# Kashin-class destroyer

The Kashin class, Soviet designation Project 61, were series of anti-aircraft guided-missile destroyers built for the Soviet Navy since the 1960s. As of 2020, no ships remain in service with the Russian Navy, but three modified ships continue in service with the Indian Navy as Rajput-class destroyers.
In the Soviet Union they were officially classified as "guard ships" (storozhevoi korabl – SKR), then "large ASW ships" (BPK) or "large missile ships" (BRK), but in the rest of world they are commonly regarded as missile destroyers due to their size and armament. They were the first Soviet purpose-built anti-air warfare ships and the first to carry an ASW helicopter.

## Design

The design specification was approved in 1957; the first ship was laid down in 1959 and commissioned in 1962. Many new components were developed for these ships, including surface-to-air missiles, radars, and gas turbine engines. The gas turbines were arranged in two separate spaces and could be removed via the funnels for servicing. These were also the first Soviet ships designed to be closed down for nuclear fallout and had an operations room deep inside the ship rather than a large bridge.
The final ship in the class, Sderzhanny, was completed to a modified design as the Project 61M or 61MP (Kashin-Mod), being fitted with four SS-N-2C Styx anti-ship missiles, new towed-array sonar, a raised helipad and four close range AK-630 Gatling guns. The two RBU-1000 ASW rocket launchers were mounted aft, but later removed. Six ships were modernised to this standard in the 1970s.
Smetlivy was modernised (Project 01090) at Sevastopol in the early 1990s and fitted with new Kh-35 (SS-N-25 Switchblade, Harpoonski) anti-ship missiles and MNK-300 sonar. In 2020 she decommissioned and opened as a Museum at Sevastopol.
The Rajput-class modification built for the Indian Navy has the aft gun turret replaced by a hangar for a helicopter, as well as SS-N-2C anti-ship missiles on the sides of the bridge.

## Variants

* Project 61 (Kashin class): Original design (19 ships).
* Project 61MP (Modified Kashin class): Modernization of the Project 61 vessels (5 ships).
* Project 61M (Modified Kashin class): Upgraded design (1 ship).
* Project 61E (Rajput class): Export version, used by the Indian Navy (5 ships).

## Ships

In all, twenty ships were built for the Soviet Navy, one ship (ORP Warszawa) was later transferred to Poland, while five similar ships were built to a modified design for the Indian Navy as Rajput class.
* Strogy in October 1985.
* The bow of Strogy after a collision
* ORP Warszawa
* INS Ranvijay
| Name | Namesake | Builders | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fleet | Status | Notes |
| Project 61 |||||||||
| Komsomolets Ukrainy (ex-SKR-25) | Komsomol of Ukraine | 61 Communards Shipyard | 15 September 1959 | 31 December 1960 | 31 December 1962 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 1991, scrapped in 1995 | |
| Soobrazitelny (ex-SKR-44) | Astute | 61 Communards Shipyard | 20 July 1960 | 4 November 1961 | 26 December 1963 | Northern | Decommissioned in 1992, scrapped in 1994 | |
| Provorny (ex-SKR-37) | Prompt | 61 Communards Shipyard | 10 February 1961 | 23 March 1962 | 25 October 1964 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1993 | In 1974–1977 SA-N-1 'Goa' replaced by SA-N-7& 'Gadfly' SAM launcher. |
| Odaryonny | Talented | Zhdanov Shipyard | 22 January 1963 | 11 September 1964 | 30 December 1965 | Northern | Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1991 | Deployed in search for KAL 007 shot down in 1983. |
| Obraztsovy (ex-SKR-2) | Exemplary | Zhdanov Shipyard | 29 July 1963 | 32 February 1964 | 20 September 1965 | Baltic | Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1995 | |
| Otvazhny (ex-Orel) | Courageous | 61 Communards Shipyard | 10 August 1963 | 17 November 1964 | 31 December 1965 | Black Sea | Sunk after a fire on 30 August 1974 caused by a misfiring missile, with 24 fatalities | |
| Steregushchy | Guarding | Zhdanov Shipyard | 26 July 1964 | 20 February 1966 | 21 December 1966 | Pacific | Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1994 | |
| Krasny Kavkaz | Red Caucasus | 61 Communards Shipyard | 25 November 1964 | 9 February 1966 | 25 September 1967 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 1998, scrapped in 2000 | |
| Reshitelny | Decisive | 61 Communards Shipyard | 25 June 1965 | 30 June 1966 | 30 December 1967 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 1989, scrapped in 1999 | |
| Strogy | Strict | 61 Communards Shipyard | 22 February 1966 | 29 April 1967 | 24 December 1968 | Pacific | Decommissioned in 1993 | Sold to India, but on the way sank near Singapore in 1995. |
| Smetlivy | Resourceful | 61 Communards Shipyard | 15 July 1966 | 26 August 1967 | 25 September 1969 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 2020, opened as a Museum in 2021 | Modernized in the mid 1990s, eight SS-N-25 'Switchblade' launchers fitted. |
| Krasny Krym | Red Crimea | 61 Communards Shipyard | 23 February 1968 | 28 February 1969 | 15 October 1970 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1996 | |
| Sposobny | Capable | 61 Communards Shipyard | 10 March 1969 | 11 April 1970 | 25 September 1971 | Pacific | Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1995 | |
| Skory | Fast | 61 Communards Shipyard | 20 April 1970 | 26 February 1971 | 23 September 1972 | Black Sea | Decommissioned in 1997, scrapped in 1998 | |
| Project 61MP |||||||||
| Ognevoy (ex-SKR-31) | Fiery | Zhdanov Shipyard | 9 May 1962 | 31 May 1963 | 31 December 1964 | | Decommissioned in 1989, scrapped in 1990 | |
| Stroyny | Slim | 61 Communards Shipyard | 20 April 1963 | 28 July 1965 | 15 December 1966 | | Decommissioned in 1990, scrapped in 1994 | |
| Slavny | Glorious | Zhdanov Shipyard | 26 July 1964 | 24 April 1965 | 30 September 1966 | | Decommissioned in 1991, scrapped in 1995 | |
| Smyshlyony | Intelligent | 61 Communards Shipyard | 15 August 1965 | 22 October 1966 | 27 September 1968 | | Decommissioned in 1993, scrapped in 1994 | |
| ORP Warszawa (ex-Smely) | Warsaw (ex-Valiant) | 61 Communards Shipyard | 15 November 1966 | 6 February 1968 | 27 December 1969 | | Decommissioned in 2003, scrapped in 2005 | Leased to Poland in 1988, bought by Poland in 1992-1993. |
| Project 61M |||||||||
| Sderzhanny | Restrained | 61 Communards Shipyard | 10 March 1971 | 29 February 1972 | 30 December 1973 | | Decommissioned in 2001, scrapped in 2002 | |
| Project 61E (Rajput class) |||||||||
| INS Rajput (ex-Nadezhny) | Rajput | 61 Communards Shipyard | 11 September 1976 | 17 September 1977 | 31 November 1979 | | Decommissioned on 21 May 2021 | |
| INS Rana (ex-Gubitelny) | Maharana Pratap | 61 Communards Shipyard | 29 November 1976 | 27 September 1978 | 30 September 1981 | | Active | |
| INS Ranjit (ex-Lovky) | Ranjit Singh | 61 Communards Shipyard | 29 June 1977 | 16 June 1979 | 20 July 1983 | | Decommissioned in 2019 | Sunk during TROPEX-21 exercise. |
| INS Ranvir (ex-Tvyordy) | Hero of battle | 61 Communards Shipyard | 24 October 1981 | 12 March 1983 | 30 December 1985 | | Active | |
| INS Ranvijay (ex-Tolkovy) | Victor of battle | 61 Communards Shipyard | 19 March 1982 | 1 February 1986 | 15 October 1987 | | Active | |