AZOVSTAL STEEL PLANT AND ROLLING MILL IN ZHDANOV (MARIUPOL)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R005500690003-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 3, 2006
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 3, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2006/02/28 :,CIA-DP82-004578005500690003-7
CLASSIFICATION C()So lllks l.L/CGr'f'iIGL US OFFICIALS O1ILY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY 25X1 REPORT
FORMATION REPORT CD NO.
CON FI DENTIAL
COUNTRY USSR (Ukrainian SSR)
DATE DISTR.
3 Oct. 1950
SUBJECT Azovstal Steel Plant and Rolling kill
NO. OF PAGES
4
in Zhdanov (itariupol)
25X1
PLACE
UBRA
RY
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
N TO CIA
25X1
OF ENCLS.
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
OF THL', 1Y11i I ST=-",Z WITHIR THE 0=11116 OF TQIC F19FIQMA49E ACT VG
11. J. C.. 81 AND 22. AD AMENDED, 14u'MNSVISSIO41 OD T91@ 17EVELATIOU
QF 13& Carava13T9 161 G., SV i7ANNER To A11 CNA11TH641:T.E) FfE1SO& 13 P;4
4131=0 By 4,,R!. E. "'ROIM C119I1 O TATS FORA 115 PRO310mg).
~?i: se~ ~1-r??v4'as~t~lz+LZ;
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
The following plant installations are located in the compound of
the Azovsta" Steel Plant and Roiling Mill in Zhdanov (Mariupol)
(37034'41/476071N):
a. The total plant area was estimated at about 3A x 32 km,_
bo The plant had the following installations in 1947:
Two blast furnaces, one or two coke oven batteries, four open:::,
hearth furnaces, the larger building of the pig-iron foundry,
four gas-fueled furnaces, located at one end of the later con-
structed mill train'. one water tower and the power plant under
construction,:
c. The following plant installations were constructed after 1947
Blast furnace No 3, completed by the end of November 1948; blast
furnace No 4, to be completed by 31 October 19491, the small pig-,
iron foundry, completed by May 1949; one coke oven battery, completed
by 1948 (a second was under construction); two water towers, one of
which was completed by the end of 1948 and the other it', mid-1949;
two reservoirs, completed by mid-1949; foundations for the fifth and
sixth open hearth furnaces (to be fitted in early 1950); "Blooming
str?oill and 11Prokat strolls,, departments of the rolling mill, completed
CON FI DENTIAL
CLASSIFICATION CONFI 1 TIAL/CONT,
AEih7Y AIR
This docum;e6f-Ts ere vFegr`a e o
CONFIDENTIAL in accordance with the
letter of 16 October 1978 from the
Director of Central Intelligence to the
Archivist of the United States.
Ap c9 'R&16Qb8??06/02/28: Cl -RD
 Approved For Release 20(16/02/28 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005500690003-7
COMFIDE14,TIAL/CONTROL ? US OFFICIALS ONLY 25X1
CJ ThAZINTELLIGENCE AGJ NCY
D
in the Summer and late 1948; four additional gas fueled furnaces
in the rolling mill, completed by gay 1948, two tracks to the
open-hearth furnaces, one track connecting the blast furnaces
and coking plant. Construction of the power plant was dis-
continued in early 1949?
as Coking plant: Bach coke oven battery, approximately
50 x 8 x 5 meters, had 50 chambers. Shipments of additional
40 to 60 tons of coke, allegedly from Stalino, arrived daily
at the blast furnaces.
b. Open-hearth plant: J;ach open-hearth furnace had an approxi-
mate pouring capacity of 120 tons, enough to fill 80 to 100
ingot molds. While being transported to the roiling mill these
molds were removed from the ingots (about 1.5 x 0.6 x 0.6 meters)
by cranes with special equipment.
c. Foundry. Cable-suspended ladles with 60 tons of fluid pig-
iron arrived from the blast furnaces and poured their contents
into molds for 30 to 40 kg blocks fitted to 30 meter long elec-
tric driven conveyor belts. Having passed cooling-water, the
blocks were tilted into railroad cars at the turning point of
the conveyor belts. The foundry capacity was 12 60-ton ladles
in each of the three shifts.
d. Rolling mill: It was learned from Soviets that, except for
the eight gas-fueled furnaces, all installations were of American
origin. These included two roller frames, one (pair) drop shears,
one large profile mill, four circular saws for iron, two boring
machines, two electro-magnetic cranes and two mobile cranes.
Four mill frames with exchangeable roller sets for various pro-
files were placed between the profile mill and a shop with
rollers and lathes to prepare the roller profiles.
e. Power supply: A plant-owned power source, beside the rolling
mill, supplied this installation with power, while the western
plant sections apparently obtained electricity from an outside
source through a power transmission line on wooden masts, re-
portedly pending completion of a second plant-owned power source
south of the blast furnaces4
f. Miscellaneous: Access roads and most plant roads,.except for
a few of asphalt, were paved with cobble stones and had an
average width of 6 meters. They were in good condition. A road
bridge near the plant entrance led over the Kalmius River towards
the town. In the plant area were two railroad overpasses and one
multi-track railroad bridge over the main plant road. The bridges
were concrete structures.
There were three shifts with about 2,500 laborers each, 50 per-
cent of which were women. In addition, there was a great number
of construction and maintenance workers which could not be
estimated.
30 to 40 kg iron blocks, ingot steel and steel plates, rails;
U, T. and double-T-shaped girders. The plant worked at 75 per-
cent capacity in the spring of 1949.
CONFIL Ii4TIAL/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/02/28 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005500690003-7
 Approved For Release 2006/02/28 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005500690003-7
CONFI1 N1IAL/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY 25X1
5. With three instead of eight blast furnaces operating, the
production capacity of the plant could not be fully utilized.
6. Blast furnace department: The completion of the fourth blast
furnace, also measuring 35 to 40 meters in height, 6 meters in
diameter, was scheduled for the 1949 October Revolution
Anniversary. The construction site for two additional blast fur-
naces was planned 300 meters east of the northernmost blast
furnace, Structural parts, allegedly from the Polish-occupied
Zone of Germany, had arrived. Power was supplied by a nearby
power plant. A fourth boiler and turbine were being fitted.
7., Coking plant: The completion of the third coke oven battery
under construction and of the third and fourth boiler in the
coking plant boiler house, farther south, was scheduled for
October 1949.
8. The Main Power Plant south of the rolling mill is surrounded
by an F n fence and is strictly guarded.
9~ Coking plant: The construction of the third and fourth coke
oven batteries started in 1948 and was completed by June 1949.
Each battery had 75 chambers.
10. Rolling kill: The rolling mill had complete American machinery
and started production on 1 August 1948. The output of 12 blast
furnaces would be required to put the rolling mill into full
25X1 operationi
11. 02!n-hearth plant: Four operating open-hearth furnaces each
with a 65 meter high smokestack.
12. Blast furnace department: Three operating blast furnaces and
one under construction in August 1949, Each blast furnace had
four air heaters. The fluid pig-iron was shipped to the open-
hearth plant by special cars.
13. Blast furnace department: Blast furnace No 3 was blown in on
4 October.1948, and blast furnace No 4 was completed by August
1949, when the construction of No 5 started. Seven or eight fur-
naces are allegedly to be constructed. All blast furnaces had
the same construction. They were regularly tapped at 11 a.mc
and 7 p.m., when the tipping cars were also filled and driven
to the open-hearth plant.
14. Coking plant: The plant was about 200 meters long. Each battery
had an estimated 75 to 80 chambers. A fourth boiler was put into
operation in the boiler house (75 x 15 x 25 meters) in March 1949.
Gas, coal dust, and oil were used as fuel. The third turbine was
being installed in the turbine house during June and July 1949,
15. Power supply: Main power source was the Stalino Power Plant, as
was learned from Soviet laborers. Plant-owned power sources
produced some additional electricity.
CONFID TIAL/CONTKOL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
-3=
Approved For Release 2006/02/28 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005500690003-7
 Approved For Release 2006/02/28 r : _CIA-nfbMtA 690003-7
CONFIDENTIAL/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY ,?,
CENTNAL INTELLIGENCL AGENCY
25X1 Commend:
25X1
as Jxcept for some minor variances as to the date of the
completion of some new installations? the above information
tallies with, and supplements, previous information and is a
valuable contribution for a final evaluation of this important
steel plant,
(1) Blast furnace department:
4
The present operation of four blast furnaces is considered a
facto The construction of additional blast furnaces, possibly
to utilize the full capacity of the rolling mill, might be
correct but needs confirmation, since the full operation of the
rolling mill would also require a considerable increase of the
open-hearth plant production which cannot be achieved with the
present number of operating open-hearth furnaces. As other
information reported a cooperation of Ilich (located to the
north) and Azovstal plants, the new blast furnaces at Azovstal
may possibly serve to secure surplus to meet added pig-iron
requirements at the Ilich Plant.
(2) Open-hearth plant:
The plant is assumed to be equipped with four open-hearth
furnaces. Additional information is required to determine whether
the fifth and sixth and possibly even more open-hearth furnaces
have been installed in the meantime. The capacity of 120 tons
per furnace also needs confirmation.
(3) Coking plant:
Four coking oven batteries are estimated to be in operation.
The number of chambers stated varies between 50 and 8O0 A
number of 50 chambers would be proportional to the battery
c. Power supply:
It is certain that most of the power is supplied from the outside
and that the power plant near the blast furnaces supplies only
that installations The alleged power plant south of the rolling
mill was previously reported to be a transformer station, which
seems more credible but cannot definitely be determined.. Final
clarification is required as to the power plant under construction
south of the blast furnaces near the sea.* This plant may be a
pump station as indicated by other information.
25X1
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDjITIAL/CONTROL - Us OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/02/28 : CIA-RDP82-00457R005500690003-7