The Koni class is the NATO reporting name for an anti-submarine warfarefrigate built by the Soviet Union. They were known in the Soviet Union as Project 1159 Del'fin. 14 were built in Zelenodolsk shipyard between 1975 and 1988. They were originally intended to replace the older Riga-class frigates, but were instead chosen as a design for export to various friendly navies. The Koni I sub class were designed for European waters and the Koni II were made for warmer waters.[3] One ship was retained by the Soviets in the Black Sea for training foreign crews. Only a few of these vessels remain in service today.
The armament consisted of two AK-726 twin 76 mm (3.0 in) gun mountings and two AK-230 twin 30 mm (1.2 in) anti-aircraft guns, 4 P-15M Termit anti-ship missile launchers were fitted in some ships, depth charge and naval mine racks were fitted at the stern. The Libyan vessels had a redesigned layout with the P-15M missiles forward of the bridge. The ships had contemporary Soviet radar and sonar.
Propulsion
The ships had 3-shaft CODAG machinery suite, identical to that used in the Grisha-classcorvettes (Project 1124). The middle shaft had an 18,000 hp (13,000 kW) gas turbine while the outer two shafts had diesel engines with 9,000 hp (6,700 kW) in total for economical cruising.
in 1986 to Libya as Al Hani; in Malta for refit since 2013[4][5]
SKR-195
18 April 1985
27 April 1986
25 December 1986
in 1987 to Libya as Al Ghardabia, sunk 2011 during the Libyan civil war
Patrol Boat 383, P.B.
On July 16, 1998 the former Cuban Navy Koni II-class frigate designated 353 was scuttled in shallow water near the Cuban resort town of Varadero in the Parque Submarino Cayo Piedra del Norte as an attraction for divers. It is rumored that Fidel Castro promoted the project, being an avid diver himself. The frigate sank upright, and sits on the sand bottom in 90 ft (27 m) of water. For an unknown reason her hull number was changed from 353 to 383 prior to the scuttling.[6] The dive operators in the Varadero area refer to the dive site as Patrol Boat 383 or simply P.B even though it is a frigate.
Original operators
Mourad Rais of Algerian National Navy in 1986. One of the warm-water export versions.
Soviet Union - 1 (to Bulgaria in 1990), Delfin was originally used for training foreign crews in the Black Sea, before being sold to the Bulgarian Navy, currently in service as Smeli (Bulgarian: Смели" ("Brave")).
Cuba - 3, 356 (No name) ex SKR-471 sunk as a reef, 353 (later 383) (Moncada) ex SKR-451 sunk as a reef[6] and 350 (Mariel) ex SKR-28 status unknown.
East Germany / Germany - 3, two (Rostock and Halle) taken over by unified German Navy and paid off August 1991, one (Berlin - Hauptstadt der DDR) immediately put up for disposal in 1991.[7]
Libya - 1 (formerly 2), 4 x 406mm torpedo tubes, status unknown, damaged by bombing May 19/20 and on August 9, 2011. (Al Ghardabia). The remaining ship, Al Hani captured by National Transitional Council in Benghazi, and has become the flagship of the reorganized Libyan Navy. She has been stuck in Malta for refit since 2013.
^Couhat Jean. Combat Fleets of the world 1982/1983 Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament Paris: Editions Maritimes et d'Outre-Mer, 1981 ISBN0-87021-125-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-50192 Pg.2
