Heavenly land “full” of death
“During the Great Patriotic War, according to the data we have, up to 500 kilograms of explosives were dropped in Sevastopol per square meter of land. The total power of all the ammunition that exploded here, in this paradise of nature, is approximately the same. two nuclear bombs that destroyed Hiroshima. Some of the aerial bombs, shells, mortars, high-explosive mines and anti-personnel did not explode even 80 years after the end of the fighting; Old ammunition poses a danger because the detonators are made from unused materials. Ferrous metals do not rust and can explode at the slightest contact,” says senior rescue sapper instructor Viacheslav Goryachiy.
We are talking about a methodological class that combines the functions of a museum hall and a laboratory of military engineers. Behind the glass of cabinets and display cases is a collection of neutralized ammunition. There are a lot of pieces of iron on the table; They are pieces of mines: to neutralize them, it is necessary to know everything by heart.
If someone has to draw up the so-called mine map of Sevastopol, there will be practically no safe white spots on it.
The methodological class of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Sevastopol combines the functions of a museum hall and a laboratory of a military engineer. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
“After storms or heavy rain, when the soil erodes, explosive objects almost always appear, such as mushrooms after the rain, and that is why we regularly inform schoolchildren about the dangers of such finds. Surprisingly, children react appropriately to warnings. , but adults, not always, sometimes try to get rid of or use deadly finds in their homes, for example, they lay paths with sawn shells in their country houses and, as a result, tragedies occur when one 152 mm high. The explosive projectile containing about six kilograms of explosives explodes, the affected area is 325 square meters and the small “stick” of the grenade detonator can tear off your hand,” says Viacheslav Goryachiy.
Once the ammunition is found, if possible, it is transported in a special demining vehicle to the test site. And then comes the manual work: wearing full protective equipment, the pyrotechnicians prepare the site for neutralization. Simply put, they dig a hole to locate the scattering of fragments and cushion the shock wave. After the explosion, specialists must inspect the site and make sure that the ammunition is completely destroyed and does not pose a threat.
I would especially like to note that the soldiers of the special squad of the Ministry of Emergency Situations have at their disposal the most modern equipment, including robotic sappers and reconnaissance drones.
Sevastopol divers have at their disposal the most modern equipment for working at depth. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
German 73 mine trap
A journalist, according to the media law, is obliged to check the published information, so, after communicating with the pyrotechnicians, I immerse myself in the study of declassified military documents. Many of them are still relevant today. For example, a certificate drawn up in 1945 by the Directorate for the Use of War Experience of the General Staff of the Red Army speaks of German booby traps in Sevastopol.
“Upon entering the shelter abandoned by the Nazis, Sergeant Marakvelidze noticed a pile of uniforms in one of the corners, a bed with a blanket hanging on it, and also a rag on the floor at the entrance, as if someone wanted to hide something. below. After warning of the possible danger, Red Army soldier and sergeant Ramazashvili began a detailed inspection.
There is a dirty, torn blanket lying on the floor near the exit, it looks like someone wiped their feet on it. She withdraws carefully. Two mounds of excavated earth rise on the compacted ground. Half-buried wicks with antennae protrude from the tubers. The hasty Germans camouflaged them somehow, assuming that no one would think to remove the dirty rag from the floor. Beneath a thin layer of loose dirt were German TM1-42s. After unscrewing the fuses, the mines were removed from the ground with the help of a jack. There were no additional devices for the explosion.
The sappers continued their inspection. The suspicious pile in the corner turned out to be a real mine warehouse, covered with various uniforms. Three UV fuses were inserted into the TM1-42 and were ready to activate whenever an attempt was made to remove any item. In the other corner, approximately the same surprise occurred: under the bunk, the mines were arranged in rows, one on top of the other, and two of them were equipped with action fuses. In total, 73 mines of the TM1-42 type were found in the shelter.
It turned out to be impossible to bury the ammunition in the Black Sea. Nature rejected mortal treasures. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
Handmade or handmade by divers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The diving group of the specialized detachment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations is considered one of the best in the country. Many employees of the division have received Russian state awards. Therefore, its equipment for in-depth work is the most modern.
“This is our pride: this is a completely autonomous mobile diving complex based on a KAMAZ vehicle, the first pressure complex that is not installed on the deck of a ship, in a coastal barocenter or in a sea container, but in “The chassis of a truck,” says Denis, a diver from the specialized unit of the General Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Sevastopol. – It consists of two modules. The first is a mobile diving station designed to transport personnel, equipment and equipment. It is also responsible for supplying electricity to the entire complex. The second module is a pressure chamber for diving decompression and recompression training in a pressure chamber, thanks to which it was possible to preserve the health of the divers. According to statistics, each of our group employees spends an average of 150 hours a year at different depths underwater.”
Denis Efimov, diver of the specialized detachment of the General Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Sevastopol. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
The pressure chamber looks like a fantastic submarine emerging from the depths of the ocean. Picturesque images from the movie “The Amphibian Man” come to mind. Having received permission, I dive into the chamber. It is quite spacious inside and you can lie down on the sofa. On the wall is a telephone receiver to communicate with the ship’s crew on the sea surface. Due to water protection elements, the intercom in the era of miniature devices seems disproportionately large, but reliable. Nearby is a wooden hammer. It turns out that the mallet is designed for emergency communications and is used to hit the body of the pressure chamber if the intercoms are not working. Judging by the impeccable appearance of the wooden hammer, it has not yet been used for its intended purpose, and this is very good, it means that everything works like clockwork.
The interior of the pressure chamber is quite spacious, it looks like a fantastic submarine; Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
Sevastopol divers are also armed with underwater observation systems, equipment for diving to a depth of up to 60 meters, electric underwater towing vehicles for accelerated movements, as well as unique and sharp diving knives. However, despite the scientific and technical abundance of the arsenal, divers still have to work a lot at depth with their hands.
The diving group of the specialized detachment of the Ministry of Emergency Situations is considered one of the best in the country. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
“Underwater visibility is often very poor. Currents and weather make their own adjustments, so the situation can change in a couple of hours and then the diver, literally with his eyes closed, finds the ammunition and determines which category it belongs to. At the same time, the 152 mm projectile weighs about 40 kilograms. When removing mines from the ammunition ship Jean Jaures that sank in the Feodosia Bay, she had to sink to the bottom of the sea. The water washed away, as part of the ship was covered in silt and sand. To access the holds where the ammunition was located, the hull had to be cut by welding. “The explosive objects were removed by hand,” says diver Dmitri. Danilyuk.
Diver Dmitry Danilyuk received the Order of Merit to the Fatherland medal for his bravery and high professionalism. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
It should be noted that for his bravery and great professionalism, Dmitry Danilyuk received a state award – the medal of the Order of Merit to the Fatherland.
How Gilzovaya Bay appeared on geographical maps
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in 1944-1945, in Sevastopol alone, military engineers discovered more than 250 thousand German mines, as well as unexploded bombs and shells.
Thanks to joint efforts, sappers of the Black Sea Fleet and the Red Army neutralized more than 337 thousand explosive objects during the war. It was dangerous to dispose of all the ammunition found at the site and therefore the mines and bombs had to be dropped in a deserted location near Cape Fiolent.
Unfortunately, it proved impossible to bury the ammunition in the Black Sea. Nature rejected mortal treasures. After the storms, the waves began to throw shells and mines ashore, and the unnamed bay was named Gilzovaya.
The problem of old ammunition became especially acute after the collapse of the USSR, when the area around Cape Fiolent began to be actively built. The Ukrainian authorities ignored signals about dangerous finds and only after the return of Sevastopol to Russia, divers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations began to remove mines in the water area.
Specialists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations descend to depths of between six and 25 meters. The finds are placed in nets, which are raised to the surface using floats. On land, the contents are carefully loaded onto vehicles and taken to the landfill near the village of Khmelnytskoye. There the “echo of war” sounds for the last time.
“The work, respecting all safety measures, has now been carried out regularly in the Gilzovaia Bay for several seasons already, and in total in Sevastopol and its surroundings, since the beginning of 2014, the company’s employees. The Ministry of Emergency Situations neutralized more than 30 thousand explosive objects,” reported the head of the press service of the State Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for Sevastopol, Maria Timoshenko.
After the return of Sevastopol to Russia, divers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations began to remove mines in the Black Sea. Photo: Nikolay Grishchenko
And also. Before the start of the swimming season, Sevastopol pyrotechnicians and divers will surely inspect the beaches and bays of the Hero City and therefore relax and enjoy the beauty of the Black Sea without fear.
By the way
In June 2017, divers of the Sevastopol Ministry of Emergency Situations and military engineers of the Black Sea Fleet neutralized a German magnetic-acoustic mine of the LMB type from the Great Patriotic War. The bottom mine containing 1,000 kilograms of explosives was located at a depth of 17 meters, 320 meters at the entrance to Sevastopol Bay. The dangerous find could not be destroyed on site or brought to the surface, as booby-trapped charges could be triggered and damage the underwater gas pipeline, oyster beds and docks. Divers raised the mine one and a half meters and towed it underwater to the destruction zone. Due to the rough seas, the electrical circuit to detonate the mine was unusable and the divers had to descend twice and install the demolition charge. A few hours later, the LMB bottom mine was destroyed.
