Summary and key points: A fire broke out on the former Soviet Kiev-class aircraft carrier Minsk, now in China, causing significant damage. The carrier, which is decaying in a man-made lagoon off the Yangtze River, was previously converted into a failed theme park before being largely forgotten.
– The cause of the fire is currently under investigation and the incident highlights the troubled history of Soviet aircraft carriers. The Minsk is one of three Soviet aircraft carriers in China and its fate now likely lies in scrapping.
– The fire sheds light on ongoing problems with aging Soviet warships, similar to past incidents with the Russian Navy’s Admiral Kuznetsov and others.
A former Soviet aircraft burns – not the Admiral Kuznetsov
When the news broke over the weekend that a former Soviet aircraft carrier was on fire and the fire had gotten out of control, one might think that it must be Admiral Kuznetsovthe “flagship” of the Russian Navy. The warship is going through an odyssey of repairs during which fires broke out.
However, the carrier in question was actually the former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier of the Kiev class Minskand the incident occurred far from Russia – as the aircraft carrier was left to “rotte” in a man-made lagoon off the Yangtze River in China. Images of the fire were shared on social media.
The fire, which broke out on Saturday afternoon local time, is currently under investigation. Initial reports suggest the former warship, which was already in poor condition, was badly damaged. Plans for the carrier had been in question even before the incident, but now scrapping may be the only option.
Only one of the forgotten Soviet aircraft carriers is now in China
Minsk is also only one of three former Soviet aircraft carriers to land in China, and its condition may have been so poor upon arrival that earlier plans to overhaul it were cancelled, which explains why it has been largely forgotten for nearly a decade.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Navy built four Kiev-class aircraft cruisers between 1970 and 1987. After their decommissioning following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the lead ship Kyiv together with the Minsk were sold to China – where they were converted into “tourist attractions”, while the third ship Novorossiysk was sold for scrap in 1997 and scrapped in South Korea.
Kyiv was successfully converted into a theme park and a luxury hotel in the Binhai Aircraft Park in Tianjin, but the same did not happen for Minskwhich was originally planned as a naval museum/theme park. According to a revelation by TheWarZone, a Chinese company that made its money from video arcades bought the ship “with the express purpose of building a theme park around it.”
It opened in 2000 under the apt title “Minsk World” and featured a selection of Cold War aircraft, including Soviet Mig-23 and MiG-27 fighter jets and a Mi-24 Hind helicopter, according to TheWarZone. However, the park was far from a success and went bankrupt in 2006, with the park and aircraft carrier being auctioned off.
There has been some speculation that the decommissioned aircraft cruiser was purchased to help the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) develop its own carrier program – as was the case with Admiral Kuznetsov‘s sister ship Varagwhich was bought by Ukraine under the pretext of converting it into a hotel and casino. Instead Varag was renovated by Beijing and became Type 001 Liaoningand became the first bearer of the PLAN.
If the PLAN had ever considered a renovation Minsk the plans have certainly changed – probably due to the poor condition.
As for the fourth Soviet aircraft cruiser, the Admiral Gorshkovbuilt as a subclass Baku in the 1980s, was sold to India in 2004 and is now in service as INS Vikramaditya. During its two decades in service with the Indian Navy, the aircraft has had numerous “problems,” probably to the point that some in New Delhi almost certainly wish they had never bought the carrier.
Lightships!
Fires on warships are considered very serious, as demonstrated by the fire on the US Navy’s Wasp-class ship in 2020. amphibious assault ship USS Goodman Richard (LHD-6). The damage caused by this fire was so great that it was decided to scrap the warship.
It has also been more than five decades since the US Navy’s USS Forest Valley (CV-59) suffered a fire that claimed 134 lives while injuring 161 others. It was one of the largest fires on a U.S. warship since World War II, and it took a full day to bring under control. Repairs cost about $72 million (more than $601 million in 2022 dollars), while about 175 feet of the aft flight deck had to be removed and replaced, along with about 200 compartments on six decks. The disaster prompted the U.S. Navy to revise and improve its firefighting practices and also change weapons handling procedures—since the fire was caused by improper handling of ammunition.
Author’s experience and expertise: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has published over 3,200 articles for more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites in his twenty-year career as a journalist. He writes regularly about military equipment, weapons history, cybersecurity, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Author for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciuYou can send an email to the author: (email protected).
Image credit: Creative Commons.
