{"id":1512,"date":"2011-07-18T04:35:02","date_gmt":"2011-07-18T09:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/?p=1512"},"modified":"2011-10-07T02:28:37","modified_gmt":"2011-10-07T07:28:37","slug":"balaklava-submarine-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smithjan.com\/blog\/2011\/07\/18\/balaklava-submarine-base\/","title":{"rendered":"Balaklava Submarine Base"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Balaklava’s Secret Submarine Base – Object\u00a0Object No. 825 GTS<\/h1>\n
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Russian Submarine, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Of all the Cold War shelters built underground, Balaklava hosts the only publically known subterranean submarine base. It took nearly five years to build, and weathered continuous battles between Party and Navy. Built as a safe haven for the Soviet 155 Submarine Brigade, it served as a top-secret naval base from 1961 to 1993.\u00a0 During this time it was officially known as Object No. 825 GTS.Balaklava\u2019s very narrow harbor, protected on both sides by high cliffs, was a naturally strong shelter against the prying eyes of marauding US satellites.\u00a0 In 1957, an elite brigade of Soviet engineers began augmenting the stealth capacity of the bay by drilling tunnels under the western cliff of Tavros.\u00a0 They worked around the clock for four years, like miners.\u00a0 Each day saw four shifts of workers, but it was the last shift, under cover of darkness, that was responsible for extracting debris and dumping it at sea from barges.<\/p>\n
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Balaklava Service Dock, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
Balaklava Submarine Base: Construction & Tunnels<\/h2>\n
When completed in 1961, the infrastructure under the hills housed up to seven submarines, allowing them access to the base from both the bay and the sea.\u00a0 By then nicknamed \u201cThe Pipe\u201d, the base had over 600 meters of tunnels and water channels. Each underwater entrance had steel nets protecting them from sabotage frogmen, while four projector rays coming from special platforms pierced the water at night.<\/p>\n
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Balaklava Ordinance Tunnel, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Inside, over 25,000 cubic meters of rock were removed to make space for 5,000 square meters underground galleys, roads, workshops, and arsenals. \u00a0Most impressive was the haven\u2019s ability to withstand a direct nuclear hit of up to 100 Kt.\u00a0 If that were to occur, the artificial caverns could shelter up to ten thousand people.<\/p>\n
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Russian Class 613 and 633 Submarines, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Russian Class 613 and 633 Submarines, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Once inside, submarines were received by a maintenance crew of 230 people.\u00a0 These teams maintained the docks, recharged ship batteries, refueled and made sure the submarines had a full supply of fresh drinking water. Another 50 employees safeguarded the safety of the facility and tended to the warehouses full of nuclear weapons, missiles, and torpedoes.<\/p>\n
Balaklava Submarine Base: Khrushchev’s Role<\/h2>\n
Although an incredible feat of engineering, the base was in many ways a waste of money and had limited military value.\u00a0 When Khrushchev inspected the construction he dismissed it, saying, \u201cThis should be handed over to the wine makers!\u201d Khrushchev\u2019s comment stemmed from his over ambitious preference to build missiles while slashing traditional armed forces. In the case of Balaklava however, he was tactically correct.<\/p>\n
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Submarine Periscope, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The facility was originally designed to service seven class 613 or class 633 submarines.\u00a0 These submarines each measured 76 meters and were based on German diesel-electric technology from WWII.\u00a0 By 1960, the Black Sea fleet was migrating to new propulsion technologies, including nuclear engines, which required an additional 20 meters per submarine. Balaklava\u2019s canals could not service them.<\/p>\n
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Submarine Control, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Extending the canals meant delaying the original completion date. Admiral Kuznetsov was aware of this when construction plans were drawn in the mid 1950s.\u00a0 However, when he was removed from command in 1956, bureaucrats overran the project.\u00a0 They were more interested in fulfilling the original deadline and looking good with the Party, than defending a position they knew Khrushchev was intrinsically against.<\/p>\n
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Submarine Controllers, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Submarine Controllers, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Despite an initially strong fixation on stealth and security, the base started falling into disrepair rather quickly.\u00a0 By the early 1980s. the Black Sea Fleet ships were slowly dying in repairs that dragged on for unthinkable periods of time.<\/p>\n
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Balaklava Submarine Ordinance, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Balaklava Submarine Base: \u00a0Today<\/h2>\n
The harbor became a junkyard of masts and antenna grids, locator dishes and conductor rods.\u00a0 Sailors strolled with local girls in open defiance of regulations.\u00a0 A midget submarine was rusting on the seafront, among shish kebab stands, barely hidden from view by a tarpaulin.<\/p>\n
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Balaklava Base, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The base shut down in 1995 and fell into a decade of neglect, first languishing between Russian and Ukrainian administration, and then suffering from lack of funds to remain open.\u00a0 The tunnels went dark and looters turned them into a dangerous maze of broken glass and exposed metal.\u00a0 At least three deaths were recorded due to falls through uncovered manholes.<\/p>\n
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Cossacks, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Soviet Submarine, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Today, thanks to the efforts of the City of Sevastopol\u2019s administration, the base is a bustling museum with guided tours. There are exhibition chambers to explore by foot, and even small boat tours through the canals.\u00a0 Future plans include further renovation of the tunnels, and possibly their adaptation into mushroom farms.<\/p>\n
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Soviet Submarine Cartoon, Jan Smith 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Balaklava’s Secret Submarine Base – Object\u00a0Object No. 825 GTS Of all the Cold War shelters built underground, Balaklava hosts the only publically known subterranean submarine base. It took nearly five years to build, and weathered continuous battles between Party and Navy. Built as a safe haven for the Soviet 155 Submarine Brigade, it served as … <\/p>\n
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