THE LIEPAJA NAVAL BASE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R001100010012-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 8, 2006
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: July 15, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2006/03/03 : CIA-RDP83-00415R001100010012-4
CLASSWIUMIUN k,T CTITIA u,;, 131Y
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR (Latvia)
SUBJECT The Ideja Naval Bane
25X1 PLACE
ACQUIRED
25X1 nATE OF INFO
25X1
DATE DISTR. 15 July 1948
NO. OF PAGES 3
40286
NO. OF ENCLS. I sketch
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
;4Dx4
HIS paatia cookies, IMPORRATION AFFECTING TUE RATIONAL DEFENSE
OF TUE RIOTED STATES WITHIN THE DEANITio OF CMS ESPIONAGE ACT CO
II. S. C.. II AND 12, AS AMENDED, ITS TRANSWESION OR THE Ravsolusti
JR ns CONTENTS ART RADIAN TO At UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PRO.
INDITE* ST LILIV. REPRODUCTION OP THIS FON, IS PROHIBITED. HOE/
-
DYER INTOACIATIOTI CONTAINED IN CODY OP THE PORN DAY DS UTILIZED
Al DEEDED NECESSARY Sr us RECEIVING AGENCY.
?
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATIOIME *10 EARCH
USE OF TRAINEV NqgmekNALYST
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BRAIN
1. The original Liepila (Upaya; Lihau) naval installation was begun in
the 18901s as a naval base and arsenal. The original plan envisioned
a larger installation, bat German intervention in 1905 prevented its
completion. During Uorld lar It the base ma used by the German Navy.
After the war, only a portion of the yard uas used for ship repairs;
the remainder Ins converted to produce railroad cars, machine tools,
agricultural machinery', and aircraft. The eastern section of the fbr-
mer naval base, along uith the dock instalIations, ass released for the
establishment of a sugar factory.
2. In 1940, Soviet authorities took over the Liepaja dockyard and operated
it until the Germans rep/aced than in the canner of 1941. The German
Navy used the installation to good advantage, since it leographical
location rendered it irmune from ,estern air attackm. After July 1943,
a number of irprovenents were carried out in the yard.
3. Activities at the Liepaja naval base centered around Its two drydocka.
These mere approximately 280 meters long at the top and had a top midth
of forty-five meters. The heavy cruiser Latium was just able to squeeze
its 256 meters into the eastern dock, Uhich was equippodwith a front
look ponton (Vorsatz4Srachlusoponton). The cruiser could not enter the
mestern. dock, Mbich is equipped with a elide lock ponton (Schiebs-
Verschlussponton). The draining or a dock took aPproximately four to
six hours, depending on the aster level and the cisme the ship. The
docks meld be filled in approximately one and one-half hours. Running
along the inner edge of each dock ass a tomer revolving crane with a
maximum load capacity of five tons. For unloading purposes, the cranes
reached a little past the centers of the docks, with a corresponding de-
crease in their carrying rower. The docks are simply constructed and
are operationally safe; they operated reliably even during the rost severe
minter cold spells.
4. The location rroviously occupied by an 800-tan floating drydock, mhich
was transferred to Riga, was assigned by the Gerraa Navy as a mooring
place for a 1,500.-ton floating dock. Since the harbor floor could not
be dred7ed to a suitable derth, it mas necessary to decrease the irnersion
depth of the nem dock. A 6,000-ton floating drydodk uas aloo moored along
the quay to the east of the permanent drydooks; here, too, the immersion
derth mas decreased.
CLASSIFICATION SECRET 0011TROLU.O. OFFICIALS ONLY
[TATE
ARMY
NAVY IINSRB
MR
DISTRIBUTION
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aarITPAL INTELIJMNCE AGENCY
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Aparoalmately 230 meters of the Tient' ca the -western side of the Lieriaja,
none are serviced by three touer revolving cranes with a load capacity
of three to five tons each one an unloading sweep of up to thirtyafive
neters. All moorings and docks aro fully equipped with direct electric
current outlets and with piped for the steam heating of ships. In 1944
the direct current was surplied by two rectifier plants; the erection of
tue more was planned. The steam heat was supplied by two boiler houses;
the third boiler house surplied heat for the buildings and steam for the
steam hammers,
The Liepaja base had no plant of its own for the nnneacture of electric
power. Power was rrovided by the municipal plant through a ground cable
Which delivered a three-phase current of 6,000 volts. This was trans-
formed to 3,000 volts and supplied to the individual consumer points
through shop transformers as 220/230 volt currents; maximum power con-
suoption was about 750 KVA. A compressor plant between the permanent
drydocks sorplied the main moorings with compressed air; a second plant
wasto seer in the northern part of the base. The base also provided
-
oxygen for the melding shop and also produced some for sale to outside
cononooro. Tho =men plant delivered arproxinately1200 regular-sized
oontainers every twenty-four hours. Water was pumped from two wells;
into a tank installed on the roof of one of the buildials.
The folloaing paraorarhs describe the ceuipment contained in the various
shops of the Idea* naval base during 1944:
a, albin_gemakoupotaqp Shen* Here the steel plates fram the storage
yard were brought for rroceesing in the straightening and banding
rollers. The plates were transported on rollways, but ceiling
cnes with capacities Up to three tons were also in use and
reached out into the etorage yard.
e. apalarghqpa The eqpipment in this shop was similar to that con-
tained in the ship construction shop, including heavy bending
aollers for bending plates up to 25 mm, in thickness. This shop
also contained the rib furnace and several ceiling cranes with a load
eapacity of about twenty tons.
co Arg: The forge contained a five-ton steam hammer, four mailer
ate= hammers oraduated to a ram weight (in argewicht gestaft),
tap air hammers for lighter work, and two friction presses for the
ainishing of ship and boiler rivets.
do Elachinerzt qunmAndIgnedgt pimp: This workshop was locotod
in a very long, relatively narrow, and very high glass-roofed hall,
It contained two mobile cranes, each with a twenty-ton loadesr,acity.?
eo
1.10Mne flhapt This was well eqpipped with lathes of all tyres, most
of them up-to-date. Propellors were turned on two horipontal lathes.
The largo and medium-sized machines were located in shops rear the
...2armenent drydocks; the smaller Units were on the ground floor of
.;:he administration building,
?gormirsmith,s Show This shop contained regular equipment with
crew vices, flange lathes, a pipe pit, and a long furnace for the
.garking of long pines.
Allnaryi The foundry was equipped with two cupola furnaces of
medium caracity, a jolt molding machine and compressed air tools.
Aluminum rui0 various bronze allays were smelted in a coke-fired
crucible.
S7Cli..3T CONTROL
C,FFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/03/03 : CIA-RDP83-00415R001100010012-4
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Approved For Release 2006/03/03 : CIA-RDP83-00415R001100010012-a5X1
=UST CONTROL
U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELL/GENCE AGENCY
- 3 -
h, ItataaaA223 This was fully equipped with obsolescent straighten-
ing and bending rollers, plate shears, folding machinea, bending
machines, and bulging lathes,
bajaLaida,ageLant This contained a spraying installation and
two machines for the grinding and polishing of glass.
J. igglagtriellalas Work here was done by AEC personnel, mho also
mpplied the required tools, parts, and cables.
k. ". and Ga iv, f_.,. 0, 1../1 : This contained several copper,
nickel, and chromium baths, as well as three coal-fired melting vats.
1. AgaLanI Boats under construction WiTO brought-to the center nave
of the three-nave hail through a loading canal. Cranes, platforms,
and boat carts made possible the storing of a large number of boats
in several layers during the winter. The shop undertook the con-
otruction of new boats as wallas repairing old ones. Planing
machines and saws and three steam chests for plank and rib bending
Tore on hand.
m. axaellanatraatlen_and Shin's Carpentry Sb: This nodern instal-
lation, contained a thicknessing machine for planks, a enooth plan-
ing nachine? a grooving machine, a routing machine, a chain cutter,
drills: and oirrmt.lar and band saws.
gusgja: The mill was equipped with two frame log saws, a drying room,
lathes, cutting and planing machines, drills, electric aaa oxygen
uolding torches, a forge, and a uell-equipped electric plant with
testing and experimental facilities, including armature winding
machines.
, SECRET CONTROL
U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Approved For Release 2006/03/03 : CIA-RDP83-00415R001100010012-4