Even from Sujuk Island, the lighthouse looks like a tiny spot on the horizon.
Naturally, the question arose where to keep the capsule so that it survived 50 years. For a port city, a better and more symbolic place than the foundation of the Sujuk lighthouse, which goes to the bottom of the Black Sea, was simply impossible to find, true. But there were known technical difficulties. Their decision was placed on the shoulders of the design engineers of the Novorossiysk Directorate of Fishing and Refrigerating fleet.
Young people from the “Age Schooner” parses sent “letters to the future”, next to a capsule-cylinder
As a result, the capsule had the shape of a cylinder of corrosion-resistant brass, which, in turn, fit into a stainless steel box. Having filled the capsule with its valuable cargo, it was placed in a steel box and filled with resin. But even this did not seem enough for the preservation of letters, given the aggressive nature of not only sea water, but also currents and storms in the Black Sea. Therefore, the box, in turn, was placed inside wooden formwork and filled with concrete.
Closing the filled capsule
A floating crane in the place where a capsule was laid in the distant 1968 year
The following year, 1968, on April 7, a floating crane with divers and with a fully prepared important cargo left the port to the Sujuk lighthouse. Massive concrete block, which was displayed "1967-2017. You, descendants! ”Lowered to the bottom of the Black Sea at the foot of the lighthouse. Then it was an extremely large-scale event in the life of the city.
13 September 2017, like half a century ago, a floating crane with divers went to the Sujuk lighthouse, where they finally raised a message capsule from the bottom of the sea.
In return, a new message was placed on the bottom of the Black Sea, which will begin its “journey” in the 2067 year. This time the capsule was manufactured at the Novorossiysk Ship Repair Plant. Start collecting letters was given last year and ended in August. How seriously did our contemporaries take this, whose letters will go to the bottom of the Black Sea, will be recognized by those who will live to 2067.
The official invitation to bookmark the message in the future. Now even this is a rare nostalgic "artifact", talking about that era
Of course, the results of lifting the capsule will be highlighted in the media, but as stated in the organizing committee of the civil-patriotic action “Together in the future! The message to descendants ”will be familiarized directly with the“ artifacts ”of the past epoch and letters from the past will be available in late September in the Novorossiysk Museum.
Those messages were written against the background of a breakthrough into space, conviction in the imminent arrival of communism and faith in progressive humanity. The USSR was strong and unshakable. How do we take a look at these letters? What they seem to us? Naive or inspiring, and, perhaps, they will surprise us, give us hope, or, on the contrary, will grieve when they see what we could have dreamed of “only” 50 years ago. Someone even envy those people who know. We will see.