Monument to the Lost Fishermen – Love Overcoming Death

In Novorossiysk, on Cape Love, a monument to the dead fishermen proudly rises, the fishermen who died in the distant winter in 1953.

For 68 years now, it has been reminding of the power of the sea element, which can take people’s lives in an instant.

In the very center of the Cape of Love, on a pedestal, there is a composition of three fishermen who peer into the raging Black Sea.

A granite slab is installed on the monument, with the inscription: “To the crew of the Urup seiner of the Chernomorets fishing collective farm, who died during a hurricane in the Poti region on February 21, 1953.” Below are the names of the victims of the tragedy.

History reference

February is the time for catching the Black Sea anchovy. And on February 21, 1953, a storm warning was issued. The wind strength reached 9 points, the wave height was 5–6 meters. But the captain of the seiner “Urup” wanted to save the catch of the anchovy, which was in the hold.

In Sukhumi, there was a long queue for the delivery of fish, and it was decided to go to Poti. But unfortunately, 20 miles from the city, near the Kulevi River, the seiner ran aground.

On February 23, the captain of the port of Poti gave an urgent task to save the Urup seiner. Rescue ships quickly approached the ship and saw how it was being covered by huge waves, and 6-7 people were hanging on an icy mast. Rescuers tried to contact the seiner, but there was no connection anymore, the ship’s engine was not working.

They tried to help the fishermen on the large military tug “Platon” and on the port tug “Chakva”. But it was impossible to get close to the seiner because of the risk of running aground too. The military tried to lower the boat, but it also crashed against the waves. Rescuers could only drop lifebuoys, but they also did not hit the target. And by the second half of the day there was no one left at the mast at all.

Later it became known that two (the captain and assistant) still managed to escape and get ashore. But the captain’s assistant soon died of hypothermia, and the captain himself could not stand what happened and went crazy. In total, 12 fishermen died on this ship. The youngest of them was 20 years old, and the oldest was 45 years old. They were buried at the city cemetery in Novorossiysk.

In memory of that tragedy, a composition of bronze sculptures was installed for the dead fishermen.

The pedestal was erected in November 1957. In December 1958, a sculptural group was cast at the Mytishchi Art Casting Plant. Sculptors – N. V. Timoshin, R. M. Mokrushev. The opening date of the monument is August 2, 1959. 6 years after the tragedy.

According to one version, the monument was erected at the expense of the fish farm and symbolizes the labor feat of the fishermen.

According to another version, the monument was erected thanks to the titanic efforts of the wives of the dead sailors, who climbed all sorts of thresholds and organized a fundraiser for the creation of the monument. Fundraising and work on the monument lasted several years.

And urban legends added symbolism to the already finished monument: installed on the Cape of Love, it allegedly serves as another symbol of love – love that overcomes even death.