Description of the attraction
The nineteenth battery of Drapushko is a famous Crimean fortification in the city of Balaklava, which is located on the top of the mountain on the left side of the entrance to the Balaklava Bay. The coastal fortification began to be built back in 1912, and ended only in 1924. The nineteenth battery was capable of reaching cruisers and battleships at a distance of 20 km; it had four 152-mm guns. From the cliff of Mytilino you can see how successful the choice of the location of the battery was - the firing sector made up a large angle. It was erected almost on the cliff itself, with a spacious approach from only one side.
The nineteenth Crimean battery consisted of four gun ports, under which were underground communications, an ammunition depot, a boiler room, a compressor and power station, utility rooms and a command post. 12 people worked near each gun, shells weighing 52 kg were fed to the gun manually.
The underground rooms under the nineteenth Drapushko battery were one-story, but were located in three levels, which were connected by stair passages. The battery was completely unprotected from the air.
In November 1941, the nineteenth battery, under the command of Captain M. Drapushko, entered into battle with the advancing Germans. At the same time, the battery was badly damaged. In these difficult times, the coastal battery was given another name - the Drapushko battery after the name of the commander-captain, who courageously defended the Crimea, repelling, together with his soldiers, numerous enemy attacks. The Germans, in turn, gave the name to this battery - "Centaur-1".
In the post-war years, the nineteenth battery of Drapushko was restored and used to guard the Crimean naval base of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1999 the battery was decommissioned, and in 2002 it was destroyed.
Currently, the Drapushko battery is a sad sight: it is an almost disappeared fortification attraction of the Crimea. Only a concrete structure, underground casemates and two gun yards have survived from it, and then all of them were broken and plundered.
The nineteenth battery offers a wonderful view of Balaklava and the sea.
