Soviet/ Russian federation ship designations

PART I: Combatants

Large surface ships

PKR - PROTIVOLODOCHNYE KRYEĬSERY - ASW CRUISER (pr.1123)
TAVKR - TYAZHELYE AVIANESUSHCHIE KRYEĬSERY - Heavy Aviation Cruiser (pr.1143)
RKR - RAKETNYE KRYEĬSERY - Rocket(Missile) cruiser (pr. 58 - pr.1164)
TARKR - TYAZHELYEĭ ATOMNYĬ RAKETNYE KRYEĬSERY - Heavy nuclear Rocket Cruiser (pr. 1144)
KRL - LËGKIE KRYEĬSERY - Ligth Cruiser (pr 68bis)
KRT - TYAZHELYE KRYEĬSERY - Heavy cruiser (pr. 82)
BKR - BOLʹSHIE PROTIVOLODOCHNYE KORABLI - Large ASW ship (pr.1134/1155/61/1135/57bis)
EM - ESKADRENNYE MINONOSTSY - "Squardon Torbedoboats"/Destroyers (pr.30/56/956)
BRK - BOLʹSHOĬ RAKETNYĬ KORABLʹ - Large Rocket(missile) ship - (pr.56EM/57)
SKR - STOROZHEVYE KORABLI - Guard ship (pr. 51/159/35/1135/1154)
PSKR - POGRANICHNYĬ STOROZHEVYE KORABLI - Border Guard Ship (pr. 97/1135.4)

Ambhibious Ships

BDK - BOLʹSHIE DESANTNYE KORABLI - Large Landing Ship (pr 1171/1174/775)
SDK - SREDNIE DESANTNYE KORABLI - Medium landing ship (pr. 770)
MDK - MALYE DESANTNYE KORABLI - Small landing ship (pr.106/1232)

Submarines

PLARB - ATOMNYE PODVODNYE LODKI S BALLISTICHESKIMI RAKETAMI - Nuclear ballistic missile submarines
DPLRB - DIZELʹ-ELEKTRICHESKIE PODVODNYE LODKI S BALLISTICHESKIMI RAKETAMI - Diesel ballistic missile submarines
PLARK - ATOMNYE PODVODNYE LODKI S KRYLATYMI RAKETAMI - Nuclear cruise missile submarines
DPLRK - DIZELʹ-ELEKTRICHESKIE PODVODNYE LODKI S KRYLATYMI RAKETAMI - Diesel cruiser missile submarines
PLA - ATOMNYE PODVODNYE LODKI - Nuclear submarines
DPL - DIZELʹ-ELEKTRICHESKIE PODVODNYE LODKI - Diesel-eletric submarines

Small Surface ships

MRK - MALYE RAKETNYE KORABLI - Small missile ships (pr.1234/1240/1239)
RKA - RAKETNYE KATERA - Missile boats (pr.205/1241)
MPK - MALYE PROTIVOLODOCHNYE KORABLI - Small ASW ships (pr. 204/1124/133)
BO - BOLʹSHIE OKHOTNIK - Large hunter (obsolete term for large ASW patrol boat) (pr. 122)
MO - MALYE OKHOTNIK - Small hunter (ASW boat) (pr. 199)
TKA - TORPEDNYE KATERA - (motor)Torbedo boat (pr. 183/206)
PSKR - POGRANICHNYE STOROZHEVYE KATERA - Border patrol boat (pr.10410/1204/1208)
AK - ARTILLERIĬSKIE KATERA - gunboats (pr. 205P)

Minewarfare vessels

MTSHCH - MORSKIE TRALʹSHCHIKI - Ocean going minesweeper
BT - BAZOVYE TRALʹSHCHIKI - coastal minesweeper
RT - RECHNYE TRALʹSHCHIKI - River minesweeper

The transliteation is optimal and from google translator (Its for fonetic pronouncing)

Great! Potentially very useful thing.

It should be noted (just in case of any doubts), that these russian transliterations are all plural forms.

They are not actually transliterations as such, but more of a pronouncing guidelines

TARKR - TYAZHELYEĭ ATOMNYĬ RAKETNYE KRYEĬSERY - Heavy nuclear Rocket Cruiser (pr. 1144)

I love this term, reminds me of star blazers!

I also read somewhere how they called submarines underwater cruisers, is that true?

_________________
Supreme Commander of the Astrofleets

Philbob wrote:

Yes, that's most excellent.

During (and after) the last rehost, the russian folder was put straigth, and as to follow on with its coherency, here is a proper looking chart of what should be used as shipnames when submitting stuff to the uploading.

[ img ]

All credit and Thanks goes to Eswube for completing this chart and sorting the filenames. Well done.

Unfortunately the chart with Soviet/Russian hull codes that was in Gollevainen's post above has been lost when the Majhost went down (and my account there with it), so here's the new chart:

[ img ]

How should be classified the AS12 Losharik (Nato code NORSUB 5)?

On my opinion it would not be correct SPL - midget (it is about 70-75 meters!)

Starting from the russian definition I would say PLAG - Podvodnaja Lodka, Atomnaja, Glubokovodnaja - Submarine, Nuclear, High depth

глубоководная атомная подводная лодка --> glubokovodnaja atomnaja podvodnaja lodka -->podvodnaja lodka, atomnaja, glubokovodnaja

@Lazer_one
That's a very good question indeed.
Obviously, the final word belongs to Gollevainen, but here are some of my thoughts.
As for the PLAG - it's logical, but if I may, I'd rather suggest PLASN - Podvodnaya Lodka, Atomnaya, Spetsyalnogo Naznacheniya - Submarine, Nuclear, Special Purpose - which is a genuine acronym and could be in the future used for a wider range of "special" submarines in the Russian folder (together with PLSN for conventional subs of "unusual" use).
It has to be noted, though, that according to Apalkov (Apalkov, Yurii Valentinovich, Podvodnye lodki sovetskogo flota 1945-1991 gg. Tom III: Tretye i chetvertoye pokolenya APL. Monografiya, Moscov, 2012, p. 302, footnote 1) that code refers more to either submarines-laboratories and submarines-carriers of special craft/installations, but IMHO because the Shipbucket rules of use hull codes in file names value the clarity and utility bit higher than "real-life" classification peculiarities, it would be useful to adapt this code for bit wider range of vessels than originally intended by it's soviet creators.

Also, I'd suggest using the project number instead of AS12, so:
Pr.10831 Losharik (alternatively also Pr.10831 NORSUB 5) - generally the currently used file naming rules for Soviet/Russian ships call for project number plus NATO name, but it also allows for dropping of the NATO code if there's some better-known other name.

If the PLSN/PLASN (or PLAG) will get Gollevainen's acceptance I'll add them to the chart.

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Soviet/ Russian federation ship designations

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