Trumpeter 06746 Russian Destroyer Taszkient 1940 1:700

Tashkent was a Soviet destroyer from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in January 1937, the launch took place in December of the same year, and the entry into service - in May 1939. The length of the ship was 139.7 meters and a width of 13.7 meters. Full displacement reached about 4,200 tons, and maximum speed - to about 42-43 knots. The deck armament, at the time of the launch, consisted of, among other things: 6 130 mm guns, 2 76 mm anti-aircraft guns and 9 533 mm torpedo tubes.

Tashkent was one of the 20I project ships built, which was designed as the so-called great destroyers. Strong artillery armament of these units was assumed, and they would achieve a high maximum speed. Their main purpose was to fight the enemy's light surface units, but also to act independently, such as building mine barriers. Tashkent was built at the Italian shipyard Odero-Terni-Orlando (OTO) in Livorno. After entering service, the unit became part of the Black Sea Fleet. In the period 1939-1941, the ship was tested by the Soviets, as well as its crew in training and assigned to representative tasks. At the outbreak of the German-Soviet war, the ship was in the Black Sea basin. The unit was used, among others, to fire at enemy positions on land, and above all, to support the defenders of Sevastopol in the period 1941-1942. In June 1942, as the last large surface ship, it broke through to the besieged fortress, and then about 2,300 refugees escaped from it. Despite air attacks and serious damage, it reached the base in Novorossiysk. The unit was sunk shortly after this heroic feat, on July 2, 1942.