The sailors were greeted in Vladivostok with a public celebration—and a meal of roasted pig, a naval tradition in Russia.

A pair of Russian Navy corvettes and a tanker returned to their homeport of Vladivostok following a deployment that included port calls in six foreign nations.

The small “flotilla” from the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet spent the past month and a half traveling more than 12,000 nautical miles as part of a goodwill tour for the Kremlin.

A welcoming ceremony was held for the sailors of the three vessels after returning home after making “friendly calls” to Georgetown, Malaysia; Thilawa, Myanmar; Visakhapatnam, India; Chittagong, Bangladesh; Sihanoukville, Cambodia; and Zhanjiang, China.

The Project 20380 Steregushchiy-class multi-purpose guided-missile corvettes Sovershennyy (333) and Rezkiy (343), and the Dubna-class replenishment oiler Pechenga, departed from Vladivostok on February 12, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency. In addition to the port visits, the corvettes conducted anti-aircraft exercises in the Sea of Japan, and in the Peter the Great Bay, the crews took part in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) drills.

The port visit followed that of the Russian Navy’s Project 1155 Fregat (Russian for “frigate”) Udaloy-class Marshal Shaposhnikov business call to Cam Ranh, Vietnam, in March.

The Project 20380 Steregushchiy-Class Corvette’s Specifications

• Year Introduced: 2008
• Number Built: 9 (12 planned)
• Displacement: 1,800 tons (standard), ~2,200–2,250 tons (full load)
• Length: 104.5 meters (342 ft 10 in)
• Beam: 13 meters (42 ft 8 in)
• Propulsion: CODAD (Combined Diesel and Diesel), 4 x 16D49 diesel engines (total 23,320 hp)
• Speed: 27 knots (maximum), 14 knots (cruising)
• Range: ~4,000 nautical miles
• Endurance: 15 days
• Armament:
  • Anti-Ship Missiles: 8 x Kh-35U (Uran system)
  • Anti-Aircraft/SAM: Redut or Kashtan-M close-in weapon systems
  • Main Gun: 1 x 100mm A-190 Arsenal naval gun
  • CIWS: 2 x 30 mm AK-630M
  • Anti-Submarine/Torpedoes: 2 x 4 Paket-NK torpedo tubes
• Crew: Approximately 90–100 crew, including officers

A Ceremony—and Suckling Pigs—for Returning Heroes

Despite it being a friendly tour, the crews of the corvettes and tanker were greeted as returning heroes, receiving state and departmental awards, while being greeted by the command staff and the sailors’ families.

In addition, the two corvette commanding officers were presented with suckling pigs—a tradition that dates back to the Soviet era, when navy officers, particularly those serving on submarines, received the celebratory meal after returning home. It was to confirm that the crew had successfully performed their duties.

“Today, we welcome the Pacific Fleet detachment of ships, consisting of the corvettes Sovershenny and Rezky, and the medium-sized sea tanker Pechenga, back to their home base after completing combat missions,” said Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet Viktor Liina.

“For over two months, the detachment of ships conducted missions in the Asia-Pacific region, traveling more than 12,000 miles across two oceans and five seas, and paying friendly visits to about six ports in six foreign countries, which highly praised the maritime culture, military bearing, and upkeep of the ships.”

A Long Deployment for Small Vessels

The Russian Navy currently operates nine Steregushchiy-class multi-purpose guided-missile corvettes. The warships were initially developed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau in St. Petersburg to support green-water/littoral-zone operations, patrol coastal waters, and engage enemy surface ships and submarines. The small surface combatants can also provide gun support for landing operations.

Each features a steel hull and composite material superstructure, along with a bulbous bow and nine watertight subdivisions. The corvettes utilize a combined bridge and command center.

The Project 20380 corvettes are armed with multi-purpose artillery guns, surface-to-air missile/artillery systems, supersonic missiles, automatic artillery launchers, and other types of armament. The Project 20380 corvettes also carry a Ka-27 helicopter.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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