Originally were 30 ships planned to be built, just 13 units were in fact realized. The design of the Chapayev cruisers was improved to be used for the conventional gun cruiser Sverdlov-class of which the ships also were slightly enlarged. Nowadays one ship namely the Mikhail Kutuzov still exist as a museum ship while the wreck of the Murmansk is visible.
The displacement was 13.600 tons standard and 16.640 tons full load with as dimensions 205 (waterline)-210 (over all) x 21,99 x 7,38 metres. The armament consisted of 4x3 15.2cm guns (triple mount), 6x2 10cm guns (twin mount), 16 x 37mm single anti aircraft guns and 2x 53,3 cm torpedo tubes and an additional amount of mines varying between 40-132 mines depending on the used type. The armour consisted of a 100mm belt, a 150mm coning tower, a 60mm deck and the gun turrets had 75mm.
Alexander Nevski or Alexandr Nevskiy, on stocks at the Admiralty yard at Leningrad 30 May 1950, serial no. 625, launched 7 June 1951, completed 31 December 1952, and scrapped 1989; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 30 May 1989.
Admiral Lazarev, laid down at the Admiralty yard at Leningrad 6 February 1951, serial no. 626, launched 29 June 1952, completed 30 December 1952 and scrapped 1986; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned123 October 1986.
Admiral Nakhimov,on stocks at Nikolayev 27 June 1950, serial no. 375, launched 29 June 1951, completed 27 March 1953, rearmed as a guided missile trials ship in 1957 with an SS-N-1 anti ship missile launcher while removing the A and B turrets. This trial was a complete failure and she ended 1961 as a target ship; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 29 July 1960.
Admiral Senyavin, on stocks at the Baltic yard at Leningrad 31 October 1951, serial no. 437, launched 25 June 1953, completed 31 December 1953, later she was rebuilt as a command ship causing the removal of the after turrets for a helicopter hangar and the necessary office space and finally scrapped 1991; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned30 May 1989.
Admiral Ushakov, on stocks at the Baltic yard at Leningrad 31 August 1950, serial no. 420, launched 29 September 1951, completed 8 September 1953 and scrapped 198; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 16 September 1987.
Alexander Suvorov or Alexandre Suvorov, on stocks at the Baltic yard at Leningrad 26 February 1951, serial no. 436, launched 15 May 1952, completed 31 December 1953 and scrapped 199; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 5 December 1989.
Dmitry Pozharski or Dmitriy Pozharskiyy, on stocks at the Baltic yard at Leningrad 28 February 1952, serial no. 445, launched 25 June 1953, completed 31 December 1954 and scrapped 1987; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 5 March 1987/
Dzerzhinsky, on stocks at Nikolayev 21 December 1948, serial no. 374, launched 31 August 1950, completed 18 August 1952, the aft turrets were in 18960-1932 removed and replaced by a SA-2 missile launcher. This rearming was a failure and she was finally scrapped in 1989; according to the website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 12 October 1988.
Mikhail Kutuzov,on stocks at Nikolayev 23 February 1951, serial no. 385, launched 29 November 1952, completed 1954 and became at the end of her career a museum ship at Novorossiysk. Website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 28 August 1998.
Murmansk, on stocks at Severodvinsk 28 January 1953, serial no. 302, launched 24 April 1955, completed 22 September 1955, in the end of the eighties decommissioned; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 3 July 1998. Underway towards India to be broken up was she sunk 24 December 1994 at Hasvik, Finmark in Norway where her wrecks still seems to be visible. See for instance the links http://www.afgruppen.com/en/Removal-of-the-wreck-Murmansk and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8DlMaVpOuQ
Oktyabrskaya Revolutsia,on stocks at Severodvinsk 15 July 1952, serial no. 301, launched 25 May 1954, completed as the Molotovsk 30 November 1954, renamed 3 August 1957 and scrapped 1987; website Russian-ships.info decommissioned 16 September 1987.
Ordzhonikidze, on stocks at the Admiralty yard at Leningrad 19 October 1949, serial no. 600, launched 17 September 1950, completed 30 June 1952, sold to Indonesia, recommissioned in the Indonesian navy as the KRI Irian after 24 January in 1963 and finally sold to be broken up at Taiwan in 1972. See for photographs while in Indonesian service the links http://media.photobucket.com/image/KRI%20Irian/blue_smash/kri-irian.jpg. and http://indomiliter.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/kri-irian-monster-laut-kebanggaan-indonesia
Sverdlov, on stocks at the Baltic yard at Leningrad 15 October 1949, serial no. 408, launched 5 July 1950, completed 15 May 1952 and decommissioned 39 May 1989
Zhdanov, on stocks at the Baltic yard at Leningrad 11 February 1950, serial no. 419, launched 27 December 1950, completed 31 December 1951, rebuilt as a command ship in 1971. During this rebuilding was the so-called with X turret replaced by office space and was she fitted out with extra electronics, a helicopter deck and- hangar added, a SA-N-4Sam missile system and 4/x2 30mm guns places. Since 21 February 1989 named KR-101. She was finally scrapped in 1991; according to the website Russian-ships.info decommissioned19 April 1990.
Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sverdlov_class_cruise
rhttp://russian-ships.info/eng/warships/project_68bis.htm
Siegrfied Breyer/Norman Polmar. Guide to the Soviet Navy, 1977.
Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Conway's all the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995.
Jane Fighting Ships several editions.
A.S. Pavlov. Warships of the USSR and Russia 1945-1995. Chatham, 1997.
