Of course, to this category all the battleships which were lost in course of military activities or catastrophes should be referred. But, alas, in Russia there is no such a law or tradition. But undoubtedly “the mass graves” or the ships whose instant devastation took the lives of the whole crew or its bigger part should possess a special status. Unfortunately, such objects are plenty in number. We will name just a few victims staggering by its quantity:
Hospital vessel “Siberia” was lost on August 20, 1941 after the attacks of the German air forces having up to 500 of the wounded and medical staff aboard.
Military supply ship -524 (Kalpaks) was drowned by the German air forces on August 1941. Up to 1,000 wounded soldiers and officers of the 10th shooting corps and almost all medical staff, which operated the wounded up to the moment of the shipwreck, died aboard. Torpedo boat “Letuchiy” was lost on
November 29, 1914 in the battle campaign together with the whole crew of 50 men.
And of course to the number of such objects belong the submarines of the Russian Imperial Fleet and the Workers` and Peasants` Red Fleet which had not returned from the battle campaigns. Only for the years of the Great Patriotic War 28 boats had not returned from their voyages and the fate and location of the wrecks of 23 of them are still unknown. The bigger part of them lies at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland and at the least seven are in its Eastern Russian area.