The Kresta I class, Soviet designation Project 1134 Berkut (golden eagle), was a class of guided missile cruiser built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. The ships were designed for a surface warfare role, but Soviet priorities were changed to an anti-submarine role and only four ships were built in the original anti-ship configuration. They were followed by the Kresta II class, an anti-submarine warfare variant.
== Design == Though considerably larger, more effective and reliable than the previous Soviet cruiser class, the Kynda class, the Kresta I surface warfare cruisers carried only half as many Shaddock launch tubes and one-fourth the total number of missiles. Initially it was planned to fit the SS-N-12 Sandbox (P-500 Bazalt) missile but the protracted development of this missile led to the older SS-N-3 being shipped. The self-defence armament was considerably increased as were command and communications facilities. The Kresta Is could launch four SS-N-3b SLCMs and 44 SA-N-1 surface-to-air missiles with two twin launchers fore and aft, and had ten 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes. A single Ka-25 Hormone B helicopter was carried for antisubmarine warfare and perform mid-course corrections for the cruise missile.
== Ships == The initial plan was for a single squadron of seven ships armed with long range missiles and two squadrons of fourteen ships armed with shorter range missiles. Only four ships were built before production switched to the anti-submarine variant the Kresta II class. All the ships were built by the Zhdanov Shipyard in Leningrad.
== See also == List of ships of the Soviet Navy List of ships of Russia by project number
== References == Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-605-1. OCLC 34284130. Also published as Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. OCLC 34267261.
== External links == - Article in Russian Archived 2008-04-04 at the Wayback Machine - page from FAS in English Archived 2016-08-27 at the Wayback Machine (in English) All Russian Kresta I Class Cruisers - Complete Ship List