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The ''Admiral Nakhimov'', originally named '''''Berlin III''''', was a ship that was Shipwreck ed on August 31 , 1986 with high loss of life. THE SHIP The ''Berlin III'' was built by Bremer Vulkan at Vegesack, Germany and was completed in March of 1925 . The ship was 572 feet long, had four decks and weighed 15,286 gross tons. She originally operated the Bremen - Southampton - Cherbourg - New York City run for the North German Lloyd Line. On November 12 , 1928 , the ''Berlin'' rescued the passengers and crew of the liner ''Vestris'', which sank off the coast of Virginia en route from New York to Barbados . An estimated 113 people died in the sinking. The ''Berlin'' was chartered by the Nazis in 1939 as a workers' cruising ship and was used as a Hospital Ship later on in World War II . The ''Berlin'' was sunk by a mine off Świnoujście Bay, Poland (at that time Swinemünde in German Pomerania ), on February 1 , 1945 . She was refloated and Salvaged by the Soviets in 1949 and renamed ''Admiral Nakhimov''. After her conversion, she weighed 17,053 gross tons. She entered passenger service for the Baltic Steamship Company in 1957 . The ''Admiral Nakhimov'' was named after Admiral Pavel Nakhimov , a czarist naval commander who was killed in the Crimean War in 1855 . During the peak summer travel season, the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' operated the Black Sea between Odessa and Batumi , a six-day round trip. She carried an average of 1,000 people per voyage. She was the flagship of the Black Sea passenger fleet for several years until more modern liners entered service. THE SINKING At 10:00 p.m. on August 31 , 1986 , the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' sailed from Novorossiysk en route to Sochi , its next stop. There were 888 passengers and 346 crew members aboard. Most of the passengers were Ukrainian , with others from Moldava , the Baltic republics and Central Asia . The captain of the ship was Vadim Markov. Just minutes into the voyage, the ship's pilot noticed that the large bulk carrier ''Pyotr Vasev'' was on a collision course with the ''Admiral Nakhimov''. The ''Pyotr Vasev'' was a Japanese -built, 18,604-ton Freighter recently acquired by the Soviet Union, and was carrying a cargo of Oat s and Barley . The pilot radioed a warning to the ''Pyotr Vasev'', and the freighter responded, "Don't worry. We will pass clear of each other. We will take care of everything." Despite the message, Captain Viktor Tkachenko of the ''Pyotr Vasev'' did nothing to slow his ship or change course. Convinced that the freighter would pass without incident, Captain Markov of the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' retired to his cabin, leaving his second mate in charge. The pilot of the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' continued to warn the freighter, and the Dispatcher at Novorossiysk radioed repeated warnings to both ships. When it was clear that the freighter was headed directly for the ship, the ''Pyotr Vasev'''s engines were thrown in reverse. The ''Admiral Nakhimov'' turned hard to port, but it was too late. At 11:12 p.m., the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' was struck by the ''Pyotr Vasev'' eight miles from the port at Novorossiysk and two miles from shore line. While many passengers had gone to bed by this time, some were on deck listening and dancing to a Jazz Band . They could only watch helplessly as the freighter rammed into the Starboard side of the ship at a speed of about 5 Knots (9.269 km/h). The ''Admiral Nakhimov'' continued forward with the freighter's bow in its side, ripping a 900 square foot (84 m²) hole in the hull between the engine and boiler rooms. The ''Admiral Nakhimov'' immediately took on a list on her starboard side, and her lights went out upon impact. After a few seconds, the emergency Diesel Generator powered on, but the lights went out again two minutes later, plunging the sinking ship into darkness. People below decks found themselves lost in the dark and rapidly canting hallways. There was no time to launch the Lifeboat s. Hundreds of people dove into the oily water, clinging to Lifejacket s, barrels and pieces of debris. The ''Admiral Nakhimov'' sank in only seven minutes. Rescue ships began arriving just 10 minutes after the ship went down. The ''Pyotr Vasev'' was not badly damaged, and assisted in the rescue effort. Sixty-four rescue ships and 20 Helicopter s rushed to the scene, and 836 people were pulled from the water. Some people were so slick with fuel Oil that they could not keep hold of the hands of their rescuers. Sailors had to jump into the water to save people. Passengers and crew had had little time to escape, and 423 of the 1,234 on board perished. Sixty-four of those killed were crew members and 359 were passengers. THE INVESTIGATION The Soviet government formed a commission of inquiry to investigate the disaster. It was determined that both Captain Markov of the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' and Captain Tkachenko of the ''Pyotr Vasev'' had violated navigational safety rules. Despite repeated orders to let the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' pass, Tkachenko refused to slow his ship. Captain Markov had gone to bed when he was most urgently needed on the bridge. Both men were found guilty of criminal Negligence and sentenced to 15 years in Prison . The wreck of the ''Admiral Nakhimov'' lies on its starboard side in 150 feet of water in Tsemes Bay off Novorossiysk. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINK
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