Today we’re going on a maritime tour, and I’ll show you some of the ships from the Russian Federation that have visited Havana.
Curiosity About Ships
One of my earliest childhood memories is standing on the Malecón, saying goodbye to my great-uncle. He was a merchant sailor and spent a large part of the year traveling on cargo ships and grain carriers. Eventually, he had to retire.
Back then, the internet in Cuba wasn’t like it is today. The only way to know when my uncle’s ship would dock in the bay was to call the port and give them the ship’s name.
Fortunately, my uncle would send us letters detailing the ship’s course, allowing my dad to estimate when to call the port. And I’m not talking about the last century; this was in the early 2000s.
When the ship arrived, there I was, waiting to see my great-uncle, and as the ship departed, I was there to bid farewell to that colossus. I don’t remember many details, but I do recall the stories my great-uncle would tell me at bedtime.
Before sleeping, I traveled to Sudan, La Takia in Syria, Angola, or Seville. It was my favorite moment of the day.
Later, during my military service, I had the opportunity to visit one of the two patrol boats belonging to the Cuban Navy, and although they weren’t anything extraordinary, I was fascinated by what I saw.
To say the truth, both are fishing boats that were converted into patrol boats; there isn’t much power to speak of.
That’s where my curiosity about these "floating cans" comes from.
Russian Visit
In 2024, we’ve seen an increase in visits from Russian ships to Cuban ports. This is somewhat concerning due to everything it entails, but let’s not go down that path.
Cubans are prohibited from boarding vessels with large engines to prevent illegal departures from the country (it sounds like a somewhat crazy measure, but it has historical roots). This makes seeing and boarding ships quite unusual.
That’s why, whenever a ship arrives at the Havana port and allows visitors, I’m there to see it 😁
Today, I’m sharing two visits to ships from the Russian Federation.
Perekov
A training ship belonging to the Northern Fleet arrived in Havana for about three days at the beginning of 2024.
I tried to visit it three times but was unsuccessful. On the third day, it was scheduled to depart early due to a forecast of possible bad weather. So, I was left wanting.
But at least I managed to take some photos from the Malecón. It was undoubtedly an imposing vessel.
Russian Fleet
This was the second visit of the Russian Navy to Cuba in the same year. This time, alarms were raised throughout the Caribbean due to the presence of one of Russia’s most modern and dangerous nuclear submarines.
It was a tense few days around the port (for every two people, there were up to four police or naval personnel guarding the area around the ships). Speculations ran rampant on social media.
The average Cuban just wanted to see the submarine. But, as expected, boarding it was not allowed. The visit was to a frigate that was part of the fleet (one of the most advanced).
Getting to see it was quite tedious.
The security checks were stricter than at an airport. They even sniffed my water bottle to ensure its contents—somewhat exaggerated, but those were the rules.
After three long hours and hundreds of people, we were able to access the docks. From there, we could see the tugboat Mikhail Krushev, the tanker that supplied the flotilla at sea, and of course, the nuclear submarine.
We would walk to the end of the dock to board the frigate.
Frigate: Admiral Gorshkov
One of the most modern ships in the Navy, and they tried to showcase it with signs highlighting the frigate's power (the only flaw was that they were all in Russian).
Later at home, my father, who studied Russian in the army, translated them for me, but on the ship, I didn’t understand anything (missed opportunity there, tavarish)
We spent 15 minutes on the ship.
Since our visit was the last of the day, it was led by one of the ship’s captains and the social media manager of the flotilla; we chatted a bit (in English, of course)—both were very kind.
It’s incredible all the armament they carry, but even more incredible is the personnel they have to operate the ship. Life in the Navy is tough; according to the captain, the hardest part is not knowing when you’ll return home.
Many missions of this flotilla are secret, and they can spend up to a year at sea. I don’t think I could handle that. How about you? Would you be able to spend that long at sea, in a small space, fulfilling military missions? Let me know in the comments.
Although everything was very quick and honestly, there wasn’t much to see on deck—beyond the armament—the best part was talking to the captain and learning about life at sea.
Something curious... for this trip, they had to bring special uniforms.
They left Russia in winter uniforms and changed to a more Caribbean-friendly uniform as they "descended".
The CM told me that in the area where they operated, the highest temperature was 25 degrees (at most, and those weren’t very common temperatures).
During their visit to Cuba, it was 28 degrees (and the thermal sensation was even higher), not to mention the sun, which even we haven’t gotten used to.
This was an oven for them!
To wrap up this tour, there was a third visit from another training ship. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go, and we missed out!
To wrap up this tour, there was a third visit from another training ship. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go, and we missed out!This training ship even brought a helicopter that you could board as if you were a pilot. Another time, perhaps.
And you? Do you have any photos of similar ships?
Let me know in the comments what you thought of these Russian colossi. Visiting them felt like a crazy, unique experience, and I’m grateful to have lived it.
Have you ever visited a ship of this size? If so, tell me about your experience.
I’d love to read your comments.
DISCLAIMER: I know this is a very controversial topic, but it is not my intention to support the military maneuvers involving these vessels or their country. This content is purely informational and recreational.
The photographs may not be of the best quality, but they are mine, for exclusive use in this post.
