Donuzlav
Bay in Crimea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lake Donuzlav (Russian and Ukrainian: Донузлав, Crimean Tatar: Doñuzlav), also referred to as Donuzlav Bay, is the deepest lake[1] of Crimea (27 m, 89 ft) and biggest in Chornomorske Raion (47 km2, 18 sq mi). It is a protected landscape and recreational park of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
| Donuzlav | |
|---|---|
| Донузлав, Doñuzlav | |
Donuzlav Lake near Novoozerne | |
.jpg)  Donuzlav | |
| Location | Crimea |
| Coordinates | 45°20′24″N 33°00′36″E |
The lake is as salty as the sea near its mouth but bottom springs make the water much less saline near the head.
Overview
Technically it is no longer a lake but rather a bay since 1961, when a 200-metre width canal was washed through the sandy peresyp separating it from the Black Sea, when the construction of a Soviet naval base started.[2] The peresyp length is about 12 km (7.5 mi) with widths varying between 0.3 km (980 ft) to 1 km (3,300 ft).[2][1]
Donuzlav is located in Chornomorske and Saky raions (districts) at the Tarkhankut Peninsula[1] as well as Yevpatoria Municipality. Donuzlav is one of several lakes located around the peninsula.[1]
The length of Donuzlav is 30 km (19 mi), a width is up to 8.5 km (5.3 mi), an area of 42 km2 (16 mi2) and a depth is up to 27 m (89 ft).[1] It has several small bays.[1] Banks are high, steep, and winding.[1] At separate parts of the lake, a wetland vegetation is common (i.e. common reed, cattail, others).[1]
In the upper portion of the lakes are located two dams for fish farming, in the mid portion is a naval base.[1] On the banks there is a wind-powered energy station (Sakska Wind Farm) with 53 wind turbines.[1]
To the lake are headed several gulches (semi-dried streams) among which are Staryi Donuzlav, Donuzlav, Chernushka, and Burnuk.
In the northern part there is a Donuzlav recreational park of area 2,335 hectares.
Settlements
- Novoozerne, Yevpatoria Municipality
- Myrnyi, Yevpatoria Municipality
- Ozerivka, Chornomorske Raion
- Krasnoyarske, Chornomorske Raion
Military bases
Donuzlav was the location of the Crimean Naval Base of the Soviet Union. The base was particularly notable for housing air-cushioned landing craft (Zubr class). After the dissolution of the Soviet Union it was converted into the Southern Naval Base of Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On 5 March 2014, during the annexation of Crimea, Russian sailors scuttled two Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels, the anti-submarine ship Ochakov and the rescue tugboat Shakhter, at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay to prevent Ukrainian Navy ships from accessing the Black Sea[3][4][5][6] and established the Russian naval base there, reinstating its previous name.
Early on 1 February 2024, Ivanovets, a Russian Tarantul-class corvette, was sunk in Lake Donuzlav after an attack by surface drones.[7][8]
The Soviets also established the Donguzlav air base near the lake. It was decommissioned in 1995, but has been reused by the Russian military since the Russo-Ukrainian war.[9][10][11]
See also
- Cherkasy, a film
