The Russian ship has 16 cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and a conventional twin-barrel gun in a turret. Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle
Posted on 06/22/2010 6:18:59 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Russian warship makes rare S.F. appearance
Carl Nolte, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The first Russian surface warship to visit San Francisco in 147 years is docked on the Embarcadero this week on a visit that combines friendship, history and a display of military power.
The ship is the cruiser Varyag, a sleek gray vessel that is the flagship of Russia's Pacific fleet. It made the two-week voyage from Vladivostok in the spirit of friendship, as Russian Rear Adm. Vladimir Kastonov said more than once during a news conference aboard the ship at Pier 30-32 on Monday.
The ship's visit also commemorates a nearly forgotten bit of Russian-American history. Czar Alexander II sent a fleet to San Francisco and New York in 1863 during the American Civil War to show support for the union.
That Russian squadron, six ships commanded by a rear admiral, spent several months in San Francisco Bay. It was a difficult time for the United States - the British were considering recognizing the Confederacy, the French were about to send an army to Mexico, and the Confederate Navy had ideas about the Pacific.
Not only that, Russian sailors helped fight a huge fire in San Francisco and six of them died. A plaque honoring the sailors was dedicated Tuesday afternoon at Broadway and the Embarcadero.
"We have a very, very rich history," Kastonov said.
That may be, but it took more than a century for another Russian Navy warship to sail to what Kastonov called "your very beautiful coast and beautiful city." A Russian submarine came here during World War II, and an occasional Russian research ship, but that was it.
In between, of course,
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The Russian ship has 16 cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles and a conventional twin-barrel gun in a turret. Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle
They should feel right at home with Nancy and the commie gang in SF.
Visiting Mikhail?.................
Good lookin ship.
This must be chapping the Peace Pansies who didn’t even want the USS Missouri in the Bay.
Nah, it’s Russian, and they represent anti-American interests, so the Peace Pansies and Homo-Leninists are okay with it.
Well, at least the Ruskies realized which port in America would welcome them with open arms....
Careful on Shore Leave boys. The “Castro District” isn’t what you think it is.
are they there to pick up their fellow commies and take them home?
Didn’t Russia claim that area in the 1700s?
Are they interested in it still? Cause we can work out a sweet deal.
Maybe the Russkies were nostalgic and wanted to remember what Communism looked like.
Well I would have felt a lot better about it if it happened under Dubya.
Ping.
Nice looking warship, and she’s got real guns too!
How convenient is it having the ruskies already here on American soil...
Great movie. Saw it again last month and it still has all the heart it did when released.
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