How old were the Russian sailors, workmen, or other personnel onboard it at the time it was blown sky-high?
Regards,
More than likely a skeleton crew given the fact that the ship has not been operational for about a year.
The 370-foot-long ship that Ukraine claimed to have sunk on Tuesday, the Novocherkassk, is designed to land troops and vehicles during amphibious assaults. It can carry 10 tanks and 340 personnel. The ship’s regular crew is 87 people. Ukraine’s military had previously claimed to have damaged it in May during another attack.
Sounds similar to a U.S. LSD that we used during Vietnam. I served on an LPH off the coast of Vietnam. We operated with two LSDs. We had over a thousand marines aboard the LPH while there were smaller numbers of troops on the LSDs.
The LSD’s landed troops and artillery along with other equipment on the coast while we used helicopters to land troops behind the enemy as part of vertical envelopment.
The Russian ship appears to be used primarily for logistical support.