Kirov

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Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
ussr_cruiser_kirov.png
GarageImage Kirov.jpg
Kirov
AB RB SB
5.7 5.7 5.7
Research:75 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:250 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
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Description

The Pr.26, Kirov, 1941 was the lead ship of the Kirov-class light cruisers built in the 1930s. The Kirovs were derived from the Italian Condottieri-class cruiser Raimondo Montecuccoli, as well as being designed in cooperation with Ansaldo and also bought plans for machinery and hull. Kirov was laid down on 22nd October 1935 and commissioned on 23rd September 1938. During the Winter War, she tried to bombard Finnish coastal batteries, but near misses from them damaged her. In August 1941, she was flagship of the naval force evacuating Tallinn. After the blockade of Leningrad, she conducted fire support and shore bombardment for the defenders of Leningrad from Kronshtadt. In an air raid on 4th April 1942, she was hit by three bombs that killed 86 sailors. After two months of repair, she returned to service, now with her catapult removed and her anti-air weaponry strengthened. She saw no further action in WWII after the blockade of Leningrad was lifted. On 2nd August 1961, she was reclassified as a training cruiser and sold for scrap on 22nd February 1974. Two of her main gun turrets are installed in Saint Petersburg as a memorial.

Kirov was introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On". Her armour protection makes her vulnerable even to destroyer weapons at ranges closer than 10 km, the forward magazine is located on the waterline being protected by only 50 mm of belt armour which can lead to fatal explosion when hit. Kirov also does not possess torpedo bulges, making any torpedo hits fatal.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Citadel50 / 50 / 50 mm
Main fire tower50 / 50 / 50 mm
Hull25 mm (steel)
Superstructure8 mm (steel)
Number of section8
Displacement9 436 t
Crew692 people

The Kirov is a rather odd ship, while she only has 50 mm of citadel armour with no anti-fragmentation armour, the placement of her critical modules such as her engines, transmissions, and main ammo racks were all located inside her citadel and sitting below the waterline. This leaves most of her upper hull empty and can therefore take a good amount of damage from AP or SAP shells. However, due to the lack of armour elsewhere, the Kirov is very vulnerable against HE shells, as they can quickly deplete her relatively low crew size.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB78 / 23 km/h
RB67 / 19 km/h

Being such a large ship with relatively low displacement, the Kirov's top speed is quite good. Although her excessive hull length will worsen her traverse speed.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 78 23
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 67 19

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB9 723 → 13 174 Sl icon.png
RB9 436 → 12 785 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications66 800 Rp icon.png
129 300 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost1 500 Ge icon.png
Crew training72 000 Sl icon.png
Experts250 000 Sl icon.png
Aces940 Ge icon.png
Research Aces480 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
430 / 600 / 100 % Sl icon.png
166 / 166 / 166 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
2 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
2 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 400 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
2 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods engine smoke screen system.png
Smokescreen
Research:
2 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Research:
2 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 400 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Research:
2 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 400 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag proxi fuze ship.png
100mm_ussr_b34_navy_dist_he_ammo_pack
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
180mm_ussr_b1k_navy_ap_ammo_pack
Research:
2 700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 200 Sl icon.png
210 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
2 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods he frag proxi fuze ship.png
100mm_ussr_b34_navy_radio_aa_ammo_pack
Research:
2 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
180mm_ussr_b1k_navy_sap_ammo_pack
Research:
2 500 Rp icon.png
Cost:
4 900 Sl icon.png
195 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
2 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 400 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
2 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 400 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
180mm_ussr_b1k_navy_zs_ammo_pack
Research:
2 800 Rp icon.png
Cost:
5 400 Sl icon.png
220 Ge icon.png
Mods torpedo.png
Torpedo Mode
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png
Mods shipSupportPlane.png
Hydroplane
Research:
4 300 Rp icon.png
Cost:
8 300 Sl icon.png
330 Ge icon.png

Armament

Primary armament

3 х Turret3 x 180 mm/57 B-1-P naval gun
Ammunition300 rounds
Vertical guidance-4° / 50°

Kirov has 9 x 180 mm/57 (7.1") B-1-P Pattern 1932 naval cannons for her main armament, arranged in triple turrets mounted A-Bs-X. This gives Kirov a heavy punch, but her overall firepower is lacking compared to other cruisers at her BR. With a fire rate of 5 rounds/minute, she has the slowest reload among the BR 5.7 cruisers (not counting Furutaka's 20.3 cm guns).

Kirov uses the OF-32 HE shell as default, with the ability to unlock the B-32 AP shell, the PB-32 SAPCBC shell as well as the ZS-32 HE-DF shell. A major advantage that Kirov has is the astounding 920 m/s muzzle velocity of all her shells, meaning that leading targets will not be as difficult. The SAPCBC shell sacrifices some of the armour penetrative abilities of the AP shell, but it is loaded with 7 kg of TNT explosive filler.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
OF-32 HE 60 60 60 60 60 60
B-32 APCBC 424 386 331 285 246 191
PB-32 SAPCBC 206 188 161 138 120 93
ZS-32 HE-TF 58 58 58 58 58 58
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(s)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
OF-32 HE 920 97.5 0 0.1 7.9 79° 80° 81°
B-32 APCBC 920 97.5 0.01 9 2.49 48° 63° 71°
PB-32 SAPCBC 920 97.5 0.01 9 7 48° 63° 71°
ZS-32 HE-TF 920 97.5 0 0.1 7.52 79° 80° 81°

Secondary armament

6 х Turret100 mm/56 B-34 universal naval cannon, pattern 1940
Ammunition300 rounds

The Kirov has a secondary armament of 6 x 100 mm/56 (3.9") B-34 Pattern 1940 cannons arranged evenly on either side of the after smoke funnel. This is a rather light secondary battery, but they are versatile due to their clear angles of fire and ammunition selection.

These guns have access to the ZS-56 HE-DF shell as default and the ZS-56R HE-VT shell is able to be researched.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
100 m 1,000 m 2,000 m 3,000 m 4,000 m 5,000 m
F-56 HE HE 24 24 24 24 24 24
ZS-56 HE HE-TF 24 24 24 24 24 24
ZS-56R HE-VT HE-VT 16 16 16 16 16 16
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
F-56 HE HE 900 15.8 0 0.1 1.93 79° 80° 81°
ZS-56 HE HE-TF 900 15.6 0 0.1 1.93 79° 80° 81°
Proximity-fused shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Velocity
(m/s)
Projectile
mass (kg)
Fuse delay
(m)
Fuse sensitivity
(mm)
Arming
distance (m)
Trigger
radius (m)
Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg)
Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
ZS-56R HE-VT HE-VT 900 15.9 0 0.1 270 15 1.23 79° 80° 81°

Anti-aircraft armament

7 х Turret45 mm/46 21-K cannon
Ammunition500 rounds
3 х Turret12.7 mm DShK machine gun
Ammunition2000 rounds
Belt capacity50 rounds
Fire rate600 shots/min

For anti-aircraft armament, Kirov has 7 x 45 mm/46 21-K cannons as well as 3 x DShK machine guns. The 45 mm cannons are not very effective against aircraft as they only have a standard HE shell with no special fuze, requiring a direct hit on an aircraft to deal damage. They serve better as anti-torpedo boat guns due to their rapid-fire ability and centralized arrangement. The DShK machine guns will be mostly for harassment purposes and to catch unaware planes.

Additional armament

Setup 16 x 533 mm 53-39 torpedo
Main article: 53-39 (533 mm)

Kirov is equipped with 2 x triple torpedo launchers firing the 53-39 torpedo. The base setting for these is a range of 4,000 m with a high speed of 51 knots. Using the torpedo mode upgrade, they can be adjusted to 10,000 m range at a reduced speed of 34 knots. Due to the location of the launchers being low and behind raised structure, the ship is not able to launch torpedoes towards the front, and must turn to release weapons.

Scout plane

Main article: KOR-1

Located amidships is a catapult with one Beriev Be-2 (aka KOR-1) scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. Alongside the typical abilities of strafing with its two light machine guns, dropping 2 x 50 kg bombs, and capping zones, the KOR-1 and other scout planes have the added ability to lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). Captains will be wise to remember to utilise the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new!

Usage in battles

Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Exceptional damage output, besting almost all of the comparable foreign light cruisers and most of the heavy cruisers
  • Access to various types of shells, including SAP, APCBC and even HE-VT shells for secondaries
  • Decent medium and long-range anti-air defense
  • Above average mobility
  • Relatively good torpedoes
  • Access to the hydroplane

Cons:

  • Low crew count and a minimal armor protection
  • Numerous exposed stations make it prone to HE damage. Relatively thin armor makes it possible to destroy turrets even with a 200 mm / 8-inch HE rounds.
  • Very large, can be easily targeted
  • Auxiliary ammunition storage located above the water line
  • Poor short-range anti-air defence

History

Following the devastation of the Russian Civil War, the remaining industry available to the newly formed Soviet Union was everything but capable of designing large, new warships. Aware of this, the Soviet Union sought help from abroad, in order to be able to commit to the planned expansion of its navy.

In the end, help came from the Italian shipbuilders, which sold the blueprints for the Condottieri C light cruiser as well as the necessary machinery to the Soviets. Engineers further modified the design to suit Soviet needs, which included the fitting of new triple turrets, among other constructional changes. The project was approved in November 1934 as the Project 26.

Plans were made to construct a total of six Project 26 cruisers, which would be built in pairs and would receive various improvements over the respective previous pair. The Kirov, as the lead and prototype ship of the class, was laid down for construction in October 1935, after a minor delay.

The Kirov was launched in late 1936 and joined the Baltic Fleet in September 1938. After briefly taking part in the Winter War, Kirov quickly became trapped in the waters between Kronstadt and Leningrad by German minefields, following the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

The warship would remain stationed in those waters for the better part of the war, providing gunfire support for the besieged defenders of Leningrad. Shortly after the end of WW2, Kirov was severely damaged by a German seamine. Following repairs, the ship was completely overhauled in the late 1940s and was later reclassified as a training ship in the early 1960s. In February 1974 however, Kirov was eventually sold for scrap, marking the end of its close to four decade long service.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

See also

Related development

External links


Baltic Shipyard (Балтийский завод)
Light Cruisers 
Svetlana-class  Krasny Krym*
Project 26/26bis  Kirov · Maxim Gorky
Project 68  Chapayev
Project 68bis  Sverdlov
Battlecruisers 
Izmail-class  Izmail
Battleships 
Sevastopol-class  Marat · Parizhskaya Kommuna
  *Laid down at the Russian-Baltic shipyard in Tallinn

USSR light cruisers
  Imperial Russia
Svetlana-class  Krasny Krym* · Krasny Kavkaz*
  * Laid down by Imperial Russian Navy; Finished and renamed by the USSR
Project  Soviet Union
Pr.26  Kirov · Voroshilov · Maxim Gorky
Pr.68  Chapayev · Zheleznyakov
Pr.68-bis  Sverdlov · Mikhail Kutuzov
Pr.68-bis-ZiF  Shcherbakov
Trophies  Italy
Condottieri-class  Kerch