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Lefort battleship

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Technical data
  • Last classic wooden battleship of the Russian Imperial Fleet, Empress Alexandra-class
  • Length: 60 meters, excluding bowsprit
  • Crew: 766 persons
  • Wreck depth: 70 meters
  • Armament: 84 guns (including carronades)
  • Found and identified by our team in 2013
  • Probable cause of sinking: loss of stability due to insufficient ballast load (they expected to be tugged), likely poorly fixed guns (open gunhole at second gundeck), modifications (first deck was partially removed – enlarged cargo holes)
Ship history

The Lefort battleship’s construction started on 18 November 1833. Her shipbuilder was Y.A. Kolodkin. She joined the Imperial Baltic Fleet on 28 July 1835.

In 1836-1838, 1840, 1841, 1843 and 1846, as part of different ship squadrons, she went on training voyages in the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. On 3 July 1836, near Kronstadt, she took part in the ceremonial meeting with Peter the Great’s sailboat – the Russian Tsar’s famous training ship that is believed to have given birth to Russian naval history. During 1844 and 1847, she went with her squadron on training voyages in the North Sea. In 1848-1850, she took part in the Baltic Fleet’s expedition to Danish waters.

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In 1851-1852, she was under repairs at Peter the Great’s docks in Kronstadt.

She participated in the Crimean War in 1853-1856. In May-June 1854, she was prepared to protect Kronstadt in case the enemy fleet broke through to St Petersburg. In 1855, she remained in Kronstadt. In 1856 and 1857, she was used as a cargo ship to transfer soldiers and cargo between Kronstadt and Revel (Tallinn).

From Rear Admiral Nordman’s investigation report, we can get some details about Lefort’s last mission: on 9 September 1857 (under the Julian calendar used at the time in Russia; under the current Gregorian calendar, the date would be 22 September 1857), a detachment of three ships – the Lefort, Vladimir and Empress Alexandra – using a favorable southwesterly wind, sailed from Revel toward Kronstadt to spend the winter there.

On the evening of 9 September, when the ships were approaching Gogland Island, the wind picked up to storm speeds and the detachment commander decided to stay in the area until sunrise, performing maneuvers to maintain the ships’ stability so that they could continue later.

lefort_draw_01

On the morning of 10 September, the wind shifted to a northerly direction with squalls and snow. Changing tacks, the detachment tried to hold position between Gogland and Bolshoy Tyuters islands. At 7:30 in the morning, another strong squall rolled the Lefort to her portside. After laying on her portside for a few minutes, the ship capsized and disappeared under the waves.

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Nobody survived. The ship took her commander, Captain First-Class Kishkin, along with 12 officers, 743 sailors, 53 sailors’ wives and 17 children to the bottom: 826 people in total.

lefort_draw_03

The investigation commission questioned all of the witnesses to the tragedy, but was unable to draw a final conclusion about the cause of the accident, noting in their report: “the Lefort tragedy is the type of accident that, fortunately, happens very rarely, where the cause remains a mystery despite every effort of the investigators […] This catastrophe has touched not only the sailing community, but many grief-stricken orphans and families throughout the Russian Empire have cried for their relatives for years, and long into the future, the Lefort will be a heavy, sad memory for everyone. In the very distant future, when memory of the Lefort dissolves like that of each and every disaster in the world, the fantastic painting of professor Ivan Aivazovsky will remain in the Kronstadt naval library.”

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Until the Estonia passenger ferry sank in 1994, the Lefort tragedy was largest peacetime sea disaster on the Baltic Sea. The tragic sinking of the Lefort was memorialized by the famous marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky.

3D model of the actual condition of the Lefort wreck

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The Lefort battleship was discovered during our team’s expedition on 4 May 2013 while scanning the seafloor with sonar in search of the Soviet Shch-320 submarine to the north of Bolshoy Tyuters Island. The ship lies at a depth of 70 meters. She is in perfect condition due to the water conditions in the Gulf of Finland. The only visible damage are the masts and bowsprit, which were apparently broken while sinking, and the aft decorations, which have been partially torn off by fishing nets.

History without politics

Underwater Exploration Team

Our team

Konstantin Bogdanov

Founder, mastermind and main driving force behind the team

Russian Geographical Society’s “Person of the Year” in 2015. Has been diving since the year 1812, prefers Inspiration Vision. CMAS instructor.

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Mikhail Ivanov

Universal soldier and walking encyclopedia, all in one

Knows everything about any events connected with the Gulf of Finland and military activity around it from any time period. Able to find things in archives and perform the most complex tasks under water. Holds the honorary title "High Efficiency". Special interest: submarines.

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Ivan Borovikov

Diver, underwater photographer and videographer

The team’s chief beard, GUE-fanatic and part-time expeditionary medic. Dives with JJ-CCR in GUE modifications.

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Alexei Ivanov

Irreplaceable gasblender and tech guru

Military composure and liver training. IANTD instructor, diving since 2005, prefers CCR Inspiration.

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Иннокентий Ольховой

Дайвер, подводный оператор, священник

В жизни - священник, эконом Даниловского монастыря. В команде с 2017 года. ПредпочитаетJJ-CCR, добросовестно исполняет обязанности корабельного священника, а в редкие минуты отдыха сочиняет песни и поёт их под гитару.

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Olga Akulova

Irreplaceable team member, photographer and, more recently, land-based expedition operator

Charming lady who cannot be found with fewer than two cameras in her hands 🙂 Doesn’t dive, but strongly sympathizes.

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Evgeny Abramov

Better known as “John”

Chief dolphin master, old soul, cupbearer and diver with vast experience.

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Sumbat Alexandrov

Laugher in Chief

Professional diver. Cave dweller, handiman and a giant of a man with huge experience.

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Evgeny Tutynin

Hydroacoustics expert, eyes and ears of the team

Began diving relatively recently and is now exploring the objects he finds not only on a sonar screen, but also in real life.

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Nikolai Kudryashov

Producer

Enthusiastic open-cycle diver. Always ready in difficult times to offer support, help, stage bottles or snacks.

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Murat Kurbanov

Photoshop god

Doesn’t dive. Takes care of all the difficult jobs involving images (such as the “Lefort” mosaic), master of imagery, design guru, helps support dives.

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Подводная лодка M-96

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Ледокол “Кришьянис Валдемарс”

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Транспорт “Балхаш”

Погиб одним из первых транспортов на минных заграждениях около мыса Юминды. Вместе с транспортом погибло порядка 4000 человек - гарнизон города Палдиски и их семьи. Идентифицирован в августе 2021 года.

Транспорт “Атис Кронвальдс”

Латвийский пароход немецкой постройки 1900 года. В Таллине принял на борт 800 человек, в основном гражданских, а также имущество и оборудование Таллинского Военного порта. Вечером 29 августа погиб от ударов немецкой авиации. В воде оказалось около 800 человек. Обнаружен и идентифицирован в июне 2021 году.

Транспорт “Ярвамаа”

Эстонский пароход английской постройки, 1894 года. В Таллине принял на борт около 800 человек, в основном военных моряков из штабов КБФ и Бригады торпедных катеров, а также флотское имущество и вооружение со складов в Таллине. 29 августа тяжело поврежден бомбовыми ударами, горел всю ночь и затонул 30 августа. Обнаружен и идентифицирован в июне 2021 года.

Транспорт “Алев”

Погиб рядом с тр "Калпакс" 29 августа 1941 года, обнаружен и идентифицирован в июне 2021. Рядом с кораблем лежит, по-видимому, упавшая с палубы легковая автомашина.

Транспорт “Калпакс”

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Немецкие охотники за подводными лодками (U-Bootjäger)

Четыре немецких охотников за подводными лодками из 12-й флотилии, отвечавшие за охрану минного заграждения "Зееигель". Погибли в разные времена при разных обстоятельствах, обнаружены нашей командой в процессе поиска подлодки М-96.

L-2 submarine

L-2 submarine sunk after she hit the mines near Juminda peninsula in 1941. All crew, including famous poet, navigating officer of L-2 Alexander Lebedev, died with the ship.

Sch-302 submarine

Sch-302 was the one of four three subs of "Pike"-class Soviet WWII subs. She disappeared without a trace in her first war patrol in 1942. Submarine wreck was discovered only in 2019.

Эсминец “Калинин” (“Прямислав”)

«Калинин» (до 5 февраля 1925 года «Прямислав») - эскадренный миноносец типа «Изяслав», принадлежащий второй серии эскадренных миноносцев типа «Новик». Погиб во время Таллинского прорыва, обнаружен командой в 2018 г.

Эсминец “Новик” (“Яков Свердлов”)

Эскадренный миноносец, герой Первой Мировой Войны, главное действующее лицо романа Пикуля "Моонзунд". Эсминец "Новик" погиб в 1941 году на мине во время Таллинского прорыва, под именем "Яков Свердлов".

Sch-308 submarine

Sch-308, the "Pike"-class Soviet WWII sub took part in two war patrols and disappeared without a trace in 1942. The submarine wreck was found by our team in 2018. Russian president Mr Putin has visited the Wargrave in 2019 while taking part in the memorial ceremony.

Sch-405 submarine

Sch-405 was the unluckiest of the Soviet Baltic fleet subs of WWII times. She survived two commanders, and the third one died with the submarine. She managed to take part in one war patrol, nearly survived and sunk on her way to the second one by Nazi mine in Soviet-controlled waters.

“Kalinin” destroyer (formerly “Pryamislav”)

Destroyer "Kalinin" was sunk during Soviet fleet evacuation from Tallinn on August 28, 1941, soon after she hit a German mine on Juminda minefield in Gulf of Finland.

S-12 submarine

S-12 Soviet WWII submarine was one of five subs sent with order to break thru the German minefields, crossing the Gulf of Finland in 1943. She struck the mine and was torn apart by the explosion. Submarine wreck is laying at 87 meters depth.

Sch-317 submarine

This WWII-era Soviet Shchuka-class submarine is probably our most unexpected find of 2017, from a historical perspective.

Sch-406 submarine

Sch-406 was one of the most famous WWII-era Soviet Shchuka-class submarines, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union E.Y. Osipov. She was lost without a trace in the Gulf of Finland in the spring of 1943. Our team found and identified Shch-406 on 2 May 2017.

Sch-320 submarine

Shch-320 was a WWII-era Soviet diesel-electric X series submarine, commanded by Ivan Makarovich Vishnevsky. She was lost without a trace during a combat patrol mission in the Gulf of Finland in October 1942. Our team found and identified Shch-320 on 1 May 2017.

Sch-408 submarine

Probably one of the most tragic tales of the Baltic submarine fleet. Sch-408 "Baltic Varyag" was forced to engage in an artillery battle with three German ships and submerged without lowering its flag.

Sch-324 submarine

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M-95 submarine

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Vaindloo freighter

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XIX-century tall ships

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MKT T-387 minesweeper

This Soviet naval minesweeper, which sank in 1944 after being hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat, was quite a puzzler. The extensive damage made it rather difficult for us to identify it and uncover its history.

Pallada armored cruiser

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Akula submarine

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T-18 torpedoboot

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Vzryv and Provodnik minesweepers

WWI showed all of the world's governments that the rules of war at sea had completely changed. Mines, torpedoes, submarines, steamships and long-range artillery forced all naval powers to reconsider their shipbuilding plans. The need for a special class of ships appeared: minesweepers. This is the story of the Russian Imperial Fleet's very first minesweepers.

S-9 submarine

This S-class Soviet submarine was one of five that tried to break out of the Gulf of Finland in 1943. The sub's history is full of strange and surprising facts: she sank twice, was shelled and torpedoed, but remained in service until the very end.

Lefort – Russian wooden battleship

The last real wooden battleship of the Russian Imperial Fleet. This giant was considered unsinkable but went down in minutes, taking over 800 souls with her. This was the largest peacetime sea tragedy before the sinking of the Titanic and Estonia ferry. The event inspired Ivan Aivazovsky to create one of his best-known paintings, the Sinking of the Lefort. The nearly forgotten ship was found 150 years after the tragedy.

P-1 “Pravda” submarine

The Pravda submarine's developers envisioned a huge submarine, the size of a destroyer, surfacing among enemy ships and taking part in an artillery battle. We will tell the story of the sole attempt to send a P-class submarine on a combat patrol.


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