The U.S. Navy Feared Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier Could Sink

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Key Points: Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, symbolizes the decline of the nation’s naval power. Frequent breakdowns, fires, and maintenance failures have plagued the carrier, raising questions about its future.

-Lacking modern features like steam catapults, it restricts aircraft performance and operational tempo. Despite attempts to modernize, the ship remains obsolete, with outdated aircraft and undertrained crews.

-Putin’s naval ambitions face setbacks as the Kuznetsov continues to underperform, highlighting Russia’s struggles to maintain a credible naval force. Until a new carrier is built, Russia’s navy risks fading into irrelevance, failing to project global power.

Is the Admiral Kuznetsov More Trouble Than It’s Worth?

Russia’s navy has taken a pounding in the Black Sea due to the Ukrainian’s intrepid use of drones and anti-ship missiles. Vladimir Putin must be angry and disappointed that his warships are some of the weakest in the world. Russia doesn’t even have an operating aircraft carrier that can project power and deploy in different regions around the globe.

The Admiral Kuznetsov flat-top has been a comedy of errors over the last decade, but the history behind the vessel is also deadly serious since several have perished working on the ship. The Kuznetsov is the only carrier in the Russian fleet, and the following story is not told as much as the other well-documented tragedies.

You see, the “Admiral K” was once so bad that the U.S. Navy thought it might sink, and the Americans would then have to perform emergency operations to rescue the surviving sailors and keep the death toll down if the worst happened. 

Admiral Kuznetsov: This Ship Was a Joke

In December 2011, the Kuznetsov was conducting its fourth cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. The Russians needed help with maintaining the carrier and keeping it ship-shape, not to mention difficulty with flight deck operations and sending its unproven aircraft to patrol in defense of the vessel.

The Russians could have been better at launching and recovering aircraft. The crew needed to build some confidence. Putin knew he needed some good news for the Russian propaganda mill, which always wanted to trumpet military feats.

What’s With the Black Smoke? 

Since the Kuznetsov felt more at home in the Mediterranean as it had operated there before, the carrier’s commander was sure that nothing would go wrong. The ship itself exuded anything but confidence. Admiral Kuznetsov spews out a thick, black haze of smoke since it is powered by an old-fashioned material called mazut. 

The American sailors looked on with astonishment. Was this thing on fire? Was it going to stop dead in the water? Or worse, was it headed down to Davy Jones’ locker?

The Admiral Kuznetsov’s back story was terrible in 2011. In 2009, during an earlier Mediterranean cruise, the carrier caught fire. Later that year, it tried to refuel only to see hundreds of tons of mazut leak into the water. Due to constant breakdowns, the ship had to be towed by tugs.  

You could imagine what the American sailors thought when sailing near the Kuznetsov. While the cursed bucket of bolts never sank and needed the U.S. Navy to rescue it, more and more things went wrong in the ensuing decade. 

Things Got Even Worse in Successive Years

In 2019, a welding malfunction started a fire in the engine room. Two employees died, and 14 others were hurt. Then, there was the infamous dry dock incident in 2018. This tragedy killed an employee. That’s not all. A crane crashed into the ship’s deck, tearing a large hole.

It doesn’t look like this carrier will ever sail again. Even if it does, the crew is completely out of practice for flight deck operations. The dismal Su-33 naval fighter is obsolete and never excelled at anything except for fleet defense. The Kamov Ka-27 and Ka-27S helicopters are supposed to be great at anti-submarine warfare, but they can really only conduct the most basic search and rescue tasks.

Admiral Kuznetsov in the waters south of Italy with USS Deyo, foreground, steaming off her port side.

Outdated Aircraft Launch System

Even if the aircraft were modernized, the pilots were better trained, and the flight deck crew knew what they were doing, there are even more limitations. The Admiral K has no steam catapults; instead, it relies on a “bow ramp.” This means that operational tempo is hampered, takeoff weight is limited, and the number of sorties is reduced. The aircraft cannot carry the optimum amount of fuel or weapons. Admiral Kuznetsov is thus worth more dead than she is alive and may have to be scrapped someday.

Putin Must Be Frustrated

This means Russia is not a global naval power without a functioning aircraft carrier. Reports indicate U.S. Navy sailors wondered if it would sink in 2011. It may never make it out of re-fit. Even if a miracle were to happen and it was able to hit the open sea, the carrier is outdated, its pilots are out of practice, and its aircraft leave much to be desired.

Putin should give up and order the Navy to design and build a new aircraft carrier. Meanwhile, the Kuznetsov remains a cautionary tale. Don’t let a lousy luck vessel back into the water if it cannot do the intended job, especially if it kills workers. 

Russia’s Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Russian State Media.

Russia’s navy is the weakest branch of its military and has created more headaches for Putin than he can stand. Until the Russians get a functioning aircraft carrier, they will be considered a fading naval power that hasn’t been effective since the Cold War.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood 

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.