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The Stenka class is the NATO reporting name for a class of patrol boats built for the Soviet Navy, KGB Border Troops and Soviet Allies. The Soviet designation was Project 205P Tarantul (not to be confused with the Tarantul-class corvette). The boats are an anti-submarine patrol version of the Osa-class missile boat.
 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Stenka class |
| Builders | |
| Operators | see below |
| Built | 1967–1989 |
| In service | 1967–present |
| Completed | c. 137 (including the export Project 02059)[1] |
| Lost | 1[2] |
| General characteristics (Project 205P) | |
| Type | Patrol boat |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 39.98 m (131 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 7.91 m (25 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range | |
| Complement | 31 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
Stenka class (Project 205P) is a variant of the Osa-class missile boat (Project 205). The Stenkas used the hull of the Osa class and had a slightly larger crew. The development office of the Almaz Shipyard in Leningrad used the standardized components of the Osa class, in order to develop an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) boat. The anti-ship missile launch containers were replaced by four torpedo tubes but the anti-ship missile related structures and equipment were retained. The living spaces in the Stenkas were improved for long patrol endurance by raising the superstructure in order to create more usable space inside, compared to the Osa class. They also installed a more powerful air conditioner.[3]
The drive system is three diesel radial engines of the Zvezda M503 or M504 series with a total capacity of 12,000 PS (11,800 shp; 8,800 kW) or 15,000 PS (14,800 shp; 11,000 kW).[1]
Armament
The primary anti-submarine weapon for destroying submarines were SET-40 torpedoes. The boats have four 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes installed on the deck in the aft part of the boats, two on the port side and two on starboard side.[1]
Behind the torpedo tubes on the aft deck, in the port and starboard sides, are each one depth charge rack. Twelve depth charges, six for each rack can be carried.
As the Osa-class boats (Project 205), the Stenka-class boats (Project 205P) has two radar-controlled 30 mm AK-230 guns in twin mounts, one in the bow, the other at the rear.
One of the boats was tested with a 57 mm AK-725 gun on the bow and received a modified project number – 205PE.[4]
Sensors
The 4Ts-30-125 or later MR-220 (NATO reporting name "Peel Cone") radar is a shipboard air and surface search radar mounted on the mast with two antennas for the friend or foe identification system ("High Pole B"). The MR-104 ("Drum Tilt") fire-control radar is mounted on the rear of the superstructure for directing the fire of the two AK-230 guns. The MG-345 Bronza submarine search system on the ships consists of the MG-329 Sheksna dipping sonar with the MG-11 Tamir-11 sonar sensor mounted in the hull.[1]
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Soviet Union and post-Soviet states
A total of c. 130 boats were built between 1967 and 1989. Most of them were operated by the KGB Maritime Border Guard.[1]
The Soviet Union classified the boats of their border troops as "border patrol ships" (Russian: ПСКР, romanized: PSKR, an initialism for пограничный сторожевой корабль, pogranichniy storozhevoy korabl')[5] and the four boats in the Navy as gunboats (Russian: артиллерийский катер).[6][7] A similar allocation of boats for submarine patrol are assigned into the border guards, which is rather unusual in NATO countries, and so the Project 205P patrol boat identification is used.
- Russian Navy – 1 boat was used until 2001[a] (subsequently, c. 13 survivors were operated by the Russian Coast Guard until 2017).[8][9][10]
- Azerbaijan Navy – 5 boats.
- Ukrainian Navy – 10? boats (may be operated by the Ukrainian Sea Guard).
- Georgian Navy – 2 boats (1 – Batumi was scrapped in 2006, another – Giorgi Toreli sunk in the Battle off the coast of Abkhazia).
Export
The Project 02059 gunboats are an export version of the Stenka-class patrol boat.[1]
- Cuban Navy – 4 boats exported in 1985.
- Royal Cambodian Navy (formerly the Kampuchean Navy) – 5 boats transferred 1985–1987. Rearmed with twin Bofors 40 mm L/60 guns forward and ZU-23-2 aft, replacing the AK-230 turrets. Torpedo tubes removed.
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- Two out of the four Soviet Navy Stenka-class gunboats were transferred to Azerbaijan in 1992 and another one was decommissioned in the same year.[1]
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