PORTS OF ODESSA AND ZHDANOV

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R012400180002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: September 18, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
FEB 1952 D1-4AR
INTELLOFAX 29
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT
CD NO.
COUNTRY USSR ,(:Black Sea)
SUBJECT Forts of Odessa and. Zhdanov
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE
ACQUIRED
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF.. THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
ODESSA
New. 'arbor,w. ere there were three goose. reeked. cranes, each with a ,capacity
of 10 to,15 tons a These cranes were equipped with buckets of about seven
tons capa.ityo Te coal which comes from the Don basin is piled.-up on the
pier .nd gnce it makes for easier loading, sixice loading .does not depend .on
the.movement of rs ,ilrba. cars,
4. There were few Soviet Ships in port ; among them there were tiao. sailing ,ships o
These were moored alongside the New Harbor, the Soviet
merchant fleet has thirteen such craft .which operate in the Black Sea.. 50X1-HUM
5a In the city, the streets are clean but there are few people on them, except
in the vicinity of the Opera or on, the boulevard which overlooks the port o.
The people. generally, are modestl dressed but their faces show preoccupation..
50X1-HUM
12
R_EFL~R
CRET/CON ROT, U., S OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
DATE DISTR. 18 September 1952
NO. OF PAGES 4
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW) 2
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
little activity in the port of Odessa. Coal was loaded.at
DO NOT C"'
6 S, OFFICIALS ONLY
1
111
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
as follows:
SECRET/CONTROL m U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
6.
prices of clothing,which are reported 50X1-HUM
Men's rubber soled: shoes
Leather shoes, badly made,
Ladies' embroidered silk blouses of fair quality
Men's very poor quality cotton shirts
Poor quality gabardine top coats for men
Men's overcoats with artificial beaver collar
among the home appliances
sold for 5,000 rubies.
450 rubles
50 to 180 rubles
525 rubles
120 rubles
875 rubles
1,250 rubles
a family size refrigerator
50X1-HUM
a convoy.of rafts which were coming
from the south and going to Odessao This convoy was escorted by small units
of the Navy,
50X1-HUM
ZHDANOV - Port of Zintseva
8. Ships which call at Zhdanov must be piloted across the Azov Sea. A pilot is
provided for the transit through the Kerch Strait and remains on board until
the ship reaches the channel which leads to the port of Zhdanov. There a
port pilot is waiting,who takes the ship in ports
Before approaching Kerch, ships,to avoid delay,must telegraph..six hours-An advance
to the Harbor Master at Kerch, advising him of the port of destination as well
as the hour ship will arrive at position 145? 02.70 North,36028.6' East. At
this position there is a buoy equipped with a siren and a light,- It is cyl. n'
dricalin form and is pain with black and white stripes but its su er-. 50X1-HUM
structure is painted red. 'n
case of bad weather the port authority at Kerch gives the approaching ship
instructions to proceed to a buoy situated the entrance of the dredged 50X1-HUM
channel. bearine 4
12. The port at Zhdanov is very bus with shi s unloadin minerals needed in the
blast furnaces of Zhdan.ov
"
50X1-HUM
were counted. Of these, seven were ships of about 7,000 to 8,000 tons V s
-
while ,., the others were only 2,000 tone' x All.of them were .fly-
ing the Soviet flag and one of the larger ones had been recently constructed.'
The smaller ones were practically all motor ships constructed.afr' the war
SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
50X1-HUM
SECRET /CONTROL - U. Se OFFICIALS ONLY
13. The shins which came to load coal were fewer in number
114. Port . installations were -in good working order, There were three cranes on
the'coal docks two of them with a lifting capacity of 15 tons,
11 1
The coal is brought to the dock either in 60 ton railroad cars or in smaller
ten-ton capacity cars that are'placed;on trolleys that run on the regular
railroad tracks, These smaller cars are picked up by the crane and their
contents are emptied directly into the ship holds. 50X1-HUM
The dock where the minerals are unloaded was equipped with seven cranes, ou
of which must be as large as those on the coal dock,
164 At a second slip of the docking basin there was a crane which loaded smal350X1-H U M
ships that were in local service; some were loading metal pigs while others
loaded scrap iron; all destined for tie blast furnaces of Zhdanov.
17, Other cranes were used to load and unload coal on the railroad cars,
18, At the pier where the minerals were unloaded as well as at the wharf of the
first, bas (see Attachment 2
assemble
19e
In a third docking basin (see Attachment2
with a capacity of roughly 3,000 tons,
..20. The'grain elevators were not in operation because they were badly damaged
during thew a metal scaffold and numerous people in
the vicinity the grain elevator was being repaired, 50X1-HUM
226
'Outside the port there were three dredges which
some new cranes, as yet unn 5
wer50
e entrance
50X1-HUM
ehanziels to t ,e other ports that are part-of the port at Zhdanov.
deepening the entrance channel: to the port of aganrog'as we as
23, East of the city and in the city itselfl I blas
were working all the time. Near these there were factories.~f777
in producing war materiel,
the children's toys are wretched,and everywhere there is an inferiority of
manufacture combined with exorbitant prices.
50X1-HUM
the racto es were engage
' 50X1-HUM
The city of Zhdanov as'well as its inhabitants present a picture of misery
and unhappiness. The people are poorly dressed and appear undernourished0
The women, even ors'thEn ,:_t #e :.,men,_.are' pitiful because of their complete
.lack of feminity or the graciousness which is characteristic of their sex.
They'are. ovok*k6 d9,shoddily dressed9 silent and their features are very
harsh. There exists in danov an atmosphere of forced labor, When questioned
about, their standard of , wing, they always quoted the high salaries that they
received; a worker loading coal receives 29000 ru Ins a nth, while a chief
laborer gets 2,500 rubles. An ei .oyee`-of Inflot received 3,,500 to
4, 000 rubles a month, With the current rate of four ru es to the dollar,
Soviet workers would appear the best paid in the world6 The fallacy can be
noted when the cost of commodities is examined. Poorly made rubber soled
shoes cost 380 to 420 rubles, as has already been noted in this report, Even
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
 rnx1-Hi iM
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
27.
a coast rol boat
was armed as follows:
inverse of that used on arrives
SECRET/CONTJ OL-U . S . OFFICIALS ONLY
-4-
26. The pilotage from Zhdanov was obligatory and the course followed was the
50X1-HUM
a. A small 75-mm cannon at the prow
b. Three 200mmm machine guns, immediately after the stern side of the funnel
c. Two 40-mm, machine guns and a runway for depth bombs in the stern.
The boat was equipped with a direction finder, and its hull was about
30 meters long and all riveted. For a sketch of the coast guard patrol
boat and its armament, see Attachment 1.
shinvard in
e y o amyl rune ere were two small
Attachments: Two
1. Coast Guard Patrol Boat with Armament.
2.` Port of Zhdanov, Installations at Zintseva Port.
SECRET/CONTROL U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
 .
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
SECRET/CONTROL-LL.B. OFPICIAIS Off'
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2
Q,.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/08/27: CIA-RDP83-00415RO12400180002-2