Anton Chekhov (ambulance)

" Anton Chekhov " - a transport vessel that participated in the Second World War .

Anton Chekhov
Flag	the USSR
Class and type of vessel	Transport ship
Port of registry	Rostov-on-Don
Launched	January 25, 1929
Withdrawn from the fleet	April 14, 1942
Status	sank

Built as a passenger ship in 1929, originally had the name " Dolphin ". It had a displacement of 2625 (according to other sources - 2400) tons, full speed - 11 knots .

On January 25, 1929 the vessel was launched and delivered to the customer on July 27, 1931. The vessel had 342 berths and could additionally receive up to 155 tourists on deck. The crew of 94 people.

In April 1932, Dolphin received the highest class of the USSR register, in 1934 it was included in the Azov Shipping Company, Rostov-on-Don became the port of registry.

In 1936 he received a new name - "Anton Chekhov." Carried out regular flights between Rostov-on-Don and Batumi with call at intermediate ports. In 1936, the ship received 24 passengers on board in cabins of the 1st class, 76 in cabins of the 2nd class, 242 in rooms of the 3rd class, as well as 50 deck passengers.

June 11, 1941 transferred to the medical service of the Black Sea Fleet . Established full-time evacuation capacity of 100 people, operating room and 2 dressings were deployed. It was staffed by medical personnel: 5 doctors , 12 nurses , 17 orderlies . The chief doctor is a military doctor of the 2nd rank Oak P.F.

The vessel completed 39 evacuation voyages:

• in 1941 - 19,
• in 1942 - 20;

including from Odessa - 9 (2038 people), from Sevastopol - 19 (5753 people), from the Kerch Peninsula - 11 (5041 people). The total number of evacuated - 12 832 people, of which 6 516 (50.7%) are down. The maximum number per flight is 698 people (with a standard evacuation capacity of 100 people), an average of 337 people.

The ship died on April 14, 1942 as a result of a mine explosion, following from Novorossiysk to Kamysh-Burun (Kerch region) with replenishment and ammunition. The death occurred in the area of ​​Lake Tobechik (Crimea). The explosion blew off the forecastle and Anton Chekhov sat down on the ground. Killed more than 230 people, including 30 crew members who until the last minute fought for the survivability of the vessel. Subsequently, an observation post was deployed on the unfilled part of the vessel, which was constantly subjected to air raids and shelling by enemy artillery.

In 1961, the stern of the vessel was lifted and in 1962 was handed over for scrap. Until 1965, all the remaining metal structures of the dead ship were raised. However, according to unofficial data, the remains of the vessel still lie at a depth at coordinates 45 ° 10.630'N 36 ° 24.874'E.