NPR

Now A Museum, This USSR Submarine Base Was Built To Endure U.S. Nukes — And Retaliate

A once-secret underground naval base in Crimea designed to preserve Soviet submarines in case of a nuclear attack is now a museum with an anti-American message.
Hazmat suits hang next to the canal that leads from Balaklava Bay to the heart of the underground base.

Today, white yachts bob on the turquoise surface of Balaklava Bay, a quiet inlet hidden from the open waters of the Black Sea. But 30 years ago, the bay was a restricted military zone, filled with submersible giants of the Soviet Navy.

Located on the southwestern tip of the Crimean Peninsula, Balaklava is a suburb of Sevastopol, a strategic port that Russia has used to project power across the Black Sea and beyond for more than 200 years. During the Cold War, Balaklava Bay was home to a top-secret submarine base

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