THE USSR'S GUBA OKOLNAYA SUBMARINE SUPPORT ACTIVITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00927A004000080005-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 27, 2006
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: May 10, 1963
• Content Type: REPORT

lease 2006/09/27: CIA-RDP79-00927AO04000080005-7
1 10 May 1963
OCI No. 0279/63D
Copy No.
SPECIAL REPORT
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
THE USSR'S GUBA OKOLNAYA SUBMARINE SUPPORT FACILITY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
)FOB
SECRET
GROUP I Excluded from automatic
downgrading and declassification
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THIS MATERIAL CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECT-
ING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES
WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE LAWS,
TITLE 18, USC, SECTIONS 793 AND 794, THE TRANSMIS-
SION OR REVELATION OF WHICH IN ANY MANNER TO
AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW.
DISSEMINATION CONTROLS
This document MUST NOT BE RELEASED TO FOREIGN
GOVERNMENTS, If marked with specific dissemination
controls in accordance with the provisions of DCID 1/7,
the document must be handled within the framework of
the limitation so imposed.
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SECRET
10 May 1963
Ground photography of the Soviet naval sup-
port facility at Guba Okolnaya, near Severomorsk
in the Kola Gulf, indicates that this base han-
dles and stores cruise and ballistic missiles for
submarines and probably nuclear warheads for these
missiles. Nuclear weapons may have been carried
from Guba Okolnaya to Cuba and back in October-
November 1962 by the Soviet merchant ship Alek-
sandrovsk.
Photographs taken during
late 1960 through 1962 show
that extensive security pre-
cautions--including watch tow-
ers, floodlights, and a double
fence--have been established
at the base. Construction ac-
tivity has also been notice-
able, suggesting that the base
has been expanded; this ex-
pansion may be continuing.
Buildings on the base include
a precast cement arch structure
similar to those built at MRBM
sites in Cuba. Automotive
cranes are present, possibly
for loading missiles into sub-
marine missile hatches.
This is the only identified
Soviet submarine missile storage
facility, but others almost cer-
tainly exist.
Ships and Submarines
Four types of missile sub-
marines have been noted at Guba
Okolnaya: G-class and Z-V-
class ballistic-missile sub-
marines, W-class cruise-missile-
equipped (Twin Cylinder) sub-
marines, and a modified Gpen-
dant 777, which has been photog-
graphed on numerous occasions.
The presence of these sub-
marines indicates that there
are at least two types of mis-
siles at the storage base: the
standard 350-n.m. ballistic mis-
sile, and the 300-n.m. cruise
missile. Nuclear warheads for
these weapons are almost cer-
tainly stored at the base.
The only other ships noted
in photography of the base are
SECRET
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33
25E
M.KARBAS
GUBA OKOLNAYA
BASE
'
Beacon
/
J~
[/
Tall
-
Angfs at Photography
- -
\
Ma.t
J
Cllft
-
CRUISER
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J.tty--+
ANCHORAGE
To MURMANEK-
Now J.tty with
iowsr Xa
twa
.
---
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-_
.-Olllnq off .hors wharf
GUEA
VAYENGA
YSH
SECRET
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
SEVEROMORSK
Probable construction activity.
SECRET
NOPMIGN OISfgM
Cement arch building similar to those
built at MRBM sites in Cuba.
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SOVIET MISSILE SUBMARINES PHOTOGRAPHED AT GUBA OKOLNAYA
Pendant 208, a Z-V class.
Pendant 810, a G class.
Pendant 777, a modified G.
SECRET
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
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THE SOVIET SHIP ALEKSANDROVSK
At Guba Okolnaya on 3 October
1962, just prior to voyage to Cuba.
En route to Guba Okolnaya on
8 November.
At Guba Okolnaya on 23 November,
immediately after return from Cuba.
Probable missile nose cone vans are
still on the afterdeck.
SECRET
NO FOREIGN DISSEM
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%20 %0
SECRET
a cable-laying vessel, a de-
stroyer carrying telemetry vans
which probably has supported
missile launch operations, and
the Aleksandrovsk.
The Aleksandrovsk Voyage
Photography indicates that
the Aleksandrovsk loaded a
military cargo at Guba Okolnaya
in early October 1962 and then
left for Cuba, arriving there
about the time the US blockade
was established. The ship re-
mained in Cuban waters until
about 5 November, when it left
and returned to the Soviet
Union.
On the latter voyage six
vehicles believed to be missile
nosecone vans could be seen on
deck. The ship was photographed
again at Guba Okolnaya on 23
November, with the vans still
on deck.
The voyage of the Aleksan-
drovsk is unique in several
ways: no other merchant ves-
sel has been noted at Guba
Okolnaya; the Aleksandrovsk is
the only merchant vesse nown
to have carried missile-associ-
ated equipment from Cuba to the
Soviet Arctic; and it was one
of the first to depart after
the Soviet decision had been
made to remove strategic weap-
ons from Cuba. The vessel may
have carried nuclear warheads
to and from Cuba, perhaps with-
out ever having offloaded them.
By transferring nuclear war-
heads via this Arctic facility,
the Soviets probably hoped to
avoid any possible radiological
monitoring or surveillance in
the Danish or Turkish Straits.
(SECRET NO FOREIGN DISSEM)
SECRET
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