The Nanuchka class, Soviet designation Project 1234 ''Ovod'', are series of

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

s (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

*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. *Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 3 ships delivered in 1980-81, still in service. *Nanuchka II (Project 1234E) - 3 ships known as the ''Durg'' class, last ship decommissioned in 2004. *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)

Project 1234E (Nanuchka II)

Project 12341 (Nanuchka III)

Project 12347 (Nanuchka IV)

References

Other sources

* Also published as * * * *

Gallery

Image:Soviet-Nanuchka-1983.jpg, Export Nanuchka II-class corvette moored in Leningrad (i.e., Saint Petersburg). Photo was taken in July 1983 Image:Mirazh2007.jpg File:Burning Libyan Corvette.jpg, Libyan Nanuchka II burns after being hit 25 March 1986 Image:Nanuchka-I DN-SC-88-09637.jpg, A port beam view of a Soviet Nanuchka I. {{Soviet and Russian ships after 1945 Corvette classes Cold War corvettes of the Soviet Union Corvettes of the Soviet Navy Corvettes of the Russian Navy Corvettes of the Algerian National Navy Corvettes of the Indian Navy Corvettes of the Libyan Navy