SS Admiral Nakhimov The SS " Admiral Nakhimov ( ) , launched in March 1925 and originally named SS " Berlin III , was a passenger liner of the German Weimar Republic later converted to a hospital ship , then a Soviet passenger ship . On 31 August 1986 , " Admiral Nakhimov " collided with the large bulk carrier " Pyotr Vasev " in the Tsemes Bay , near the port of Novorossiysk , Russian SFSR , and quickly sank . In total , 423 of the 1 , 234 people on board died . History . Career : 1925 – 1945 . The " Berlin III " was built by Bremer Vulkan at Vegesack , Germany ( Yard 614 ) and was completed in March 1925 . She was launched on 25 March 1925 , and commissioned on 17 September 1925 . The ship was 572 ft ( 174 m ) long , had four decks and a volume of 15 , 286 gross register tons . She originally operated the Bremen – Southampton – Cherbourg – New York City run for the North German Lloyd Line . The ship ' s main route was between Bremerhaven , Southampton and New York , which she began on 26 September 1925 and operated until May 1939 when she was laid up in Bremerhaven for refitting . On 12 November 1928 , the " Berlin " rescued the passengers and crew of the liner " Vestris " , which sank off the coast of Virginia en route from New York City to Barbados . An estimated 113 people died in the sinking . The " Berlin " was chartered by the Nazis in 1939 as a Strength Through Joy ( Kraft durch Freude , KdF ) workers ' cruising ship and was used as a hospital ship later on in World War II . From WWII and onwards . The " Berlin " was one of eight German ships commissioned as hospital ships ( Lazarettschiffe ) during World War II . Most , if not all , of these ships also served in other capacities during the war after being decommissioned as hospital ships , mainly as accommodation or transport ships for military personnel . All German hospital ships were given alphabetic identifiers , the " Berlin " ' s being ' A ' . On 16 July 1939 , " Berlin " began her conversion to hospital ship and entered service with the Kriegsmarine as Lazarettschiff A , Sanitätsamt Ost on 23 Aug 1939 . The ship had berthing for 400 patients , with a crew of 165 . Initially serving in Norwegian waters , she was identified as “ Field Post Number 07520 ” . By January 1945 , the " Berlin " began taking part in Operation Hannibal , the transport of refugees and soldiers from the Eastern Baltic . On 31 January 1945 , while forming up in convoy to head east , the " Berlin " struck a mine off Swinemünde , and was put in tow for Kiel . She then hit another mine and was beached ( 23 . 53 hr , at position 54°02 . 6 N / 14°19 E , in shallow waters ) . There was one fatality . All usable equipment was salvaged by 5 Feb 1945 , and the ship was abandoned . She was refloated and salvaged by the Soviets in 1949 and renamed " Admiral Nakhimov " after admiral Pavel Nakhimov , a 19th - century Russian naval commander who played a prominent role in the Crimean War . After her conversion , her size was increased to 17 , 053 gross register tons . She entered passenger service for the Black Sea Steamship Company in 1957 . In 1962 , during the Cuban Missile Crisis , the ship was used to transport soldiers to Cuba . During the peak summer travel season , the " Admiral Nakhimov " operated cruises on the Black Sea between Odessa and Batumi , a six - day round trip . She carried an average of 1 , 000 people per voyage . She was the flagship of the Black Sea passenger fleet for several years until more modern liners entered service . Sinking . At 10 : 00 p . m . Moscow Time on 31 August 1986 , the " Admiral Nakhimov " sailed from Novorossiysk en route to Sochi , its next stop . There were 888 passengers and 346 crew members aboard . Most of the passengers were Ukrainian , with others from Russia , Moldova , the Baltic republics and Central Asia . The captain of the ship was Vadim Markov . Just minutes into the voyage , the ship ' s pilot noticed that the large bulk carrier " Pyotr Vasev " was on a collision course with the " Admiral Nakhimov " . The " Pyotr Vasev " was a Japan ese - built , 18 , 604 - ton freighter recently acquired by the Soviet Union , and was carrying a cargo of oats and barley from Canada . The pilot radioed a warning to the " Pyotr Vasev " , and the freighter responded , " Don ' t worry . We will pass clear of each other . We will take care of everything . " Despite the message , Captain Viktor Tkachenko of the " Pyotr Vasev " did nothing to slow his ship or change course . Convinced that the freighter would pass without incident , Captain Markov of the " Admiral Nakhimov " retired to his cabin , leaving his second mate Alexander Chudnovsky in charge . From 11 p . m . , Chudnovsky radioed " Pyotr Vasev " several times , asking about her course and her further actions . Chudnovsky changed the ship ' s course 10 degrees portside . At 11 : 10 p . m . , Chundovsky cried on VHF to the freighter , " Immediately reverse full astern ! " When it was clear that the freighter was headed directly for the ship , the " Pyotr Vasyov " ' s engines were thrown in reverse . The " Admiral Nakhimov " turned hard to port , but it was too late . At 11 : 12 p . m . , the " Admiral Nakhimov " was struck by the " Pyotr Vasev " eight miles ( 15 km ) from the port at Novorossiysk and two miles ( 4 km ) from shore , at While many passengers had gone to bed by this time , some were on deck listening and dancing to music . They could only watch helplessly as the freighter rammed into the starboard side of the ship at a speed of about 5 knots ( 9 km / h ) . The " Admiral Nakhimov " continued forward with the freighter ' s bow in its side , ripping a 900 square foot ( 84 m² ) hole in the hull between the engine and boiler rooms . The " Admiral Nakhimov " immediately took on a list on her starboard side , and her lights went out upon impact . After a few seconds , the emergency diesel generator powered on , but the lights went out again two minutes later , plunging the sinking ship into darkness . People below decks found themselves lost in the dark and rapidly canting hallways . There was no time to launch the lifeboats . Hundreds of people dived into the oily water , clinging to lifejacket s , barrels and pieces of debris . The " Admiral Nakhimov " sank in only seven minutes . Rescue ships began arriving just 10 minutes after the ship went down . The " Pyotr Vasev " was not badly damaged , and assisted in the rescue effort . Sixty - four rescue ships and 20 helicopter s rushed to the scene , and 836 people were pulled from the water . Some people were so slick with fuel oil that they could not keep hold of the hands of their rescuers . Sailors had to jump into the water to save people . The " Admiral Nakhimov " lacked proper ventilation , which was the reason all 90 windows in the cabins were open during the accident . The bulkheads that would have prevented the ship from sinking were removed during the conversion . Passengers and crew had had little time to escape , and 423 of the 1 , 234 on board perished . Sixty - four of those killed were crew members and 359 were passengers . The event was not reported in the news for five days . The survivors were only allowed to send telegrams saying " Alive and well in Novorossiysk . " All mention of the wreck was censored until the 5 September when the newspaper " Pravda " published a grievance for the victims . The wreck of the " Admiral Nakhimov " lies on its starboard side in 150 feet ( 45 m ) of water in Tsemes Bay off Novorossiysk . The " Pyotr Vasev " was renamed and now sails under the Maltese flag . Investigation . The Soviet government formed a commission of inquiry to investigate the disaster . It determined that both Captain Markov of the " Admiral Nakhimov " and Captain Tkachenko of the " Pyotr Vasev " had violated navigational safety rules . Despite repeated orders to let the " Admiral Nakhimov " pass , Tkachenko refused to slow his ship and only reported the accident 40 minutes after it occurred . Captain Markov was absent from the bridge . The inquiry took place in 1987 in Odessa . Both Captains Markov and Tkachenko were found guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced to 15 years in prison . Both were released in 1992 .