Poti-class corvette

Designated Maly Protivo Lodochny Korabl (Russian: Small Anti-submarine Ship) by the Soviet Navy, Project 204 (NATO reporting name Poti class) was the first class of corvettes not based on the traditional World War II anti-submarine (ASW) design constructed by the Soviets. The Poti class reversed a trend of smaller ships, being larger than the preceding {{sclass2|Kronshtadt|submarine chaser|5}} and {{sclass2|SO1|submarine chaser|4}}es, which allowed the vessels to mount larger guns.{{sfn|Moore|1975|pp=121–122}} The Poti class were also the first large Soviet warships to incorporate gas turbines and were the fastest ASW warships ever constructed by them.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=415}}

Corvettes of Poti class measured {{convert|59.4|m|ftin}} long with a beam of {{convert|7.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and a draught of {{convert|2.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. They had a standard displacement of {{convert|500|LT|t|0|order=flip|lk=on}} and {{convert|580|LT|t|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} fully loaded. The ships were powered by a two shaft combined diesel and gas propulsion system consisting of two M-2 gas turbines creating {{convert|30000|shp|kW|lk=on|order=flip}} and two M503A diesel engines creating {{cvt|8000|bhp|lk=on|order=flip}}. The two propellers were mounted in thrust tubes which extended the length of the prop. The gas turbines exhausted through ports in the transom and were also used to power air compressors which exhausted into the thrust tubes to create extra thrust. The power plant was similar to those found in the {{sclass2|Mirka|frigate|4}}. This gave the ships a maximum speed of {{convert|38|kn|lk=in}} and a range of {{convert|4500|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}} or {{cvt|520|nmi}} at {{convert|37|kn}}.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=415}}

In Soviet service, the corvettes were armed with a single turret mounted forward comprising twin {{convert|57|mm|adj=on}}/80 dual-purpose guns.{{sfn|Sharpe|1991|p=71}}{{sfn|Couhat|1986|p=540}}{{efn|The /80 after the calibre denotes the length of the gun. This means that the length of the gun barrel is 80 times the bore diameter.}} Some of the earlier Soviet ships had open mounts, with later units having closed units.{{sfn|Couhat|1986|p=540}} The guns had 85 degree elevation and could fire a {{convert|2.8|kg|adj=on}} shell to a range of {{convert|6|km}} up to 120 rounds per minute.{{sfn|Sharpe|1991|p=71}} They were also equipped with either twin-mounted or quad-mounted {{cvt|16|in|mm|order=flip|0}} torpedo tubes for Soviet Type 40 ASW torpedoes.{{sfn|Sharpe|1991|p=71}}{{sfn|Couhat|1986|p=540}} The torpedoes had active/passive homing up to {{cvt|8|nmi}} and had a speed of {{convert|40|kn}} and carried a {{cvt|100|-|150|kg}} warhead.{{sfn|Sharpe|1991|p=71}} The first units constructed mounted two 16-tubed RBU-2500 ASW rocket launchers, with later vessels receiving two 12-tubed RBU-6000 ASW models.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=415}}

The Soviet Poti class were equipped with Don 2 surface search radar, Strut Curve air search radar, Muff Cobb fire control radar.{{sfn|Couhat|1986|p=540}}{{efn|Gardiner, Chumbley & Budzbon state the vessels also mounted Spin Through radar.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=415}}}} They also had one hull-mounted high-frequency Herkules sonar and one Hormone dipping sonar. For electronic countermeasures, the corvettes had two Watch Dog units. The corvettes had a complement of 80 officers and ratings in Soviet service.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=415}}{{efn|Couhat has a complement of 40.{{sfn|Couhat|1986|p=540}}}}

File:MPKpr204(DN-SN-84-01765).jpg

A total of 66 ships were built between 1960 and 1968. In the Soviet Union the Poti-class corvettes were decommissioned by the late 1980s and replaced in service by the {{sclass2|Pauk|corvette|1}}s.{{sfn|Couhat|1986|p=540}}

Builders were:{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=415}}

• Kerch yard 24 ships
• Zelenodolsk yard : 32 ships
• Khabarovsk yard: 8 ships

Following World War II, Bulgaria entered the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. By the 1950s, the Bulgarian military had been re-organised along Soviet lines and equipped with Soviet armaments. In 1955, Bulgaria acquired Kronstahdt-class submarine chasers to outfit their ASW forces. Bulgaria required replacements for these ships as they became obsolete and six Poti-class ships were transferred between 1975 and 1990 to the Bulgarian Navy.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|pp=37–38}} The former Soviet numbers of most of the individual ships are not known, but it is known that MPK-59, MPK-77 and MPK-109 were among the ships given to Bulgaria. By 2008, all of Bulgaria's Poti-class corvettes had been discarded.{{sfn|Wertheim|2013|p=71}}

Post World War II, Romania fell into the Soviet Union's sphere of influence and joined the Warsaw Pact. However, by the beginning of 1964 Romania began to diverge from Soviet direction and as a result, saw limited military support afterwards, with the rift between the two countries widening in 1968 after the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Three ships were transferred to the Romanian Navy in 1970.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|pp=323–324}} The Romanian ships carried the older RBU-2500 ASW rocket launchers and twin {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes using Soviet Type 53 torpedoes.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=325}}{{sfn|Sharpe|1991|p=468}} All three ships were constructed at Zelenodolsk and were transferred upon completion.{{sfn|Gardiner|Chumbley|Budzbon|1995|p=325}} The former Soviet numbers of the individual ships are not known, but it is known that MPK-106 and MPK-125 were among the ships given to Romania.

• List of ships of the Soviet Navy
• List of ships of Russia by project number

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book |editor-last=Couhat |editor-first=Jean Labayle |year=1986 |title=Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=0-85368-860-5}}
• {{cite book |editor-last1=Gardiner |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Chumbley |editor-first2=Stephen |editor-last3=Budzbon |editor-first3=Przemysław |name-list-style=amp |year=1995 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-132-7}}
• {{cite book |last=Moore |first=John E. |year=1975 |title=The Soviet Navy Today |publisher=MacDonald & Jane's |location=London |isbn=0-356-08335-7}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Sharpe |editor-first=Richard |title= Jane's Fighting Ships 1991–92 |year=1991 |url= https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00rich |publisher=Jane's Information Group |edition=94 |location=Surrey, United Kingdom |isbn=0-7106-0960-4 |url-access= registration}}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Wertheim |editor-first=Eric |year=2013 |title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World |edition=16th |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=9-7-815911-4954-5}}

{{Commons category|MPK-15 class small ASW ship}}

• {{cite web |url=http://russianships.info/eng/warships/project_204.htm |title=Russian Project 204 - Complete Ship List |website=russianships.info }}
• [http://vimpel.boinaslava.net/index.php?module=bg_pr204 boinaslava.net]

{{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poti-class corvette}}

Category:Corvette classes

Category:Corvettes of the Soviet Navy

Category:Corvettes of the Bulgarian Navy

Category:Corvettes of the Romanian Naval Forces