MOSCOW. Aug 15 (Interfax) - The Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser accompanied by ships of the Russian Northern Fleet has arrived in the English Channel, the fleet press service said in a statement.
"The Russian warship and support vessels will pass through the narrowest part of the English Channel, the Strait of Dover, during the day and will continue their southbound voyage," the statement said.
The Marshal Ustinov crew had an anti-submarine and air defense training on its way across the North Sea, it said.
"The crew of the Marshal Ustinov cruiser will take part in several drills together with ships of other fleets of the Russian Navy and foreign naval forces. The Northern Fleet servicemen will call on ports in Africa and the Mediterranean," the statement said.
The cruiser is being accompanied by the SB-406 rescue tugboat and the Vyazma medium-sized oceanic tanker.
The Marshal Ustinov departed from the Northern Fleet's main base, Severomorsk, on July 3 to join the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg. Later on, the ship took part in the Oceanic Shield 2019 exercise. A distance exceeding 4,000 nautical miles has been covered by now, the statement said.
The Marshal Ustinov is a missile cruiser of Project 1164. Its construction began at the Mykolaiv Shipyard on October 5, 1978. The ship was launched on February 25, 1982, and entered into service with the Northern Fleet on November 5, 1986.
The Marshal Ustinov has a length of 186 meters, a width of 20.8 meters, a top speed of 32 knots, and a crew of about 500 men. It carries 16 cruise missile launchers, air defense missile and artillery systems, and anti-sub armaments.