Soviet cruiser Chervona Ukraina Chervona Ukraina ( Ukrainian : " Червона Україна " — " Red Ukraine " ) was a light cruiser of the Soviet Navy assigned to the Black Sea Fleet . During World War II , she supported Soviet forces during the Sieges of Odessa and Sevastopol before being sunk at Sevastopol on 12 November 1941 by German aircraft . She was raised in 1947 and was used as a training hulk before becoming a target ship in 1950 . Description . " Chervona Ukraina " displaced at deep load . The ship had an overall length of , a beam of and a mean draught of about . She was powered by four Curtiss - AEG steam turbines , each driving one shaft , which developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . The engines were powered by 14 Yarrow water - tube boilers . Four were coal - fired while the rest were mixed - firing . The ship carried a maximum of of coal and an additional of fuel oil that was sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate in the mixed - firing boilers . At full capacity , she could steam for at a speed of . " Chervona Ukraina " was designed to carry about 630 officers and men . The ship ' s main armament consisted of fifteen 55 - calibre / 55 B7 Pattern 1913 guns in single mounts , six of which were mounted in casemate s . Her anti - aircraft armament consisted of four guns . " Chervona Ukraina " also mounted twelve above - water torpedo tube s in triple swivelling mounts . " Chervona Ukraina " s waterline belt consisted of of Krupp cemented armour and above it was an upper belt thick . The gun shield s were protected by of armour . Each of the armoured decks was thick . The armour of the conning tower was thick . Service history . She was laid down on 3 October 1913 as " Admiral Nakhimov " after Pavel Nakhimov and launched on 6 November 1915 . Construction was abandoned in 1917 during the October Revolution when the ship was about 80 % complete . In the second half of 1918 , the Marine Department of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi restarted construction of the ship . On 25 January 1919 , the ship was formally renamed " Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky " , but Nikolayev was captured shortly afterward by the Entente . At the start of the Russian Civil War , the ship was run aground at the fitting dock in Nikolayev by the shipyard workers to hinder the evacuation by the Whites in 1919 . The ship was raised by the Soviets in 1920 pending a decision on her disposition . The ship was renamed to " Chervona Ukraina " on 7 December 1922 . It was decided to finish her in 1923 and the job was completed in 1927 to nearly the original design . She was modified to handle aircraft by adding cranes on either side of the middle funnel and a parking area was built for them between the central and rear funnels , although no catapult was ever fitted . The original internal torpedo tubes were replaced by four triple torpedo tubes mounted on the deck abaft the rear funnel . " Chervona Ukraina " made a number of port visits to Turkey , Greece and Italy before World War II . She was extensively overhauled between 26 August 1939 and 1 May 1941 where her aircraft equipment was removed and she was fitted with new fire control equipment . The ship was given three Italian " Minizini " twin - gun 50 caliber anti - aircraft mounts , one was placed on the forecastle , in front of the forward / 55 B7 Pattern 1913 gun and the other two on each side of the quarterdeck . One torpedo tube mount was removed from each side and four single mounts for the semi - automatic " 21 - K " gun were fitted as well as seven AA machine guns . World War II . " Chervona Ukraina " , in company with the cruisers " Krasny Kavkaz " , " Komintern " and a number of destroyers , laid down a defensive mine barrage protecting the Black Sea Fleet base at Sevastopol on 22 June 1941 . She provided gunfire support to Soviet forces during the Siege of Odessa and escorted convoys bringing the 157th Rifle Division into Odessa during the month of September 1941 . She escorted convoys from Odessa to Sevastopol in October when the evacuation of Odessa was ordered . During the Siege of Sevastopol " Chervona Ukraina " provided gunfire support and evacuated cut - off troops from elsewhere in the Crimea into Sevastopol and brought in reinforcements from Caucasian ports . She was hit three times in the South Bay of Sevastopol by bombs from German Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive - bomber s from II . / StG 77 on 12 November 1941 , but didn ' t sink until the next day after her crew was ordered to abandon her . Her guns were salvaged and most of the guns and crew were incorporated into the port ' s defenses , although two of her twin " Minizini " turrets were added to " Krasny Kavkaz " . She was raised on 3 November 1947 , repaired , and used as a training hulk until 30 October 1950 when she became a target ship . On 10 May 1952 , " Chervona Ukraina " was grounded on a spit to serve as a fixed target ; by 1980 there was nothing left of the ship above the surface .