MURMANSK, RUSSIA - Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov at the PD-50 floating dry dock of Shipyard 82. Lev Fedoseyev / TASS
David Axe, War Is Boring: Dry-Dock Sinking Could Accelerate the Russian Navy’s Decline
New, smaller ships could replace bigger, old ones
The sinking of the Russian navy’s biggest dry dock could spell trouble, and change, for the world’s third-biggest navy.
PD-50, a huge floating dry dock at the 82nd Repair Shipyard in Roslyakovo, Russia, accidentally sank on Oct. 29, 2018 after an electrical malfunction resulting in pumps overfilling the dock’s ballast tanks.
Four shipyard workers were hurt.
Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, was aboard PD-50 at the time of the sinking. The carrier remained afloat but suffered damage from a collapsing crane.
It could take years for the Kremlin to make up for PD-50’s loss. In the meantime, the Russian fleet will lack a floating repair facility for the 60,000-ton-displacement Kuznetsov and potentially other large warships of Cold War-vintage.
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WNU Editor: As to the question .... when will the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov be repaired to re-enter service? Apparently it is going to take a long time .... Russian officials: Nope, we can’t finish fixing the carrier Kuznetsov (Ars Technica).
