WINDAU (VENTSPILS) HARBOR AND NAVAL FACILITIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R004200010002-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 29, 2001
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: February 15, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

2001/12/05: CIA-RDP83-00415R004200
CLASSIFICATION! ;a''Ciu;T/COty'r 1o1,,-US OFFICIALS o! J Y
CENTRAL INTELLIGtNCE AGENCY REPORT NO.
t
INFORMATION REPOR7 CD NO.
COUNTRY USSP (Latvian Si3R.) DATE DISTR,~ lay Feb r
25X1 CSUBJECT Win l u (Ventspils) 3arbor and Naval Facilities NO. OF PAGES 4
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
~IIiT lA:U (V1:IZ 'Si'TLS', gatr14
D 16
5 f 023 1N/2_"0.3.'4g L). "3'arill.?an fliea l;>.', a dr
1. V I NSDAU La ;.vi al . name r J T 2
LLB } is ate old Manse to~vnn Ioc;;~-,-ej
on the southern bank o,-" the /indau (va>-ta) .diver, n. a:~ Uh:
mouth,, Accc~:~ding to various rep ~3?to, t, ,c indigenous fat vi. r~
population #as displace: by the Soviet::3 an.] replaced by
i.uosi.ans. Toward the end of trig war tie quays, crane;;., uzd
other Ipo't faciliti es were destroyed. The deTloiitiont3 wire
repaire,', by 1949,
The t tat port traffic mounted to 400, 000 tons in 19375
Exrortc: 310A 000 tow (timber, grain, flax, help)
LrI orts: 90,000 tone (coal, gcnerei cargo)
The 1947 traffic was esti .eted at- approximately 250,000 to ' .,
mainly import ,1.1 consisting of ail kind,3 of dismantled Lit" `:;tad
goods from Gertaan.y, such as su ar, uynilie tic caoutchox:uc (bra),
textiles, etc. For the ti~~e being there is no min or ; trra:Ie0
Vec.,elo bound for aro often loaded %.7itl1 goads previously
brought to from Germany.
 Approved: For Release 2001/12/05: CIA-RDP83-00415ROO420001 OOO2-1
0WITRAL IEl' ,LIGENCE AGENCY
.gin aver-,e o1 to 3 Loviot ani
o .li. "',.ion jo 2 v_;r-J s,.ijll coax t .r , Ciit': 1:,.~. .curt
v. r'y w: c:urfr thy: _i 13 of 19 48f
.i i, iar ~e~ oar tic ')'rt e'.! ;acity.
avaT 2at'.1_ E t ,ia arc, at 11I71.4G 3 to C)!'1(.;, ;,uay(1O ),rwoi t3'j p~:r a ai d otil'3r .~'1a11 craft.
.i=.;;rbor coni Au of '4-it Catw! P- tiie ciuays on
both :;:inks of -tile Nilld% (1lhnta) .liver.
fi.c Oo cur xO't Lu for::ie by -t,-.,o Iuol:,,L3 -A,.-) roxi:] te1;,r 1,+33'})
ia, t,:ro 1on', fl rikin rivvi mot;.-Li o r d .; irete!1ir:;
di::;' tlon. 2:~v p o...i l' ? ~~1y 1, r00-,:? ~'i ~r~*
lor~. :a~J~.G r%1) ext c:ri~.c In I.i.no i.i~LAx j.,
uthe.en 'bank
r tj.T tii ~-
of 'd -c-, the . orth _._oie (2) Le in; a_;proxi.:_,;t,ly
1,200 ..lo tore nor`!;h of t::__- river. _iou th, :a 100--rietar ;,,ride
c.ionnol a , +`e:a; e3 t o pthi O 7.9 mwuti ro leads t.a ou ,h
tae 350-met.-,.r ;ride entrIonce (3) to t_'i, port. i,,
cr csea by a road brid e-: (4) and u railroa.1 brill'-.,e (not
entered on the c p) o re ri Pont)or. 'arid`;,, (5) was bi; !.L0"
south of t. o caa~l quoy un_t can be cp+ ied. it is -a lo-:d
copocity of 24 t(,i.is.
a. pproac.l to t. e port iiao no na v z;;3 tional 11c3Z
-lee ordin to 113iL i )'31 (Internutlonal Hiouti3:i - and .fie 3or t, i n;
ku~ iorl uius), tnE; a,',);~;rotlcii buoy' iS abo.:it 10 knot3 for
mot of the, entr~Ance at 57?31' 2"i/21?22' 2".';,, C':com
a buoyed route,aeout 900 feet aide, leads to the porta
ti.loul?:i sti:er extuctly olon; t ru lea iiii l in-~ boceu. e
this route h:rs riot been officially rels-aeed to troofficA
The maxim od;l~ spa a1 .'raft is 7 rie per r,
Pilots are coin. j), lsory; the pilot boat is ;~.ita:~tionel n-,,7.
thv now ~positio i of idle , )proae.: buoy.
oince ti;c channel and the entranco arc co:ntirmouel fi Llbri:
with :lilt, c)lla 'vont dl:ea;in; is r. ,aired to aaintain r3orael
depth. It 1y not 'cnown ia._ether Jred~ir`; e _uipient i~ -?A.Y.1
ava it ablee is usually a coattal current of yip tai
2 knote.
b. ,iieero are protected oncn?ro ea. ini.Ji'de the dole i, '. 7 j`?i
s-,-iin i.nr; roo.a f,.rr tiireea vese?cl D, may f.;e viork-_~~ rc>
frv;:i l.r iitera
It i>; not advisable to .inc1.ior oatsi..de th:: :toles,
is no protection -a rou:L11i ;;roun3,
ca ca~h er co editions 3eld.om ::.f act port operations. 23.3'e
is a rou .z ro uid 5vre:l:'_ in tzc: tutor Port ;3Grin ;:, from;'
and cor?tin.:aos.;; nortnwao"- minds.
Ice oond rtl3i15: v:iipp i:1, to t:io' po t is uiLually no i
closed by ice-). tc:: r~aa r .tinier zi-a .'Lgotion cturm, tabu ry
end Jcbruary. Due to the otroY1 ct :'Rent, the cl,uaysii:;N arc
kept open t grow, hoot t>i, ice ~y ;aiccr i:~
tetionoi at -lo-, port to :.lusi.Jt Veus mlu to ona fro a t. -I e
open sea, -
.d. Z- coast on either side of ;AL' po?'t iss 10~i, -ao.Y v'd~ and
has on axcullc:nt b'eeaoh 2heru . a ?ylcr ~..e:; c : ~f~tt~.; a :k
Ioft.i. 1cacbB SV y~. J'1,;i 'Jl1v .. Tit1. S.-j e?.4Vli ~J o? V+!.r :.,'V::: .J iL ..:.. .J
a(:(rC;J..ibla Vo i:ln(~1.n 'w Url t4
Approved For Release 2001/12/05 : CIA-RDP83-00415ROO4200010002-1
 Approved-For Release 2001/12/05: CIA-RDP83-00415R004200010002-1
CENTRAL 1D"":3,E.IUi CE AGE, 1
as 3..
,pproxi.ma rely a a knots c a: tni of / i,13 Ll and 5 knots nortn1 of
:ape Si'CSPIORY (AKKENRAGS) tii3ro i o ti.:.. oziall port
of i'ai'1.c arbor ( v'ilo,;tz ), .. jt t:i'tC c ai; 13ot th of the
at~aeii d ~~ap). 2io i,,proxiuately 300-zaoter-?
lon, a:i:~lti : ~a) flan;t tda 50-met,--r aide entronce. The port
of 3 to 4 n;;' cr s, but tats entrance i r u+-idly
f1I i l.k , :'1i t t >Alt. .i'. e part is ,suited orily for amu- 11 `.:ailin;
;i G :1 a ilaxinun draft of 2.7 to 3.3 meters. Lanier
vewo,,A6 are loaded in roa1ctoadc frori li11 tern. There is a
say iill a~e.ar t Lc town, J3fore tie w or it ?;ras planned to
dredge th eiiann l to a pp t:i of 4.9 lfieters. infor_'aation on
tie gyp.,. r i,', oent c-ta ti 0;.. drill -In.i:i not avo ilable
3. Teruinal facilities (~Vindaa)
e g Piero and w-1--)rves.
The total ~gct:,y3k;a on bot.1i bank: of ti.-Lo,, -river anounts to j, 0+0'0
ratters.
On the ri ht oi.ie (ro -thQ ' -bank) of thi?.3 r ivvr 'there is F,
1,150-meter-lor., Iuay, tia _j1evator ~Llay (. levarsky
Rayon) with a dept of 7 to 3.5 ;ieto:'s (5)0 :.':Mere are four
rows of sheds bLLlt on Lerr3Ccu ee hat i;roLui flour can
be lo:.ded fvo z one ;iJc, ,r:Mile tii:s j,-:con:l floor is ui;aLi1 tC.tn:~aus-
ly loads:] froi i tiie oppoo tc Ado. ere io ii s o a o ovC1t--C,'t ory
silo 'vnuicll., ..:tcteOrding to `tie UerU>a.i _auutic,aal Handbook, lae4;
a total eta a "~: eu city 0 150,000 tons
R ilro _1 are available along tnl .suay Lir?:I on ewici1
2 do of Lie :liE?itt3 (coy; Iiarbor ~1 )FJ) a
obac QL?.3v it)Aios 2eenny ::~ciyon) (6), locat'od opro :i.rie oly
5 0{t+0! :.2 lL t)ti2~s J t. ~ ,J i.LiaII .~.. ..' :'~; a i-
V i~i:r g .I.e wJ 500 1.,1 t J 1 J1r~.~ :~ 1~ v~ alas 13 '.~ G ?~f.w 1. \' .I .
6.4 to 7 ioters. -'.iero are 10 stied: (30 x 14' -act-,ro) -.s
iiay is also , rved by rail.rooo':i jid.la;ssu
the Coal Quay (i,~:ria:li.leky Lagoa) (7), i.e located Vie
C~? 3tomo Qua,, S u iv 400 T,--tor- lon and :ica;i a 'Opt I of 6,-6 1j L
,utty Mas wiiple coa'). stori3e and trari,3.:_G,?
7 motors 1'h e 0
to
facilities and a r.:ail.roe;d track.,
On coutlle.;'rn 13'3n of t i river is a :3,'"ittal.! 'i,
i .
port with a depth o 2.4 iaetors (0), and a uo--cealled liter
tort (9), separated 'ro::i -(.:o river by do1phino.
.~ Me auaye;a ut,.ican dose basing i, 900 ilia: ter$ .ton; (lo".
!2-;.cre are no c iede or railroad sidin,~U. Thi i quay L0 t;'1
used by the 'ovlet iativy, accorJ.in- to recent 1nfoX';:;L'sti )!le
(for ketuails, c,-:.c attached . ?mox 2 )
b. Cr:.r.e faci7,itie
+1e crane Ej~f 17?u. nt. is limited. uioe U of t,iie oar-0 a as o
1 be
handled by file Iiip'e -,-ear. here i6 one ;aobilc el.:c t~?_ e crane
and a , roin 'le i for on the elevator quay (a) v ii a :i.n 'ar"i 01 all.i iit C ILLill . _ -3ti1- ~~'
uec1 ei t .4,-,ay (7) s,
rl l ":, ..i 1
Approved For Release 2001/12/05: CIA-RDP83-00415R004200010002-1
 Approved for Release 2001/12105: CIA-RDP83-OO415ROO4200010002-1
v343I4/00ML/`.s MUM& WAY
C}52JTRi L xi?T tzma; AG1PaCY
4-
c. hero is no ship? and in M AU. U. Only a ,mall repair
.::_ip,;'ari a:ii en ;iiiseri::o shop era available.
d