PORT OF UMBA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 2, 2007
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 28, 1956
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0
J/0'
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains Information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Law4, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
S-E-C-R-E-T
NOFORN/CONTINUED CONTROL
COUNTRY .' USSR (Murmansk Oblast)
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
DATE DISTR. 28 March 1956
25X1
NO. OF PAGES 3?
REQUIREMENT NO. RD 25X1
REFERENCES
This is UNEVALUATED
1. From 0930 to 1100 hours GMT on 9 September 1955, a cruiser and two
destroyers were observed in various positions in the area north of
At
close on the
ort side
shi
the
same time
stroyer
.
p
p
passed far out to starboard. At
1100
hours
position
was N69-46, E34-13. The cruiser
had two
True. one destroyer was observed far ahead
on the port side. The cruiser, which at this point was approximately 25X1
straight ahead, and the destroyer disappeared out of sight on easterly
courses. At 1025 hours GM ship had sailed about eight'
nautical miles on a course of 130 when the cruiser,and destroyer again
came, into sight, both slightly off to starboard and on an approximate 25X1
course.of 3100. At about 1030 hours ship changed
course to 1+50 True whereupon both ships were off its port bow. After
light signaling between the cruiser and the e destroyer
turned to the left and a little later passe ship on the 25X1
starboard side. At 1055 hours GMT, the cruiser passed
,q.-n(9 twn min tiir-rPt.-- nn t. e afterdeck with three guns in ea
X I NAVY I X I AIR . I X I FBI
Kola Inlet. At 0930 hours GMT. 25X1
a cruiser far ahead
on the port side; its course was about 160 . At 0938 hours GMT, after
having sailed about one nautical mile from the position mentioned
above on a course of 1250 ship changed its course to 1300
S-E-C-R-E-T
NOFORN/CONTINUED CONTROL
STATE x ARMY
gun turrets on the foredeck with three guns in each, a bridge structur25X1
with equipment and tripod mast at the after edge, a funnel abaft-the
bridge. but almost contiguous with it, the mainmast, the after funnel,
It was about half as long as the cruiser an
The destroyers were identical. 25X1
two funnels, a break in, the deck at the forward funnel, a large
substantial mast of a combined tripod and'frame construction at the 25X1
forward edge of the forward funnel, and a shorter mainmast at the
25X1
Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0
 Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0
NOFORN/CONTINUED CONTROL 25X1
forward edge of the after funnel. There were three radar scanners on
the foremast and one on the mainmast. 25X1
2. On the peninsula west of Bolshoy Olenyy Island, in position approximately
N69-05, E36-19, a large radar installation was observed up on a ridge.
The installation extended ten to 15 feet above the ground; the diameter
of the oblong scanner was about 20 feet. It was placed in a slanting
position on its axis of rotation and made a rotation every 12 seconds.
At 1200 hours GMT on 11 September, a seaplane came from west-northwest
and landed off Bolshaya Piryu Arm near Umba. After landing it pro-
ceeded into the inlet. Planes of the same type were observed at the
same time of day three or four times later in the course of the dllowj g
two weeks. It was a gull-winged flying boat with two reciprocating engines.
On one occasion a helicopter was observed over the harbor. It had a
vertical, side propeller at the end of the fuselage.
4. At the outlet of the Ponoy River (position N66-59, E41-20), four or
five large excavators or cranes were observed on the north side of the
river outlet; on the south side several factory smokestacks and,:a
short distance in from these, two large buildings were seen. There
were several roads, apparently provisional, in the entire area.
5. The lumber quay lies on the west side of Bolshaya Piryu Arm near the
range beacons. That portion of the quay which was usable for ocean-
going ships was 410 feet long. The quay edge consisted of vertical
piles. The depth alongside. the quay was about five fathoms. The
quay continued inward about 1,200 feet but this portion was in poor
condition. The barges which loaded here lay only partially alongside
the quay. North of this quay there was a small pier which was used
by tankships and small vessels. The largest vessel observed at the
quay was about 1,800 DWT and lay moored along the south side. The
log haul-out slip for the sawmill was situated immediately west of
the pier. The gate which led in to the port area was situated due
west of the log slip. A road 440 meters long and in poor condition
led from the gate to the lumber quay. The road passed under the
sloping log slip. The road was ten to 15 feet wide and the clearance
under the slip was 18 to 20 feet. A trolley track extended from the
sawmill down to the lumber quay. The track was built up on a frame-
work extending about 2.5 to 3 meters above the ground. The main
track went parallel to the shore line with three side tracks extending
out from it down to the quay. The trolley cars were pushed. In the
north end of the sawmill building there was a power station with a
stayed steel tubing smokestack about 50 meters high. The station was
plainly operated on a steam turbine and sawdust was no doubt used as
fuel. From the road, control panels could be seen through the windows
but the actual units could not be seen. Power lines extended from the
power station to the town on the mainland north of the sawmill island.
A row of poles bearing telephone and telegraph lines led directly
through the town from north to south and across to the island. The
posts had nine to ten c.os.~.rzns with six insulators on each. On the
island side, the row of poles led to a large building which was
situated in the built up area near Malaya Piryu Arm. Only a few
lines extended from this building farther southward. Due south of
this telephone station there was a large frame building about 25
meters long, eight to ten meters wide, and two or three stories high.
There were administrative offices in this building. There was a wooden
bridge from the sawmill island to the town. Only small boats could
pass under it. The channel between the island and the mainland was,
however, blocked east of the bridge, and between the obstruction and
the bridge there was a mud filled basin.
S-E-C-R-E-T
NOFORN/CONTINUED CONTROL
. Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0
 Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0
S-E-C-R-E-T
NOFORN/CONTINUED CONTROL
6. In the town on the mainland there were some, probably three, large
and quite fine school buildings. In one of them instruction took
place throughout the afternoon. The students were adults or adolescents.
North of the bridge there were water hydrants in the streets. There
were, no doubt, no water lines on the island because informant saw
people from there fetching water in pails from the hydrants in the town.
7. Near the range markers north of Lesnoy on the east side of Bolshaya
Piryu Arm, 17 or 18 reclining tanks about the size of the tanks on
large railroad tank cars were observed. The installation was surrounded
by a board fence. No oil lines were visible and there were no quay
installations below the.tank installation.
8. There was a muster of the crew and a superficial search of the ship,
both after arrival and prior to departure. At the gate to the port
area one had to exhibit a passport when there was a woman guard there,
but not when there was a man guard. On the last four days in port all
the deck officers got to go ashore without displaying passports. The
head of the inspection commission had four stars on his epaulettes.
S-E-C -R-E -T
NOFORN/CONTINUED CONTROL
Approved For Release 2007/08/04: CIA-RDP83-00418R003400200001-0