Soviet Project 68 cruiser series - unbuilt variants

Before WW2, according to Warship magazine, 1994 edition (article by V.V. Jarovoj and René Greger), the soviets wanted to equip double stabilized 105mm mountings developed by Skoda on their Project 68 cruisers. An industrial delegation was sent in 1938 to Czechslovaquia on order to get acquainted with the technology, and not even the 1939 occupation prevented work, reaching the prototype phase in 1940, due to delivery by 1941. The records seem to have disappered from Skoda Plzen's Archives, so I was told. Who knows more on this?
 
I thought those were to be German 105mm guns and postwar (likely using existing storage or removing from survived ships)
 
Tzoli said:
I thought those were to be German 105mm guns and postwar (likely using existing storage or removing from survived ships)
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This means the soviets kept interest in Skoda's stabilized mountings even after the Lützow/Petropavlovsk deal, involving the transfer of German triaxial hardware and plans.
 
hmm my data table shows that only Chaklov would receive this modification.

Also is there a difference between Project 68S and 68I?
 
Wurger said:
Thanks for sharing. This shows, according to the caption, the 68S, but with German triaxial 10,5cm double mountings, much more like the 68E ("Export"?). The Skoda mountings would be, I reckon, different.
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Project 68E Was the conversion of Admiral Nakhimov into a CLG in 1954 with an added SS-N-1 Scrubber Anti Ship missile with V-16 launcher, no change to main armament though.
https://etoretro.ru/pic56028.htm


1374636676243.jpg
 
That is not how Russian language works I think XD
Byy cold war the export versions of various projects got the E suffix while pre 1950's it's just another variant.

For example the Petya III class was Project 159AE (Petya II was 159A)

There is also a Destroyer project from 1944 numbered Project 40IE
and so on
 
Tzoli said:
Project 68E Was the conversion of Admiral Nakhimov into a CLG in 1954 with an added SS-N-1 Scrubber Anti Ship missile with V-16 launcher, no change to main armament though.
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I'm afraid you are mistaken a bit. It was a Project 67-EP (rus. 67-ЭП), and the modification was more significant: the A turret was fixed in place, her barrels locked at max elevation, and gas deflector shield fitted in front of turret. Two missile hangars (each for two missiles) were added at the sides of B turret:

1782288029292.png

The cruiser later was slated to be refitted as Project 70 missile cruiser; her bow turrets were restored to working condition, and rear turret removed to be replaced by M-2 "Volkhov-M" SAM systems, but works stopped in 1960, and cruiser was used as target ship instead.
 
Tzoli said:
hmm my data table shows that only Chaklov would receive this modification.

Also is there a difference between Project 68S and 68I?
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Project 68I also involved replacing the 152mm main guns with German 150mm ones.
Although I somewhat doubt its historicity as I don't remember ever seeing the designation "Project 68I" in any reliable sources. Pretty sure I only saw it on a Shipbucket-style drawing on some WoWS-related website.
 
00-PureEvil-00 said:
Project 68I also involved replacing the 152mm main guns with German 150mm ones.
Although I somewhat doubt its historicity as I don't remember ever seeing the designation "Project 68I" in any reliable sources. Pretty sure I only saw it on a Shipbucket-style drawing on some WoWS-related website.
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Project 68I has been referenced in more than one Russian-language publication on cruisers. Here is a graphic from one of them.
 

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Thread renamed due to widening of subsequent posts, have moved over some other Project 68 and Project 68bis family cruiser projects to consolidate them in one place.
 
Well I might require some updates then on the Chapayev/Sverdlov variants and derivatives:
Chapayev (As laid down)Project 68
Chapayev (Modified Chaklov)Project 68S /68I
Chapayev (As finished)Project 68K
SverdlovProject 68Bis
Sverdlov (Modified)Project 68Bis-Zif
Sverdlov (Admiral Nakhimov Conversion)Project 68E
Sverdlov (Admiral Nakhimov Refit)Project 68ER
Sverdlov (Admiral Nakhimov Refit)Project 68EP
Sverdlov (Zhdanov Refit)Project 68U1 Bukhta-1
Sverdlov (Admiral Senyavin Refit)Project 68U2
Sverdlov (Refit)Project 68A
Sverdlov (Admiral Nakhimov Refit)Project 67SI
Sverdlov (Admiral Nakhimov Refit)Project 70
Sverdlov (Dzerzhinskiy)Project 70E
Project 67Project 67
Project 67BisProject 67Bis
Project 71Project 71
Sverdlov (Carrier Conversion)
Sverdlov (Helicopter Carrier Conversion)
 
Wurger said:
Thanks for the heads-up. It should be the 68I "Import".
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Revisiting the article in post #1, which I find credible:

"In December 1939, CKBS-1 was informed by the Commissariat for the Navy that Germany had promised to deliver not only the new cruiser Liitzow but a number of guns, including a 150mm model mounted in a triple turret. Consequently, Maslov was requested to revise the Project-68 design to accommodate both the German 150mm mounting and their twin stabilised 105mm AA mountings; the revised design was known as Project-68I (I = Importnyi = Imported)".

"The last variant was known as Project-68S; it is uncertain if the `S' signified `Skoda' or `stabilizirovannyi' (= stabilised) as 105mm stabilised twin mountings were ordered by a delegation, led by (the later Marshal) Ustinov, from the Skoda works in Czechoslovakia in 1938. The development of these mountings continued, without interference, after the German occupation of Bohemia and Moravia on 15 March 1939. However, late in 1940, with the prototype just tested and deliveries due to commence early in 1941, the German authorities ordered all work on the mountings to cease. Slightly edited text, removing redundancies.
 
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Chkalov, later renamed Komsolomets.
 

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