The waters of the Kerch Strait, enveloping the island of Tuzla, connect the Azov and Black Seas. From the west, they wash the coast of the Kerch Peninsula, and from the east - the coastline of the Taman Peninsula. The main port here is considered to be Kerch.
Historical names
With the passing of eras, the Kerch Strait, the width of which is not the same throughout its length, changed its name. In antiquity, the people who settled on the lands of the north-eastern Black Sea region called it the Bosporus (Bosphorus) of Cimmeria.
Subsequently, the rulers of its coasts gave the names of the peninsula in the manner that was convenient for them. The Türks who ruled here in the Middle Ages, he was called Taman-Bogazy. With the advent of the Russians, a piece of land was renamed more than once. There are references to Tauride, Yenikalsky, Kerch-Yenikalsky and, finally, the Kerch Strait.
Pond dimensions
How wide is the Kerch Strait? How long is it and how deep is it? It is interesting to know, first of all, to geographers and sailors. Researchers found that its water area stretched for 42 kilometers. The range of width ranges from 4-15 kilometers.
The strait reached its maximum depth in the fairway. To the bottom there is about 18 meters. In the 70s of the last century, the fairway was deepened using excavating machines. However, lower bottom sediments prevented many deep-seated vessels from moving freely along the strait. From ships sailing to the ports of Azov, overload.
In Yenikal, the bottom is found at 12-14 feet. Near Ak-Burun, the water column reaches 18-23 feet. In the Kamysh-Burun area, depths range from 22-24 feet. In the Chongelek zone, in its very middle, to reach the bottom, you will have to go down to a depth of 42-45 feet.
In the direction connecting Danagia with Takil, the Kerch Strait has a water column of 58-60 feet. The depth and width of the reservoir in each zone are different. Where the shallow water line of Enikale lies, a six-mile canal was dug. The thickness of the water in this place is 18 feet.
Climate
No matter where the width of the Kerch Strait is, weather conditions are the same throughout its length. The water in it begins to warm up in late May, the temperature, freezing on a thermometer to the mark of 24-25 ° C, freezes. If we touch on the problems of visibility, then in the spring it reaches 10 meters, and in the summer, its significant drop to three, or even two meters, is noted.
In winter, coastal waters are partially covered by ice and snow. In the strait, more reminiscent of a snow-covered field, strong winds dominate, reaching 15 m / s, drifting ice and one and a half meter waves. In stormy weather, shipping (accessible almost all year round) through the reservoir is suspended.
As a rule, the course is directed from the Azov to the Black Sea. However, individual cases, for example, the emergence of strong southerly winds, can change water currents. Only scanty precipitation falls on the coast. Putin, falling in late autumn, lasts for several months.
Coastline Features
The Kerch Strait, the width of which is due to the outlines of the coastline, is surrounded by low sand spits, convenient for tourism. The coast formed by the Kerch Peninsula is a hill, sometimes steep and rocky. The rocky hills here rise above the beaches and hang over the water surface. The coastline formed by the Taman Peninsula, in contrast, is low.
Due to the scarcity of precipitation, the coast of the strait is covered with rare vegetation. The coast is endowed with a very winding line. A lot of tiny peninsulas and bays crashes into it. Quite long sandy braids extend into the water from the coastline.
Economic sectors
The development of fisheries and shipping is the basis of the local regional economy. Minerals this region is not rich. Only Cape Zhelezniy Rog, stretching along the southern coast of Taman, boasts an iron ore deposit. Here, places with a unique exit of iron ore directly to the earth's surface were discovered. The ore in them is enriched with iron up to 33%. There was no commercial mining of iron in the area until the 1930s. The population was engaged in a simple collection of plates, breaking off from the ore layers and accumulating in shallow water.
Ferry service
Since ancient times, the reservoir was considered an attractive transit hub. Due to the geographical uniqueness of the place, squeezed between the seas, different peoples of antiquity implemented ambitious projects. Greek colonists built here the city of Panticapaeum - the capital of the Bosporus kingdom.
Antique Panticapaeum with its most important transport artery of antiquity and the Middle Ages - the Great Silk Road - was not destined to survive, and now the hero city of Kerch is spread over the territory that it occupied. The first regular transverse crossing of the reservoir was organized precisely in the era of Panticapaeum.
The settlement of Porfmy allowed crossing the strait to goods and people. The watershed was overcome on rowing and sailing ships. There was nothing accidental in choosing a place for the city. Exploring the width of the Kerch Strait in one place or another, the Greeks managed to find the narrowest place in the reservoir, where Porfmy subsequently erected.
Today, the Kerch Strait, whose width in this zone is about 5 kilometers, is equipped with the port of Crimea. Thanks to the ferry crossing, it was possible to establish the possibility of constant communication with the port harbor "Caucasus". The ancient settlement of Porfmy acted as an ancient prototype and historical prototype of the Kerch crossing.
Crossing during the war years
Serious efforts to connect the coasts of the Kuban and Crimea were undertaken in the 40s of the war years of the past century. The German command that occupied Kerch, the strategic value of the city was highly valued. The Germans knew how wide the Kerch Strait was, but that didn’t scare them, and they equipped the watershed with a pontoon bridge, which significantly reduced the road to the Caucasian oil-bearing regions. Having developed the project, they were engaged in active preparation, allowing to build a bridge. The critical martial law near Kerch prevented them from implementing the plan. The Soviet soldiers who liberated the city tried to solve the same pressing issue: the supply of military cargo from the Caucasus coast to the Crimean port.
The front line passed near the reservoir, so it was intensively fired by the fascist army. This prevented the posting of loaded sea transport. Since it was not possible to build a full-fledged bridge, they built a cableway that allowed cargo to be transported over the strait in trolleys. About 300 tons of various products were transported daily through it. And only when the Crimean lands were completely liberated, the construction of a unique railway bridge from captured materials across the Kerch Strait began. The width of the bridge facilitated the free movement of rail.
The overpass, not equipped with icebreakers, lasted too little. The construction, unable to withstand the pressure of giant ice, collapsed. They did not begin to restore it; only the ruins of a strategically important object that interfered with navigation were eliminated.
Crossing in the post-war years
In the 1950s, construction of a ferry crossing began on a pond . The construction, which came into operation in 1954, is functioning now. It has acquired the status of an international line through which passengers, vehicles and trains are transported. And the considerable width of the Kerch Strait (photo presented in the article) has ceased to be an insurmountable barrier.
First, 2 ferries ran along the line, taking on board freight cars. Then they were joined by a couple more ships (the design of car receivers was extended) carrying passenger trains. Cars were installed in places free from trains, or they were completely loaded with ferry without placing cars. Rolling cars onto ferries was carried out using two locomotives.
In the 1970s, the crossing was equipped with two ice-breaker ferries. With their appearance, few began to wonder what the width of the Kerch Strait was, because these vessels were operated without problems even in winter, during the period of ice cover. One of the icebreaker ferries cleared the fairway from the ice, and the second cruised along the line. In the late eighties, they joined another fleet.
Crossing work after the collapse of the USSR
Vessels that have been in operation for over forty years needed serious modernization. The economic and political difficulties that followed the collapse of the USSR became the end of the railway link through the Kerch Strait. The width of the reservoir again became an insurmountable obstacle due to the fact that obsolete ferries were decommissioned and not delivered new vessels.
The ferry service, which lasted until 2004, resumed after the repair and reconstruction of its railway sectors and the supply of one ship. First of all, they restored the crossing of freight trains. In 2005, it was equipped with another railway ferry.
The operation of the facility before all known events was carried out simultaneously by two states - Ukraine and Russia. Joint management was governed by intergovernmental agreements. Transportation of trains, cars and people was carried out around the clock.
Now, promising developments regarding the crossing are aimed at overcoming the width of the Kerch Strait with the largest possible cargo flow. Ferries and other vessels must undergo optimization, which will improve the process of cargo handling and improve service for passengers. It is believed that development will increase the crossing capacity, especially in the summer, when the flow of passengers and vehicles increases sharply.
Ferry Transport Connection
Kerch bus station is a well-equipped transport hub. A number of bus routes were laid from it, delivering passengers to the port of Crimea, Yalta, Sevastopol, Simferopol and other Crimean cities. From here, not only suburban traffic is produced, many urban routes originate here. The city center is connected with the surrounding villages thanks to the movement of buses, minibuses and a functioning trolleybus line. The square with the railway station is located at the entrance to Kerch.
Kerch bridge
The effective development of the transport artery of the region is associated with the construction of a bridge. Analysts believe that the regular transport route, connecting the Kuban with the Crimea, will push the development of the regional economy.
At present, no matter how wide the Kerch Strait is in one place or another, about a hundred vessels run in the reservoir. Water strata hide the movement of powerful fish schools and the secrets of the flooded cities of antiquity, ancient monuments and many sunken ships of different eras of the universe.