Why in 1966 Soviet sailors ended up in an African prison and how the USSR weaned pirates from seizing ships

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Long before the Somali pirates who became famous in the 2000s, Russian ships were repeatedly boarded. One of the most egregious cases of the Soviet era has remained in history as the "Ghanaian Incident". In 1966, captured citizens of the USSR spent a difficult six months in a Ghanaian prison. Attempts by the Soviet government to come to an agreement in an amicable way did not lead to any results. Then came the turn of decisive action, and a naval armada, armed to the teeth, set out to save the prisoners.

Friendship with the USSR

The African ex-colony of Britain was the first to gain freedom in 1957. The following year, Ghana established diplomatic relations with the USSR. In 1960, the country was proclaimed a republic, and Kwame Nkrumah was declared president. As part of a cooperation agreement, the Soviet Union allocated loans to the Ghanaians for purchases of basic civilian necessities. After a while, it came to the defense sphere. When the British, who made up the majority of officers, were fired from the Ghanaian army, Kwame Nkrumah wished to train new officers in Moscow. The supply of Soviet weapons with ammunition was also improved.

In 1966, the USSR began building an air force base in Ghana. But the pro-Western military, still remaining in the African republic, were not happy about this. Aggravation began inside the country. It so happened that the Ghanaian fleet was still under British influence. And naval crews trained in the USSR were not part of the Navy. Only the maritime border guard was subordinate to the Ghanaian president.

Soviet merchant ships actively taught the Ghanaians modern fishing techniques in their own water area. The Soviet Union actually created a fishing fleet in Ghana. The African "brothers" were given modern trawlers, fishing freezers, and transport refrigerators. In return, the economic zone was freely used by Soviet fishermen, and the crews rested in the ports there.

Military coup and severance of relations with Moscow

Meanwhile, the economic situation in the republic did not reach the desired level. Having received an invitation from the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh, Kwame Nkrumah went on a distant foreign business trip. Taking advantage of the president's absence, pro-Western military activists staged a coup in Ghana. Half a thousand rebel soldiers who entered the capital took control of the city in a few hours. Citizens loyal to the president were arrested. Very quickly, the new government curtailed all agreements, and Soviet specialists were strongly advised to leave the country. Then they expelled diplomats and journalists - representatives of all socialist states without exception.

Soviet fishermen, contrary to the sentiments, continued to fish for seafood off the Ghanaian coast and instruct local fishermen. Then, on January 28, 1967, the new Ghanaian authorities seized the Soviet motor ship Ristna, which was standing in the roadstead. The crew was accused of supplying the terrorists with weapons. But then the situation turned out to be positive: the first officer of "Ristna" turned out to be a fellow student and comrade of the commander of the Ghanaian border guards. The campaign for the arrest of the ship gradually developed into a friendly feast, after which there were no complaints about the Soviet ship.

Capture of Soviet trawlers and diplomatic attempts

But already in October 1968 the situation reached a critical point. The Ghanaian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea seized two trawlers of the Sevastopol fishing expedition - "Kholod" and "Veter". The crews were thrown into a Ghanaian prison without explanation. Subsequently, explaining their actions to the Moscow Foreign Ministry, the Africans reproached the trawlers for violating the boundaries of territorial waters. During the arrest, Soviet fishermen tried to escape the pursuit of the corvette. The radio operator, in response to the message about the attempted capture, received a clear instruction to hold on and resolve the conflict at sea, without entering the port. But when the Ghanaians opened fire, the trawlers were forced to comply with the demands put forward.

In prison, Soviet sailors were starving, and both captains were transferred to solitary confinement. The first accusation was the smuggling of weapons. Soon, participation in a conspiracy against the new government was added with the aim of a military coup in the country in the interests of the ousted Kwame Nkrumah. The Soviet Union tried in every way not to make a fuss and to settle the unpleasant incident diplomatically. Seeing the intransigence of the Ghanaians, Moscow took the next step by cutting off oil supplies. It didn't work either. It only remained to answer the Ghanaians with their own weapons.

Sending the military to Ghana and rescuing the crews

Admiral Gorshkov was instructed to resolve the problematic situation with the prisoners. The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy ordered a detachment of ships from the Mediterranean squadron to be allocated for the release of the fishermen. The rescue unit consisted of advanced combat ships: the Boykiy missile, the Olekma tanker, the Yaroslavsky Komsomolets submarine and the Elusive missile ship. As soon as the armada, threatening with combat power, approached the Ghanaian coast, the authorities of the republic received the first warning of their readiness to take extreme measures. After that, Soviet servicemen pointed all the launchers to land. And I must say, from the side, the Shchuka anti-ship missile system, which easily hit ground targets, looked more than impressive.

The process of preparing the rocket for launch was long and noisy, which pretty frayed the nerves of the Ghanaians. Militant Ghana's government was at a loss. After all, the approaching detachment with its potential significantly exceeded the entire Navy of the African Republic. The Ghanaian leader had no choice but to release the prisoners, but he wanted to save face. We came to the conclusion that Ghana will quickly implement all the mandatory procedures. The court sentenced the Soviet captains to a formal fine, after which both the crews and the trawlers were free. And after 2 years, the USSR received the right to place its own naval base on the West African coast.

Piracy has not been completely eradicated today. And few people know why in the pirate state of Somalia many people know Russian, and which of the Somalis became famous throughout the world.