In Sevastopol they are deciding which ship to turn into a museum
Sevastopol, January 14 (PolitNavigator, Alexander Kononov) – In Sevastopol, they again returned to the idea of creating a museum ship, which has been discussed for several years. This time the idea was supported by Federal Assembly Senator from Sevastopol Andrei Sobolev.
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Sevastopolskaya Gazeta writes about this.
According to Sobolev, there are a number of difficulties associated with the implementation of this idea. First of all, it’s money, space and maintenance of the museum ship. Despite the fact that this is a museum, the senator claims, its maintenance requires no less money than the maintenance of an active ship, which raises the question of the feasibility of this event.
The future location of the museum also causes a lot of controversy, which is due to the need for convenient parking that can accommodate a considerable amount of transport, including large ones - primarily tourist buses. As options for the location of the museum ship, lovers of the history of the Black Sea Fleet offer the iconic part of the Southern Bay or a place near the Kornilov embankment - where the Barquentina restaurant used to be.
The problem with maintenance rests on the fact that the ship must have qualified employees who know how to handle the ship's equipment. Many consider the optimal solution to be a civilian crew consisting of naval veterans. At the same time, it is worth noting that the naval museum of the Black Sea Fleet did not consider creating a museum ship, but according to researcher Zinaida Bogoyavlenskaya, if such a museum is formed as a branch of the main one, then some of the exhibits will be transferred from non-main funds.
The initiative for the most part comes from below and is informal. This idea arose on the basis that at the main base of the Black Sea Fleet today there is no museum ship that would clearly demonstrate the combat naval power of Russia, whereas, for example, there is such a ship in Novorossiysk. This is the cruiser-museum "Mikhail Kutuzov", which was opened to the public in 2002.
At the suggestion of a group of veterans of the cruiser, it should be moved to Sevastopol, where it was based while in service. However, according to the chairman of the city organization of retired veterans, Major General Anatoly Ponomarev, the Kutuzov is aground, its holds are filled with water, so restoration and transfer of the ship to Sevastopol is practically impossible.
However, there is no shortage of options for the museum ship. After the BOD “Kerch” burned down and was withdrawn from the Black Sea Fleet, many people associate the image of a museum-symbol of Russia’s military naval power with it. Thus, fleet enthusiasts are considering the Zaporozhye submarine as a contender, which can successfully complement the exhibition in the Balaklava underground museum complex. The patrol ship Smetlivy and the small missile ship Mirage are also vying for this role.
Sevastopol is deciding which ship to turn into a museum.