Admiral Nakhimov sailing under her original name Berlin III in 1925

The Admiral Nakhimov, originally named Berlin III, was a ship that was shipwrecked on August 31, 1986 with high loss of life. Admiral Nakhimov sailing under her original name Berlin III in 1925. ... Admiral Nakhimov sailing under her original name Berlin III in 1925. ... A shipwreck is the remains of a ship after it has sunk or been beached as a result of a crisis at sea. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The ship

The Berlin III was built by Bremer Vulkan at Vegesack, Germany and was completed in March of 1925. The ship was 572 ft (174 m) long, had four decks and a volume of 15,286 gross tons. She originally operated the Bremen - Southampton - Cherbourg - New York City run for the North German Lloyd Line. Bremer Vulkan Marineschiffbau is a German shipbuilding company, specialized in naval ships. ... Vegesack is a district of Bremen, in the northern end of the city. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... A long ton (sometimes known as a gross ton or weight ton) is the name used in the US for the unit called the ton in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used (alongside the metric system) in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... Cherbourg is a city of Normandy, in northwestern France, in the Manche département, of which it is a sous_préfecture. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Hapag-Lloyd is a German transportation company comprising a cargo container shipping line and a cruise line. ...

On November 12, 1928, the Berlin rescued the passengers and crew of the liner Vestris, which sank off the coast of Virginia en route from New York City to Barbados. An estimated 113 people died in the sinking. November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ...

The Berlin was chartered by the Nazis in 1939 as a Strength Through Joy (Kraft durch Freude, KdF) workers' cruising ship and was used as a hospital ship later on in World War II. National Socialism redirects here. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Strength Through Joy (German:Kraft durch Freude (KdF)), was a large state-controlled leisure organization in Third Reich, a part of the German Labour Front (Deutsche Arbeiterfront (DAF)), the national German labour organization. ... USNS Comfort takes on supplies at Mayport, FL enroute to Gulf Coast. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian...

The Berlin was sunk by a mine off Świnoujście Bay, Poland (at that time Swinemünde in German Pomerania), on February 1, 1945. She was refloated and salvaged by the Soviets in 1949 and renamed Admiral Nakhimov. After her conversion, her size was increased to 17,053 gross tons. She entered passenger service for the Baltic Steamship Company in 1957. The ship was originally converted to carry prisoners to the far east of Russia. It lacked proper ventilation, which was the reason all 90 windows in the cabins were open during the accident. The bulkheads that would have prevented the ship from sinking were removed during the conversion. ÅšwinoujÅ›cie (pronounce: [,É•vinÉ”ujÉ•tÉ•È‹e], German Swinemünde) is a town in Pomerania, north-western Poland, situated on the islands of Uznam and Wolin with about 44,500 inhabitants (2004). ... Duchy of Pomerania ruled by the slavic dynasty of Griffits (Polish: Gryfici, German: Greiffen) was a semi-independent state in the 17th century. ... February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Salvage may refer to: Look up salvage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) Translation: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital (and largest city) Moscow Official languages None; Russian de facto Government Socialist Republic/Federation of Soviet Republics  - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev  - Last Premier Ivan Silayev... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bulkhead may refer to the following: Bulkhead (partition), a wall within the hull of a ship, vehicle or container Bulkhead (barrier) Bulkhead line See also: Flatcar Bulkhead Category: ...

The Admiral Nakhimov was named after Admiral Pavel Nakhimov, a Russian naval commander who was killed in the Crimean War in 1855. Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (June 23, 1802 - June 28, 1855) was one of the most famous admirals in Russian naval history, best remembered as the commander of naval and land forces during the Siege of Sevastopol (Sevastopol) in the Crimean War. ... Combatants United Kingdom France Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia Russian Empire Casualties 17,500 British 90,000 French 35,000 Turkish 2,050 Sardinian killed, wounded and died of disease 256,000 killed, wounded and died of disease The Crimean War lasted from 1854 until 1 April 1856 and was... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

During the peak summer travel season, the Admiral Nakhimov operated the Black Sea between Odessa and Batumi, a six-day round trip. She carried an average of 1,000 people per voyage. She was the flagship of the Black Sea passenger fleet for several years until more modern liners entered service. Map of the Black Sea. ... For other uses, see Odessa (disambiguation). ... A general view of Batumi Batumi (Georgian: , formerly Batum or Batoum) is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. ...

The sinking

The Admiral Nakhimov at port of Sochi in an undated photo

At 10:00 p.m. Moscow Time on August 31, 1986, the Admiral Nakhimov sailed from Novorossiysk en route to Sochi, its next stop. There were 888 passengers and 346 crew members aboard. Most of the passengers were Ukrainian, with others from Moldavia, the Baltic republics and Central Asia. The captain of the ship was Vadim Markov. Image File history File links The Admiral Nakhimov berthed at her port in Odessa in this undated photo. ... Image File history File links The Admiral Nakhimov berthed at her port in Odessa in this undated photo. ... Time zones of Europe: Light colours indicate countries not observing daylight saving Moscow Time (Russian: ) is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg, Russia. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Novorossiysk (Russian Новороссийск) is a city in southern Russia, one of the main Russian ports on the Black Sea, in Krasnodar Krai. ... Sochi Coat of Arms, adopted on 15 June 1967 Sochi (Russian: Со́чи) is the most popular Russian resort, situated in the Krasnodar Krai, near the Russian border with Abkhazia, Georgia. ... Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

Just minutes into the voyage, the ship's pilot noticed that the large bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev was on a collision course with the Admiral Nakhimov. The Pyotr Vasev was a Japanese-built, 18,604-ton freighter recently acquired by the Soviet Union, and was carrying a cargo of oats and barley. The pilot radioed a warning to the Pyotr Vasev, and the freighter responded, "Don't worry. We will pass clear of each other. We will take care of everything." Cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship that carries goods and materials from one port to another. ... Binomial name Avena sativa Carolus Linnaeus (1753) The Oat (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain, and the seeds of this plant. ... Binomial name Hordeum vulgare L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a major food and animal feed crop, a member of the grass family Poaceae. ...

Despite the message, Captain Viktor Tkachenko of the Pyotr Vasev did nothing to slow his ship or change course. Convinced that the freighter would pass without incident, Captain Markov of the Admiral Nakhimov retired to his cabin, leaving his second mate A.Chudnovskiy in charge. From 11.00 p.m. the second mate Chudnovskiy radioded several time "Pyotr Vasev" and asking about her course and her further actions. Same time Chudnovskiy changed a course of steamship 5 degrees portside, than 5 degrees portside more. At 11.10 p.m. Chundovskiy cried on VHF to the freighter "Immideately reverse full astern!". When it was clear that the freighter was headed directly for the ship, the Pyotr Vasev's engines were thrown in reverse. The Admiral Nakhimov turned hard to port, but it was too late.

At 11:12 p.m., the Admiral Nakhimov was struck by the Pyotr Vasev eight miles (15 km) from the port at Novorossiysk and two miles (4 km) from shore line, at 44°36′15″N, 37°52′35″E^[1]. While many passengers had gone to bed by this time, some were on deck listening and dancing to a jazz band. They could only watch helplessly as the freighter rammed into the starboard side of the ship at a speed of about 5 knots (9 km/h). The Admiral Nakhimov continued forward with the freighter's bow in its side, ripping a 900 square foot (84 m²) hole in the hull between the engine and boiler rooms. A jazz band (or jazz ensemble in western dialects of American English) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. ... A view of the Starboard side of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Ross Starboard is the nautical term that refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board the ship and facing the bow (front). ... A knot is a unit of speed, abbreviated kt or kn. ...

The Admiral Nakhimov immediately took on a list on her starboard side, and her lights went out upon impact. After a few seconds, the emergency diesel generator powered on, but the lights went out again two minutes later, plunging the sinking ship into darkness. People below decks found themselves lost in the dark and rapidly canting hallways. A small transportable diesel-generator A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electric energy. ...

There was no time to launch the lifeboats. Hundreds of people dived into the oily water, clinging to lifejackets, barrels and pieces of debris. Severn class lifeboat in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. ... A lifejacket is an article of protective clothing that is designed to keep the wearer floating above the surface of the water. ...

The Admiral Nakhimov sank in only seven minutes. Rescue ships began arriving just 10 minutes after the ship went down. The Pyotr Vasev was not badly damaged, and assisted in the rescue effort. Sixty-four rescue ships and 20 helicopters rushed to the scene, and 836 people were pulled from the water. Some people were so slick with fuel oil that they could not keep hold of the hands of their rescuers. Sailors had to jump into the water to save people. Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors, each having two or more rotor blades. ... Natural olive oil Synthetic motor oil Oil, in a general sense, is a chemical compound that is not miscible with water, and is in a liquid state at ambient temperatures. ...

Passengers and crew had had little time to escape, and 423 of the 1,234 on board perished. Sixty-four of those killed were crew members and 359 were passengers.

The investigation

The Soviet government formed a commission of inquiry to investigate the disaster. It was determined that both Captain Markov of the Admiral Nakhimov and Captain Tkachenko of the Pyotr Vasev had violated navigational safety rules. Despite repeated orders to let the Admiral Nakhimov pass, Tkachenko refused to slow his ship and only reported the accident 40 minutes after it occurred. Captain Markov was absent from the bridge. Captain Tkachenko was found guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The event was not reported in the news for five days. The survivors were only allowed to send telegrams saying "Alive and well in Novorossiisk." All mention of the wreck was censored until the September 5 when the newspaper Pravda published a grievance for the victims. In tort law, the right to sue and recover damages from another on the basis of negligence, as opposed to numerous other tort theories discussed elsewhere, is based upon proving that the defendant failed to use ordinary care, that is,that degree of care for the protection of the person...

The wreck of the Admiral Nakhimov lies on its starboard side in 150 feet (45 m) of water in Tsemes Bay off Novorossiysk.

Trivia

• The Pyotr Vasev was renamed and now sails under the Maltese flag.

See also

• List of ship and ferry disasters
• List of peacetime ship disasters by death toll
• List of ships with the name Admiral Nakhimov

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of wars and disasters by death toll. ... This is a list of wars and disasters by death toll. ... Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (June 23, 1802 - June 28, 1855) was one of the most famous admirals in Russian naval history, best remembered as the commander of naval and land forces during the Siege of Sevastopol (Sevastopol) in the Crimean War. ...

References

1. ^ Scheme of the collision

External link

• (Russian) A lot of information on the catastrophe