Iconic photograph by Boris Sheinin showing the Soviet Black Sea Fleet battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna firing its 305 mm main guns from Yuzhnaya Bay, Sevastopol, on December 29, 1941.
Battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna Firing Main Battery in Sevastopol (December 29, 1941)
This legendary World War II photograph, captured by Soviet photojournalist Boris Sheinin on December 29, 1941, shows the Black Sea Fleet battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna ("Paris Commune", renamed back to Sevastopol in May 1943) engaged in heavy shore bombardment from Yuzhnaya Bay (South Bay) in snow-covered Sevastopol.
Arriving from Poti under cover of darkness at 01:12 AM, the capital ship anchored at mooring buoys in the central harbor to deliver direct heavy artillery support during critical defensive operations in the Belbek Valley sector.
Naval Artillery Engagement and Operational Details
The photograph captures a muzzle flash from the bow 305 mm main gun turret during a intensive day-long fire mission:
- Main Battery Bombardment: Commencing fire at 08:09 AM, the battleship carried out 15 artillery bombardments throughout the day, expending 179 heavy 305 mm (12-inch) high-explosive shells targeting enemy positions, armor concentrations, and artillery batteries in the Belbek Valley and Duvankoy village.
- Secondary Armament Support: Simultaneously, the vessel's starboard 120 mm casemate secondary battery fired 265 rounds at tactical ground targets, suppressing enemy field positions.
- Counter-Battery Combat: Around noon, a German heavy artillery battery near Duvankoy opened fire on the anchored battleship but was rapidly suppressed and neutralized by direct counter-battery salvos from the ship's main turrets.
- Air Defense and Damage Control: At dawn, German Luftwaffe bombers attempted to strike the warship, but concentrated anti-aircraft fire from the fleet forced enemy crews to jettison ordnance harmlessly into the bay waters.
Evacuation and Return to Base
In addition to shore bombardment, capital ships of the Black Sea Fleet provided critical logistics support to the besieged fortress city:
- Casualty Evacuation: After completing firepower missions at midnight on December 30, 1941, Parizhskaya Kommuna embarked 1,025 severely wounded Red Army soldiers and civilians before departing Sevastopol harbor under darkness.
- Safe Passage: Navigating through minefields and submarine-infested waters, the warship arrived safely at Novorossiysk at 16:00 PM on December 30 to unload casualties and replenish ammunition stores.
📍 Location: Yuzhnaya Bay, Sevastopol, Crimea, USSR
📅 Date: December 29, 1941
📷 Photographer: Boris Sheinin (TASS / Soviet Naval Photo Correspondent)
📰 Primary Source: Central Naval Museum Archive / Russian State Film and Photo Archive (RGAKFD)
Recommended reading:
- Combat record and technical specs of the Gangut-class battleship Parizhskaya Kommuna
- Naval fire support operations during the First Axis Assault on Sevastopol (December 1941)
- 12-inch naval guns in coastal warfare: Soviet 305 mm /52 Pattern 1907 naval artillery
- Black Sea Fleet supply runs: Evacuation and transport missions during the Siege of Sevastopol