At 10:00 p.m. Moscow Time on 31 August 1986, Admiral Nakhimov sailed from Novorossiysk en route to Sochi, its next stop.
There were 888 passengers and 346 crew members aboard.
Most of the passengers were Ukrainian, with others from Russia, Moldova, the Baltic republics and Central Asia.
The captain of the ship was Vadim Markov.

Just minutes into the voyage, the ship's pilot noticed that the large bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev was on a collision course with Admiral Nakhimov.
Pyotr Vasev was a Japanese-built, 18,604-ton freighter recently acquired by the Soviet Union, and was carrying a cargo of oats and barley from Canada.
The pilot radioed a warning to Pyotr Vasev, and the freighter responded, "Don't worry.
We will pass clear of each other.
We will take care of everything."

Despite the message, Captain Viktor Tkachenko of Pyotr Vasev did nothing to slow his ship or change course.
Convinced that the freighter would pass without incident, Captain Markov of Admiral Nakhimov retired to his cabin, leaving his second mate Alexander Chudnovsky in charge.
From 11:00 p.m., Chudnovsky radioed Pyotr Vasev several times, asking about her course and her further actions.
Chudnovsky changed the ship's course 10 degrees portside.
At 11:10 p.m., Chundovsky cried on VHF to the freighter, "Immediately reverse full astern!"
 When it was clear that the freighter was headed directly for the ship, Pyotr Vasyov's engines were thrown in reverse.
Admiral Nakhimov turned hard to port, but it was too late.

At 11:12 p.m., Admiral Nakhimov was struck by Pyotr Vasev 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) from the port at Novorossiysk and 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) from shore, at 44°36′15″N 37°52′35″E While many passengers had gone to bed by this time, some were on deck listening and dancing to music.
They could only watch helplessly as the freighter rammed into the starboard side of the ship at a speed of about 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).
Admiral Nakhimov continued forward with the freighter's bow in its side, ripping a 900-square-foot (84 m²) hole in the hull between the engine and boiler rooms.

Admiral Nakhimov immediately took on a list on her starboard side, and her lights went out upon impact.
After a few seconds, the emergency diesel generator powered on, but the lights went out again two minutes later, plunging the sinking ship into darkness.
People below decks found themselves lost in the dark and rapidly canting hallways.

There was no time to launch the lifeboats.
Hundreds of people dived into the oily water, clinging to lifejackets, barrels and pieces of debris.

Admiral Nakhimov sank in only eight minutes.
Rescue ships began arriving just 10 minutes after the ship went down.
Pyotr Vasev was not badly damaged, and assisted in the rescue effort.
Sixty-four rescue ships and 20 helicopters rushed to the scene, and 836 people were pulled from the water.
Some people were so slick with fuel oil that they could not keep hold of the hands of their rescuers.
Sailors had to jump into the water to save people.

Admiral Nakhimov lacked proper ventilation, which was the reason all 90 windows in the cabins were open during the accident.
The bulkheads that would have prevented the ship from sinking were removed during the conversion.

Passengers and crew had little time to escape, and 423 of the 1,234 on board perished.
Sixty-four of those killed were crew members and 359 were passengers.

The event was not reported in the news for forty eight hours.
The survivors were only allowed to send telegrams saying "Alive and well in Novorossiysk."

The wreck of Admiral Nakhimov lies on its starboard side in 150 feet (46 m) of water in Tsemes Bay off Novorossiysk.

Pyotr Vasev was renamed and operated under other flags until 2012.
At 10:00 p.m. Moscow Time on 31 August 1986, Admiral Nakhimov sailed from Novorossiysk en route to Sochi, its next stop. There were 888 passengers and 346 crew members aboard. Most of the passengers were Ukrainian, with others from Russia, Moldova, the Baltic republics and Central Asia. The captain of the ship was Vadim Markov.
Just minutes into the voyage, the ship's pilot noticed that the large bulk carrier Pyotr Vasev was on a collision course with Admiral Nakhimov. Pyotr Vasev was a Japanese-built, 18,604-ton freighter recently acquired by the Soviet Union, and was carrying a cargo of oats and barley from Canada. The pilot radioed a warning to Pyotr Vasev, and the freighter responded, "Don't worry. We will pass clear of each other. We will take care of everything."
Despite the message, Captain Viktor Tkachenko of Pyotr Vasev did nothing to slow his ship or change course. Convinced that the freighter would pass without incident, Captain Markov of Admiral Nakhimov retired to his cabin, leaving his second mate Alexander Chudnovsky in charge. From 11:00 p.m., Chudnovsky radioed Pyotr Vasev several times, asking about her course and her further actions. Chudnovsky changed the ship's course 10 degrees portside. At 11:10 p.m., Chundovsky cried on VHF to the freighter, "Immediately reverse full astern!"  When it was clear that the freighter was headed directly for the ship, Pyotr Vasyov's engines were thrown in reverse. Admiral Nakhimov turned hard to port, but it was too late.
At 11:12 p.m., Admiral Nakhimov was struck by Pyotr Vasev 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) from the port at Novorossiysk and 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) from shore, at 44°36′15″N 37°52′35″E While many passengers had gone to bed by this time, some were on deck listening and dancing to music. They could only watch helplessly as the freighter rammed into the starboard side of the ship at a speed of about 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). Admiral Nakhimov continued forward with the freighter's bow in its side, ripping a 900-square-foot (84 m²) hole in the hull between the engine and boiler rooms.
Admiral Nakhimov immediately took on a list on her starboard side, and her lights went out upon impact. After a few seconds, the emergency diesel generator powered on, but the lights went out again two minutes later, plunging the sinking ship into darkness. People below decks found themselves lost in the dark and rapidly canting hallways.
There was no time to launch the lifeboats. Hundreds of people dived into the oily water, clinging to lifejackets, barrels and pieces of debris.
Admiral Nakhimov sank in only eight minutes. Rescue ships began arriving just 10 minutes after the ship went down. Pyotr Vasev was not badly damaged, and assisted in the rescue effort. Sixty-four rescue ships and 20 helicopters rushed to the scene, and 836 people were pulled from the water. Some people were so slick with fuel oil that they could not keep hold of the hands of their rescuers. Sailors had to jump into the water to save people.
Admiral Nakhimov lacked proper ventilation, which was the reason all 90 windows in the cabins were open during the accident. The bulkheads that would have prevented the ship from sinking were removed during the conversion.
Passengers and crew had little time to escape, and 423 of the 1,234 on board perished. Sixty-four of those killed were crew members and 359 were passengers.
The event was not reported in the news for forty eight hours. The survivors were only allowed to send telegrams saying "Alive and well in Novorossiysk."
The wreck of Admiral Nakhimov lies on its starboard side in 150 feet (46 m) of water in Tsemes Bay off Novorossiysk.
Pyotr Vasev was renamed and operated under other flags until 2012.
SS Admiral Nakhimov