The USSR was one of the few countries in the world that had aircraft carriers. During the Cold War after the end of World War II, the Soviet Union worked to build a powerful fleet to protect its maritime interests and strategic position. To this end,In total, 9 aircraft carriers were built in the USSR. These aircraft carriers had an important impact on the history of the Soviet Navy and played an important role in its ocean power projection and ocean-going operations.
The first aircraft carrier was named"Moscow"The Type 1123 *** aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1967. The second is named"Leningrad"The 1123 project *** aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1968. These two aircraft carriers belonged to the Black Sea Fleet of the USSR during their service. Although the two aircraft carriers were decommissioned one after another after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they played an important role in the history of the Soviet Navy, mainly for anti-submarine and cruising missions. Since they were not politically risky, they were able to retain the name of the city.
The third and fourth aircraft carriers belonged to the Soviet aircraft carriers of the Project 1143 and were the second generation of aircraft carriers of the USSR. The first aircraft carrier was named"USS Kiev", named after the capital of Ukraine. The aircraft carrier began construction at the Nikolaev shipyard in 1970, was launched on December 26, 1972, and was officially handed over to the Soviet Navy in February 1977, becoming the flagship of the Northern Fleet. After retirement,"USS Kiev"The aircraft carrier was sold to China and placed in Tianjin in 2003 and transformed into an aircraft carrier theme park. Later, in 2011, it was converted into China's first aircraft carrier hotel. Very interesting historical process!
The Minsk is a sister ship in the Project 1143 aircraft carrier. Construction began on December 28, 1972, it was launched on September 25, 1975, and after being handed over to the Soviet military on September 27, 1978, it was incorporated into service with the 30th Anti-Submarine Group of the Black Sea Fleet. It was then transferred to the Far East in 1979 and became the flagship of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, where it performed mainly in the Pacific Ocean. After the aircraft carrier was decommissioned, it was sold to Delong Company in South Korea and China, and finally arrived in Mirs Bay, Shenzhen, where it was rebuilt into Shenzhen Minsk World, becoming the only large-scale theme park in the world transformed from a 40,000-ton aircraft carrier.
The fifth aircraft carrier is the Kiev-class ship No. 3, which was originally named"Baku", which was later renamed under the direction of Defense Minister Grechko"Novorossiysk"。From the point of view of the importance of the city, Baku is the capital of the former Soviet republic Azerbaijan, which fits into the nomenclature tradition of Soviet aircraft carriers;Whereas Novorossiysk, located on the Black Sea coast, is a famous port and industrial city. These naming choices were intended to reflect the importance that the Soviet Union attached to these regions and maintained the tradition of aircraft carrier naming.
The sixth aircraft carrier was 1143Type 4 aircraft carriers, also known as"Kiev-class modifications"。The first aircraft carrier was named"Gorshkov"and entered service in 1988. With the collapse of the USSR, the aircraft carrier was renamed"Baku"Number. However, according to the information you provided, the aircraft carrier was dismantled in 2016.
The seventh and eighth aircraft carriers were 1143Type 5 aircraft carriers, the lead ship of which was named"Kuznetsov"Number. The aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1991 and became the only aircraft carrier in service in the USSR and the flagship of the Russian Navy. Very important, for now"Kuznetsov"The aircraft carrier is still in service with the Russian Navy.
The ninth aircraft carrier was the last aircraft carrier designed by the Soviet Union, 1143Type 7 aircraft carriers, also called"Ulyanovsk"Number. Construction of the aircraft carrier began in 1988, but due to the effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union, construction was eventually stopped. This marked the end of the Project 1143 aircraft carrier series.