November 7, 1941. On Red Square there is a parade of Soviet troops, to which the attention of the whole world is riveted. At the same time, German troops break through the battles to Moscow and Leningrad.
And nowhere on this day, the global media did not pass a message that was found in a completely secret in the Soviet years "Chronicle of the Great Patriotic War in the Black Sea Theater." This document states that in the same moments that the parade was walking on Red Square in Moscow, near Yalta, as a result of German air attack,
sound civil steamer "Armenia".
About 7,000 people died on board.
About one of the largest and tragic catastrophes on the sea, we still do not know anything today! This catastrophe took 4 times more human lives than the tragic death of Titanic.
"Seekers" conducted their own investigation to answer the questions: under what circumstances this tragedy occurred, and why the Soviet government had been hidden than all the years of their existence the fact of the catastrophe and its scale. To do this, we will go to the Crimea and study all the circumstances of the tragedy.
And dying ... those who have not forgotten.
The ship "Armenia" was in the six of the best passenger ships of the Black Sea. These beautiful high-speed boats in the people were called "Rysakov". They served the Odessa line - Batumi - Odessa and regularly transported thousands of passengers until 1941.
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The motor ship "Armenia" |
|
|---|---|
| Flag | |
| Class and type of vessel | passenger-cargo motor ship |
| Commissioned | |
| Removed from the fleet | (Skill) |
| Status | Skoplen |
| Main characteristics | |
| 5770 tons | |
| Length | 107.7 M. |
| Width | 15.5 M. |
| Board height | 7.84 M. |
| 5.95 m. | |
| 2 x 1472. | |
| Movement | VFS |
| 96 people | |
| Passengerism | 950 people |
| Register tonnage | 4727 tons |
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War "Armenia" urgently converted into a sanitary and transport vessel. Luxury salons and restaurants were turned into operational and dressings. On the sides and deck of bright red paint, huge crosses were applied, and the flag of the International Red Cross was raised on the mast.
The Red Army in stubborn and bloody battles defended Odessa, and the main front was eastwarded to the Crimea. The wounded was very much. In the day and night, in any weather on board "Armenia" there was a struggle for the life and health of our soldiers and officers. Captain Playashevsky managed to make fifteen incredibly heavy and dangerous flights from Odessa to the ports of the Caucasian coast, evacuating about 16 thousand wounded and civilians.
The onset of the 2nd Army of Manstein on the Crimea was rapidly. Under the powerful blows of the superior enemy forces on October 26-27, Soviet troops began a random deposit from perk. Only on the approaches to Sevastopol suffered large losses of the part of the Red Army were able to organize defense and to have serious resistance to the enemy. Two days later, on October 29, a siege situation was introduced in the city.
On the morning of November 6, landing on the ship "Armenia" began in Sevastopol. She passed spontaneously, and no one knew even the number of people taken aboard. On November 5, all the Fleet medical organizations were ordered to evacuate, although there was still heavy and bloody defense of the city ahead. Several naval hospitals together with wounded, medical staff and equipment fell to "Armenia".
Suddenly, a message came to the headquarters that a large group of senior workers and partation was gathered in Yalta, which it was necessary to evacuate. In Sevastopol there were enough small ships, which could well do this task, but decided to send "Armenia", although there was no need to risk such a valuable ship. To fulfill this task, the vessel was ordered to reach the sea at 17 o'clock, i.e. Two hours before the onset of darkness. The exit from Sevastopol in a bright time has already been associated with a big risk, since the motor ship could completely sink still at the transition to Yalta.
Immediately after the exit from Sevastopol, a new order was followed - to go to Balaklava. There, several boats approached Armenia, and the NKVD employees immersed wooden boxes. On the eve, on November 6, Stalin signed an order of urgent evacuation from the Crimea of \u200b\u200bthe most valuable property. In this regard, it is assumed that the boxes were gold and values \u200b\u200bfrom the Crimean museums. After that, the motor ship again took the course on Yalta and came there only about 2 hours at night. The loading of evacuated, wounded and staff of hospitals began. Thus, on one sanitary transport it turned out 23 Hospital - almost all the medical staff of the Black Sea Fleet.
The ship was accompanied by two guard boats and two fighters and-153 "Seagull". The weather spoiled, the storm began, the sky was covered with low ribbon cloud. At 11:55 minutes, the vessel was attacked by a single German torpedo-111 torpedo-111. The plane went on the side of the coast and with a distance of 600 m dropped two torpedoes. One of them fell into the nasal part of the ship. After 4 minutes "Armenia" sank. According to official data, about 5 thousand people died. Eyewitnesses argue that the passenger vessel was one and a half or two times more, since people stood with a solid mass from the lower premises to the captain's bridge. Boats saved only 8 people. According to Ukrainian scientists, another 3 people got into the shore.
The ship was accompanied by two guard boats and two fighters and-153 "Seagull". The weather spoiled, the storm began, the sky was covered with low ribbon cloud. At 11:55 minutes, the vessel was attacked by a single German torpedo-111 torpedo-111. The plane went on the side of the coast and with a distance of 600 m dropped two torpedoes. One of them fell into the nasal part of the ship. After 4 minutes "Armenia" sank. According to official data, about 5 thousand people died. Eyewitnesses argue that the passenger vessel was one and a half or two times more, since people stood with a solid mass from the lower premises to the captain's bridge. Boats saved only 8 people. According to Ukrainian scientists, another 5 people woven to the shore.
It will probably be difficult for a person who did not hear about the death of the ocean liner "Titanic". This story, the articles and books have been devoted to this story in 1912, documentary and art films were removed, expeditions are organized to the lips of the vessel. Still - a grand sea disaster, more than 1500 dead. Everything is so, but in the marine history of mankind there are much more terrible examples.
One of the most terrible marine catastrophes (according to some data is the most terrible), it happened not somewhere in the North Atlantic, and we have on the Black Sea, with our ship and not so long ago. Do we know much about her? But it is in these autumn days, on November 7, 1941, the sanitary transport "Armenia" came out in the sea ...
This tragedy is paid to disproportionately little attention, no books, no films, no modest paragraph in school textbook. Even in the official reference book "Court of the Ministry of the Marine Fleet, who died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", with whom you can find here, there are miser lines:
"ARMENIA"
cargo.-Pass. T / X, 4727 BRT, NGMP (ChF). Captain - V. Ya. Playashevsky (died).
Date and place of death - 07.11.41, south of Yalta, 44 ° 17 "S.Sh., 34 ° 10" V.D.
She walked from Yalta in Tuapse with wounded and cargo; Skill with enemy aviation. The number of dead is not known. 8 people were saved. *
CVMA, f. 10, d. 9096, l. 45; d. 32780, l. 8; Museum of MF.
Do everyone remember a world-wide catastrophe with a steamer "Titanic"? Of course…. But why do we remember and know a lot of details about this shipwreck, and do not know about the more terrifying and global disasters that occurred on the waters of the World Ocean?
We have memory.
Museum of catastrophe on the waters, the Church-Lighthouse of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of the Mirlijsky
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In memory of this tragedy, every year on May 9, Yalta ports go to the sea at the place of the death of the ship "Armenia" to honor the memory of those killed in the tragedy and lay wreaths.
which claimed the lives of our compatriots among other victims of the monstrous on the scale of the Great Patriotic War.
Remember, Lord, the souls of the dead, forgive them all the lack of liberal and unwitting and give them the kingdom of heaven.
Olga Tonina.
The death of the ship "Armenia".
Technical data of the passenger ship "Armenia":
Length - 112.1 m;
Width - 15.5 m;
The height of the side is 7.7 m;
Displacement - 5770 tons;
Power installation - two diesel engines with a capacity of 4000 liters. from.;
Speed \u200b\u200b- 14.5 knots (about 27 km / h);
The number of passengers is up to 980 people;
Crew - 96 people; Official information about the death of the ship "Armenia" is as follows: "At 11 h. 25 m. (November 7, 1941) Tr" Armenia ", who went to the guards of two guard boats from Yalta in Tuapse with wounded and passengers, was attacked by the enemy's torpedoire. One of the two dropped torpedoes fell into the nasal part. ships and at 11 am 29 m. He sank insh \u003d 44 gr.15 min. 5c., D \u003d 34 gr.17 min.
Eight people saved, about 5,000 people died. "
There is also an exemplary diagram in accordance with the specified coordinates: 
In 2006, the institute of oceanography and oceanology under the leadership of Robert Ballard was connected to the work at the request of the Ukrainian side. Americans found in the estimated area of \u200b\u200bthe death of the vessel many interesting objects, but "Armenia" was never found. Robert Ballard is a famous personality in the world marine archeology, director of the Institute of Oceanography of Massachusetts, USA. The man found "Titanic", Bismarck battleship, Yorktown aircraft carrier. Having received information about "Armenia" suspended the search for Atlantis on the island of Santorin and goes to the Black Sea at its Endover Research Ship, equipped with modern hydrocators and tele-controlled robots. The expedition cost the American side of 2.5 million dollars. So, "Armenia" did not find. Did you have been looking for? What do we know? "
Onlyat 08:00 on November 7, 1941
The medical vessel could get out and take a course on Tuapse,..."
"
Onlyat 8 a.m
The motor ship stopped the loading and commander of Armenia, the captain of 3 rank V.Ya. Plavashevsky ordered to give mooring."
That is, the exit "Armenia" in the sea occurred at 08-00 on November 7, 1941 from Yalta. What's next? What do eyewitnesses say? http://militera.lib.ru/research/nepomniaschy_nn/01.html "
Let us turn to the testimony of the Katernik from the Marine Hunter MO-04 M.M. Yakovleva.
"
November 7,
about 10 am
,
in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Sarych
The German scout flew over us,but after a short time
above the water, on the cracking flight, almost touching the ridges of the waves (the weather was a storm, and we chatted thoroughly), two enemy torpedoes came to our area. One of them began to make a turn for a torpedo attack, and the second went towards Yalta.
We could not open the fire, since the roll of the boat reached 45 degrees. Torpedo stage dropped two torpedoes, but missed, and
they exploded in the coastal stones of Cape Ayia.
We were struck by the power of the explosion - we did not see the more powerful before, and almost all of them were told that if the second torpedo stage would get "Armenia", then it is not necessary ...So it turned out "
.
On the forum "TsUSYMA" gives a somewhat different quote memories M.M.Yakovlev (or its retelling?): Http://wap.tsushima4.borda.ru/?1-9-0-00000001-000-0-0 "
Further memories of the Katernik with MO-04 M. M. Yakovlev:"
November 7 at 10 am
On the way in Tuapse, the ship was attacked by two "Heinkel-111"
in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Sarych
. I could not lead the fire, the sea was very fresh, the roll reached 45 degrees. Sached on"
Armenia
"
On both sides: one HE-111 from the side of Yalta, and the other by the sea. The first torpedo room missed. The second - Paval
. For about four minutes, the ship went under water."
Only 8 people survived."
And in that and in another embodiment, the Cape Sarych appears. Cape Sarych is approximately 40 kilometers from Yalta - if you measure the distance on land, and about 50-55 kilometers, if you go by sea. Over two hours in full swing (2 hours x 27 km / h \u003d 54 km) "Armenia" could well reach Cara Sarych. Only here Carych cape, west of Yalta! And "Armenia had to go to the east - in Tuapse or Novorossiysk. Or should not? Following Cape Sarych, M.M. Yakovlev mentions Cape Ayia, who is still west of Yalta! It is about his stones who were exploded to the first torpedoes. On torpedo Type "non-111" Types of type "F 5W" Calibrom 450 mm. Their combat part included 170 kilograms of centuries. The distance of the course was 3000 meters. In order for such a torpedo to get into the stones at Cape Ayia, "Armenia" should To be between a torpedo dumping point and Cape Ayia. At the same time, the torpedo discharge point should not be further 3000 meters from the cape, otherwise Torpeda will sweat, without reaching him. That is, "Armenia" should be approximately 2500-2000 meters from Cape Ayia. 
What's next? If you believe quote from the forum "Tsushima", then the second torpedo room attacked almost immediately after the first or simultaneously with it. If this is so "Armenia" sank in the Laspi area. About 2-3 kilometers from the shore. 
And if not? The commander of the Black Sea Fleet AdmiralF.S.Oktyabsky: "When it became known to me that the transport was going to leave Yalta during the day, I myself personally handed the orders to the commander, in no case from Yalta not to go to 19.00, that is, to darkness. We did not have the means well to ensure the cover of transport from the air and the sea. Communication worked reliably, the commander ordered and, despite this,
he left Yalta at 08.00.
At 11.00, he was attacked by Torpedon's aircraft and surfacing. After hitting the torpedoes "Armenia" was afloat for four minutes
".
At 11-00, if you proceed from the fact that after 10-00 "Armenia" followed everything from Yalta with the same speed in 14 knots, it should have been in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Fiolent, or a few north-west. Well, finally, 11-25. At the same speed in 14 nodes, we get the place of the death of "Armenia" about in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Chersonese (north, west or south). Thus, we have three possible seats of the death of "Armenia". All of them are located west of Yalta and Cape Sarych. That is, absolutely not where Robert Ballard was looking for. Why did "Armenia" be on the way to Sevastopol, and not in Tuapse? Most likely, her captain received an order from the series "smoke into the pipe, dumplings to roll" - return the staff of Sevastopol hospitals back. Most likely, in the execution of the following directive: "
PTK bet directive N 004433 Commander of the troops of Crimea, the Black Sea Fleet on measures to strengthen the defense of the Crimea
Copy: People's Commissioner of the Navy.
November 7, 1941 02 h 00 min
In order to make the enemy's forces in the Crimea and its unaccepting him in the Caucasus through the Taman Peninsula, the Supreme Command Compact Bet orders:
1. The head of the ChF is considered the active defense of Sevastopol and the Kerch Peninsula by all means.
2. Sevastopol does not pass in any way and defend it with all their might.
3. Every three old cruisers and the old destroyers keep in Sevastopol. From this composition to form a maneuverable detachment for action at the Feodosian bay for the support of troops, occupying ak-monaist position.
4. Distribution of the Azov flotilla support the troops of ak-monaist position from the north.
5. Linkors, new cruisers Base in Novorossiysk, using for an operation against the shore, occupied by the enemy, and strengthen the detachment of old ships. The basing of the destroyers at your discretion.
6. The time for from the left-left areas to use to strengthen the air defense of Novorossiysk.
7. Organize and ensure transportation to Sevastopol and Kerch troops leaving for Yalta, Alushta and Sudak.
8. Sweepers, attack aircraft and part of the ICBR aircraft to leave in Sevastopol and Kerch, the rest of the aircraft from the SM airfields for night strikes on airfields, bases and troops of the enemy in the Crimea.
9. Evacuate from Sevastopol and Kerch to the Caucasus all valuable, but not necessary for defense.
10.The order of the defense of Sevastopol shall be entrusted with the commander of the ChF t. October with submission to you. Deputy Commander of ChF to have in Tuapse of Nashtaflot.
11.Is are in Kerch.
12. For the direct leadership of the Defense of the Kerch Peninsula, to appoint Lieutenant Batov General.
I. Stalin B. Shaposhnikov N. Kuznetsov "
There are no other logical explanations for the return of "Armenia. All sorts of versions about "gold in the ingots", "Employees of the NKVD" - for sierah and poor, who were unfolded by Haloperidol, or released from "House-2" for exemplary-idiotic behavior. Since "Armenia" did not reach Sevastopol - the order "healed". Or maybe in writing it was not. Quite often, oral orders are given, and in the case of the death of the verbal orders, the orders may not confess that there was such an orders. Especially if there are people who start persistently asking questions. Anyway, but also Laspi, and the fiolent, and the Cossack are the three famous Beach of Crimea - may be, in fact, the outskirts of the fraternal grave for several thousand people. However, the Cossack and the Fiolent are already such - this is if you remember the last days of the Defense of Sevastopol in July 1942. In this regard, much ethical, albeit less safe, in sanitation are city beaches located inside Sevastopol bay. But the theme of the beaches is not the topic of this article, it is just so it turns out that the place of the death of "Armenia" is most likely located near the coast. How to explain the small number of saved? Wind from the shore towards the sea and minefields, cold water (November 7) and great excitement on the sea ("... roll Boat reached 45 degrees ... "). How to explain the rapid time of the death of the ship - 4 minutes? Its structures. A large number of passenger cabins along the entire board of the ship, provides for the presence of long corridors along the entire ship. Taking into account excitement on the sea, as well as the fact that German torpedoes are often did not hold the depths and popped up onto the surface, the sample from the Torpeda could be at the level of or above the Waterlinia, which contributed not only to the flooding of the nasal holds, but the rapid spread of water throughout the ship. Overlap passengers several times higher than the norm created difficulties for the crew during Vitality. Do I need to continue to search for "Armenia" or the exact location of her death should still remain unknown? This is a matter of more politics than ethics. If we still want to turn into a ruminant cattle, eating popcorn and contemplating the next "superman" in tight Blue Triko - there is no point in looking for the deceased motor ship. If our story is important to us and we do her The press - "Armenia" should be found. Materials used:
Read the message of the distinguished blogger Adam dated July 01, 2018 "Epronovets 17" - "In the footsteps of the catastrophe" that 06.05.2018 was found and localized the death of the "Kambala" underwater boat, about the planned study of the place of her death with The help of underwater robots, and presentations of the book V. Boyko "Submarine" Kambala "
It is gratifying that, finally, found this submarine, tragically died at the night training attack the Squadron of the Black Sea Fleet, when the boat was on the course of the attacked ships of the squadron and was cut in half a linear ship "Rostislav", "... near Sevastopol, on the target of Inkerman Lighthouses ... ", As it is written on a marble board installed in St. Petersburg St. Petersburg Saint-Nikolsky Marine Cathedral.
In his article "On the Black Sea submarinations of the First World War, and how they led the Turkish Courts in Sevastopol in Sevastopol, posted on 08/27/2016, I told a little about the fate of this submarine, her crew, led photos of the monument set 29 May 1912 at the site of the burial of sailors on a quarantine cemetery in Sevastopol.
Then above their grave in the form of a monument, on the stone base set the genuine slaughter "Cambals", in which the image with a non-resident lamp chopped in front of him was hung.
Cambala cutting was crowned with a white marble maternity figure. During the war of 1941-1945, the monument was seriously injured, the marble figure of the grief was lost.
It should be noted that this monument is now the sole monument in Russia by the submariners of the Imperial Russian Fleet, except for the marble board in the St. Nicholas Cathedral. St. Petersburg.
I want to wish good luck to search engines "Cambals".
Today I want to raise the topic of the tragic death of the ship "Armenia".
In the entire history of navigation in the Black Sea, more than 50,000 different ships, vessels, other plaques, of which are more than 10,000 sailing vessels died in different estimates.
During the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945. The Black Sea Fleet lost 1151 units of warships and auxiliary ships.
The largest maritime tragedy on the Black Sea Fleet during the war years occurred on November 7, 1941. When the German torpedo stage "Heinkel-111" at 11 o'clock 29 minutes was Sanitary transportation-ship "Armenia", which only at eight in the morning on November 7 came out of Yalta in the security of only one guard boat SKA-041 (according to some data two boats) .
The ship "Armenia"
This was one of the largest nautical catastrophes not only of the Great Patriotic War, but also in maritime history in general, but according to the traditions of Soviet times, they grilled for many years.
On November 6, 1941, about 300 wounded, medical and economic personnel of the Sevastopol naval hospital, the 2nd Naval and Nikolaev basic hospitals, the 2nd naval and Nikolaev basic hospitals, health care №280, the Sanitary and Epidemiological Laboratory, 5- A medical and sanitary squad, were accepted on the motor ship part of the medical staff of the seaside and 51st armies, as well as the evacuated residents of Sevastopol.
(After the death of Armenia, the Black Sea Fleet remained without medical support, had to create a new hospital, basic lzarets, etc.
At the end of December 1941. The beginning of January 1942 it was decided to restore the former organization of the medical service. Two maritime hospitals were again transferred to Sevastopol, the surgeon group and the reconstruction of the Sevastopol defensive area continued until May 1942.
Why was the whole medical staff of the fleet from Sevastopol, the defense of which was just started - this is a separate question to the commander of the ChF.
Sevastopol heroically defended even eight months).
At 19.00 on November 6, the ship "Armenia" came out of Sevastopol in Tuapse. On the way, the team came to go to Balaklava and pick up the wounded and medical staff there. Then the ship went to Yalta, where the wounded, Soviet and party asteris, a large Yalta, the civilian population of the city took on board.
In Yalta, several dozen boxes were also immersed on the ship. There is an assumption that in some of them were values \u200b\u200bfrom the Crimean museums, in particular, part of the exhibits of the mobile exhibition from the Russian State Museum, which the war found in Alupka.
I decided to check this assumption, and in 2015 I turned to the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg, received an official answer:
"... The State Russian Museum sent in 1941 by Alupkin's Palace - the Museum of the Mobile Exhibition" The main stages of the development of Russian painting XVIII- XIXV. " By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the exhibition was not exported from Alupka ....
Subsequently, it was found that part of the works was cleared, part returned from Germany and returned to the Russian Museum Museum.
Fully all the works of the exhibition in the Russian Museum never returned. "
As you can see, the assumption turned out to be true, the exhibition was and quite part of it could be evacuated on "Armenia".
In total, on board "Armenia" was, according to different estimates, there were from 4500 to 7,000 people. Even 8 people saved!
Admiral F.S.oktyabrsky recalled:
"When it became known to me that the transport was going to leave Yalta during the day, I myself personally handed the orders to the commander, in no case from Yalta not to go to 19.00, that is, to darkness. We did not have the means well to ensure the cover of transport from the air and the sea. The connection worked reliably, the commander of the orders received and, despite this, left Yalta at 08.00.
At 11.00, he was attacked by Torpedon's aircraft and surfacing. After hitting the torpedoes "Armenia" was afloat for four minutes. "
Why Captain "Armenia" (Playashevsky) violated the order and went out and the sea early in the morning - another secret of the death of the ship.
But we take into account that the Yaltian port was completely defenseless to this time before aviation.
In Yalta, two destroyers "Boyky" and "impeccable" and "Armenia" were scratched to the commutes, it was forced to armaturely waiting for loading. The guns of the 17th Anti-Fiber Battery were downloaded for the destroyers and all the anti-aircraft guns, covered with Yalta.
Stayed in the port was equivalent to suicide. On the approaches to the port, German troops have already been (the first German parts entered Yalta in the evening of the same day.)
In addition, there are still a number of assumptions: the high ranks of the NKVD and party ranks, which were on board the ship in Yalta, were put on the captain, and even threatened with reprisals.
The death of "Armenia" has long been secret for seven seals, and the deaths on the death of the ship in the Central Naval Archive were destroyed in 1949.
It should be noted that during the period of the Crimea as part of Ukraine, attempts were made to find the ship "Armenia".
In these searches, in 2006, the American side led by Robert Ballard-Director of the Institute of Oceanography of Massachusetts, found "Titanic", Bismarck Linkor and Yorktown Aircraft carrier.
The American scientist concluded an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The research vessel "Endover" came, equipped with modern hydrocators and tele-controlled robots.
A huge area of \u200b\u200bthe sea was examined, about 20 miles, more than 400 objects were found, but it was not possible to detect the dried motor ship.
The coordinates are available in the Museum of the Black Sea Fleet, the place of the death of "Armenia" (44 ° 17 "SSH., 34 ° 10" VD) is apparently very approximate.
As a memory of this motor ship remained frames from the movie "Treasure of the Sunken Ship" 1935, in which he is removed.
In turn, during 2015-2016 I officially appealed to the Russian Geographical Society with a proposal for the organization in the framework of the project "Underwater Studies" of the search for the ship "Armenia".
I received kind answers that my offer was sent to the center of underwater research of the RGO for consideration and response.
But, no response from this center did not.
I understand that this is a very costly operation that requires relevant organizational and financial support. But I think that she is worth it.
After all, the catastrophe "Armenia" is the largest maritime tragedy during the war years, and in general in maritime history, which took about 7,000 human lives in various estimates
Why is it asked, Ukraine was able to find funds to organize and provide these searches in 2006, (unfortunately to no avail), and Russia cannot do this? !!!
I believe that this is our duty of the memory of the fallen, and we must find the place of the death of "Armenia" - this fraternal grave of several thousand people, and in order to perpetuate the memory to declare this place by marine military disposal.
I appeal to the editor of EproNovtsa with a convincing request, support this offer.
At the end of September 1941, the Nazi troops under the command of Erich von Manstein captured Perekop's experiencing and penetrated the roar of the Crimea. The capture of the peninsula was of great importance for Adolf Hitler - it would make it possible to deprive the Soviet army of aviation bases and would open the Germans unhindered access to the Caucasian oil fields. By the end of October, Nazi troops strengthened their positions on the peninsula and forced the Soviet army to retreat to Sevastopol - the main Black Sea base. In early November, the siege of the city began. The Soviet command decided to evacuate the peaceful population by the sea through the route Sevastopol - Tuapse.
Until 1941, walking and tourist "Crimean-Caucasian" boats went through the Black Sea. The first boats - "Abkhazia", \u200b\u200b"Georgia", "Ukraine", "Adjara", "Crimea" and "Armenia" - appeared in the mid-1920s. Some of them were built in Germany, and part - in Leningrad in the Baltic Shipbuilding Plant. After the start of the war "Crimeca", as they were called in the people, were redone to sanitary and transport ships and given to the medical service of the Black Sea Fleet. They were transported wounded, children, women and medical personnel. The ship "Armenia" was the largest among re-equipped boats. Its displacement was about 6 thousand tons, length - 112 meters, and the capacity is about a thousand passengers. Under the leadership of the experienced captain of Vladimir Playashevsky, during August-September, Armenia transported about 15 thousand wounded soldiers from Odessa to the Great Earth. In the first days of November, the troops of Manstein led the shelling of Sevastopol with sushi, air and water. There was a real threat to passing the city of the enemy. The leaders of the Defense of Sevastopol decided to evacuate the hospitals, Lazaruts and part of the civilian population in Tuapse on the Armenian ship.
Mysterious load in Balaclava
Evacuation began on November 6, according to the orders received from the highest command to the day earlier. Member of the Defense of Sevastopol, Colonel of Medical Service Alexander Vlasov recalled the first days of evacuation:
"Head of the Department of the main base on November 5 received orders ... Hospitals and Lazarols to minimize. About 300 wounded, medical and economic personnel of the Sevastopol naval hospital (the largest on the fleet) headed by the head physician of His, the militaryormarity of 1 rank S.M. Kagan. Here were the heads of departments (with medical staff), x-ray ... There were 2nd naval and Nikolaev basic hospitals, a sanitary warehouse No. 280, a sanitary-epidemiological laboratory, a 5th health squad, a hospital from Yalta Sanatorium . Partitioned part of the medical staff of the seaside and 51st armies, as well as the evacuated residents of Sevastopol, were accepted.
As soon as it became known that the ship was preparing for shipment in Tuapse, panic began in the city. Everyone wanted to escape, get out from under endless shelling, but a small capacity of the vessel did not allow to take on board all. According to various estimates, "Armenia" was from 4.5 thousand to 7 thousand people, which significantly exceeded the permissible number of passengers. Sevastopol - Tuapse route was assumed to be one planned stop in Yalta, but immediately after sailing, at 17:00, the captain of Armenia Vladimir Playashevsky received an order on the way to stay in Balaclava. There, the ship was waiting for the NKVD boat for loading secret boxes, in which, according to one of the versions, there were gold and values \u200b\u200bfrom the Crimean museums, in particular, the paintings of famous Russian artists.
"We never fell on" Armenia "."
On November 7, at 2 o'clock in the morning, Armenia arrived in Yalta. Nazi troops were constantly attacked by the city. E.S. Nikulin, a man who did not fall into the ship, recalled his arrival:
"From the evening, we have not known anything about the ship" Armenia ". At night, two hours, we were woken and told almost ranked in the middle of the street in the port. In the port stood a huge ship. The whole pier and they are filled with people. We joined this crowd. Planting on the ship went slowly; For two hours, I moved to the pier. Dava incredible! Loading went around two hours and to seven in the morning. The alternate mole stood the Fighters of the NKVD with rifles and passed only women with children. Sometimes broke through the cocoa of a man».
Together with the wounded, the staff of the Pioneerlage "Artek", the staff of the Main Hospital of the Black Sea Fleet on board were representatives of the party leadership of Crimea. In anticipation, while the authorities arrive at the landing site, the vessel stood in the port for several hours longer than scheduled time. Vera Chistova, who failed to get to "Armenia" on that day, recalled:
"Dad bought tickets, and my grandmother and I had to leave Yalta on the ship" Armenia ". On the night of November 6, it was full of people. Initially, they were driving wounded, then let civilian. Nobody checked tickets, and the crusher began on the trape. Bold climbed to the vessel on the guitans. In beette from the side they discarded the suitcases, things. For dawn loading finished. But we never fell on "Armenia". "
After everyone was on the crowded deck, the ship was ready to continue the way along the Sevastopol - Tuapse route. But Admiral Philip Oktyabrsky gave an order to go after 19:00, with the onset of darkness. In the daytime, the vessel could be subjected to air strikes. However, the captain of Armenia Playunezhevsky dared not to fulfill the order, as it perfectly understood that the port unprotected from the air was deadly. At any moment, the vermachlet pilots could hit. According to another version, the pressure on the captain on the part of the NKVD employees who are on board, could also cause earlier departure. Party leaders wanted to leave the peninsula rather, to escape themselves and not allow the Nazis to seize the secret gem. On November 7, at 8 am, accompanied by two armed boats and two fighters and 153 "Chaika" "Armenia" sailed from Yalta.
"Being a day hell"
In July 1941, the Vermickte's air force bombed hospitals in the Black Sea. Then the shelling was subjected to "Cottovsky" and "Anton Chekhov", and later, in August, the "Adjara" and "Kuban" sank as a result of air towers. In the hope of preventing possible attacks from air on board "Armenia", the distinguishing sign of the hospital ship was placed - a huge red cross. Ships, on which such a cross is depicted, according to the norms of international law, should not be attached to fire. But it did not stop the Nazis. To protect against possible raids on the deck "Armenia", four anti-aircraft guns "21-K" were placed, but they did not save it from death. Three and a half hours after the departure at 11:25 am, a few kilometers from Yalta, the vessel Nastig Nazi Torpedo-tore HEINKEL HE-111, who dropped two torpedoes from the height of 600 meters to Armenia. One fell into the water, and the second one landed right into the nasal part of the ship. A few minutes later the ship sank.
According to another version, the "Armenia" was bombed at once eight Nazi Junkers Ju 87. Of all those who were on board (we will remind, it is about 4.5-7 thousand people) to survive only eight. Among them was Anastasia Popov. Despite the terrible cold, she, pregnant, independently fell to the shore. Anastasia remembered the terrible minutes of the tragedy:
"On November 6, 1941, I decided to evacuate from Yalta on November 6, 1941. With great difficulty, I was taken aboard, because Armenia was and so crowded with wounded and refugees. Going to the sea, the ship was attacked by enemy aviation. Began the blood pressure. Explosions bombs, panic, cries of people - everything was mixed in indescribable nightmare. People rushed along the deck, not knowing where to hide from the fire. I jumped into the sea and floated to the shore, losing consciousness. As it turned out to be on the shore, I do not remember. "
"The number of dead - about 7,000 people"
On the day of the tragedy, on November 7, a parade in honor of the celebration of the 24th anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution was held in Moscow on Red Square. During the war, after her end, the fact of the tragedy was silent, therefore there was no reliable information about the place of the death of Armenia and the number of dead for a long time.
Peter Morgunov - one of the organizers of the Defense of Sevastopol - in the 1970s in his memoirs "Heroic Sevastopol" about the tragedy mentioned Casual:
« On November 6, Sanitary transport came out of Sevastopol - the ship "Armenia" with wounded fighters, employees of the main hospital and evacuated citizens. He went to Yalta, where he also took part of the esferopol evacuated from Simferopol, and in the morning of November 7 came the course to the Caucasus. At 11:55 minutes not far from Yalta, transport, although he had the distinctive signs of the sanitary vessel, was torpedoed by a fascist aircraft and sank four minutes later. Many residents, doctors and wounded died. "
At the end of the presented passage, there is a footnote on business No. 19, stored in the Central Naval Archive. Recently, historians have become known that in 1949 (according to other data — In 1947) it was classified and destroyed. Some information about the tragedy is contained in the third volume "The final report on the combat activities of the Black Sea Fleet during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", published in 1956. In the sketch, it was reported that on November 7, 1941, 7 thousand people were killed at Armenia, only eight people were saved.
Finally, in the book "Chronicle of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union on the Black Sea", published by the historical department of the People's Commissariat of the USSR NEF in 1946, but the deprived of the griffon "completely secretly" only in 1989, information about the time and coordinates of the vessel during the shelling . The only hook for future searches appeared in 1991. She was an extract from the document stored in the materials of the Museum of Medical Service of the Black Sea Fleet. It was about 7 thousand killed on the ship "Armenia", which was attacked from the air at the village of Gurzuf in the Medved Mountain area (Ayu Daga).
A special investigation dedicated to the search for the death of "Armenia" was held in the Soviet years Captain II rank, scholar secretary of the Military Scientific Society of Sevastopol Sergey Solovyov. He managed to familiarize himself with partially saved archival documents and with eyewitness testimony, among which was the testimony of the Katernik from the Marine Hunter "MO-04" M.M. Yakovlev, who accompanied the ship:
"On November 7, at about 10 o'clock in the morning, a German intelligence officer flew over us in the area of \u200b\u200bCara Sarych, and after a short time over the water on the shaking flight, almost touching the ridges of the waves (the weather was a storm and we bolted thoroughly), two enemy vehicles came to our area Torpedo. One of them began to take a turn for a torpedo attack, and the second went towards Yalta. We could not open the fire, since the roll of the boat reached 45 degrees. The torpedo-shop dropped two torpedoes, but missed, and they exploded in the coastal stones of Cape Ayia. We were struck by the power of the explosion - we did not see the more powerful before, and almost all of them were told that if the second torpedo stage would get "Armenia", then it is not necessary. "
It follows from this story that the Armenia vessel at the morning, on November 7, perhaps was on the way out of Yalta not in Tuapse, but back to Sevastopol, because Carasch and Ayia capes are west of Yalta, towards Sevastopol. Thus, written evidence made it possible to identify several alleged places of the death of the vessel, but somehow they are all located in the Yalta coast area.
"Perhaps in one of the expeditions we passed by" Armenia "
In 2005, a group of Ukrainian archaeologists under the leadership of Sergey Voronov began underwater research in the Yalta area in order to detect the sunken vessel. In 2006, the famous American researcher Robert Ballard, who in 1985 discovered Titanic, and in 1985 — chips of the German Linkar "Bismarck". Despite the presence of expensive equipment and technology, he failed to detect "Armenia".
According to media reports, the last attempt to search for the vessel was made at the end of July 2016 by the General Directorate of Deep-Sea Studies of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The search results are still not known.
For details on the search for Armenia, RT appealed to Viktor Vakhonevo - the head of the underwater archeology department of the Black Sea Center for underwater research. He himself was a member of the very first searches for the vessel, which was held since 2005 by the forces of Ukrainian, Russian and American specialists. In an interview with RT, Wahoneev noted that work was carried out at different depths:
"The main reason why the vessel did not manage to find in 2005-2006 - it took depths. The Black Sea bottom has a very mountainous relief. It is possible that in one of the expeditions we passed by "Armenia", but it is extremely difficult to identify among the underwater rocks. When scanning the bottom, the zones of shadows are formed, where the vessel can be theoretically. But because of the existing duft, the scan process is complicated. "
Viktor Vakhonev explained that the expeditions do not have accurate data on the location of the vessel. This is due to the fact that the case of the death of "Armenia" in 1947 was withdrawn from the archives and now it is under the vulture "Top Secret" is in the FSB archive. Specialist noted:
"We proceeded from time when" Armenia "came out of the port, having survived three hours before it was flooded. Then multiplied to the minimum, middle and maximum speed. Based on the data obtained, the radius was lost, where the ship could leave. The logical thing is that "Armenia" went toward Gurzuf (east of Yalta), Ayu Dag Mountains along the coast. But we also scanned the bottom not only in this area, but also in the central district of Yalta. "
Regarding the version that the ship was headed from Yalta back to Sevastopol, Wahoneev explained that it was filled with confusion. Katerik, indicating that he saw Armenia in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Sarych, confused him with another motor ship - Lenin. He blew up in this area on Mine in July 1941. According to Viktor Vakhoneva, Sarycha's water area is well studied and traces of Armenia there has not been detected.
According to one of the versions, the vessel may be under the layer of il. The source RT expressed doubt:
"It's impossible. The height of the ship was too big. It was a height that would exceed the vessel parameters, simply does not happen. The only difficulty preventing the search for the ship is a mountain relief. "
In conclusion, Viktor Vakhonev noted that the history of the death of "Armenia" is full of riddles. So, he expressed doubt about the evidence of Anastasia Popova, who managed to get to the shore in cold water.
It is still not known whether the Armenian wreckage has managed during the last 2016 searches. It remains to hope that one day the point will be put in this story.
Eduard Epstein
Do everyone remember a world-wide catastrophe with a steamer "Titanic"? Of course…. But why do we remember and know a lot of details about this shipwreck, and do not know about the more terrifying and global disasters that occurred on the waters of the World Ocean? But because films were not filmed about these misfortunes, many books were not written and because some of them are still under the vulture of secrecy.
The motor ship "Armenia"
Armenia…. This is not only a beautiful and friendly small country, not only a city in solar Columbia, but also the name of one of the boats built on the Baltic Plant in Leningrad in 1928. Along with this ship in the open sea also came the courts "Abkhazia", \u200b\u200b"Adjara" and "Ukraine". All boats were designed to transport passengers, goods and mail on the Crimean Caucasus line.
With the beginning of World War II, the countries involved in confrontation with Germany used all possible resources, and including passenger and commercial vessels. They were rebuilt into sanitary vehicles, for the transportation of wounded. During the war years, the top of the ships of the Baltic Shipbuilding Plant was surfed, but the biggest secret hides the loss in himself the ship "Armenia".
In 1941, the ship was commanded by an experienced 39-year-old captain Vladimir Yakovlevich Playashevsky. It was he who received an order from the command of the Black Sea Fleet to save the Military Hospital and residents of Sevastopol. For a complete idea of \u200b\u200bthe motor ship, it is worth writing about the facts that played an important role in the fate of the ship. The ship could take on board 950 people plus the crew of 96 people, but took on board 4.5-7 thousand people, which many times exceeded his capabilities. Eyewitnesses that were in the port of Sevastopol, they say that every resident of the city rushed to the ship, everyone was afraid to remain, as the German troops were already near. We clarify that such overload threatened the motor ship with a very strong instability on the waves of the Black Sea, he could roll over with a small storm. The deck and ship holdings were filled with doctors and residents of the city. After loading people, the ship around 17:00 on November 6, 1941 came out of the port of Sevastopol and headed towards the Caucasus, in Tuapse.
But along the way the ship had two more stops. At one of them, in the port of Yalta, the ship should have evacuated political workers and several hundred civilians. But on the second to take on his board the staff of the NKVD and unknown wooden boxes. The second stop was not far from the shore of Balaclava, there the heat ship waited for a boat with cargo and employees of the NKVD. It was necessary to wait about three hours. What was in such valuable boxes, due to which thousands of people were subjected to every second danger, and remained unknown, we can only guess their contents.
There are several guessings that we were transported in wooden boxes. The first is the NKVD documents, which could not be left to the upcoming enemy. The second one in favor of which many facts say, these are paintings of famous Russian artists. At the distance of one and a half hours drive by car from Balaklava, there was Alushta, in which in the summer of the same year, there was an exhibition of paintings of outstanding Russian artists, such as Bryullov, Kramskaya, Repin, Levitan and many others.
Upon arrival in Yalta, the vessel took on his board a few hundred people. The ship, arriving at the port at 2:00 on November 7, received an order, wait for darkness and go out into the sea only at 19:00. But, taking responsibility, Captain Playashev brought the ship to the sea at 8 am on November 7. For such a violation of the order, the entire crew of the vessel could be shot, but a more tragic circumstance prevented.
The motor ship "Armenia" He had on board the distinctive signs of sanitary vehicles in the form of red crosses. But the vessel was additionally armed with four 45-mm cannons, which gave the opportunity to count the ship by a military object and attack it accordingly.
On November 7, 1941 at 8:00, Armenia came out of the port of Yalta and went directly in Tuapse, having several thousand passengers on his board, including a whole military hospital and NKVD staff with an unknown, but valuable cargo. And, presumably, at 11:55 minutes, an attack was made by the German heinkel non-111 aircraft. The vessel was affected by rebelled torpedoes. The heat of the ship took some few minutes, from which historians make conclusions that the damage to the torpedo hit was crushing and the vessel was most likely ripped into parts.
Memorial board in memory of Armenia
The bottom of the Black Sea, even at the moment, with modern technologies is very little surveyed. And the remains of the ship "Armenia" have not yet been found. And no one knows what was in these ill-fated boxes, which were one of the causes of the death of 4.5-7 thousand people, the death of the first-class Soviet doctors who could save hundreds of lives of soldiers. The death of the "Armenia" ship remained one of the most mysterious secrets of the beginning of World War II.
