-Here is the updated, if not necessarily improved version. I removed the missile launcher in favor of a cheaper AK-230 twin 23-mm CIWS system. The issue was that I couldn't find a launcher developed around this time frame that could fit the vessel. The main gun has been swapped for the dual 57-mm ZIF-31 mounting. I chose this one because it was older and therefore more likely to be produced for export to allied nations. I just don't really see the need for an SAM system on a submarine tender, especially for a smaller nation who would, in my humble opinion, be more inclined to mount such advanced and expensive systems to front-line combatants such as destroyers, frigates, escorts, and later on, small aircraft/helicopter carriers.
That looks better IMHO. My point exactly on the SAMs. For reference, Poland upgraded all its landing ships in the 80s with the quad Strela I mentioned earlier, so that's something you could add in a later upgrade. In the interim, the AK-230 is a good choice, only AFAIK it always comes in pairs. Which can be side-by-side without trouble, but always require a radar director. If you want manual control, stick to the 2M3 twin 25mm, which the Soviets did e.g. on minesweepers until the 1980s (manual control so you can visually aim at floating mines that can't be picked up by a CIWS radar). The min gun looks good as well, but would need a radar too to be marginally useful.
To summarize:
- ZIF-31 => Owl Screech or Muff Cob radar to replace the stereoscopic rangefinder atop the bridge
- AK-230 => Drum Tilt radar aft of the stack
- No aft radar => 2M3 instead of AK-230
Re. radars, your upgrade could do with a main tripod or lattice mast between bridge and stack, completely replacing the twin one you have (why two masts, BTW?). Put a navigation radar on a shelf above the bridge, and a larger search set atop the tripod and you're 80% done.
Re. further upgrades, the space abeam the mast could be used for that pair of
Strela quads I mentioned, or a pair of
PK-16 or PK-10 decoy launchers.
On a more general note, it looks like the cargo deck is where your mine deck used to be before the conversion. Does it mean there were mines stowed below decks? If not, you probably can't afford to dig down for your cargo hold without compromising something useful, so maybe include a solid railing one level higher or something, for some actual holding capacity. Weather might be clement in the Caribbeans, but you don't want your torpedoes just rolling off the deck in a cross-wind, do you?
On a related note, where is your crane operated from? There is no cab I can see, so you'll need some remote operation room, plus the machinery to move it. If you can afford to lengthen the crane arm a bit, may I suggest moving it to the forward edge of your cargo deck, and building a little deckhouse between the AA guns (assuming a pair) for the associated systems? Also you can put your FC radar for the AK-230s atop that.
If you want to keep the crane that far aft, at least you'll need some supporting structure below, since again you can't easily carve out space from below the main deck, and anyway someone piloting the crane will need some visibility and can't do it from under deck.
Yes there is space for the mines to be stowed below decks. The torpedoes and cargo could be stowed in the same place and then raised out of the hatches by the crane. Cargo could be stowed on deck in calm weather if the seas were calm enough. Does the crane need to be placed on kind of an elevated platform? I also see that the crane lacks a pilot house and control cab. I will see if I can re design it to improve the radar arrays and crane. Thanks for the tips!