Russian Nuclear Submarine Base Hit By Tsunami In Kamchatka
- 1.08.2025, 14:10
The damage is visible on satellite images.
A Russian Pacific Fleet (PLF) base station in Kamchatka, which houses most of Russia's nuclear submarines, was damaged by a tsunami that hit the country's Pacific coast on Wednesday, The Telegraph citing satellite images taken Thursday morning by the Umbra Space satellite.
The base in question is the Rybachy base (part of ZATO Vilyuchinsk) in the waters of Krasheninnikov Bay (part of Avacha Bay) in the south of the peninsula. Judging by the images, part of one of the piers deviated from its original position, which may indicate that it broke away from the pier. The waves caused by the magnitude 8.8 quake are believed to have reached the base, located about 120 kilometers west of its epicenter, 15 minutes after the tremors began. The point is home to modern nuclear-powered submarines such as the Borey and the Soviet-era Deltas. However, according to preliminary analysis, they were not affected as they were not moored at the damaged pier at the time of the tsunami, The Telegraph found out.
Scientist Dr. Sidharth Kaushal of Britain's Joint Institute for Defense Studies (Rusi) said there was no sign of damage to the submarine fleet in satellite images. "It looks like a surface ship, not a submarine, was moored at the pier, which is remarkable," he said. Damage to the pier is unlikely to significantly affect the intensity of operations at the location, the expert stated.
The pier is tilted at a "terrible angle," emphasized retired Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharp. For this reason, it would be difficult for the ship to get on and off the pier. There appears to be a tugboat at the tip of the damaged section of the pier that may be involved in the initial repair work.
The Russian Navy may review the construction standards for the apparently damaged pier. While the other nine piers on the base are built entirely of concrete, the long top section of the damaged one appears to be a floating superstructure. "It looks classic Russian style. It's duct taped together," Sharp said.
July 30, the strongest earthquake since 1952 struck off the coast of Kamchatka. At the same time, one of Russia's most famous volcanoes, Klyuchevskaya Sopka, began erupting on the peninsula. The tremors caused several tsunami waves in the region up to 4 meters high. Among other consequences, the port and the Alaid fish processing plant were flooded, and ships were blown off their moorings and into the strait. Tsunami alerts were also issued in China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Japan.
Footage taken elsewhere along Russia's east coast shows waves up to five meters high slamming into the shore. Serious damage is seen at the port of Severo-Kurilsk, located about twice as far from the quake's epicenter as Avacha Bay.