Russian Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to sail through channel...

[Andy_99]

Russian Navy Tug Nikolay Chiker was noted sending a Morse weather message during 12Z back to HQ Northern Fleet. It is just standard international weather and includes the lat long, heading and speed.

12464 Kilohertz RIT DE RAL48 24121 99421 70104 22242 @1213Z

Breaks to

42.1N 10.4W Heading South at 6-10 Knots

Map link

https://goo.gl/maps/GTqHgd31QsN2

I guess they're not in a great hurry to get to the Med then

[T_J]

I guess they're not in a great hurry to get to the Med then

The Tug was off Lisbon during 13Z

Morse from Tug Nikolay Chiker

12464 RAL48 25121 99386 70104 22742 @1300Z

38.6N 10.4W Heading South at 6-10 Knots

https://goo.gl/maps/YBxKtrMoEZx


The support tanker Osipov is heading for the Strait of Gibraltar.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/OS ... -273546000

[Tally-ho]

@ T_J

Very handy and informative those links you provide re this deployment - thank you.

[T_J]

You are very welcome Tally-ho.

Breaking on Sky News UK.

Russia's Embassy in Spain says that the request for Russian warships to refuel in the Spanish port of Ceuta has been withdrawn.

Tug Nikolay Chiker is heading for the Strait of Gibraltar.

Morse

12464 Kilohertz RIW DE RAL48 26121 99359 70070 22222 @1248Z

35.9N 07.0W Heading East at 6-10 Knots

https://goo.gl/maps/5mxW7NkKZ2n


AIS

Tanker Osipov is in the Mediterranean and sitting off Morocco.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/OS ... -273546000

[Sparts99]

Assume Ceuta is a civvy port ? Seems like a golden opportunity to have a snoop at the ships has been missed?

[Tally-ho]

Three cheers to all those NATO members who pressured the Spanish not to refuel the Russian ships. And fully participating in the call for 'no fuel' was the UK government. Whether the Ruskies are sailing to Syria, Armageddon or oblivion I couldn't care less about, it's the principle that counts.

A NATO member refuelling the navy of a potential enemy .... quite pathetic.

Remember how not so long ago the Spanish protested about a US Navy submarine docking in Gibraltar - a NATO member moaning about another NATO member's sub docking at another NATO member's maritime facility.

A right Costa stinky.

[bizfreeq]

The Russians have been refueling there since around 2010, no one in NATO cared about it for best part of 6 years, seems a little late to be making a fuss now! However I guess a little late is better than ignoring it further considering where they are going.
Oh and the source for this was BBC News yesterday before anyone asks.

[T_J]

Possibly the main group went through with the Tug Nikolay Chiker?

HF Morse weather message from Nikolay Chiker during 18 GMT.

RAL48 26181 99359 70057 22222 at 1833 GMT

35.9N 05.7W Heading East at 6-10 Knots

Map Link

https://goo.gl/maps/gkY3hUh9vGL2

Baltic Fleet Tanker Lena headed down to the Azores about a week before the Kuznetsov sailed. No idea where she is now but possibly was part of the pre-deployed tanker force. Lena has been on past Kuznetsov deployments. Baltic Fleet tanker Kola is on AIS and heading for the English Channel. Possibly in support of another op or re-assigned for the Kuznetsov group?

Tanker Kola

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/KO ... -273318510

Northern Fleet tanker Kama was on AIS last week. In the Sea of Azov/Black Sea. Kama has been on previous Kuznetsov deployments so possibly will exit the Bosphorus to support the task force?

Tanker Kama

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/KA ... -273431840

It will be interesting to see if Malta allows the Russians to use Valletta? The Russians have used Valletta on every other Kuznetsov Task Force deployment to the region.

[page_verify]

The Russians have been refueling there since around 2010, no one in NATO cared about it for best part of 6 years, seems a little late to be making a fuss now! However I guess a little late is better than ignoring it further considering where they are going.
Oh and the source for this was BBC News yesterday before anyone asks.

What makes it different this time is that the Russian warships are suspected to be on their way to support military missions in Syria that neither NATO or the EU approve of. Spain would have implicitly been endorsing Russian military involvement in Syria if it refueled them. The big question now is whether Turkey gives them fuel.

[Sparts99]

Would Turkey do that after the shoot down incident?

[tornado17]

Possibly the main group went through with the Tug Nikolay Chiker?

HF Morse weather message from Nikolay Chiker during 18 GMT.

RAL48 26181 99359 70057 22222 at 1833 GMT

35.9N 05.7W Heading East at 6-10 Knots

Map Link

https://goo.gl/maps/gkY3hUh9vGL2

Baltic Fleet Tanker Lena headed down to the Azores about a week before the Kuznetsov sailed. No idea where she is now but possibly was part of the pre-deployed tanker force. Lena has been on past Kuznetsov deployments. Baltic Fleet tanker Kola is on AIS and heading for the English Channel. Possibly in support of another op or re-assigned for the Kuznetsov group?

Tanker Kola

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/KO ... -273318510

Northern Fleet tanker Kama was on AIS last week. In the Sea of Azov/Black Sea. Kama has been on previous Kuznetsov deployments so possibly will exit the Bosphorus to support the task force?

Tanker Kama

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/KA ... -273431840

It will be interesting to see if Malta allows the Russians to use Valletta? The Russians have used Valletta on every other Kuznetsov Task Force deployment to the region.

Kola is currently off Amsterdam and Nikolay Chiker off Morrocco. A Spanish frigate, believed to be Juan de Bourbon, is also in the vercinity of the Chiker.

[tornado17]

I guess they're not in a great hurry to get to the Med then

The Tug was off Lisbon during 13Z

Morse from Tug Nikolay Chiker

12464 RAL48 25121 99386 70104 22742 @1300Z

38.6N 10.4W Heading South at 6-10 Knots

https://goo.gl/maps/YBxKtrMoEZx


The support tanker Osipov is heading for the Strait of Gibraltar.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/OS ... -273546000

Osipov currently off Morrocco

[Thunder]

Would Turkey do that after the shoot down incident?

Hell yeah they would, not long after the failed coup attempt Erdogan looked to the Kremlin for support, after the US,EU and NATO all distanced themselves from offering any kind of support. Turkey is NATO's weakest link and Russia will exploit it as far as they can.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/2016 ... elligence/

[T_J]

Tug Nikolay Chiker on the move.

Position/heading from Morse weather message on 12464 KHz

12464 RAL48 28121 99357 70027 22222 @1324Z

35.7N 02.7W Heading East at 6-10 Knots

https://goo.gl/maps/JsABa4Z345L2


Nikolay Chiker also active on AIS.

https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/NI ... -273531629


Tanker Osipov still at anchor off the coast of Morocco.

AIS Link

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/det ... sel:OSIPOV

[T_J]

Portuguese Air Force footage from earlier this week.

https://www.facebook.com/PortugueseAirF ... 554048937/

It confirms that there is more than one tanker with the carrier task force.

Tankers Dubna and Kama are seen along with Sergei Osipov.

Marine Traffic website have the Northern Fleet Kama photograph on the following link (also named KAMA) leading to the confusion that she was in the Black Sea/Sea of Azov.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/det ... essel:KAMA

[Tally-ho]

Great links T_J.

The heading of the video says it was taken off the Portuguese coast, which I take to mean the North Atlantic prior to entering the Med at Gib. The heavy swell even causes a substantial roll to the Kuznetsov and shows water spilling onto the very low mid-ships deck of the Kama.
Launching aircraft from a rolling deck (Kuznetsov) is probably possible .... but retrieving them onto a heaving deck with that amount of roll I don't think is do-able. Then again the eastern Med off Syria's coast has a calmer sea state.

Is the Kuznetsov equipped with stabilizers - probably not?

[Hunter49]

looking at the newspapers of malta ,they have refused entry of the carrier into grand harbour to refuel but are allowing the tanker and frigate in to refuel . i thought the nations are refusing this service ie spain?

[T_J]

No problem, Tally-ho. Good observations. I have no idea on Kuznetsov and stabilizers.

I was under the impression that Malta had refused all vessels, Hunter.

No Russian war ships will be refuelled in Malta, Foreign Minister George Vella said today, dismissing claims that the flotilla was planning a stopover on the island on their way to Syria.

Contacted by Times of Malta, Dr Vella would not, however, confirm or deny whether a request had been made by the Russians for a fleet stopover in Malta.

It is not known whether any request from the Russians was turned down on constitutional or ethical grounds

From

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/vi ... lta.629234


Malta had agreed to allow the tanker Dubna to berth for three days from the 4th November.

VALLETTA, Malta – A letter obtained by The Associated Press shows Malta gave diplomatic clearance to a Russian tanker a week before the foreign minister said the country would not refuel Russian ships.

Foreign Minister George Vella announced Thursday that Malta would not be refueling ships from Russia. The announcement came a day after Spain refused to resupply a flotilla of Russian warships suspected to be bound for the eastern Mediterranean to support Russian and Syrian airstrikes in Syria.

The letter shows that the Russian military replenishment fuel tanker RFS Dubna was given diplomatic clearance to berth in Malta for three days beginning Nov. 4.

The Maltese government on Friday refused to comment on reports that it withdrew the Russian tanker's permission to anchor under pressure from the United States and Britain.

From

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/10/28 ... anker.html

[T_J]

Kuznetsov sighted this morning from Royal Netherlands Navy vessel in the Mediterranean.

#AdmiralKuznetsov seen this morning from @kon_marine vessel HNLMS Rotterdam, somewhere between Sicily and Libya

Image at following link.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CwJ-KilWIAEmiYC.jpg:large

From

https://twitter.com/GorseFires/status/7 ... 7439926272

Image of Kuznetsov from GeoEye-1 satellite from last Friday. (Published 31st October)

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CwHVGg7W8AAehmE.jpg

From

https://twitter.com/DigitalGlobe/status ... 9637508096

https://twitter.com/DigitalGlobe

[T_J]

Cruiser Peter the Great east of Crete.

Look like one Russian sailor will be on extra duties after posting a selfie on social media.



https://twitter.com/hdevreij/status/794551071112888320

https://twitter.com/hdevreij/status/794561866425139200

Daylight image apparently posted 1428 hrs.

https://twitter.com/hdevreij/status/794554612468555776

Tug Nikolay Chiker still on AIS east of Crete (2016-11-04 18:47 UTC)

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/det ... LAY_CHIKER