MURMANSK, November 17. /TASS/. The Northern Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov entered the English Channel in its long-distance deployment, the Fleet’s press office reported on Wednesday.

"A group of ships and support vessels of the Northern Fleet led by the large anti-submarine destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov has transited the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean and entered the English Channel," the press office said in a statement.

Before entering the strait, additional navigational safety exercises were held with the warship’s watch officers. A similar exercise was held aboard the sea tanker Akademik Pashin and the rescue tug Altai making part of the naval task force, the statement says.

The anti-submarine destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov embarked on its long-distance deployment from the Northern Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk on June 28. At first, the warship’s crew participated in Russia’s Main Naval Parade off Kronshtadt and then practiced particular episodes of practical measures during a command and staff exercise in the Atlantic Ocean.

On August 18-23, the Northern Fleet’s sailors operated in the Mediterranean. Over this period, they made business calls at Algeria, Syria and Cyprus and also held a series of drills for various types of defense for a group of ships in transit by sea and practiced hunting down a notional enemy submarine. In October, the Russian Navy warship provided security of shipping in the Gulf of Guinea off Africa’s Atlantic coast. The Vice-Admiral Kulakov traveled over 25,500 nautical miles in its deployment in distant waters.