(SANITIZED)PORT OF ODESSA(SANITIZED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00418R000200020007-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 21, 2009
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: September 25, 1954
• Content Type: SUMMARY

Approved For Release 2009/07/21: CIA-RDP83-00418R000200020007-6
SECRET
Odessa
approximately four miles east of Serpent [Zmeinyy] Island, noted a
large searchlight, some openwork towers, and several large wooden
barrack-type sheds, whic were being used as a storage
place for war material.
Anchored on the northern side of this island were a twin-funnel
destroyer of the Libeccio class and a small motor ship with engines
aft, which was discharging cargo onto several lighters.
Because of poor visibility it was impossible to distinguish the
destroyer's armament *or the type of cargo being unloaded by the above
motorship.
Every day four or five Italian-type
motor torpedo boats, armed with [torpedo] launching tubes and attached
torpedoes, forward machine-gun, and six depth charges aft, would leave
the harbor at moderate speed and sail into the open beyond the range
of visibility.
These motor torpedo boats would return to port after approximately
three or four hours and depart once more after about a half-hour's
stay in port.
In the morning, shortly after the departure of the motor torpedo
boats, 20 heavily-loaded, metal-hulled, minesweeper-type vessels of
SEGRFT
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of 400 tons gross would pursue the same course as the motor torpedo
boats and return in the evening.
The hulls of these vessels resembled those of Dutch whaling
ships; the prow was about three meters high and the stern, two meters;
they had a cat-walk which connected the forecastle with the forebridge;
diesel engines located amidships; radio aerial and radio-telephone
antenna.
a dark-grey,
radar-equipped, Russian naval-type ship of about 10,000 tons gross
was tied up astern
This ship, according to several port laborers, was used for
fishing and whaling operations and was equipped with appropriate
machinery for the processing of fish.
The hull had the following features:
Straight bow, a foremast, engines amidships; abaft of engine room,
deck was clear; stern, round and unraked, with two ports, each about
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six by 4 meters in width (the overhead of each port was on the
upper deck).
Seen from the stern, the above ship resembled a large American-
type landing craft, except that the present one had the ramp further
aft; inside were large metal longitudinal bulkheads about 60 meters
long, which met the bulkhead of the engine-room.
The lateral bulkheads had doors about four meters equidistantly
apart.
the above vessel took aboard all types of
supplies both in sacks and cases; this ship departed the morning of
25 September loaded with what appeared to be supplies of food.
Departing with this ship were the 20 Atlantic fishing boat-type
craft described above, but the fishing equipment was not visible..
Movement of ships in port
In the harbor was considerable commercial traffic; there were
ships flying Rumanian, Bulgarian
flags.
On the quays was a large quantity of goods, including lumber,
metal, and many drums containing bitumen [pitch, tar?].
The quays are equipped with railroad tracks.
There are cranes almost all up-to-date, with luffing arms and
equipped with electrical outlets located right on the quays.
In the military zone there were four auxiliary naval ships of
10,000 tons gross; they seemed to be completing fitting-out operations.
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Because of distance it was impossible to distinguish what they
were doing. A short distance from these ships, toward the port
opposite the harbor, there were two empty floating docks.
The dockers are not provided with floating craft. No lighter
was seen in port. The pilot, both when arriving and departing, came
aboard without military escort.
During the layover at Odessa one-third the number of the crew
when=._" furnished the :n e.cess .yE Oetniseion.:.gr.Antpdrbar`,the p0l. ce;-ot ans were
pll?z d: saho:re; personnel were obliged to return by 2400.
There was considerable discipline in port; the local authorities
showed extreme courtesy but little friendliness.
Living conditions
Economic life is very precarious. Bread is rationed. Long
lines were seen outside stores to obtain this bread, which is
distributed at the rate of 250 grams per capita daily. The stores
are meagerly stocke4, and with goods whose prices are extremely high
in relation to the daily wage.
Restaurants are poorly supplied, both qualitatively and quanti-
tatively.
Vehicles driven by soldiers circulated in the city; no private
vehicles were observed in circulation.
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