• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Project 22870 Rescue Tug

There were only six such rescue tugs of Project 22870, which included Vasily Bekh, in the Russian Federation, four in the Black Sea Fleet, and two more in the Caspian Flotilla. These vessels are designed to assist emergency ships and rescue personnel, tow ships and vessels, extinguish fires, and also provide diving operations at a depth of up to 60 meters. These tugs are far from miniature vessels, their length is 57 meters, width 14 meters, and displacement - 1605 tons. And, most likely, the Russian Federation is forced to use just such emergency tugs due to the fact that they have their own crane equipment.

The entire power plant of Project 22870 tugs is Western. Rowing electric motors - German Schorch, propeller-steering columns - Finnish, main diesel generators German-French, etc.

The lead ship of this project is a tug SB-45, which is August 6, 2014 was introduced in the Caspian Flotilla. The rescue tug "Professor Nicholas Moore" with a unique dynamic positioning system joined the Black Sea Fleet on 10 June 2015.

"In the Novorossiysk naval base on June 10 will be held a ceremony raising St. Andrew's flag and the reception of the Russian Navy is unique in its versatility rescue tugboat project 22870" Professor Nicholas Moore ", which will carry out the tasks as part of the Black Sea Fleet. In near-term plans to build two more such vessels," the representative of the Russian Navy Captain 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said.

The ship was built in Astrakhan branch of the Center for ship repair "Star" and named after outstanding Russian shipbuilder. Vessel's project is designed by the design bureau "Vympel" in accordance with the technical requirements of the High Command of the Navy.

The main purpose of the rescue tugboat is towing and work refloated ships, fire fighting emergency on ships, vessels and coastal infrastructure of the fleet. Equipment vessel with special equipment allows him to carry out the evacuation crews of ships at sea and to provide comprehensive emergency medical assistance to the victims.

Power equipment of the tug "Professor Nicholas Moore" allows him to organize the supply of electricity to the de-energized emergency boat or ship. In addition, the tow can support emergency ships afloat and perform complicated diving operations at depths of up to 60 meters. In addition, it is able to carry out the tasks of collecting oil from the surface of the sea, as well as to search and work-finding.

The peculiarity of "Nicholas Moore" is the presence of a dynamic positioning system that ensures retention of the vessel at the designated point of the sea without the use of anchors. It allows you to produce more accurate survey of the facility at a depth of underwater vehicles on board the vessel, which is especially important in rescue and salvage operations.

The tugboat Vasily Bekh (formerly SB-739) was a relatively new addition to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The tugboat Vasily Bekh was built at the Astrakhan shipyard. It was launched in August 2016, by the autumn of the same year it was towed to Sevastopol occupied by Russia. In January 2017, the ship passed sea trials, in March 2017 it was officially included in the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The tugboat was based in Streletskaya Bay ( Sevastopol). The boat received its current name — Rescuer Vasily Bekh — in April 2021. It was renamed in honor of the chief engineer of the search and rescue department of the Black Sea Fleet. The tug is part of the 145th detachment of rescue ships of the Black Sea Fleet.

Spasatel Vasily Bekh, a tug of the russian black sea fleet, successfully demilitarized by the Ukrainian Navy. In the Black Sea, on 17 June 2022, the Ukrainian military hit the Russian tug "Vasily Bekh" while transporting ammunition, weapons and personnel of the Black Sea Fleet, according to the press service of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. "Even the presence of the TOR anti-aircraft missile system on board did not prevent the Ukrainian Navy from demilitarizing Russian invaders," the Facebook statement said.

The destruction of the tug "Vasily Bekh" is much more important than it might seem at first glance. This ship performed the tasks of transporting ammunition, weapons and personnel. After the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already destroyed the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser "Moskva" and sunk the large landing ship "Saratov", it is somehow illogical to brag about the destruction of the tugboat. But the point here is not the destruction of the vessel, but the fact that this is only the beginning of the implementation of the operation to create the so-called access ban zone in the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

Thanks to the Harpoon coastal missile systems already deployed in Ukraine and whose replenishment is expected in the near future, it became possible not to save anti-ship missiles, which were previously only in limited quantities for the domestic Neptune complex. And now it is quite possible to strike at objects such as tugs or landing craft.

Their destruction is of great importance due to the fact that it is on them that the Russian Federation carries fuel and ammunition to the captured Snake Island. After all, the enemy is trying to create an outpost from Serpentine , placing anti-aircraft, and possibly coastal defense facilities there. But no matter how much equipment is placed there, first of all it needs fuel, without which it will turn into scrap metal.

In this situation, Serpentine for the Russian Federation turns into a suitcase without a handle. Resources will be spent on organizing its support, their ships will be destroyed, therefore, large forces and even more resources that could be used in other sectors of the front will be attracted to cover them. Even the evacuation of everything that was brought to the island will require a separate operation.