STRATEGIC AND COMMERCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF RECENT WHITE SEA-BALTIC CANAL IMPROVEMENTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000600040001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 24, 2005
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 13, 1975
• Content Type: MF

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
NIO #2405-75
National Intelligence Officers I ' 13 November 1975
MEMORANDUM FOR: Robert Gates
NSC Staff
Bob,
Strategic and Commercial Implications
of Recent White Sea-Baltic Canal
Improvements
Here is a response to your query on the
accuracy of recent press interpretation of improve-
ments in the Baltic-White Sea Canal, and your in-
terest in an intelligence evaluation of the
commerical and strategic implications.
Sorry it took a while, but quite a bit of
piecing together of data fragments was required.
of CIA's Office of Economic Research
i c g,~ p rom t o ffices of
tratecic Research and Office of Geographic and
artograph!c Rdsearch._ 1)
National Intelligence Officer
for USSR-EE
Attachment
a/s
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SUBJECT: Strategic and Commercial Implications
of Recent White Sea-Baltic Canal
Improvements
Distribution:
Original - Addressee
l - D/DCI/NIO
- DDI
1 - NIO/CF
1 - NI0/EC
- D/OER
l - D/OSR
l - D/GCR
l - OER/D/U/Mr.
l - OER/U/SRA/M
l - OSR/SF/N/Mr
l - OGCR/GD/USSI
2 - NIO/USSR
NIO/USSR/ I - NIO RI
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13 November 1975
New Developments Along the
White Sea-Baltic Canal
On 24 October 1975 the New York Times reported
that the Soviet Union had "enl_ arged a canal" linking
the Baltic with the White Sea, and the following day
the Washington Post indicated that the Soviets had
"built a new canal" over the same route. Both articles
suggest that as a result of these improvements Soviet
naval capability has been considerably enhanced.
-- Both reporters have wrongly interpreted
the impact of a limited modernization
program on the Baltic-White Sea Canal.
-- The evidence indicates that because of
failure to carry out the original work
program for widening of a lock, the
Baltic-White Sea Canal's strategic
value for movement of naval vessels has
not been increased.
These articles refer to part of an overall project
which has been underway for several years to deepen and
improve the canals of the inland waterways in the Western
USSR to permit the passage of larger ships at higher
speeds. This system is becoming increasingly important
because of the (1) large volume of commercial traffic
carried, (2) movement of naval units and supplies, and
(3) access to inland shipyards.
Improvement of the system has been a continuing
process, escalating in recent years to keep pace with the
development by the Soviets of a fleet of River/Sea ships.
These vessels, numbering 350-400 units, are of shallow
draft (12 feet maximum), 1-6,000 DWT, with limited sea-
going capability and are designed to haul cargo over
long distances within the USSR and to nearby overseas
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destinations. To accommodate these vessels, waterways
in some sections have been deepened by 3 to 6 feet.
As a result of the enlarged waterways and increased
numbers of faster vessels of larger capacity there has
been a significant increase in the system's capacity
to move commerical and military cargo.
The White Sea-Baltic Canal, constructed in the
early 1930s and usable 6 to 7 months of the year (May-
November) is part of the inland waterway system. It
has provided a protected and shortened passage for
smaller naval vessels, including submarines, to and
from the naval base near Murmansk. In the past, pontoons
and transporter docks have been used to pass naval vessels
with drafts exceeding 11.5 feet. According to a 1973
report this section was scheduled to be deepened to a
minimum of 14.5 feet and subsequently to 18 feet. Some
dredging, widening and straightening has been accomplished.
However, improvements have lagged and, although volume
of traffic has increased, vessels using the canal without
pontoons or transporter docks are still limited to 3,000
DWT and an 11.5 feet draft. More specifically, vessel
size is restricted to the above limits by the dimensions
of the most northerly lock at Belomorsk, the scheduled
enlargement of which has not been carried out. This lock
has a sill depth of 11.5 feet, length of 500 feet, and
width of 50 feet.
Moreover, there is no evidence the enlargement of
this lock is underway or is imminent. Use of the lock,
and therefore the northern portion of the canal, would
be impossible during the period of construction, i.e.,
six months to a year at a minimum. An alternative and
more probable solution would be construction of a lock
parallel to the existing one, with the existing lock re-
maining in service until the new lock is completed.
There is no indication, however, that such a project is
contemplated in the immediate future.
With present limitations only destroyer escorts,
which represent about 55% of the Northern Fleet surface
vessels and 48% of the Baltic Fleet, would be able to
pass through the canal. All submarines of the Baltic
Fleet and 60% of those assigned to the Northern Fleet
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could pass through with the aid of transporter docks.
Submarines of the Delta, Yankee, Hotel, Papa, Echo II
and probably November classes would not be able to use
the canal.
Commercially, these improvements add incrementally
to Soviet transport capacity; presently available evidence
does not allow a meaningful quantitative estimate.
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