October 20, 1916

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Martin Antonenko

A Fixture
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
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A Russian Dreadnaught blows up...


On October 20, 1916 (our calendar!) a catastrophe occurs in the then Russian naval port of Sebastopol!

The capital ship "Imperatriza Marija", which had just been put into service on June 30, 1915...









... blows up after an explosion in the powder magazine in the harbor!





The ship kills 225 crew members - more than 80 other sailors are rescued with serious injuries.

The cause remains unclear - a commission of inquiry is unable to find out the cause of the devastating explosion.

Today one assumes self-ignition due to flying sparks...

Only in 1919 will the ship be raised and scrapped...:







The legend that the heavy guns of the "Imperatiza Marija" were preserved and used against the Germans in 1941/1942 in the defense of Sebastopol is just a legend!

The ship's gun turrets have been preserved in Sebastopol - but only as a monument and without a functional "inner workings"...:



 
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