Tsemess Bay (Novorossiysk) is located in the northern part of the Black Sea coast. It became part of Russia in 1829 as a result of another war with the Turks. In the mid-80s of the last century, a clash took place here, which claimed more than four hundred human lives.
Geographical position
Tsemess Bay was named after the river, which originates on the slope of Mount Gudzeva. There is another one-root toponym - Tsemesskaya grove. Near the western part of the bay is the Abrau Peninsula. On the right is the Markotkh Range. The coastline of Tsemess Bay is 15 km long. Width - 9 km. From the north-west of the bay is the island of Sujuk, and from the south-east of Doob. The average depth of the Tsemess Bay is 24 meters. The maximum is 29 meters.
Tourism
Vacationers who prefer to get to the Black Sea coast in their own car, at least once passed the Tsemess bay. It is located very close to Gelendzhik and Kabardinka, located a few kilometers from the resort town. The beaches of the Tsemess Bay will not please everyone. There is almost no infrastructure, not crowded. However, the places are picturesque, which is confirmed by the photos of the Tsemess Bay, which can be seen in this article.
Ship flooding
In Novorossiysk and its environs, many important historical events took place. One of them is the destruction of the fleet (1918). Then, an agreement was concluded between the Soviet government and Germany, according to which the ships of the Black Sea Fleet had to be transferred to the enemy. Captain 1st Rank Tikhmenev received an order to send ships to Sevastopol, where they will pass to German troops. At the same time, a secret order was received to flood them.
Tikhmenev thought for a long time. Ultimately, he decided to bring the ships to Sevastopol. Many officers did not agree with him. On June 18, almost all ships were destroyed with torpedoes. Two years later, the rise of sunken ships began in the Tsemess Bay. Some of them even managed to be restored, for example, Kaliakria.
"Admiral Nakhimov"
On August 31, 1986, a tragedy erupted. Killed 423 people. In the Tsemess Bay, 13 km from Novorossiysk, a collision between the Admiral Nakhimov steamboat and the Pyotr Vasev cargo ship occurred.
It’s worth a little talk about the passenger ship, which almost every Soviet person dreamed of getting into before 1986. "Admiral Nakhimov" was built in the 20th. Then it belonged to the Germans and had a different name - "Berlin". The ship operated transatlantic flights between New York and Bremerhaven. During World War II it was used as a hospital. In 1945, as a result of a series of events, the ship went to the Soviet fleet.
"Admiral Nakhimov" was the largest passenger ship in the USSR of those that made cruises along the Black Sea. Sometimes he carried out cargo transportation to Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Cuba. At the end of the seventies, a tradition appeared: as a rule, the captain of Nakhimov was the one who committed offense on an international flight. The ship began to be called the "ship of fines."
"Admiral Nakhimov" on August 29 left Odessa for a seven-day cruise. Anticipated calls in Sochi, Batumi, Yalta, Novorossiysk. Passengers were not instructed and boat exercises. On August 31, at two in the afternoon, the ship moored in the Novorossiysk port. At 22:00 the ship was supposed to sail according to the schedule. However, the “Admiral Nakhimov” set off with a ten-minute delay.
The sea was calm, the weather was clear. Most of the passengers were on deck. At 22:38, “Peter Vasev,” returning from Canada, entered the Tsemess Bay. The captain of the cargo ship, as his colleagues later claimed in court, had a weakness for "beautiful" discrepancies, that is, at a distance of 100-180 meters. This was the main cause of the disaster.
At 11 o’clock in the evening two vessels collided. “Peter Vasev” crashed into the starboard side of “Admiral Nakhimov.” The ship trembled twice, as a result of which many passengers could not stay on their feet. However, even those who saw the approach of the bulk carrier did not realize the impending catastrophe.
The captain tried to land the ship, but there was a turn on the electricity. On the deck, which tilted 45 degrees in a matter of minutes, the panic typical of such situations began.
In the rescue of passengers "Admiral Nakhimov" were involved cadets naval school. The crew of the bulk carrier managed to take on board 37 passengers of Admiral Nakhimov. Catastrophically lacked rafts. The ship sank in 8 minutes. Killed 423 people. “Admiral Nakhimov”, together with the bodies of 64 passengers, which could not be raised to the surface, is today located at the bottom of the sea.