Pacific Fleet starts naval historical "Memory Cruise"

11.08.2010 Pacific Fleet (PF) task unit will conduct the fourth naval historical "Memory Cruise" in the period of Aug 16 – Sept 1, 2010. The cruise is a tribute to honored Soviet sailors died during liberation of Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island in the World War II.

The unit consists of PF large landing ship and salvage tug Fotiy Krylov.

During the cruise it is planned to visit historic battlefields of Sakhalin offensive operation and Kuril landing operation conducted in Aug, 1945.

It is planned to hold military honor rituals at the sites of shipwrecks, memorials, and mass graves of the Motherland defenders, veterans meetings, their contacts with local authorities, exchange of experience in patriotic education, cultural activities for those who serve in outlying garrisons of the fleet, Far East Military District, Frontier Service, and for inhabitants of 6 settlements of Far Eastern Federal District.

According to the cruise program, the ships will arrive to Kholmsk, Sakhalin Island on Aug 19. Activities planned are: military honor ritual to those who died in battle for Kholmsk Mountain Pass; meeting of PF veterans with the head of municipal formation and veteran activists of Kholmsk; concert of PF Song & Dance Company and creative teams of Kholmsk, open day at the PF warship. On Aug 23 the Memory Cruise participants will conduct military honor ritual at the site of Kuril landing operation, lay wreaths on communal grave; PF veterans will meet with the head of municipal formation and veteran activists of Severo-Kurilsk town, PF Song & Dance Company will give a concert; an open day at the PF warship will be held.

Same memorial activities are also planned at Kuril Islands Shikotan and Iturup, and in cities of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Korsakov.

During the cruise, memorial ceremonies to lost submariners of M-49 and M-63 will be carried out in the Peter the Great Bay; military honors will be also paid to submariners of Soviet L-19 and USS Wahoo failed to return from patrols.

Capsules with land taken from battle sites of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands will be delivered to Vladivostok to be laid in future PF memorial Voroshilovskaya Battery.