31 August 1986 year
At 11:15 p.m. local time, the passenger steamship Admiral Nakhimov sank 15 km from Novorossiysk and 4 km from the coast. Of the 1243 people on board, 423 died.
The steamship was built in 1925 in Germany, the first name was "Berlin"At first, it sailed across the Atlantic. Then, it cruised to Spitsbergen and the Mediterranean. During World War II, it was converted into a floating hospital. In 1945, it struck a mine and sank. In 1947, it was raised, repaired in East German shipyards, and renamed.
With 1957 "Admiral Nakhimov" It joined the Soviet passenger fleet. Its interior was compared to a palace. However, passengers complained of terribly stuffy cabins, as there was no ventilation. The air conditioning issue was resolved by the late 1960s. Furthermore, the ship was not maneuverable enough, and due to its deep draft, it could not accommodate passengers at berths in shallow ports; passengers were transported by boat.
August 31 1986 Nakhimov Arrived in Novorossiysk from Yalta at 2:00 PM. At 10:00 PM, having taken on passengers, it departed. The only vessel heading towards it from the Bosphorus was a dry cargo ship. Petr VasevThe passenger steamship "Vasev" was warned about leaving the bay and promised to give way. The captains agreed to pass on their starboard sides. But something went wrong.
The assistant captains of both the Nakhimov and the Vasev saw the dry cargo ship heading full speed toward the passenger ship. However, the captain of the Vasev Tkachenko Until the very end, he relied on the ARPA—the automated radar plotting system. Some believe the system was calculating the approach to a third vessel. And when the captain tore his eyes away from the monitor, it was too late.
The Vasev struck the Nakhimov's starboard side at an angle of 110°. The hole was 80 square meters in size. Eight minutes after the collision, the Admiral Nakhimov sank. Of the 423 dead, 65 remained underwater forever.
The ship still lies at a depth of 47 m. Tsemesskaya Bay. The area within a 500-meter radius of the flood site is considered the official burial site for the victims of the disaster.