After 45 years of service, the Kara Class Cruiser RFS KERCH 713 was decommissioned. She was the last cruiser of her class – Type 1134B Project.
RFS KERCH was laid down in the Soviet Union on the 30th April 1971, launched on the 21st July 1972 and was commissioned in the Soviet Black Sea Fleet on the 25th December 1974. She was constructed at the 61 Kommunar Shipyard at Nikolayev (Mykolaiv) on the Black Sea. She was in service with the Soviet Fleet until 1991, and then its successor the Russian Navy.
During Tuesday 4th November 2014 morning, a fire broke out aboard the ship during a routine maintenance at Sevastopol. According to officials nobody was injured and the fire was contained to the ship’s aft. Meanwhile she was laid up. She had pennant numbers as 711 and 713.
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 18th February 2020
