On 15th February 2020 after 45 years of service the Kara Class missile cruiser RFS KERCH 753 was decommissioned. She was laid down in the Soviet Union on 30th April 1971, launched on 21st July 1972 and was commissioned in the Soviet Black Sea Fleet on 25th December 1974. The ship was built at the 61 Kommunar Shipyard at Nikolayev on the Black Sea. She was in service with the Soviet Fleet until 1991, and then joined its successor, Russian Navy.
On Tuesday 4th November 2014 a fire broke out aboard the ship during a routine maintenance at Sevastopol with no injuries and the fire was contained to the ship’s aft. Fire damaged and considering of being scrapped, her gas turbines were being fitted in one of the delayed Project 11356 frigates
On Friday 24th April, 2020 the ship was towed away from her moorings bound to the scrapyard.
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Tuesday 28th April, 2020
