Crimea | Exploring the World's Only Nuclear Submarine Base
From Sevastopol city center, bus route 94 departs every 40 minutes to Balaklava Bay in the south. There, you can hike to the cliff top to visit the ruins of a medieval castle, overlook the entire bay, and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature. However, if you miss the Balaklava Underground Museum Complex across the bay, your trip will have been in vain.
☀️
[Because this might be the closest you'll ever get to a military nuclear facility in your life]
☀️
Turning the clock back to the beginning of the Cold War in the 1950s, the Soviet Union established underground nuclear submarine bases in several sea areas to counter the nuclear threat from the United States. Clearly, Crimea, located in the Black Sea, was the most geographically advantageous forward port.
To avoid detection by the US, many civilian buildings were constructed above this underground base as camouflage, and our journey begins from a cave at the foot of the mountain.
☀️
① You must take the official free shuttle bus at the main entrance to enter the scenic area. The last bus departs around 4:30 pm daily.
② The museum was built in 2003 during the Ukrainian era. After 2014, Russia renovated and upgraded the museum. The entrance fee is approximately ￥55, and free Chinese audio guides are available.
③ Following the visiting order, we will learn about the purpose and process of building this underground nuclear submarine base, the dangers and protection of nuclear weapons, radiation detection equipment, models of various Soviet Navy submarines, the base's ammunition reserves, underwater maintenance equipment, a display of a nuclear submarine's interior, exhibitions of important submarines and major events, the decommissioned K-825 nuclear submarine, models of advanced warships and nuclear submarines designed but not built at the time, and reflections on nuclear weapons.
④ The entire base is very large, and the visit takes at least 1.5 hours. Finally, take the free shuttle bus back the same way.
⑤ Several similar underground naval base museums in caves can be found around the world, but only Balaklava in Crimea is a nuclear submarine museum, combining "Cold War" + "nuclear submarine" + "defensive underground nuclear base." It can be said that it has all the buffs, and its title of "world's only" is well-deserved.
TranscontinentalJourneys*11