Sinking of ships of the Black Sea Fleet in Tsemes Bay
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The Sinking of the Ships of the Black Sea Fleet in Tsemes Bay occurred on 18 June 1918 near Novorossiysk. According to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Soviet Government was supposed to transfer its Black Sea Fleet to Germany, but did not want to do this. Acting commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Captain 1st Rank Alexander Tikhmenev received an official order to bring the ships of the fleet from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol, where they would be handed over to German troops. He also received a secret order to scuttle them in Novorossiysk bay. Tikhmenev, after long deliberation and discussion with the naval committees, ordered all ships to go to Sevastopol. The crews of many ships refused to do this and scuttled them.
