The Admiral Nakhimov has the distinction of being the only nuclear-powered battlecruiser in the world.
Earlier this summer, the Kremlin finally acknowledged that its flagship aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, was beyond saving. Even after years and likely tens (and perhaps hundreds) of millions of dollars were spent attempting to refurbish the warship, it was announced in July that the ship would be sold, likely for scrap. It is unimaginable that any foreign power would seek to buy it—and given Russia’s well-publicized troubles with its operations, the ship may be worth less than the sum of its parts.
By contrast, another antiquated Russian warship is set to make a grand return to service. The “battlecruiser” Admiral Nakhimov is being made ready for the “first stage of testing” in the White Sea in the coming weeks, Russian state media outlet Tass reported on Monday.
“The Admiral Nakhimov heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser has taken to the sea for shipbuilders’ sea trials,” a source with Russia’s shipbuilding industry told the state news agency. It was previously announced that the first phase of testing would begin this month.
The Return of the Admiral Nakhimov
Rumors regarding the comeback of the Admiral Nakhimov do not appear to be greatly exaggerated this time. While the Kremlin has touted its return in the past, images shared on social media on Monday confirmed the vessel finally departed the port facilities at the Sevmash shipyard.
The third battlecruiser of the Russian Navy’s Kirov class, Admiral Nakhimov, first entered service with the Soviet Navy in 1988 as the Kalinin. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992, the nuclear-powered surface combatant was renamed for the aforementioned Imperial Russian admiral Pavel Nakhimov.
Though it was developed on a voyage to the Mediterranean in 1991, after the end of the Cold War, the battlecruiser was rarely deployed and has languished in drydock since 1999. It had seemed that Moscow would retire and even scrap the vessel, but in 2006, the Kremlin announced a plan to modernize the ship. However, work only began on the warship in 2015.
A goal was set for the warship to begin sea trials by the end of 2018. When the Kremlin failed to meet that deadline and then another, questions were raised as to whether Admiral Nakhimov would return to service. Finally, in 2022, it announced that a new delivery date was set for 2023, only to be pushed back to 2024 as the demands of the Ukraine conflict diverted resources from the Russian Navy.
The 2024 deadline came and went, and as late as last fall, it seemed that the warship would never return to service. However, the Kremlin recently made a surprise announcement that the ship was able to get underway, running on auxiliary power.
Now the vessel is beginning sea trials—suggesting it could finally return to service as early as next year.
The Refitted Admiral Nakhimov Is a Modern Battlecruiser
Admiral Nakhimov has the distinction of being the only nuclear-powered battle cruiser in the world. Its two nuclear reactors were refueled, with work completed on Reactor 1 in December of last year, while Reactor 2 was activated this past February. That should give the warship unlimited range and endurance.
However, the modernization of the vessel did not address the propulsion. As The Barents Observer explained, “Although the uranium fuel is new and cooling pipes have been polished, the fundamental design of the two water-cooled reactors is the same as when the vessel was built in the mid-1980s.”
Instead of upgrading the reactor system, the focus was placed on the battlecruiser’s armament.
“Moscow appears intent on ensuring the Admiral Nakhimov can overmatch whatever NATO warship it encounters,” wrote Brandon J. Weichert for The National Interest in January.
“Thus, they are installing a whopping 60 Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles and Kalibr cruise missiles. For good measure, they’re also installing Russia’s advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile system,” Weichert added. “In effect, the Admiral Nakhimov is becoming a gigantic missile truck.”
While the battlecruiser’s offensive weapons make for a capable warship, it is still vulnerable to anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems. The same “carrier-killer” missiles that threaten any modern aircraft carrier will just as easily send this battlecruiser to the bottom of the ocean, and perhaps more easily, as it is hardly a 21st-century design.
Finally, this is not a massive increase in force projection for the Russian Navy either, as Admiral Nakhimov will simply take over the flagship role from Pyotr Velikiy, another Kirov-class battlecruiser that has been laid up in Severomorsk since 2022.
Moscow determined that it would be too costly, and likely too time-consuming, to refurbish Pyotr Velikiy. With the return of Admiral Nakhimov, the Kremlin can maintain its claim of having the largest non-carrier surface combatant in service today. Some might see that as a win. Others—the US Navy likely included—would be more inclined to see it as an enormous floating target.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
