Project 1164 - Slava Class Guided Missile Cruisers

The Slava class was designed as a surface strike ship with some anti-air and ASW capability. This smaller contemporary of the Kirov may have been intended as a less-expensive complement to the larger ships. The sixteen SS-N-12 Sandbox anti-ship missiles are mounted in four pairs on either side of the superstructure, giving the ship a distinctive appearance. Many sources credit the Slava with the ability to carry nuclear armed SA-N-6 surface-to-air missiles, and 21-inch nuclear torpedoes, in addition to the SS-N-12. Soviet sources denied that the SA-N-6 missiles on the ship was even nuclear capable. They also indicated that the crane aboard the ship was used for handling boats, and not for loading or reloading SA-N-6 missiles, a procedure accomplished only at portside.

Project 1164

Initially designated Black Com1 by Western intelligence and subsequently the Krasina class , the first Slava class cruiser became operational in 1983, and by 1990 three were in the fleet, with the third beginning sea trials in August 1989. Some sources suggest that the Soviet Navy intended to build as many as 21 units of this class, which would have enabled the Soviets to replace the Kynda and Kresta classes as they retired in the 1990s. But such plans were not evident in actual Cold War era building activity. The low priority attached to this class was evident from the unusually long construction period of the units completed by the end of the Cold War, and the fact that only four units were laid down. The design is said to be marred by large quantities of flammable material and poor damage-control capabilities. Some sources suggest that as many as two additional units began construction before the end of the Cold War, but the status of these hulls is unclear, and there is no indication of plans to complete them.