Russian Black Sea Fleet intends to participate in examination of the submarine, sunk near the Crimean coast / Photos

Sevastopol has hosted the working meeting the Russian Fleet Chief of Staff rear admiral Alexander Nosatov with the Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Navy rear admiral Dmytro Shakuro, devoted to the joint operation on examination and potential subsequent lift of the sunk soviet submarine “Shch-216”.

During the meeting the parties have discussed the terms for commencement of works, as well as the schedule and composition of forces to be engaged for this operation from the Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy. Taking into consideration the damages to the submarine and the presence of the ammunition there (which fact may complicate the lift of the submarine as a whole or even make it impossible), it has been decided to conduct an additional examination of the object by divers to work out an objective and comprehensive document on the submarine’s state. Such diving examination document will be the grounds for development of potential options for its lift by design bureaus.

The decision on the submarine’s lift has been already made.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has ordered to work out the issue of the potential lift of the soviet submarine “Shch-216”, sunk near the Cape of Tarkhankut. Such information has been announced by the President’s decree, presented at his official website.

On July 4, 2013, while carrying out the program for submersion of the remotely controlled submersible craft “Sophocles-1” abeam the Tarkhankut Cape near the rock ridge at the depth of 52 meters, the experts of the Crimean Republican Organization “Black Sea Underwater Research Center” discovered a soviet submarine of the World War II period.

Shch-216 Roadstead near Batumi. 1943. Photo by oldmikk.ru