Vilyuchinsk
Encyclopedia
Vilyuchinsk is a closed
town in Kamchatka Krai, Russia
, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula
about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) across Avacha Bay
from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
. Population:
and a base for submarine construction. In 1970, as with other closed towns in the Soviet Union
, it was given a code name based on the nearest major city, becoming known officially as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-50 until 1994.
In 1994, the town was renamed after the nearby volcano
, Vilyuchik
.
s, the town's economy is largely reliant on fishing
and processing of fish. In the suburb of Rybachy, one of the three original settlements from which the town was created, a squadron of submarines of the Russian Pacific Fleet has been based since 1938.
Despite plans for the navy base to be closed in 2003 due to lack of finances, this has continued to operate.
Two Russian orthodox church
es were built in the 1990s, the first in the town.
Closed city
A closed city or closed town is a settlement with travel and residency restrictions in the Soviet Union and some of its successor countries. In modern Russia, such places are officially known as "closed administrative-territorial formations" ....
town in Kamchatka Krai, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of . It lies between the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Okhotsk to the west...
about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) across Avacha Bay
Avacha Bay
Avacha Bay is a Pacific Ocean bay on the southeastern coast of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It is long and wide , with a maximum depth of 26 m....
from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is the main city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: .-History:It was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering, in the service of the Russian Navy...
. Population:
History
It was founded under the name of Sovetsky on October 16, 1968 through the amalgamation of three earlier settlements which served as supply towns for the Soviet NavySoviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
and a base for submarine construction. In 1970, as with other closed towns in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, it was given a code name based on the nearest major city, becoming known officially as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky-50 until 1994.
In 1994, the town was renamed after the nearby volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, Vilyuchik
Vilyuchik
Vilyuchik, also known as Vilyuchinsky is a stratovolcano in the southern part of Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. It is located about SSW of the closed city of Vilyuchinsk....
.
Economy and infrastructure
Besides the construction of nuclear submarineNuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
s, the town's economy is largely reliant on fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
and processing of fish. In the suburb of Rybachy, one of the three original settlements from which the town was created, a squadron of submarines of the Russian Pacific Fleet has been based since 1938.
Despite plans for the navy base to be closed in 2003 due to lack of finances, this has continued to operate.
Two Russian orthodox church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
es were built in the 1990s, the first in the town.