MAIN INSPECTORATE OF HARBORS AND NAVIGATION - MMF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A001000400010-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 18, 2009
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: May 5, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
SLCRF"T
SECURITY INFORMATION
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Main Inspectroate of Harbors and
Navigation -- M?
PLACE ACQUIRED
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form is prohibited.
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 5 May 1953
NO. OF PAGES 9
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
The Main Inspectorate of Harbors and Navigation (Glavnaya Inspektsiya Portov i
Moreplavaniya),hereafter abbreviated MIHN,was a department of the Ministry of the
Merchant Fleet (MMF) and was subordinate to this ministry through Deputy Minister
(fnu) BAYEV. The head of the Inspectorate was General Director MMF 3rd Class (fnu)
POLKOPSKIY.
2. The MIHN had been a department of the N F since the latter was organized in 1917.
The MIEN was responsible fors
a. Regulations governing duties of crew members (organizatsiya nutrikorabelnoy
sluzhby);
b. Organization of the communication service;
c. Classification of MMF vessels;
d. Research on navigation procedures, instruments, and equipment, as well as
rescue equipment;
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(3) The second Officer ( toroy .pomochchnik) was responsible
for the ship's documents, entries in the ship's books,and
bookkeeping and accvan 6ing
(4) The third officer (Tre ti Pomosh;chnik, often called
Shturmanskiy Pomosfichnik) was responsible for the
na
i
i
v
gat
on equipment and instruments.
The fourth officer(ir there was one, as there always was
on large freight-pa,5aenger vessels-and on all passenger
ships) was responsible for the organization and control
of passenger transport
(6) The boatswains were responsible for the deck work and
tackle.
Engineer personnel
(l)
The chief engineer (Starshiy Mekhanik) was responsible
for the operation and maintenance of.all machinery and l
mechanical equipment on the ship,
(2) The second engineer (Vtoroy Mekhanik) was responsible for
the operation and maintenance of the main propulsion
engine,
:(3) The third engineer (Tretiy Mekhanik) was responsible.for
the operation of the-boilers and steam lines; On all
diesel ships, the third engineer, in addition to the
above duties, was responsible for the operation of the
diesel generator, diesel loading and unloading machinery,,
.and the electric power plant and equipment.
(4} The fourth engineer was responsible for the engine room
and for deck auxiliary machineryi
regulations stipulated that no MW vessel could operate with
less. than two-.thirds of ,its Tp . This applied to both ,tlie deck crew
and .engine room. personnel, The captain of the ship and chief
engineer,- or their deputies, were required to be on board at
all times,
The Communications Service (Signal'nyaya Sluzhba) provided for
the following types of signals:
a. Sound signals were of the following types: steam signals
(called Revun on diesel ships), whistles operated by com-
pressed air ifons), sirens, and bells. These signals
were used in accordance with' regulations of the international
.maritime convention,
V.
signals were those lights on'the port and starboard
sides of'the ship, the light on top the mast?(Topovoy) a
hook ?board light behind the funnel, flares (false fire),
and special light' signals prescribed for the tanker fleet to
Indicate such things as the name of the tanker. Except
for the last group, all light signals On USSR merchant
vessels were used in accordance with the international
maritime convention.
a. Flag. signals were of the following types:
(1) Holiday flags were flown for national holidays,
(2) The national flag was. flown from the sterns of ships in
the USSR merchant fleet ? from. 0800 hours to sundown.
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(3) Special flays, such a aervI ice-pennants and honorary
pennants. The ser .. ?; pennants were red and were flown
from the main mast r en the Minister or one, of ? his.
deputies was on boa^A. The honorary pennants were :of
two types : permanent pennants gi.--vei to certain ships
for outstanding service in -World. ' We,r II (either red
pennants presented by the State Defense' Committee or
sky-blue pennants awarded by the MMF or by the USSR
Central. Committee of the Trade Union), and those
given for outstanding service performed during a
quarterly' period. The latter might be the pennant of
the USSR Council of Ministers, which is wedge-shaped, red,
31 M. long, with the embroidered coat of arms of the
USSR, or it might be the pennant of the. MKF or USSR
Central. Committee of the Trade Union,9.which was -sky blue,
31 m o long,. with the embroidered coat of arms of the
MDW
7. The large number of'types of vessels, according to means of
operation, iii ,,the merchant marine of the USSR 'made the task of
classification of MMF vessels very difficult.. The official manual
for classification of Mid' vessels was entitled Technical .,
o peration .. of_ the MME' Vessels (Fravi.ia Tekhnicheska tsploatatsii
su ov re ov'o o c i`was nub t s e l v a ~3n 'f nembe
Special attention was paid by the MMF to research in the following:
a. Navigation under difficult-conditions such as rocky-regions,
foggy weather-, storms, icy regions, canals, etc.
..Methods of towing strings of barges, especially those which
were heavily loaded, floats,-railroad tank cars (The best
length of rope between the tug and the first barge was
considered to be 650 m ; for subsequent barges the rope could
be shorter.)
c.
Determination of the ship's position by one- of three methods:
(1)
Navigational, based on known
lighthouses, ports, natural
locations
landmarks,
ashore
etc.
such as'
(2)
As'bronomical
(3)
Radio navigational (pelengator)
d. Modernization of,navigatj.onal instruments and equipment,
.Special emphasis was given to providing ships with a new
sextant equipped with a level and an integrator, 'mechanicitl
sea-gauges, electrical logs, gyrocompasses equipped with a
cobling device (type Kurs-III, manufactured at the Navigat:Lon
Instruments Plant - Zavod Morekhodnykh Instrument.ov - in
Leningrad), radio navigational equipment such as radio
locators and radio-pelengators (there were very few ships
in the USSR equi ped with radio locators), modern navigational
maps, lotsiya 19ea nual. , and arctic maps.
e Rescue equipment The MNii not only was interested in research
on rescue equipment and methods but also promoted the manu-
facture of such equipment as lifeboats, floats,. wooden benches
provided
rovided with fastened tow Ii berlirr,cork life rings
krug) of three types: standard, those provided
with a cord 26 m. long (regulations stated that there should
be at leas., two such on each ship as well as a cork
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life jacket for each memb~eer of the crew). Since 1951 both
rings and life jackets have been manufactured from foamed
poly-v1nyl--chloride (RusS1 .ransliteration of formula is
PKhV-l ), which replaced w E : ?k ihich was always in short
supply in the USSR. the life jackets and 25X1
rings made from the polyvl:n.yi-chloride were satisfactory.
.After World War !I, there was a tendency in~the MMF to build
lighthouses of wood instead of stone or.concrete. This decision
was apparently.based on experience; it was considered reasonably
certain that lighthouses,, built of impregnated lumber would be" service-
,able for 100, years if given proper.care Although those made of
stone or concrete might last 600 years, they were 5 to 10 times
more'-expensive, and navigation conditions such as character of shcoree,,
seal level, and sea canals were subject to considerable change in
mush less time. This was especially true of the White Sea and the
Caspian Sea... Such changing conditions necessitated the
construction of new li hthouses and the consequent abandonment of
old ones there was a Ministry project for the 25X1
construction of prefabricated, wooden lighthouses. that could be
,transported. The MMF was also endeavoring to expand, the radio
lighthouse network in order to facilitate the navigation of
hi
s
ps by means of radio pelengators. In connection with this, 25X1
he
he n
-. -per.-..., ....
..v.. a+
USSR. In the Volga Caspian regions there were two such radio
lighthouses, at Stalingrad and Baku.
10. The Navi atian Bulletin Izvekicheniye Moreplav lyam) published
by'the MIHN Served ~O 's y marit me personnel of all changes
discovered in-navigation waters which might have an effect on,
sailing conditions,-such as new rocks., shallow waters, sunken
objects such as mines, drifting icebergs, etc.. This bulletin
was also distributed to the Naval Ministry and the Ministry of
Fisheries. The MMF..also had charge of the publication of the
Maritime.Collision.-Prevention. Manual Pravilaa. Predu,.reezhhden a'
Woven ya udov.v more - P '.w is was prepared . accor ante
with-the prow sons o the international maritime collision
prevention manual for passing ships, inclement weather, night
sailing, etc. In addition to the above publications, the MMF
was in charge of the publication of regulations for. the
..mandatory inspection of ships which was conducted semi-annually
by. special commissions composed of representatives of the
respective steamship companies (maritime engineering. and maritime
inspgctorate branches),marritime registry, and port'authorities.
11. The MIHN was responsible for setting up the following. documents.
for use on merchant vessels:
a. Excerpt containing all the information on the ship that was
included in the book entitled Port Vessel Re later Portovo
Sudovoy Re isl ) . Each 1'II1' verse was attached o a
part culax? port, and the entire Port Vessel-Register was
kept by the administration of the por , -T--be excerp- kept
on.the ship was.the most important document on the ship.
b, Authorization to sail under the 'USSR flag (Svidetel.'stvo na
Pravo Plavaniya pod Flagom Soyuza SSR)
c. Crew Register ( udovaya Rol,'):contained data on all members
of the crew,
d. Watch Journal (Vakhtennyy Zhurna, listed all the deck,
engine, elec ric, and radio equipment,
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e. Inspection sheets (Foci ul ar i )< contained notations by all
inspectors of the. ship as to the condition of,equipment and
reparatory measures in f:.ra -.fighting, sanitary, and
.'sanitary patent" on those 6hips which had a dispensary and
medical officer.
f. Materiel books T/E (Tabe? ' Snabzheniya Sudna)-.contained
specifications of all equipment and supplies (including food)
required to be available on the ship.
g. Regulation of ship's specifications (Meritel'noye Svidetel'stvo).. 25X1
contained the ship's dimensions (gabari'ty). It was issued
to ships passing through the Suez and Panama canals.
special type was issued to those ships.which visited
ports.
h. Safety Certificate (Svidetel'stvo o Bezopasnosti):was issued
is compliance with the International Maritime Safety
Convention to all vessels carrying more than 12 passengers.
In the USSR this certificate was issued only to ships-visiting
foreign waters.
There were several additional documents issued by the port
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authorit however?
all Important documents are listed above. 25X1
12. The following color 0041P.nations were authorized f or MMF vessels:
a. Black. for the hull above the water-line and yellow for
weather deck structures and above; this. combination was-used
for freight, passenger and freight, and passenger ships.
b.. Qray for both, the hull above the water line and deck was not
.widely used as-this.-particular paint was very expensive.
c. White for the entire ship was used only in exceptional casep,
as there was always a shortage of white paint..
Formerly the hull below the water ?lin.e was painted with red lead
paint,referred to as "miniurn" or "surik4.'. The remaining supply
of this paint, which. was received as US lend-lease 'during World
War. Ii,. was not used for its-original purpose, but for the floors
of offices' of the higher MMF personnel. .
13,. The following types of.inscriptions (Nadpisi na sudakh).were
authorized by the MIHN for its vessels:
-a. The name of the ship was inscribed on both sides of the prow.
If the ship belonged to a line whose-ships called at foreign
ports, the name in Latin characters was written below the
original Russian name. .
b. The name of the ship as well as its home.port was on the stern
(na'podreze kormy).
0. Depth scales. (shkaly uglubleniya), used to approximate. the
weight of the-cargo, appeared on.the hull.
d. Plimsol marks (diski Plimsolya) were marked on the' side of the
ship to indicate the maximum permissable load.
" `_____.. n h 1,
Disk Plimsolya
- Scales
e. The coat of arms of the USSR. and a red band were on 'the flannel.
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14. The MIEN was divided. Into the following aectI on8 :
o
p
of comprehensive reports and charts.
Navigation Section (Navl,,gatsionnors turmans1c y Otdel)
employed some. 1.0 engineers) including those who corrected
,compass deviation and .Nerved a.s , a body for `consulta.t1?n in
the field of navigation, piloting service, etc.
Control and Inspection Sec's .on (Kontrol'no-Inspektorskiy
Otdel), with 12-1.5 employee,,, was responsible for the super-
vision of the agencies of.the MIHN and for the ciom 41a4-.4
n
c. Electrical and Radio Navigation Section (Elektro-Radio,_
NaViWatsionnyy:?tdel), which included eight radio navigators
and electro-radio navigators" (sic),. was responsible for
research ong and introduction of. modern navigation methods
for the MMF fleet.
d. Technical Supply Section (Otdel Tekhnicheskogo,Snabzheniya),
with three or four employees, was charged with supplying
the entire R fleet with navigation equipment.
e. Accounting office had three employees.
15. The MIRN had two basic types of field agencies: executive and
inspectional, 'The.executive (Ispolnitel'nyye).agencies of the
MIHN were maritime inspectorates attached to all MMF steamship
companiess. The maritime inspectorates were subordinate to the
steamship .companies in administrative and disciplinary matters..
The wages of the employees of the maritime inspectorates were
paid by the respective steamship companies.: The MIHN, however.,
retained.supervia,ion over... the operational direction and instruction
of the inspectorate's personnel The number of personnel
employed in each.inspectorate varied from 10 to.14 depending on
the size of the steamship company. Normally an inspectorate of
a steamship company was composed of:
a. Maritime Inspectorate Administration;which included a chief,,.
several senior maritime inspectors, and several other
maritime inspectors..
b.. Instructors Group (Operativnaya Grupa) was composed of
several captain (skipper ),instructors, ship engineer
instructors, and stoker instructors.
c.. Navigation Instruments (Navigatsionnyye Kamery) Workshops
had navigators, radio navigators, "electro radio navigators"
(sic), map correctors; navi$ation.equipment mechanics, those
persons charged with correcting compass deviation, etc.
16; The executive agencies of the MIHN were responsible for the
following:....
a. Providing ships with navigational equipment as specified by.'
the MIIN3
b. Supervising material-maintenance of vessels,
c.. Instructing officers and crews on new navigational methods
d. Participating in the investigations of maritime accidents]
e. Inspecting ships periodically with reference to their
technical, operational, and sanitary conditions;
f` . Collecting information on outstanding performances of
individual vessels In order to, award honorary pennants;
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.g
g. Maintaining and -repairing navigation equipment,
h. Providing and correcting charts and manuals (lotsiya)
for ships
i. Eliminating deviation in ships' compasses. There was a
mandatory check before the navigation season each.year as
well as after , s.i repairs.
J. Organizing watch services;
k. Familiari.zing crews with the rules established for the
operation of ships,, and performing periodical inspections
to check on'the efficiency of such familiarization;
1. Insuring that crews knew their duties in cases-of disaster
such. as shipwreck, fire; etc., and performing" periodic
inspections of such training`
in. Organizing and controlling lifeboat drills,
n. Assuring compliance with disciplinary ,regulations for crews
as set forth in the MMF disciplinary manual (Ustav Sluzhby na.
$udakh Morskogo Fiotaa,,S3R) . "?--
17.' An inspecting agency (Kontroliruyushchaya) of the M.IHN was Iocgted
in each port; it was referred to as the Office of the Harbor
Master., (Otdel 'Kapitana . Porta) . ' The only exception was the Fort,
Control Inspectorate of the Northern Caspian Sea (Kaspiyskaya
.., Inspektsiya Portovogo Nadzora Severnoy Chasti Kaspiyskogo Morya);
the reason for the difference was that until' 1947 there was no
seaport at Astrakhan and,since:offices of 'the harbor masters were
component parts of seaports, there was .,no justification for such
an office-in Astrakhan. Therefore a port control, inspectorate was
set up there. When a part-of the port at Astrakhan was declared
a seaport, the'State T/O Commission would not permit its
.reorganization into an Office of the Harbor Master, and so it
remained under the old title with the old T/0. It was located
.in Astrakhan; Zayachiy Island, Factory (Zavoda.) Housing Project
of the 10th Anniversary of the' - October Revolution. The Port
Control Inspeotorate of the Northern Caspian Sea-was subordinate
to the MIHN both operationally and administratively (the
basic: difference between it and the offices of the harbor master).
The ?ort Control Inspectorate was financed by the MIHN, which -,~
drew the funds from ReydTanker, Astrakhan Seaport) and ReydTekhpi,ot , all
of which were' serviced by ?the Port Control Inspectorate. The Fort
Co trol. Inspectorate of the Northern Caspian Sea had the'foll:owing
T/Q
Chief of the Inspectorate -- Sr. ?L,t ., MF, Nikolay LARIN
Deputy Chief Lt. MF LODYGIN
Senior Port Inspectors -- three
,Port Inspectors three
Senior Roadstead Inspector. . -- one 3 All located on the 1*-Foot
Roadstead on the Debarkader
Roadstead Inspectors-- three Donbasi
Road Inspector - one for the tour tyev Roadstead located on the
Debarkader 1a
Secretary --**one
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19. The harbor master. of .oes wet := components of the respective
ports and in administ :sati.ve and disciplinary matters were subordinate
to the port captain pia chi _ '.r3ik aorta). Operational direction,
however, was the respoxsibiii..ty of the MINN. The harbor
master offices were f Inanced by the port administration. The
harbor master offices i as wea.i as the Port Control Inspectorate
in Astrakhan) were respone' ie for the. following.a
a. Controlling ships' supplies of equipment as prescribed by
the ships' equipment charts (Tabel' Snabzhe.niya Sudov. Morskogo
Flota)~
b. Providing vessels with the required navigational equipment as
well as supervising its maintenance)
c. Supervising-handling of ships' documents and the manner-in
which entries were made)
d. Providing vessels with crews; this entailed also control over
the qualifications of crew members)
e. Participating in the investigation of maritime accidents)
f. Inspecting vessels' technical and sanitary services. Results
of such inspections were rated excellent, very good, satis-
factory, or unsatisfactory?
Examining periodically all crew members, including the captain,
as to their knowledge. of the current maritime regulations and
the iMF service manuals f
h.. Inspecting-periodically the training of crews in the event
of disaster,
rt, Providing vessels with the required permaneht documents
~. Providing vessels with the authorization to sail (Pravo
?,Otkhoda iz Porta) each time the vessels left port,
k. Detaining vessels in ports . whenever the condition of the
vessel warranted or when the ship's documents were not in
or-der l.
1. Participating in the examination-commission for the.promotion
of personnels
m. Providing the officers with proper. licenses (diplomas) and crew
members with official certificates authorizing' them to
hold their positions. This was true of all personnel except
those graduates of navigational and equivalent lam' schools,
who received their licenses upon graduation.
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