Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev



Kiev was a heavy aircraft carrying cruiser that served the Soviet and Russian navies from 1975 to 1993. It was built between 1970 and 1975 at Chernomorski factory in Mykolaiv and was the first ship of its class (Project 1143 Krechyet (Gyrfalcon) or Kiev class)

Service life
The Kiev was laid down on 21 July 1970 and launched on 26 December 1972. She was completed and commissioned on 28 December 1975, but officially entered service only in February 1977, after completing all trials. In 1976 she was moved from the Black Sea to her destination Severomorsk, as a part of the Northern Fleet.

On 16 July 1976 she left Sevastopol - 20.7.76 began testing the Yakovlev_Yak-36M (four Yak-36M and one Yak-36MU onboard) under sea conditions in the Mediterranean (off Crete). On 10.8.76 arrived in Severomorsk, Murmansk Oblast - attached to the 170th Anti-Submarine Warfare Brigade; 8.76 to 12.76 extensive tests in the Northern Fleet area; 12.4 to 19.4.77 took part in the Sever-77 exercise; 26.6.77 reclassified from PKR to TAVKR; 20.12.77 to 21.4.78 operations in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean - 3.11.78 hit a sand bar, but suffered no damage; 4.8.78 took part in a local exercise; 11.10.78 final tests of the main missiles in the White Sea.

From 1977 to 1987, Kiev undertook 10 practice voyages to the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. In March 1979 she undertook manoeuvres with her sistership Minsk on the Mediterranean. In October 1981 she was a flagship in the massive fleet exercise Zapad-81 on the Baltic Sea. From December 1982 to November 1984 she underwent an overhaul and modernization in Mykolaiv. From 1985, the practice of operating Yakovlev Yak-38s in STOL mode instead of VTOL was introduced, allowing an increase in aircraft payload and range, and a replacement of Kamov Ka-25 helicopters with Kamov Ka-27 started. In 1985 Kiev went back to the Northern Fleet. From 1987 she mainly stayed in Severomorsk. In December 1989 she was moved to reserve. After the disintegration of the USSR, the ship was taken by Russia. Due to a low military budget and worsening ship's condition, she was retired on 30 June 1993.

Post-service life
In 1996 she was sold to a Chinese company, and has been part of Binhai Aircraft Park, a military theme park in Tianjin since 1 May 2004. The concept design and master plan for the park was developed by tourism and attraction consultant Leisure Quest International (USA).

In August 2011, the ex-Kiev began taking guests as its new role as a luxury hotel after a refit costing £9.6 million.

Notes and references

 * В.П.Заблоцкий (V.P. Zablotskiy): "Тяжелый авианесущий крейсер «Киев»" (Tyazholy avyanesushchiy kreyser "Kiev"), Morskaya Kollektsya 7/2003