Russia Blows Up Sunken Spy Ship

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 12 May 2017)


                         ...in happier days.

Russia has completed efforts related to the RFS Liman intelligence
ship that sunk after colliding with the Togo-flagged M/V Youzarsif cargo
ship in thick fog off the Turkish Black Sea coast on 27 April.  The work
began with the arrival of the RFS Seliger underwater research ship in the
waters off  Kilyos on 29 April.

Also involved in the activity were the tugboat RFS SB-739, search &
rescue ship RFS Epron-83, buoy ship RFS Kıl-158, attack boat RFS Burya
and the intelligence ship RFS Rpiazove-201.  Russia has only provided
Turkey with information about the work, which was conducted 17 miles
off the Kilyos coast.  The Turkish Coast Guard  warned ships to be
alert within a 5-mile radius of the incident's location, which lies along
the busy Constanta (Romania)- Istanbul commercial shipping route.

The sunken ship lies 90 meters beneath the sea and Russian military
divers have made between 40 and 50 dives in the course of the operation.
The 9 divers, from the RFS Seliger, used explosives in their work,
employing a diving bell to effect more than 30 controlled explosions.  The
Russian ships left the area on 7 May, with the RFS Priazove intelligence
ship remaining to keep watch.

Retired Turkish military diving expert Mehmet Çavdarlar opined that
"there may be listening devices on the ship, along with air and sea drones.
I think that's what the divers were involved with.  There's a risk in working
in closed compartments in a ship since the divers have to pass through
corridors and sections to get to the equipment and remove them, which
takes a lot of time.  They may have blow holes in the deck of the ship in
order to get to the equipment more easily, especially at a depth of 90
meters."


Russian spy ship sunk 17 miles off the Kilyos coast in the Black
Sea.