The Ugra class was the NATO reporting name for a group of seven submarine tenders built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1960s. The Soviet designation was Project 1886. One further ship was built for the Indian Navy to a modified design. The ships were intended to provide afloat support for Soviet submarines, including supplies, water, torpedoes, fuel, and battery charging; minimal repair facilities, and were often employed as flagships/command ships for submarine squadrons. A subclass, the Borodino class, of two ships were constructed for use as training ships and lacked missiles and the ability to support submarines. Instead, the Borodino class had classrooms and training facilities.

Design and description

The Ugra class were submarine tenders of the Soviet Navy designed to support eight to twelve submarines at sea, providing them with supplies, fresh water, fuel, torpedoes and repair services. They were improved versions of the preceding Don-class submarine tender. The class, named Project 1886 by the Soviets, designated the type of ship as meaning "Floating Base". The Ugra class had extensive command and control facilities for fleet/task force commanders and were often used as flagships. Submarine tenders of the Ugra class measured 145.0 m long overall with a beam of 17.7 m and a draught of 6.4 m. They had a standard displacement of 6780 t and displaced 9950 t at full load. On most of the vessels, the superstructure stretched aft to the funnel, which was larger than that found on the Don class and the Ugra class also had a shorter funnel. Along the hull, the ships had mooring points every 100 ft and baggage ports for loading and unloading coastal craft and submarines. All of the ships had one 10-tonne capable crane and two 5-ton capable cranes. Within the ships were workshops capable of providing repair services. The vessels were powered by a diesel-electric system composed of four Kolomna 2D 42 diesel engines and two electric motors turning two shafts, creating 8000 bhp. This gave the submarine tenders a maximum speed of 17 kn and a range of 21000 nmi at 10 kn. They had a complement of 450 officers and ratings. The Ugra class were armed with two quad launchers for sixteen 9K32 Strela-2 (NATO reporting name: SA-N-5 "Grail") surface-to-air missiles and four twin-mounted 57 mm/80 anti-aircraft guns. The ships mounted two "Muff Cob" fire control radars, one "Strut Curve" air/surface search radar and between one and three "Don-2 navigational radar. They were also equipped with four "Watch Dog" electronic warfare/jamming radar, two "Square Head" and one "High Pole B" identification friend or foe antenna. Two ships, Ivan Kucherenko and Volga, were equipped with lattice masts for "Vee Cone" HF communications antenna. All of the ships had a small helicopter pad aft but only Ivan Kolyshkin had a hangar installed capable of supporting a Kamov Ka-25 "Hormone-C" helicopter.

Ships

Seven ships were built for the Soviet Navy in Nikolayev.

Service history

The last two Russian Navy ships Vladimir Yegorov and Volga were scrapped in the late 1990s.

Export

One ship of the class was constructed for the Indian Navy. The ship was identical to the Soviet vessels except for armament and radars. Named INS Amba, the ship was commissioned on 28 December 1968 and given the pennant number A 54. Amba was armed with two 76.2 mm anti-aircraft guns and equipped with one "Slim Net", two "Hawk Screech" and one "Don-2" radars. Amba was decommissioned in 2006.

Borodino-class training ships

Two ships were completed to a modified (Project 1886U, Russian: 1886У) design as training ships. Designated meaning "training ship", they were named Borodino and Gangut. Instead of workshops and storerooms they had increased accommodation and training facilities. They lacked the missile air defence and no helicopter facilities but had an enlarged aft deckhouse that incorporated a navigation training space with additional navigator training positions. Both underwent a refit in Yugoslavia in 1989. They were scrapped in the late 1990s.

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