Further Reading

Project 159 Petya class

The Petya was a light frigate that was produced in larger numbers than the similar Mirka class, indicating a more successful design. A total of 45 Petyas were built for the Soviet Navy between 1961 and 1969 -- 18 of the Petya I type and 27 of the Petya II type. All 'Petya-I' class corvettes were discarded by 1989, all 'Mod Petya-I' by 1990-91, and all 'Petya-II' by 1994. The Petya III was the export version.

From 1961-69 the former Soviet navy constructed 27 Petya class frigates. Shipping a heavy anti-submarine armament that included homing torpedoes, mortars and depth charges, some of them were modified in the 1970s to carry a variable depth sonar. The Petya II version has a second bank of five torpedo tubes in place of the RBU 2500 anti-submarine mortar. Fourteen Petya IIIs have been exported: ten to India and two each to Syria and Vietnam. Petya IIIs have triple 533 mm torpedo tubes in place of the 406 mm tubes on the Russian frigates.