An inconspicuous little hamsa fish for Novorossiys is not just an inhabitant of the Black Sea, but a real symbol of the city, and most importantly a savior from starvation, truly the second bread. Every year during the fishing season in Novorossiysk, like mushrooms after the rain, booth tents appear selling salted fish and never suffer losses. But, unfortunately, the younger generation, growing in the atmosphere of the popularization of chess-like rolls, is not so familiar with the fact that it was the plain hamsa that saved tens of thousands of lives during the famine times of both the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War.
The civil war passed with a bloody ax throughout Russia. Hunger is a favorite ally of such tragedies. Desperate, the new government in Novorossiysk turned its gaze to the sea. After all, there was no reason to expect a quick and sufficient supply of food from the continental Kuban, many of whose villages were simply burned down, sufficient for the life of the city. And in the rocky soils of the Black Sea, it is easier to grow grapes than potatoes in sufficient quantities. And you will not be full of grapes.
Before the Civil War, the catch of anchovy was tens of thousands of poods, which means it was time to return to the sea. In 1920, the thinning fishing fleet did not even reach 10 thousand, but even this modest catch saved lives. By 1940, the annual catch of the Black Sea anchovy finally approached 20 thousand poods.
And then the war broke out again, this time, the Great Patriotic War. As you know, wartime forced fishermen to give up their craft and take up arms. The same was true for fishing vessels. Almost the entire peaceful fleet stood under arms, from fairly modern trawlers to old slow-moving scows. For example, the Mackerel, which went down in history, armed with a Katyusha RS installation, is famous for wiping an artillery battery off the face of the earth at Cape Love in the occupied part of Novorossiysk. Moreover, the "Mackerel" itself was a simple wooden schooner.
Thus, the remaining ships in the ranks were ancient and unsafe to operate. As if the fact that the Black Sea became mortally dangerous due to German submarines, snell boats, aircraft and mines was not enough. But the Black Sea coast was almost cut off from the entire country, so fish at any cost was needed to supply the civilian population and the army with food. She became a hamsa, and sometimes dolphins, which is really quite sad.
And immediately after the liberation of Novorossiysk, a completely devastated city, in 1943 the Black Sea fishermen managed to overfulfill the catch plan by 4 times! In the desperate hours of the approaching famine, even camouflage nets were used for fishing. However, already in 1944 the hamsa catch approached 25 thousand centners. This was partly a consequence of the decreased activity of the fishing fleet during the fighting.
And finally, in Novorossiysk, on the embankment of Admiral Serebryakov, a monument to this wonderful fish was unveiled. The very idea of perpetuating the gratitude of the Novorossiys to the Black Sea hamsa has been hovering for a long time. For the first time, the townspeople who survived the war, who were rebuilding the city, spoke about this. Their table was unthinkable without hamsa, and since the feeling of gratitude was then incomparably more valuable than it is now, the townspeople and veterans have repeatedly proposed to create a monument to the fish.
But the city authorities, who are more concerned with how they look in the eyes of their superiors from the regional capital and from Moscow, could not understand why a monument to some fish in the city of military glory of Malaya Zemlya is needed. And most importantly, they could not even imagine how they would explain to the high authorities the essence of the installation of such a monument. After all, these very bosses are unlikely to have experienced the post-war famine of the seaside city, and they are also unlikely to be able to realize that this is a part of the city's history. And some townspeople, especially older ones, generally believe that the fish made its own kind of contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The monument looks like a flock of silvery fish, driven by a pair of large ruffs, as it seemed to the author. The whole composition is set on a pedestal that looks a bit like a wave. However, not without a fly in the ointment.
First, the monument contains many small details. This attracted some citizens from the genetically hopeless subspecies, who, with the help of wire cutters, began to disassemble small metal fish for souvenirs.
Secondly, the organizational issue and the very announcement of the opening were resolved somewhat mediocre. Messages about the opening of the monument alternated with messages about the postponement of the date due to the unavailability of either the pedestal or the site itself.
Thirdly, unfortunately, the fruits of modern education have sprouted, and there were still their own homegrown critics who do not understand that this monument is a material reminder of the history of war and peace. That this is not a funny attraction, but a tangible story, so that the next generation does not suddenly freeze that the city was saved by a fast delivery restaurant for rolls and pizza. And in case of a delay during the bombing, the order is free … Considering the trend, there is such a danger. To the same grumblers who will say why not erect a monument to heroic fishermen who showed miracles of maritime craft in those conditions, I note that there is such a monument in Novorossiysk - on the Cape of Love, erected back in the USSR.
And, fourthly, it would be even more pleasant if city officials paid more attention (and what is there more, at least some) to all the monuments of the city, and not episodically. The last time they distinguished themselves by the fact that they simply wanted to demolish the monument to the Red Army soldiers built by the sculptor Alexander Kamper at their own expense on one of the slopes of Mount Koldun. But more on that next time.
