Marshal Voroshilov carries Kresta II into the Pacific

Marshal Voroshilov was the first Kresta II completed with the MR-123 Vympel fire-control radar for its AK-630 mounts, a fit absent from the first four hulls. That change within the class is direct evidence of the staggered development method described earlier in the video. Its voyage to Vladivostok brought the first close Western look at a Kresta II in accessible waters, prompting heavy Royal Navy shadowing and extensive photography in the English Channel. Calls in Mauritius, Equatorial Guinea, and Somalia preceded assignment to a Pacific Fleet anti-submarine formation and long periods in the Indian Ocean. A later rescue effort in severe Sea of Japan weather damaged the stern launcher and forward navigation radar, showing both the distance and the conditions these cruisers were expected to handle.