Photos - Balaklava submarine base
Comtourist was on the Crimea in 2006 and we had heard of a secret submarine base in Balaklava, a seaside town close to Sevastopol. So we took a taxi from Sevastopol and headed for the town that was once one of the most secret locations of the Soviet Union. The base deep in the Balaklava mountains was used to repair and equip submarines of the Soviet Baltic Fleet. It is now open for visitors and has a small museum deep inside the complex.
A large curved water tunnel has its entrance and exit in different parts of the bay. Many other tunnels are used to transport munition and other supplies to the submarines and house the personnel. We joined a tour trough the base with a Russian speaking guide but most things were self explanative. There is also a museum inside the base with various navy weapons and pictures of the base while it was still used. The tour took approximately an hour and was a great experience. In the Balaklava are some big Ukrainian coast guard vessels based and there are also some Soviet era monuments around town. We did not have time to see the battlefields of the Crimean war or the Genoese fortress Cembalo on Mount Castron
Balaklava - Submarine base entrance
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Entrance of the Soviet secret submarine base in Balaklava
Balaklava - Submarine base gate
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Submarine base gate decorated with a compass and submarine
Balaklava - Submarine base gate
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Gate decorated with an anchor leading in the submarine base
Balaklava - Submarine base decoration
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Submarine decoration on an outside wall of the submarine base
Balaklava - Submarine base decoration
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Sign for the Soviet navy with submarine during world war II
Balaklava - Submarine base water tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Water tunnel where submarines entered the secret complex
Balaklava - Submarine base water tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Dark curved water tunnel inside the Balaklava submarine base
Balaklava - Submarine base water tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Submarine docking area inside the secret submarine base
Balaklava - Submarine base water tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Dry-dock area where submarines can be serviced and repaired
Balaklava - Submarine base water tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Exit of the underground water tunnel leading to the Balaklava Bay
Balaklava - Submarine base tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Concrete tunnel leading to the exit of the secret submarine base
Balaklava - Submarine base tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Entrance to a tunnel inside the Balaklava submarine base
Balaklava - Submarine base tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
A long tunnel fortified with concrete slabs inside the complex
Balaklava - Submarine base tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Tunnel with rails to transport munitions to the submarines
Balaklava - Submarine base tunnel
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Ukraine
Balaklava
22-Aug-2006
Steel doors to seal of the complex in case of a nuclear attack
Related articles
In 2006 Comtourist photographed the Russian Black Sea Fleet, based in a section of the Sevastopol harbour leased from the Ukraine
The B-413 Soviet Foxtrot class submarine in Kaliningrad is an well preserved museum ship with all its original equipment still in place
Baltiysk (former Pillau) is the home of the Russian Baltic fleet and is closed for tourist unless you have a special permit
The U-434 is a well preserved Soviet tango class diesel submarine converted into a museum in the harbour of Hamburg Germany
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