How the Baltic Sea turned into a cemetery of Russian submarines
As you know, the Soviet Union suffered the greatest human losses during the Great Patriotic War. In the Russian tradition, it is customary to visit memorial sites of the fallen Soviet soldiers every year. However, the fighting was not only on land, but also at sea. Sunken ships and submarines became the resting places of naval sailors, so visiting memory places is difficult.
During the war with Nazi Germany and its allies, the USSR lost more than a hundred submarines from enemy mines, bombs and artillery fire. Some submarines are reported missing, but, unfortunately, this is tantamount to her death. When communication with the submarine disappeared, and the deadlines for autonomous navigation expired, it was considered dead. At the same time, the relatives and friends of the crew members were deprived of a chance to find out where and under what circumstances they died. However, a few years ago, everything began to change when the action "Bow to the ships of the Great Victory" began. With the support of the Russian general, State Duma deputy Nikolai Kovalev, the Reconnaissance and Diving Team search group began its mission to search for sunken Soviet warships and submarines.
The search begins in the archive. With the assistance of the Research Institute of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, all available data on where the sunken ship can be located is collected. After that, the team enters the given square, scans the bottom with sonar and descends to what resembles the desired object. The reconnaissance and diving team first worked on the Black Sea, where the first ship discovered was a minesweeper of the USSR Navy “Chervony Cossack”. He sank, blown up on a German mine, when he evacuated wounded Soviet soldiers. Of the six hundred people, only 125 escaped. Subsequently, divers switched to searching for submarines in the Baltic Sea after a sunken Soviet submarine was discovered while laying the Nord Stream gas pipeline. According to archival data, 46 units of the Soviet submarine fleet died and went missing in the Baltic. To this day, the team found 13 sunken submarines. The project was given the name Immortal Division.
Underwater search engines found the dead U-317 submarine. She went to sea on June 2, 1942 and sent several enemy ships to the bottom. The last message from her was on July 10, when the ammunition was used up, and the boat headed for Kronstadt. However, the submarine never returned to the base. Divers report:
Search engines were also able to find the Sch-405 case torn by a mine explosion. All 39 members of her crew died, miraculously, Soviet patrol boats found the bodies of her commander and two sailors in the water. Most of the submarines were destroyed by enemy-installed underwater mines. So died now found submarines Sch-406, Sch-320 and M-95. Our submariners died a terrible death. Information about the submarines found is transmitted to the Ministry of Defense, where they are registered and assigned the status of military cemeteries. Divers fix memorial tablets on the skeletons; funeral services for the dead sailors are carried out:
In the framework of the movement "Bow to the ships of the Great Victory" a virtual memorial was created for the dead submariners:
Sunken submarines, turned into underwater cemeteries, thus become accessible to those who are ready to honor the memory of Soviet sailors. Eight submarines remain undetected. The search for them will continue.
During the war with Nazi Germany and its allies, the USSR lost more than a hundred submarines from enemy mines, bombs and artillery fire. Some submarines are reported missing, but, unfortunately, this is tantamount to her death. When communication with the submarine disappeared, and the deadlines for autonomous navigation expired, it was considered dead. At the same time, the relatives and friends of the crew members were deprived of a chance to find out where and under what circumstances they died. However, a few years ago, everything began to change when the action "Bow to the ships of the Great Victory" began. With the support of the Russian general, State Duma deputy Nikolai Kovalev, the Reconnaissance and Diving Team search group began its mission to search for sunken Soviet warships and submarines.
The search begins in the archive. With the assistance of the Research Institute of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, all available data on where the sunken ship can be located is collected. After that, the team enters the given square, scans the bottom with sonar and descends to what resembles the desired object. The reconnaissance and diving team first worked on the Black Sea, where the first ship discovered was a minesweeper of the USSR Navy “Chervony Cossack”. He sank, blown up on a German mine, when he evacuated wounded Soviet soldiers. Of the six hundred people, only 125 escaped. Subsequently, divers switched to searching for submarines in the Baltic Sea after a sunken Soviet submarine was discovered while laying the Nord Stream gas pipeline. According to archival data, 46 units of the Soviet submarine fleet died and went missing in the Baltic. To this day, the team found 13 sunken submarines. The project was given the name Immortal Division.
Underwater search engines found the dead U-317 submarine. She went to sea on June 2, 1942 and sent several enemy ships to the bottom. The last message from her was on July 10, when the ammunition was used up, and the boat headed for Kronstadt. However, the submarine never returned to the base. Divers report:
The skeleton of the boat was discovered at a depth of 78 meters between the islands of Gogland and Big Tyuters. Shch-317 was able to evade all attacks, but only in order to undermine on one of the last lines of German minefields on the way to the house - literally in direct line of sight of the Soviet base
Search engines were also able to find the Sch-405 case torn by a mine explosion. All 39 members of her crew died, miraculously, Soviet patrol boats found the bodies of her commander and two sailors in the water. Most of the submarines were destroyed by enemy-installed underwater mines. So died now found submarines Sch-406, Sch-320 and M-95. Our submariners died a terrible death. Information about the submarines found is transmitted to the Ministry of Defense, where they are registered and assigned the status of military cemeteries. Divers fix memorial tablets on the skeletons; funeral services for the dead sailors are carried out:
Priests serve a memorial service, remembering each sailor by name. A commemorative wreath and carnations descend into the water according to the number of victims, salute volleys sound
In the framework of the movement "Bow to the ships of the Great Victory" a virtual memorial was created for the dead submariners:
We make detailed external video recording of sunken objects. Then, based on these surveys, a detailed 3D image of the sunken ship is created, which can be viewed from different angles.
Sunken submarines, turned into underwater cemeteries, thus become accessible to those who are ready to honor the memory of Soviet sailors. Eight submarines remain undetected. The search for them will continue.
Information