--- title: "Russia’s 110-Year-Old Salvage Ship Deploying To Moskva Wreck: Report" description: "Kommuna, an antique Russian Navy salvage ship, has embarked on a mission to investigate a potential salvage operation for the Moskva wreck." date: "2022-04-22" modified: "2022-04-22" authors: - name: "Emma Helfrich" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/emma-helfrich" url: "https://www.twz.com/russias-110-year-old-salvage-ship-deploying-to-moskva-wreck-report" categories: - "Around The Globe" - "Cruisers" - "Europe" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Russia" - "Russian Navy" - "Sea" - "Slava Class" - "Ukraine" tags: - "Moskva" - "Navy" - "russia" - "Russia and Ukraine" - "Russian Navy" - "Ships" - "Ukraine" --- # Russia’s 110-Year-Old Salvage Ship Deploying To Moskva Wreck: Report ![Kommuna Moskva wreck]() *Credit: George Chernilevsky* A salvage operation following the [sinking of the Russian *Slava* class cruiser]() *Moskva* may be underway, according to a report by independent defense analyst H.I. Sutton. The ship reported to be carrying out this operation happens to be a 110-year-old Russian Navy rescue vessel named *[Kommuna]()* — one of the oldest operational naval vessels in existence. https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1517518693055578113 The unique-looking *Kommuna* first entered active service as the *Volkhov* in 1915 to act as a submarine tender and salvage ship for the Russian Navy’s Baltic fleet. She is a double-hulled catamaran design and was active through the Russian Revolution and two World Wars, serving in the Russian Imperial, Soviet, and now Russian Federation navies. ![]() **Volkhov* being launched in 1913. The ship has seen an amazing amount of history.* In 1922, she was officially renamed *Kommuna*, or *Commune* in English, which matched Russia's drastically changed political reality at the time. That name even succeeded the eventual fall of the Soviet Union. In her early life, she tended submarines, including repairing and refueling them and swapping out their crews, in addition to executing recovery missions. The latter missions ranged from salvaging everything from ships to aircraft. *Kommuna* was even awarded the Medal For The Defense of Leningrad for her role in salvaging vehicles from sunken supply ships during the harrowing World War II Leningrad campaign. Following a refitting in 1967, she moved to the Black Sea and was equipped with recovery submersibles. ![]() **Kommuna* rescue ship-catamaran. Photo taken in the Sevastopol bay, in Ukraine. *George Chernilevsky** The ship’s double-hull design was initially intended to provide space for docking submarines and salvaged objects. As she was upgraded over the years and submarines grew much larger, the central area became home to compact rescue submarines, smaller remote-controlled submersibles, as well as parts of wreckage that had been hoisted into the ship. https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1082344096226820096?s=20&t=unpZvicUCvIo4ngbB-wy\_g According to Sutton, it is likely that *Kommuna* is carrying AS-28 deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV) that are designed to dive 1,000 meters deep. *Kommuna* has long been based in Sevastopol, Crimea, near the location in the Black Sea where the *Moskva* had sunk. Sutton believes the depth of the wreck will be easily reached by the ancient ship's more modern hardware. ![]() *An AS-28 *Priz* class submarine.* Due to her proximity to where the *Moskva’s* sinking occurred, deploying *Kommuna* as the designated salvage vessel to surveil the wreckage seems to be a logical choice. despite being over a century old. For background, *Moskva* was [severely damaged]() in mid-April after being struck by [Ukrainian Neptune]() shore-based anti-ship cruise missiles while sailing the Black Sea. The vessel then caught fire which led to a full-crew evacuation. The ship was equipped with a triple-tier air defense system, as well as long-range anti-ship cruise missiles, among other weaponry. ![Moskva Damaged Sinking Ukraine Black Sea Russia]() *Moskva in the Black Sea after explosion. *Twitter** While circumstances surrounding the [Black Sea flagship’s sinking]() remain mysterious, an official announcement was made by Russia’s Ministry of Defense confirming *Moskva* had sunk while being towed back to port the day after an explosion on board. This is now considered to be the most prominent [naval loss during combat in decades](). Experts like Sutton are not sure if Russia will try to salvage all or even large sections of its sunken cruiser. There are no official reports surrounding what exactly was aboard the *Moskva* in terms of sensitive materials, but classified items and sensitive weapons and communications systems would be a high priority for immediate recovery efforts. ![]() **Kommuna* at anchor. (Credit: TASS)* While there have been claims that nuclear warheads for the ship’s P-500/P-1000 anti-ship missiles were on board at the time of its sinking, there is currently zero evidence to back this up. When considering the sailors that were aboard the ship at the time of the explosion, [it is unknown]() how many of the approximately 500 crew members survived or were injured. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed just today that 396 sailors on the ship had been rescued, one has been found dead, and 27 remain missing, but we do not know if those numbers match reality. However, it is also being speculated that the potential recovery of bodies will be a part of *Kommuna’s* *Moskva* salvage mission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zLYmW1RRQ The time it will take for *Kommuna* to see even a reconnoitering operation through is also a growing concern, if indeed it is going to work the site of *Moskva's* sinking. It could become a juicy target for Ukrainian forces who have already made it clear they can reach out far from their shore to strike an enemy ship. In his coverage, Sutton also noted that the Russian Navy’s Project 11982-class oceanographic survey vessel *Lagoda* could also be deployed in support of *Kommuna’s* mission. Whether the mission will be solely focused on investigation, recovery, or both, the antique *Kommuna* may once again get the chance to ply her trade as the matriarch of naval salvage ships on what may become the highest-profile mission of her *very* long career. *Contact the author: Emma@thewarzone.com*