BE-12 Chaika (Nato:Mail)

This is an ASW aircraft that entered service during the Soviet Union and continued to serve into the new century.  It is believed that several of the aircraft are still operational with the Black Sea fleet.

The Mail looks like it is a relic of Wold War II, but it if fact entered the fleet in 1960.

150 of the aircraft were built, with its primary mission being ASW and maritime patrol. 

The Be-12 is an amphibious aircraft that is often referred to as a flying boat. 

In addition to serving in the Soviet Navy and later the Russian Navy, the Be-12 served with a number of other navies, including Egypt and Syria. 

Russia is currently testing a new ASW aircraft and with its appearance the last of the Mail's should be retired. 

In past blogs we have talked about some of the various fleets of the Russian Navy. Today I wanted to talk about one of the Russian Navies most important ports:

Severomorsk

Severomorsk is situated in the northwestern part of the Kola peninsula, close to Norway. The main asset of this port is that it remains ice free all year, thus allowing for naval operations at any time. 

To get to the city you would need a special pass. Since the 1950's when Severomorsk became the administrative center for the Northern Fleet it has been a closed city. 

Severomorsk is the home port for the bulk of the Russian Northern Fleet. 

Aerial view of Severomorsk

This city was once a mystery to other navies of the world. You would even see references to it in popular Cold War fiction and movies, but since the fall of the Soviet Union many navies have done port visits to Sevormorsk. 

USS Yorktown in port Severomorsk

Severomorsk will continue to be the headquarters of the Russian Northern Fleet, and will likely see a resurgence in the coming years as the Russian Navy modernizes and rebuilds.