Severomorsk

Severomorsk (Северомо́рск), known as Vayenga (Ваенга) until April 18, 1951, is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Severomorsk is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. The town is located on the coast of the Barents Sea along the Kola Bay northeast of Murmansk, the administrative centre of the oblast, to which it is connected by railway and a motorway. The first settlement on the site of the modern city arose between 1896 and 1897. It was named Vayenga (Ваенга), after the river, the name of which itself comes from the Sami "vayongg", meaning "doe" or "reindeer". In 1917, only thirteen people lived in the settlement, who engaged in hunting, fishing and animal husbandry. In 1926, the Murmansk office of logging was founded, one of the artels of which was sent to Vayenga. A barracks, a dormitory, and a banya were built, and a telephone line was laid through the village. In 1933, the bay was chosen as one of the bases for the newly created Northern Fleet. From 1934 and until the beginning of World War II, wooden and brick buildings, as well as military installations, were built in the settlement, and the Vayenga-1 naval airfield was built in the neighbouring bay. From August 1941, all construction was suspended. The airfield was used by the British; namely No. 151 Wing RAF to protect the Arctic Convoys before their fighters were later handed over to the Soviet Naval Aviation. After the end of the war, construction was resumed. Vayenga, taking into account the existing arrangement, was chosen as one of the main bases of the Northern Fleet. On September 1, 1947, staff and management of the Northern Fleet were relocated from Polyarny to Vayenga. Also in 1947, the first secondary school in the city was opened. The population of Vayenga was then 3,884. In 1948, Vayenga's village Soviet of deputies of workers was opened. On April 18, 1951, Vayenga received town status and was renamed to Severomorsk, from the Russian "sever" (север), meaning "north", and "more" (море), meaning "sea".