SS Fizik Kurchatov
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} SS ''Fizik Kurchatov'' (russian: Физик Курчатов) was a ''Leninsky Komsomol''-class multi-purpose
tweendecker Tweendeckers are general cargo ships with two or sometimes three decks. The upper deck is called the ''main deck'' or ''weather deck'', and the next lower deck is the ''tweendeck''. Cargo such as bales, bags, or drums can be stacked in the ''twe ...
freighter owned by the
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
Black Sea Shipping Company Black Sea Shipping Company (russian: Черноморское морское пароходство, uk, Чорноморське морське пароплавство) is a Ukrainian shipping company based in Kyiv. The company was established ...
. She was powered by steam turbine engines. Проект 567, 567К, тип Ленинский комсомол.
/ref> The ship was named after Soviet
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
Igor Kurchatov Igor Vasil'evich Kurchatov (russian: Игорь Васильевич Курчатов; 12 January 1903 – 7 February 1960), was a Soviet physicist who played a central role in organizing and directing the former Soviet program of nuclear weapo ...
(1903–1960). ''Fizik Kurchatov'' was one of the Soviet ships which participated in
Operation Anadyr Operation Anadyr (russian: Анадырь) was the code name used by the Soviet Union for its Cold War secret operation in 1962 of deploying ballistic missiles, medium-range bombers, and a division of mechanized infantry to Cuba to create an ar ...
, as one of nine Soviet ships which returned missiles to the USSR after the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
, and also took part in the
1973 Arab–Israeli War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Eg ...
.


History

The ''Fizik Kurchatov''
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was laid down at the
Kherson Shipyard The Kherson Shipyard ( uk, Херсонський суднобудівний завод (ХСЗ)) is a joint stock company located in Kherson, Ukraine at the mouth of the Dnieper River. The shipyard specializes in building merchant ships to include ...
on 20 March 1961. By that time, the shipyard had built seven of her
sister ships A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
. Мой город - Херсон. >> Леонид Коршун и его корабли.
/ref> The ship was completed in June 1962 and transferred to the
Black Sea Shipping Company Black Sea Shipping Company (russian: Черноморское морское пароходство, uk, Чорноморське морське пароплавство) is a Ukrainian shipping company based in Kyiv. The company was established ...
on 30 June of that year.


Operation Anadyr

The maiden voyage of the ship was from Nikolayev port to
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
. The ship loaded cargo in Mykolaiv port. Her cargo was an
air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
and its equipment. After unloading in Cuba, the ''Fizik Kurchatov'' loaded sugar and returned to the USSR in June 1962. Other sources say that the ship was built in May and delivered to the Black Sea Shipping Company after this voyage. Some sources say that the ''Fizik Kurchatov'' maiden voyage began before 25 July, when 1,131 tons of general cargo and trucks were loaded on her main deck. Although she sailed from Odessa with
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
her declared destination, she arrived in Cuba on 7 August. Her second voyage reportedly began in September 1962, when she loaded 9,500 tons of general cargo (including portions of a missile division) and sailed from Odesa.
Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...
, an Algerian port, was declared her destination but she arrived in Cuba.


Cuban Missile Crisis

On 23 October 1962, she was still in Cuba. The ''Fizik Kurchatov'' left Cuba on 7 November 1962, and was photographed by U.S. reconnaissance planes during her return to the Soviet Union. She returned six canvas-covered missiles, which had been aimed at the United States, to the USSR on her open main deck.


1973 Arab–Israeli War

The
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
, also known as the
Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
War, the October War and the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, was fought by a coalition of Arab states led by
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
against
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
from 6 to 25 October 1973. At least twenty-three Soviet merchant ships carried military cargoes to Syria and Egypt in October and November 1973, including eight ''Leninsky Komsomol''-class cargo ships; the ''Fizik Kurchatov'' among them. According to U.S. intelligence, the ''Fizik Kurchatov'' made three voyages from Soviet Black Sea ports to Syria and Egypt between October and November 1973: * Transited the
Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
on 9 October and arrived in
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
three days later, on 12 October 1973. * Sailed from the USSR to Syria, transiting the Bosphorus on 23 October and arriving in
Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...
two days later, on 25 October. * Transited the Bosphorus on 10 November and arrived in Alexandria on 13 November 1973.


Ethiopian cargo

The ''Fizik Kurchatov'' delivered P-205 and P-206, two
Zhuk-class patrol boat The Zhuk-class patrol boat, also known as Project 1400M "Grif", is a small border patrol vessel of less than 40 ton displacement built in the Soviet Union and later in Ukraine. Over 300 boats were built between 1969 and 1991. Out of those, 110 we ...
s, to
Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
in October 1982 when the Soviet Union supplied the African country's new fleet.8-я оперативная эскадра кораблей (хроника создания в зоне Индийского океана 8-й оперативной эскадры кораблей ВМФ) 1967–1992 гг. >> СССР создает новый флот Эфиопии.
/ref>


Fate

The ''Fizik Kurchatov'' was renamed the ''Kurchat'' and her home port became George Town, Cayman Islands on 30 April 1986. She was scrapped in
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
, China in August of that year.


See also

*
United States embargo against Cuba The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under U.S. law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern hist ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fizik Kurchatov Leninsky Komsomol-class cargo ships 1962 ships Ships built at Kherson Shipyard Ships built in the Soviet Union Cuban Missile Crisis