Severomorsk Explained

En Name:Severomorsk
Ru Name:Североморск
Coordinates:69.0667°N 58°W
Image Coa:Coat of Arms of Severomorsk (Murmansk oblast).png
Federal Subject:Murmansk Oblast
Adm Inhabloc Jur:closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk
Adm Ctr Of1:closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk
Inhabloc Cat:Town
Urban Okrug Jur:Severomorsk Urban Okrug
Mun Admctr Of1:Severomorsk Urban Okrug
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Alexander Abramov
Pop 2010Census:50060
Pop 2010Census Rank:319th
Established Date:1896-1897
Current Cat Date:18 April 1951
Current Cat Date Ref:[1]
Postal Codes:184606
Dialing Codes:81537
Website:http://www.citysever.ru
Date:July 2020

Severomorsk (ru|Североморск||northern sea city), known as Vayenga (Russian: Ваенга) until 18 April 1951, is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is situated on the coast of the Barents Sea along the Kola Bay 25km (16miles) northeast of Murmansk, the administrative centre of the oblast, to which it is connected by railway and a motorway. It is the main naval base of the Northern Fleet of Russia and the sixth largest city in the world beyond the Arctic Circle.

History

Early settlement

The first settlement on the site of the current city was established between 1896 and 1897. It was named Vayenga (Russian: Ваенга), after the river, the name of which itself comes from the Sami "vayongg", meaning a female reindeer. The settlers were engaged in hunting, fishing and cattle breeding. In 1917, only thirteen people lived in the settlement.[2]

The founding of the Northern Fleet Base

In 1926, a timber procurement office was founded in Murmansk, one of the teams of which was sent to Vayenga. A barrack-dormitory, a bathhouse, and a telephone line were built in Vayenga. In 1933, the bay was chosen as one of the bases for the newly created Northern Fleet.[3] From 1934 and until the beginning of World War II, wooden and brick buildings and military facilities were built in the town, and the Vayenga-1 naval airfield was built in the neighbouring bay. From August 1941, all construction was mothballed. The airfield was used by the British; namely No. 151 Wing RAF to protect the Arctic Convoys before their fighters were later handed over to the Soviet Naval Aviation.

After the war, construction was resumed. Vayenga, given the existing facilities, was chosen as the main base for the Northern Fleet. On 1 September 1947, the headquarters and command of the Northern Fleet were relocated from Polyarny to Vayenga. In the same year, the first secondary school in the city was opened. The population of Vayenga was 3,884 people. In 1948, Vayenga's village Council of Workers' Deputies was formed.

Severomorsk

On April 18, 1951, Vayenga received town status and was renamed to Severomorsk, from the Russian "sever" (север), meaning "north", and "more" (море), meaning "sea". By the 1960s, the town was already thoroughly developed - the city had a bakery, a sausage factory, and a soft drink bottling plant, and a swimming pool was built. On 26 November 1996, by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the town of Severomorsk, as a major naval base, was transformed into a closed administrative-territorial entity (ZATO) (urban district) with the inclusion of the following populated areas under its jurisdiction: Safonovo, Roslyakovo, Safonovo-1, Severomorsk-3, and Shchukozero.

Geography

Location

Severomorsk is located on the Kola Peninsula in the Arctic Circle, in the permafrost zone, on the rocky east coast of the Kola Bay of the Barents Sea.

Climate

Severomorsk has a subarctic climate (Dfc), with long, very cold winters and cool to mild summers. The average temperature in January is -8 °C and 12 °C in July. The average precipitation is around 800 mm per year.

Demographics

Population

On January 1, 2015, out of 1114 Russian cities and towns,[4] Severomorsk was ranked the 329th most populous.[5]

According to the results of the Russian Census of 2010, the population of Severomorsk was 50,060. 26,503 (52.9%) of those were male, and 23,557 (47.1%) were female.[6] [7]

As of 2016, the population of Severomorsk has reached 50,905.[8]

Cityscape

Landmarks

Politics

Local government

The representative bodies of the local self-government are the City Council of Deputies. The mayor of Severomorsk is Alexander Abramov.

Since 1991, the executive branch has been headed by Vitaly Voloshin. In the spring of 2011, he was approved to the post of the Head of Administration of Severomorsk.[11] Since 16 April 2013, the position is occupied by Irina Norina.[12]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is, together with the urban-type settlement of Safonovo and two rural localities, incorporated as the closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.[13] As a municipal division, the closed administrative-territorial formation of Severomorsk is incorporated as Severomorsk Urban Okrug.[14]

Economy

Industry

Most of Severomorsk's industry is related to food, particularly the Severmorsk Dairy Plant and the Toni Bottling Plant. There is also a bread/bakery factory and a meat plant. The town also has construction and ship repair enterprises, and a well-developed infrastructure of housing and communal services, consumer services, and trade.

Education

Although the town has no higher education colleges, it hosts 9 high schools.

Military

The town is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest dry dock on the Kola Peninsula.

See main article: Severomorsk Disaster.

On May 13, 1984, on the outskirts of Severomorsk, there was a major fire at a stockpile of naval missiles that resulted in numerous large explosions on May 17. The incident killed 200–300 people and destroyed at least one-third of the Northern Fleet's stockpile of surface-to-air missiles.[15]

Famous people

Sister and partner cities

References

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. Administrative-Territorial Division of Murmansk Oblast, pp. 54–58
  2. Web site: История города Североморскa . History of the city of Severomorsk . 2013-10-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150627022101/https://severomorsk.murman.ru/history.shtml . 2015-06-27 . unfit . 2024-08-14.
  3. Hill . Alexander . 2007 . Russian and Soviet Naval Power and the Arctic from the XVI Century to the Beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The Journal of Slavic Military Studies . 20 . 3 . 359–392 . 10.1080/13518040701532958 . 145005700 .
  4. Including the cities and towns of Crimea, see Political status of Crimea
  5. Web site: The population of the Russian Federation by municipality. Table "29. The cities' and towns' population by federal district and subject of the Russian Federation as of 1 January 2015". RAR archive (0.9 MB)..
  6. Web site: Статистический сборник Численность, размещение и возрастно-половой состав населения Мурманской области. Итоги Всероссийской переписи населения. Том 1. 2012 / Федеральная служба государственной статистики, Территориальный орган Федеральной службы государственной статистики по Мурманской области. Мурманск, 2012 — 75 с.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20121222192055/http://murmanskstat.gks.ru/census/DocLib1/%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%20%D0%BE%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9%20%D0%BF%D1%83%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8%20%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%20%D0%92%D0%9F%D0%9D-2010.aspx. December 22, 2012. mdy-all.
  7. Web site: Численность населения Мурманской области по полу на 14 октября 2010 года. Демоскоп Weekly.. April 28, 2013.
  8. Web site: preliminary population at the beginning of 2016 and the average for 2015 in the murmansk oblast (by oblast, municipality, city, and urban township).. April 12, 2016. April 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160422105327/http://murmanskstat.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_ts/murmanskstat/resources/168410004b920d5e8397dff3fcc8acff/05073_2016.xls. dead.
  9. Web site: Severomorsk Landmarks.
  10. Web site: The opening of the MT-LB monument..
  11. http://www.citysever.ru/img/all/9_Voloshin_New.pdf
  12. Web site: Ирина Норина возглавила администрацию Североморска . Irina Norina heads the administration of Severomorsk . FederalPress . 2022-06-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210412200400/https://fedpress.ru/news/polit_vlast/news_polit/1366109022-irina-norina-vozglavila-administratsiyu-severomorska . 2021-04-12 . live . ru . 2024-08-16.
  13. Law #96-01-ZMO
  14. Law #530-01-ZMO
  15. See:
    • "Soviets claim ignorance in munitions depot blast," New York Times News Service, June 23, 1984. Available online at: Google Newspapers.
    • "Soviet northern fleet 'disabled'," Associated Press, July 10, 1984. Available online at: Google Newspapers.
    • Wayne D. LeBaron, America's Nuclear Legacy: The Dark Age of Egalita (Commack, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 1998), page 193.
    • GlobalSecurity.org: Severomorsk
    • Derek Wood (July 14, 1984) "Soviets' northern fleet disabled... 'not viable' for six months," Jane's Defence Weekly, 2(1) : 3.
    • Derek Wood (July 14, 1984) "Six explosions in the past seven months," Jane's Defence Weekly, 2(1) : 3.
    • Mark Daly (August 18, 1984) "Goa and Goblet SAMs in Severomorsk explosion," Jane's Defence Weekly, 2(6) : 224.
    • John Moore (August 18, 1984) "The aftermath of Severomorsk," Jane's Defence Weekly, 2(6) : 224.
  16. http://ke.culture.gov-murman.ru/slovnik/?ELEMENT_ID=93876 Города-побратимы Мурманской области

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