View source for Kronshtadt-class submarine chaser

{{Short description|Soviet submarine chaser class}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Project122bis-2007-Pashaliman.jpg
|Ship caption= A Project 122bis Kronshtadt-class chaser in the service of the [[Albanian Naval Force]]
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=
|Builders=[[Zelenodolsk Gorky Plant|Zelenodolsk shipbuilding yard No. 340]]
|Operators=* {{navy|Soviet Union}}
* {{navy|Albania}}
* {{navy|Bulgaria}}
* {{navy|China}}
* {{navy|Cuba}}
* {{navy|Indonesia}}
* {{navy|Poland}}
* {{navy|Romania}}
|Class before=SO1-class submarine chaser
|Class after={{sclass|Poti|corvette|1}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range= 1945–1955
|In service range=
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=227
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=
|Total ships preserved=
}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=*Large [[submarine chaser]]s
*since 1956 — Small anti-submarine ships
|Ship displacement=289 (I series) / 302 (II series)&nbsp;[[ton]] standard, 325 (I series) / 337,7 tons full load
|Ship length={{convert|52.24|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|6.55|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|2.2|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=3 diesel engines @ {{convert|3,600|hp|kW|abbr=on}} "General Motors" (I series) / {{convert|3,300|hp|kW|abbr=on}} "9D" (II series) with 3 shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|20.5|kn|km/h|lk=in}} (I series) / {{convert|18.7|kn|km/h|lk=in}} (II series)
|Ship range={{convert|2600|-|3500|nmi|km|abbr=on|order=flip}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|abbr=on|order=flip}}
|Ship complement=50-54
|Ship sensors=*Radar: 1 "Giuys-1" or "Zarya" (I series) / "Lin`" or/and "Neptun" (II series) search radar
*Sonar: 1 "Tamir-9" or "Tamir-10" or "Tamir-11" hull mounted high frequency active sonar
|Ship armament=*1 × [[85 mm air defence gun M1939 (52-K)]]
*2 × [[37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)]] (2x1)
*6 × "Colt-Browning" or 2M-1 12.7 mm heavy machine guns (2x3) (I series)
*6 × 2M-7 14.5 mm (2x3) (last ships of II series)
*2 depth charge rails (30 large & 30 small [[depth charges]])
*2 × BMB-1 or BMB-2 ASW mortars
*2 × RBU (II series) or 2 x [[RBU-1200]] (last ships of II series) [[Anti Submarine Warfare]] rocket launchers
*16 Type 1908/39 mines (overload)
|Ship armor=8 mm (conning tower)
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''Project 122bis''' ([[NATO reporting name|NATO codename]] '''Kronshtadt''' class) [[submarine chaser]]s were a Soviet design which were exported throughout the [[Eastern Bloc|communist bloc]] in the 1950s. The first ship, BO-270, was built at [[Zelenodolsk, Republic of Tatarstan|Zelenodolsk]] in 1945-1947 and a total of 227 were built for Soviet Navy (175) and border guard until 1955. As well as this, twenty Project 357 (''Libau'' class) despatch vessels were built on the same hull, but were lightly armed.

==Service history==
The ships served in 1950s–1960s on all Soviet fleets and flotillas in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Arctic Ocean and Pacific Ocean as part of Soviet coastal [[Anti-submarine warfare|anti-submarine]] defences. Ships were also given to the [[Soviet Border Troops|Soviet Border Guards]] and were used actively as border patrol ships. Most of the Soviet sub-chasers were decommissioned between 1958 and 1970, although some were in service until the 1990s as training stations. Thirteen of the decommissioned and disarmed ships were delivered to the [[DOSAAF]] Voluntary Society for use as [[training ship]]s.

==Ships==

* '''Built in 1946''' (launching year):
** ''BO-270''<ref>Letters ''BO'' (Russian "БО") signify "большой охотник", literally "large [submarine] chaser". Since 27.12.1956 all Navy's ships accepted initial letters ''MPK'', Russian "МПК", "малый противолодочный корабль" — small anti-submarine ship. The numbers were remained. Border Guards's ones possessed their own number system and initial letters ''PSKR'', Russian "ПСКР", "пограничный сторожевой корабль", literally "border patrol ship".</ref> (laid up 30.06.1945, launched 27.04.1946, commissioned 27.09.1947 on Caspian Flotilla)
** ''BO-171''...''BO-173''
* '''1947''':
** ''BO-181''...''BO-187''
* '''1948''':
** ''BO-187''...''BO-195''
* '''1949''':
** ''BO-196''...''BO-201''
** ''BO-247''...''BO-255''
** ''BO-271''...''BO-276''
* '''1950''':
** ''BO-277''...''BO-300''
** ''BO-334''...''BO-338''
* '''1951''':
** ''BO-339''...''BO-354''
** ''BO-356''...''BO-379''
* '''1952''':
** ''BO-371''...''BO-402''
* '''1953''':
** ''BO-403''...''BO-437''
* '''1954''':
** ''BO-438''...''BO-440''
** ''BO-446''...''BO-453''
** ''PSKR-444''...''PSKR-451'', ''PSKR-436'', ''PSKR-437''
** ''BO-454''...''BO-469''
* '''1955''':
** ''BO-470''...''BO-480''
** ''BO-155''
** ''PSKR-424'', ''PSKR-418'', ''PSKR-407''
** ''BO-157''
** ''PSKR-408'', ''PSKR-419'', ''PSKR-425'', ''PSKR-426''
** ''BO-159''...''BO-163''

==Export and transferring==

* Albania:
** ''MPK-345'' (1951), ''MPK-346'' (1951) in 1958 (both returned in 1960),
** ''MPK-388'' (1952), ''MPK-389'' (1952) in 1958,
** ''MPK-394'' (1952), ''MPK-450'' (1954) in 1960.
* Bulgaria:
** ''94'' (ex-''MPK-160'') (1955) and ''95'' (ex-''MPK-162'') (1955) in 1957.
* China:
**''BO-379'' (1952), ''BO-380'' (1952),  ''BO-393'' (1952), ''BO-395'' (1952), ''BO-396'' (1952), ''BO-397'' (1952) in 1955.
** In addition, 6 hulls were built at Zelenodolsk in 1954, transferred in parts by railway to [[Guangzhou]] (2) and [[Shanghai]] (4) and commissioned into the [[People's Liberation Army Navy]], and were designated as the '''Type 6604''' submarine chaser. China had made minor changes during the construction of these boats, the only significant difference between Type 6604 and the original Project 122bis being in the [[Galley (kitchen)|galley]], which was modified to better fit Chinese usage. The original electric stove was replaced by an oil stove, so Chinese foods such as stir fry can be cooked more efficiently; the bread storage cabinet was modified to store rice instead.  In addition, some empty areas were fenced up to store canned food.<ref name="Type 6604 & 04">{{cite web | url=http://www.xhmil.cn/html/zhanzhengjishi/200911/04-1562.html | title=Type 6604 & 04 Subchasers | access-date=3 May 2013 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033615/http://www.xhmil.cn/html/zhanzhengjishi/200911/04-1562.html | archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref>
** Furthermore, 14 built in China with the assistance of Soviet specialists, with 12 completed at the end of 1956 and 2 in 1957. The first Chinese built unit entered service in 1957 and was designated as the '''Type 04''' submarine chaser.  During the deployment of Type 6604 in the South China Sea, it was discovered that the original design for arctic and subarctic use was woefully inadequate for tropical and subtropical regions, with temperatures onboard reaching 40+ degrees Celsius. The Type 04 design was modified to address this problem by adding insulation layers and a sprinkler system on the ammo storage boxes to prevent overheat, and canvas shades which can be removed in less than five minutes when needed.  In addition nine more fans were added for better ventilation inside.<ref name="Type 6604 & 04"/>
* Cuba:
** ''MPK-462'' (1954), ''MPK-464'' (1954), ''MPK-465'' (1954), ''MPK-479'' (1955), ''MPK-155'' (1955), ''MPK-159'' (1955) in 1962.
* Indonesia:
** ''MPK-424'' (1953), ''MPK-426'' (1953), ''MPK-427'' (1953), ''MPK-429'' (1953) in 1958,
** ''MPK-292'' (1950), ''MPK-293'' (1950), ''MPK-294'' (1950), ''MPK-300'' (1950), ''MPK-334'' (1950), ''MPK-382'' (1952) in 1963. These six ships were reconstructed specially for Indonesian Navy by '''project "06"''' — with rearming by RBU-1200 rocket launchers and accommodating to tropical service conditions.
* Poland:
** ''Czujny'' (ex-''BO-411'') (1953), ''Nieugięty'' (ex-''BO-412'') (1953), ''Zawzięty'' (ex-''BO-417'') (1953), ''Zwrotny'' (ex-''BO-418'') in 1955,
** ''Zwinny'' (ex-''MPK-291'') (1950), ''Zręczny'' (ex-''MPK-296'') (1950), ''Wytrwały'' (ex-''MPK-344'') (1951), ''Groźny'' (ex-''MPK-347'') (1951) in 1957.
* Romania:
** ''V1'' (ex-''BO-157'') (1955), ''V2'' (ex-''BO-161'') (1955) and ''V3'' (ex-''BO-466'') (1954) in 1956.

==Chinese service history==
Two boats of this class, #271 & #274 participated in the Sino-South Vietnamese [[Battle of Hoang Sa|naval battle]] in the [[Paracel Islands]] on January 19, 1974, with #274 being heavily damaged; however, #274 was able to make it back to the Chinese base at Yongxing Island for emergency repair after the battle, and returned to Hainan Islands the next day.

Despite their obsolescence, these boats remained active well into the mid-1990s. Although the ships are no longer capable of venturing into open ocean, these units remain on the [[People's Liberation Army Navy]]’s list of its reserve fleet, actively used as weaponry training boats for [[PAFMM|naval militia]] in various military maritime districts in China.

Additionally, vessels of this class in Chinese service are used to take Chinese children enrolled in military / naval summer camps and junior military / naval academies for short cruises for patriotic education and public relations missions. Due to the age of these units, however, they are increasingly being used in secondary missions in recent years and according to domestic Chinese media sources, even in this limited capacity, the cruises only consist of short tours within the harbors.

==See also==
* [[List of ships of the Soviet Navy]]
* [[List of ships of Russia by project number]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Качур П. И. Большие охотники за подводными лодками проекта 122а/122бис // ''Морская коллекция'', 2004, специальный выпуск No. 1. Project 122a/122bis Large Submarine Chasers. in ''Naval Collection'', 2004, SV 1.
* Титушкин С. И. Большие морские охотники проекта 122. Санкт-Петербург, 2001. [Large Seagoing Chasers of Project 122].
* {{cite book |editor-last= Gardiner|editor-first= Robert |title= Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995|year= 1995|publisher= Conway Maritime|location= London|isbn= 0-85177-605-1|oclc= 34284130}} Also published as {{cite book |last= Gardiner|first= Robert|author2=Chumbley, Stephen |author3=Budzbon, Przemysław|title= Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995|year= 1995}}

==External links==
* [http://russianships.info/eng/warships/project_122bis.htm Complete Ship List of all Kronshtadt class submarine chasers]

{{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945}}

[[Category:Submarine chasers of the Soviet Navy]]
[[Category:Submarine chasers of the People's Liberation Army Navy]]
[[Category:China–Soviet Union relations]]