Vasily Bekh in Sevastopol, June 2021
History
Russian Navy
NameSpasatel Vasily Bekh
Yard number008
Launched2 August 2016
Commissioned16 January 2017
Identification
FateSunk while en route to Snake Island on 17 June 2022 during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
General characteristics
Class and typeProject 22870 rescue tug
Displacement
  • 1200 tons standard
  • 1670 tons full load
Length57 m (187 ft 0 in)
Beam14 m (45 ft 11 in)
Draft3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Crew26

Spasatel Vasily Bekh (SB-739) was a Project 22870 rescue tug in the Russian Navy that was launched in 2016 and sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Description

Vasily Bekh was a rescue tug built to tow ships in distress, fight fires at sea, supply water and electricity to other ships, evacuate injured personnel, and act as a diving rescue platform. It had a crew of 26 and could carry an additional 36 people.[1]

The ship measured 57 m (187 ft 0 in) long, had a beam of 14 m (45 ft 11 in), and a draft of 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in). It had a standard displacement of 1200 tons and 1670 tons when fully loaded. It had a maximum speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) and was capable of operating autonomously for up to 20 days. It was propelled by two azipods and two bow thrusters that were powered by two 2,720 hp (2,030 kW) electric motors, which were supplied by seven diesel generators with a combined power output of 5,160 kW (6,920 hp).[1]

History

Commissioning ceremony of Vasily Bekh in 2017

Vasily Bekh was designed in Nizhny Novgorod by Vympel Design Bureau. The ship was laid down at Zvezdochka Shipyard in Astrakhan under the designation SB-739. It was launched on 2 August 2016, commissioned into the Russian Navy on 16 January 2017, and passed its trials later that month.[2]

In March 2017, Vasily Bekh was one of four Project 22870 tugs assigned to the Black Sea Fleet, the others being Professor Nikolay Muru, Captain Guryev, and SB-742.[3] It became part of the 145th Rescue Ship Detachment.[2] The ship was given the name Spasatel Vasily Bekh on 19 April 2021,[1] after the chief engineer of the rescue department of the Black Sea Fleet.[2]

On 17 June 2022, Vasily Bekh was carrying personnel, weapons, and ammunition to resupply Russian-occupied Snake Island in the Black Sea.[2] That day, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense released a video of the attack on the ship taken by a Bayraktar TB2 combat drone. Vasily Bekh was struck by two Harpoon anti-ship missiles donated by Denmark in quick succession, causing it to sink shortly thereafter.[4][5] According to early unconfirmed reports from Russia, 23 of the 33 personnel on board were injured and the other 10 were missing.[6] Shortly after the sinking on 21 June, British military intelligence confirmed the attack, stating that the vessel sunk was almost certainly Vasily Bekh, and that it was carrying a Tor anti-aircraft missile system when it sank.[7]

In June 2023 the erection of a memorial at Sevastopol was reported by Russian exile medium Meduza, although the navy never officially admitted the loss of the vessel.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Russian Tug Spasatel Vasily Bekh (SB-739)". Black Sea Fleet. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "What is known about the 'demilitarized' Russian tug, the Vasily Bekh". Yahoo News. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Rescue ship Project 22870". Russian Ships. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ukrainsk forsvarsminister efter dansk besøg: kornaftale blev mulig på grund af missiler fra Danmark". DR Nyheder. 10 April 2023. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Ozberk, Tayfun (17 June 2022). "Ukraine Strikes Russia's Vasily Bekh Rescue Tug With Antiship Missiles". Naval News. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  6. ↑ Newdick, Thomas (17 June 2022). "Ukraine Claims Harpoon Missile Attack On Russian Navy Ship". The Drive. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  7. ↑ Brown, Larisa (21 June 2022). "Ukraine sinks Russian ship with western weapons". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  8. ↑ В Севастополе открыли памятник экипажу буксира «Василий Бех». Минобороны РФ о потере этого судна официально так и не объявило, Meduza, June 19th 2023
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