The Ukrainian Navy and the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation signed the protocol on transferring guns from the Shch-216 submarine to the Black Sea Undersea Research Center at the Torpedo Squadron Berth of the port of Sevastopol on September 28. Both forces’ commanders affixed their signatures to the document.
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Navy Admiral Yurii Iliin said: “Our ancestors were fighting a bloody battle to liberate the fatherland from the Nazis 70 years ago. Our heroic fathers and grandfathers were bringing the great victory closer daily. They readily sacrificed their lives while performing their heroic deeds. We have had the honor of discovering the truth about just such a heroic deed, but one of the thousands performed by the Black Sea Fleet’s submarine force. For nearly seven decades, the Black Sea kept secret last minutes of the 47 submariners’ heroic lives, and they were considered missing in action. However, the submarine was discovered by specialists of the Black Sea Undersea Research Center off Cape Tarkhankut this summer. Today, the Ukrainian and Russian sailors are transferring the sunk submarine’s bow and stern guns, raised from a 50-meter deep, to the Black Sea Undersea Research Center to be restored. The restored parts will be put on display in Ukrainian museums, thus perpetuating the memory of the fallen submariners.”
According to the admiral, scientists are now working on a feasibility study of the submarine’s raising, based on the data that the rescue divers have provided to them. In his view, raising of the boat as it is now would be an extremely dangerous undertaking.
Chairman of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea’s Committee on Protection of Cultural Heritage Larysa Opanasiuk believes that Ukraine has too few monuments to heroic submariners, and is sure that “together, we will do everything we can to perpetuate their memory.” All present at the ceremony observed a minute’s silence in memory of the submariners and laid flowers at one of the guns raised from the submarine.
Let us recall that the Shch-216 submarine was laid down at a Mykolaiv shipyard on July 23, 1939. She was launched on May 30, 1940, arrived in Sevastopol on July 3, 1941, and was formally commissioned into the Black Sea Fleet on December 20, 1941. Over its three-year Black Sea campaign, the submarine took 15 combat tours. She was detected and attacked by an enemy patrol boat while on mission on November 21, 1942. The bombs dropped by the patrol boat dented her hull, but despite the damage, her crew continued with her assigned mission until ordered to retreat to the Cape Tarkhankut area on November 29, 1942. The Shch-216 attacked and damaged the German tanker on August 6, 1943, in spite of the numerous escort including several Romanian destroyers and patrol boats. The submarine set off on her last combat tour in the morning hours of February 6, 1944.
