Top secret: James Bond in St. Petersburg

A version first appeared on my Magnifica thread on the MSC board:

It is not often that a vacation cruise includes a spy fantasy. But some two hours after the MSC Magnifica departed St. Petersburg, many of the passengers turned into James and Jane Bond wannabes. They crowded the open areas of upper decks to get a good look at Kronshtadt, Russia’s historic fcrtress in the middle of the Gulf of Finland. We saw what the authorities wanted us to see -- a few aging submarines, submarine chasers and assorted other vessels. With everyone taking photos, the Magnifica sparkled like a firecracker.

This key naval base dates back to the times of Peter the Great. As the empire grew, so did the importance of Kronshtadt. During the Bolshevik revolution, a turning point came when the sailors of Kronshtadt changed sides from the provisional government to communists, arresting most officers and shooting them on the spot. During World War II, as Hitler’s forced encircled Leningrad, Kronshtadt stayed in Soviet hands.

Anyone wanting accurate information about the current state of affairs may consult Internet and public satellite photos. I don’t have enough Internet minutes to do that search from the ship. Instead I base much of what I say on memory.

I was stationed in Moscow as a newspaper correspondent in the 1980s, when the Soviet Union increased the importance of Kronshtadt further by turning it into the midpoint of a huge sea wall that stretches from the southern bank of the Gulf of Finland to the north shore. I don’t know how many miles that distance is but is is considerable.

Going to St. Petersburg we passed the sea wall during the darkness of night. I said it was well lit and looked a bit like an airport runway. That’s because, it turned out in daylight, an expressway runs in the middle of the seawall. Since this is not only a military area but also Russia’s border, not just anyone can travel on it. If naval guards don’t check drivers for authorization, the green-hatted border guards do. Smert spionom!

At Kronshtadt, there is a gap in the seawall. The expressway visibly goes into an underwater tunnel on both sides of the gap. Is it 100 feet, or more? I don’t know. But it is wide enough to allow ships to go through. And narrow enough so that underwater gates can be raised to block the gap if the situation warrants.

When the seawall was constructed, Soviet newspapers reported that it was needed to prevent what then was called Leningrad from being flooded. But if the tidal activity of the Baltic Gulf can be halted, so can hostile ships.

Any cruise to St. Petersburg passes both Kronshtadt and the seawall. You just have to know what you are seeing.

Your cruise line will not mention any of this because doing so would get it in trouble with the authorities. The Russian norm, individually and collectively, during the Soviet times and now is: If you claim to be a tourist, don’t get involved in matters that may be punishable by death.

Wow! I guess I will be taking pictures too as we pass Kronshtadt on July 3rd.

Thanks for sharing!

Very cool - my 3 boys are extreme history buffs 16,16 & 20 and we are leaving Amsterdam to cruise the Baltics on the 7th and will be in St. Petersburg July 13-14. We will keep a look out for this

Sharon

I don´t know what they are called but on this air photo you can see 2 sliding barriers just above each tunnel entrance so it´s not a underwater gate.

http://maps.google.dk/?ll=59.9914,29.69759&spn=0.006536,0.01929&t=k&z=16

I just found this on Wikipedia, there is also a small movie showing the locks closed just before a storm.

How top secret can this be if Virtual Tourist publishes a travel guide?

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Russia/Gorod_Sankt_Peterburg/Kronshtadt-609300/TravelGuide-Kronshtadt.html

One of the ways to the naval fort, and possibly the most comfortable and beautiful. High-speed boats "Meteor" departs daily from Dvortsovay Naberezhnaya (Palace Embankment) (near the Hermitage: +59° 56' 28.60", +30° 18' 44.70"). Boats depart four times a day. Schedule on holidays is little more comfortable than on weekdays.

http://dambaspb.ru/

http://dambaspb.ru/about/overview

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floods_in_Saint_Petersburg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Petersburg_Dam

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Surge_Gates_S-1_of_Saint_Petersburg_Dam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_MvZ_XFUzo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLDjmgWZcEQ

. . . but didn't know there were so many spies among us. Thanks for sharing. My code word is Korvatunturi.

I forgot to put the Wikipedia link in my post, its link number 4 in Joulupukkis post.

Going to St. Petersburg this summer!! Thanks for the info!

I apologize for posting outdated information. As I said, I had not consulted the Internet due to expense. But other spies have now set the record straight.

If the Meteor today whisks visitors to Kronshtadt, that's great. What is not great is that one of the three bridges across the Neva is now closed, causing terrible problems. The Magnifica this week departed 90 minutes late because passengers were stuck in traffic.

If the Meteor today whisks visitors to Kronshtadt, that's great.

No :(

Buses:

№ 101 (from metro Staraya Derevnya):

http://orgp.ru/rasp/115147007.html

№ 200 (from metro Avtovo via Peterhof to Lomonosov(Oranienbaum)) + № 175 (Lomonosov - Kronstadt)

200 Mon-Fri http://orgp.ru/rasp/115370210.html

200 Sat-Sun http://orgp.ru/rasp/115370211.html

175 http://orgp.ru/rasp/115440167.html