Difference between revisions of "Zheleznyakov"
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' --> | <!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' --> | ||
− | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' | + | The '''{{Specs|name}}''' was a [[Chapayev (Family)|Project 68 (Chapayev-class)]] light cruiser built for the Soviet Navy in the 1940s, however the war delayed their construction. The Project 68 ships were to be built under Stalin's "Big Fleet Programme" of 1936 as the backbone of the Soviet light cruiser force, performing minelaying, shore bombardment, and commerce raiding operations. Unlike [[Kirov (Family)|Project 26]], 152 mm guns were chosen due to their higher fire rate, and armour protection was also improved significantly. Zheleznyakov was laid down on 31st October 1939 and commissioned on 19th April 1950. Just like her sister [[Chapayev]], she served with the Northern Fleet before being transferred to the Baltic Fleet on 25th January 1952. She was reclassified as a training ship in 1973 and sold for scrap in 1976. |
+ | |||
+ | Zheleznyakov was introduced in [[Update "New Power"]] as a GE premium ship, and is functionally identical to the researchable Chapayev. Her armour protection is significantly improved over the previous Project 26 class, as well as having guns with higher rate of fire, although at cost of penetration characteristic. Her anti-aircraft protection suite was expanded as well with twenty-eight 37 mm automatic V-11 cannon barrels as well as eight 100 mm dual purpose guns. Unlike [[Kirov]], her magazines are closer to waterline being more vulnerable to being hit, leading to fatal explosion. All the improvements on Zheleznyakov came at a cost. She lost the ship-launched aircraft found on Kirov, as well as torpedo tubes. | ||
== General info == | == General info == | ||
Line 12: | Line 14: | ||
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}} | {{Specs-Fleet-Armour}} | ||
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' --> | <!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' --> | ||
− | + | ||
+ | While this cruiser's armour is not enough to protect you from semi-armour-piercing and armour-piercing shells, it is still enough to prevent major damage from being easily inflicted by every shell that comes your way. Destroyers and any HE shell will have trouble with anything belowdecks, as the main battery ammunition, engines, and transmissions are all protected by 100 mm of rolled homogeneous armour. The front and rear belt armour are only 20 mm and 30 mm thick RHA; while this isn't very useful, there is also not much in those areas that can damaged besides the steering gear in the stern. The ammo elevators are protected by 130 mm RHA, while the turrets themselves have 175 mm thick fronts. The turret sides and rear are much thinner but this isn't a major problem as long as you keep your main batteries pointed towards whatever is shooting at you. Secondary batteries have 20 mm thick antifragmentation armour, which is only useful against smaller autocannons and strafing aircraft. Anti-aircraft batteries have no armour at all and are often knocked out. The bridge has a 130 mm thick belt surrounding it but can still be knocked out by rounds exploding above and below it. | ||
+ | |||
+ | While this ship is still a light cruiser, it can survive quite a bit of damage before succumbing due to its effective belt armour and main turrets that are tough to knock out. It isn't recommended to expose this ship to torpedoes though, as they often explode below the belt armour and unleash catastrophic damage. Aircraft bombs are still a threat to the crew compartments and weapons, as the turtleback armour is very thin and already below many of these modules. The crew of 1,184 can last you for a long time, but the compartments they are housed in are easily knocked out so it is best to not get into close-quarters combat or engage multiple targets at once. | ||
=== Mobility === | === Mobility === | ||
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}} | {{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}} | ||
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' --> | <!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' --> | ||
− | + | ||
+ | The Zheleznyakov has a max speed of 61 km/h which is pretty good for a ship of its size. Turning ability is pretty standard for a cruiser, but it will still have issues avoiding close-in torpedoes or aircraft-dropped ordnance. | ||
{{NavalMobility}} | {{NavalMobility}} | ||
Line 31: | Line 37: | ||
{{main|152 mm/57 B-38 (152 mm)}} | {{main|152 mm/57 B-38 (152 mm)}} | ||
− | + | The Zheleznyakov sports four triple-gun turrets, two fore and two aft, equipped with the 152 mm B-38 cannon. These guns have rather high firing arcs at long range, but work very well at short-medium range and have access to multiple effective shell types. All rounds have an initial muzzle velocity of 950 m/s. | |
+ | |||
+ | * The OF-35 High-Explosive shell is an amazing choice against destroyers or lightly armoured cruisers with a devastating 6 kg of TNT. | ||
+ | * The B-35 Armour-Piercing shell is your go-to against battleships with its 301 mm of base penetration and 10 m fuse delay, allowing it to devastate internal modules. | ||
+ | * The PB-35 Semi-Armour-Piercing shell is best used against cruisers or lightly armoured parts of battleships. A base penetration of 155 mm along with the 8 m fuse delay and high amount of TNT filler provides devastating damage to anything it penetrates. | ||
+ | * The ZS-35 anti-aircraft round is a useful tool to have, but is often too unwieldy to use against fast-moving aircraft. The shell only has a time fuse (not proximity) which limits its utility against aircraft. | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{:152 mm/57 B-38 (152 mm)/Ammunition|152 mm OF-35 HE, 152 mm B-35 AP, 152 mm PB-35 SAP, 152 mm ZS-35 AA}} | ||
=== Secondary armament === | === Secondary armament === | ||
{{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}} | {{Specs-Fleet-Secondary}} | ||
<!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' --> | <!-- ''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.'' --> | ||
− | {{main|100 mm/ | + | {{main|100 mm/70 SM-5-1 (100 mm)}} |
− | + | The Zheleznyakov comes equipped with four SM-5-1 secondary mounts, each packing two 100 mm dual-purpose guns. These are excellent weapons for close and medium range with good ballistics and shell speed (all but the AA-VT shell have a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s, while the AA-VT gets 995 m/s). However, there are only two turrets on each side of the vessel which limits their overall usefulness. | |
+ | |||
+ | * The OF-55 HE is a standard high explosive shell. 24 mm of base penetration limits its utility against armoured targets, but it still packs a punch against coastal vessels and destroyers, as well as being your go-to choice if you want to start fires onboard your enemy's vessel. | ||
+ | * The ZS-55 AA is a standard time fuse shell. Useful against aircraft with its high explosive mass, but harder to guarantee hits with due to the lack of the AA-VT's proximity fuse. | ||
+ | * The F-55 HE-F is a high explosive shell that trades a small amount of explosive mass for 55 mm of base penetration, as well as a 4 m fuse delay. This shell can wreak havoc on the enemy's internal modules so it is an excellent idea to always have some of this onboard your ship. | ||
+ | * The ZS-55R AA-VT is your best option against aircraft. The decent explosive mass and 15 m proximity fuse can make short work of any aircraft unfortunate enough to fly near you. | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{:100 mm/70 SM-5-1 (100 mm)/Ammunition|100 mm OF-55 HE, 100 mm ZS-55 AA, 100 mm F-55 HE-F, 100 mm ZS-55R AA-VT}} | ||
=== Anti-aircraft armament === | === Anti-aircraft armament === | ||
Line 45: | Line 65: | ||
{{main|V-11 (37 mm)}} | {{main|V-11 (37 mm)}} | ||
− | + | The anti-aircraft armament of the Zheleznyakov is a mixed bag. The fourteen twin 37 mm V-11 automatic cannons are devastating against enemy aircraft, but compared to other autocannons have a less than stellar aiming speed, allowing manoeuvrable aircraft and/or skilled pilots to easily evade their deadly shells. Against enemy coastal vessels and unarmoured destroyers, these can be incredibly powerful due to the massive amount of ammunition they can send downrange and are useful for every scenario you can find yourself in. The long range of these guns allows you a longer time cushion to engage aircraft than smaller autocannons, such as the 25 mm mounts on Japanese vessels, would allow. | |
+ | |||
+ | Eight of the fourteen turrets are mounted on the sides of the forward superstructure, four on each side. The remaining six are positioned just forward of the rear main battery turrets, two on each side and two raised up on the ship's centerline. This usually means that six to eight of the turrets can fire on enemy vessels to either side, with more turrets being usable against aircraft due to their higher relative elevation. | ||
== Usage in battles == | == 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).'' --> | <!-- ''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).'' --> | ||
− | + | The Zheleznyakov is a ship that can fill many roles, but is most successful at duking it out with enemy destroyers and cruisers. While it isn't recommended, this ship can find some success in close-quarters combat due to the quick reload of the main guns and a large number of secondary and AA batteries. The ship is at its happiest when it can fire at enemy ships from medium range without return fire, or when supporting a larger cruiser or battleship with its fast-firing guns. | |
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --> | <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' --> | ||
− | |||
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
− | * | + | |
+ | * Very effective main guns with a decent rate of fire | ||
+ | * Powerful secondary and anti-aircraft armament. | ||
+ | * Decent speed and manoeuvrability for a cruiser | ||
+ | * Surprisingly high survivability for a light cruiser | ||
'''Cons:''' | '''Cons:''' | ||
− | * | + | |
+ | * Main batteries have high firing arcs, which can make long-range combat difficult | ||
+ | * Secondary/AA batteries have slow traverse rates and are easily knocked out | ||
+ | * Torpedoes easily cripple or even sink the Zheleznyakov | ||
+ | * Smaller main batteries than some of its common adversaries, such as the American and German heavy cruisers | ||
== History == | == History == | ||
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | ||
− | + | One of the five Chapayev-class cruisers completed for the Soviet Navy, Seventeen were originally planned, eleven were ordered, and seven were laid down. Two were destroyed during World War 2 when their shipyard was overrun by German forces, while the other five were not completed until 1950. | |
+ | |||
+ | The Zheleznyakov was laid down on October 31, 1939 and launched on June 25, 1941. She was mothballed soon after, finally entering service with the 4th Fleet on September 7, 1950. Afterwards she served in both the Black Sea Fleet and the Baltic Fleet before being withdrawn from the Navy on April 18, 1961 and reclassified as a training ship for air surveillance radar operators. She was disarmed and discarded from the Navy on October 21, 1971, stricken on March 15 of 1976, and then broken up in 1977. | ||
+ | |||
+ | The Zheleznyakov's namesake was Anatoli Zheleznyakov, a Russian sailor known for dispersing the short-lived Russian Constituent Assembly during the October Revolution and for his death at the hands of anti-Soviet White Army members while helping the armoured train under his command escape from an ambush. | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> | <!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' --> | ||
− | + | ||
+ | ;Skins | ||
+ | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=ussr_cruiser_zheleznyakov Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ;Images | ||
+ | <gallery mode="packed-hover" heights="150"> | ||
+ | File:Zheleznyakov Screenshot 1.jpg|<small>Zheleznyakov unleashing a full broadside against an enemy vessel</small> | ||
+ | </gallery> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
Line 73: | Line 113: | ||
* ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | * ''reference to the series of the ship;'' | ||
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' --> | ||
− | + | ||
− | * | + | ;Related development |
− | * | + | * [[Chapayev]] |
+ | |||
+ | ;Contemporary cruisers | ||
+ | * [[USS Cleveland]] | ||
+ | * [[Nürnberg]] | ||
+ | * [[HMS Southampton]] | ||
+ | * [[IJN Suzuya]] | ||
+ | * [[RN Zara]] | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
Line 81: | Line 128: | ||
* ''topic on the official game forum;'' | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
* ''other literature.'' --> | * ''other literature.'' --> | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
+ | * [https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/ussr/chapayev-class-cruisers/ <nowiki>[Naval Encyclopedia]</nowiki> Chapayev-class cruiser] | ||
+ | * [[wikipedia:Chapayev-class_cruiser|[Wikipedia] Chapayev-class cruiser]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{ShipManufacturer Admiralty Shipyards}} | ||
{{USSR light cruisers}} | {{USSR light cruisers}} | ||
{{USSR premium ships}} | {{USSR premium ships}} |
Latest revision as of 10:07, 8 November 2023
Contents
Description
The Pr.68-K, Zheleznyakov, 1951 was a Project 68 (Chapayev-class) light cruiser built for the Soviet Navy in the 1940s, however the war delayed their construction. The Project 68 ships were to be built under Stalin's "Big Fleet Programme" of 1936 as the backbone of the Soviet light cruiser force, performing minelaying, shore bombardment, and commerce raiding operations. Unlike Project 26, 152 mm guns were chosen due to their higher fire rate, and armour protection was also improved significantly. Zheleznyakov was laid down on 31st October 1939 and commissioned on 19th April 1950. Just like her sister Chapayev, she served with the Northern Fleet before being transferred to the Baltic Fleet on 25th January 1952. She was reclassified as a training ship in 1973 and sold for scrap in 1976.
Zheleznyakov was introduced in Update "New Power" as a GE premium ship, and is functionally identical to the researchable Chapayev. Her armour protection is significantly improved over the previous Project 26 class, as well as having guns with higher rate of fire, although at cost of penetration characteristic. Her anti-aircraft protection suite was expanded as well with twenty-eight 37 mm automatic V-11 cannon barrels as well as eight 100 mm dual purpose guns. Unlike Kirov, her magazines are closer to waterline being more vulnerable to being hit, leading to fatal explosion. All the improvements on Zheleznyakov came at a cost. She lost the ship-launched aircraft found on Kirov, as well as torpedo tubes.
General info
Survivability and armour
While this cruiser's armour is not enough to protect you from semi-armour-piercing and armour-piercing shells, it is still enough to prevent major damage from being easily inflicted by every shell that comes your way. Destroyers and any HE shell will have trouble with anything belowdecks, as the main battery ammunition, engines, and transmissions are all protected by 100 mm of rolled homogeneous armour. The front and rear belt armour are only 20 mm and 30 mm thick RHA; while this isn't very useful, there is also not much in those areas that can damaged besides the steering gear in the stern. The ammo elevators are protected by 130 mm RHA, while the turrets themselves have 175 mm thick fronts. The turret sides and rear are much thinner but this isn't a major problem as long as you keep your main batteries pointed towards whatever is shooting at you. Secondary batteries have 20 mm thick antifragmentation armour, which is only useful against smaller autocannons and strafing aircraft. Anti-aircraft batteries have no armour at all and are often knocked out. The bridge has a 130 mm thick belt surrounding it but can still be knocked out by rounds exploding above and below it.
While this ship is still a light cruiser, it can survive quite a bit of damage before succumbing due to its effective belt armour and main turrets that are tough to knock out. It isn't recommended to expose this ship to torpedoes though, as they often explode below the belt armour and unleash catastrophic damage. Aircraft bombs are still a threat to the crew compartments and weapons, as the turtleback armour is very thin and already below many of these modules. The crew of 1,184 can last you for a long time, but the compartments they are housed in are easily knocked out so it is best to not get into close-quarters combat or engage multiple targets at once.
Mobility
The Zheleznyakov has a max speed of 61 km/h which is pretty good for a ship of its size. Turning ability is pretty standard for a cruiser, but it will still have issues avoiding close-in torpedoes or aircraft-dropped ordnance.
Mobility Characteristics | |||
---|---|---|---|
Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
Forward | Reverse | ||
AB | |||
Upgraded | 71 | 37 | |
RB/SB | |||
Upgraded | 61 | 31 |
Modifications and economy
Armament
Primary armament
The Zheleznyakov sports four triple-gun turrets, two fore and two aft, equipped with the 152 mm B-38 cannon. These guns have rather high firing arcs at long range, but work very well at short-medium range and have access to multiple effective shell types. All rounds have an initial muzzle velocity of 950 m/s.
- The OF-35 High-Explosive shell is an amazing choice against destroyers or lightly armoured cruisers with a devastating 6 kg of TNT.
- The B-35 Armour-Piercing shell is your go-to against battleships with its 301 mm of base penetration and 10 m fuse delay, allowing it to devastate internal modules.
- The PB-35 Semi-Armour-Piercing shell is best used against cruisers or lightly armoured parts of battleships. A base penetration of 155 mm along with the 8 m fuse delay and high amount of TNT filler provides devastating damage to anything it penetrates.
- The ZS-35 anti-aircraft round is a useful tool to have, but is often too unwieldy to use against fast-moving aircraft. The shell only has a time fuse (not proximity) which limits its utility against aircraft.
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-35 HE | HE | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
B-35 AP | APCBC | 333 | 287 | 226 | 178 | 143 | 100 |
PB-35 SAP | SAPBC | 172 | 148 | 117 | 92 | 74 | 52 |
ZS-35 AA | HE-TF | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
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-35 HE | HE | 950 | 55 | 0 | 0.1 | 6 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
B-35 AP | APCBC | 950 | 55 | 0.03 | 7 | 1.69 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
PB-35 SAP | SAPBC | 950 | 55 | 0.03 | 7 | 5.9 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
ZS-35 AA | HE-TF | 950 | 54.23 | 0 | 0.1 | 10.1 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Secondary armament
The Zheleznyakov comes equipped with four SM-5-1 secondary mounts, each packing two 100 mm dual-purpose guns. These are excellent weapons for close and medium range with good ballistics and shell speed (all but the AA-VT shell have a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s, while the AA-VT gets 995 m/s). However, there are only two turrets on each side of the vessel which limits their overall usefulness.
- The OF-55 HE is a standard high explosive shell. 24 mm of base penetration limits its utility against armoured targets, but it still packs a punch against coastal vessels and destroyers, as well as being your go-to choice if you want to start fires onboard your enemy's vessel.
- The ZS-55 AA is a standard time fuse shell. Useful against aircraft with its high explosive mass, but harder to guarantee hits with due to the lack of the AA-VT's proximity fuse.
- The F-55 HE-F is a high explosive shell that trades a small amount of explosive mass for 55 mm of base penetration, as well as a 4 m fuse delay. This shell can wreak havoc on the enemy's internal modules so it is an excellent idea to always have some of this onboard your ship.
- The ZS-55R AA-VT is your best option against aircraft. The decent explosive mass and 15 m proximity fuse can make short work of any aircraft unfortunate enough to fly near you.
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 | ||
OF-55 HE | HE | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 |
ZS-55 AA | HE-TF | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
F-55 HE-F | HE | 73 | 63 | 54 | 46 | 40 | 34 |
ZS-55R AA-VT | HE-VT | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
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-55 HE | HE | 1,000 | 15.6 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.94 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
ZS-55 AA | HE-TF | 1,000 | 15.6 | 0 | 0.1 | 2.07 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
F-55 HE-F | HE | 1,000 | 15.6 | 0.035 | 5 | 1.77 | 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-55R AA-VT | HE-VT | 995 | 15.9 | 0 | 0.1 | 270 | 15 | 1.26 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Anti-aircraft armament
The anti-aircraft armament of the Zheleznyakov is a mixed bag. The fourteen twin 37 mm V-11 automatic cannons are devastating against enemy aircraft, but compared to other autocannons have a less than stellar aiming speed, allowing manoeuvrable aircraft and/or skilled pilots to easily evade their deadly shells. Against enemy coastal vessels and unarmoured destroyers, these can be incredibly powerful due to the massive amount of ammunition they can send downrange and are useful for every scenario you can find yourself in. The long range of these guns allows you a longer time cushion to engage aircraft than smaller autocannons, such as the 25 mm mounts on Japanese vessels, would allow.
Eight of the fourteen turrets are mounted on the sides of the forward superstructure, four on each side. The remaining six are positioned just forward of the rear main battery turrets, two on each side and two raised up on the ship's centerline. This usually means that six to eight of the turrets can fire on enemy vessels to either side, with more turrets being usable against aircraft due to their higher relative elevation.
Usage in battles
The Zheleznyakov is a ship that can fill many roles, but is most successful at duking it out with enemy destroyers and cruisers. While it isn't recommended, this ship can find some success in close-quarters combat due to the quick reload of the main guns and a large number of secondary and AA batteries. The ship is at its happiest when it can fire at enemy ships from medium range without return fire, or when supporting a larger cruiser or battleship with its fast-firing guns.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Very effective main guns with a decent rate of fire
- Powerful secondary and anti-aircraft armament.
- Decent speed and manoeuvrability for a cruiser
- Surprisingly high survivability for a light cruiser
Cons:
- Main batteries have high firing arcs, which can make long-range combat difficult
- Secondary/AA batteries have slow traverse rates and are easily knocked out
- Torpedoes easily cripple or even sink the Zheleznyakov
- Smaller main batteries than some of its common adversaries, such as the American and German heavy cruisers
History
One of the five Chapayev-class cruisers completed for the Soviet Navy, Seventeen were originally planned, eleven were ordered, and seven were laid down. Two were destroyed during World War 2 when their shipyard was overrun by German forces, while the other five were not completed until 1950.
The Zheleznyakov was laid down on October 31, 1939 and launched on June 25, 1941. She was mothballed soon after, finally entering service with the 4th Fleet on September 7, 1950. Afterwards she served in both the Black Sea Fleet and the Baltic Fleet before being withdrawn from the Navy on April 18, 1961 and reclassified as a training ship for air surveillance radar operators. She was disarmed and discarded from the Navy on October 21, 1971, stricken on March 15 of 1976, and then broken up in 1977.
The Zheleznyakov's namesake was Anatoli Zheleznyakov, a Russian sailor known for dispersing the short-lived Russian Constituent Assembly during the October Revolution and for his death at the hands of anti-Soviet White Army members while helping the armoured train under his command escape from an ambush.
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See also
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- Contemporary cruisers
External links
Admiralty Shipyards (Адмиралтейские верфи) | |
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Light Cruisers | |
Project 68 | Zheleznyakov |
Pr.68-bis-ZiF | Shcherbakov |
Battlecruisers | |
Project 69 | Kronshtadt |
Battleships | |
Sevastopol-class | Poltava |
USSR light cruisers | |
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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 |
Lend-Lease | USA |
Omaha-class | Murmansk |
Trophies | Italy |
Condottieri-class | Kerch |
USSR premium ships | |
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Motor torpedo boats | G-5 (ShVAK) · Pr.123K (A-10bis) |
Motor gun boats | TKA-412 · Pr.183 BM-21 · Ya-5M |
Motor torpedo gun boats | MPK Pr.12412P |
Armoured gun boats | MBK-161 early · MBK pr.186 (MK 85) · Pr.1124 MLRS · Pr.1204 |
Sub-chasers | MPK Pr.122bis |
Frigates | Rosomacha |
Destroyers | Kerch · Ryany · Leningrad · Stroyny · Smelyi · Neustrashimy · Blagorodnyy |
Light cruisers | Murmansk · Kerch · Zheleznyakov |
Battleships | Marat |