Steamboat Armenia survivors. The death of the ship "Armenia": an unknown story of a great tragedy

Asia

Seventy years ago, the most deadly maritime disaster in the history of our country occurred in the Black Sea. November 7, 1941 Crimean coast Hitler's aviation sent the sanitary ship "Armenia" to the bottom, on which the wounded, doctors and residents of the city were evacuated from the besieged Sevastopol to the Caucasus. How many people were on board - no one knows for sure. But according to experts - from 5 to 7 thousand people. 2-3 times more than on the infamous Titanic"! Only a few survived.

The official Soviet historiography did everything to hide the details of the terrible tragedy. The ends in the water are hidden in such a way that attempts made in recent years, even with the help of American bathyscaphes and hydroacoustic equipment, to find one of the largest underwater mass graves in the world have come to nothing. The skeleton of the huge "Armenia" has not yet been discovered.

What, in fact, is known from official sources? On the evening of November 6, the 41st ambulance in last time left Sevastopol. On board are the wounded, medical staff and evacuees. Arrived in Yalta to receive passengers there as well. The total number of people on deck, in the cabins, corridors and holds of the "Armenia", according to official figures, has reached 5,500 people. Everything that happened next is similar to the recklessness of the transport commander.

It is not known why in the morning, almost without cover, with the complete air supremacy of Nazi aircraft, the overcrowded ship left Yalta and, according to one source, guarded by one, and according to others, by two patrol boats, headed towards the Caucasus. At 11:25 a.m. abeam Gurzuf, a tiny convoy was attacked by the German Heinkel-111 torpedo bomber. Dropped two torpedoes, one of which hit bow ship. Just four minutes later - at 11 hours 29 minutes - the ship sank to the bottom astern. It was possible to save according to one data, 8, according to others - 82 people.

And that's all the memoir contains Soviet admirals on this account. Even in the Combat Chronicle of the Soviet Navy in 1941-1942 published in 1983 by the Ministry of Defense on the basis of the archives of the General Staff of the USSR Navy. not a word about the biggest maritime tragedy of that war. Such blatant brevity requires explanation. I had to go to the archives.

Motor ship "Armenia" belonged to the first-born of the Soviet passenger shipbuilding - the so-called "Krymchaks", the construction of which began in 1926. They were named so because they were intended to transport people between the ports of the Crimea and the Caucasus. Twin-pipe motor ships turned out to be successful. They were designed for almost a thousand passengers. With a length of 110 meters and a displacement of 5770 tons, the speed was quite decent - 14.5 knots. In case of misfortune, there were 16 lifeboats with 48 seats each. Is it surprising that with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was the “Krymchaks” who were the first to be transferred to the medical service of the Black Sea Fleet for the evacuation of the wounded?

"Armenia" and its brothers "Georgia", "Ukraine", "Adzharia" and "Crimea" were turned into floating hospitals by the workers of the Odessa shipyard. Under the bombs of German aviation, the partitions of first-class cabins were hurriedly broken in order to deploy an operating room and 4 dressing rooms for 11 tables each. It was believed that a maximum of 400 wounded would have to be taken on board. On August 10, 1941, "Armenia" was prepared for war.

It was more difficult with the crew. Experienced Captain Vladimir Plaushevsky dressed in a naval tunic and began to be called the commander of an ambulance transport. Military doctor of the 2nd rank Pyotr Dmitrievsky became the chief doctor of the floating hospital, mobilized from the railway hospital of Odessa. Huge red crosses were painted on the upper deck and sides, indicating the exclusively medical purpose of the vessel. But since no one had any illusions about the observance by the Nazis of the civilized rules of warfare, anti-aircraft machine guns were installed on the ship, which was painted in a protective color. Only civilian sailors had no time to learn how to accurately hit air targets from them. The enemy was already standing at the walls of Odessa, the wounded in her hospitals and medical battalions came in a stream. Therefore, the crew of "Armenia" had to, without delay, proceed to their evacuation to the Caucasian ports.

Until its death, ambulance transport managed to take out from Odessa and Sevastopol to mainland 15 thousand people. His last campaign began in Tuapse in the early morning of November 4, 1941. Having taken on board the marching reinforcements for the garrison of Sevastopol, "Armenia", guarding the destroyer "Savvy", went to the city, the siege of which was just beginning. Moored at Coal Wharf. And suddenly Plaushevsky received an order: on the way back together with the wounded take on board all medical facilities of the fleet without exception. What exactly - allow you to clarify the memories of a participant in the defense of Sevastopol colonel of the medical service A.I. Vlasov. Here they are: “On November 5, the head of the Main Base department received an order ... to close hospitals and infirmaries. About 300 wounded were loaded onto the "Armenia", the medical and economic personnel of the Sevastopol naval hospital (the largest in the fleet), led by its chief physician, military doctor of the 1st rank S.M. Kagan. Here were the heads of departments (with medical staff), X-ray technicians ... The 2nd naval and Nikolaev base hospitals, sanitary warehouse No. 280, the sanitary and epidemiological laboratory, the 5th medical detachment, the hospital from the Yalta sanatorium were also located here. Part of the medical staff of the Primorsky and 51st armies, as well as evacuated residents of Sevastopol, were taken on board the ship».

Just imagine: the enemy is at the gates, Sevastopol has been declared under a state of siege since October 29, fighting is going on a dozen and a half kilometers, and all hospitals and almost all medical personnel are sent from the city to the rear! I believe that there can be only one explanation for this - the command of the Black Sea Fleet in those days did not expect that the main base of the Black Sea Fleet would last at least a few days. I believe that it was precisely this conclusion, which did not fit in with the official version of the heroic defense, that politicians and censors from history tried to bury under the archival headings “Top Secret” all the post-war years. So they hid materials about the death of "Armenia".

It must be said that there were enough facts for the pessimism of the Black Sea admirals. 11th German Army Colonel General Manstein in a matter of weeks it gnawed through our liquid and clumsily built defenses on the narrow Perekop isthmus and at the end of October burst into steppe Crimea. Confused, Moscow did not decide who should defend Sevastopol. In the city itself, the garrison consisted of only two regiments of marines and a local rifle regiment. On October 30-31, the 8th Marine Brigade was hastily transferred from Novorossiysk to help. But even with it, the number of defenders was only about 20 thousand people. No matter how you arrange them, you can’t fight off Manstein.

Sevastopol saved, in essence, chance and military talent Commander of the Primorsky Army, General Ivan Petrov. After the defeat of Perekop, his army in the Crimean steppes was left to the mercy of fate. There was no connection either with Moscow or with the commander of the Crimean troops, Admiral Gordey Levchenko, with his headquarters, retreating to Alushta. There were no liaison aircraft. There was not even an order where to retreat - to Kerch or to Sevastopol? In the small Tatar village of Ekibash, the commanders of the abandoned Primorsky Army gathered for a military council. And according to their own understanding, they decided that they should save Sevastopol. This largely allowed the city to become a hero later on. But the seasiders still had to reach him.

Eyewitnesses say that their columns in a forced march along parallel roads were gathering dust in a race with the Nazis. Ours didn't make it. The Germans managed to cut the road to Bakhchisaray. The coastal army had to turn on a long, but the only free way to the main base of the Black Sea Fleet - to the mountains South Shore Crimea. And the main question was this: who will go to Sevastopol first? Primortsy or Manstein? Manstein was much closer, and his aviation in the air did what it wanted.

Here in such unenviable conditions Fleet Commander Admiral Philip Oktyabrsky had to decide what to do with the city? There is, in any case, more than one evidence that, contrary to the official version, he did not prepare for a long defense. Moreover, in early November, when the first volleys rumbled on the outskirts of Sevastopol, the commander of the fleet found it necessary to urgently go to the Caucasus - to check the bases of the squadron being transferred there. As if he had never seen these places before.

The commander returned to Sevastopol on the 10th. And before that, it was on November 7 that a categorical directive from the Headquarters came from Moscow, after which it became clear to Oktyabrsky that if he did not save Sevastopol, he would not save himself either. Below is its full text.

STAFF DIRECTIVE No. 004433 TO THE COMMANDER OF THE CRIMEA TROOPS, THE BLACK SEA FLEET ON MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN THE DEFENSE OF THE CRIMEA

In order to pin down the enemy forces in the Crimea and prevent him from entering the Caucasus through Taman Peninsula The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command orders:

2. Do not surrender Sevastopol in any case and defend it with all your might.

3. Keep all three old cruisers and old destroyers in Sevastopol. From this composition, form a mobile detachment for operations in the Feodosiya Gulf in support of the troops occupying the Ak-Monai positions.

4. Detachment of the Azov flotilla to support the troops of the Ak-Monai position from the north.

5. Battleships, new cruisers based in Novorossiysk, using for operations against the coast occupied by the enemy, and strengthening the detachment of old ships. Destroyer basing at your discretion.

6. Part of the FOR from the abandoned areas to use to strengthen the air defense of Novorossiysk.

7. Organize and ensure the transportation to Sevastopol and Kerch of troops retreating to Yalta, Alushta and Sudak.

8. Fighters, attack aircraft and part of the ICBM aircraft should be left in Sevastopol and Kerch, the rest of the aircraft should be used from airfields of the North Caucasus Military District for night strikes on airfields, bases and enemy troops in the Crimea.

9. Evacuate everything valuable, but not necessary for defense, from Sevastopol and Kerch to the Caucasus.

10. Lead the defense of Sevastopol to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Comrade Oktyabrsky, with subordination to you. The deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet should have a naval fleet in Tuapse.

11. You are in Kerch.

12. For the direct leadership of the defense of the Kerch Peninsula, appoint Lieutenant General Batov.

J. STALIN B. SHAPOSHNIKOV N. KUZNETSOV

What was left for October? It is urgent to return from the relatively safe Caucasus to the besieged Sevastopol. And Admiral Oktyabrsky hastened to lead the battle for his main base.

But even the short absence of the fleet commander in the city at the most critical moments gave rise to growing panic. Is it any wonder that it was decided to urgently ship all the medical staff of the fleet to the "Armenia"? And many more, even artists of the Lunacharsky City Theater. Despite the crush on the narrow ladders, the parking lot of “Armenia” in Sevastopol was reduced by two hours: it was reported from Yalta that a large group of party and Soviet workers of the Crimea were awaiting evacuation there, along with crowds of wounded and refugees. I had to go after them.

Why was it the crew of the "Armenia" who was entrusted with this reckless business? If it weren’t for the fatal stop, at its decent speed for a civilian ship, the transport could have safely reached Tuapse overnight: in the dark german planes didn't fly. Those who were waiting for rescue on the Yalta berths could well have been taken out to Sevastopol for a start, which is only a couple of hours away. There were plenty of ships and watercraft for this in the main base. In the end, on the very night when "Armenia" was losing precious hours, mooring in Yalta, the loading of the 7th Marine Brigade departing from Perekop onto the destroyers "Boikiy" and "Imperfect" took place there quite safely. The ships took on board about 1,800 fighters and commanders, part of the military equipment, and left Yalta at 03:40. At dawn, they moored in Sevastopol. However, the point, apparently, is that the evacuation to Sevastopol at that time seemed like salvation to a few of the panicked influential leaders. If you tear your claws from the Nazis, then only to the Caucasus!

Towards the death of the ship "Armenia" set off at 17 pm. Almost immediately came after order of the fleet headquarters: make one more stop on the roadstead of Balaklava and take some cargo from the shore. Who, what - in a short radiogram was not reported. Having stopped the move at Balaklava, Plaushevsky immediately understood why. Boats with NKVD workers approached the transport board. Wooden boxes were dragged from them to the deck. According to some researchers, these were valuable exhibits of Crimean museums.

Whatever it was, a few more precious hours were lost. As a result transport entered Yalta only at 2 am on November 7. What was waiting for him at the pier? This is recalled by one of those who really wanted to get on the deck of the "Armenia", but did not manage to do it. As it turned out - to his happiness. Otherwise, we would not have read this testimony. Word - E.S. Nikulin: “Since the evening, we still did not know anything about the ship “Armenia”. At night, about two o'clock, they woke us up and led us almost in formation along the middle of the street to the port. There was a huge ship in the port. The whole marina and pier are filled with people. We joined this crowd. Boarding the ship was slow; in two hours we moved from the pier to the pier. The pressure is incredible! Loading went from about two o'clock until seven in the morning. Across the pier stood NKVD soldiers with rifles and let only women with children through. Sometimes men broke through the cordon. The weather was inclement, it often rained. A fuel depot began to burn in the city, and huge black clouds of smoke were carried by the wind towards the city.».

Did not get to "Armenia" and the family Faith Chistova who was 9 years old at the time. She recalls: “Dad bought tickets, and my grandmother and I had to leave Yalta on the ship Armenia. On the night of November 6, the pier was full of people. First, the wounded were loaded, then the civilians were let in. Nobody checked the tickets, and a stampede began on the gangway. The brave climbed onto the ship along the shrouds. In the bustle, suitcases and things were thrown off the board. By dawn, the loading was completed. But we never got to Armenia. Hundreds of people remained on the pier. My grandmother and I went to my father's workshop on the embankment. There I fell asleep».

Subsequently, in his diaries, Admiral Oktyabrsky wrote that the commander of the "Armenia" violated his order to wait in Yalta for the night of November 8 in order to protect the ship from air strike. But the experienced captain Plaushevsky was not suicidal. Even without a commander, he knew perfectly well what the morning campaign threatened him with. However, panic reigned in Yalta, there was no power, the intelligence of the Nazis rolled freely to the city from Alushta, occupied on November 4th.

In addition, following the order of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet meant standing all day in the port, which had never had air defense. No one would have prevented the German aviation from bombing a huge stationary target right at the pier.

In a word, Plaushevsky decided not to wait until "Armenia" was drowned right in Yalta. And gave moorings at 8 am on November 7.

By that time, the Germans had not managed to establish any reconnaissance in the port, and the Heinkels were clearly not hunting for Armenia. The Germans probably knew that the Black Sea ships were hastily transporting the troops of the retreating Primorsky Army from the southern coast of Crimea to Sevastopol. And since the morning of November 7, they were probably hunting for them. And then the almost defenseless "Armenia" turned up ... At 11 hours and 25 minutes, the ship was attacked by a single German torpedo bomber He-111, which belonged to the 1st squadron of the I / KG28 air group. The aircraft approached from the shore and dropped two torpedoes from a distance of 600 meters. One passed by, and the second hit the bow of the ship. After 4 minutes, "Armenia" went to the bottom.

It happened exactly on the 24th anniversary of the October Revolution. In Moscow, a historic military parade has just ended on Red Square. Just resounded Stalin's words:"The German invaders are straining their last strength. There is no doubt that Germany cannot bear such tension for long. A few more months, another six months, maybe a year, and Hitler's Germany must burst under the weight of its crimes.

Later, many preferred to forget this mournful episode of the victorious war. It was more convenient that way. Amazing, but in the Soviet years, no one tried to find the ship lying at the bottom. The first attempts were made already in independent Ukraine. In 2006, at the request of Kyiv, joined the work United States Institute of Oceanography and Oceanology under the direction of Robert Ballard. The same Billard who found the Titanic, the Bismar battleship and the Yorktown aircraft carrier that died in the oceans. The expedition, which cost the Americans 2.5 million dollars, passed over the supposed point of death of Soviet transport 27 times! Found at a depth of 300 meters, even 20-centimeter-long shells from artillery shells. But no traces of "Armenia" were seen.

In 2009, the Ukrainian underwater robot Sophocles was involved in the search work. Just 270 meters from the point indicated on the map, Sophocles discovered an old sailing 30-meter ship. But not "Armenia"! However, a 110-meter ambulance is not a needle in a haystack, is it? Even if we imagine that those who believe that “Armenia” was covered with a thick layer of silt are right, would such a mass of metal have to give at least some magnetic disturbances?

What's the matter? In my opinion, there is only one reasonable explanation - not looking there. The place of the tragedy on the maps is fixed inaccurately. Why not consider another version? Vladimir Plaushevsky was too experienced a captain not to understand what threatens him to sail throughout the daylight hours along the coast of the Crimea occupied by the Nazis. The most reasonable thing he could do was to turn to Sevastopol, under the cover of anti-aircraft artillery and fighters of the main base of the fleet.

Of course, it was, of course, impossible to do this without coordination with the headquarters of the fleet. But who today will undertake to assert that there was no such agreement? And that there are no traces of such negotiations in archival documents - after all, there are no traces, for example, of an order for Plaushevsky to follow to Balaklava. It is not even known who gave this fatal order.

In addition, we now know, after all, with what care other leaders "cleaned" our archives from the truth that compromised them personally. If everything related to the last voyage of "Armenia" was decided to be carefully hidden all the post-war years, why not destroy some materials of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters for reliability?

If so, then after leaving the Yalta port, "Armenia" was supposed to head not to the Caucasus. The course was reversed! It turns out that now you need to look for her not at all at Gurzuf, but somewhere abeam Cape Sarych. It seems to have its own logic.

Everyone remembers the global catastrophe with the Titanic? Certainly…. But why do we remember and know so many details about this shipwreck, and do not know about more horrific and global disasters that occurred on the waters of the oceans? And because films were not made about these troubles, many books were not written, and because some of them are still under the heading of secrecy.

Motor ship "Armenia"

Armenia…. This is not only a beautiful and friendly little country, not only a city in sunny Colombia, but also the name of one of the motor ships built at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1928. Together with this ship, the ships Abkhazia, Adzharia and Ukraine also went to the open sea. All ships were designed to carry passengers, goods and mail on the Crimean-Caucasian line.

With the outbreak of World War II, the countries involved in the confrontation with Germany used all possible resources, including passenger and cargo ships. They were rebuilt into ambulances to transport the wounded. During the war, the troika of ships of the Baltic shipyard was sunk, but big secret hides the loss motor ship "Armenia".

In 1941, the experienced 39-year-old captain Vladimir Yakovlevich Plaushevsky commanded the ship. It was he who received the order from the command of the Black Sea Fleet to save the military hospital and the inhabitants of the city of Sevastopol. For a complete picture of the ship, it is worth writing about the facts that played an important role in the fate of the ship. The ship could take on board 950 people plus a crew of 96 people, but took on board 4.5-7 thousand people, which many times exceeded its capabilities. Eyewitnesses who were in the port of Sevastopol say that every resident of the city was eager to board the ship, everyone was afraid to stay, since the German troops were already nearby. Let us clarify that such an overload threatened the ship with very strong instability on the waves of the Black Sea, it could roll over even with a small storm. The deck and holds of the ship were filled with doctors and residents of the city. After loading people, the ship left the port of Sevastopol at about 17:00 on November 6, 1941 and headed towards the Caucasus, in Tuapse.

But the ship had two more stops along the way. On one of them, in the port of the city of Yalta, the ship was supposed to evacuate political workers and several hundred civilians. But on the second one, take on board the NKVD officers and unknown wooden boxes. The second stop was not far from the shore of Balaklava, where the ship waited for a boat with cargo and NKVD officers. We had to wait about three hours. What was in such valuable boxes, because of which thousands of people were exposed to danger every second, remained unknown, we can only guess about their contents.

There are several guesses about what was transported in wooden boxes. The first is the documents of the NKVD, which could not be left to the advancing enemy. The second, in favor of which many facts speak, are paintings by famous Russian artists. At a distance of one and a half hours by car from Balaklava, there was Alushta, in which in the summer of that year, there was an exhibition of paintings by prominent Russian artists such as Bryullov, Kramskoy, Repin, Levitan and many others.

Upon arrival in Yalta, the ship took on board several hundred more people. The ship, which arrived at the port at 2:00 on November 7, received an order to wait for darkness and go to sea only at 19:00. But, taking responsibility, Captain Plaushevsky put the ship out to sea at 8 am on November 7. For such a violation of the order, the entire crew of the ship could be shot, but this was prevented by a more tragic circumstance.

Motor ship "Armenia" had on the sides the distinctive signs of ambulance transport in the form of red crosses. But the ship was also additionally armed with four 45-mm cannons, which made it possible to consider the ship a military object and, accordingly, attack it.

November 7, 1941 at 8:00 "Armenia" left the port of Yalta and headed straight for Tuapse, having on board several thousand passengers, including a military hospital and NKVD officers with an unknown, but valuable cargo. And, presumably, at 11 hours 25 minutes, the ship was attacked by the German Heinkel He-111 aircraft. The ship was hit by dropped torpedoes. The sinking of the ship took a matter of minutes, from which historians conclude that the damage from the torpedo hit was devastating and the ship most likely tore apart.

Memorial plaque in memory of "Armenia"

The bottom of the Black Sea even on this moment, with modern technology very little has been surveyed. And the remains of the ship "Armenia" have not yet been found. And no one knows what was in these ill-fated boxes, which became one of the reasons for the death of 4.5-7 thousand people, the death of first-class Soviet doctors who could save hundreds of soldiers' lives. The sinking of the ship "Armenia" remains one of the most mysterious secrets beginning of the Second World War.

Today, in addition to two festive dates associated with the October Revolution and the parade of 1941, there is another grim anniversary. 75 years ago, as a result of an attack by German torpedo bombers Heinkel-111, the ship "Armenia" was sunk, on board of which, according to various estimates, there were from 4 to 7 thousand people, mostly wounded evacuees from the Crimea and doctors from Sevastopol hospitals. Only 8 people were saved. To this day, there is no complete clarity about how many people died there, why the captain of the ship, despite the order, went to sea and where exactly the ship was sunk. But these are rather historical details that do not cancel the fact of a large-scale tragedy, with which 1941 was so rich.

THE BIGGEST MARINE TRAGEDY OF THE SECOND WORLD: JAVAD STAYED WITH THEM

When you look at old documents and photographs of the war period 1941-1945. one always wants to know more about the people they are connected with. You start looking for relevant information - and the glorious and tragic pages of our history literally come to life before your eyes.

The young man in the photo is Muratkhanov Javad Feyzulla oglu.

He was born in 1914. in Salyan. The Muratkhanov family was famous in this city - Javad's grandfather was a local bailiff. Soon the family moved to Baku and Javad grew up in Icheri Sheher, on the famous Malaya Krepostnaya street. He was fascinated by medicine and after school he graduated from the pharmaceutical faculty of the Azerbaijan State Medical Institute. Then he worked in one of the Baku pharmacies in Bayilovo. I just didn't have time to start a family. The war came and Javad left to defend the Motherland. The family knew that Javad, as a military feldsher-pharmacist, was in the ranks of the 8th separate medical and sanitary battalion of the Black Sea Fleet. His letter home has also been preserved, where the young man asks not to worry about him and not to send him money.

An ordinary letter mentioning all the people close to his heart.

And in January 1942. through the Voroshilov district military commissariat in Baku, Javad's father received a "funeral" for his son signed by the military commissar of the medical and sanitary department of the Black Sea Fleet - "He died at sea on November 7, 1941 in the fight against German fascism."

And that's all - nothing was known about any circumstances of the death of military assistant Muratkhanov. These documents were kindly provided to us by Javad Muratkhanov's niece - Gulnara-khanum Radjabova - the daughter of Javad's sister Lumi-khanum Muratkhanova-Amrakhova. This is the same sister Lumi, whom Javad recalls in a letter. Thanks to information from the Memorial electronic database, we were able to find out where, how and under what circumstances Javad's life ended that day.
He died in a maritime disaster equal to the disaster of five (!) "Titanics", when on November 7, 1941. Ambulance transport "Armenia", on board of which was military assistant Muratkhanov, was sunk as a result of a torpedo attack by German aircraft at the exit from Yalta.

Registration card of Dzhavad Muratkhanov, stored in TsAMO of the USSR

Photo transport "Armenia"

It was a little-known and, perhaps, the most tragic episode of that war at sea. Transport "Armenia" evacuated the wounded and refugees from Yalta, when German troops were already approaching the city and was attacked by a fascist torpedo bomber abeam Gurzuf in the area of Mount Ayu-Dag. As a result of a direct hit by a torpedo, the ship broke and sank. Almost all 7,000 people on board were killed. The death of the transport "Armenia" on November 7, 1941 is one of the most tragic cases of death passenger ships. For comparison, we can mention the Titanic disaster - 1503 dead, the death of the torpedoed Lusitania - 1198 dead.

"Armenia" on the slipway of the shipyard.

Official information about the death of "Armenia" is very scarce. More interesting information gives the "Final report on the combat activities of the Black Sea Fleet in the Second World War of 1941-1945." The third volume of this closed document of the operational department of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters reports that “on November 7, 1941, the Sevastopol Marine Hospital” for 700 beds, the naval hospital of the Black Sea Fleet and its property, the 5th medical a sanitary detachment, a base infirmary, and so on ... the death toll is about 7,000 people, 8 people were saved. After the death of "Armenia", the Black Sea Fleet was left without medical support, and it was necessary to create the main hospital of the Black Sea Fleet No. 40, base hospitals, calling on doctors from the reserve. Loading on one sanitary transport the entire staff of several medical and sanitary institutions was a serious mistake "...

The commander of the vessel was Captain-Lieutenant V.Ya. Plaushevsky. The nominal evacuation capacity of the vessel was 400 people, there was one operating room and 4 dressing rooms for 11 tables. Vessel medical staff: 9 doctors, 29 nurses and 75 orderlies.
Among the members of the medical staff, in addition to Javad Muratkhanov, there were several more of our countrymen:
Akhundov D.A. military doctor of the 3rd rank - surgeon;
Mamedova A.Kh. - pharmacist
Akhundova Sharifa - dentist
In total, before the moment of death, "Armenia" managed to make 15 evacuation flights (mainly from Odessa and Sevastopol) and delivered more than 15,000 people to the Caucasus (an average of 1,000 people per flight).
The vessel was not so large (with a displacement of 6700 tons), and was designed to carry 980 people. But on that day, “Armenia” was packed with people literally like herring in a barrel. Eyewitnesses recall that the passengers stood on the deck, tightly pressed against each other.
In late October - November, panic reigned in Sevastopol. On the morning of November 6, in Sevastopol, boarding of the ship "Armenia" began. It accommodated several hundred wounded soldiers, as well as evacuated citizens. The loading went on in complete disarray, not only did no one write down the last names of those who boarded the ship, their number was not even known exactly. The ship then proceeded to Yalta, where it took on board even more evacuees.

During the stay in Yalta, an order was received from the commander of the fleet that, due to the lack of air cover, the exit of "Armenia" from the port is prohibited until 19:00, that is, until dark. The transport commander Plaushevsky received the order, but at 8.00 on November 7 he took the ship out of Yalta. At sea, "Armenia" was escorted by two patrol boats (a total of four 45-mm guns), and in the air at an altitude of 500 m, two I-153 "Chaika" fighters patrolled.

At 11:25 a.m., the ship was attacked by a single German torpedo bomber He-111 belonging to the 1st squadron of the I / KG28 air group. The aircraft approached from the shore and dropped two torpedoes from a distance of 600 m. One passed by, and the second hit the bow of the ship. The explosion tore the space in the middle of the ship. The ship was divided into compartments so the ship could stay afloat. But the hatches between the compartments, it seems, were opened - the ship was overflowing with the wounded, and they should have been provided with good ventilation. Only this can explain the fact that already four minutes after the explosion, "Armenia" sank. 7 thousand people died. After dropping the torpedoes, the Non-111 went into the clouds and disappeared. The cover fighters did not even have time to react to what was happening.

Only eight were saved - they were picked up by a small patrol boat that accompanied the "Armenia". There was not a single physician among the survivors - they died along with their patients. On "Armenia" there were only seriously wounded fighters who could not move on their own. The walking wounded were then evacuated through a narrow Kerch Strait. The death of "Armenia" became the biggest tragedy at sea during the years of World War II by the anti-Hitler coalition.
Perhaps military paramedic Javad Muratkhanov could have escaped, but as a doctor, soldier and just a man, he preferred not to leave the wounded. Probably, he also thought - what will I say to our guys from Malaya Krepostnaya?

The sinking of the ship "Armenia".

Technical data of the passenger ship "Armenia":

Length - 112.1 m;
Width - 15.5 m;
Board height - 7.7 m;
Displacement - 5770 tons;
The power plant is two diesel engines with a capacity of 4000 liters. with.;
Speed - 14.5 knots (about 27 km / h);
Number of passengers - up to 980 people;
Crew - 96 people;

The official information about the death of the ship "Armenia" is as follows:

"At 1125 hours (November 7, 1941) TR" Armenia ", which was guarding two patrol boats from Yalta to Tuapse with the wounded and passengers, was attacked by an enemy torpedo bomber. One of the two dropped torpedoes hit the bow ship and at 11:29 she sank at w = 44 degrees 15 minutes 5 seconds, d = 34 degrees 17 minutes Eight people were saved, about 5000 people died.

There is also an approximate map-scheme in accordance with the indicated coordinates:

In 2006, at the request of the Ukrainian side, the US Institute of Oceanography and Oceanology under the leadership of Robert Ballard joined the work. The Americans found a lot of interesting objects in the supposed area of the shipwreck, but "Armenia" was never found. Robert Ballard is a well-known personality in the world of marine archeology, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Oceanography, USA. The man who found the Titanic, the battleship Bismarck, the aircraft carrier Yorktown. Having received information about "Armenia", he suspended the search for Atlantis on the island of Santorini and went to the Black Sea on his research vessel "Endever", equipped with modern sonar and remote-controlled robots. The expedition cost the American side $2.5 million.
So, "Armenia" was not found. Did you search there? What do we know?

"Only at 08:00 on November 7, 1941, the medical ship was able to leave and head for Tuapse, ..."
"Only at 8 o'clock in the morning the ship stopped loading and the commander of the "Armenia" captain of the 3rd rank V.Ya.Plaushevsky ordered to give up the mooring lines."

That is, the exit of "Armenia" into the sea occurred at 08-00 on November 7, 1941 from Yalta. What's next? What do eyewitnesses say?
Let us turn to the testimony of a boat boat from a sea hunter MO-04 M.M. Yakovlev.

"On November 7, at about 10 o'clock in the morning, in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Sarych, a German reconnaissance aircraft flew over us, and after a short time over the water, at a low level flight, almost touching the crests of the waves (the weather was stormy, and we were chatting thoroughly), they entered our area two enemy torpedo bombers. One of them began to make a turn for a torpedo attack, and the second went towards Yalta. We could not open fire, since the roll of the boat reached 45 degrees. The torpedo bomber dropped two torpedoes, but missed, and they exploded in the coastal stones of the cape Aya: We were struck by the strength of the explosion - we had never seen a more powerful one before, and almost everyone said at once that if the second torpedo bomber got "Armenia", then she would be unhappy ... And so it happened.

The Tsushima forum http://wap.tsushima4.borda.ru/?1-9-0-00000001-000-0-0 gives a slightly different quote from M.M. Yakovlev's memoirs (or retelling it?):

“Further, the memoirs of the boatman from MO-04 M. M. Yakovlev: “On November 7 at 10 o’clock in the morning, on the way to Tuapse, the ship was attacked by two Heinkel-111s in the area of Cape Sarych. The MO could not fire, the sea was very fresh, the list reached 45 degrees. We went to "Armenia" from two sides: one He-111 from Yalta, and the other from the sea. The first torpedo bomber missed. The second one hit. In about four minutes, the ship sank. "Only 8 people survived."

Cape Sarych appears in both versions. Cape Sarych is located about 40 kilometers from Yalta - if you measure the distance by land, and about 50-55 kilometers if you go by sea. In two hours at full speed (2 hours x 27 km / h = 54 km), "Armenia" could well have reached Cape Sarych. Only here Cape Sarych is located to the WEST from Yalta! And "Armenia was supposed to go EAST - to Tuapse or Novorossiysk. Or shouldn't it? Following Cape Sarych, M.M. Yakovlev mentions Cape Aya, which is located STILL WEST from Yalta! It was about his stones that the torpedoes of the first torpedo bomber exploded. On torpedo bombers type "Ne-111" used torpedoes of the type "F 5w" with a caliber of 450 mm. Their warhead included 170 kilograms of explosives. The range was 3000 meters. In order for such a torpedo to hit the stones at Cape Aya, "Armenia" must located between the torpedo drop point and Cape Aya, but the torpedo drop point must not be further than 3000 meters from the cape, otherwise the torpedo will sink before reaching it.
That is, "Armenia" should be located approximately 2500-2000 meters from Cape Aya.

What's next? If you believe the quote from the Tsushima forum, then the second torpedo bomber attacked almost immediately after the first, or simultaneously with it. If so, then
"Armenia" sank near Laspi. Approximately 2-3 kilometers from the coast.

And if not?

Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky:

“When it became known to me that the transport was going to leave Yalta during the day, I personally gave the order to the commander, in no case should I leave Yalta until 19.00, that is, until dark. We did not have the means to provide good cover for transport from air and sea. Communication worked reliably, the commander received the order and, despite this, left Yalta at 0800. At 1100, he was attacked by torpedo bombers and sunk. After being hit by a torpedo, "Armenia" was afloat for four minutes."

At 11-00, if we proceed from the fact that after 10-00 "Armenia" followed from Yalta at the same speed of 14 knots, it should have been in the area of Cape Fiolent, or somewhat north-west.
And finally, 11-25. At the same speed of 14 knots, we get the place of death of the "Armenia" approximately in the area of \u200b\u200bCape Khersones (to the north, west or south).
Thus we have three possible locations death of "Armenia". All of them are located WESTERN YALTA AND CAPE SARYCH. That is, absolutely not where Robert Ballard was looking for.
Why did "Armenia" end up on its way to Sevastopol and not to Tuapse? Most likely, her captain received an order from the series "smoke down the chimney, roll out dumplings" - to return the staff of the Sevastopol hospitals back. Most likely in pursuance of the following directive:

"DIRECTIVE OF THE STAFF OF THE Supreme Command N 004433 TO THE COMMANDER OF THE TROOPS OF THE CRIMEA, THE BLACK SEA FLEET ON MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN THE DEFENSE OF THE CRIMEA

Copy: People's Commissar of the Navy. November 7, 1941 02:00
In order to pin down the enemy forces in the Crimea and prevent him from entering the Caucasus through the Taman Peninsula, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command orders:

1. The main task of the Black Sea Fleet is to consider the active defense of Sevastopol and the Kerch Peninsula by all means.
2. Do not surrender Sevastopol in any case and defend it with all your might.
3. Keep all three old cruisers and old destroyers in Sevastopol. From this composition, form a mobile detachment for operations in the Feodosiya Gulf in support of the troops occupying the Ak-Monai positions.
4. Detachment of the Azov flotilla to support the troops of the Ak-Monai position from the north.
5. Battleships, new cruisers based in Novorossiysk, using for operations against the coast occupied by the enemy, and strengthening the detachment of old ships. Destroyer basing at your discretion.
6. Part of the FOR from the abandoned areas to use to strengthen the air defense of Novorossiysk.
7. Organize and ensure the transportation to Sevastopol and Kerch of troops retreating to Yalta, Alushta and Sudak.
8. Fighters, attack aircraft and part of the ICBM aircraft should be left in Sevastopol and Kerch, the rest of the aircraft should be used from airfields of the North Caucasus Military District for night strikes on airfields, bases and enemy troops in the Crimea.
9. Evacuate everything valuable, but not necessary for defense, from Sevastopol and Kerch to the Caucasus.
10. Lead the defense of Sevastopol to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Comrade Oktyabrsky, with subordination to you. The deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet should have a naval fleet in Tuapse.
11. You are in Kerch.
12. For the direct leadership of the defense of the Kerch Peninsula, appoint Lieutenant General Batov.

I. STALIN B. SHAPOSHNIKOV N. KUZNETSOV"

There are no other logical explanations for the return of "Armenia". All sorts of versions about "gold in bullion", "NKVD officers" - for orphans and the poor, who were not cured with haloperidol, or were released from "House-2" for exemplary idiotic behavior.
Since "Armenia" did not reach Sevastopol, the order was "healed". Or maybe it wasn't in writing. Quite often verbal orders are given, and in the event of the death of the one who received the oral order, the one who gave the order may not admit that such an order was. Especially if there are people who start persistently asking questions.

One way or another, but Laspi, and Fiolent, and Kazachka are three famous beach Crimea - can be, in fact, the outskirts of a mass grave for several thousand people. However, both Kazachka and Fiolent are already such - if you remember last days defense of Sevastopol in July 1942. In this regard, much more ethical, although less safe, in sanitary terms are city beaches located inside the Sevastopol Bay. But the topic of beaches is not the topic of this article, it just so happens that the place of death of "Armenia" is most likely located not far from the coast.

How to explain the small number of those saved? Wind from the coast towards the sea and minefields, cold water(November 7) and great excitement at sea ("... the roll of the boat reached 45 degrees ..."). How to explain the rapid time of the death of the ship - 4 minutes? His design. A large number of passenger cabins along the entire side of the ship provides for long corridors along the entire ship. Given the rough seas, as well as the fact that German torpedoes often did not hold depth and jumped to the surface, a torpedo hole could be at or above the waterline, which contributed not only to the flooding of the bow holds, but to the rapid spread of water throughout the ship. Passenger overload several times higher than the norm must have created difficulties for the crew in the fight for survivability.
Should the search for "Armenia" continue, or should the exact location of her death remain unknown? This is more of a political issue than an ethical one. If we still want to turn into ruminant cattle, eating popcorn and contemplating the next "superman" in tight blue tights, there is no point in looking for a lost ship. If our history is important to us and we value it, "Armenia" must be found.

Motor ship "Armenia"

With the outbreak of World War II, the countries involved in the confrontation with Germany used all possible resources, including passenger and cargo ships. They were rebuilt into ambulances to transport the wounded. During the war, three ships of the Baltic Shipyard were sunk, but the biggest secret is hidden by the loss motor ship "Armenia".

Memorial plaque in memory of "Armenia"

The bottom of the Black Sea, even at the moment, with modern technologies, is very little explored. And the remains of the ship "Armenia" have not yet been found. And no one knows what was in these ill-fated boxes, which became one of the reasons for the death of 4.5-7 thousand people, the death of first-class Soviet doctors who could save hundreds of soldiers' lives. The death of the ship "Armenia" remained one of the most mysterious mysteries of the beginning of the Second World War.

The death of the passenger liner Titanic, which in April 1912 claimed the lives of about 1,500 people, became a symbol of large-scale disasters at sea.

In fact, the Titanic is not even included in the top thirty maritime disasters since the largest number victims. Most terrible tragedies of this kind occurred during the Second World War, when transports with thousands of people went to the bottom, not only military personnel, but also women, the elderly and children.

On November 7, 1941, the Soviet ship "Armenia" was lost in the Black Sea, on board of which there were several thousand people. The tragedy of "Armenia" to this day remains one of the "blank spots" of the Great Patriotic War, since many questions in this story have not been answered.

In the mid-1920s, when the country had somewhat recovered from the shock civil war, the government thought about the development of civil shipbuilding. In 1927, at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad, the construction of the Adzharia motor ship, the lead ship of the series of the first Soviet ships, was completed. passenger liners. In 1928, at the same Baltic Shipyard, work was completed on five more ships of this project: Crimea, Georgia, Abkhazia, Ukraine and Armenia.

"Armenia" was a vessel 107.7 meters long, 15.5 meters wide, with a side height of 7.84 meters and a displacement of 5770 tons. The ship was served by a crew of 96 people. The ship could simultaneously take on board up to 950 passengers.

"Armenia", like other vessels of the project, was intended for transportation between the ports of the Crimea and the Caucasus. The ships coped with their task perfectly, having a very decent speed of 14.5 knots for their dimensions.

floating hospital

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, "Armenia" was "called up" for military service. At the Odessa Shipyard, she was urgently converted into a floating hospital, designed to transport and provide emergency care to 400 wounded.

On August 10, 1941, "Armenia" began to fulfill its new duties. The captain of the vessel was Vladimir Plaushevsky, the chief doctor of the floating hospital was appointed military doctor of the 2nd rank, Peter Dmitrievsky. Until recently, the head physician was a civilian and worked in one of the hospitals in Odessa.

The situation at the front was depressing. Five days before the "Armenia" officially became a medical ship, the enemy came close to Odessa. The ship had to evacuate from the besieged city not only the wounded, but also civilian refugees. Then "Armenia" began to take out the wounded from Sevastopol. By the beginning of October, the ship had transported about 15,000 people to the mainland.

By the end of October 1941, a catastrophic situation had developed in the Crimea. Manstein's eleventh army, sweeping away the Soviet lines of defense, occupied one city after another. The threat of the fall of Sevastopol for several days was more than real.
Under these conditions, on November 4, 1941, "Armenia" left the port of Tuapse in the direction of Sevastopol. On board was a replenishment for the garrison of the main base of the fleet. “Armenia” reached Sevastopol safely. On November 5, Captain Plaushevsky receives an order: to take on board not only the wounded, but also the personnel of all hospitals and medical institutions of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as part of the medical staff of the Primorsky Army.

Thousands of refugees and secret cargo

Taking into account the fact that at that moment the battles for Sevastopol were just unfolding, the order looked somewhat strange. Who will save the lives of the wounded?

Historians who have studied this issue believe that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Philip Oktyabrsky, considered the fate of the city a foregone conclusion and decided to begin the evacuation.

But on November 7, 1941, Oktyabrsky received a directive from the Headquarters, which said: "Do not surrender Sevastopol in any case and defend it with all your might."

However, until November 7, there were no orders from Moscow yet, because "Armenia" took on board the evacuated doctors and not only them. The actors of the local theater named after Lunacharsky, the leadership and staff of the pioneer camp "Artek" and many others got on board.

There were no exact lists of those who boarded the "Armenia". Captain Plaushevsky received another order: after loading in Sevastopol, go to Yalta, where to take on board refugees and local party activists. Already after the departure from Sevastopol, an additional order came: to go to Balaklava and pick up a special cargo. The boxes were brought on board accompanied by NKVD officers. Perhaps it was gold or valuables from the Crimean museums.

"The brave climbed onto the ship along the shrouds"

Here the ship was waiting for crowds of refugees. Here is what Vera Chistova, who was 9 years old in 1941, recalled about this: “Dad bought tickets, and my grandmother and I had to leave Yalta on the ship Armenia. On the night of November 6, the pier was full of people. First, the wounded were loaded, then the civilians were let in. Nobody checked the tickets, and a stampede began on the gangway. The brave climbed onto the ship along the shrouds. In the bustle, suitcases and things were thrown off the board. By dawn, the loading was completed. But we never got to Armenia. Hundreds of people remained on the pier. My grandmother and I went to my father's workshop on the embankment. I fell asleep there."

At that moment, those who remained on board the "Armenia" seemed lucky. In fact, everything was exactly the opposite.

How many people by that time were on "Armenia"? According to the most conservative estimates, about 3,000 people. The upper limit is 10,000 people. Most likely, the truth is somewhere in between, and there were between 5,500 and 7,000 people on board. And this despite the fact that even in its "passenger" version, the ship was designed for only 950 people.

In fact, "Armenia" could have successfully evacuated a similar number of people if it had departed from Yalta at night. But the loading was completed around 7 o'clock in the morning.

Going out to sea during the day with virtually no cover was tantamount to suicide. Admiral Oktyabrsky later wrote that the captain of the "Armenia" received a strict order to stay in the port until the evening, but violated it.

But Captain Plaushevsky, in fact, had no choice. The port of Yalta, unlike Sevastopol, did not have a powerful air defense system, which means that ships here became an excellent target for aviation. In addition, German motorized units were already on their way to the city and occupied it in just a few hours.

The ship sank in 4 minutes

Before talking about what happened next, it should be noted that historians have not yet decided whether "Armenia" can be considered a legitimate military target.

According to the laws of war, a medical ship bearing the appropriate identification marks does not apply to those. Some argue that "Armenia" was marked with a red cross, which means that the attack on the ship is another crime of the Nazis. Others object: “Armenia” violated its status by the presence of four 45-mm anti-aircraft guns on board. Still others are completely sure that the ship, which was engaged not only in transporting the wounded and refugees, but also military cargo, did not have signs of a sanitary ship.

As a cover, "Armenia" was accompanied by two patrol boats, and in the sky there were two Soviet fighter I-153.

The circumstances of the fatal attack on the ship are also contradictory. For a long time it was believed that "Armenia" was the victim of an attack by several dozen bombers. One of the surviving passengers, a resident of Yalta, Anastasia Popova, spoke about this: “Going out to sea, the ship was attacked by enemy aircraft. A living hell has begun. Bomb explosions, panic, screams of people - everything was mixed up in an indescribable nightmare. People rushed about the deck, not knowing where to hide from the fire. I jumped into the sea and swam to the shore, losing consciousness. I don't even remember how I ended up on the beach.

However, today the version that there was only one aircraft seems more reliable: the German He-111 torpedo bomber, which belonged to the first squadron of the I / KG28 air group. This was not a targeted attack on "Armenia": the torpedo bomber was looking for any of the Soviet transport ships on the Crimea-Caucasus line.

Entering from the coast, Non-111 dropped two torpedoes. One passed by, and the second at 11 hours and 25 minutes hit the bow of the ship.

"Armenia" sank in just four minutes. Only eight of those on board were saved. The bottom of the Black Sea became the grave for thousands.

Could not be found

The riddles of "Armenia" do not end there. 75 years after the tragedy, the exact place of the death of the ship has not been found.

The official report on the death of “Armenia” reads: “At 11.25 am (November 7, 1941) TR“ Armenia ”, which was guarding two patrol boats from Yalta to Tuapse with wounded and passengers, was attacked by an enemy torpedo bomber. One of the two dropped torpedoes hit the bow of the ship and at 1129 hours she sank at w = 44 degrees 15 minutes. 5 sec., d = 34 gr. 17 min. Eight people were saved, about 5,000 people died.

The alleged place of the death of the ship was studied repeatedly. In 2006, Robert Ballard, who found the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic, joined the search. In Ukraine, it was reported that "Armenia" was about to be found, but this did not happen. No traces of the wrecked ship were found.

There is an assumption that the real place of the death of "Armenia" is not where indicated in the documents. According to this version, Captain Plaushevsky sent the ship not to Tuapse, but to Sevastopol, under the protection of the air defense of the fleet base, but was attacked by a torpedo bomber along the way.

This, however, is only an assumption, like much else in the history of the death of "Armenia".

It will be possible to reveal all the secrets only when last resort the ship will still be found.

THE BIGGEST MARINE TRAGEDY OF THE SECOND WORLD: JAVAD STAYED WITH THEM

When you look at old documents and photographs from the 1941-1945 war period, you always want to know more about the people with whom they are associated. You start looking for relevant information - and the glorious and tragic pages of our history literally come to life before your eyes.

The young man in the photo is Muratkhanov Javad Feyzulla oglu.

He was born in 1914. in Salyan. The Muratkhanov family was famous in this city - Javad's grandfather was a local bailiff. Soon the family moved to Baku and Javad grew up in Icheri Sheher, on the famous Malaya Krepostnaya Street. He was fascinated by medicine and after school he graduated from the pharmaceutical faculty of the Azerbaijan State Medical Institute. Then he worked in one of the Baku pharmacies in Bayilovo. I just didn't have time to start a family. The war came and Javad left to defend the Motherland. The family knew that Javad, as a military paramedic-pharmacist, was in the ranks of the 8th separate medical and sanitary battalion of the Black Sea Fleet. His letter home has also been preserved, where the young man asks not to worry about him and not to send him money.

An ordinary letter mentioning all the people close to his heart.

Thanks to information from the Memorial electronic database, we were able to find out where, how and under what circumstances Javad's life ended that day.

He died in a maritime disaster equal to the disaster of five (!) "Titanics", when on November 7, 1941. Ambulance transport "Armenia", on board of which was military assistant Muratkhanov, was sunk as a result of a torpedo attack by German aircraft at the exit from Yalta.

Registration card of Dzhavad Muratkhanov, stored in TsAMO of the USSR

"Armenia" on the slipway of the shipyard.

Official information about the death of "Armenia" is very scarce. More interesting information is given by the “Final Report on the Combat Activities of the Black Sea Fleet in the Second World War of 1941-1945”. The third volume of this closed document of the operational department of the Black Sea Fleet headquarters reports that “on November 7, 1941, the Sevastopol Marine Hospital” for 700 beds, the naval hospital of the Black Sea Fleet and its property, the 5th medical a sanitary detachment, a base infirmary, and so on ... the death toll is about 7,000 people, 8 people were saved. After the death of "Armenia", the Black Sea Fleet was left without medical support, and it was necessary to create the main hospital of the Black Sea Fleet No. 40, base hospitals, calling on doctors from the reserve. Loading on one sanitary transport the entire staff of several medical and sanitary institutions was a serious mistake "...

Among the members of the medical staff, in addition to Javad Muratkhanov, there were several more of our countrymen:

Akhundov D.A. military doctor of the 3rd rank - surgeon;
Mamedova A.Kh. - pharmacist
Akhundova Sharifa - dentist

In total, before the moment of death, "Armenia" managed to make 15 evacuation flights (mainly from Odessa and Sevastopol) and delivered more than 15,000 people to the Caucasus (an average of 1,000 people per flight).

The vessel was not so large (with a displacement of 6700 tons), and was designed to carry 980 people. But on that day, “Armenia” was packed with people literally like herring in a barrel. Eyewitnesses recall that the passengers stood on the deck, tightly pressed against each other. savash-az.

Perhaps military paramedic Javad Muratkhanov could have escaped, but as a doctor, soldier and just a man, he preferred not to leave the wounded. Probably, he also thought - what will I say to our guys from Malaya Krepostnaya? ...

Chapel in Yalta, dedicated to those who died on the ship

The death of the transport "Armenia" on November 7, 1941 is one of the most tragic cases of the death of passenger ships.