Over the past weekend, social media went viral with images and videos showing Chinese authorities battling a significant fire on the aircraft carrier Minsk. This vessel, part of the Kiev class and formerly served in the Soviet Navy, is currently moored in an artificial lake on the banks of the Yangtze River in China, following a long journey since its decommissioning in 1993 by the Russian Navy.
The Minsk is the second of four aircraft carriers built between 1970 and 1987 for the Soviet Navy. Displacing 45,000 tons at full load, the ship was one of the most powerful and important strategic projection platforms of the Red Fleet during its service years. Equipped with missile destroyer-style armament, these carriers also had the capability to deploy Yak-38 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and embarked helicopters.
Commissioned in 1978, the Minsk served until the collapse of the Soviet Union, after which it became part of the newly revived Russian Navy until 1993, when it was decommissioned. Among the reasons for its retirement was an accident requiring repairs at shipyards in Ukraine, which was impossible for Russia at the time.
The Russian government’s decision was to sell the ship to a South Korean company for scrapping, similar to the Novorossiysk. However, pressure from local environmental groups led to a different fate: the ship was sold to a Chinese company, which brought it to China to convert it into a theme park called “Minsk World,” which opened in 2000.
However, the aircraft carrier’s journey did not end there. The company that had purchased it went bankrupt in 2006, and the Minsk was relocated to its current position, 50 miles northwest of Shanghai, in an artificial lagoon created as what seems to be its final resting place. Since then, various projects to restore the ship and reopen it as a theme park have emerged, but these attempts have never succeeded, leaving it as an attraction for urban explorers.
Regarding the current situation, and according to local reports and those that went viral on Chinese social media, a significant fire on the Minsk was confirmed, reportedly starting at 4:00 PM local time for reasons still unclear. According to the viral images, the fire was centered on the ship’s island, where the command bridge and various sensors were located when it was in service.
The latest reports from Chinese authorities indicate that the fire has been controlled, but the island of the Minsk has been completely destroyed in the process. Although no further details have been provided, this may possibly mark the end of the tragic story of this ship, once the pride of one of the world’s most powerful navies. Beyond any recreational recovery plans, it is highly doubtful that companies will seek to restore the ship’s facilities for such purposes after such a catastrophic fire.
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