Practical study of the monument to sunken ships. The symbol of Sevastopol is the monument to the Sunken Ships

The main attraction of Sevastopol, its calling card, or rather its symbol, is the famous “Sunken Ships” monument. A unique place that arouses genuine interest among everyone who comes near it.

Foundation background

It all started in the first month of autumn 1854, when Soviet soldiers were defeated in the Battle of Alma. The Anglo-French fleet intended to penetrate the Sevastopol Bay and conquer the city. Vice Admiral Kornilov made the only correct and rational decision at that time - to sink the ships. He expressed his idea to Menshikov, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet and the legendary Admiral Nakhimov.

They, in turn, supported Kornilov, and Menshikov gave the order to scuttle the old sailing frigates, naturally having first removed their equipment and guns. On the evening of September 11, 1854, the first seven ships sank. In the spring of 1855, six more ships were sunk. The first defense of Sevastopol lasted a whole year. Many soldiers died, but the goal was achieved - the enemy could not achieve his goal. This means that all the sacrifices were not in vain.

Founding history

Exactly fifty years later, thanks to the Estonian sculptor A. Adamson, architect Feldman and engineer Enberg, a monument to the Sunken Ships appeared 23 meters from the site. Initially, it was planned to name the monument completely differently. More than 10 options were proposed, but none of them took root. At the same time, the modern name for the monument was assigned only 25 years later, in 1930. In my opinion, it was not even worth putting forward other versions. The name is eloquent and fully justified.

It is worth noting an important feature of the monument - it, so to speak, is not subject to any adversity or vicissitudes of fate. Neither the strongest waves of the Black Sea during strong storms, nor the terrible Yalta earthquake of 1927 could destroy it. During it, the famous one was injured. Not even the long Great Patriotic War.

Architectural features

The base of the monument has an octagonal shape and is made of granite. A snow-white column made of diorite and marble holds a bronze capital, on which a double-headed eagle is “comfortably” located. The height of the column itself, without the man-made granite cape, is 7 meters. The total height of the monument is more than 16 meters. And the wingspan of the bronze eagle is almost three meters. His gaze is turned to the sea, and an anchor and an oak and laurel wreath are securely fastened in his beak.

Since 1969, the symbol of Sevastopol has been included in the city’s coat of arms, and since 2016 it has been “flaunted” on the hundred-ruble banknote. On the base of the monument there is an inscription: “In memory of the ships... to block the entrance to the roadstead.” And on the bas-reliefs there are battle scenes and a map of Sevastopol Bay. On the shore protection structure there are two anchors removed from tragically lost ships.

The further fate of the sunken ships

Many tourists are interested in the question: “Are the ships sunk off the coast of Sevastopol during the first defense of the city still at the bottom?” I won’t hide that I was also interested in this question, and I found the answer to it. No - there have been no ships there for a long time. They began to be raised from the bottom two years after the significant events.

By the way, some ships were repaired and continued to serve. True, most of them ended up being recycled. The cleansing of Sevastopol Bay from hero ships took place over more than 10 years. Today the water area in these places is clean.

How to get to the Sunken Ships Monument

Getting to the attraction is not difficult, either by bus, minibus or trolleybus. Not to mention your own car. If you go by bus or minibus, take number 12, 16 or 117. By trolleybus – 5, 12 or 13. In both cases, get off at the “Admiral Nakhimov Square” stop. Two to three minutes and you are there.

Autotourists are guided by the map. The exact coordinates and map are at the bottom of the post, under the photo. Many travelers go here on foot to explore other significant places of the famous hero city of the Crimean Peninsula along the way.

Photo

One of the most mysterious and amazing monuments is the monument to the Sunken Ships in. The image of this monument is rightfully considered the emblem of the city; it can also be seen on the modern coat of arms of Sevastopol.

There are always a lot of people near the monument to the Sunken Ships, everyone tries to take a photo as a souvenir against the backdrop of the monument to the Sunken Ships, but few people know its amazing history.

Monument to the Sunken Ships - historical events that prompted its creation

In September 1854, a huge army of allies landed near Yevpatoria, which included the British, French, Turks, and Italians. In an unequal battle on the Alma River, the Russians lost, and a real threat of the enemy fleet breaking through to the internal roadstead loomed over the city of Sevastopol. The forces were again unequal: the enemy had steamships, while we had mostly old wooden sailing ships.

In addition, when testing the effectiveness of the Sevastopol coastal batteries, a nuisance occurred: a small merchant ship, specially turned into a target, was sent to drift, being shot at from all coastal guns. But the scow received only minor damage, but noticeable cracks appeared in the forts from the shots!

At the military council on September 9, 1854, Chief of Staff Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov called for going out to the open sea and attacking enemy ships with all his might, and, if necessary, going on board and dying with glory, blowing himself up along with the enemy armada. “We will always have time to die,” objected other members of the council. Is it possible to use the famous Suvorov trick?

And then the commander of the battleship “Selafail”, Captain 1st Rank Zorin, decided to dare to voice to the command an original idea that had already been discussed on the sidelines: what if some of the old ships were sunk across the entrance to the bay? And the sailors will go ashore to defend Sevastopol on the bastions!

Hiding a strong trembling in his voice, Zorin proposed to be the first to sink his own ship. Vice Admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov immediately agreed with him. However, Kornilov was adamant: let his own warships sink? He can't do that!

And only after the voiced threat of the commander-in-chief, Prince Alexander Menshikov, who, in case of disobedience, ordered Kornilov to surrender his powers and leave the city. Vladimir Alekseevich reluctantly stated:

It’s sad to destroy your many years of work: a lot of effort was spent to keep the ships, doomed to destruction, in enviable order, but it is necessary to submit to fate. Moscow burned, but Rus' did not die from it.

So, in order to block the paths of enemy ships, it was decided to lower sailing ships that had been in many naval battles to the bottom across the fairway. All heavy guns were removed and sent ashore, they were used to reinforce batteries and redoubts.

Some of these cannons can still be seen today, for example, on the site where, during the first defense of Sevastopol, the legendary 4th Bastion was located, among whose commander was artillery officer Lev Tolstoy.

Nakhimov wrote in the order for the squadron:

I am in need to scuttle the ships of the squadron entrusted to me and attach the remaining crews with boarding weapons to the garrison. I am confident in my teams that each of them will fight like a hero.

This prediction came true absolutely completely. The crews of the sunken military ships joined the ranks of the defenders of the city of Sevastopol. And the first of the galaxy of famous admirals to die tragically was Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov, bequeathing to his comrades:

Defend Sevastopol!

At the seven buoys that marked the places of their last deployments, the legendary fleet veterans anchored: the ships “Selafail”, “Silistria”, “Uriel”, “Three Saints” and “Varna”. All ships were positioned strictly from north to south, between the Konstantinovskaya and Aleksandrovskaya batteries.

Closer to the northern shore, the frigate “Sizopol” was sunk, and to the southern shore, the frigate “Flora”. On the night of September 11, 1854, teams of ship carpenters broke through the bottoms with axes, and on some ships specially installed powder charges were exploded.

But not all the old ships sank immediately. For example, the ship “Three Saints” somehow miraculously held on until the morning. The enemies were greatly shocked by the news of the barrage! They canceled the attack on the northern side and decided to take a detour. At that time, our troops were strengthening batteries along the entire coast. That is why the sunken ships cannot be considered a loss, since they blocked the path to victory for the enemy front.

Even the strong advantage of the attackers could not bring them success. The naval attack of the Sevastopol batteries undertaken by the Allied forces ended in failure. Amazingly, even after being at the bottom, the flotilla continued to fight!

The masts of sunken Russian ships broke the enemy's bottoms, and the fire of the coastal forts completed the job. Many enemy ships received severe damage and hastened to be out of range of Russian artillery shots.

One of the most unconventional military decisions - the sinking of our own warships - turned out to be the only correct one: the allied fleet, which was many times superior to Russia both in numbers and in equipment, was unable to capture the main bay of Sevastopol and significantly lost its dangerous advantage.

The extent to which the ships lying at the bottom interfered with the enemies is most eloquently illustrated by the fact that in November 1854, the English steamship Prince carried a team of divers and special mines that were going to be used to destroy the sunken ships. But the “Prince” itself sank during a severe storm off the coast

The elements did not spare the defensive line of the Sevastopol defenders: due to the partial destruction of the underwater barrier, two more ships were sunk in November-December - the ship "Gabriel" and the corvette "Pilad".

Another strong storm, which broke out in February 1855, also played into the hands of the enemies, scattering the orderly line of our “underwater defense.” Therefore, he recognized the need to sink several more old ships:

If enemy ships establish themselves in the roadstead, then in addition to losing the city of Sevastopol and the fleet, we will lose all hope in the future; Having Sevastopol, we will have a fleet... and without Sevastopol it is impossible to have a fleet on the Black Sea. This axiom clearly proves the need to decide on various measures in order to block the entrance of enemy ships to the roadstead and thereby save Sevastopol.

This was the reason for the creation of the second underwater “line”. In February 1855, other ships sank to the bottom of the Sevastopol Bay between the Mikhailovskaya and Nikolaevskaya batteries - the Twelve Apostles, Rostislav, Svyatoslav, the frigates Kagul, Messembria and Midia.

It was on the site of the second line of flooding of ships, 23 meters from the shore, that a monument was erected in 1905 - to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the unprecedented defense of Sevastopol, which lasted a total of 11 months!

All newspapers wrote with respect about the great feat of the valiant warriors who held the defense, even those states that tried with all their might to wipe out the invincible bastions from the face of the earth. The city's 349-day heroic epic made the city's defenders famous throughout the world.

Monument to the Sunken Ships - planning and creation

At first it was planned to install the monument on the site of the first line of flooding of ships, that is, near the Konstantinovsky ravelin. However, the government commission considered that erecting two monuments was too expensive for the treasury. Its strict members, headed by Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, carefully assessed the projects of leading engineers and architects.

The author of the best of them was recognized as the head of the service of the Sevastopol fortress, engineer-lieutenant colonel Friedrich-Oscar Enberg, who proposed installing the monument directly in the sea. It is worth noting that it was he who designed the world famous building of the Sevastopol

It was decided to make the column round and erect it on a granite cliff by the architect and artist Valentin Feldman, the author of the designs for many Orthodox churches in Crimea and some buildings in Sevastopol. Around the middle of 1903, the Estonian sculptor Amandus Heinrich Adamson was involved in the final stage of development and implementation of all plans. By the way, it was he who left his signature on the monument, or rather on the bronze bas-relief depicting the sinking of ships.

When the war ended, 20 ships (!) were recovered from the bottom of the Sevastopol Bay, repaired and returned to service, but most were already too dilapidated and were scrapped.

Cleaning up the bays dragged on for several decades. Experienced divers claim that now the bottom of the bay is a real labyrinth of the remains of ships from all eras; many unexploded mines and bombs are hidden in the thickness of the silt, so touching this “underwater debris” is extremely dangerous.

Over the very long history of the Black Sea, the bottom of this bay has risen and fallen more than once, so its relief is extremely complex, it is replete with shoals, which in naval parlance are called “banks”. Many of them have chosen the colonies of mussels living here. According to legend, the monument to the Sunken Ships stands on this sandbank.

Opposite the monument to the Sunken Ships, restaurants, cafes and buffets served lunch and dinner during public celebrations. The advertisement read: “From 1 to 6 o’clock - lunches of 3 courses - 78 kopecks, of 4 - 1 ruble. An open terrace overlooking the sea and the Great Roadstead.” The restaurant in the yacht club building and the buffet run by the experienced head waiter Georges enjoyed particular favor with the public.

Now there is no trace left of the restaurants, wars and inexorable time have repeatedly changed the appearance of Primorsky Boulevard, but only one thing remains unchanged - the monument beloved by the townspeople. Anyone who has ever visited is familiar with its memorable appearance: a slender Corinthian column topped with a bronze double-headed eagle with outstretched wings.

Monument to the Sunken Ships - the meaning of the symbols depicted on it

Despite the fact that this monument is one of the most popular tourist sites and is depicted on the modern coat of arms of Sevastopol, it is still shrouded in an aura of mystery and is the subject of controversy and unexpected discoveries.

The strange thing is that the pedestal is turned “facing” the sea, that is, it can be seen in all its glory only from the side of the water area, and not from the shore. Why is that? Most likely, this is the meaning of the monument: it is addressed not to “land” tourists, but to the sea - to the place from which the first heroic, unprecedented defense of the city began.

A double-headed eagle holds a wreath in its beaks. One half of it is woven from laurel leaves, symbolizing glory, victory, triumph, purification, and the second is from oak leaves with acorns, representing perseverance, maturity, potential and self-confidence.

A sea anchor hanging on a chain is chained to the top of the wreath. The eagle is crowned with a large imperial crown with a cross. However, during the Soviet years they were not too lazy to cut down the cross. They planned to change it to a star and equip it with an electric light bulb! Fortunately, the project did not take place.

In 2003, the cross on the crown appeared again, but not the St. George Cross, as it should be, but rather the Latin one... But on the eagle’s chest the image of St. George the Victorious was preserved. On the embankment side, the upper part of the pedestal is decorated with a bronze bas-relief depicting ships going to the bottom.

Below it, on the granite slabs, are the words:

IN MEMORY OF THE SHIPS SINKED IN 1854 and 1855 TO BARRIER THE ENTRANCE TO THE RAID.

On the sea side, a bronze mast of a sailing ship protruding from the sea waves was previously fixed. But it was torn down by a storm in 1975, and has not yet been restored.

The entire history of the legendary monument of the Sunken Ships is a continuous struggle with the elements. Sea waves have been crashing against the pedestal for more than 100 years. The sea inexorably torments the granite, washes out caverns in the stone, and strives to “gnaw off” the bronze parts of the monument. Even swimmers threatened the symbol of the city, because for many decades there was a city beach opposite the monument.

Vacationers often climbed onto the pedestal and even threw stones off it to create “baths” for themselves at the foot of the column. You often hear from old-timers of Sevastopol that opposite the monument to the Sunken Ships, there was a source of fresh water directly from the sea, to which the guys dived, squeezing between the underwater rocks.

One day, an unlucky diver got stuck, and after he was pulled out with great difficulty, the grotto with the spring was filled with concrete to avoid repeated accidents.

Monument to Sunken Ships during the Great Patriotic War

The monument itself underwent serious repairs several times, especially its underwater part, which suffered the most, so divers had to get down to business.

During the Great Patriotic War, a bronze bas-relief was pierced by bullets, the base of the column and the capital were damaged, fragmentation and bullet holes appeared in the wings of the eagle, as well as in the crown and on the column.

The monument was the first to meet its enemy: early in the morning of June 22, 1941, a mine dropped from a fascist plane exploded next to it. The second, which never exploded, was discovered by divers not far from it in July 2005. During the Great Patriotic War, bombs and shells continuously fell into the bay.

And on May 9, 1944, the forward detachments of the Red Army, approaching closer to the embankment, saw a miraculously surviving monument, next to which a flaming enemy tanker was smoking. How did the monument manage to survive?!

He still keeps his secrets. For example, few people know that due to the outbreak of the Russian-Japanese War, its grand opening did not take place. And then - revolutions and again wars... Therefore, this is one of those few monuments in the world that has not been officially opened.

Swims at the Sunken Ships Monument

Sevastopol mathematics teacher Vladimir Saltanov, who devoted a lot of research to the monument, counted 17 titles that guidebook authors and journalists awarded it over the years. The first name that the construction commission announced was: “Monument to the Sinking of Ships.”

One of the old residents of the city, Vladimir Kogan, often tells a story from his youth that in post-war Sevastopol there was an organization called DOSFLOT, which stood for “Voluntary Society for Assistance to the Fleet.”

“Thanks to her, Sevastopol youth learned the skills of sailing and oars for free. Almost every institution and educational institution in the city had its own rowing team, which regularly competed.

It was considered especially chic for young guys to slip at full speed into the five-meter “gap” between the shore and the monument to the Sunken Ships. This required very great skill, since numerous pitfalls awaited the daredevils, and the monument itself stands on a dead oyster “bank.” There were usually six people in a sailing boat: the lookout, the helmsman and the rowers.

One day, the commander of one of the boats decided to impress a girl he knew. He put her in the boat, and he and his comrades went to disperse.

But the absent-mindedness of the guy in love led to disastrous consequences: having hit a stone at the foot of the monument with all his might, the ship cracked, the mast tilted, and the girl miraculously remained alive, and all the participants in the “swim” swallowed plenty of salt water. It is not known how the relationship between the lovers would have developed, but the groom was demoted from the commanders of the boat.”

In 2007, the monument was repaired with funds from the Moscow government, and climbers Valery Knysh and Dmitry Radulov boldly climbed the bronze eagle. They sealed a 30-centimeter crack at the base of the right wing with special glue.

However, it should be understood that such a “patch” will not last long. In a word, the monument to the Sunken Ships awaits its restorers and serious research.

Erected in memory of the ships sacrificed to cover Sevastopol from enemy attacks from the sea.

A few meters from the embankment of Primorsky Boulevard, on a three-meter cliff made of roughly processed granite blocks, a slender Corinthian column rises. It is crowned by a bronze eagle with outstretched wings. With his head bowed, he holds a laurel wreath. The inscription on the pedestal reads: “In memory of the ships sunk in 1854-1855 to block the entrance to the roadstead.” The total height of the monument is 16.66 m. Opposite the monument, on the wall of the Primorsky Boulevard embankment, anchors from sunken ships are strengthened.

Built in 1905 in connection with the 50th anniversary of the first heroic defense, the monument is dedicated to one of the mournful and heroic episodes of this epic.

After the landing of the Anglo-Franco-Turkish army in September 1854 and the defeat of Russian troops on the Alma River, the situation in Sevastopol became very difficult. Fearing that the enemy fleet would break through to the roadstead or attack from the sea, the Russian command decided to scuttle some of the outdated sailing ships on the entrance fairway. Fire from coastal batteries and sunken ships made the Northern Bay inaccessible to the enemy fleet.

The veterans of the fleet dropped anchor at the seven buoys that marked the places of their last anchorages: the battleships Silistria, Uriel, Selafail, Three Saints and Varna. The frigates "Sizopol" and "Flora" became closer to the shores - one to the northern, the other to the southern. The ships lined up almost strictly from north to south, between the Konstantinovskaya and Aleksandrovskaya batteries.

Equipment that could be useful, heavy naval guns, and gunpowder reserves were removed from the ships and delivered to the shore. Late at night on September 11, 1854, the ships were scuttled.

In the order of V.A. Kornilov on the fleet on September 11, 1854 said: “... It’s sad to destroy our work: we spent a lot of effort to keep the ships doomed to the victim in an enviable order, but we must submit to necessity. Moscow was burning, and Rus' from this didn't die..."

The crews of the sunken ships, having gone ashore, joined the ranks of the defenders of the Sevastopol bastions. High naval discipline, military skill, courage and courage served as an example for all participants in the defense. The siege winter turned out to be harsh. Severe storms destroyed the barrier of sunken ships, so in February 1855, six more old ships - the battleships "Twelve Apostles", "Svyatoslav", "Rostislav", the frigates "Kahul", "Midiya" and "Mesemvria" - were launched the bottom of the bay between the Nikolaevskaya and Mikhailovskaya batteries (to the east of those sunk earlier).The remaining ships were used for artillery support for ground forces, some served as hospitals.

In August 1855, when Russian troops crossed the bay from the South side to the North side using a specially built pontoon bridge, the remaining ships of the Black Sea Fleet were sunk in the Sevastopol roadstead...

The author of the monument remained unknown for a long time. Only in 1949, in the Central State Historical Archives of the city of Leningrad, a list of works by the famous Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson (1855-1929), compiled by him in connection with his election as a full member of the Academy of Arts, was discovered. This list also includes the Monument to Sunken Ships. Recent research has revealed the participation of architect V.A. in the creation of this monument. Feldman and military engineer O.I. Enberg.

This majestic and proud monument is one of the most beloved by Sevastopol residents and guests of the city.

The universally recognized main symbol of the city of Sevastopol is the monument to the Sunken Ships. His image reminds people of the events that took place in 1854 - 1855. During the Crimean War, circumstances developed in such a way that in order to prevent the enemy from entering the city, it was necessary to sacrifice almost the entire Black Sea Fleet. The memory of the heroes who made such a difficult decision and fought not at sea, but on land, is what this monument preserves.

Photo of the monument:

History of the museum

During the Crimean War, in 1854, the combined forces of the fleet of England and France approached the shores of Sevastopol. At that time, the city was the main base of the Black Sea Fleet in Russia. The enemy squadron was supposed to completely destroy the Black Sea Fleet within two weeks and capture Sevastopol and other large cities of the Crimean Peninsula. The defense of Sevastopol was led by Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov and Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimov. With the consent and support of the latter, it was decided to scuttle some of the most outdated ships in order to protect the fairway and prevent the enemy fleet from breaking into the bay. Commander-in-Chief Prince A. Menshikov ordered several ships to be sunk right at the entrance to the bay, creating a barricade under the water. The ship's masts, now resting under water, were supposed to prevent the passage of enemy ships. The crews of the sunken ships defended the city already on the shore. They became part of the battalion's twelve garrisons.

After autumn and winter bad weather, part of the fence collapsed. Therefore, two more ships soon had to be sunk. And in February 1855, a new line of six ships was formed. She grew up between the Nikolaevskaya and Mikhailovskaya batteries. At the end of hostilities, in August 1955, the rest of the fleet was scuttled. The defense of Sevastopol lasted for 349 days. In total, about 90 ships sank to the bottom of the Black Sea.

Important information:
The monument was built in 1905.
The height of the monument is 16.7 meters.
Creators: A. Adamson, O. Enberg, V. Feldman.

Formation of the monument

To perpetuate the memory of those difficult heroic days, it was decided to erect a bronze monument. This happened 50 years after the famous first defense of Sevastopol, in honor of this famous historical event. The location of the monument is interesting and unusual: it is located in the sea, approximately 23 meters from the shore. The pedestal of the monument has eight sides. At the top of the structure jutting out into the sea is a gray column in the ancient Corinthian style. The double-headed eagle looking towards the sea is decorated with an imperial crown. On the bird's chest there is a shield depicting St. George the Victorious. The pedestal is also decorated with a small bronze painting, on which you can see the crossed masts of sinking ships.

This is interesting:
The monument was not destroyed by the earthquake that occurred in 1927, nor was it affected by the shells of the Great Patriotic War. Since 1969, the image of the monument to the Sunken Ships can be seen on the coat of arms of Sevastopol.

How to get to the museum

The attraction is located in a convenient location, almost in the very center of the city, not far from Primorsky Boulevard. Therefore, getting to it is not difficult. You can use public transport (trolleybuses: No. 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 13, minibuses: No. 12, 16, 109, 110, 120). You need to get off at Nakhimov Square. By personal transport you need to go to the city center, you can stop at the Artillery Bay embankment, and then walk to the Primorsky Boulevard embankment.

Monument on the map of Crimea

GPS Coordinates: 44.618584, 33.524249 Latitude/Longitude

The monument is a symbol of the city of Sevastopol, and its silhouette is reproduced on the city emblem. It was created in memory of the Russian sailing ships that were sunk in the bay in order to block the passage of enemy ships into the bay. The monument is recognized as an object of cultural heritage of federal significance in Russia. In 2016, it was the image of the monument to the Sunken Ships that was chosen by popular vote to appear on the new 200 ruble banknote. Located on the main embankment of the city, it invariably attracts the attention of vacationers. The monument is located in the water at a distance of 20 meters from the shore.

The total height of the monument is 16.7 meters.

The eagle's wingspan is 2.67 meters.

The construction of Sevastopol was originally intended to be the construction of the main fortress of the Russian Empire on the Black Sea. Therefore, there are many objects and monuments in honor of military glory. And the monument in honor of the important event of the Crimean War is one of the most unusual and majestic

Story

The monument is dedicated to an important event - the 50th anniversary of the First Defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. The Russian military performed a heroic act in 1854, deciding to sink their ships in order to prevent the enemy from passing by sea to Sevastopol. As a result, the bay became inaccessible to the Anglo-French fleet, which was helping Turkey. Sevastopol was the main base of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Empire, so its defense was a strategically necessary task. The defense was led by the famous military leaders V. A. Kornilov and P. S. Nakhimov. They made this important decision because they were aware of the enemy's numerical superiority and the dangerous possibility of their penetration into the bay. From sunken ships, masts remained sticking out above the surface of the water, which could pierce the bottom of enemy ships. First of all, 7 obsolete ships were sunk, but later good ships were also sent to the bottom. In total, about 90 ships of the Black Sea Fleet went under the water of the Sevastopol Bay. However, the sacrifices were not in vain and the defense survived until the peace agreement was concluded in 1856.

Description of the monument to sunken ships

The monument was created in 1905. It withstood the strong earthquake of 1927 and survived the military operations of the Great Patriotic War and the German occupation. The monument was intended to embody the significance and tragedy of the events that took place.

The monument consists of two parts: underwater and surface. The base is square in shape and consists of stone blocks. Above the water there is a stone cliff three meters high. At the base of the triumphal column on the cliff there is an inscription about the event in memory of which the monument was erected. This pedestal also depicts a bas-relief with a scene of the sinking of ships - it can be seen from the embankment. The 7-meter column ends with a pedestal with a double-headed royal eagle. The eagle holds in its beak a wreath of laurel - a symbol of victory and oak - a symbol of glory and faith. An anchor hangs on the wreath in memory of the dead sailors and naval victories. On the eagle's head is an imperial crown. The composition above the column is made of bronze. Part of the monument is also a memorial wall on the embankment with two anchors from sunken ships.

You can view the monument in real time using Sevastopol online cameras installed on the Kornilov embankment.

How to get to the monument in Sevastopol

One of the main historical monuments of the country stands in the center of the hero city of Sevastopol, not far from Primorsky Boulevard. You can get there by public transport:

• By trolleybus: No. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 10k, 12, 13, 22, stop “Lazarev Square” (800 meters to the monument) or “Nakhimov Square” (200 meters to the monument).
• By minibus: No. 4, 6, 12, 13, 13a, 16, 31, 63, 71, 109, 110, 112, 120, stop “Lazarev Square” or “Nakhimov Square”.
• By bus: No. 5, 12, 16, 22, 29, 30, 77, 92, 94, 109, stop “Lazarev Square” or “Nakhimov Square”.

After getting off the bus, you need to walk a little through Primorsky Boulevard towards the embankment.

Travelers by car should move towards the city center, and it is better to leave the car in the free parking lot of the Artillery Bay embankment.

You can get to the monument by taxi: Taxi Vezet and Yandex services operate in Sevastopol. Taxi, Maxim.

Panorama of the monument from the embankment:

Video about the monument to sunken ships: