The photo documents the consequences of the destruction of shipbuilding facilities in the city of Mykolaiv, carried out by retreating German forces in 1944. It depicts one of the city’s largest industrial sites – a shipbuilding plant established in 1897. Its creation was driven by the needs of the Russian Empire to expand its naval fleet in the Black Sea region. The enterprise specialized in constructing warships of various classes, including battleships, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and later large surface combat vessels. During the interwar period, the plant became one of the principal centers of Soviet military shipbuilding, supplying the Black Sea Fleet. In August 1941, the city of Mykolaiv was occupied by Nazi Germany. The city’s industrial facilities were used by the occupation authorities for equipment repair and military purposes. During the retreat in the spring of 1944, German forces implemented a “scorched earth” policy: strategic infrastructure facilities, including shipbuilding plants, were mined and destroyed to prevent their rapid restoration and use by the Soviet side.
The photo is black and white, horizontal, and panoramic. It depicts metal slipway frameworks and the structural frames of industrial buildings that sustained severe damage. In the foreground are concrete platforms and fragments of metal beams. Parts of destroyed structures are visible in the water. Preserved fragments of supports and frames are positioned along the shoreline, forming an extended industrial row. Similar damaged metal structures can also be seen in the background of the image.