Anti-Russian slogans "Russian fleet - get out!" suddenly gave way to frightened exclamations of "Get out the Russian fleet!" (Crimean joke 5 years ago).
On the night of March 6, 2014, a large anti-submarine ship Ochakov, previously excluded from the Black Sea Fleet in 2011, was sunk off the coast of Crimea. According to eyewitnesses, the operation was carried out late at night by the forces of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in order to blockade the Southern Naval Base of the Ukrainian Navy on Lake Donuzlav.
"Ochakov" in a semi-disassembled state was brought in tow and put between the North and South spits at the entrance to Lake Donuzlav (artificially turned into a bay). From the approaching fireboat of the Black Sea Fleet, the Ochakov's hull was filled with water to lose stability, then, according to unconfirmed reports, a charge of explosives was detonated on board the BOD - the ship fell abruptly on board and lay to the bottom. The depth at the sinking site is 9-11 meters, the starboard side of the ship is still visible above the water.
With a hull length of 173 meters, the flooded Ochakov firmly blocks the entrance and exit to Donuzlav Lake, where six warships of the Ukrainian Navy are currently based, incl. large landing ship "Kostyantin Olshansky" (U-402).
It is reported that, together with the "Ochakov" in the fairway at the entrance to Donuzlav, several more auxiliary vessels of the Russian Navy were sunk.
The Ukrainian side expressed extreme displeasure with the current situation. When the possibility of Crimea's transfer to the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation was not yet so obvious, the claims of the Ukrainians were reduced to the material damage caused: in the future, to eliminate the artificial "barricade" at the entrance to Donuzlav will require significant costs. The mass of the flooded steel structures of "Ochakov" exceeds 5000 tons - it is impossible to drag the BOD skeleton aside without the use of special equipment, while first it is necessary to divide the hull into several parts (as an option, destroy it by an explosion). This work may take many months, and even years, given that so far no one is even discussing the rise of Ochakov.
At the moment, when the problem of lifting sunken ships off the Crimean coast becomes purely Russian, the claims of the Ukrainian side are mainly related to negative consequences for the environment: fuel could remain in the tanks of the flooded BOD, the leakage of which could cause irreparable damage to the Crimean coast.
“On March 13 of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine notified the Russian side by a note that in the area of the southern spit of Lake Donuzlav, a white strip of unknown origin was moving towards the sea from the sinking site of the large anti-submarine ship Ochakov and the diving boat. The responsibility for the consequences lies with Russia."
No responsibility and no consequences of the flooding of the BOD are foreseen. The fears of Ukrainian ecologists have no reasonable basis. Yes, engine oil from Ochakov's mechanisms and, possibly, the last remnants of fuel are leaking into the sea. These substances cannot pose any threat to the coast of Crimea, due to the insignificance of their volumes. To understand this obvious truth, it is enough to recall Pearl Harbor, where five battleships and a dozen smaller ships sank in one day. Thousands of tons of fuel oil were poured into the water of Pearl Bay, but no environmental disaster happened in Hawaii.
Or another example - the well-known strait in the Solomon Islands with the self-explanatory name Iron Bottom (Iron Bottom), where at least 50 ships and ships sank in the course of many days of battles. Now this strait is a popular pilgrimage site for divers. It is reported that the skeletons of old ships are lost among the lush underwater flora and fauna inherent in those equatorial latitudes. No environmental disasters! The safety margin of nature turned out to be much higher than we could imagine.
Old ships lie at the bottom. Scraps of the Ukrainian Navy are locked at their berths. The Black Sea Fleet took all possible measures to ensure the bloodless annexation of Crimea to Russia.
But it would be too much to revel in the "great victory" over the Ukrainians and draw any serious conclusions from all this. Yes, our sailors clearly carried out an operation to prevent senseless bloodshed, blocking the Ukrainian fleet and thereby strengthening Russia's position off the coast of Crimea. But the very threat of an insane conflict between Russians and Ukrainians gives this whole story an eerie crimson tint. No fratricidal war between Russia and Ukraine!
It is equally foolish to draw any analogies with the tragic events of 1854-55, when Russian sailors had to sink their ships at the entrance to Sevastopol. The sailboats were powerless against the steam frigates of the British and French fleets - Admiral Nakhimov made the only correct decision to block the entrance to the Sevastopol Bay with their help, and include the crews of the ships in the garrison of the Sevastopol Fortress.
Unlike the morally obsolete tsarist fleet, the large anti-submarine ship Ochakov was a masterpiece of design thought in the 70s. The BOD made 9 military campaigns to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, having covered hundreds of thousands of nautical miles in 16 years of active service. The BOD took part in global exercises of the Navy, took on board hundreds of foreign delegations - a strict, majestic cruiser every time delighted diplomats and military attachés of foreign countries. BOD has visited many foreign ports - from near Varna to distant Havana. "Ochakov" three times (in 1977, 1979 and 1986) was awarded the title "The best ship of the Navy".
In 1991, the honored ship got up for repairs in Sevastopol, but, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the repair was unexpectedly delayed. In 1993, there was a serious fire on board the Ochakov. The ship was planned to return to service in 2004-2005, but this did not happen.
In 2008, "Ochakov" was removed from the territory of the Sevastopol Marine Plant and deposited in the Troitskaya Bay of Sevastopol. From that moment on, the fate of BOD was sealed: a solid age and an eternal lack of funding put an end to Ochakov's further career.
In August 2011, at the Ochakovo, in the presence of the command of the Black Sea Fleet and former members of the BOD crew, a ceremonial ritual of lowering the naval flag took place. At the end of the rally, the first commander of the Ochakov, Admiral Igor Kasatonov, lowered the Andreevsky flag and handed it over to the museum of the Black Sea Fleet for storage.
And, suddenly, an unexpected challenge! The already decommissioned ship had to "stand up" again to defend the interests of the Motherland - both literally and figuratively.
Upstairs, comrades, all are in their places! The last parade is coming …
The Magnificent Seven
The large anti-submarine ship "Ochakov" is the second representative of Project 1134B (code "Berkut-B" or simply "bukar"). It was named in honor of the events of 1788 - the heroic assault by Russian troops of the Turkish fortress Achi-Kale (Ochakov). Laid down in 1969, launched in 1971, accepted into the active composition of the USSR Navy in November 1973.
Seven BODs of Project 1134B became the pinnacle of the evolution of Soviet anti-submarine ships of the far sea zone: in fact, they were the most powerful missile cruisers with huge ammunition, gas turbine power plants and hypertrophied anti-submarine weapons. Their total displacement could reach 9000 tons, and their high seaworthiness and a significant supply of fuel allowed them to cross the Atlantic Ocean diagonally! In addition to high combat qualities, the Bukari were distinguished by high standards of habitability, providing the crew with a very high level of comfort in conditions of long-term service in any climatic zone.
BOD pr. 1134B received high marks not only from domestic sailors, but also from foreign experts. Thus, the Americans considered the "Bukari" to be the most successful and effective project of the Soviet PLO ship in the far sea zone. It is worth emphasizing the extremely high combat stability of these BODs - on board each, in addition to advanced anti-submarine weapons, four (!) Anti-aircraft missile systems were installed, which made the Bukari an invulnerable target for all air attack weapons of the 70s.
