Balaclava

Balaklava

This is where it all happened, made famous by Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem about the Charge of the Light Brigade, he said 600 and there were actually 670 but that didn't rhyme and hence the inaccuracy. Actually 110 were killed and 160 wounded, a loss ratio of 38% and they lost 375 horses. A view of the harbour from the southern heights.

A view across the harbour out of sight below the hill to the northern heights. The site of the battle of Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade is off to the left and the new part of the town has engulfed the area.

I had climbed the hill to the west of the harbour and tried to make my way around to the site of the battle but found my way blocked ay a large hole in the ground.

 A view across the harbour to the eastern shore.

 I returned down the hill the way I had come and made my way to the Submarine Pen built underground on the western side of the harbour. Outside the entrance was a research submarine.

 At the entrance was a plan of the underground facility built into the mountain.

 The submarine entrance into the harbour from the facility. Just to the right you can see the darker shape of the blast door, a 150 tons, 14 metre high and 9 metre thick door to cover the entrance to the submarine base to make it bomb proof.

 More blast doors at the underground entrance to the facility.

 The submarines could be refuelled and rearmed underground, with mines...

 ...and torpedoes.

 The end of the underground dry dock for working on damaged submarines.

 A midget submarine.

 Looking along one of the entrances to the facility.

 And a view of another entrance.

 A good use for old tyres, protecting the submarines from the concrete of the walls as they entered the dry dock.

 The dry dock gates.

 A disarmed nuclear missile.

 There was a museum area dedicated to submarine warfare. There was also a large segment dedicated to the Kursk submarine disaster. And another area dedicated to nuclear attacks on Japan, its affects and then a sight of the facility's own atomic reactor to power all the lights, doors, lifts, hoists etc.

 A land based entrance to the facility.

 And then there was the opportunity for a walk along the posh side of the harbour with its many cafes and restaurants.

 A view from the seaward entrance to the harbour.

 The seaward entrance to the submarine base.