SEVASTOPOL, December 27. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Admiral Makarov frigate has returned to Sevastopol after fulfilling its mission in the Mediterranean Sea, the Fleet’s press service said on Friday.
"The Black Sea Fleet’s Admiral Makarov frigate has arrived at the Fleet’s main base in the hero city of Sevastopol. <...> The welcoming ceremony for the vessel after a long-distance voyage was held under control of commander of the Black Sea Fleet’s naval surface force Rear Admiral Oleg Krivorog," the press service said. The ceremony was attended by the group’s veterans, family members and the sailors’ relatives.
The ship took part in a number of exercises with the Mediterranean countries’ naval forces as part of the Russian Navy’s formation deployed there.
In November, the Admiral Makarov ship and Algerian naval forces held an exercise, during which they practiced joint operations to ensure maritime security and search civilian ships suspected of pirate activities and smuggling.
In December, the frigate took part in the first exercise in the Mediterranean Sea with Syrian naval forces. During the drills, the ships conducted artillery live-firing and practiced joint maneuvering.
The frigate set off for its long-distance voyage in September. It participated in the Russian Week on the Ionian Islands public forum on Greece’s Corfu Island. A few days at the forum were devoted to the memory of Russian Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, the commander of a group of Russian sailors who liberated the island from foreign invaders in 1799.
The Admiral Makarov is the third Project 11356 blue-water frigate named after Imperial Russian Navy Commander, Oceanographer and Vice-Admiral Stepan Makarov. The Project 11356 frigates have a displacement of 4,000 tonnes, a length of 124.8 meters, a speed of 30 knots and their sea endurance is 30 days. They are armed with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, Shtil-1 surface-to-air missile complexes, A-190 100mm artillery guns, air defense artillery, rocket launchers and torpedoes and can also carry a deck-based Kamov Ka-27 (or Ka-31) helicopter.