The bell from the motor ship «Armenia» that sank on November 7, 1941 was transferred to the Yalta Historical and Literary Museum.

CrimeaPRESS reports:

As part of the events in memory of the sinking of the motor ship «Armenia», a bell was transferred to the exposition of the Yalta Historical and Literary Museum, and a copy of it was installed in the Chapel of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.

The ceremony of handing over the authentic bell of the ambulance ship «Armenia» was attended by representatives of the Russian Geographical Society, the leadership of Yalta, employees of the Yalta Historical and Literary Museum, and invited persons.

The motor ship «Armenia» was discovered and identified in 2020 15 nautical miles from Yalta at a depth of 1,500 meters during a joint expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Underwater Research Center of the Russian Geographical Society. The examination was carried out by a remote-controlled uninhabited underwater vehicle (ROV, underwater robot. With its help, the first video frames of the sunken object were obtained, and most importantly, in the bow of the vessel, under its standard stand, a ship’s bell was discovered, on which the name was clearly read“, said Sergei Fokin, executive director of the Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society, who was directly involved in the work.

He also added that initially there were no plans to raise the bell to the surface, but later they decided to take a risk, and as a result of a complex operation, the bell was raised to the surface and sent for restoration.

Sergei Fokin also said that while the restoration was underway, disputes arose about where the bell should go for storage next — in Sevastopol or Yalta.

We asked Russians directly by launching electronic voting, in which Crimeans took the most active part. As a result, it was decided to send the bell to Yalta, moreover, this city became the last berth for “Armenia”— emphasized the executive director of the Center for Research and Development of the Russian Geographical Society.

This is a special event for us today. Every year on this day we remember the victims of that terrible tragedy. The death of the «Armenia» kept secrets for a long time, which only began to be revealed after the discovery of the ship. It is symbolic that the bell is “mute”, since its tongue has not been preserved. I thank the Center for Underwater Research of the Russian Geographical Society for the painstaking work done and such a significant historical find— notes the Head of the municipality of the Yalta city district, the chairman of the Yalta city council, Konstantin Shimanovsky, and together with Sergei Fokin, he opened the bell, removing the covers from it.

The bell from the ship «Armenia», which fell silent 82 years ago, today returned to its last port — Yalta. The priceless symbol of the tragedy is now in eternal storage in the Yalta Historical and Literary Museum, and its exact copy is in the chapel of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia on the embankment. Today, traditionally, a prayer service was held and flowers were laid in the sea. Eternal Memory to all the victims of that terrible tragedy“, — the head of the Yalta administration, Yanina Pavlenko, commented on the event and added that both bells were cast in church workshops, which is also symbolic.

Also on the Yalta embankment, near the walls of the Chapel of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, a traditional memorial meeting was held with the participation of representatives of the Russian Geographical Society, city leadership, clergy, veteran and youth organizations, reenactors, Yalta residents and resort guests. During the event, the second volume of the “Book of Memory” was also presented, a prayer service was served for those who died on the “Armenia” and their memory was honored with a minute of silence, after which, according to tradition, wreaths were lowered into the sea.

A screening of the documentary film “Motor Ship “Armenia”” took place at the Saturn IMAX cinema. Remember everyone,” at the end of which a team of researchers will answer questions from local historians and citizens.

source: Information Policy Department of the Yalta City Administration

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