THE ASTRAKHAN DIRECTORATE OF ROADSTEADS TECHNICAL FLEET (REYDTEKHFLOT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R012800010004-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 1, 2001
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: July 9, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
-SECRET
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO.
COUNTRY USSR (Astrakhan Oblast)
SUBJECT The Astrakhan Directorate of Roadsteads Technical
Fleet - (ReydTakbFlot)
DATE OF
INFO.
25X1 C
PLACE
ACQUIRED
-
, a
o.
, . Sen vin Vida. 25X1 A
The chief of GlaiNorPut usually spends several Mantua auring.the navigation
o
akhan
v N
1
nor=a1. r falling to. the ports. The headquarters of.the ReydTekhFlot
responsible, In view of the importance of thin` Volga .traffic, the Astrakhan
directorate has been given the additional responsibility of maintaining the
navigational lights and buoy. markings along the Volga channel, a function
navigational channels.. for xhiah the Chief Directorate of Maritime-Routes is
of the seven regional organizations which are subordinate to the Chief
Directorate of Maritime Routes (Glavnoye Upra*lenire M -rakil Putey - G1a +torPut).
The latter is itself one of the seven chief directorates (Glavk which
constitute the Ministry of the Merchant Fleet (MinMorFlot
wn-
CD NO.
25X1A
DATE DISTR.
9 Ju'Iy 1952
NO. OF PAGES
7
.NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
1. The Astrakhan Directorate of.Roadateads Technical Fleet (RaydTekhF1ot) is one
saasoA in- Astrakhan? persora;?_] supervising the dredging operations in this
region because they. are considered of such critical importauce's
Before .195? the Astrakhans directorate was called ReydMorPut.but it had the rase
responsibilities and duties as ReydTekbFlot.has at present. Fir five years'
however, from 1945 to 195 Rsydtankeri '
a.local Petroleum shipping compatwi, had
been forced to assume responsibility for dredging activitiea~ idthout being assigned
PTSI10Nf RoydMorPut S RET 25X1A
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SCRET/SECURITY INFORMATION,
extends from some place on the river south of.. Gur 'yev down to the
ee Enncl (A),7 On the Ural-Caspian channel the river stretch
(distantsiya) and the sea-stretch. The river stretch of the Volga-
Caspian channel extends for about 90 1 from I1' inks south to
O ya.and the sea stretch from Olya to the Volga-Caspian lighthouse.
25X1A
caused considerable diffidulties. In 1950 ReydMorPut became
ReydTekhFlot,,and once nor this organization was made responsible
for dredging.
The main task of Reyd 'ekhFlot is to?' insure the maintenance and
upkeep ' of two channels,-, the Volga-Caspian and the Ural-Caspian.
Both of these are divided into two main sections, the river stretch
Island of Peshnoy 6491-5142. The sea stretch goes from there
to the Gur'yev roa steads, a -distance of some 20 kmm.
The Volga-Caspian Channel
k. On the river stretch of this channel the following 25X1A
informations.
(a) It is marked by buoys, painted red on one side and white on
the other, placed one every kilometer. At night their emplane
meat is marked by kerosene lamps. At the narrowest places the
channel is only about 12 m, not wide enough to permit two-way
traffic. At these points 20 m high towers have been built on.
wooden pyramids to control the traffic. The signals used vary
from tower to tower and may be given with flags, with lamps,
or by hand.
(b).. There are several water level check stations along the channel
which move from place to place as the condition of the river
is constantly changing. The minimum depth required is 2.5 m.
Shallow spots (perekat) are particularly numerous in July and
August. The most dangerous spot on the river channel is called
Sergeyevskoye 1Coleno (bend). While the average current is
about five kilometers per hour, it may be as high as 10 km at
this spot, with eddies, which render navigation difficult,
parts ularly for a tug with barges in tow. A similar danger.
..spot is at ICharbay.
(a) To check the beacon lights and to keep the buoys in pace,
maintenance crews are stationed every two kilometers along
this channel. As they are very poorly paid, these crews have
devised their Own means for ii roving their standard of living.
They tie a line from the shore to a buoy in such a way that the
passage of, a tug Will cause the buoy to disappear under water.
At this moment the maintenance areal makes a loud outcry and
forces the tug to stop until the situation is remedied. Normally
such an incident would call for a special report; but,,after
receiving a few rubles from the tug, the maintenance man Was
to take care of the damage,
(d) This channel is open to navigation from the end 'of March to
the beginning of December. Early in spring when the Ice is
coming down the river, the season is opened by a few icebreakers
which make the run-down.from Astrakhan ahead of the regular
vessels.. . Three tugboats of ojydt,,x, 'cr , a petroleum shipping
compa: , are used for this purpose. The Caspian State Pisheries
also have one conventional icebrealaer, the Sergo Ordzhonikidze ,
which is used for clearing the channel.
Approved For Release 2001/12/05 : CIA-RDP82-00457RO12800010004-9
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
 Approved For Release 2001/12/05 : CIA-RDP82-00457R012800010004-9
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
M
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25X1A
The sea stretch of the Volga-Caspian channel is itself subdivided
into two sections, the lighted part and the beacon portion:
(a) The lighted part, about 30 1m long, is marked by,large,
stationary boats, placed about two km apart, equipped with
kerosene lights (ognevka), whit serve as lighthouses.
Between these boats the channel is marked'by ordinary poles.
The channel is about three to 3.5 m deep on the average but
there are some sections with shallows. The average width is
around 40 m and there are no narrow sections in this stretch.
(b) The beacon part is marked by red and white metal buoys,, attached
to concrete blocks. For night traffic they are provided with-
carbide lamps. The curves on this channel are dangerous for
long tows. Normally a tow consists of two or three barges,
separated by some 250 m, which constitutes a total length of
.: to 600 m. The new barges require six men on the rudder
to take care of the steering.
There is a special hoist ship, provided with a, hand crank,
for lifting sunken buoys, The foremen of the maintenance
crews, however,.are reluctant to use any machinery They fear
that any damage to it will be blamed on`?,them and that they may
be sent to a forced labor camp, In general they prefer to call
on unskilled labor, which is easily procured.
Ural Caspian:. Ch el
6. On the river,stretch of this channel the following the
informations
(a) Since 1949 dredging of the channel from Peshnoy Island to the
north has been abandoned because the maintenance costs were
..excessive. Tugs and barges no longer go beyond Peehnoy and
there is no passenger service to Ourryev, Only fishermen and
ReydTanker personnel who are using small craft can come up the
river stretch.
25X1A
(b) The beacons and towers which mark this. stretch are still
being maintained by. special crews which have no other work,
(c.). There is much talk about re-opening the channel to regular
.traffic but I do not believe that the work will ever be under-
taken. I know that once even a dredge got mired in the sand banks
and could only be recovered after great difficulties, There
is a project for covering the banks with rocks and bricks in
order to prevent them from slipping into the channel,
The. sea stretch of the channel. is about 20 km long, about 15 m wide
onthe average, and has a maxims depth of 2~5 in. It is marked by
four lighthouses,, beaconsat
,d wooden poets. Two dredges are
needed continouely on this section to keep it open. Oil cargoes
are transloaded at the I r 0yev Roadsteads from Roydta or barges
into special barges for delivery to Peshuoy, where the oil is ' stored
or sent on to tlur syev by pipe lineb
S RE'T/SEC TRITY INFORMATION
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 Approved For Release 2001/12/05 : CIA-RDP82-00457R012800010004-9
$Be /sEC ITY INFORMATION 25X1 A
-4r
Organization of RWTekh Flot
he. Astr&Ww Direotorato of Roadsteads Technical Fleet is :headed
y an Engineer-Oaptastn, Merchant Fleet, 1st Class. The ' deputy
chief, who is also Chief Engineer, is Vladimir Stepaa*ov, Engineer-.
Captain, Merchant Fleet, 2nd. Class. The directorate is divided into
the following sections:
t :.
.(a) Planning and Economic Section. There are about five people in
this section, two engineers and three economists. They make
plans for cofetruotion work and.financial estimates to determine
'the relative amounts required for wages and materials.
(b) The Dredging Machinery Section (SudoMekha ni the skit' O tde l) is.
headed by Engiaa