A trip to a secret location ;)

[Kapitan]

And so it began, like always in a pub one of my hair brained schemes to tick yet another box off the bucket list, this time the journey would cost me not just in currency but in mind and health.

Sat in the pub Friday evening speaking with my friend I inadvertently noticed cheap ferry prices (I won’t go by train) almost without hesitation I booked my ticket for Saturday 0105 sailing dover to Calais well looks like I wasn’t getting any sleep did it? I had already napped in the afternoon after being released from the social prison most of us call work early and I figured I would get my head down glad I did.

So after months of fretting the dead was sealed I was off and to one of the most secret locations on a cold and windswept coast line some 775 miles from home.
For this trip I was alone (with monkey of course) so I had no timetable to keep it was just a matter of getting there so for this I had to entrust my run about car.

With my hopeful very near future departure from the UK I had sold my once prized Jaguar and Mercedes investing instead in a run about, her blue lines wafer thin doors 5 speed manual gear box and a reluctant 1800cc engine we were off ! not realising the gravity of the mission in hand and the time frame to do it !

As I am working Monday (bank holiday in the UK) I have not got much time Saturday and Sunday only and the majority of that time is travel time little did I realise just how much that would be.

Arriving in dover two hours before sailing I was glad I came early everyone else is on their way to the continent for the long weekend so tonight the ferry is almost at capacity, the sea was calm with a breeze I spent most of it on deck watching the world go by a nice relax before the long slog ensued.

Travelling on the continent is no big deal even though they drive on the wrong side of the road for us Brits, but the best bit is going to be the speed or lack of in some cases, my car isn’t a speed demon in fact I regularly have to book an appointment just to overtake a milk float she isn’t used to being pushed so hard so far for so long, in the jaguar and Mercedes I could eat the miles up wafting along in comfort not hearing a sound from outside, well in my current car I get the wind gushing past in surround sound stereo even with a radio on.

Yet for its faults the car pushed on soon Belgium and Holland had passed now to the real roads of Europe, I was over joyed when the GPS kicked in at 0500 saying continue straight on for 140 miles time to open her up (or at least try) the Jaguar would top 155mph my Mercedes would reach 170mph both of those cars would certainly make this jaunt somewhat quicker but no my trusty car barely managed 130mph although I did back her off to 110mph in order to stop anything flying off her and save the engine, time flew by and by 1530 we had arrived at our destination some 18 hours after the brain wave and some 15 hours of driving later.

There I was at a place I had always hoped I would one day get to, years ago nothing surrounded the site today many people arrive from the world over to see it, towns and villages are nearby and the place is much alive.

Standing in the car park you come face to face with one of the most feared weapons of war the grandfather of the rocket that helped send man to the moon, the world’s first ballistic missile the V2.

DSCN1360 by B S, on Flickr

Peenemunde, the birth place of some of the most technologically advanced weapons of war (at the time), it is also the place of despair, many would die here as slaves forced to work constructing the base and the power plant in horrendous and barbaric conditions, the site is largely cleared now allied bombing’s and years behind the Iron curtain have taken their toll on this land, today the main remnants are the power plant and a few other items of interest.

After entering the museum my first port of call was to the full size V2 rocket standing upright as if readying to be fired, now disarmed its nothing more than a harmless shell, with the recent passing of my grandmother her stories of these weapons I was now looking at came flooding back, she was of an age where she could remember fully the devastation these caused and the fear that the instilled, she had been in the land army from 1940 to 1944 and can many times she recounted the stories of how one landed on a house another a church and another wiped out a street.

The rather squat looking rocket is almost like the one we would draw as children in school in fact toy story do a good portrayal of it on top of the pizza guys van is some 12.5 tons and stands 45feet tall in contrast today with the trident D5 missile which is almost the same size in height but more fatter and certainly at 60ton much heavier (down to solid fuel) it seems that Werner Von Braun got it right the first time.

Being of the naive and well thinking but lacks knowledge or experience generation you can only but stand in awe at this machine, its power must have been a sight to behold when it launched off the pad, it certainly gives the impression of craftsmanship of the era solid and resilient much like my late grandmother, this trip was based around my wanting to understand her stories, sure I had seen V2 and V1 before in other museums but none that quite caught the imagination like this, to be stood at the place they were built tested and then deployed it really does bring home just what was achieved in this one rocket.

Behind the V2 lay its baby but older brother the V1 it sits idle two thirds of the way up its sled doomed never to reach the end, this cruise missile was the precursor to today’s tomahawk and is of much cruder design.

DSCN1367 by B S, on Flickr

Able to be intercepted the doodle bug would fly like a plane then when it ran out of fuel fall to the sky hitting whatever was below without discrimination, probably the one of the simplest designs made its basically a bomb with wings and a jet engine made to fly on its own, the sled helped get it airborne then it was off to the target.

The V1 had success but it could be caught and it was this reasons the V2 was implemented, looking at the V1 you can’t help but wonder who’s brain was used? clearly whoever designed these two machines was of exception skill, like the V2 the V1 most certainly is well crafted far ahead of what the allies had and after the war much sought after.

These machines lay in the shadow of the massive coal power station built to feed the plant, everywhere you walk here you can still see coal dust a reminder that what was done here took some awesome power to make it happen it also took many lives.

It starts to rain so I make a quick dash for the plant, I have been in many plants including nuclear ones but this is a throwback much of the space is gutted, but some machinery remains some boilers and gearing remains as it once was now unused and silenced forever, standing in the open space you could only imagine the cacophony of noise the shouts of men and the ever rumbling of coal feeding the hungry beast, this building is a symphony its boilers and machinery the orchestra the men the conductors, day and night coal would feed the boilers to turn massive turbines to create the power needed to make the weapons of war, train loads of coal arriving from the now captured coal fields of Poland feeding the hungry monster ever increasing tonnage of the black rock.

DSCN1356 by B S, on Flickr

You could stand here for hours wondering just how hot it could be in here how loud the sounds were, today the ever constant echo’s and drips from the rain remind you all is silent, the orchestra stopped playing many years ago.

DSCN1382 by B S, on Flickr


DSCN1391 by B S, on Flickr

The rain finally abates and I make a dash for the big prize the one item I have really come to see, nothing is quite complete without a submarine and Peenemunde with its access to the Baltic and once home to the East German fleet has one such submarine quietly and serenely sitting at the quay.

IMG_1114 by B S, on Flickr


There is something special about this boat, she is the last of her type of the 35 planned only 16 were built and 2 were preserved one became a famous Hollywood star featuring in the movie K19 the widow maker but has since sunk and been scrapped, she is the sole survivor of her class.

K24 was built in Nizhniy Novgorod a town I am Familiar with, it is a military district (still is) but in Soviet times strictly off limits to all foreigners and even most Russians, the town opened its doors in the mid 1990’s but back in 1960’s the secret town produced among other things submarines.

Laid down in 1961 and completed in 1962 and finally accepted into commission in 1965 as the 4th Project 651 Juliette class guided missile submarine was born, she would see service not with the black sea fleet but the Northern fleet, designed as a backup almost to the 1st generation nuclear cruise missile submarines the project 659 Echo class.

As long as the modern day Trafalgar class SSN and a bit broader than a project 641 Foxtrot these submarines were designed to carry four P5 or as we know them SS-N-3c Shaddock anti-ship missiles (the Echo’s carried six) but later were re armed with the much more capable and advance P500 Bazalt or Sandbox.

Designed to work in a group these submarines would come to the surface raise their launch tubes open the sail which housed a massive radar and shoot at NATO carrier groups, this made them vulnerable in later years but the concept was one well thought out, later on in 1967 the west would take notice of how effective these missiles would be the sinking of the Israeli destroyer Elait would prove just how much technology had come of age and that a cheap ship carrying a cheap weapon could destroy a much more prized asset.

Seeing her moored on the quay with two of her tubes raised you can’t help but think thank god they were never fired for real, the tubes themselves are fairly huge and sat side by side the sail is opened and the antenna for the radar visible, I have only seen a few pictures of the radar and I must admit I never thought the radar antenna was quite the size it actually is, it engulf the entire front of the sail but cleverly withdraws back into its cocoon when it’s not needed it is an impressive site that is for sure but looking at the outside you come to realise that the stories you have been told about how loud the early soviet boats were must be true, behind the missile tubes are vast crescent shapes gouged into the hull, this must have caused enormous eddies and currents while under water not to mention the drag factor at speed you must have been defend by the sound, coupled with two propellers churning away it must have mad for an easy find.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

Walking down the gangplank you first arrive in the outer hull space, in here you can see the mechanical side of the submarines forward diving planes, someone once said the American build things like Swiss watches the Russians use a hack saw and hand file, that person is not wrong! The huge linkages and long thick steel bars that are attached to motors that move these hydroplanes take up quite some space I must admit though you have to be impressed by the simplicity of it all.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

Inside we are greeted by the forward torpedo room, despite being armed with four cruise missile this submarine could attack and defend herself with torpedoes too, its rather spacious and much larger than the Foxtrot or Tango class I have been on before six 21inch torpedo tubes lay right at the bow in two columns of three inside room to house another 18 torpedoes and yet still space to have makeshift sleeping quarters.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

the area is restricted so I take my pictures and move backwards, officers and senior ratings are housed in the 2nd section its spacious for a submarine and they even have their own cabins shared of course the only thing that really annoyed me was the grates over the cut outs it means decent pictures of these areas are hard to come by and the doors don’t open even with my best efforts.

I take some shots and focus on making sure I see every inch of the submarine as I always do, it’s not long before you start bumping into things (metaphorically and physically) that you recognise, sure the usual gadgets are there the massed stations of valves and pipes the snorkel mast but here is something I haven’t seen before on any other Russian boat I have been on.

The layout of the command room is one that is rather strange, and it reminds me of something I have seen before, then while standing in front of the massed valves I remember, sub commands opening credits for the Akula class showing the exact station I was staring at.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr


Unlike the western boats which have a steering column like an aircraft two sticks control the up and down hydroplanes one bow one stern the bench like seat reminds me something you may sit on at a bus stop watch standing here must have been a pleasant experience, I guess being a fighting machine comfort was a secondary thought in this area, but the usual items were there.

Able to dive down to 365 meters and speed a long at a whopping (and rather noisy) 18 knots under water meant these submarines were of course average for their time, like most conventional submarines the K24 would have to come up every so often to recharge batteries and take in air for her 80 man crew, although due to the increased volume inside the submarine this submarine could remain submerged for as much as 30 days (using snorkel) but like most submarines this would have had a margin no doubt for longer periods.

It is rather odd to note the submarine is compartmentalised each vital part has its own space the sonar room, radio, and weapons all have their own space and the usual yellowish painted equipment festoon the place.
you can clearly see the systems and how they looked and were situated it really is well kept and I must admit I am tempted to try and turn something on but no doubt the Russians took the plugs off before they sold it.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

Moving aft I enter the machinery space this is the heart of the vessel three diesel engines provide the power to recharge the massive batteries below our feet, hidden under covers these would be switched on every few days to put some more juice in the batteries and allow the submarine to continue on its mission, able to breathe through the snorkel these three engines could on the surface charge the submarine to 16 knots for the type of submarine and its shape that’s pretty good going.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

Finally coming to the rear of the submarine we pass through a mess area then on into the aft torpedo compartment, here we find four more torpedo tubes but unlike the front these only house 16 inch torpedoes with four reloads seems ample space to make your bed doesn’t it and I’m sure many did.

Coming up the ladder you step into the out hull casing again here you can get a view through the free flood holes and also some of the hidden interior. Like the compressor bottles for storing compressed air and also the back end of the missile tubes, it’s strange to be effectively standing in a no man’s land knowing if we dived now I’d get very wet yet the space is rather large and void of a lot of things seem to be a miss here (likely a ballast tank perhaps?) the space is so vast at 5ft 11 I have no worries about smashing my head on anything here.

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr

K24 Juliette class by B S, on Flickr


Outside its starting to get late I realise the time and make a dash for the Trantul corvette the other side of the quay I get there to disappointment I’m too late its closed, the only thing I can do now with such short time is take pictures of the exterior and curse my luck well until next time maybe.

DSCN1567 by B S, on Flickr

DSCN1574 by B S, on Flickr


DSCN1570 by B S, on Flickr


After being awake for so long my head is light my eyes sting and it’s time to go and find the hotel but like always my time in bed won’t be for long, I am staying 23 miles from Peenemunde I check in rather swayingly trying not to fall asleep standing up I manage to grab dinner needless to say it sank into my gut faster than the submarine I had been on could dive then straight to bed where I collapsed on the bed after being awake for a solid 26 hours.

The journey home was the most tedious part although I made good time some 10 hours 30 minutes including a break of an hour I came to realise I am getting old I woke up at 0400 after just 8 hours of sleep my legs were in pain and it took a good ten minutes for my head to adjust, but I managed to carry on realising soon on I wasn’t going to be able to do this in one go I planned a stop in Holland that’s when I saw the fuel prices and thought carry on to Belgium ! I had to pray the car would make it on fumes and I was over joyed to see the sign saying welcome to Belgium I am sure the car was glad too it had less than 40 miles in the tank and was almost on vapour when I fuelled her up then had an hours break.

I awoke to two dead legs a numb arm and a head ache not bad but I knew what this was telling me I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before its now midday so I tucked into a packed lunch the hotel made for me (because I left before breakfast) I must have been flying because in no time at all I made the ferry port the last bit of my journey was near I was relieved to be getting on the ferry.

The crossing was one of humour for me, with a force 9 in full swing we set sail for dover not many people were eating dinner but I managed to sink a curry perfectly fine, people laying on the floor green in colour and yes I was chuckling to myself I went outside on deck to find more people hanging over the side not for the view but to release their stomach contents it was only 90 minutes but I can remember thinking thank goodness my mother isn’t here chuckling to myself again remembering the time she got sea sick on Southend pier!

IMG_1128 by B S, on Flickr

IMG_1127 by B S, on Flickr

Once off the boat it was a dash for home still with a head ache and pain in my legs I knew I had over done myself this time pulling up outside my house 1,535 mile round trip had taken it out on me.

[u crank]

Great stuff once again Kapitan. Very enjoyable. Thank you.

[Mr Quatro]

Never a waste of time to enjoy reading Kapitan's postings ...

so poetic too ... this one would make a nice little booklet for travelers

[Schroeder]

Funny, I've been there just about a month ago when a friend invited me top join him on his vacation. He actually wanted to take his wife and children with him but she had just found a job and wouldn't get time off and one of his sons didn't want to go and since canceling the trip would have been really expensive he asked me to join.


Here is a "closeup" of the "nose art" on the missile resembling the one that was put onto the very first (IIRC).


You should definitely revisit Usedom. It's a very beautiful island.

[Eichhörnchen]

Great read... thanks, Kapitan

[Jimbuna]

Great post and subject matter Clay....I've obviously never been but have seen both the V rockets here in the UK.

The Hendon V-2 example was one of the British-prepared rockets from Operation Backfire in 1945. It is displayed in a hall with other WWII artifacts. The rocket has many cut-away sections showing internal components and is painted in an incorrect shade of green paint.


RAF Cosford Museum


IWM Duxford

[Kapitan]

Thanks guys I’m hoping sometime soon to sort out maybe another trip somewhere but right now I’m not sure what’s happening with the move to Canada so stay tuned

[Catfish]

We have been in Peenemuende some 8 years(?) ago, the Juliett was impressing, as were the other exhibits like controls and jet nozzles of the V2s, or all those photos and films about starts (and failed starts). You cannot visit the original starting pads for danger of unexploded ammuntion, or they just do not want "treasure hunters" to roam the sites.

We had a guided tour through the sub and I bought the book about the Juliett. So much technology installed into this boat, the whole fore part of the sail turns to put the fire guiding radar in place.

Thank you Kapitan, much appreciated!

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Catfish

We have been in Peenemuende some 8 years(?) ago, the Juliett was impressing, as were the other exhibits like controls and jet nozzles of the V2s, or all those photos and films about starts (and failed starts).

We must have missed that. When I was there, there was just the missile standing there with a small plaque with the history and technical details and that was about all the info you got. No movies no nothing. I was actually rather disappointed.

[Catfish]

Es ist im als Museum umgebauten Kraftwerk

[Schroeder]

Originally Posted by Catfish

Es ist im als Museum umgebauten Kraftwerk

Yep, we were inside but there were no documentaries running (no TVs or anything). Plenty of stuff about the power station but nothing about the missiles unless we really totally missed a section of the museum (we had a 5 year old with us with an average attention span of 15 seconds so I wouldn't totally rule that out).