Russian Navy Commander Stole Two 13-Ton Bronze Propellers From His Own Destroyer
The heist involved substituting the real screws for two fake ones made out of less expensive metal.
By Joseph Trevithick January 11, 2021
The War Zone
The Russian Navy says that a former commander of the now-decommissioned Sovremenny class destroyer Bespokoynyy conspired with others and stole the ship's two bronze propellers while it was in dry dock being converted into a floating museum. The alleged caper sounds like it was ripped straight from the plot of a comedic Hollywood heist movie, with the thieves reportedly swapping out the pair of screws, each weighing approximately 13 tons, for ones made out of a cheaper metal. Russian media outlet Interfax reported on Jan. 11, 2021, that Sergei Sharshavykh, head of the military investigation department of the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet, confirmed that the investigation into the theft was nearly complete. The names of the former commander of the Bespokoynyy, or any of their accomplices, and what kind of jail time or fines they might be facing, were not disclosed. The two propellers are valued at approximately 39 million rubles, or just over $522,513 at the rate of exchange at the time of writing.
(...SNIPPED)
Last edited by Haijun watcher on Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Haijun" means "navy" in Mandarin Chinese.
"You have enemies? Good. It means you stood up for something in your life."- Winston Churchill
You gotta love those Russians...always looking to make a buck on the black market. I wonder how they planned to "sneak" a couple 13 ton brass screws out of a dry dock?
The story is for sure bizarre and confirms all prejudices about Russia.
I consider it more interesting that Bespokoynyy is conserved near Kronstadt, i.e. there is a Sovremenny class destroyer, which can be visited.
On Wikipedia, it is written that the propellers and shafts were already removed in 2016 as a measure to make the hull easier to maintain as museum ship, i.e. they were stolen from some storage place?
From the linked article:
"It's unclear when the theft took place, but Sharshavykh said that happened after Bespokoynyy arrived at Yantar in 2016 for conversion into a museum ship as part of its decommissioning from the Russian Navy. That process included remove the destroyer's two propellers, as well as its driveshafts, and sealing the hull in such a way as to allow it to remain afloat, but without the need for regular maintenance. "
On the workbench:
I Love Kit 1/72 OSA-I
Recently completed:
Das Werk 1/16 Panzer III Ausf. J (early)
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