Balaklava, submarine base: address, photo

Very close to Sevastopol (10 km) is the resort town of Balaklava. The secret submarine base is one of its popular attractions. Today, this previously classified object can be viewed by tourists.

Balaclava. Submarine base: history of creation

This secret object began to be built in 1957. In those years, the Cold War broke out between the Soviet Union and the United States. To preserve the confidentiality of the object it was decided to call the GTS (city telephone exchange) No. 825. According to experts, today none of the military facilities (declassified) has surpassed the size and power of the station in Balaklava.

During its construction, a huge tunnel was dug. One hundred twenty-five tons of soil were transported. For the sake of conspiracy, the breed was taken out at night, when a small southern city was sleeping. Barges unloaded it into the open sea. Initially, the task of building a secret facility was put before the military, but then, when the process of drilling the ground became more complicated, the government of the USSR turned to the metrostroites for help.

As a result, an underground channel with a depth of more than eight meters appeared. Its width in different sections was from eight to twelve meters. All the premises of the submarine base occupied a huge territory (5000 square meters). The area of the water area under which the facility is located is 3000 meters.

Underwater plant accommodated up to seven vessels. This figure impresses even the builders of military facilities in our days.

Description of the object

Many of our compatriots are familiar as a resort of Balaklava. The submarine base of submarines, which is here, as already mentioned, was classified. This is a huge structure, located deep in the bowels of the earth. It is able to protect its contents from an atomic explosion - for example, with the defeat of an atomic bomb, whose power can reach 100 kilotons. In this case, all boats, ammunition and experts working there will remain unscathed.

The great interest of technical specialists is still caused today by Balaklava. The submarine base is divided into several parts: a combined water channel under the ground, which always had a dry dock, a mine-torpedo section of the GTS, a warehouse for combustive-lubricating materials, workshops for the repair of underwater equipment.

Where is the base?

Underground submarine base in Balaklava is located in the eponymous bay, in a picturesque mountain called Tavros. It has two exits from the station, and an entrance to the canal has been created from the side of the bay. The staff called it adit.

In emergency cases, when a threat could hang over the object, the entrance was blocked by a special batoport. Its weight reaches one hundred and fifty tons. On the northern slope of the mountain built the exit of boats into the sea. It is also closed by a bat port. All the holes in Mount Tavros were skillfully hidden by fishing nets and other camouflage devices.

What was the strategic object for?

Few cities in the world have such an underwater structure as Balaklava. Photos of the submarine base can now be seen in many special technical publications. Many are interested in what this unique object was intended for. Once again, we recall that it was built during the Cold War, when the international situation was tense to the limit. The base was intended for maintenance and repair of military submarines of a certain class (633rd and 613th).

Ammunition and spare parts were kept on the territory of this facility. In the central tunnel there were seven boats of this type, and in an emergency all the galleries could accommodate up to fourteen submarines of various classes. But that's not all.

The designers provided for a special tunnel (in case of a nuclear threat) to dive submarines to the station under water. In addition, among all the stocks of the special facility, nuclear weapons were also stored.

Disadvantages of the project

We have already said that modern specialists are still interested in this structure. Sometimes they argue over whether the base was an ideal object, or whether it had flaws. And they come to the conclusion that the minuses, of course, were.

While the underwater station was under construction, new models were launched for the Black Sea Fleet - boats of the 625th project, which worked on diesel fuel. These ships could not fit in the created channels. It was extremely difficult to get to the territory of the underwater base during even a weak storm on the other side of the mountain. New boats could be marked in the GTS channels no more than three units.

Closing the base

Due to the fact that Balaklava (the base of submarines) was a secret object, the government decided in 1957 to join the city to Sevastopol. He lost his status, and a fairly large settlement actually "disappeared" from the map of the USSR. The balaclava was closed for access. In 1994, after perestroika, the last boat left the territory of the plant. In the following years, this huge and unique object was simply plundered.

The Museum

Today many tourists are interested in Balaklava (the base of submarines). The museum on the secret facility of the 825 GTS will make it possible for everyone to know many interesting facts about the tense times of the cold war between the USSR and the USA.

The museum complex in Balaklava was founded by the leadership of Ukraine in December 2002, it was opened for visits in 2003.

It consists of a part (600 meters) of a central tunnel, a nuclear weapons storage (empty), docks of submarines, and several auxiliary rooms.
The museum is located in the western part of the bay, which runs almost through the whole city.

The cave labyrinths of this object stretched for 600 meters to exit from the second hole, which is located on the opposite side of the mountain.
Part of the naval base, which belongs to the museum, is about 30% of the whole complex. Now this site is renovated and it maintains a constant temperature of +15 degrees.

The museum complex consists of curved tunnels and huge clipping doors that were designed to repulse a nuclear strike and a shock wave. If necessary, the base could hide not only its employees, but also residents of the city.

In the museum you can visit the hall devoted to the history of the navy and submarines, see models of sea-going ships, elements of submarines and many other interesting exhibits.

The 10th anniversary of the complex was celebrated in June 2013. The celebration was attended by veteran submariners, former employees of the secret facility, government officials, the Armed Forces, as well as students and students.

Interesting Facts

The ceiling and walls of the arsenal are covered with a very thick layer of concrete. Its thickness reaches several meters.

The weight of the concrete anti-atomic door, which covers the entrance to the tunnel, is twenty-four tons.

The Balaklava submarine base is by far the only underground harbor in the world. The boat entered the canal only at night, and in Balaklava at that time the lights were turned off.

When the boat entered the dock, water was drained from it. A large number of fish remained at the bottom. Workers collected and smoked it. There was a fragrant smoke, by which you could understand that the next ship was put up for repairs.

When the leadership of independent Ukraine, with the approval of foreign "friends", abolished the service of protecting the underground base, almost the entire huge stock of equipment was stolen. Today, excursionists walk through half-empty tunnels and with the help of imagination try to recreate the former situation.

Recovery

Nevertheless, the tourists are strongly impressed by Balaklava (the base of submarines). The Russian government is reviewing the restoration of this unique object. Such reports appeared in the media in March 2014.

Balaklava: the base of submarines. Address, excursions

The museum is located at: Tavricheskaya Embankment 22. It awaits visitors daily from 10 am to 5 pm (in the summer time until 19.00).

Every hour there are guided tours accompanied by a guide. Their duration is 1 hour.