PORT OF BATUMI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A007600740002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 14, 2007
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 7, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/11/14: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA007600740002-8
CENTRAL IINTELOGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting",a the $ted State. within the the sspionap Laws, Title
18, U.B.C. Been. 793 and 794, the transmission or reeeia on of which In any manner to an unauth" owed pporeon is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY USSR (09Qz'd
SUBJECT Port of Battam3
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUiREP
DATE, ACQUIRED
vesse , o . i
and the eastern qu4y.
was leaving.. ., It
there are ' -Aii-
drop an anchor cn,
4
end. There is a 'buoy f`'or"
lets and a amain ..1,b
various hoses,, each 'o
crude oil to. reAzAd
3. .0.', the, tankers in
10000. And 1Jp00 DVT;
other was a Soviet 146kq.
near the junction
:f 7
_ 1PQRT '
This is UNEVALUATED
Information
S CE EVA Ukft'bp' AIlE *IV 'a I IS TENTATIVE.
J. V J.r,a vJ.'J 4 iaa vaav Q.yy,~.a"w) 44 J$. '
entering Jq- ji66Q am:
with to 'aiig light (i
ecl4pse ), which lies at 114:4-)40.
the sea area to the nor. dt
the light om the heat Qf
the castams house Ttzhere: eE
and police inspecT
A ;
conti u e d , , wi t 1 p- *
at the eaa ARr.q
ship arrivefl in poz', there were
eight merchant
anke
txnlaun.pier
raker
}}~~ _ may,
-too
%! W 7-A to at s ot
her
At each berth, there are oil out-
01
November 1.955
.~:.. 'Upon
3" a quay
I,th of
Q'se for
t Of
U`,Atc erthed
1h a from
py g, it line.
c - ..-an t ia? acre: urro ,.,r
sgts an t,-at '
.?'., reas^
I ' y 4 's tb
S-E-C R E-T FBI AEC
(Notes Washington distribution indicated by "X" i Meld distribution by "#".)
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and discharging passengers*
quay, was a Soviet Liberty ship and a Soviet passenger liner taking
had a carrying capacity of about a ton or ton and a half. They were
much like the small Fiat trucks used by the Italian A nay, In. the area
by the quay, there were several such trucks as well as piles of scrap
iron. The warehouses between the petroleum pier and the breakwater
were, however, completely empty. Farther to the west, lying idle at the
ink; was accomplished with shipts tackles
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all loading and offload-
4. Also at the southern quay, there were three or four tugs which were
used for harbor work. At the small western quays,.-there were a number.
of small craft, such as fishing boats, etc. At a pier near the naval
shipyard, there were some small naval craft of the T?ITB type.
5. No rail traffic was noted and the motor vehicles used around the pier
were old.
6.
7.
The area bounded on the north by the breakwater must be used as a
small arms firing range. ship was in Batumi
frequent
,
firing of automatic arms took place. The targets were near the break-
water. No fortifications or radar installations were in evidence.
there must be some fortifications in
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defense of the city on the hills fringing the city where some castle-- like
1*0
'structures could be seen. in port, there was a
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searchlight in operation at such a great distance to the north of the
ort: that only its beam was visible.
7
it was located near Fort Svyatoy Nikolay up toward Poti
Coa
t
l
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.
s
a
ti
ar
llery firing was taking place south of Batumi
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Salvos were followed by long, periods of silence.
LOA-1
When the guns fired, the flashes were visible in the harbor. The guns
appeared to be located at the mouth of the Chorokh River, but no sur-
face targets, nor any aerial targets were in evidence. Some planes
were flying at great altitudes over Batumi.
The departure inspection was accomplished and the vessel left the harbor
on 9 April. The shin was loaded to half capacit
with s
rint
il
y
p
o
and accompanied it into the port, accompanied it out to the territorial
water limit. It did not appear to come from Batumi, but rather from a
point near the mouth of the Chorokh River.
8. During the stay in Batumi, the crew members were allowed ashore until
2400 hours. They could take ashore any foreign currency they wished
and it would be exchanged at the bank at the regular rate. Food
prices were rather high and the standard of living of the people was
very low. Merchants at the city market were selling goods in very
small amounts, e.g., a man was selling rice by the,,glassful from a
bag, another had about a dozen potatoes, etc. Theoretically, there
were no restrictions on the amount of food that could be sold to ships
b
in town but inquiries of the natives did not succeed in the location
was highly desire the Soviets and that, that is the-reason they
S-E-C-R-E-T
ut, unavailability limited the actual quantities that were sold.
it was possible to buy gold at a jewelry store
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were so happy to change forei currency* The black ma --t- Bew to
be prospering; in
the Soviet Union, as any country., one o had money could live and
eat in luxury.
9. There were marq naval personnel in town but few soldiers.
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Sketch of the
For o`"a"T"
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