CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR THE USSR MERCHANT FLEET

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R006200160010-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 22, 2000
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: November 21, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

for the USSR Merchant Fleet
REPORT NO.
CD NO.
0
DATE DISTR. 21 November 1950
NO. OF PAGES 2
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
present the Soviets have a ruercantile fleet of around three million
STATE
ARMY
!,'gros's register tons,, which is to be raised to 4,250,000 gross register
tons by the end of 1950, according to the terms of the Five-Year Plan
All the east' German shipyards are employed at full capacity by iJerutra
for th s.construction project,, . ?rne Soviet shipyards are working almost
exclusively for the Soviet navy; therefore, the Soviets have given
Around 400,,000 gross register tons of the mercantile fleet are to be
dipped,with light armour plates eight to ten centimeters (presumably;,
hick) and these ships are to be stationed primarily in the Baltic
The Leningrad-shipyards have two large battleships*under construction,
whose ka'els were laid only a year agog These ships are to be 35,060
tons` aapiece . about the ' artillery 25X1 A
equipment or the eventual armour The Soviets are to christen these
ships as passenger ships for the benefit of the outside world. In
reality they are to be revolutionar;; httt-le hips made according to
German plans.,
The high point of'Soviet interests, which formerly lay in the Baltic
The Soviet. Army (Navy ?) has recently been assigr.,u ' the commission
of,getting 1000 (sic) submarines by the end of 1950?
and in the Black Seas, has been transferred to the Artie Ocean and the
Far Last since Christmas 1949. The fact is confirmed by the transfer
of 'all the Soviet destroyers and cruisers into this area (sic). This
regrouping of naval forces continues, and the operation is facilitated .
There are Lwo new shipyards at Vladivostd?c (43-08N, 131-540 and
Komsomolsk (50.35N, 137-02E)
This document Is horeby regraded to
CONFIDEN' ZAL In accordance with the
letter of 13 October 1978 from the
Director of Centmi
11 L+,c united States.
Next L0ewD:2OO8
NAVY L7V . x
Arr~:d,VFor Release 2001/03/05: CIA-R
LASSI FICATION
5: CIA-RDP82-00457R0062W1 6001
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
_lN F R A11 R O T
 Approved For Release 2001/03/05: CIA_RDP82-00457RP06290160010-9
IL)
25X1A
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCL AGENCY
2259
'f ~A
7. The former German steamers Der Deutsche (now the Asia) and the
Oceana (now the Sibir) have already been transformed into troop
transports and for several weeks have been lying at anchor in
Vladivostok, their home port,
8., The Soviets received from the Germans a total. of 287 ships with a
total gross register tonnage of 7009000. Sweden formerly delivered
50 small fishing vessels to the Soviets (sic).
9:, Finland has to deliver 120 ships by the and of 1950,, All Finnish
shipyards are working at full speed for the Soviets. All t -1di,
the Finns are to build around 600 ships for the Soviets?
10 ~ The Soviets are to place at the disposal of the Chinese around one
million tons (sic) of commercial shipping in 1950. Formerly, the
Soviets gave the Chinese around 300,000 tons of commercial shipping.
CO. TENT:
as of &ay 1949, the USSR merchant fleet
(including all vessels over 1000 gross registered tons) consisted
of 522 vessels with an aggregate of 19846,887 gross tons and a
total dead - weight tonnage of 2A5269600~ This includes 83 U S
loaned vessels not yet returned and 155 vessels received as re-
parations or seizures from Estonia, Latvia, Finland., and Germany.,
# Possibly referring to the reported construction of the 35?000
ton Soyetakeaya Belorussia and the Strang Sovetov.
ONF IL)
Approved For Release 2001/03/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R006200160010-9