Ship Graveyard (Teriberka)

The Ship Graveyard is the hulls of abandoned fishing trawlers on the shore of the Barents Sea in the village of Teriberka, Murmansk Oblast, Russia, between Old and New Teriberka, where the Teriberka River flows into the sea. It is one of the region's best-known and most photographed sights.

History

Until the 1960s, Teriberka was a major fishing center with two kolkhozes and fish-processing plants. The district center was then moved to Severomorsk, fishing shifted to larger vessels, and local fishermen and small trawlers were left without work. Unneeded ships were towed to a barge that had long since become embedded in the shore, and the ship graveyard gradually took shape around it.

What to see

Today dozens of half-ruined hulls lie buried in the coastal sand, their boards rotten and metal rusted — from a distance they look like the skeletons of sea monsters. At low tide, around midday, the submerged, moss-covered parts of the ships are exposed as well.

The place became widely known after Andrei Zvyagintsev's film Leviathan, which features the Teriberka landscape, including the ship graveyard. According to the travel service Aviasales, in 2020 it ranked among the three most photographed sights in Russia.

Visitors walk along the shore and look at the hulls, and some climb inside them — this should be done carefully, as the metal and boards are long rotten and rusted. A walk usually takes about an hour, but can last longer for those interested in the details. The site can be visited at any time of year, and each season changes its mood: bright nights and a vivid sea in summer, snow and a chance to see the northern lights in winter.

Getting there

Teriberka is about 150 km from Murmansk. You can drive or take bus No. 241 from the Murmansk bus station, which stops right by the "Ship Graveyard" stop. Organized tours from Murmansk that include this site are also available.