During the Old Order, the Indonesian Navy (Navy) never had a light cruiser (light cruiser class) named KRI Irian hull number 201. KRI Irian is the biggest ship in Asia and parts of the southern part of the world. Its presence is able to vibrate the Netherlands who was a carrier Karel Doorman in the heat of fighting over West Irian / Papua.
KRI Irian was deliberately imported by the President to face the Netherlands. The idea of the ship originated from military defense equipment modernization effort that pioneered Maj A.H. Nasution (Alm) as Minister of Defence / Kasab since 1957. The team from the Army when it visited the United States applied for a loan for the purchase of defense equipment, but not addressed.
Then, the group continued its quest to Moscow with the same intent. The proposal apparently approved. In the early 1960s, Nikita Khrushchev visited Jakarta and approved the purchase agreement of defense equipment from the Soviet Union on the basis of long-term credit.
According to Alexander Pavlov in his Cruisher of Indonesia and the Russian documentation about the History of Development and Use Explorer Class Sverdlov.
KRI Irian was formerly the cruiser Ordzhonikidze of the Baltic Navy fleet of the Soviet Union which was purchased by the Government of Indonesia in 1962.
On January 11, 1961, the Soviet government began to issue instructions to the Central Design Bureau to modify Ordzhonikidze so ideal operating in the tropics.
On February 14, 1961 the ship arrived in Sevastopol and on 5 April 1962 start sea trials. At that time, the crew Indonesia has been formed. The ship mechanic, Yathizan, later becoming Head of Engineering Department of the Navy.
Ordzhonikidze came to Surabaya on 5 August 1962. As the official records of the Soviet Navy, the ship has been declared out on January 24, 1963.
In Soviet military history, they never sell the ship with heavy weight to another country except for Indonesia.
The main weapon of the KRI Irian is 4 pieces turret / domes, each dome containing 3 caliber cannon 6 inches / 152 mm. For a total of 6 inch 12 caliber cannon on the deck.
10 anti-submarine torpedo tubes caliber 533 mm
12 pieces of cannon aboard B-38 / L57 caliber 152 mm (6 in front, six in back)
12 pieces of cannon Model 1934 / L56 caliber of 100 mm, was placed in the 6 dome SM-5-1 (2 cannon per 1 dome)
32 pieces of multifunctional caliber 37 mm cannon
4 pieces triple-bis Mk5 gun caliber 20 mm (for the purposes of air antiserangan)
Supplies radar of KRI Irian is:
Big air tracking radar 1x Net or Top Trough
1x radar tracking air High or Low Sieve Sieve
1x tracking radar Air Knife Rest
1x air tracking radar Slim Net
1x radar navigation Don-2 or Neptune
2x regulatory radar guns shooting Sun Visor
2x radar regulator shelling ship B-38, Top Bow
8x radar guns firing regulator Egg Cup
2x electronic jamming systems Watch Dog
Navy which has never had its own fleet before then learn to operate the ships sophisticated and expensive this by trial and error / trial and error.
The presence of this ship provides a psychological effect for the Dutch Navy warships, especially the Dutch carrier, Kareel Doorman. The presence of KRI Irian also make AL Dutch reduce its presence in the waters of West Irian.
Moreover, at that time, the Air Force also operates Tupolev Tu-16 bomber that could carry two anti-ship missiles AS-1 Kennel war. This missile is equal to the MiG-15 fighter planes.
In November 1962 recorded a diesel submarine damaged because of the impact of hydraulic when rising to the surface, a destroyer damaged and three of the six boiler KRI Irian damaged.
*Left with memories
In 1964 Cruiser has been completely lost its operating efficiency and decided to send KRI Irian to Vladivostok Shipyard for repairs. In March 1964 KRI Irian got Dalzavod Factory.
The sailors and the Soviet technicians were surprised to see the condition of the ship and many small improvements that should have been done by the crew was not done.
Once the repair is completed, in August 1964, a ship bound for Surabaya, escorted by Soviet Navy destroyer.
A year later (1965), a change of government. Practical government power in the hands of Suharto. Soeharto attention to the Navy is very different than Sukarno. This ship left dormant in Surabaya, even sometimes used as a prison for political opponents of Suharto.
The ship's condition worsened by the military embargo of the Soviet Union is not in line with the political line of Suharto's pro-Western and anti-communist. In 1970, the ship was filling with water. No one cared to save these cruisers.
**KRI Irian Jaya Missing.
KRI Irian Jaya disappeared mysteriously. According to the outstanding issues, the vessel is scheduled to be dibesituakan in Taiwan but never arrived in Taiwan. Some argue that mid-way through the ship KRI Irian intercepted by the Soviet Union.
This is the third version of the author's own analysis after reading the reports of the various military magazine review regarding weapons of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The Soviet Union only sell light cruiser Sverdlov class to the two countries, namely Indonesia (1962) and India (1989-discrap). A strong suspicion that the Soviets did not want this Sverdlov class when the ship fell into the hands of the West.
There is a possibility of the Soviet Union intercept the ship and then took over with a deal, it could be to reduce the amount of debt outstanding purchase weapons or could be with melunaskannya. KRI Irian (Ordzhonikidze / Object 055) the biggest warship ever owned TNI's whereabouts still a mystery until now