January 30th 2021 the Severomorsk finds herself at liberty in the port of Algiers.
The night before we pulled along side the Algerian navy’s LPD Kalaat beni abbes and let some of the crew have a run ashore, we also need to take on more fuel and stores ready for tomorrow and our big day.
To increase Russian – Algerian ties we have agreed to take part in a small exercise, the objective to operate as part of a task group to focus our main forces against a multi layered threat, Visibly the Severomorsk is the only participating Russian platform but, we are being joined by the Northern Fleets Kastroma a Sierra class SSN and the Black Sea Fleet Kolopino a Kilo class SSK.
The fleet will consist of 1 LPD (flagship) and 3 escorts (2 FFG’s and 1 corvette) as the main fleet which will be Algerian.
The Severomorsk will link up with a Nanuchka corvette and provide forward support and be detached from the main fleet creating a pincer type plan into the Exercise area.
Opposing us will be 5 barges which will represent large surface targets, although they are unpowered they allow us to use live weapons, also opposing us will be drones armed with missiles representing fighter attack aircraft, small fast attack craft will also intercept us and try to cause damage, and finally 2 Russian and 2 Algerian submarines will allow us to conduct ASW tasking.
The balloon went up early at 0500 when we made for sea and at 0510 both helicopters were tasked to conduct flight ops, mainly transit and conduct Remo sweeps.
By 0530 the fleet entered into the exercise area and we began our tasking, Severomorsk split from the main group and headed east with the helicopters laying buoys we put ourselves in position ready to operate for ASW.
The first kill came at 0632 when helo 2 attacked a barge with a KH32 Uran scoring a hit sinking it, all went quiet and we ran between 3-5 knots for a good couple of hours.
At 0838 radar picked up two drones and we promptly shot them down using our SA-4 missiles, and at 0921 another drone was intercepted and shot down.
Not four minuets later at 0925 Helo 1 was engaged in tracking down a submarine, to assist and keep the helo with weapons it was decided to use a ship launched SS-N-14 Silex missile, at 0945 the target was prosecuted.
Helo 2 was squarely on the hunt for another submarine and at 1120 identity was confirmed, this was a submarine not participating in the war game, she was identified as an Italian type 212 submarine, she was subsequently driven away.
Helo 2 finally made contact with the correct submarine a Kilo class at 1217 and engaged the target ruling her sunk then it went strangely quiet.
At 1517 a swarm of drone appeared, and over the horizon five fast attack craft appeared, drones were engaged rapidly and between Severomorsk and the nanuchka we took down 3 of the drones, main gun fire from the 100mm took out 2 fast attack craft but we also lost helo 1, and the nanuchka was ruled sunk, using the SA-4 I managed to sink 2 more fast attack craft and the other was taken out before the nanuchka was ruled sunk.
At 1534 the Severomorsk was engaged by an unknown submarine at fairly close range (7nm) we hadn’t detected them, to mess up their sensors I fired a full spread of 3 port and 3 starboard torpedoes turned and ran at flank speed before looping round and coming back slow.
Helo 1 was ready to engage the enemy submarine but in the haste of firing off all my torpedoes I inadvertently blinded myself with the remaining sonobuoys, this meant the second wave of torpedoes being fired at me I did not hear until they were close at 1607 the Severomorsk was ruled Sunk and at 1935 returned to port along with the task group.
Overall the mission was a semi success the main tasking of taking down drones and fast attack craft was completed successfully with no loss to Severomorsk, the ASW tasking was to allow the Algerians some experience in the art of anti-submarine warfare.
Severomorsk is now refueling and at 0400 will be leaving port heading east into the Mediterranean and onto her next tasking.