The aircraft cruisers of the project 1143 “Minsk” and “Kiev” became a tourist attraction after being withdrawn from service. “Kiev” is an attraction in the Binhai Aircraft Carrier amusement park in Tianjin and “Minsk” has been operating as a museum and an entertainment and tourist center in the port of Shenzhen in September 2000. China. Recently, however, it was anchored near the Yangtze River in Nantong, near Shanghai, where it was being refurbished to be placed in a new park.
Soviet aircraft carrier burned in Chinese port
However, nothing came of these plans. On August 16, there was an accident on the aircraft carrier. fire. CNN describes that it broke out on Friday afternoon and was extinguished at around midnight hours later. The cause of the fire is unknown.
It is known, however, that it happened during wash repairs being carried out on the ship. Footage posted on social media showed thick smoke and large flames on the deck of the aircraft carrier.
There is also serious damage to the ship's superstructure and charred metal on its side below the main deck. The Chinese fear that fire ruined the chance of “Minsk” to use it as an amusement park. Local media report that there were no casualties in connection with the fire.
The aircraft carrier “Minsk” is a piece of history
For the Minsk aircraft carrier, this is the end of a rich history. During its service, it was said to have taken off from 2,390 Yak-38 aircraft and 3,166 helicopters. The ship was part of the mighty Soviet Pacific Fleet. It served there from the moment it entered service in 1978 until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, when it became property of the Russian Navy. It was decommissioned in 1993 and sold to a South Korean company for scrap, from where it was sent to China.