchka-class corvette

Project 1234 Ovod (NATO code Nanuchka-I) class corvette
Class overview
Operators:	Soviet Navy  Russian Navy  Algerian National Navy  Indian Navy  Libyan Navy Libyan People's Army
General characteristics
Type:	Missile corvette
Displacement:	560 long tons (569 t) standard, 660 long tons (671 t) full load
Length:	59.3 m (194.6 ft)
Beam:	12.6 m (41.3 ft)
Draught:	2.4 m (7.9 ft)
Draft:	2.7 m [1]
Propulsion:	3 shaft Diesels, 30,000 hp (22,371 kW)
Speed:	32 knots (59 km/h)
Range:	2,500 nautical miles (4,630 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h); 900 nmi (1,667 km) at 30 kn (56 km/h)
Complement:	60
Sensors and processing systems:	Radar: Band Stand fire control Bass Tilt Peel Pair surface search Pop group
Armament:	6 SS-N-9 SSM (2x3) or 4 x SS-N-2 (export ships) 1 SA-N-4 SAM (1x2) - 20 missiles Twin 57mm AK-257 gun (I) or 1 x 76mm AK-176 gun (III) 1 x 30mm AK-630 gun (III)

The Nanuchka class was the NATO reporting name for a series of corvettes or small missile ships built for the Soviet Navy and export customers between 1969 and 1981. The Soviet designation was Project 1234 Ovod (Gadfly) Small Missile Ship.

Variants

These ships were designed around the P-120 Malakhit ("Siren") anti ship missile. Export versions used the P-15 Termit ("Styx") missile. Unlike smaller missile boats, both carry SA-N-4 ("Gecko") SAMs for self-defence. The original Nanuchka I carried a twin 57mm AK-257 main gun, replaced by a 76mm AK-176 in the Nanuchka III. The latter also has a rotary 30mm AK-630 point-defence gun to bolster its protection against missile attack.

Service record

Reportedly the Mirazh, a Nanuchka III corvette, sank a Georgian vessel during an attempted attack on Russian ships off Abkhazia on 10 August 2008.^[2]

Ships

Soviet Navy

• Nanuchka I (Project 1234) - 17 boats - retired in the 1990s, except Musson which was sunk in error by an SSM during an exercise in 1987 (27 fatalities)
• Nanuchka III (Project 1234.1) - 18 boats - about 11 still in service with the Russian Navy
• Nanuchka IV (project 1234.2) - 1 boat Nakat - in Russian Navy service. Trial vessel for P-800 Oniks ASHM

Export customers

• Algeria - 3 ships delivered 1980-81 in service
• India - 3 ships known as the Durg class, last ship decommissioned in 2004.
• Libya - 4 ships delivered 1981-83; Ain Zaquit sunk by US aircraft 24 March 1986 and replaced by a new ship from the USSR.
• Free Libyan Army - 1 ship captured in 2011 from the Libyan Navy

Ship list

According to S.S. Berezhnoy: Malye...; see full reference just below

Name	Laid	Launched	Entered service	Fleet	Withdrawn
Projekt 1234 (Nanuchka I)
Burya (Буря), by 1970: MRK-3	Jan. 13, 1967	Oct. 10, 1968	Sept. 30, 1970	Black	Feb. 11 1991
Briz (Бриз), by 1970 MRK-7	Nov. 5 1967	Oct. 10 1969	Dec. 31 1970	Black, Pac	Oct. 29 1992
Vikhr (Вихрь)	21. 08. 1967	22. 07. 1970	30. 09. 1971	Black, Pac	05. 07. 1994
Volna (Волна)	27. 09. 1968	20. 07. 1971	31. 12. 1971	Balt, North	30. 06. 1993
Grad (Град)	29. 11. 1967	30. 04. 1972	30. 09. 1972	Balt	30. 06. 1993
Groza (Гроза)	09. 01. 1969	26. 07. 1972	26. 12. 1972	Balt, Black	1992
Grom (Гром)	01. 10. 1969	29. 10. 1972	28. 12. 1972	Balt, Black	24. 05. 1995
Zarnica (Зарница)	27. 07. 1970	28. 04. 1973	18. 09. 1973	Black	in service 1998
Molniya (Молния)	30. 09. 1971	27. 08. 1973	28. 12. 1973	Balt	?
Shkval (Шквал)	17. 05. 1972	28. 12. 1973	14. 06. 1974	Balt	1988 reserve
Zaria (Заря)	18. 10. 1972	18. 05. 1974	28. 09. 1974	North	05. 07. 1994
Myetyel (Метель)	19. 02. 1973	10. 08. 1974	08. 12. 1974	North	16. 03. 1998
Shtorm (Шторм)	20. 10. 1973	03. 03. 1975	15. 06. 1975	Balt	16. 03. 1998
Raduga (Радуга)	16. 01. 1974	20. 06. 1975	01. 12. 1975	Balt	05. 07. 1994
Burun (Бурун)	1975	1977	30. 12. 1977	North, Balt	?
Tsiklon (Циклон)	22. 09. 1973	24. 05. 1977	31. 12. 1977	Pac	17. 01. 1995
Vyetyer (Ветер)	27. 02. 1976	21. 04. 1978	30. 09. 1978	North	04. 08. 1995 (possibly 1234.1?)
Aysberg (Айсберг)	11. 11. 1976	20. 04. 1979	30. 09. 1979	North	? (possibly 1234.1?)
Tucha (Туча)	04. 05. 1977	29. 04. 1980	31. 07. 1980	North	in service 1995 (possibly 1234.1?)
Musson (Муссон)	14. 07. 1975	01. 07. 1981	30. 12. 1981	Pac	sunk 16. 4. 1987 (possibly 1234.1?)
Uragan (Ураган)	01. 08. 1980	27. 05. 1983	30. 09. 1983	North	? (possibly 1234.1?)
Projekt 1234.1 (Nanuchka III)
Tayfun (Тайфун)	10. 05. 1974	14. 08. 1979	30. 12. 1979	Pac	04. 08. 1995
Zyb’ (Зыбь), from 1982 Komsomolets Mordovii (Комсомолец Мордовии), from 1992 Shtil (Штиль)	28. 06. 1976	23. 10. 1978	31. 12. 1978	Black	in service 2006
Priboy (Прибой)	25. 11. 1978	20. 04. 1984	30. 11. 1984	North	?
Smerch (Смерч)	16. 11. 1981	16. 11. 1984	30. 12. 1984	Pac	in service Feb 2014
Priliv (Прилив)	29. 04. 1982	26. 04. 1985	31. 10. 1985	Balt	?
Livien’ (Ливень), from 1987 XX Syezd VLKSM (XX Съезд ВЛКСМ), from 1992 Iney (Иней)	06. 07. 1983	05. 10. 1986	25. 12. 1987	Pac	?
Mirazh (Мираж)	30. 08. 1983	19. 08. 1986	30. 12. 1986	Black	in service 2008
Meteor (Метеор)	13. 11. 1984	16. 09. 1987	31. 12. 1987	Balt	in service 1996
Rassvyet (Рассвет)	29. 09. 1986	22. 08. 1988	28. 12. 1988	North	in service 1995
Zyb’ (Зыбь) (II)	26. 08. 1986	28. 02. 1989	26. 09. 1989	Balt	in service 2011
Geyzer (Гейзер)	21. 12. 1987	28. 08. 1989	27. 12. 1989	Balt	in service 2011
Moroz (Мороз)	17. 02. 1985	23. 09. 1989	30. 12. 1989	Pac	in service 1999
Razliv (Разлив)	01. 11. 1986	24. 08. 1991	31. 12. 1991	Pac	in service 1999
Passat (Пассат)	27. 05. 1988	13. 06. 1990	06. 12. 1990	Balt	?
Livien’ (Ливень) (II)	28. 09. 1988	08. 05. 1991	25. 10. 1991	Balt	?
Perekat (Перекат)	1988	-	-	-	not completed
Projekt 1234.7 (Nanuchka IV)
Nakat (Накат)	04. 11. 1982	16. 04. 1987	30. 09. 1987	Pac	?

Fleets: Baltic Fleet, Northern Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, Pacific Fleet

Initial name	Laid	Launched	First commissioned	End user
Projekt 1234E (Nanuchka II)
Uragan	31. 05. 1974	16. 04. 1976	30. 09. 1976	1977 → India "Vijay Durg"
Priboy	22. 01. 1975	02. 10. 1976	18. 02. 1977	1977 → India "Sindhu Durg"
Priliv	23. 06. 1975	14. 04. 1977	20. 09. 1977	1978 → India "Hos Durg"
MRK-21	10. 03. 1978	28. 08. 1979	31. 12. 1979	04. 07. 1980 → Algeria "Ras Hamidou"
MRK-23	17. 08. 1978	31. 07. 1980	31. 10. 1980	09. 02. 1981 → Algeria "Salah Reis"
МRK-9	21. 04. 1979	10. 01. 1981	27. 05. 1981	1981 → Libya "Ean Mara"
MRK-22	04. 04. 1980	13. 08. 1981	30. 11. 1981	08. 05. 1982 → Algeria "Reis All"
МRK-24	20. 02. 1981	26. 03. 1982	31. 05. 1982	1983 → Libya "Ean Al Gazala"
MRK-25	27. 05. 1981	21. 07. 1982	31. 05. 1983	1984 → Libya "Ean Zara"
MRK-15	25. 03. 1983	31. 03. 1984	10. 09. 1984	1985 → Libya "Ean Zaquit", sunk 25. 03. 1986

See also

• List of ships of the Soviet Navy
• List of ships of Russia by project number

References

1. Couhat Jean. Combat Fleets of the world 1982/1983 Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament Paris: Editions Maritimes et d'Outre-Mer, 1981 ISBN 0-87021-125-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-50192 Pg.2
2. Russia's Mirazh corvette returns to Sevastopol naval base

• Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Conway's all the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-605-1. OCLC 34284130. Also published as Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław. Conway's all the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. OCLC 34267261.
• Berezhnoy, S.S.; Бережной, С.С.. Malye protivolodochnye i malye raketnye korabli VMF SSSR i Rossii (Малые противолодочные и малые ракетные корабли ВМФ СССР и России). Morskaya Kollektsya no. 2/2001 (in Russian). Moscow: Zhurnal Modelist-konstruktor. OCLC 48149340.
• "Project 1234 Nanuchka class Guided Missile Corvette". Federation of American Scientists. 2000-09-07. Retrieved 2008-01-16.
• "Guided Missile Corvette Shtil'". SevPortal. Retrieved 2008-01-16. External link in |publisher= (help); page includes photos
• "Guided Missile Corvette Mirazh". SevPortal. Retrieved 2008-01-16. External link in |publisher= (help); page includes photos
• All Nanuchka Class Corvettes - Complete Ship List

Gallery

• 
  Export Nanuchka II class corvette moored in Leningrad (i.e., Saint Petersburg). Photo was taken in July 1983
• 
• 
  Libyan Nanuchka II burns after being hit 25 March 1986
• 
  A port beam view of a Soviet Nanuchka I .