Russia's only aircraft carrier "Admiral Kuznetsov" at port in Murmansk.(Photo: Thomas Nilsen)
After nine months at sea, the nuclear powered battle cruiser “Pyotr Veliky” made port call to Severomorsk on Sunday. So did “Admiral Kuznetsov” Russia’s only aircraft carrier.
Mission completed! Russia’s only still-sailing nuclear powered surface vessel ended its longest ever voyage this weekend. It started last autumn with a mission along the Northern Sea Route. The she test fired some cruise-missiles in the Barents Sea, before sailing southbound along the coast of Norway, through the North-Atlantic, before entering the Mediterranean.
In February she both guarded the Sochi-Olympics and participated in ensuring security for transportation of Syrian chemical weapons, an operation lead by naval vessels of Norway and Denmark.
“Pyotr Veliky” at port in Severomorsk. (Photo: Thomas Nilsen)
On return, she joined the flotilla of “Admiral Kuznetsov” and passed outside the coast of Norway last week. The aircraft carrier has been in the Mediterranean on a six months training voyage with her fleet of Su-33 fighter jets and Ka-27 helicopters.
Commenting on the return in Severomorsk on Sunday, Northern fleet Commander Vladimir Kotolev said the team of vessels now returning has completed all their tasks, reports the military TV channel Zvezda.
