Venerable Russian warship, damaged in sea drone attack, had been ‘one of Russia’s best’
After almost 50 years of service, the prize landing ship of Russia’s Northern Fleet, the Olenegorsky Gornyak, may be headed for an inglorious retirement — if not the bottom of Novorossiysk Bay.
Dramatic footage circulating on social media on Aug. 4 showed the view from the onboard camera of a Ukrainian sea attack drone as it raced, apparently undetected, towards the port (left) side of the Russian warship as it sailed near the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The video cuts out just as the drone reaches the side of the Russian warship. According to Ukraine’s SBU security service, which says it organized this special operation together with the Ukrainian Navy, the drone was armed with a warhead of 450 kilograms of TNT.
But the video footage of the attack on the Olenegorsky Gornyak appears to prove the Russian claims false — there is no sign of any fire being directed at the drone as it approaches and apparently strikes the warship.
Read also: Audacious Ukrainian sea drone attack at Novorossiysk leaves Russian warship listing badly
And video and pictures of the warship, listing heavily to port and apparently being towed by tug boats, also tell another story. The vessel, which has a crew of almost 100, appears to be in danger of sinking, the deck on its port side almost tilting to the level of the water.
The videos and photos appear to indicate that one or more compartments on the port side of the vessel have been flooded.
The large amphibious assault ship, a Project 775 or Ropucha-class landing ship is the pride of the 121st Amphibious Assault Brigade of Russia’s Northern Fleet.
It was built in Gdansk, Poland and entered the fleet in 1976. At first it was called SDK-91, and then BDK-91. Since 2000, it has been called the Olenegorsky Gornyak, as the Olenegorsk Mining and Processing Plant took over patronage of the ship.
In 2007, it was named the best landing ship of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation.
Read also: Russian occupiers in Ukraine’s Crimea claim 13 drones attacked peninsula overnight
The 47-year-old ship has been repeatedly repaired, and in 2016 it underwent a complete refitting and modernization.
The Olenegorsky Gornyak is armed with two twin 57 mm AK-725 naval cannons, two Grad-M multiple rocket launchers and four Strela-2 portable anti-aircraft missile launchers. It can carry up to 500 tons of equipment and cargo, along with 225 fully-armed paratroopers.
The large amphibious assault ship has a crew of 87 and a speed of up to 18 knots, with a range of 6,000 miles at 12 knots. The length of the Russian vessel is 112.5 meters, its width 15 meters, and its draft — 3.7 meters.
The Olenegorsky Gornyak was one of five Ropucha-class landing ships that Russia sailed into the Black Sea in February 2022 to support its full-scale invasion and war on Ukraine. However, Russian invasion forces met stiff resistance by troops in Ukraine, and Moscow was never able to launch any amphibious assaults on the Ukrainian coast.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
