The Ukrainian Navy confirmed to local media the damage on Kommuna after the attack with Neptune missiles while the ship was moored in Sevastopol. The officials didn’t comment on the level of the damage.
The video circulating on social media clearly shows a fire aboard the ship, and regardless of the extent of the damage, it would likely affect the structure of such an old vessel.
“Another bad day for the russian Black Sea Fleet. Today, the Ukrainian Navy hit the Russian salvage ship “Kommuna” in temporarily occupied Crimea. The nature of the damage is being verified. Despite being the oldest ship in service with the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Kommuna is the only rescue vessel of that class on the Black Sea. Its purpose is deep-sea work, raising submarines and sunken cargo.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence
Bearing the title of “world’s oldest operational vessel,” the Kommuna has served in the Russian Imperial, Soviet, and Russian Federation navies, enduring the Russian Revolution and two World Wars. Due to the current situation of the war, Russia doesn’t seem capable of replacing such an old ship in the near future, it wouldn’t be able to deploy another rescue vessel in the Black Sea due to the Montreux Convention regulations.
Originally laid down in Saint Petersburg as the Volkhov in 1912, the Kommuna underwent several transformations over her illustrious career. Notably, during 1917 alone, she was called upon at least twice to raise sunken Russian vessels, demonstrating her vital role in salvage operations. In addition to these duties, she served as a submarine tender, alternating between rescues and salvage missions.
Following the Communist Revolution of 1917, the vessel transitioned into service within the nascent Soviet Navy. Renamed the Kommuna, symbolizing the ideals of communalism, she continued her service primarily in the Baltic Sea.
Throughout World War Two, she played a crucial role in the siege of Leningrad (formerly Saint Petersburg), employing her capabilities to salvage invaluable tanks and vehicles that had plunged through the ice. Additionally, her role as a submarine tender remained indispensable during this tumultuous period.
In 1974, recognizing her enduring utility, she underwent modernization to serve as a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) mothership. Equipped with a first-generation Project 1837 submersible, weighing 45 tons, she gained the ability to dive to depths of 500 meters and conduct rescues of up to 20 submariners simultaneously.
Author’s note
Ukraine damaged another iconic vessel with the recent missile attack. Ukranian forces sunk Russia’s other iconic ship, the Moskva cruiser just 2 months after the war blew out. Both ships were targeted with Ukraine’s homegrown Neptune anti-ship missiles.
While submarine rescue vessels are indeed crucial assets, the loss of Kommuna will not significantly impact the offensive capabilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Kalibr attack submarines. Currently, there isn’t an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) force posing a substantial threat to Russian submarines in the Black Sea, and the upgraded Kilo-class submarines are capable of independent operations. While the loss of such an asset is undoubtedly significant, it primarily affects emergency response capabilities rather than offensive operations.
Additionally, forward deploying deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRVs) with cargo aircraft remains a viable option, akin to the capabilities offered by the NATO Submarine Rescue System (NSRS). After transportation, DSRVs can be carried with support ships (military or civilian).
