# Nanuchka-class corvette

The Nanuchka class, Soviet designation Project 1234 Ovod, are series of corvettes (small missile ships in Soviet classification) built for the Soviet Navy and export customers between 1969 and 1991.

## Variants

These ships were designed around the P-120 Malakhit ("Siren") anti ship missile. Export versions used the P-15 Termit ("Styx") missile. In 2019 the missiles on Smerch were replaced with sixteen Uran/SS-N-25 'Switchblade'. Unlike smaller missile boats, both carry SA-N-4 ("Gecko") SAMs for self-defence. The original Nanuchka I carried a twin 57mm AK-257 main gun, replaced by a 76mm AK-176 in the Nanuchka III and an updated AK-176MA was added to Smerch during the refit. The Nanuchka III also has a rotary 30mm AK-630 point-defence gun to bolster its protection against missile attack. Currently Project 12341 ships are receiving BAGIRA Fire Control System turning them into multirole vessels.

## Operational history

Reportedly the Mirazh, a Nanuchka III corvette, sank a Georgian vessel during an attempted attack on Russian ships off Abkhazia on 10 August 2008.

## Operators

Russian Navy
* Nanuchka I (Project 1234) - 17 boats - retired in the 1990s, except Musson which was sunk in error by an SSM during an exercise in 1987 (39 fatalities).
* Nanuchka III (Project 12341) - 16 boats - 6-8 in service with the Russian Navy as of 2022 (4 Baltic, 1-3 Pacific, 1 Northern).
* Nanuchka IV (Project 12347) - 1 boat Nakat - retired in 2012. Trial vessel for P-800 Oniks ASHM.
Algerian National Navy
* Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 3 ships delivered in 1980-81, still in service.
Indian Navy
* Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 3 ships known as the Durg class, last ship decommissioned in 2004.
Libyan Navy
* Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 4 ships delivered in 1982-85. Al Zaquit was sunk and Ain Al Gazala was damaged (later scrapped) by US forces on March 25, 1986. Ain Zaara was in repairs in Misrata and was destroyed in a NATO airstrike on May 19, 2011. The last ship, Tariq Ibn Ziyad was destroyed during a fight between Libyan government army and radical Islamist forces in Benghazi harbour November 3, 2014.
Libyan People's Army
* Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 1 ship Tariq Ibn Ziyad was captured in 2011 from the Libyan Navy. The ship was returned to Libyan Navy after the civil war. Subsequently destroyed in 2014.

## Ships
### Project 1234 (Nanuchka I)

| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
| Burya | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 13 January 1967 | 18 October 1968 | 30 September 1970 | Decommissioned in 1991 |
| Briz | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 5 November 1967 | 10 October 1969 | 31 December 1970 | Decommissioned in 1992 |
| Vikhr | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 21 August 1967 | 22 July 1970 | 30 September 1971 | Decommissioned in 1994 |
| Volna | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 27 September 1968 | 20 July 1971 | 31 December 1971 | Decommissioned in 1993 |
| Grad | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 29 November 1967 | 30 April 1972 | 30 September 1972 | Decommissioned in 1993 |
| Groza | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 9 January 1969 | 26 July 1972 | 26 December 1972 | Decommissioned in 1991 |
| Grom | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 1 October 1969 | 29 October 1972 | 28 December 1972 | Decommissioned in 1995 |
| Zarnica | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 27 July 1970 | 28 April 1973 | 18 September 1973 | Decommissioned in 2005 |
| Molniya | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 30 September 1971 | 27 August 1973 | 28 December 1973 | Decommissioned in 2001 |
| Shkval | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 17 May 1972 | 28 December 1973 | 16 Juny 1974 | Decommissioned in 1994 |
| Zaria | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 18 October 1972 | 18 May 1974 | 28 September 1974 | Decommissioned in 1994 |
| Myetyel | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 19 February 1973 | 10 August 1974 | 8 December 1974 | Decommissioned in 1998 |
| Shtorm | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 28 October 1973 | 30 March 1975 | 15 June 1975 | Decommissioned in 1998 |
| Raduga | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 6 January 1974 | 20 June 1975 | 1 December 1975 | Decommissioned in 1994 |
| Tsiklon | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 22 September 1973 | 24 May 1977 | 31 December 1977 | Decommissioned in 1995 |
| Tayfun | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 10 May 1974 | 14 August 1979 | 30 December 1979 | Decommissioned in 1995 |
| Musson | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 14 July 1975 | 1 July 1981 | 30 December 1981 | Sunk on 16 April 1987 |

### Project 1234E (Nanuchka II)

| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Notes |
| Vijay Durg (ex-Uragan) | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 31 May 1974 | 16 April 1976 | 30 September 1976 | Scrapped in 2002 | Transferred to Indian Navy in 1977. |
| Sindhu Durg (ex-Priboy) | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 22 January 1975 | 2 October 1976 | 18 February 1977 | Scrapped in 2004 | Transferred to Indian Navy in 1977. |
| Hos Durg (ex-Priliv) | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 23 June 1975 | 14 April 1977 | 20 September 1977 | Scrapped in 1999 | Transferred to Indian Navy in 1978. |
| Ras Hamidou (ex-MRK-21) | Vympel Shipyard | 10 March 1978 | 31 December 1979 | 4 July 1980 | Active | Transferred to Algerian Navy in 1980. |
| Salah Reis (ex-MRK-23) | Vympel Shipyard | 17 August 1978 | 31 July 1980 | 9 February 1981 | Active | Transferred to Algerian Navy in 1981. |
| Reis Ali (ex-MRK-22) | Vympel Shipyard | 4 April 1980 | 13 August 1981 | 30 November 1981 | Active | Transferred to Algerian Navy in 1981. |
| Tariq Ibn Ziyad (ex-MRK-9) | Vympel Shipyard | 21 April 1979 | 10 January 1981 | 26 May 1981 | Active | Transferred to Libyan Navy in 1982. |
| Ain Al Gazala (ex-MRK-24) | Vympel Shipyard | 20 February 1981 | 26 March 1982 | 31 May 1982 | Damaged 25 March 1986, decommissioned | Transferred to Libyan Navy in 1983. |
| Ain Zaara (ex-MRK-25) | Vympel Shipyard | 27 May 1981 | 21 July 1982 | 31 May 1983 | Destroyed 20 May 2011 | Transferred to Libyan Navy in 1984. |
| Ain Zaquit (ex-MRK-15) | Vympel Shipyard | 25 March 1983 | 31 March 1984 | 10 September 1984 | Sunk on 25 March 1986 | Transferred to Libyan Navy in 1985. |

### Project 12341 (Nanuchka III)

| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
| Burun | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 1975 | 1977 | 30 December 1977 | Decommissioned in 2002 |
| Vyetyer | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 27 February 1976 | 21 April 1978 | 30 September 1978 | Decommissioned in 1995 |
| Shtil' (ex-Komsomolets Mordovii), (ex-Zyb') | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 28 June 1976 | 23 October 1978 | 31 December 1978 | Decommissioned in 2020 |
| Aysberg | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 11 November 1976 | 20 April 1979 | 30 September 1979 | Decommissioned in 2022 |
| Tucha | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 4 May 1977 | 29 April 1980 | 31 July 1980 | Decommissioned in 2005 |
| Uragan | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 1 August 1980 | 27 May 1983 | 30 September 1983 | Decommissioned in 2002 |
| Priboy | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 25 November 1978 | 20 April 1984 | 30 November 1984 | Decommissioned in 2001 |
| Priliv | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 29 April 1982 | 26 April 1985 | 31 October 1985 | Decommissioned in 2002 |
| Mirazh | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 30 August 1983 | 19 August 1986 | 30 December 1986 | Decommissioned in 2020 |
| Meteor | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 13 November 1984 | 16 September 1987 | 31 December 1987 | Decommissioned in 2005 |
| Rassvyet | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 20 September 1986 | 22 August 1988 | 28 December 1988 | Active |
| Zyb’ | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 26 August 1986 | 28 February 1989 | 26 September 1989 | Active |
| Geyzer | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 21 December 1987 | 28 August 1989 | 27 December 1989 | Active |
| Passat | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 27 May 1988 | 13 June 1990 | 6 December 1990 | Active |
| Perekat | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 20 September 1988 | | | Not completed |
| Livien’ | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 29 September 1988 | 8 May 1991 | 25 October 1991 | Active |
| Smerch | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 16 November 1981 | 30 November 1984 | 30 December 1984 | Active |
| Iney (ex-Livien) | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 6 July 1983 | 5 October 1986 | 25 December 1987 | Scheduled to decommission in 2021; status unclear; still reported active as of early 2022 |
| Moroz | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 17 February 1985 | 29 September 1989 | 30 December 1989 | Decommissioned in 2021 |
| Razliv | Vostochnaya Verf, Vladivostok | 1 November 1986 | 24 August 1991 | 31 December 1991 | Scheduled to decommission in 2021; status unclear |

### Project 12347 (Nanuchka IV)

| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Notes |
| Nakat | Almaz Shipyard, St. Petersburg | 4 November 1982 | 16 April 1987 | 30 September 1987 | Decommissioned in 2012 | |