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YoI.-e 9 Issue 100
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Rrbllshed by
:'r:s Publishing Ltd COIN Airctaft
Q Aerospace Publishing Ltd 1985 Weapons Wu II
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11
Spushlp
From the tranquil calm of a Meditenanean summer to the
awesome force of an Atlantic winte4 NATO mariners are
accustomed, to tuinvited gtests joining their exercises. One requisite for any sailor aboard a
Soviet AGI is not to sufter from sea-
Whether in smaLl trawler-derived vessels or in large space sicknesg as lfi is Moma demonsfra les
research ships, the gathering of naval intelligence has as shewatches thewarships HMS
Tiger and theRFA Tidepool durmg
become a major preoccupation of the Soviet narry, the I 974 NATO exercise'Northern
recfutrocated to a certain extent by a number of other nauies. Merger'.

Although thrs rs the age of satellite-based reconnatssance systems, there
is still a need for the rntelligence-gathering ship to ply its trade off foreign
shores. Such shrps are now divided into-two categories: the authentic
'spyship', or rntelhgence-qathering auxiliary (AGI) to give the type its
correct name, which is covered wrth various aerials and antennae to
gather signal and electronic intelligence data; and the more respectable
civilian research vessels of the space event type, which although tasked
with genuine peaceful missions are in fact .engaged on occasion in
obtaining useful information on foreigm military misslle tests.
in the Soviet Union there is no real distinctron between the two
categories as all military and civilian shlps of whatever class are oper-
ated as part of the Soviet Ocean Surveillance System (SOSS) while the
space event units also perform additional military tasks such as relaying
communlcations, The Americans in contrast have lost interest in the AGi
following the attack on the USStrlberly durlng the 1967 Arab-lsraeli war
and the seizinq ol the USSPueblo by the North Koreans a lew years later,
They now rely on this type of work to be performed by the Project
Holystone nuclear submarines and by aircraft, However, they do remain
interested rn the research type vessel as shown by the recent conver-
sion of the USNS Obsewation 1s/and to carry the 'Cobra Judy' suweili-
ance radar. One exception to this has been the buildrng of the SURTASS-
equipped ships of the 'Stalwart' class to complement the SOSUS network
around the coasts of the USA.
Those other countries which operate these vessels (such as France,
China and some of the Warsaw Pact nations) tend to use either one or
other of the categories but not both. Surprisingly, of the NATO nations
only West Germany uses AGIs, the others relying on warships, sub-
marrnes and speciaily configmred aircraft to do the job.
Originally converted from a tanker design, ffie US/V,S Redstone ilrsf seryed as a
tracking and communication vessel for the Apollo moon programme. Sfteiras
since been assrgn e d to the U SA.F E as ter n S pace M is sile C en ter atPa tr ick AFB
inFlorida.

198 I
 'Henri Poincar6' class
Tne Henri Poincar6 is the sole ship of
her type and the flagship of Force M,
the French naval test and measure-
ment group, which takes measure-
ments and conducts expedments as
requested by the nalry or any other
organization, civil or military, The Hen-
The Henri Poincarel's
theflagshipof Group
M, the Frenchnavy's
fesf andmeasurement
unif, and ri responsible
formonitoring the
FrenclrSSBSandMSBS
stra tegicmr'ssile tesfs
so that parameters
suchasCEPand
warhead
characteristics can be
determined.
M* __
il ii)u"r, wang' class
Fust seen during the May 1980 ICBM
test series in the central Pacific, the
Yuan Wang' class of satellite- and mis-
siie-trackrng ships rs an important part
cf China's space technologry and mis-
sile-testing programme, The two ves-
sels, the Yuan Wang I andYuanWang
2. were built by the Jiangnan Shipyard
at Shanghai and commissioned in 1979.
For their tracking and monttoring
duties they carry a large parabolic
tracking antenna amtdships, two log-
Tlre Yuan Wang clas s was fir st
obsewed during the I 980 Chinese
ICBM tests in the central Pacific. They
have a large helicopter landing
E :it5Hi("ndor I' class
T-wo of a number of 'Kondor I' inshore
mnesweeper class conversions, the
pair of 'Mod Kondor I' class vessels
produced between 1968 and 1970 are
':\e Komet (D42) and Meteor (D43).
These had ther armament and mrne-
srieeping qear removed and various
sgmal intelhqence (Sigint) and electro-
::rc intelligrence (E[nt) antenna added,
:cgether with a deckhouse aft to
accommodate the associated tecord-
.rg equipment, The vessels are used
',';rth a trawler{ype unit, the Hydro-
:raph (D4I) of the Sovret 'Okean' de-
.:Tn to monitor NATO naval exe.rctses
-: the Baltic, and regularly patrol
'-:az
ri Poincare's chief mission is to monitor
and measure the trajectory ofthe SSBS
(lRBMs) and MSBS (SLBMS) fired from
the experimental station at Landes (or
from missile-carryinq submarines) in
order to compute their fliqht charac-
teristics, especially in the re-entry and
rnpact stages. Durtng such tests the
Henri Poincar5 also acts as the ranqte
safety and command ship by assisting
periodic HF antennae (fore and aft)
shaped like 'flsh-sprnes', two small mis-
sile{racking radars and several preci-
sion theodolite optical trackinq direc-
tor stations. There are also several
additional positions avarlable for the
later installation of eguipment, For ver-
tical replenishment and personnel
transfer there is a large helicopter
deck located aft, but thrs lacks hangar
facilities. A helicopter type known to
use the deck rs the heavyJift A6rospa-
tiale SA32 1 Super Frelon, A bow thrus-
ter and retractable fin stabrlizers are
fitted for station-keepinqr and stability
in rouqh seas.
To support these vessels the
.i
*.
' I "
offshore near highly sensitive West
German and Danish military rnstalla-
tions to gather classified signal data
and electronic order-of-battle informa-
tion, They have also been known on a
number of occasions to appear near
neutral Swedish installations and
warships on simrlar missions, Very
often the trips near NATO bases are
co-ordinated wirh East German atr
force intelligence-gathertng missions
by Mikoyan-Gurevtch MiG-21 'Fish-
bed-H' vrsual and electrontc recon-
naissance fiqhters and Ilyushin 1l-14
'Crate' Elint platforms; these stmulate
penetration flight profiles into NATO
the flagr officer-in-charge rn controlling
the naval and air elements in the test
zone, particularly in the final descent
and recovery phases,
Built origrnally as an ltalian tanker,
lhe Henri Poincar6 was reconstructed
at Brest between 1964 and 1967, a
second major reflt following between
1979 and 1980 to update her electronic
systems. These include one Savoie
and two Gascogne tracking radars, a
fully automatic tracking station, celes-
tial position-ixing equipment, a cine-
camera-equipped theodolite, infra-
red tracking systems, Trarsit naviga-
tional and Syracuse satellite com-
municatrons systems, meteorologncal
and oceanogrraphic equipment, a data
collection and collation system, and
hull-mounted sonar. For the vertical
replenishment and communications
Chinese Academy ofSciences also has
a fleet of research ships sailing under
the name'Xiang Yang Hong' (East rs
Red) and individual numbers, These
vessels are capable of a wrde variety
of duties including general oceano-
graphic, upper atmosphere, missile
and satellite research, and also hyd-
rometeorolog-y, Further vessels of an
'lmproved Yuan Wang'class are ex-
pected to be built in the near future as
the Chinese space proetramme
gathers momentum towards the even-
tual launch of a manned spacecraft.
Such vessels will then assume the com-
mulications relay role as well as the
curent tasks.
airspace in order to triqger air-
defence systems into revealing oper-
ating frequencies and procedures.
The ships waiting offshore can thus re-
cord all the communications and srgnal
trafflc qenerated by the defending sys-
tems, The material gathered is then
fed into the Soviet intellgence net-
work for evaluation and companson
with existing data, and any deviations
or new material are logged for future
use in an all-out war.
Specification
'ModKondor I'class
Displacement: 245 tons standard and
tasks she has a hangar and fliqhtdeck
aft for either tvro A6rospatiale SA321
Super Frelon heavylift or up to five
A6rospatiale Alouette IIl light com-
municationVtransport hellcopters.
Specification
'Henri Poincar6'class
Displacement: 19, 500 tons standard
and 24,000 tons full load
Dimensions: lenqth 180,0 m (590.6 ft);
beam22,2m(72.8 ft); draught9,4 m
(30.8 ft)
Propulsion: one geared steam tubine
delivering 7457 kW (10,000 hp) to one
shaft
Speed: 15 kts
Aircraft: tvrio A6rospatiale SA32 1
Super Frelon or up to five A6rospatiale
Alouette lll helicopters
Armament:none
Electronics: navigation radars plus
itemsmentioned in the text
Complement: 223
Specification
'YuanWang'class
Displacement: 17, 100 tons standard
and 21,000 tons fu1l]oad
Dimensions: lengrth 190.0 m (623.4 ft);
beam 22,6 m (74. I ft); drausht 7,5 m
(24,6 ft)
Propulsion: one diesel poweri ng one
shaft
Speed:20 kts
Aircraft: helicopter landing deck only
Armament:none
Electronics: navigation radars plus
items mentioned rn the text
Complement:300-400
I
320 tons full load
Dimensions: Ienqth 52,0 m (170.6 ft);
beam 7.0 m (23,0 ft); draught 2.0 m
(6 6 ft)
Propulsion: two dLesels deltvenng
3729 kW (5,000 hp) to two shafts
Speed: l7 kts
Aircraft: none
Armament: SA-7'Grarl' SAMs,
maclune-gnurs ald small arms
Electronics: one TSR333 navigation
radar plus vanous umdentifled Eltnl
and Siqint systems
Complement:40
Mod Kondor I'class (continued)

The East Germans converted two of

ffi err'Kondor I' coasfaJ
minesweepers (shown here) into
inte lligence- g athering units by
removing all the sweeping gear and
arm amen t, fi tting various antennad
and m aking sever al sm all changes to
the superstructure. The'Kondor I'
Elint ships work in conjunction with
East German air force aircraft as
required.

f iilIawigator','Baltyk' and'Piast'.
ThePolish navy uses twomodified
'Moma'class survey ships, the
Hydrogrraf and Nawigator, rn tfte
intelligence role in the Baltic to
monitor W es t G erm an, D anish and
Norwegian nava/ exercr'ses and
shore installations for theWarsaw ...---.-.i---
Pact. l..--.-

The two vessels that comprise the
'Nawigator' class, namely the Nawiga-
tor (262) andHydrogra[ (263), and the
'Piast' class salvage vessels are all
based on the Soviet-desiqned 'Moma'
class survey ships. 'Nawigator' and
Prast blass vessels mounl a conspi-
cuous lattice mainmast, the 'Nawiga-
tors' berng distingn.iished by the addi-
rion of two large radomes. one im-
mediately aft of the bridge atop the
main superstructure and the other atop
the aft superstructure, The Hydrograf
differs slightly from her sister in havingt
a much longer forecastle that is one
deck higher, Although no armament is
openly carried at present, there are
posrtrons for four twin 25-mm AA guns,
two forward and two aft. Both the masts
are fltted with a variety of DF and srg-
nal-intercept antennae, but it is be-
lieved that no real{ime analysis capa-
bility is carried. Thus all the data
obtained have to be recorded for
eventual analysis at a shore siation
fitted with the necessary equipment
and computer systems, AII the in-
Iormation receLved ailer processing is
then fed into the Sovret intelliqence
network for future use,
There is a third vessel, the 1,200{on
'B10' class Baltyk (264), a converted
trawler which also setves in the AGI
role with the Polish narry. Both the
'Nawigator class unrts are quoted as
navigational training ships, but lke
others are betrayed as to their real role
by the enormous amount of electronic
gear fltted,
Specification
'Nawigator'class
Displacement: 1,260 tons standard and
1,540 tons full load
Dimensions: length 6?. 0 m (2 I9.B ft );
beam 10,5 m (34,4 ft); drausht 4,0 m
(13 I ft)
Propulsion: two diesels delivering
2685 kW (3,600 hp) to two shafts
Speed: 17 kts
Aircraft: none
Armament:fitted for four twin 25-mm
AA (not shipped), otherwise SA-7
'Grail' SAMs, machine-gnrns and small
AIINS
Electronics: trivo RN23 1 navigation
radars plus various unidentified Elint
and Sigint systems
Complement:60
Like the'Nawigator' class of AGI, the
'Piast' class salvagre resse,lrs based
on the Soviet'Moma' class suwey
ship. Note, however, the absenceof
radomes, the one lattice mast and the
conspicuous diving bell together
with its launching apparatus on the
port side.
WatchOuf -There's
a5pgAboul
In spiteof the much-vaunted abilities of modern satellite surveillance, thebest
method ol obtaining information is actually by seeing something ar by carrying out
close-rangeeavesdropping.Thisisparticularlytrueaf sea, whereeverydetailof
NATA and US operational procedure is observed by a Soviet navy eager tobypass
the long and tedious process of working it outforthemsetrves.
It is a fact of miliiarv life that whenever NATO
shrps exercise ai sea they are ctose.Ly sha-
dowed by ubiouilo.rs Soviel spy trawlers:
small, rather friendly-lookingr shrps, festooned
with an array olantennae and directlon-f,nding
(DF) equipment, it is unlikely that the averaQre
person tdKes rhem seriousiy when rhey llash up
on the TV screen durrnq the eveningt news, for
after all how can Lhey poss.bly compare wtth
Lhe incrediblv soohrsLrcared elecLronLc l"sten
ing shrps and suomarines used by 'he Amer-
rcans? in fac'.
Lhey compare exttemely ',rel-
Mosl olthose chunky li'tie rrawlers have ne v^r
neen used lor commerc-a] hshrng Ln their ir res
and are potentially one of the most Lethal
weapons that the USSR has at its drsposal. Anc
there are literaily hundreds of them in use bl;
itie USSR, together with their bigger srsler
rc hr
shrps. ranging {ro-n friqtotes converLed
electronrc-intelligence (Elint) role to the
15,000-ton Kosmonavt Yuriy Gagarin The
Scvrers have an ever-increas-ng appetire 1--
nlormatron abour the Wesl and therr E-L:,.
gathering ships prcvide almost more data ;har
:hey can handle, Certainly these ships play a
naior role in the Sovrets search lor m-lit.n
economrc ancl pohtrcal intellrgence 'o under
stand why, we should lake a bnef look at ihe
,:ovier Unrorr s geograpny
Depending on ones vrewpoin rhe USSF ---
=:ther an unfriendJy na Iion surrounded ov c- . ---
--ed counrries. or the Ione outpost of h;m::..--.'
::1.-nually threatened oy wdrmonger jnr : -: -
:
talists on its very borders, The fact remains that
it is considerablv easier for the USA to mn
iand-based Jisrening srdL-ons ctose ro rhe USSR
than the reverse, It is also true lhat the USSR
and its satellite countries are, by and large,
geographicaJiy lumpeJ togelher whereias
countrles hostile to therr dreams of world re-
volution are scattered throuqhout that same
v, or-o. lrue the Sov,els rry'o mainLain listening
posis in client states like Vietnam, Angola and
Cuba but with very few exceptions they have
drscovered that al1 too often one revolution can
be qurckly iollowed by another, and that it is
enbarrassing, even danqerous, io be sudden
1r- rhrown out olan emergrng nation. Thrs prob-
1em has been hiqhhghted iremendously over
the past few years wrth the advent of the 'spy'
saielLte the USSR simply does not have the
iani-based tracking and communications sta-
:icns ic remain in constant touch wilh its 'spies
.:. '.ne sky as can Lhe Americans,
Sc, r,vrth typical logic, the USSR made the
iecrsion in the late 1950s 1o deveion a sea-
ci:;l trLnr-qaLhenng progranme,
"vhrch as
r-u:h as anyrhing else accounts lor :he con-
'.:--:d rrse ol rhe Soviet navy
-:.-:-a.,y -he USSR used converLed lrawLcrs
.---:"J.y--rhe. Okean class.ol 720 ron_s wrtn a
::*..
-"3ssei-i 32. These
rawlers (or AGIs Au-xiliary
Miscellaneous Type lntelligence to
j.::'.': them thelr NATO designation), were
-.r+c .r'rrh spying on NATO warships. Therr
.:.::. :. ruenL oeyond drscoverlng ship and
weapon capabllittes and tactics. They were
responsible lor flndrng out anything that worild
make the USSR more secure and :he Soviet
naly more e{fec rve. So rhey would observe
how the Britrsh refuelled af sea or how the
Americans handled night carrier landings in
bad weather Bul gradually, as Lhe tlinr pro,
cess became more sophisricaled, a new breed
of ship wrth greater capabr,.Lres was deman
ded. The modern Soviet AGI is likely io be of
the 'Balzam' class, oi4,000 tons and with a crew
of 180, Not thai the 'Okean' class AGI is no
longer with us: there is one based permanently
off the coast of Northern ]reland, where it moni-
tors Royal Ulster Constabulary and British army
radio transmissions, It can also monitor the
Royal Artrllery rocket range in the Outer Heb
rides
Maintasks
The main tasks of the Soviet AGIs (of all sizes)
today can be said to be anti-submarine warfare
(ASW); satellite communications (SATCOM)
which may have an ASW rote; mrlitary intelh-
gencei and political and economrc intelli-
gence. ASW Elint rs regarded as being particu
JarlT .mcor .art Decd.use oI the threaL posed by
NATO nuclpar submarines, both those firrng
baltistrc or cruise mrssiles and hunter/killers
tarqeted aqainst the Soviets' own nuclear sub-
marines. To understand how these tasks are
carried out, it is important to understand that
modern f,rnt qoes lar beyond the srmpLe rn
:erceplrcn ol radro srgnals
There are very few objects in the world that
do not produce some form of recognizable
electro-magnetrc radiation. This radiation (not
'o be con.*sed rvLth nuclear rad-al,ont is ol
The naval missile range instrumentatlon sfiip Sibir
monitorsAmericar mrssrJe lests southof the island
of Midway in the Pacific.she normally embarks a
Kamov Ka-25 'Hormone-C' utility helicopter on the
aft flight deck. although no hangar facitities are
fitted.
 :.aneed
dlrtho4sh
teouple..o
ng:ed:

:r -.1 +l

-.1i:+..:'n:,..1.i;'1
l",-atch Out - There's a Spy About
,. =:: question is too lar from a Soviet-based
,
--i siaticn, it ,ryill transmit its informatron vra an
.:-li as witl a spy plane The AGI wrll send on
.-= :nformation received by retransmiiting it to
=:::her satelllte nearer the Soviet Union, or by
:-::--ng it ro an overflyrng aircrail ljke the
- -: -ev lu 95 Bear-D', Lailerly, though the
S-:'-iets have shorm a drstinct prefereice for
,.rg sa.el|te links.
Satellite launch
The USSR has also mastered the art ol laun ,r*d&,,]*uir*tk
:r,ng surveillance satelhtes lo cover spectfic
:rents. For example, shortly alter the stari of
f-e Falklands war in 1982 a sateltite was laun-
ched and piaced in orbit over the islands. lt is
:rardiy likely that any informatton was passed to
eiiher the British or the Argentines; this lar-inch
irn May 1982) was purely to gain information
about British offensive capabilities and Argen- AGIs that do exist are 1tkely to be standard NATO carrier activity over the years has always
--ne weapon syslems. warships converted to an AGI roie but main- attracted Soviet AGIs, as this I974 exercise with
taLning their armament. HMSHermes a ndher attendant Mayak
Similarly, a Soviet satellite was launched (foreground) and Mama (background) shows. I t is
shortly after the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, The Britrsh Admlrally is more close-mouthed painstaking recording on film of aircralt activity
lis hfra-red sensingr abitrty helped pinpoint about its operations than any other branch of aboard carriers that has helped the Saviets to
Iraqi troop positrons, information that was pas- the armed forces, so very little is known about construct their new nuclear-powered 'Kremlin
sed onto the Iranians wrth intttal devastating Brltish AGIs, There have been rumours for class carrier.
effect. Shortly afler thal the iranians moved some [rme aboul British commerc,al lraw]ers
against the Tldeh (the pro-Soviet Iranian Com- being temporarily adapred for the AGI roie
m-'unist party), and the ilow of rnformation from When the Hu1l trawler Gaul, 1,106 tons, drs- man 7 SovieL AGIs have suddenly and myster
Moscow ceased. appeared off the north coast of Norway (no iously drsappeared, victims of a lreak wave, a
AGIs undoubtediy provide the backbone ol survivors from her 36-man crew, no wreckage giaai octopus, or simply by berng in the wrong
ihe Soviet Eiint-qath-eiing process. As has been and not even a solitary life bell to mourn her place at the rvrong timel In the field of electro-
seen, the modern AGI is considerably larger passrng), the rumours that swept her home port nic warfare genuine accldents do happen, as
and (presumably) more comfortable than ils suooested that she had been used for Ehnt- witness the case of the American submarine
ruqqed little predecessor, and also constder- carhering and had been carrying Royal Navai that acrually managed 'o scrape the boitom of a
ably more veisatile, The deployment and task- personnel at the time oi her disappearance. Sovlet submarine while moniioring a Soviei
ing ol AGIs is tigthtly controlled: they are not \Atraiever the lrulh ol lhe matler (and Thames lleel exercrse.
simply let loose on the world's oceans to qather Television did take it seriouslyenough to trans- People rend ro iorget lharwhiLe tew sholsare
whatever Ehnt they can flnd, but rather are mrt an hour-long documentary on the subject a ever fired, today's elecironic warlare is as vital
jt as any major battle rn the last war, That siubby
djrected al specific targets. be rt HoJy Loch 1-ear 1a er, -n 1974). can be sard that the Brjlrsh
(which will probably mean an AGI on more or qcvernment would have to have a very good littie 'Okean' class AGI may look harmless
less permanent sLatron) or a lesl flrtng of rhe ieason not to take advantage on occasions of (perhaps even shghtly comic with its bewilder-
latest submarine-launched ballistic m,ssile ;s :.re opporruniry presenred by innocuous legtLi- ing array of antennae), but rt is part of a
was undertaken by the oceanographic re- mais trawlers sailtng close to the Soviet coast. weapons sysiem that is potentially as iethal as
search ship Khanlon Laptev oll Flor-oa tn ]l And lor that matter, no one rea11y knows hov'r any nuc.ear mrsstle.
luly 1970) Their presence cannot simply i:e
ignored; a Poseidon test flring was delayed icr
several days in 1982 for an AGI that would nc:
oo
.- awav.
It is extremeiv common for the same AGI lc
appeal wilh a iotatly driferent anLenna arro-,-
ihan when previously sighted, since the Scvle:
technique is to adapt the AGI to the specinc
'ask.

Other navies
(J1 course, tne uSA possesseo lne n- j:
iamous AGi of all time in the USSPueblo, seizei
by the North Koreans on 23 January i968 anc
whose crew was not released for a further 1l
months, About seven months prevrously, ihe
telecommunicalions research ship llberfl, was
badly damaQted by the Israelis while monitor-
ing the Six Day War, These experiences
h-rned the US NAvy away from AGls, with the
result that today the Americans rely iar more
ffil'r'',
ry,gr- 1

heavrly on sateilites and land-based hstemng i1*9@#w

stations; American satellites are lar more effec- &ffi
re
tive than their Soviet counterparts, and as a
&l
l
ffitt
resu.lt lewer are requrred ro provlde coverage
ol areas of pariicular interest, Any US Navy w; :; 'i
The' Okean' class intelligence lrader Gidrofon
shadows the IIS carrierCoral Sea in the Gulf of ';'3F:,;ii&.,1;t::':)
: ..''
iu"*n a"ing 1 969 . The rote of the AGI here was aa':ty.);:.....:....

iiioif"i iialiportwhenever a caruier launched a 'a,.,.,V.:,:.).1:Y'/\,:t;;t..1

' :) .::: '.::...): :. .)- :), : ' I

strike intoNorthVietnam or Laos so as to give the

air defences plenty of time to warm up their radars tf:?t:;:',,:r;::l
andSAMs.

tB6
I i6k""n'class
Built in East Germany from 1959 to the
mid-I960s, the'Okean'class of l5 con-
verted side trawlers rs the largest and
hence the most observed class of
Soviet AGI, They are designated gig-
rograficheskoye sudno (GS, or survey
ship) in the Soviet navy, and retain
their trawler tripod mast forward and a
pole mast wel1aft, These are festooned
with the various aerials and antennae
that characterize their role. It is vessels
of this class (together with the eight
larger trawler uruts of the'Mayak' class
and the four ex-whalers of the 'Mirnyy'
class) that are reqularly seen off the
Western nuclear submarine bases
monitoring the cominq and going of
SSBNs in transit. There are many varia-
tions withrn the class, One modified
subgnoup of four (IheLinza, Lotlin, Re-
duklor and Zond) has the port side
superstructure enclosed and the star-
board srde open; these ships also have
additional accommodation on the well-
deck, The Reduktor, Alidada,
Barometr, Ampermetr and Gidrofon
have no installation for shoulder-
Iaunched SA-7 SAMs, whrle such has
been added to the Earograf, DeIlek-
tor, Ekholot, Krenometr, Linza, Lotlin,
Spyships
Repiter, Teodolit, Traverz and Zond. Specification
The Barograf also has two tvuin 14.5- 'Okean'class
mm (0,57-in) heavy machine-gun Displacement: 650 tons standard and
mountings to supplement the small 760 tons tul]]oad
arms carried by the crew, It is likely Dimensions: lenqith 51.0 m (167,3 ft);
that the 'Okean' class wiil eventually be beam B.B m (28.9 ft); draught 3.7 m
replaced by conversions of the'Al'pin- (12, I ft)
ist'class stern trawlers which are cur- Propulsion: one diesel delivering
rently being built at the Lemnskaya 403 kW (540 hp) to one shaft
Kuznitsa Shipyard at Krev and at the Speed: 13 kts
Volgognad Shipyard, At present there Aircraft: none
are five such umts in service, with the Armament: see text
former f,sh hold converted to allow ex- Electronics: one or two 'Don Kay'
tensive space for electronics and/or navigation radars, and various Elint
addrtional accommodation for special- and Srgintsystems
ist personnel, Complement: 70

TheLitvaof the 'Okean'class AGls,with the antennaoutfits The'Okean' classAGl Gidrofon. Mosl has alsobeenfittedwith two twin
shadowstheamphibiouswarfare varyingconsiderablybetweenthe of the class have now beenfittedwith 14.5-mm heavy machine-guns for use
ship HMS Fearless. ?fte 'Okeans'are units of the class so that they can two positions for quadruple SA-N-S off such unfriendly areas such as the
Soviet
the most numerous of the perform different roles. 'Grail' SAM launchers. Tft e Barogrraf African coast and China.

'Okean'class intelligence collection ships Gutaway drawing key

1 Aftwheel '13 540-bhpdiesel engine 23 Air search 31 Deck light 36 Waterline
2 Searchlight 14 Exhaustuptake 24 Folded dipole for HF 32 Chartroom 37 FoMard hold
3 Derrick 15 Doublebottom receptlon 33 Navlgatjon light 38 Trlpodforemast
4 Steering compartment 16 Fuel 25 Coaxial feedertowire 34 Radarroom 39 Bowlight
5 Rudderpost 1 7 Officers'/crew quarters dipole antenna .35 Extendedspacefor 40 Dlrection-findinq loopwlth
6 Rudder 18 Funnel 26 Vertical rodantenna rntormatron processrng earthplane
27 Don2navigation 41 Raised foredeck
7 Singlescrew 19 Mainmast radar
Hull guard
8 Bulkhead/framing 20 Discconeomnidirectional 28 Radarreceiver 42
I receiver antenna 29 Ventilator 43 Anchor
Sinqleshaft
10 Auxiliaryengine
'1 Dynamo
2l Radarreceiver 30 Bridge 44
45
Winch
Lifeboat
1 22 Direction-finding loop
12 Engineroom

\
\\
,\.. \
,,4.\
.ot\\

\ /\\ \\

I 987
t 'fiLt'r"*'ctass
Designated by the Soviets as sudno
styazyy (SSV, or communications ves-
sels) the tsal'zam'class vessels are the
f,rst military ships purpose-built for in-
ielligence collection and processing.
Three are currently in sewice, with a
iourth due to jorn the fleet ln 1986 fol-
lowing completion at the Kaliningrad
Shipyard. The ships carry an array of
ntercept and direction-finding anten-
nae that feed raw intelligence informa-
tion into the onboard data analysis and
processinq equrpment located withrn
the extensrve superstructure, The pro-
duct can then be sent via the two satel-
llte transmitting and receiving anten-
nae located beneath the spherical
radomes, either to shore stations or to
the flagships of swface action battle
grroups for rmmediate action. For the
extended sea perrods whrch they
sewe, the ships are equipped to refuel
underway and to transfer solid carqo
and personnel via constant-tension mote 'Kolonka' pedestal director. The SS75J6rs tlrelead shipof anew class Specification
transfer rigs on each side of the aJt 'Bal'zams' are now commonly seen at of very large AGI s given the NATO 'Bal'zam'class
mast. The class was also the flrst Soviet sea monitorlng major NATO naval ex- codename 'Bal'zam' . Armed with two Displacement: 4,000 tons standard and
AGI type to be defensrvely armed, the ercises in the North Atlantic, and also quadrup Ie S A-N - 5' G rail' SAM 5,000 tons fu]] load
lead ship appearing in sewice during American carder battle grroups, Sur- launchers and a 30-mmCIWS, the Dimensions:lenqth 105.0 m (344.5 ft);
1980 with two quadruple SA-N-S 'Grail' prisingly, the class is one of the few class alsolas elaborate at-sea beam 15.5 m (50.9 ft); draught 5.0 m
SAM iaunchers and a 30-mm six-barrel modern ship desrgns fitted wrth major underway replenishment facilities (16.4 ft)
ADG6-30 CIWS. However, no radar masts. and real- time satellite transmitter Propulsion: two dresels delive r r ng
fire-control systems are fitted (pre- and receiver installations beneath 671 I kW (9,000 hp) to two shafts
sumably to prevent interference with the two dome installations. Speed:22 ks
the electronic equrpment already car- Aircraft: none
ried) so the weapons instead use a re- Armament: two quadruple SA-N-S
'Grail' SAM launchers with 16 mrssiles,
There are three' Bal' zam' andone ADG6-30 30-mm CIWS
class AGIs in service with Electronics: two'Don Kay' navigation
the S oviet n avy at present, radars, various Elint and Srgint
with a fourthunit building. systems, tvvo sateliite transmitter/
Desrgnafeda Sudno receiver systems, and one real-time
Svyazw(SS7or intelligence-analysis centre
c ommu n ic a tions yessel,) Complement: 200
they are theworld's best
equippe d inte lligence -
gathering ships.

L firi*or'ye'class
Although its units resemble small pas-
senqer liners in appearance, the'Pri-
mor'ye' class of AGI was the flrst com-
mercially-based intelligence-
gathering design to have an onboard
analysis capability. Based on the hull of
the highly successful'Mayakovskyy'
series of stem trawler-factory ships,
the six vessels are the Kavkaz
Krrm (SSV590), Primor'ye
(SSV591),
(SSV465), Zabaykatye (SSV464),
Zakarpatye and Z aporozhye
(SSV50l). They have a distinctive su-
perstructure wrth boxlike structures
fore and afl (lo house eleclronlc pro-
cessing equipment) and three marn
masts (for the associated aerials and
antennae). T\mo of the units, the Krym
andKavkaz, retain the trawler kingpost
aft, while all six vessels differ among
themselves in minor details of super-
structure and antennae outfits. Most
have now been refitted with platforms
to carry one or two quadruple SA-N-S
'Grail' SAM launchers for local atr de-
fence, while as an interim measure
they previously carrred the Soviet
army's shoulder-launched SAM-7
'Grail' SAM that had been issued to the
Soviet naval infantry.
The 'Primor'ye' class ships have
often been seen off both coasts of the
USA, especially during the missile
tests held off Florida by British and
American SSBNs. They also regnrlarly
accompany major NATO exercises itr
and American aucraji-carriers, but do
not have the modem real-time data
transmission facilities possessed by
the later 'Bal'zam class.
Specification
'Primot'ye'class
Displacement: 2,600 tons standard and
3,700 tons full load
Dimensions: Ienqrth 83.6 m (274.3 ft);
beam 13.7 m (44.9 ft); draught 7.0 m
(23,0 ft)
Propulsion: one dresel deLvertng
1491 kW (2,000 hp) to one shaft Tfte Zakarpatye of the 'Primor'ye' on the foremast are primarily of the
Speed: 13 kts c,lass shows fhemultitude of arrays direction-finding Vpe so as to
Aircraft:none and antenna that are required by an pinpoint the origin of an electronic
Armament: one (SSV 590) or two (SSVs intelligence-gathering ship. Those fransmission.
464, 501 and 59l) cjuadruple SA-N-5
'Grail' SAM launchers with eiqht or 16 andsmallarms Sigint systems, and one real-time
missiles respectively (other ships to be Electronics: two 'Don Kay'or'Don 2' intelligence-analysrs centre
fitted with launchers), machine-gmns navigation radars, various Elint and Complement: 160

19BB
 ;-h
-::
Frimot'ye' class (continued) :-i: Spyships
's"*
r:,
The'Primor'ye' class of AGI
comprises six units, and is regularly
seen attending NATO naval
exercises and American space *r)
events and missile tests to gather :l
e lectronic an d p hotogr ap hic i
intelligence {or use by Soviet
designers on their own
.syslems.
t
i-:
=
{:fi
ir,
ll

',t
i-ff;,.
..r-:*:,'lt'!i:

m Tnai"'class
Although said to be designed for the
underwater-rescue role, with two
small deep submergence recovery
vessels (DSRVs) semi-recessed in
wells on the deck abaft the sail struc-
ture, the tvvo units of the 'India' class
diesel-electric submarine would in
wartime or for certain clandestine in-
telligence-gathering operations prob-
ably operate with the Soviet navy's
Spetsnaz special forces brigades to
carry combat minrsubs and frogrman
units. The DSRVs normally carried are
about I I m (36. I ft) long and are fitted
out to lock onto the rescue hatches of
submarines lying disabled on the sea-
bed. For under-ice and covert opera-
tions direct access to and exit from the
DRSVs rn their wells is possible while
the submarrne is submerged.
Although no torpedo armament is be-
lieved to be carried, the hull of the
submarine has been desiQned for high
swface speed operation in order to cut
down on transit times to possible res-
cue areas, For operatlons in the ex-
treme north, where ice-floes are likely
to be encountered, the bow can be
specially strenqthened by the fitting of
an ice gmard. For convenience (and new IPR tracked amphibtous 4,800 tons dived Photographed in transitfrom the
better underwater manoeuvrlng in armoured engineer vehicle with diver Dimensions: lenqrth 106.0 m (347.8 ft); Pacific to the Northern Fleet, this
certain circumstances) the hydro- lock-out facilities; this vehicle is cap- beam 10,0 m(32.8 ft); draughtnot 'lndia' class boat has landed both
planes are fltted on the sides ofthe saii, able of travelling along the seabed on known DSft 7s and lras been fitted with a
Only lwo 'lndia' class boats are in tracks as well as using the more con- Propulsion: three diesels delivenng built-up bow to cope with the rough
service, one with the Northern Fleet ventional swimminq mode, It is possi- B94B kW (12,000 hp) to two electric conditions of the northern coast.
and the other with the Pacilic Fleet, ble that a further pafu of more modern motors powering two shafts
The former may have been detached SSAGs (rescue submarines) has either Speed: 15 ktssurfacedand 12.5 kts
to the Baltic Fleet on occasions for use been built or is in the flnal stages of dled Electronics: one 'Snoop Plate' sudace-
in the various incursions that have construction, These vr'tll supplement Diving depth: mother craft 300 m search radar, one ESM system, one
been made into Swedish territorialwa- and not replace the 'lndia' class units. (984 ft) operational and 500 m ( 1,640 ft) medium-fo equency bow sonar,
ters over the past few years, It ts be- maxrmum; DSRVs 1000 m(3,281 ft) several types of underwater telepho:e
lieved that on this type ofoperation the Specification operatlonal and homing systems
'lndia' class submartne carries two 'India'class Armament: demolition charges, small Complement: 70 crew plus 120
modified versions of the Sovret army's Displacement: 3,900 tons surfaced and arms etc passengerVdivers

The'lndia' class rescue submarines are eguipped to carry and operate two
deep submergence rescue vessels, and are believed to operate in support of
the navalspetsnaz special operations brigades when not being used in their
prim ary role. O f the two' I ndias' one is in the N orthern F leet and the other in
thePacificFleet.
I idagrarir,'class
-:-e Kosmonavt Yuriy Gagarin, sole
':--:i of the 'Gagarin' class, is a space
tr:ntrol monitoring ship based at the
ilack Sea port of Odessa, She is the
';crld's largest vessel fitted for scien-
---:c studies and is also the largest ship
-r,-lih turbo-electric propulsion, Origi-
:ally a 'Sofiya' class steam tanker, she
-,'rasadapted before flnal completion to
mlfil the research role, Built at Lenin-
gnad by the Baltic Shipbuildinq and
Engineering Works, she was com-
pleted in 197I and is enqaged in re-
search into the conditrons in the upper
armosphere and the problems assoct-
ated with lonq-rangte communication,
as well as undertaking space control
and spacecraft commumcations activi-
ties, For this work the ship is fitted with
two 27-m (88,6-ft) diameter'Ship Shell'
and two 12,5-m (4l-ft) drameter 'Ship
Bowl stabilized communications and
trackrng dish antennae, two 'Vee Tube
HF communications systems and four
'Quad Ring' yagi arrays. With all the
antennae deployed forward, the ves-
sei suffers a loss in speed of 2 kts. To
maintarn the ship on station during a
I990
particular task, bow and stern thrus-
ters are fitted. The ship is capable of
staying at sea for 120 consecutive days
without resupply, and for her crew's
comfort she has three swimming pools,
a theatre and a sports hall. The ship is
named after the first man to travel in
Earth orbit, and who was subsequently
killed in an air crash in the Soviet Union
during 1968,
Specification
'Gagarin'class
Displacement: 37,500 tons standard
and 45,000 tons full load
Dimensions: Ienqth 235.9 m (774.0 ft);
beam 31.0 m (10i.7 ft); draught 9,2 m 1
(30 2 ft)
Propulsion: one geared steam turbine
deliverins 14168 kW (19 000 hp) to an J
electnc drive turning one shaft
Speed: 17,5 kts
Aircraft:none
Armament: none The 45,000-ton Kosmonavt Yuriy communication and detection
Electronics: two'Don Kay navtgation Gagarin is tlre Ia rgest Soviet research equipm ent enable S oviet space
radars plus items mentioned in the text vessel adapfed from the unfinished missjons fo be con troilled far Ircm
Complement:320 hull of a tanker. Her powertul conven ient ground stations.
:---a-t
,i:
 q

Spyships

Kosmonctvt
YurigGagorin
?fte Kosmonavt Yuriy Gagarin rs the largest of the.Soviet space event ships and
is subordinated to theAcademy of Sciencefor assr'gnmenfs. Adaptedfrom a
tanker hullwhilststillon thestocks, sheis homeported atOdessain the Black
Sea but operates in many parts of the world. The four huge dish antennae can
act as brakes, and when in the correct orientation actually reduce the speed oI
theshipby up to two l<nots.For the crew's comforton longvoyagesshelas
three swimming pools, a gymnasium and a 300-seat theatre aboard.

199.
Soviet Spcce Tracking Ships
The increasing military use of space has seen the necessity for the accurate control
of spacemissionsandthetrackingof ICBM andSLBM fesfs..Lessfavouredthanthe
USA with ground station locations, the Soviets have developed a series of large
space-assocr'a ted yesse/s, some of which have the purely military task of monitoring
USrnr'ssile fesfs.
The Soviet space tracking shtps are nominally
civilian-manned and subordinated to the
Academy of Sciences. Therr role is primarily to
provide communicatlons relay services to
manned spaceflights and space stations, and to
conduct basic research into the upper atmos-
phere and the effect it has on long- and short-
ranqe communications systems. Apart irom the
civrlian fleet, the Soviet navy also contributes
the eight naval-manned'Vytegrales' ciass car-
go ships, several 'Moma' and 'Samara' class
survey and buoy-tender ships, and the sx de-
dicated missile range instrumentation vessels
of the 'Desna' and 'Sibir' classes to support the
missile and space proqrammes,
The first ofa new Soviet navy class for space
tracking and communications, the 24,000{on
Marshal Nedelin, entered service in i983 A
second unit is building at the Admiralty Ship-
yard at Lemngrad, which normally constructs
submarines. These are the largest purpose-
desisned vessels of their type yet butlt, but the
exact role for which they were produced is not
yet clear, although a link with the Soviets' space
shuttle programme may be possible. Like the
other Soviet navy space event ships that serve
in the Paciflc Fleet, they carry a Kamov Ka-25
'Hormone-C' utility helicopter, a fact which dis-
tinguishes them immedlately irom civil vessels.
The largest ofthese vessels is the 45,000 ton
Kosmonavt Yuny Gagarin, which is based in
the Black Sea. Built on a tanker hull, she is fitted
wrth two massive 27-m (88.6-ft) diameter 'Ship
Shell' and two 12.5-m (41-ft) diameter 'Ship
Bowl' stabrlized communications and tracking
dish antennae. if these are all turned forward
they act as brakes and reduce the ship's overall
speed by 2 kts. The Gagarin is backed by the
17,500-ton Kosmonavt Vladimir Komarov,
whlch is also homeported at Odessa, The
Komarov ts a converted bulk cargo shtp that is
fitted with two huge 'Ship Globe' and one smal-
ler 'Ship Wheel' antennae in spherical
radomes, two 'Quad Ring'arrays, a large multi-
ple yagi antenna and two 'Vee Cone' HF com-
munications aerials carrled at the mastheads.
In the Soviet Far East operates the 21,250 ton
Akademtk Sergey Korolev, which was com-
pleted rn 1971 and has 80 laboratories of va
rious types for research work. For her primary
space tracking role she carries two 'Ship Bowl'
dish antennae, a smaller version of the 'Ship
Globe' antenna in a radome housing, and four
'Quad Ring' arrays with extensive HF com-
munications systems.
Timber-carrier conversions
Conversions of 'Vytegrales' class timber car
riers provide the remaining two classes of
space event support ships, The less elaborate-
ly converted group is the four-vessel 7,600{on
'Borovichi' class. Homeported in the Baltic, they
retain the forward cargo hold of the merchant-
men and carry one 'Quint Ring' and four'Quad
Ring'yagi arrays together with a 'Vee Cone' HF
communications antenna. The remaining
group, the four 5,970-ton 'Kosmonavt Pavel Be-
lyayev' class ships, have extensively modifled
superstructures and are fitted with a large
trainable quadruple-dish stabrhzed'Quad
Spring' communications array amldships as
well as three smaller systems and a modified
naval 'Kite Screech' fire-control radar.
The naval rangte instrumentation vessels
already mentioned differ from the crvil vessels
in havinq dfferent electronic systems based on
naval radars. The two 14,065-ton'Desna' class
ships are the oniy vessels of the Soviet navy to
carry a 'Head Nei-B' air-search radar. They
also have a large 'Ship Globe' tracking radar
plus three smaller unidentifled radars as part of
their outfit, The fow 7,800{on'Sibrr' class ships
each have either a 'Big Net' or 'Head Net-C'
three-dimensional military radar (for tracking
wrthin the final splash-down phase of a test)
wlth two or three ol the smaller unidentifled
tracking radars from lhe 'Desna' class fitted
forward. The electronic outfits can also be
varred rf required to suit the misslon,
The navai vesseis are usually found de-
ployed in the Soviet Pacific Ocean SLBM and
ICBM missile-testingt areas, where they moni-
tor closely the re-entry and impact phases in
order to compute missile and warhead flight
characteristics. One or more such ships are
also believed to be involved in the Soviets'
space shuttle programme (wtth several other
ships) in order to evaluate the shuttle's fligtht
performance details during the re-entry and
final atmosphere glide phases. Their iask wtll
probably be taken over by Ihe Marshal Nede-
1-rn in due course.
It is not known for certatn if the navy ships
operate off the coasts of the USA during the test
firing of missiles, but it rs likely that this task is
left to the larger AGIs such as the 'Prlmor'ye'
class, which can monitor the US signal and
telemetry data output, Where they are known
to have appeared, however, is around the
Amerlcan missile test range near Kwajalein
ato1l rn the Paciflc Ocean when ICBMs fired
from Vandenburg Arr Force Base impact their
payloads. it rs from the data gained by these
ships that the Soviets can plan their defence
networks and improve their own ICBM lbrces
Originaily the dry cargo vessel Genicheslg lft e
Kosmonavt Vladimir Komarov was converted at
Leningrad in 1967, and was named after the Soviet
astronautwho died in a re-entry accident in that
year.
 Spyships
The sphericalradomes on ffie Komarov cover two
'Ship Globe' and a smaller 'ShipWheel' satellite-
and missile-tracking antennae. The 'Vee Cone' HF
communications aerials at the mastheads show
c learly why that particular NATO codename w as
chosen.

cy altering such parameters as the re entry

',-ehicle shape and deployment pattern. The
:lose mohitoring of flight characterlstics during
re entry grves a good idea of the system's
accuracy, and measurement of a body's size
rnd probable welght indicates the warhead's
...-De and estimated yield, Such informatron can
l-.e used by the Sovlets to upgrade the over-
pressure that their missrle silos can take during
ar attack in order to increase their survivability
actor. Also, by studyrng the missile trajectory
-nd its diflerent phases of stage separation, bus
ieployment and warhead MIRVing, the best
-rterceptlon points for endo- and exo-
amospheric ABMs can be predicted, as can
rose for the more exotic 'star wars' laser and
rarticle-beam systems whrch the Soviets are
-.flown to be researching,
For the crvilian ships the major projects of
r.ie future must be the planned Soviet space
s:ation of gtreater size lhan the current Salyut
series, and the probable rnterplanetary man-
led flights that are believed to be scheduled
-cr the late I990s. In both cases the space con
:oL and communications relay tasks become oi
-.-ital importance when the craft are out of con-
:act with their normal control centres, especial-
--,,if things Qio wrong, as the ships can man-
reuvre to new statlons whereas ground based
:-.alions are tied [o one iocaLron

Right: Atop the bridgehouse two 'Quad Ring'

arrays (looking rather like capslans.) can be seen,
while in contrast the futuristic shape of the large
multiple yagi communications antenna can be
seen on ifsbandstand af fhe starboard side of the
foredeck.

Below: The size of fhe Gagarin a llows much larger

and more powertul equipment to be fitted than in
simj/ar vesse.ls " The smaller of the pairs of dishes
c arried on the superstructure are I 2.5 m (4 I tt) in
Ciameter, while the larger pair are amassive 27 m
(88.6 ft) across.
 i&onvened Compass Island' class
€
The USNS Observation /sland (T-
AGM23) is a former ballistic missile
fiais ship that was modified as a'Con-
verted Compass Island'class range in-
strumentation ship during 1979-81,
This was specifically for the purpose of
carrying SPQ-I I'Cobra Judy' phased-
array missile-tracking radar aft to col-
lect data on Sovtet and Chinese ballls-
tic missile tests. Operated for the USAF
Eastern Space Missile Center in the
Pacific area by the Military Sealift
Command, she is painted white, T\ttro
larqe parabolic signal-coilection
antennae are fltted beneath the pair of
geodesic radomes atop the brtdge, An
extensive communications fit, which
includes satellite receivers and trans-
mrtters, ailows for the real-time trans-
mission of raw and analysed data to
distant shore stations if required. Dur-
ing her orignnal career as a missile
trials ship she fired the first ship-
launched Polaris missile at sea on 27
Augnrst 1959 and then, follovnng a refit
in 1969, the first Poseidon missile on 16
December 1969. The massive 'Cobra Soecification Propulsion: geared steam turbmes The large phased-array radar turret
'ionverted Compass Island' class deliveringr 14355 kW (19,250 hp) to one mounled on USiVS Observation Island
Judy' radar carried is very similar in
operational aspects to the even iarger Displacement: 13,060 tons light and shaft when working in concert with the
land-ba3ed'Cobra Dane' radar, the load
17,015 tons full Speed:20 kts similar system based on land in
phased transmrssions allowing the sys- Dimensions: lenqth 171.9 m (564,0 ft); Aircraft: none Alaska is capable of simultaneously
tem to detect and track obiects at a beam23.2 m(76.0 ft); drauqhtT.6 m Armament:none tracking up to 200 missile targets.
very fast rate, The tnstallation aboard (25 ft) Electronics: one Raytheon TMl650/9X
the Obseruation lsJand weighs about navigation radar and one Raytheon
250 tons, and the radar itself is located TM 1660/12S navigation radar, plus
in a mechanically-rotated pyramid- items mentioned in the text
like steel structure, with the data Complement: 153
analysis and storage computers (plus
the display consoles) in compartments
on the decks beneath it.

USjVS Observation Island is

operated by MSC with a
civilian crew and watches
Soviet space and mr'ssrJe
launches with her 'Cobra
J udy' ph ased- array r adar.

€ '$talwart'class
The 18 vessels of the 'Stalwart' class
are to provide the gap-filling role for
the American Sound Surveiilance
Under Sea (SOSUS) sYstem in areas
where there is no or only poor cover-
aqe, The sonar used by the 'Stalwads'
is the Surveillance Towed furay Sen-
sor (SURTASS): thrs rs a i829-m (6,000-
ft) long linear passive hydrophone
array which is deployed over the
ship's stern in a flexible, neutrally
buoyant cable housing. The data pick-
ed up by the array is then instan-
taneousiy relayed to a shore monitor-
ing station for processing and evaiua-
tion via a WSC-6 satellite communica-
tions link, The first seven ships are the
USNS ,Sfalwart (T-AGOSI), Conten-
der (T-AGOSZ), Vindicator (T-
AGOS3), TriumPh (T-AGOS4), Assur-

IJnEke many ASW suweillance

vesse/s, the 'Stalwart' class ftas no
capacity for analysing data on boatd.
I nlormation picked up by the 1'8- kn
(1.2-mile) towed sonar arraY is
transmittedvia satellite to a giround
station for further processing and
action.

1994
Sialwart' class (continued) Spyships
ance (T-AGOSS), Persislent (T- Specification
AGOSO) and I ndomitable (T-AGOSZ), 'Stalwart'class
ald all have been completed; the Displacement: I,650 tons light and
USNS Prevail (T-AGOSB), Assertive 2,285 tons full load
(T-AGOS9) Invincible (T-ACOSI0), Dimensions: lenqth 68,3 m (224.0 ft); The'Stalwart' classisbemg used by the US Navy to carry and tow a long-range
Daunfless (T-AGOSI 1) and Vigorous beam 13. I m (43.0 ft); drauqht 4,6 m passire sonarsystem that is designed to help fill the gapsm t/re,SO^SU.S
(T-AGOSI2) are burlding, and the re- (rs. l ft) underwater monitoring network around the coasts of the USA and tellow
marmng six are projected in batches of Propulsion: four diesels delivering NATOnations.
three under the Fiscal Years l9B5 and 23BC kW (3,200 hp) to electdc drives
1986 naval burlding prognammes. The turningtwo shafts
shrps are manned by Military Sea1ift Speed: 11 kts
Command civilian personnel, but car- Aircraft:none
ry a small six-man naval detachment to Armament:none
maintain the SURTASS and satellite Elestronics: two navigation radars plits ,
communications link equipment. The itemsmentioned in the text
class members are expected to con- Complement:30 :

duct 90-day patrois at a time, with a

total of300 days per year at sea on such
pafuois or on trials. I
.:

iBonverted Haskell' class

=
The USNS.Range Sentinel (T-AGMzz)
is a 'Converted Haskell' class attack
lansport developed for specific use as
a range instrumentation ship, to moni-
:or first the Poseidon and then the TYi-
Cent VII SLBM development progrram-
nes. Converted from October 1969 to
Cctober 1971, the Range Sentinel
lperates as a unit of the US Narry's
Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet,
She is fitted with an SPQ-7 and three
:iher radar trachng systems on a sing-
re-deck superstructure laid over the
::rward cargo hold area. Since com-
nissioning for this role the RanEre Sen-
:le,/ has had several electronic equip-
rent updates, and these have resulted
-:: changes of appearance over the
-.'ears.
There was also a second vessel of
srmilar design converted from a'Vic-
tor/ class merchant ship, the USNS
Wheeling, which has now been struck
:f the naval register, The reason for
-ee srmilarity is that the Range SettrneJ Specification shaft Originally commissioned in 1944, the
ias the VC2-S-APS 'Victory' type hull 'Converted Haskell' class Speed: 15.5 kts converted attack fransporf Range
:esign and propulsion plant, Under Displacement: 8,853 tors light and Aircraft: none Sentinel is based upon a T'ictorf ship
:lrrent planning, the US Navy intends 12, 170 tons flrll load Armament:none hull, and is used in the SLBM test
-:: the Fiscai Year 1987 budget alloca- Dimensions:length 138.7 m (455,0 ft); Electronics: one Raytheon TMI650/9X progr ammes. The forward radome
:on to convert another large vessel to beam 18,9 m (62.0 ft); draught 7.9 m navigation radar and one Raytheon has recently been lost following
re range instrumentation role to re- (26.0 ft) TM I660/I25 navigation radar, plus transfer from the Poseidon to the
piace one or more ofthe older vessels Propulsion: geared steam turbines items mentioned in the text latest Trident range instrumentation
:cw used, deliverinq 6338 kW (8,500 hp) to one Complement: 124 sftrb.

Converted from a former US Navy atnphibious transport,

tfte Rangre Sentinel(T-AGM 22) now operates in support of
S5BJVmr'ssi/ellrm g in the Atlantic as a mr'ssile rangre
ins trumentation ve sse l.
TheAttack on fhe Libertg
Superpower involvement in the Middle East has never been particularly rcwarding,
old enmities far outweighing any transient economic dependence. Such is the
volatility of the region that a careful watch must be kept, and itwas at the heightof
the Six DayWar that the US Navy had an eavesdropper in the easternMediterranean
in the sh ap e of U.SiVS Liberty.
One of the bitterest attacks since World War II
that the Americans have had to take without
any possrbility of retaliation occurred rn 1967
durrng the thtrd Arab-lsraelt war. The USNS
Liberty, a converted freighter built rn the early
1940s, was diverted from her Sigint operations
off the western coast of Africa to appear in the
eastern Mediterranean to monitor the com-
munications network of the combatants. With a
hold full of specialized codebreaking equip-
ment and her crew augtmented by National
Security Agency personnel well versed in its
use, the Liberty rapidly began to break the
Israeli secret codes, which told the Americans
ihat Israel had herself begun intercepting mes-
saqtes passing between the various Arab coun-
tries, changing the text of some and then re-
In I 967, France was the main supplier of arms
I srael's air force. The aircraft which made the
attack on the all butdefenceless Liberty (main
armament being two 0.5}-calibre Browning
m achine- wns) were D as s ault- supplied My stdre
IVAs and Mirage IIls, armed with 30-mm cannon
and unguided rockek.
routing them to convince the Jordanians in par-
ticular that the war was gotng well for the
Arabs, This would then enable the lsraelis to
continue therr military operations to defeat
each of the adjoining Arab countries in turn,
without havinq to fight offensively on more than
one front at a time. These offensive operations
were apparently in vlolation of a secret plan
worked out previously wrth the Americans,
whereby the Israelis would fight only a defen-
sive war and not seek to extend their physical
boundaries by conquest. Thus the scene was
set for the Israeii requirement to take out the
threat ofthe Liberty and her electronic eaves-
dropprng.
Libertysighted
The opportunity to do thrs presented itselion
Thursday 8 June, the fourth day of the war. The
Liberty was steaming north eastwards some
25,9 km (16, I mrles) off the Sinal coast near El
Ansh. During the early morning of 8 June an
Israeli air force arrcraft had noted her position,
ti:-':j:
to
'.\
\.a
l{
ffi
initially identifying the ship as a destroyer, She
was then correctly identifled as a US Navy
auxiliary ship. It is then that the possible in-
tervention of the Israeli high command occur-
red, as later during the mornlng further
attempts were made to identifu the ship posi-
tively, the vessel finally being reported as a
carqo vessei around mid-morning. According
to Americans aboard the Liberty she was car-
rying correct identificatton codes and panell-
ings at all trmes while she was in the combat
zone, and also flying the American flag clearly.
By midday the israelis were again at a high
state of alert about the shrp as it was reported
that troops ashore had come under fire from the
sea, and unidentrfied intelligence sources indi-
cated that the Egyptians were about to attempt
a possible seaborne landing behind the Israeli
llnes, To counter this threat a group of three
62-ton French-built fast attack craft (Ayah,
Daya andBaz) were ordered from near Ashdod
to a patrol area near El Arish, The group subse-
quently detected Ihe Liberty at around 13,40
and determined that she was a combat ship
steaming at 30 kts, somewhat diff,cult for the
Liberty asher top speed was some 10 kts slow-
er than this,
&sa
i I
I
1
tI
j

f f,1=y
The group commander then called for air
:upport and at 14,00 thefuberlywas strafed and
::cketed by two Dassault Mystere IVAs and
ren by two Dassault Mirage III fighters two
rrnutes later. After six mrnutes of air attack the
srip was on flre rn several places and accord-
rg to the Israelis slowed down sufficiently for
re 42-kt fast attack craft to catch her. By 14.23
:]ey were only 6.4 km (4 miles) from the target,
,-. rth the burning vessel transmittrng 'AAA' on
,re radio, requesting the Israeli craft to rdentrfy
remselves. Manoeuvrrng even closer to the
.lp, the Israeli commander decided that she
'.'.
as the Egyptran mrlltary cargo shtp El Katzir a
iecision somewhat diffrcult to understand as
:ven allowing for obscuration of some of the
superstructure by smoke, the size and profile
'
: :htch Ltberty presented was completely diffe-
:ent from that of the Egyptian vessel, At 14.00
reIsraeli craft closed to about 900 m (984
'. ards)
and opened fire with therr 4O-mm
3ofors, 20-mm cannon and 12.7 mm (0,5 in)
reavy machine guns into the Liberty's hull and
superstructure, raking it repeatedly, This was
:llowed with a torpedo attack by the Baz,
',',-hlch
launched two 457-mm ( l8 in) weapons at
-rc Liberty's bows from 900 and 500 m (984 and
israel has always insisted that the attack on the
.ibertywasa case otmistaken identity. First
:Centified as a destroyer travelling at30 kts (some
- 0 kts faster than tfie Liberty's m aximum), she was
.ater correctly identified as a cargo ship and US
:aval auxiliary. For some reason thatidentification
'.,tas later ignored and an attackwas ordered.
+Crlis
t4
j.:i
I
L'r,!
'
.:. :;
-.;
# I
547 yards) respectively, Luckily both torpe-
does missed, butlhe Ltberty was then struck in
the hold area a minute later by one of two
torpedoes from the Ayai. These had been
launched directly at the ship, at an angle ol90',
from a distance of 1800m (1 969 yards), The
explosion of the weapon blew a hole some l2 m
(40 ft) wide rn the hull, causing most ol the
fatalitres aboard lhe Ltberty. The Daya then
attacked with a fifth torpedo but also missed
from a range of 1400 m (l 531 yards), Because
of the very poor torpedo launches the lsraeli
commander ordered one of the boats to out-
flank the lrberly and attack from the other side.
Durrnq this manoeuvre the Israeli craft saw the
identificatron letters on the bow of the badly
listinq ship, and shortly afterwards a rubber
liferaft with the letters US Navy on it was sight-
ed by the Ayai. The attack was then broken ofl
What is more likely to have caused the attack
to be abandoned was an order from the Israeli
high command, whose Sigint services were
monitoring the signals from the Ltberty. They
had heard Ihe Liberty's SOS to the nearest
American carrier battle group requesting air
support and the reply sayrng it was on the way
together with the cruiser USS ljttle.Rock. The
two vessels met as Ihe Ltberty, wrth her fires
then extinguished, was limprng towards Malta
and the drydock lacrilres rhere
Spyships
E:
1€-
+
*+
*
*t=
.
:a
Converted from a wartime'Victory' carg o ve s s e l.
ffie Libertyrefained much of herformer profile.
with the addition o{ extra antennae being the only
indication of her new clandestine role. It is difficult
to imagine such avessel being mistaken {or any
kind of warship, but this is what the Israelis
claimed to have done.
However, the Israelis had achieved lhe-:-
purpose in removrng the Liberty from -:::
scene, albeit at a cost of 34 officers and mer- :
Ihe Liberty's crew dead wrth a further l6+ .:-
jured to varying degrees. The Israehs subs:-
guently blamed the Americans for not telli:,:
them about the hberty's ope-ratron and I ..--
tion, but they did express regret and pay sci:-''=
compensation for the 'accident', It rs worth n:.-
ing, however, that rn the remaining two da1,'s :
the June war the Israelis managed successfu-.'
to invade the Golan Heights regron of Syrra a::
to complete the occupation of the west barrk -
the Jordan river before any United Na:l::.s
ceasefire was brought rnto being.
ln subsequent years thellberfy inciden: -,-, :.
played down considerably ln the USA by oc::
the mrirtary and the poiiticians, so ard to Isra:
was affected very litt1e. But the lessons for :::
US Navy and lhe rntelligence communrty oL - -
/liasbeen sugrgested that, farfrom being a
mistake, the attack on the Liberty was a deliberale
efforton Israel's part to keep their own clandestine
S i g i n t o p er a t i on s s ec r e t. C e r t a inly t he lJib erty
looked nothing like the EWptian,transportEl
Kalzit, for which she was allegedlyr mistaken. I n an1,
case, the prominent US naval identification on the
bow and the'starc and stripes'would havebeen
visible throughout the action.
The Attack on the.L iberty
using vessels so close to a sensttive area were
not immediately learned, as the incident with
the USS Pueblo in the foltowing year revealed.
The Pueblo was a relatively small Sigint auxili-
ary tasked with sailing close to North Korean
territorial waters to monitor communications
ashore. On 22 January 1968 she was sur-
rounded by North Korean patrol boats and ai-
ter a short exchange of fire was boarded and
iaken to Wonsan harbour as the first US ship of
war to be boarded and surrendered since the
Anglo-American War of 1812. In contrast with
Ihet Liberty response, the Americans mobil-
ized six Naval Air Reserve squadrons and cre-
ated Task Force 7l with the nuclear carrier
USS Enlerpnse as its flagship (the Enterpnse
was aiready heading for her thrrd combat
cruise off Vietnam), A retaliatory air strike by
lhe Enterprise's carrier air group was thought
likely, but the idea was abandoned when the
Pueb/o was towed lnto Wonsan, The task force
was ordered to remain in the area until the
situation had been resolved, although the En-
terprise was relieved by the USSKittyHawkon
6 February. The Pueblo and her crew were
eventually released, but this and the previous
Liberty incident spelled the end of the AGI in
the US Navy inventory, AGI missions being
taken over by regular warships and sub-
marines.

Be\ow : After attacking with gunfire, the three Above: The first strafing pass was made at 14.00 by Below: After the attack,lsrael sent helicopters to
Israeli patrol boats closed in with torpedoes. This two Mystdres, followed two minutes later by two offer assistance, but not surprisingly they were not
is probably theBaz at about I 4 .42 , when she Mirages. As the photograph demonstrates, the well received. This Frelon is circling lfie Liberty
launched a torpedo [rom 500 m (and missed). attacks were atvery low level. after offering help.

Below: Commander William McGonagle, skipper Below:Lberty under attack.Whenthewounded McGonaglewas_gskedpy thelsraelis if herequired
of tlre Liberty a fter receiving theMedal of Honor. issjstance,lris lessthanpolite(butunderstandable)replywas'Gotohell,youbastard!'.
 Spyships
l: ;!: : -rberty as she appeared before the attack.
Ike ra::ld have appeared much the same to the
...:::t: ai force pilots making the initia] sighting on
-: :, :::o:ning of Thursday, I June.

Left: After the attacks, #re Liberty was holed like a Below : Liberty took B 2 I separate machine- gun,
sieve. Holes had been punched by 12.7-mm, 20- cannon and rocket hits, but most serious was the
mm, 30-mm and 40-mm cannon as well as by the massive hole blown by a torpedo strike below the
68-mm air launched rockets. waterline.

Lett: A wounded crewman is evacuated . The ship Below: The battered Liberty, /im ping towards
suffered 34 dead including the executive officer, Malta, was met by the cruiser USS Little Rockand
and 164 wounded, including the captain. Most of elements of the 6th FfieeL Shewas so badly
the deadwere due to the torpedo hit. damaged that she was scrapped.
[= V*q,t"rd'class
-h: -El'Sfiedstone (T-AGM2O) is the
--f . :--:=:-i:
-:=
-:-irllTtentation mem-
:ri: :i ::==-s-p Vangnrard' class
::::m;:;r --:: sriiang of Ihe Mercury
:: - -:: ,. ,.:st ald the conversion of
- ship to be replaced by the new ranqe
-:= ,-::1;-=r: :nto the US Navy's test
:r : j::'*=:: ballistic mlssile gnridance
=-: .''i :aviqation systems, Con-
;::.=l-|2-SE-A2
:€:,Teen 1964 and 1966 from a
--;:e tanker (by lnserting a
-l--- -2 2-ft extension amidships) to
-<::-.': 3s t-le traclcng and communica-
-:::-s sip for the NASA Apollo lunar
spaceflight progiramme, she
=:::::ed
::;r 3perates in support ofthe US Air
: :::e s Eastern Space Mssile Center
=: ?atrck Ar Force Base, Florida To
her curent mlssions she is fltted
-.-,-
i1:--: |..ffo large communications
dish
and two trackrng radars, plus
=-::lae
- :::rnber of HF communications sys-
:=:::s. To monitor upper-atmosphere
l:r.iilrons which miqht affect her work
s:e has a high-altitude meteorological
I llcon hanqar and launch platform lo-
:a-ed aft. Approximately 450 tons of
:i:ctroruc equipment are installed to
Above.' USNS Redstone opera tes rh
support of theTrident fleet ballistic
missile programme, serving as a
tracking and communication ship.
2000
support the radars and communtca-
tions antennae; most of thrs is below
decks ln converted hold areas, It is
likely that theRedslone will be the first
instrumentation ship conversion to be
procued in the Fiscal Year 1987 proq-
ramme,
Specification
'Vangnrard'class
Displacement: l6,882 tons light and
24,7 l0 tons firll load
Dimensions:length 180.7 m (593.0 ft);
beam22.9 m (75.0 ft); drausht 7,6 m
(25.0 ft)
Propulsion: ggared steam turbines
delivering 6488 kW (8,700 hp) to an
electric dnve turning one shaft
Speed: 16 kts
Aircraft: none
Amament:none
Electronics: one Raytheon TM I 650/9X
nangation radar and one Ray'theon Above; USIVSMerctry is the only one after early US missileprogrammes,
TM I 660/I2S navigration radar, plus of the three converted 'Mission' class and were used during the manned
items mentioned rn the text tankers to have been struck from the space programme for tracking and
Complement: l9B navy list. The vessels were named com munic ations r e lay tas ks.
Above : The Y angrlard (T -AG I 94 ) has Belorar.' Vangnrard (T-AG I 94, formerly
taken part in a number of T-AGM19) supported the USAF
inte r na tion al u p per a tm o s p he r e mrsile-tesfing range in the AUantic
research exercises, including the for a number ofyears, and is now
Sfie a/so fiassom e upper GATE programme. Her sister ship temporarily laid up after conversion
atmosphere meteorology capability, Redstone(T-AGM2)) now serves as to ballistic missile guidance and ship
essential for the analysis of missile the US Navy's navigation research navigation test ship in I 980.
performance. ship, testing new systems.