Soviet cruiser Kalinin
Service
Service
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*Kalinin* was one of two Project 26bis2 cruisers, the third pair of the *Kirov*\-class cruisers. She was assembled at the newly constructed [Shipyard No. 199](/wiki/Amur_Shipbuilding_Plant "Amur Shipbuilding Plant"), [Komsomolsk\-on\-Amur](/wiki/Komsomolsk-on-Amur "Komsomolsk-on-Amur"), as [yard number](/wiki/Yard_number "Yard number") 7, from components built at [Shipyard No. 189](/wiki/Baltic_Shipyard "Baltic Shipyard") in Leningrad. She was [laid down](/wiki/Laid_down "Laid down") on 12 August 1938, [launched](/wiki/Ceremonial_ship_launching "Ceremonial ship launching") from [drydock](/wiki/Drydock "Drydock") on 8 May 1942 and towed down the [Amur River](/wiki/Amur_River "Amur River") to [Vladivostok](/wiki/Vladivostok "Vladivostok") for completion. Her construction was prolonged by late deliveries from factories in European Russia and the poorly built drydock. For example, her [propellers](/wiki/Propeller "Propeller") had to be shipped from [Leningrad](/wiki/Saint_Petersburg "Saint Petersburg") after it had been surrounded by the [Germans](/wiki/Nazi_Germany "Nazi Germany") and her propeller shafts had to be transported from the *[Barrikady](/wiki/Barrikady_Arms_Factory "Barrikady Arms Factory")* factory in [Stalingrad](/wiki/Stalingrad "Stalingrad") in 1942 before it was destroyed by the Germans.Wright 2008, p. 311 The cruiser joined the [Pacific Fleet](/wiki/Pacific_Fleet_%28Russia%29 "Pacific Fleet (Russia)") on 31 December after completing her sea trials,Chernyshev and Kulagin, p. 49 and officially entered service exactly a month later when the Soviet [naval jack](/wiki/Naval_jack "Naval jack") was raised aboard her.Berezhnoy, pp. 144–145 Upon her entry into service, *Kalinin* became the flagship of the Detachment of Light Forces of the Pacific Fleet. She conducted combat training in [Ussuri Bay](/wiki/Ussuri_Bay "Ussuri Bay"), screened by [minesweepers](/wiki/Minesweeper "Minesweeper"), [subchasers](/wiki/Subchaser "Subchaser"), and [torpedo boats](/wiki/Torpedo_boat "Torpedo boat"), in addition to air cover provided by [anti\-submarine aircraft](/wiki/Anti-submarine_warfare "Anti-submarine warfare").

She was ordered to prepare for transfer to the [Soviet Northern Fleet](/wiki/Soviet_Northern_Fleet "Soviet Northern Fleet") together with the [destroyer](/wiki/Destroyer "Destroyer")  via the [Northern Sea Route](/wiki/Northern_Sea_Route "Northern Sea Route") on 24 April 1943 due to the Soviet belief that the Northern Fleet was weaker than its German opponents. She was scheduled for departure on 25 June. During May, extensive preparations were made for the voyage at [Shipyard No. 202](/wiki/Dalzavod "Dalzavod"), which included the installation of special propellers with removable blades and the strengthening of her hull to withstand ice pressure. After the transfer was canceled without explanation on 1 June, *Kalinin* was removed from drydock, although the alterations remained in place until May 1944\. She was under repair during the [Soviet invasion of Manchuria](/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Manchuria "Soviet invasion of Manchuria") in 1945, not having been slated for inclusion in the operation.

*Kalinin* was declared the best ship in the Pacific Fleet for her training performance during 1946, winning four prizes. The cruiser became part of the 5th Fleet between 17 January 1947 and 23 May 1953 when the Pacific Fleet was temporarily split. She went to sea in 1951 for gunnery testing under the flag of the 5th Fleet commander, [Yury Panteleyev](/wiki/Yuri_Aleksandrovich_Panteleyev "Yuri Aleksandrovich Panteleyev"), with the commander\-in\-chief of the forces in the Far East, Marshal [Rodion Malinovsky](/wiki/Rodion_Malinovsky "Rodion Malinovsky"), and the [Primorsky Military District](/wiki/Primorsky_Military_District "Primorsky Military District") commander, General [Sergey Biryuzov](/wiki/Sergey_Biryuzov "Sergey Biryuzov") observing the firing. *Kalinin* hosted Malinovsky, [Nikita Khrushchev](/wiki/Nikita_Khrushchev "Nikita Khrushchev"), [Anastas Mikoyan](/wiki/Anastas_Mikoyan "Anastas Mikoyan"), [Nikolai Bulganin](/wiki/Nikolai_Bulganin "Nikolai Bulganin"), and Admiral [Nikolai Kuznetsov](/wiki/Nikolai_Kuznetsov_%28admiral%29 "Nikolai Kuznetsov (admiral)") during their visit to the Pacific Fleet in October 1954 and demonstrated her main guns while they were aboard. She spent the post\-war period on routine training missions until she was [mothballed](/wiki/Ship_decommissioning "Ship decommissioning") at Vladivostok on 7 May 1956\. *Kalinin* was reactivated on 1 December 1957 before being disarmed and converted into a floating barracks on 6 February 1960, being renamed *PKZ\-21* on 14 March of that year. She was struck from the fleet on 12 April 1963,Chernyshev and Kulagin, pp. 116–117, 119Yakubov and Worth, p. 95 before being transferred to [Sovetskaya Gavan](/wiki/Sovetskaya_Gavan "Sovetskaya Gavan") for scrapping on 10 August.


Why was Kalinin ordered to prepare for transfer to the Northern Fleet?