Walking along the deck

Bow

Today, "Mikhail Kutuzov" is based in the port of Novorossiysk and is a museum ship. The ship has impressive dimensions and looks like a giant even against the background of the mountains. The distance between the highest and the lowest points of the ship - acorn and keel – is 59 metres. Both anchors, weighing 7 tons, are in the water and therefore are not visible. But the cable bridles as such, weighing 30 tons each, look very impressive.

Main battery turrets МК-5bis

The main battery turrets MK-5bis, being the main weapon of the cruiser, are unique. The turrets beneficially differ from the previous modification by the remote drive of weapon targeting and circular pickups, to prevent capsizing. Each turret was served by 52 - 68 sailors.

The 152.4-mm calibre Б-38 guns could hit sea targets at a range of up to 165 cable's lengths. The high accuracy of shooting was secured by the data workout system "Molniya АЦ-6" (Lightning), the operation of the fire-control tower in charge of major calibre control, the position-radar stations "Keel" and "Zalp" (Fire).

The principal method of the Main battery turrets' firing was mixed: the data from the artillery position-radar stations "Zalp" (for the distance), and the data from the fire-control tower (for the direction) were simultaneously used. When the turret fired in the "self-controlled" mode (a standby mode of shooting), the data of range finders mounted on the turret were used, along with the data from the radio-locating range finder "Shtag-Б " (Stay) - it was also on the turret.

In the early 80's, after introduction of the time 152-mm grenades into service, the cruiser's main battery turrets were able to throw up fire. When a time grenade exploded, an ellipsoid-shape cloud of fragments was generated, to the size of 800 by 400 metres.

Thus, MK-5bis became the first universal major calibre unit in the national fleet.

Charging of guns was semi-automatic: shells and cartridges in powder bags were fed into the fighting compartment by elevators. Then the shells (the weight from 52 to 57 kg) were rammed to the bore by the electromechanical rammer (the shell entered the barrel bore and got fixed on the grooves at the speed of 12 m/s). The cartridges (the weight from 16 to 24 kg) were fed manually.

In total, 23 electric motors were used in each of the first, second and third turrets, and 20 in the fourth turret (the turret is structurally located closest to the cellars with ammunition). The operations to reload shells and cartridges from the racks to the conveyor, and from it to the elevator shaft, were carried out manually.

37 mm antiaircraft mounts B-11

Around the superstructure are 16 double-barrelled 37-mm AA guns B-11 type, with the rate of fire up to 170 rounds per minute. To avoid overheating at such high fire rate, the units had their own cooling system. These guns could hit a surface target (for example, floating mines) at a distance up to 4 km, an airborne target - up to 3 km.

In fact, the design represented two type-70-K assault rifles (the most popular automatic gun mount of the Soviet Navy during the Second World War), located in one gun cradle. The B-11 system proved to be so successful that 1,872 units of that kind were manufactured within the period from 1946 to 1957.

Each of them was serviced by seven people. The feed of chargers (three cartridges in each), elevation and traversing, handling the stabilization mechanism - everything was controlled manually, and therefore, this could not ensure high efficiency.

30 mm antiaircraft mounts AK-230

During the latest modernization, 30-mm automated guidance antiaircraft mounts AK-230 using radar data were installed aboard "Mikhail Kutuzov"- one of the first soviet quick-firing air defence guns. There are 8 such units on the ship, with the firing rate of 1,000 rounds per minute.

100 mm universal calibre turrets CM-5-1C

10-mm dual-purpose universal calibre turrets СМ-5-1С are designed for firing at sea, air and coastal targets.

There are six such installations on board - three on each side.

There are racks under the turret's combat compartment, to stack vertically the first-shots shells. After issuing combat or test alert, the staff needed about 45-60 seconds to take their posts. The first-shots shells were stored in the lobby. Four persons fed the ammunition from the racks directly to the turret on a signal.

Stern

The third anchor is placed in the rear end of the cruiser - a back anchor that was used, if necessary, during the anchoring berth.

Main mast

The apex of the cruiser's second mast is crowned with an aerial post of the position-radar station "Kiel", aimed to detect air and surface targets; the acquisition range of air and surface targets is up to 180 km. Below is an aerial post of the space station "Kristall-M", which secured stable operational communication with the fleet command post in long voyages of the cruiser - a prototype of modern mobile communication.

In the course of upgrade repair of 1979-1986, the cruiser was equipped, in addition to modernization of artillery weapons, with the most up-to-date machinery, modern communication and control facilities, which enabled it to perform the functions of a command ship. The space communication system "Kristall-M", the combat control command system "Tsentavr", МВЦ-300 "Centaur" were installed.

Mining armament

On the aft of the cruiser, on the deck, mine tracks are installed. They made it possible to take up to 68 submarine mines of different modifications on board.

By the present time, the mine tracks have been partially dismantled. Each mine weighed up to 750 kg in combat state; it was discharged into the water by an ejection team (assigned from the staff of the stern major-calibre turrets). The team sailors were rolling a cart with a mine towards the stern, to special sliding descents. At the place where the track ended, the mine was dropped off the board on-the-go.