GEOGRAPHIC STUDY ARAL SEA AREA, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T05439A000300350046-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 42
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 12, 2007
• Sequence Number: 46
• Publication Date: June 1, 1962
• Content Type: REPORT

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DECLASSIFICATION REVIEW by NIMA/DOD 4/6/00
GEOGRAPHIC STUDY
ARAL SEA AREA, USSR
25X1
NPIC/R-1023/62
June 1962
MINICARD COPY
11
NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER
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GEOGRAPHIC STUDY
ARAL SEA AREA, USSR
NPI C/ R-1023/62
June 1962
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NPIC, R- 1023/02
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PREFACE
This photographic interpretation report was prepared by Army, Navy,
Air Force and Central Intelligence Agency analysts of the National Photog-
raphic Interpretation Center in response to a Scientific Intelligence Com-
mittee requirement.
It supplements
PICA JR-1031 j 61 which gave details
Usable photographic coverage of the Aral Sea is restricted to approxi-
matelv the northern half of the Aral Sea and adjacent shoreline areas.
Cloud cover and lapses of photography preclude detailed interpretation
of certain areas within this general coverage.
It should be noted that the map of the Aral Sea area (Figure 2) in
this report is a composite drawing constructed from several maps and
includes corrections from aerial photography. Many place names on this
map have been obtained from collateral sources and will not appear on
standard maps of the Aral Sea area.
of the
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U.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pa Te
D
SUMMARY ..................................... 1
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ARAL SEA AREA . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
MILITARY INSTALLATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Possible Military Installation at Zhelgy Zagem . . . . . . . . . 6
Possible Military Installation Southwest of Aral'sk . . . . . . . 6
Possible Police Posts at Kazalinsk and Novo-Kazalinsk . . . 7
TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Air ..................................... 8
Sea ....................................... 8
Rail ...................................... 23
Road ...................................... 24
COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Vozrozhdeniya Island-Aral'sk Microwave Link . . . . . . . . . . 25
Aktyubinsk-Tashkent Microwave Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Radio Communications at Aral'sk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
FISHERIES ..................................... 28
Fishing Villages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Comparison of Facilities on Vozrozhdeniya Island with
Fishing Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Ice Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Fishing Installations on the Aral Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
INSECTICIDE TESTS AT TUP-BUGUTSKIY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
,REFERENCES .................................. 35
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure 1. Location of the Aral Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Page
Figure 2. Map of Aral Sea Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 3. Locations of Possible Military Installations
in the Aral Sea Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 4. Possible Military Installation at Zhelgy Zagem .
Figure 5. Locations of Air Transport Facilities within
150-nm Radius of Aral Sea Coast . . . . . . . . . . .
Figure 6. Aral'sk Harbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Figure 7. The Alexander Nevskiy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Figure 8. Locations of Probable and Suspect Microwave
Stations in the Aral Sca Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 9. Mys Kokchukat Operational Headquarters on
Vozrozhdeniya Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Figure 10. Typical Fishing Kolkhoz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
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i\PIC; R-1023/62
This report describes the military installations, transportation fa-
cilities, and industries surrounding the Aral Sea which appear on aerial
photography of 1957, 1959, and 1960. The installations and industries are
largely at Aral'sk, where a major port, described here in detail, is located.
Airfields within 150 nautical miles of the Aral Sea coast have also been
described. Communications in the area were traced, in particular the
suspect microwave links from \'ozrozhdeniya Island to Aral'sk and the
probable microwave links from Aktyubinsk to Tashkent. The fishing in-
dustry of the Aral Sea was observed and described in part at several fish-
ing ports, canneries, and settlements.
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This report is part of a continuing study of the Aral Sea area by various
elements of the intelligence community in order to establish, if possible,
the relationship between activities in this area and the military establish-
ment on Vozrozhdeniya Island. 1/ This report is intended to supplement
the other studies by supplying whatever information can be obtained from
aerial photography.
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NPIC/R-1023/62
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ARAL SEA AREA
The Aral Sea is a large inland lake of approximately 26,000 square
miles located about 300 nautical miles (tm) east of the northern end of
the Caspian Sea (Figure 1). This slightly saline body of water occupies a
shallow depression into which drain
100 0
the Svr-Dar'va and Amu Darya
Rivers (Figure 2) whose sources are I
OMSK
in the snow-capped mountains of
southern Asia. These rivers bring
down large quantities of sediment,
which causes frequent shifting of
channels in the deltas and makes
river navigation hazardous. sF
I` TASHKENT r
The climate of the Aral Sea L`?.7 ' C HH I-
N A!
area is a desert regime charac-
CHARDZHOV
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terized by hot, dry summers and
1 R A N 1 '
S
7 winters. /_ AFGHAN-
AN PAKI
cold, dr< ;k
I1. Kyzylhaydnk
l,nndint,, (;rowel
(1'2-051 59-29L)
3 nm ENE, of
Lenin:ck (Ak-Tele)
12. I'I'Voly Southwest
Landing Ground
(41-SON 59-3(;E)
2 nni SSW of
Il'yaly
13. '1'ashauz Airfield
(41-49N 59-58E)
Southern out-
skirts of Tashauz
I.I. Urgench Airfield
(41-36N 60-39E)
Two urn NE of
Urgench
15. Mys Kokchukat
Poss Landing
Ground
(45-13N 59-17E)
I). cription of
kunwtty:
One. n:,turul : and
urf o , N11, SI'.
2,500 x 1,5011 ft
One natural :;and 1 UI)l I.K
surface, NW,'SE
4,000 x 2,500 ft
Three compact 5 U, I aircraft
gravel surface
N11','SE, NE,'SIN,
and E,/NV each under
5,000 ft
Three natural surface
NW;'SE, NNE/SSW,
and NE,'SWW' each
prob less than 5,000
ft
't'wo natural surface
E/W - 1,300 x 150 ft
N/S - 700 x 500 ft
$Numbers preceding Name and Location entries are keyed to Figure 5.
N,~ i? rr :a . t:r:~'i,r, ?i i tl, .
L.:n,tuw c
nil v.ind t,un, oh;
N? pernuun nt :,tru, turn:
No 1wrmanent tructun Vi.
Landing circle oL:;erv~ l.
Interpretation limited by
obliquity.
No facilities visible,
(parade groun(l)
M fir ? lw= r ---0" r r- r r
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Uchsay. Inasmuch as the facilities at \'ozrozhdeniya Island have been
described previously in PIC/JR-1031/61, Jul 61, only the port facilities
at Aral'sk are described herein.
Aral'sk Harbor. Aral'sk Harbor (Figure 6) is large and well protected,
the main basin being approximately 3,000 by 3, 0,000 feet. The harbor
entrance is protected by sandbars and islands and the single entrance has
a channel about 250 feet wide. The harbor is divided into three parts,
the main harbor and two little-used bays. Wharf facilities line three sides
of the main harbor. The landing facilities and the ships found at them in
keyed to Figure 6 and all figures are overall dimensions. 25X1
are described below. Numbers preceding descriptions are
1. Finger pier, length of side, 65 feet; length of head, ~ The
pier extends from the water directly into the end of a building which
measures 170 by 45 feet. The area around the building is enclosed
by a wall; the enclosed area has the appearance of a corral. Two
fishing boats, are anchored offshore.
2. Finger pier, length of side, 65 feet; length of head, 5 feet.
4. Finger pier, length of side, 60 feet; length of head, 15 feet.
5. T-head pier, length of head, 30 feet; width of head, 10 feet. Length
and width of approach, 105 by 10 feet.
6. Finger pier, serving probable fish cannery, length of side, 160 feet;
length of head, 15 feet. Pier has 13 fishing boats, measuring from
3. Finger pier, length of side, 95 feet; length of head,
in length, tied up or anchored nearby.
7. Quay, length of face, 320 feet; width of quay, 110 feet. Three crane
(type unidentified) stand on the quay. Two transit sheds measure ".71
by 65 feet and by 45 feet. Quay has four ships tied up alongside.
One ship, measuring 155 by with its stack- att is h? oh;lhly'
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cargo type; the remaining three are coasters measuring
8. Offshore wharf, length of face, 475 feet; width of wharf, 75 feet.
Length of approach, on northeast side, 270 feet; width of approach
115 feet. Eight transit sheds on and adjacent to wharf have the
following dimensions: One shed 160 by 55 with 160-foot apron,
two sheds 115 by 50, two sheds 60 by 20, one shed 260 by 70 feet
(flush with face of wharf), one shed 245 by 100 feet, one shed 25 by
20 feet. Eight fishing boats are tied up at this wharf and a ninth is
anchored nearby. Dimensions of the boats range from nby 20 feet
9. Finger pier, length of side, 65 feet; length of head, 10 feet.
10. Pier, length of side, 250 feet; length of head 160 feet, with transit
shed 60 by 25 feet at base. A boat is moored alongside
the wharf. A ship freighter-transport type, with two
cargo hatches fore and two aft, is anchored off this wharf.
11. Modified L-head pier, length of head, 35 feet; length of sides, 90
feet (head portion) and 125 feet (overall); width of approach, 25 feet.
One 20 by 10-foot transit shed is on the pier. Three fishing boats are
tied up at the pier and a fourth is anchored nearby. They range in
12. Composite pier, seaward section dimensions - length of side, 120
feet, length of head, 25 feet; base section dimensions - length of
side 120 feet, width 45 feet. Base section is covered by a ware-
house, 100 by 45 feet. This pier is possibly used by a passenger
and freight line. A cargo ship (freighter-transport type),
with hatches fore and aft and three fishing boats, ranging
from 70 by are tied up at the pier.
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POSS PASSENGER 17 17
N_-
TRANSSHIPMENT
SHED
SIX-TRACK YARD
IS LANC~
500 0
FIGURE 6. ARAL'SK HARBOR (1957 photography). Numbered items are keyed to text.
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PROB SUPPLY BASE FOR
VOZROZHDENIYA ISLAND
(SEE FIG. 26. JR-1031!611
TO SALT LLLS
TRANSIT SHED
RESIDENTIAL AREA
RAILROAD, DOUBLE TRACK
RAILROAD, SINGLE TRACK
PRIMARY ROAD
SECONDARY ROAD
FENCE
WALL
1000 2000
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13. Offshore wharf with 2 approaches and a nearby pier. Pier, with a
length of side 20 feet hps an overall length of side of 35 feet. Dimen-
sions of the offshore wharf are: face, 105 feet; width of wharf, 20
feet; lengths and widths of approaches, 115 by 10 feet and -80 by 10
feet. A probable patrol craft by 15 feet) is tied up at the wharf.
14. Quay, which probably serves the Aral Sulfate Combine, is used for
loading bulk salt aboard ships. The quay is rail served. Length of
face is 1,200 feet, width of quay is 95 feet. Two transit sheds on quay
are 190 by 60 feet and 300 by 95 feet. Three probable loading towers
are visible on quay. Six ships tied up to the quay have the following
features:
superstructure and hatches not visible, probably
a barge; superstructure aft, 2 cargo hatches
25X1 amidships; hatches are open and a white material is visible in
the holds; stack aft, cargo type, 2 cargo hatches
with 2 cargo hatches amidships; the
hatches are open and a white material is visible in the holds.
. 15. Quay, under construction with the backfill not complete. The com-
25X1 pleted section of the face is long and the width of the quay
is 15 feet; the length of the face of the incomplete section is 150'
25X1 feet and the width of the quay wall is 15 feet. One ship (or possible
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stack aft, cargo type,
amidships; stack aft, cargo type, no cargo hatches
25X1 visible; 135 by 25 feet, stack aft, cargo type, 2 cargo hatches
amidships; = by 25 feet, stack aft, cargo type, 2 cargo hatches
amidships. At anchor near the quay is a ship 135 byF___1,
barge), is tied up to the completed section. No super-
structure is visible but two open hatches are visible amidships.
16. Pier, overall length of side, 75 feet; length of head, 45 feet. Four
ships tied up at this pier mt3asure:
by 35 feet, stack aft, cargo type with two hatches amid-
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ships; L__] by 25 feet,
stack aft, cargo type;
17. Finger
pier,
freighter - transport type;
freighter - transport type.
length of side, 35 feet; length of head; 10 feet, with
barge, feet, ti and up.
18. Finger pier. length of side. 55 feet; length of head, 10 feet. An
icebreaker, I I and two barges, 70 by 25 feet and 50 by
25X1 25 feet, are tied up at the pier and a probable floating crane or
dredger,
is anchored nearby.
19. Shipyard, with four side-launching sites. No rails are visible. Four
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ships and four barges are under construction. The ships measure
190 by 30 feet (freighter - transport type), 210 by 30 feet (possible
lighter), and two small freighter-transports 85 by 25 feet, arid 130
by 35 feet. Barges measure
feet, and Five shop buildings in the shipyard measure
200 by 45 feet, 105 by 30 feet, 100 by 35 feet, 85 by 30 feet, and 85
by 60 feet. Eleven storage and utility buildings range in size from
30 by 15 feet to 70 by 15 feet.
20. T-head pier, length of head, 180 feet; width of head, 35 feet. Length
and width of approach, 290 by 25 feet. A barge (95 by~ is
anchored offshore. Pier is possibly military. It is connected by road
to the probable supply base for Vozrozhdeniya Island, and has heavy
security as well as bunker-type storage, similar to that found on
Vozrozhdeniya Island and at the supply base, located near the pier.
21. Boat repair yard, with one L-head pier. Length of head, 85 feet;
width of head, 20 feet. Length and width of approach, 60 by 10 feet.
Three shop buildings in the yard have dimensions of 115 by 35 feet
(with a wing 35 by 35 feet); 200 by 35 feet (with a wing 160 by 15
feet); and 260 by 30 feet. The vessels in this yard are end-launched
and there is no evidence of marine railways. There are 32 small
fishing boats, each 30-40 feet in length, in the yard.
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22. T-head pier, length of head, 25 `met; width of head,) Length
and width of approach, 115 by 5 feet. Items 22 and 23 furnish small
boat accommodations for the probable supply base for Vozrozhdeniya
Island. All ship traffic for the base would have to tie up at Item 20
pier.
23. Two piers, both T-head with approximately same dimensions --
length of head, 20 feet; width of head Length and width of
approach, 125 by 5 feet.
Ships
Collateral Descriptions of Ships. A consolidated list of names and
brief descriptions of ships which ply the Aral Sea is presented in Table 3.
Names and descriptions of these ships have been extracted from various
collateral sources which are cited in references 3 through 8. Since the
ships do not sail international waters, their names do not appear on ship
registry lists and information on the size and type of each ship is not avail-
able. It is known only that the ships are largely trawlers and coastal cargo
ships of shallow draft but capable of withstanding the rough waters of the
Aral Sea.
A fleet of river boats plies the Amu Dar'va River under the direction
of the Central Asia Steamship Line, but the names of these vessels have
been omitted from the table. These ships are of very shallow draft and do
not exceed 300 tons displacement. The port of Uchsay is the transshipment
point between ships of the Aral Sea and river boats of the Amu Dar'va
River. 8/
Ships in Aral'sk Harbor. A description of ships over 50 feet in length
visible on the 1957 photography of Aral'sk Harbor is presented in Table 4.
It is not possible to identify the ships by name at Aral'sk in 1957 but if
more information becomes available it may be possible to correlate the
names of the ships in Table 3 below with the data obtained by photography
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Large
of MR
seiner, fishing vessel
S'
Admiral Lazarev
%lotor
fishing boat
3,
5
Admiral Makarov
Diesel
ship, 400-ton freighter
3,
4,
8
Admiral Ushakov
patrol
Craft of Tuemmler
5,
6,
8
Aktyubinsk
Alexander !levskiy??
Bagration
Balykshlvar
Belinskiy
Bukatov (Butakov)
Chapayaev
Chavka
Chernvakhovskiv
Chimkent
class,
Combi
and fre
patrol
used a
passe
Motori
Diesel
Icebre
Diesel
Fishin
Fishin
Motori
hydrographic survey ship
nation passenger steamer
ighter
craft of Tuemmler class,
s hydrographic survey ship
nger vessel (former tug)
zed seiner
ship
aker
ship
g vessel, motor seiner
g vessel, motor seiner
zed ship
4
Chkalov
Motor
ship, large seiner
3,
5
Georgiv Sedov???
Diesel
ship
3,
4,
7
Karl Marx
Motor d
riven vessel
5
Kommuna
600-ton
diesel ship
Kotovskiy
Kul'turnik
Kzyl Orda
Lev Berg
Fishin
seiner
Recrea
Motoriz
Hydrog
Aral fi
g vessel, large
of MRS
tion and mail ship
ed ship, steam tug
raphic survey ship,
sh industry ship
'Motor fishing vessel station.
-Figure 7 is a photograph of this ship.
-This name appears in international ship registers 9/ in which the ship is described as a 2-10 by
3C-foot icebreaker