Russia: Zvezdochka Shipyard to Lay Down Seagoing Armament Support Ship

Project 20180TV seagoing armament support ship Akademik Kovalev will be laid down at Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center in Severodvinsk on Dec 20, 2012 at 11 am, told a source in the shipyard to Central Navy Portal.

Among guests invited to the solemn keel-laying ceremony are Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief  Vladimir Vysotsky, president of JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation Roman Trotsenko, director general and chief designer of Almaz Central Design Bureau Alexander Shlyakhtenko, representatives of defense ministry and other central control facilities, city authorities of Severodvinsk. Representative delegation fr om Rubin Central Design Bureau, the place wh ere academician Sergei Kovalev used to work, is expected to arrive as well. His son Alexei is invited individually.

The new ship will be named in honor of Sergei N. Kovalev, general designer of Soviet nuclear-powered submarines, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, academician of Russian Academy of Science, laureate of the Lenin Prize and State Prize of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, a man who made priceless contribution in strengthening of national defense power.

Project 20180TV seagoing armament support ship is designed for delivery of various arms and ammunitions to warships and submarines.

Basic technical characteristics of the ship:

– length – 107.6 meters
– beam overall – 17.8 meters
– full-load displacement – 6,300 tons
– crew – 60 men

The ship is equipped with heliport for Ka-27-class helicopters.

The project was developed by Almaz Central Design Bureau (St. Petersburg) on the basis of rescue tug Zvezdochka built by the same-named shipyard in Severodvinsk and put in service in 2010.

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Naval Today Staff, December 16, 2011; Image: submarine