The Saturn class, Russian designation Project 498, also called Proteus (Russian: Protey), is a series of Soviet/Russian tugboats built for use in harbours and roadsteads. Project 498 boats were built from 1962 until 1983, after which production switched to an upgraded version, Project 04983. They have been used for both civil and naval purposes and a few have been exported to other countries.[1]
Operational history
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The Kerch Strait incident of 25 November 2018 unfolded when Yany Kapu, a Ukrainian Saturn-class tugboat, and two Ukrainian gunboats attempted to transit through Kerch Strait. Russian boats rammed Yany Kapu and that evening seized the three Ukrainian boats, returning them to Ukraine nearly a year later.
A Saturn-class tugboat in the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy was sunk in Crimea on 6 June 2024 by the Ukrainian military amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[2][3][4]
References
edit- ^ "Harbor tugs: Project 498". RussianShips.info. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Zoria, Yuri (6 June 2024). "Ukrainian naval drones sink Russian Navy's tugboat after breaching". Euromaidan. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Struck, Julia (6 June 2024). "Video: Drones destroy critical Russian tugboat near Crimea coast". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine destroys Russian tugboat off Crimea, military intelligence says". The Indian Express. Reuters. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.