Battery No. 199 (Teriberka)

Coastal Defense Battery No. 199 is a Second World War artillery position on the Barents Sea coast near the village of Teriberka, Kola District, Murmansk Oblast. Its four naval guns stand on the hills beyond the old village of Lodeynoye and cover the entrance to Teriberka Bay; the battery is one of the best-known military sights of Teriberka.

History

The battery was built in the late 1930s, or, according to other sources, in 1940–1941, as part of the coastal defenses of the Kola coast. Its task was to keep enemy ships out of Teriberka Bay and prevent landings, and to protect shipping and fishing in the area. Local historians name Captain Aksyuk as its commander.

Local accounts say that in late August 1941 the battery fired three salvos at an enemy submarine. Another version holds that the guns never fired at a real target. The battery remained in service until the mid-1950s. In 2020 it was listed as a cultural heritage site of Murmansk Oblast.

What to see

Four 100 mm B-24BM naval guns remain in their positions, with 56-calibre barrels and box-shaped armored shields. Their range was up to 23 kilometers. The guns are staggered at different heights.

After some 80 years in the open the guns are in fair condition: the massive mechanisms are intact, though rusty in places. After vandals damaged them, they were repainted in May 2019. A memorial cross stands next to the positions.

Getting there

A clear trail leads to the battery from Lodeynoye along the coast. It passes several lakes, Kapshukovoye, Sekretarskoye, Peschanoye and the Small and Big Batareyskoye, crosses a stone river and reaches the waterfalls. From the waterfall it is about one kilometer to the guns.