PORT OF ODESSA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R006100080008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 15, 2012
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: September 14, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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FORM NO.
MAY 1949
CLASSIFICATION SEI: i..';"Ct T?tOL U5 OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
US aR (Ukraine)
SUBJECT Port of Odessa
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE Or 7r
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT !iO
U. S C., 31 AND 32 AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION
OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PRO-
HIBITED BY LAW. REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED
DATE DISTR. :14 Sept. 1950
NO. OF PAGES
NO. OF ENCLS. 1
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
the port of Odessa
STATE
ARMY
~Y~
CLASSIFICATION 3?,CT' T'/ CON T~TIAJL US OFFICIALS ONLY
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8 1
Naval, Eopnomic+
Port of ODESSA
CONTROL U. S. CAF FICIALS ONLY
1. Approaches.
(a) Floating Dock.
(i)
This mat.rial pr:cLire I by
Central In ellig ' nce Agency
a Russian floating dock (capacity
not known was sighted in the, Sea of MARVIARA about 50X1-HUM
3 miles from the BOSPHORUS proceeding towards the
DARDANEILES.
(ii) The dock: was towed by a cargo vessel with an estimated
loading capacity of 6,000 tons; the speed of the tow
was about 3 knots. The cargo vessel was painted black
and had a rod hammer and sickle on the funnel,
port bow the following was painted:
50X1-HUM
iii) The floating dock was also painted black.
installations were visible except one small crane
on each side.
).About one hour after the tow had been sighted they sent
a VV/T message to ODESSA, : r?e,porting. that they. had cleared
the BOSPHORUS.
(b) Minesweeper.
(i) a Russian minesweeper was sighted 50X1-HUM
about 12 miles NJ. of the BOSPHORUS. It was an oil-burning
motor vessel of overall wooden construction with midship
exhaust vents. The displacement was estimated at
100-120 tons.
The armament c nsisted of one "small" calibre gun
forward. estimated the barrel length at 50X1-HUM
1,5 metres. There was a second gun aft, the calibre
of which. was estimated at 32 mms. and the barrel
length at 2.. metres. Two A/A Oorlikons were situated
on the bridge, one directed forward and one aft.
(iii) The vessel had also an electric cable drun aft, as
well as what appeared to be "otters" for cutting
mine-cables. Two VT aerials and a D/F aerial were
observed., but no radar was visible.
(iv) The ship appeared to be in a poor state of maintenance.
Her speed was estimated at 12-11+ knots.
SECRUt a IC,
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(i)
The minesweepers were disposed in line ahead,
later altering to line abreast. The submarine
submerged and the minesweepers scattered, the leading
vessel laying a smoke-screen. Shortly afterwards
the submarine surfaced and all vessels proceeded in
a, southerly direction.
(d) Cutters.
ii) The minesweepers were of the same type as the one
described in para. i(b) above, The submarine was
about 50-60 metres long. It had four torpedo tubes
forward and four aft, One gun was situated forward
about 113 metres from. ,the bow, The calibre was esti-
mated at 8 ans. and the barrel length at L. to 5metros.
There was a D/F loop on the stern connected by a wire
to the conning tower
(iii). Manoeuvres.
Submarine and minesweepers.
On the same day, L1. minesweepers and a submarine were
sighted about 12 miles south-east of ODESSA.
(ii
The cutter had; the following: armament: one heavy
machine??gun? forward, estimated calibre 13,2 = 60
two. .lig1 t .'4/A machine-guns on the bridge, estimated
calibre 9 mms. .
.Vessels observed in ODESSA
(a) Naval vessels:
(1)
There were 8 minesweepers, 3 submarines and:L or 5
cpastal cutters based at ODESSA. (For descriptions
see para. 1 above).
Invariably between there were 50X1-HUM
only 6 minesweepers and 1 submarine moored in the base.
The number of coastal cutters varied according to
their commitments, as these vessels were mainly used
for, escort duties to KI-ERSON,
(iii) It was learned that larger units'of the Soviet BLACK
SEA Fleet only call at ODESSA for the lst of May
celebrations.
(b) Russian Merchant Ships.
(i)
arrived in the port and came to anchor near the
breakwaters She carried a cargo of about 9,000
tons of Runanian timber. This ship had W/T ' and
D/F installations but no radar was visible. She
had LF. gun platforms (no guns mounted) two forward
and two aft.
the cargo ship GENERA CH.Di iicoVS1cs 50X1-HUM
CONTROL ' U. 'J. 1 ALS ONLY3./(ii) VTORAT
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(ii) VTORAT ODESSA, This ship was alongside the
Quarantine Mole, pending the unloading of her cargo
of about 92500 tons of timber. It was an old type
of ship in a poor state of maintenance; nearly all
the paint had disappeared, and cordage was hanging
loose from various deck installations.
W/T and D/F were visible, but no radar was observed.
There were 6 gun platforms, two forward, two midships
and two aft?
(iii) SUKHONA ODESSA. This cargo vessel appeared to be a
Liberty type with 5 holds and a carrying capacity of
about 9,000 tons, She arrrivcd ;i;n"ballast in ODESSA
on 29th March and left the following day for NOVOROS-
SISK. The ship appeared to be clean and well main-
tained. It had 4 gun platforms, 2 forward and 2
aft, W/T and D/F were noticed, but no radar was
visible.
(iv) Liner ODESSA. This was a liner of about 14,000 tons,
which was apparently undergoing repairs at the
FLATANOVSKI Mole. The ship had two funnels; she
carried about 60 lifeboats on each side. The ship
appeared to be clean and well maintained. She was
being rod-loaded and re ainted in white. W/T, radar
and D/F were visible. ((No further details).
(v)
(vi) A total of seven tugs were seen, They wore described
as "in poor condition" and'incapablo of performiniz
their function adequately.
The port of ODESSA was also served by fou r BLACK SEA
passenger ships of about 2,000 tons each. When in
port they wore moored at the NEW MOLE. Departures
from ODESSA took place at 06.00 hours and 08.00 hours,
The ships appeared to be of the same class; they were
clean and apparently in good condition. All carried
W/T. No D/F or radar was noticed. They had one gun
platform aft.
All the ships were named after generals followed by
the word ODESSA.
(c) Foreign Merchant Ships.
(i)
ship of about 8,500 tons
the NEW MOLE. It was discharging a cargo of rubber,
half of which had been unloaded by the end of March.
The ship was due to load a cargo of grain*
carrying capacity. This ship was berthed alongside
cargo vessel of about 9,000 50X1-HUM
tons loading capacity. This ship was berthed at No. 1
Silo. She had discharged a cargo of vehicle tyres
and loaded barley and wheat 50X1-HUM
(iii) ~ cargo ship of about
tons carrying capacity. It is not known whether
she carried any cargo to ODESSA Her outgoing cargo
included 250 tons of caviare
(ONTROL U. S. `TFICIAL~"'&Nv?l~-
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4-
cargo ship with a loading 50X1-HUM
(v)
cargo of barley and maize 50X1-HUM
capacity of about 10,000 tons. This ship loaded a
cargo ship with a loading
capacity o ` alU.UUO'cons, This vessel arrived
from NOVOROSSISK to supplement its cargo.
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
It berthed at Silo No. 2 and left
with a cargo of barley and wheat.
cargo of briquettes. It left in ballast
s. s, KHRISTO EtIRNA'VSKI, a Bulgarian cargo ship of about
6,500 tons carrying capacity. This vessel berthed at
the IU ATANOVSKI Mole and unloaded a
(vii) s. s. BUKOVINA, a Bulgarian cargo vessel with a loading
capacity of about 7,000 tons. This ship berthed at
the N~~PP MOLE It was half empty but a
numb6r (unspecified) of cra es were visible on her
dock. The same day she loaded about 80 Russian four-
wheeled 10-ton
The ship had W and F. o radar or gun platforms
were visible*
viii) s.s. KARPATHIA, a Polish tanker with a carrying
capacity of about 8,000 tons.
the vessel was moored alongside the breakwater
with a cargo of 2,000-2,500 tons of crude oil.
The ship had two gun platforms forward, midships
and aft.
3. Description of the Port, (The numbers refer to the sketch of the
port, attached as,Appendix A to this report.
No. 1. Breakwater. The breakwater is made of concrete blocks and
has a width of 3,5 to 1+ metres. It had been damaged by
bombing and was out in several places; cracks due to
explosions were noticeable. There is a permanent navigation
light flashing green every second. The Southern mole of
the breakwater is suitable for mooring and large bollards
have been fitted along the whole length. About 9 ships,
mainly small tankers, but including the Polish tanker
KARPATHIA (para.2(c)(viii)) and the Russian cargo vessel
G ORAL CIi.,RNIKOVSKI (para 2(b)(i)) were moored at this
position.
No, 2. VORONTSOV LiEht, located at the end of REIDOVOI Mole,
flashing red every second.
No. 3. Signal Station, located at the end of the QUARANTTNB Mole.
No. 1+. Silo No. 1. This building is about 60 metres long and
25 metres wide. It is of wooden construotion with a zinc
roof; it gives the impression of being badly in need of
repairs (For railway services see para. 4. below).
On the seaward side are 12 tubes with a diameter of 0,50-
0,60 metres. When taking grain into the silo each tube
handles 50-60 tons per hour; their capacity when loading
ships is 60-70 tons per hour each. Electric power of 330
volts is used in the silo installations.
5./No. 5.
50X1-HUM
5UX1-HUM
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Noo 5. Small derelict store.
Nov 6. Two small offices in poor condition.
No. 7e Rectangular open-air stacking place, All the goods were
under canvas cover. They included the following:
cotton bales
load ingots
rolls of paper
agricultural machinery, including ploughs:
all were rusty.
metal rods, 3-4 rams thick.
No. 8, Silo No, 2. This is a concrete construction about 75 metres
long and 25 metres wide with a wooden projecting gallery
about 50 metres long and 20 metres high supported by metal
girders. The silo is an old construction showing many
cracks in the concrete walls. The gallery, which has a
tar-paper roof and many windows, is also in poor condition.
There are large holes in the tar-paper and most, if not all
the windows are smashed. Loading into the silo takes lace
from railway wagons (see railway lay-out para. 4. below).
There are openings in the side of the building through which
the railway wagons are discharged. It is believed that
the grain is then brought to the storage lofts by conveyor
belts. It was noticed that wheat was unloaded on the
QUARANTINE harbour side and barley and maize on the opposite
side. The projecting gallery has 4 tubes for loading ships,
situated at 10 metre intervals. The grain is brought to
the tubes by conveyor belts. Electric power of 330 volts
is used in the silo installation.
During March, loading at Silo No. 2 had to be discontinued
on several occasions as supplies of grain arriving from
BRAILA/RUMANIA were insufficient. The grain arrived in
ODESSA in railway wagons of 109 15 and 20 tons.
No. 9. Offices of the Port Authorities and INFLOT.
These are two-single storey concrete buildings about 50
metres long.
No. 10. Open Air Stacking Area.
This area extended around the offices of the i1,, t Authorities
and INFLOT. The following goods were obsorv'edt
- about 150 four-wheeled 10-ton vehicles,
out 4.5 large crates
rge (unspecified numbers of motor tyros
- timber (quantity unspecified) composed of planks
10 metres long and 10 oms thick; beams 10-11
metres long and 30 oms thick,
- lead-covered cables.
6./No,il
H T I? I 11 C (: x!rI A I c fNK11 V
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No. 11. At this position wore about 10 Russian ships undergoing
repairs. Their carrying capacity ranged from 4, 000 to
10,000 tons.
Noe 12o Sulphuric Acid Plant.
This was a large concrete construction of modern design.
Around the building was a large number of glass containers
filled with sulphuric acid,
No. 13. Warehouse.
This was believed to be a grain store. It was a single
storey shod built on the site of a large warehouse destroyed
during the war.
Nod 14.. Base for the three submarines (see para.l(c) and 2(a)
above. )
No. 15. Base for the four/five cutters (see para. 1(d) and 2(a)
above).
No. 16o Base for the eight minesweepers (sec para 1(b) and 2(a)
above).
No. 17. Jetties (no details) believed to be of recent cc.istructiorU
No. 18. Twenty-nine 330 volt Electric T ravell ing_ G rands.
Most of the cranes are old and in poor condition. On
the QUARANTINE Mole, the two cranes operating between
the Signal Station and Silo No. 1 are marked No. 4. and
No. 5. Their capacity is 10 and 15 tons respectively.
4. Railway Facilities (sec Sketch, Appendix A)0
(a) Along the waterfront is a track for travelling cranes.
(b) A double track runs through the port at a distance of
about 15 metres from the waterfront.
(c) Railway switches were noticed at the following positions:
(i) North of Silo No. 1 between berths Nos, 1 and 2.
(ii) Opposite the offices of the Port Authorities between
Berths Nos. 6 arid 7.
(iii) On BAKKALANAYA Quay at Berth No. 10.
(d)
(o)
The majority of the trains arriving in the port are composed
of 12-1.5 wagons, The railway wagons are mostly six-wheelers
(sic), the older typos ranging up to 35 tons are mainly
used for the transport of, grair.L?_ the newer, typos of 50-60 tons
Eight locomotives were counted.
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tf)
All a oared to be in good condition
The gines
were v.sed between BR / f an ODSESSA on grain transportse
They wore equipped with radio-telephone installations with
an aerial of about 5 metros,
Ono AUTOMOTRICE (electric train) was soon. This was an
eight-wheeler about 20 metres long and L. metres high with a
roof made of thin zinc, It was painted blue. An aerial
was visible but it was not known whether W/T or a normal
radio reception sot was installed, The AUTOTJiOTRICE was
poworod by accunul.ators,
5, Miscellaneous Observations,
(a)
On 19th March, workers started to load lead ingots in railway
wagons. Two days wore required to load 3 wagons.
(b) Between the 19th and 216t March, 5 wagons wore loaded with
cotton bales; Levers were used as imploments.
(c) On 20th March, 12 wagons wore loaded with four-wheeled
10--ton vehicles, spare parts and a small amount of
motor tyres, Loading was carried out with a crane and
sheen--legs. The vehicles appeared to be destined for
ALLA IA
(d)
(0)
(f)
(g)
(h)
Rumanian timber was unloaded at Borth No. 6.
Along the waterfront, hydrants, and oil re-fuelling points
were observed.
The average depth alongside is about 21+ foot. As a rule,
ships which are being loaded, when they roach a draught
of 22+ foot, move about 15 foot from the quayside. There
the average depth is 28-30 feet.
he snow-clearing team was composed of
Old women, w h o worked with birch brooms. They were
relieved by 6 others after 3'2- hours work.
back on the rails. Their implements consisted of
lovers and spades only.
throe men and 2 women tried unsuccessfully to put it
an empty wagon derailed. For 6 hours
Part of F '1T.ANOVSKI Mole, destroyed by aerial bombing,
is being repaired with timber.
Opposite the NEW H!RBOUR, five Buildings have been
gutted by fire. They were a macaroni factory, an
oxygen plant (now rebuilt) a grain store, the hotel
VL1",.DIVOSTOCK and a building which is believed to have
boon a small power station?
(k) Local -prices:
Canvas summer shoes 250-260 roubles
Poor quality loather shoes 310-350
80/Poor
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(1)
(m)
(n)
Poor quality raincoats 1500-1600 roubles
radios up to 8000 roubles
fresh butter 65 roubles per kilo.
"charcuterie" 45--50 roubles per kilo*
black broad 3,5 it It if
pastries 1,5 each
bars of chocolate (small) 0,75 "
it if It (large) 1,15
"Eau de Cologne"
toilet soap (small bar)
c, cabs
4.5 roubles per gramme
macaroni, flour, semolina and rice were only obtainable
on ration cards issued to sick people.
taken away in a police car.
Trains from BRAILA/RUtA1' IA to ODESSA are exposed to
sabotage. At the end of 194--9 a train carrying iron
and steel-plating was blown up by the Rumanians. Three
wagons were destroyed and two Rumanians and one Russian
killed.
On the eastern side of the QUARANTINE Harbour were
two I'medium"" automatic guns and 4. A/A guns. The breach
blocks had been removed but regular maintenance was
carried out.
(o) Small warehouses on the F'JANOVSKI and NEW Moles
destroyed during the war are bein rebuilt.
1. Reference para. 1(b). We presume the guns concerned were
20 memo and 37 momo
respectively.
2. Reference para. 1(c). The submarine's gun appears to be
a 76 mom?
3o Reference para. L(d) (ii). These are probably one 12.7
mrrs. and two 7.62 mms. MGs.
5, Reference para. 2(b)(iv)d
9./(a)
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"7^
50X1-HUM
(b) It has since boon reportoa that the liner "ROSSIYA"
left "ODESSA" set on
easterly course?
6o Reference parao 2(b) (vi),, It was reported
that there was only one ice-breaker in ODESSSA I
T_hl-s was a tug named "TOROS"
7. Reference parao 2(c (i p The GAROUPHALIA carried 8,200 tons
of general car ro fran TO OD',SSA0 Then she loaded 79300
tons of grain
8, Reference parao 2(c) (vii), A Bulgarian cargo ship with a deck
cargo of vehicles was sighted about 20 miles
south of FIDONISI prc5coodin towards BULGE
9, Reference Para 2(c)(-viii);, This is prosunabl.- the KARPATY.
11. Reference para. 3 No. 11. I (there
were 6-8 cargo ships undergoing repairs at this location. The
loading capacity was estimated at ranging from 59000 tons to 109000
tons. Work was carried out day and night; hovvever, it appeared
that progress, especially during the night shift, was very slow.
+COHT ~, L S. O I CIALS ONLY
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
50X1-HUM
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4i,,d,.ac '`K A.000mo-om"5o
(A'rr
oRT o QDeSSA
~ M~.~. ~gso)
16 ? \ ' t I I '9 1 1 1 - 1 1 ' / 1 \ \\ $W . --~ Is
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