This abandoned Soviet submarine base is beneath 400 feet of rock and could withstand a nuclear blast. Take a look inside.

Darmon Richter

• Located in Balaklava, a small oceanside town in the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine, lies one of the most top-secret abandoned military bases in history. 
• Built in 1957, the base was used by the USSR as a site to repair and maintain the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, should the country need to attack the USA. 
• It was believed to be virtually indestructible and able to withstand a direct hit by a nuclear bomb of up to 100 kilotons, roughly five times the power of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
• The Soviet-era submarine base was converted into a museum in 2003, allowing visitors to step inside its abandoned walls for the first time.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

While all abandoned places have interesting histories, this deserted Soviet-era submarine base has quite the story to tell.

Hidden away from the public for decades, this top-secret military base was used to maintain and repair the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, an advanced military fleet of submarines ready for war at a moment's notice during the Cold War.

After it was left abandoned at the end of the 20th century, its haunting hallways and dimly lit corridors remained empty. However, in 2003 the base was converted into the Balaklava Naval Museum, allowing visitors to step inside the abandoned building for the first time since the end of the war.

Here are 20 photos that show inside the abandoned secret Soviet submarine base.

Balaklava was selected as the location for the USSR's naval military base because the area could not be seen from the open sea.

Source: Ukraine.com

The top-secret base was built by the USSR as a site to repair and maintain the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

Source: Ukraine.com

In the 2000s, the base operated as a museum, allowing guests to step inside its abandoned walls.

Source: Business Insider/The Bohemian Blog

See Also: