On Sunday, April 21, 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces reportedly attacked the Russian rescue ship Kommuna in the occupied city of Sevastopol in Crimea. The Kommuna is the oldest floating vessel in the world’s armed forces – it has been in service for 109 years.
Photo: George Chernilevsky via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Internationally unrecognized governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, announced on his Telegram channel that in the morning the Russian military repelled an anti-ship missile attack on one of the ships on the north side of the port in Sevastopol. Falling fragments caused a minor fire, which was quickly extinguished.
The Russian independent investigative team WCzK-OGPU published a video recording on Telegram, claiming that it shows the famous auxiliary unit of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, used for rescuing submarines, which is currently moored in Sucharnaya Bay.
According to reports, debris from what is believed to be a downed Ukrainian missile may have fallen onto the ship. It is suspected to be from either the anti-ship coastal defense system RK-360MC Neptune or the airborne cruise missile MBDA Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG, launched from a frontline bomber/reconnaissance aircraft Su-24MR (NATO reporting name: Fencer).
**BREAKING**
Thread 🧵#Ukrainian strike on #Russian Navy base at Sevastopol in Crimea appears to have damaged, possibly seriously (TBC), the submarine support ship Kommuna (ref https://t.co/Agp8Myx8qC) pic.twitter.com/ZKvRiUBJiM— H I Sutton (@CovertShores) April 21, 2024
UPDATE
The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, Captain Third Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk, confirmed to the news portal Liga.net the attack on the Kommuna.
We can confirm. The Naval Forces struck and did a good job, he stated.
Additionally, he wrote on his Facebook profile:
The extent of the damage is being verified. But certainly, the ship is not able to carry out tasks now. This will continue until the Russians run out of ships or leave Crimea.
The spokesperson’s words can be interpreted to suggest that the missile in question was indeed the Neptune.
The information also appeared on the profile of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense:
Another bad day for the russian Black Sea Fleet.
Today, the Ukrainian Navy hit the russian salvage ship "Kommuna" in temporarily occupied Crimea. The nature of the damage is being verified.
Despite being the oldest ship in service with the russian Black Sea Fleet, Kommuna is… pic.twitter.com/xrJtZtvN4i
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) April 21, 2024
Description
The Kommuna measures 96 meters in length, 18.57 meters in width, has a draft of 3.65 meters, and a displacement of 3100 tons. Its construction began at the Putilov Shipyard in Kronstadt on November 12, 1912 (now part of the Severnaya Verf), it was launched on November 17, 1913, and entered service with the Imperial Russian Navy on July 14, 1915. From September 4, 1917, it served as the flagship of the Baltic Fleet, and until December 31, 1922, the ship was named Volkhov. It is a vessel built in a catamaran layout, with a dock between the two hulls and a gantry crane above it.
During its service, it participated in approximately 150 rescue operations, including assisting the AG-15 submarine of the AG/Holland-602F type on June 9-16, 1917, the Bars-type Tigr submarine on September 24, 1917, the Bars-type Ugor submarine on May 16, 1920, British L-type submarine HMS L55 in 1928, Bars-class submarine Yorsh in June 1933, OGPU maritime border service boat on October 11, 1934, KP-7 tug on October 28, 1934, Bars-class Rys submarine on August 8, 1935, Azymut hydrographic vessel on September 1, 1938, the M-90 submarine on December 16, 1938, the Shch-324 submarine on October 28, 1939, lifting 11 ships in 1944, the M-200 Myest type M submarine on November 29, 1956, M-256 submarine of the A615 project in November 1957, and a Su-24 tactical bomber in 1977.
It has been modernized in recent years. It received the search and rescue vehicle AS-28 of the 2855 Priz project and the deep-sea remotely operated vehicle Saab Seaeye Panther Plus, enabling it to serve as a base ship for divers. It can perform missions at depths of up to 1000 meters.
In April 2022, it participated in the search for the wreck of the sunken missile cruiser RFS Moskva, and in March 2023, in the wreckage of the American unmanned combat aerial vehicle MQ-9A Reaper, which was shot down by a Russian Su-27.