RI Irian: When Indonesia Operated The Largest Warship In Southeast Asia

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Sverdlov-class RI Irian (201)

Hello Everyone! Today I’m suggesting the RI Irian for the Indonesian Navy. This was originally suggested on the old forum by @WayOfTheWolk, however I’m remaking this suggestion from scratch with additional information since the original author has been inactive for quite some time.

The RI Irian was a Sverdlov-class Cruiser of the Indonesian Navy that was purchased from the Soviets in 1962. The ship served as the flagship of the Indonesian Navy and was finally scrapped in 1972. The Irian is also notable for being the biggest warship in Southeast Asia of its time.

The ship is armed with 12 152mm cannons, 12 100mm guns, 32 37mm anti-aircraft guns, and 10x 533mm Torpedos. It has a displacement of over 13,000 tonnes and has a length of around 210 metres.

KRI or RI designation?

They both mean the same thing, but KRI or Kapal Republik Indonesia (Republic of Indonesia Ship) is the modern designation for the Indonesian Navy’s ships, whereas in the past the designation was just “RI” without the “K”.

The Irian in modern times is usually called with the KRI designation for uniformity reasons.

A. Background

Details


Ordzhonikidze under Soviet service

The Ordzhonikidze was a Sverdlov-class Cruiser, which is an enlarged version of the Chapayev class of ships, it uses the same type of armament and protection as the Chapayev, but has an increased fuel capacity and endurance. The improvement were of an all-welded hull and a new system of underwater protection with the hull divided by watertight bulkheads into twenty-three isolated main compartments. There were also new radar equipment, such as the Rif and Zalp fire control and rangefinder, as well as the Type Jakor fire control for the 100mm.

The ship (factory designation C-600) was built in Shipyard No 194 Yard 600 in Leningrad and it was first laid down on the 19th of October 1949. It was launched in the 17th of September 1950 and was commissioned in 1952. The ship underwent trials in the Baltic and it initially served in the 4th and 8th Navy in the Baltic, and later part of the Baltic Fleet, 12th Cruiser Division. Unlike the Sverdlov, it was equipped with radio transmitters and receivers with a higher sensitivity.

One notable event of the Ordzhonikidze was that of the disappearance of British Royal Navy frogman Lionel Crabb, who went missing while investigating the ship at Portsmouth Dockyard.


The handover of RI Irian, October, 1962


Indonesian crews aboard the ship

On February 14th, 1961 the ship was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet to undergo repairs and modernization in preparation for the transfer of ownership to the Indonesian Navy. But after a delegation expressed that they will be unable to pay for the project, the modernization program was diverted to the installation of a more powerful diesel generator to power additional ventilators. On the 5th of September, 1962 the ship, being accompanied by guard ship Grison and Korsak, left Sevastopol and headed for Indonesia.

Aboard the ship were 351 Indonesian Navy personnel who will be the future crews of the ship. They were already in the Soviet Union to receive training. The Indonesians were also not allowed to appear on the upper deck until they’re on the open ocean in order to mislead western intelligence regarding where the ship’s final destination was, as starting from the Bosphorus Strait, the ship was accompanied by NATO boats and aircrafts. The ship finally arrived in Indonesia in Tanjung Priok on September 28th.

On October the same year, with Sukarno in attendance, the Soviet naval flags were ceremoniously lowered, and the Indonesian flag was raised. Although the transfer was completed, some soviet sailors stayed, as they were requested by the Indonesians as instructors.

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Ri Irian (201) in Vladivostok, 1963-64 for repairs

Due to the Indonesian Navy still being in its infancy stage as well as never operated a ship as big and complicated as the Irian before, the Indonesian Navy to put it mildy, operated the ships under trial and error. On November 1962 it was mentioned that 3 out of the 6 boilers were damaged. Scorching heat and high humidity contributes heavily to the damages. Due to the ship having fully lost its operational efficiency, it was decided to send the ship to Vladivostok for repairs.

In the autumn of 1963, the RI Irian arrived in Vladivostok for warranty repairs at Dalzavod. The Soviet sailors and technicians were stunned at the ship’s condition. Many small repairs which should’ve been done was apparently not been conducted, there were also mention of many different pests present on the ship, of Soviet and Indonesian origin. After the repairs was fully completed, it then departed for Indonesia on April 10-20, 1964 accompanied by the destroyer Vyderzhanny.

Shortly after the ship’s arrival in Indonesia, the 30th September Movement failed coup happened, which brought a change in the leadership to the New Order. Suharto, an anti-communist has a different view in regards to the Indonesian Navy. additionally, the ship was of Soviet origin, which might explain why the ship spent it life sitting in a dock in Surabaya and was not used. The ship was also often used as a floating prison for Suharto’s political prisoners.

Due to a lack of spare parts, the ship was then decommissioned. There was plans to turn the RI Irian hull into an aircraft carrier, but nothing came out of it. So, it was put on disposal list in 1972. Sources vary on the exact fate of the Irian, but what is most often mentioned is it was sold for scraps in Taiwan. Some sources also mention that the Soviets intervened in the sale temporarily in order to remove the sensitive materials found within the ship.

B. Specifications

Details

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Project 68bis

General Specifications

  • Standard Displacement (tonnes): 13,600
  • Normal Displacement (tonnes): 15,126
  • Full Load Displacement (tonnes): 16,553
  • Length oa/wl (m): 210/205
  • Beam max/wl (m): 22/21.2
  • Draught at std displ (m): 6.88
  • Turbines: 2x TV7
    • hp (economic run): 11,000
    • hp (cruising speed): 25,000
    • hp (full speed): 260,000
    • hp (full reverse): 44,000
  • Turbo generators: 5x TD-6
    • Total power (kW): 1500
  • Boilers: 6x Type KV-68
    • shp (Normal): 110,000
    • shp (Forced): 118,100 (actual)
  • Max Speed (kts): 32.5
  • Endurance (nm/kts): 9000/18
  • Complement/Crew: 1250

Armor

  • Belt: 100mm
  • Deck: 50mm
  • Barbettes: 130mm
  • Bulkheads: 100-120mm
  • Main cannon housing:
    • 175mm front
    • 65mm sides
    • 60mm rear
    • 75mm roof

Armament

  • 12x 152 mm/57 B-38 Pattern fitted in 4x triple-barrel Mk5-bis turrets (2x bow, 2x stern)
    • Ammunition includes: HE, AP, & SAP mod
    • Fire rate: 7 ammunition per minute
  • 12x 100mm/70 Model 1934/Type 56 guns in twin SM-5-1 mounts
  • 16x twin 37mm/67 V-11 Anti-aircraft guns
  • 2x quintuple 533mm Torpedo tubes in PTA-53-68-Bis mounts

Detailed specifications of the Sverdlov-class in Russian (including the differences between the planned and production version)

Click here

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C. More Images

Details

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Ordzhonikidze (310) on the way to Indonesia for the transfer of ownership

Photo of the ship’s starboard

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Colored photo of the 37mm/67 V-11 as well as the SPN-500 fire director on the Ordzhonikidze/Irian

Some of the crews of the RI Irian

Six 152mm/YY57 cannons of the stern

Big enough for a SA 313B alouette II to land on

D. Sources

Details

Additionally, you can check out more suggestions from Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries in the thread below

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