NOVOCHERKASSK (BDK-46)

[john sefton]

Novocherkassk (BDK-46) was a Ropucha-class landing ship of the Russian Navy and part of the Black Sea Fleet. Named after Russian city of Novocherkassk, the ship was built in Poland and launched in 1987.
The ship was attacked twice during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, being damaged in March 2022, and attacked again in December 2023. In the second attack, the Ukrainian Air Force fired cruise missiles at the ship while the ship was at a naval base in Feodosia, Crimea. While Russian officials admitted the ship was damaged, Ukrainian Air Force officials said that the ship sustained extensive damage due to secondary explosions which would make repairs difficult. The UK Ministry of Defence assessed the ship as "completely destroyed", and the UK Defence Secretary said the ship's destruction showed "Russia’s dominance in the Black Sea is now challenged." Subsequent satellite imagery and photographs attributed to Crimean observers showed that the ship suffered extensive damage and was partially submerged in port after the attack.
Novocherkassk had a standard displacement of 3,450 t (3,400 long tons), a length of 112.5 metres (369 ft 1 in), a beam of 15 metres (49 ft 3 in), and a draft of 3.7 metres (12 ft 2 in). It had two diesel engines which gave a maximum speed of 17.8 knots (33.0 km/h; 20.5 mph), and a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). It was armed with two AK-725 57 mm artillery mounts and two 122 mm multiple rocket launch systems.
It was capable of carrying up to 500 tons of cargo and 225 embarked soldiers. Additionally, the ship could hold 10 main battle tanks, while the ship deck was able to hold 25 armored personnel carriers. In normal operating situations it had a crew of 87.
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