Bratstvo (ship, 1963)

History
Name:
  • Bratstvo
  • (Russian: Братство)
  • Call sign: UDXO [1]
  • Register number: М-27595 [1]
  • Class formula until 1975: Л*Р4/1С *РСМ [1]
  • Class formula from 1975: КМ(*)Л3[1] [1]
  • IMO number: 6405044 [1][2]
Namesake: Leninsky Komsomol class of cargo ships, projuct 567 and 567К.
Owner: 29 December 1963 – March 1985: Black Sea Shipping Company, Soviet Union USSR
Operator: 29 December 1963 – March 1985: Black Sea Shipping Company, Soviet Union USSR
Port of registry: 29 December 1963 – March 1985: Odessa, Soviet Union USSR
Builder: Soviet Union Kherson shipyard; shipbuilding number 1215.[1][3]
Fate: Scrapped in Algesiras, Spain, in 1985.[1]
General characteristics
Type: freighter, tweendecker
Tonnage:
Length: 557.7 ft (170.0 m) abt
Beam: 72.2 ft (22.0 m) abt
Propulsion: two steam turbine engines driving a single 6.3 m (21 ft) screw propeller

Bratstvo (Russian: Братство) was a multi-purpose tweendecker freighter owned by the Black Sea Shipping Company (Soviet Union). One of the Leninsky Komsomol class of cargo ships, it had steam turbine engines and oneproject 567K.[4] The ship's name Братство is translated as brotherhood on English, but as per rules the ship's mane may not be translated directly.

This ship was one of the Soviet ships that took part in operation Anadyr.

History

The ship lade on 20 September, 1962. Se was built on December 1963.[1] The ship Bratstvo was delivered to Black Sea Shipping Company on the 29 of December, 1963.[3]

Around the Africa

Due to Suez Canal was close from June 1967 until sammer 1975, the ship Bratstvo run around the Africa if her voyages were to India Ocean ports or to Far East ports, and the ship had also voyages to Cuba and Siria:

The ship visited Cape Town for bunkering when run around the Africa.[2]

The photo: The ship Братство during the visit in Cape Town.

Arab–Israeli War in October, 1973

The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War, or October War, also known as the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, was a war fought by the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel from October 6 to 25, 1973. The ship Bratstvo was one of eight Leninsky Komsomol class of cargo ships which carried out military cargo to Siria and Egypt in October and November, 1973.

According to U.S. information the ship Bratstvo one time visited Siria: the ship passed Bosphorus on the 18 and arrived Latakia on the 20 of October, 1973.[5]

The sailors of the civil merchant ships were not only witnesses, there were also participants in the ongoing war, as the ports were exposed for air bombardments by the Israeli Air Force. The captain of the ship Bratstvo Romanov, the ship arrived on the 20 of October 1973, continued to discharge ammunition during the air raid also. Arrived Soviet Union advisor, army general, saw it and shouted:

"But, if a bomb or a missile will fall into the opened hold, you will destroy the whole port! How much ammunition on the ship? Immediately close the hold!"[5]

To his shout Romanov replied softly:

"Reamin 420 tons of shells and cartridges for tommy-guns on board of the ship. And it is for nothing to close the hold. Look at the pier, there is not less than five thousand tons of ammunition. Force the authorities to take out goods more quickly, otherwise and it will no any place for discharge."[5]

The general looked at the pier, used foul language and darted away somewhere on his jeep.[5]

As per momories, the Soviet sailors took part in repelling the attack of the Israeli Navy to the port of Baniyas on the 23 of October, 1973. By this time, several Soviet ships shicharge military cargoes in Latakia port, including dry cargo ships "Bratstvo" (Captain Romanov, arrived October 20), "Leninsky Pioneer" (Captain Nikitin, arrived on October 22), "Yunyi Leninets" (Captain Eugeniy Kratinov, arrived 22 October). The head of Military Communications Governance of the Soviet Union Navy in Black Sea Basin in 1976-1984 years, the captain of the 1st Rank Vladimir Ananiev said:

 "... During the discharge, three friends-Captains gathered on board of the ship "Leninsky Pioner": the host was Nikitin, the guests were Kratina and Romanov. The alarm commenced to howl above the port. They had become accustomed do not pay attention for it. they were seating in the saloon inside the master's cabin, sipping brandy with coffee. They were talking. It is not often able to meet all three of them on the sea road. A disheveled officer ran into the cabin:
 - Guys, help out! We deployed a missile battalion and locators had not unloaded yet. Would you help with your locators? This radio station is for communication ...
 And, the guests comenced to detect approached to the goal pinpoints on radar screen, and the host gave designation about the targets to the missilemen using the radio. One motor-boat had sunk, and the rest fled. The attack failed."[5]

From summer 1975 to Summer 1984

The photos:

Cillision during the last voyage

The ship loaded cargo weat in bulk in Canada and sailed from Port-Cartier, Canada, to Odessa, Soviet Union, in early September, 1984. When the ship passed Atlantic Ocean, she visited Ceuta port for freah water supply and for bunkering.[2][6]

After fresh water and bunker suply the ship Bratstvo sailed from Ceuta to Odessa on the 18 of September, 1984.[6]

Due to Bratstvo collided with the Soviet submarine K-53 of Victor I class in position Latitude 35 deg 55 min North and Longitude 005 deg 00 min West, at the exit from Gibraltar Strait into Alboran Sea, on the 18 (as per ship's time due to ship's time) or 19 (as per submarine time) of September 1984, the ship was towed to Algeciras to cut for scrap.[1][2] This information was posted via Internet after the Soviet Union disintegration only. But in English source until 2015 (when the collition was mentioned in Wikipedia article "Leninsky Komsomol class of cargo ships" the English sources commenced to correct own information) were mentioned that the ship Bratsvo had to visit Algesiras port due to explosion in engine room and nothing about the collision. It is necessary to follow Soviet and Russian sources to undertand clear what happened really.

We have two parties which describe this incident differently, - The master and crew of the ship Bratstvo are one party and the captain of the submarine and Soviet Navy commander are another side. And separatly the ratings of the submarine have also own opiion.

Will be continued soon and very intersting article we will have finaly!

The fate

The ship was decommissioned in March 1985. The ship Братство scrapped in Algesiras, Spain in 1985.[1]

Postscript


Crew

Anatoliy Matveyevich Romanov was the staff master of the ship Bratstvo, he died in 2011. Yt had a dog Eit(Russian: Эйт) and when the ship's typhon cried during the fog, the dog was afraid and run into crew messroom.[7][8]

Viktor Snisarenko worked on this ship from the 1969 to 1983 and during this period passed the way from the junior deck officer to master of this ship.[8]

SOS
SOS in Morse code

Problems playing this file? See media help.

Anatoliy Zhurbenko worked the ship before 1984 and passed the way on this ship from radio operator to the chief of the ship's radio station. When the collision happened he was the chief of radio station on other ship which was in Biscay Gulf on the 18 and 19 of September 1984. When he received SOS plus call sigh of his previous ship Bratstvo he redirected the SOS to the Black Sea Shipping Company.[7][8]

Vladimir Filipovich Demchenko was the master of the ship Bratstvo in 1984 when the collosion occured.[8]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, May 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.