MS Adzharistan
MS Adzharistan was one of six Soviet Krim-class ocean liners during the late 1920s built for the Black Sea State Shipping Company. During the Second World War, she was sunk by German aircraft in July 1941.
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Adzharistan |
| Owner | Black Sea State Shipping Company |
| Port of registry | Odessa, Soviet Union |
| Builder | Baltic Works, Leningrad |
| Completed | 1928 |
| In service | 1928 |
| Fate | Sunk by German aircraft, 23 July 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Krim-class ocean liner |
| Tonnage |
|
| Length | 110.6 m (363 ft) |
| Beam | 15.5 m (51 ft) |
| Draught | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| Depth | 7.7 m (25.3 ft) |
| Decks | 2 |
| Installed power | 1,372 nhp |
| Propulsion | 2 screw propellers; 2 diesel engines |
| Speed | 13 or 15 knots (24 or 28 km/h; 15 or 17 mph) |
| Capacity | 450 passengers |
Description
The four ships built in Leningrad were shorter than the pair built in Germany, but had more powerful engines. Adzharistan had an overall length of 110.6 metres (363 ft), with a beam of 15.5 metres (51 ft) and a draught of 5.8 metres (19 ft).[1] She had two decks and a depth of hold of 7.7 metres (25.3 ft). The ship was assessed at 4,727 gross register tons (GRT), 2,583 net register tons (NRT),[2] and 1,600 tons deadweight (DWT).[1] She had a pair of six-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engines, each driving a screw propeller, and the engines were rated at a total of 1,372 nominal horsepower.[2] Sources differ about her maximum speed, quoting speeds of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)[1] or 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[3] The ship had a designed capacity of 450 passengers.[3]
Construction and career
Adzharistan was originally named Adzharia and was renamed sometime in the 1930s. She was one of the four ships in the class that were constructed in 1928 at the Baltic Works shipyard in Leningrad. After completion the ship was assigned to the Black Sea State Shipping Company by Sovtorgflot with its port of registry at Odessa.[2][1]
After the invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa) by Nazi Germany and its allies, Adzharistan was used for military tasks. She was sunk by German bombers on 23 July.
References
- Jordan, p. 376
- Lloyd's Register of Shipping (PDF). Vol. II: Steamers and Motorships of 300 Tons Gross and over (1937–1938 ed.). London: Lloyd's of London. 1937. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
- Wilson, p. 20
Bibliography
- Jordan, Roger W. (1999). The World's Merchant Fleets, 1939: The Particulars and Wartime Fates of 6,000 ships. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-023-X.
- Wilson, Edward A. (1978). Soviet Passenger Ships, 1917–1977. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-04-5.
