Reveal all secrets Kuril Island Matua
One of the priority projects of the Russian Geographical Society today is an expedition to the island of Matua. Despite several months of painstaking work on its research, many mysteries still remain. Tunnels and underground structures have not been fully studied. It is necessary to find out where the dishes of the Japanese imperial family and empty fuel barrels came from on Matua, and much more to come.
The other day, TASS reported that several teams of scientists from Vladivostok, Moscow, Kamchatka, and Sakhalin Island will work as part of an expedition to Matua, which will take place from June to September.
Currently, the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet has completed the development of a detailed survey plan for the Kuril Islands, and the personnel and necessary equipment for survey work as part of the expedition to Matua Island in 2017 have been determined. This year the composition of the expedition will expand significantly. Several teams of hydrogeologists, volcanologists, hydrobiologists, landscape scientists, soil scientists, submariners, search engines and archaeologists from Vladivostok, Moscow, Kamchatka and Sakhalin will work on the island of Matua,” said the head of the information support department of the press service of the Eastern Military District (EMD) for the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet) Captain 2nd Rank Vladimir Matveev.
According to him, Pacific Fleet psychologists are now completing professional psychological selection of military personnel participating in the future expedition, who undergo special tests and programs to establish the degree of stress resistance and level of performance in extreme conditions, psychological compatibility of future expedition participants and assess the moral and business qualities of military personnel.
Matua is an island of the middle group of the Great Ridge of the Kuril Islands. Length about 11 km, width 6.4 km. During World War II, one of Japan's largest naval bases was located on it. In 1945, the island was ceded to the USSR, and the Japanese base was turned into a Soviet one. The island has preserved many fortifications, mines, grottoes, two runways, which are heated by thermal springs, so they can be used all year round. In 2000, the base was mothballed and Matua Island officially became uninhabited.
In 2016, the first joint research expedition of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society took place on Matua, in which military personnel from the Eastern Military District and the Pacific Fleet took part. In total, more than 200 people were involved in the expedition. The Ministry of Defense was interested in the island as a possible base for the Pacific Fleet. Then an extensive network of tunnels was discovered on Matua, as well as the sunken Japanese light fighter Mitsubishi Zero, produced in 1942.
The second research expedition to Matua will take place from June to September 2017; it is planned to collect materials for the preparation of an atlas identifying the marine inhabitants of the waters of Matua and neighboring islands. Researchers will also have to create a reconstruction of the activity of the Sarychev Peak volcano in the late Pleistocene, including historical eruptions, and map the island. In addition, it is planned to count the species of marine aquatic organisms, compare the biotas of adjacent water areas to assess the state of biodiversity and identify possible routes of migration and interpenetration of elements of flora and fauna in the North Pacific Ocean.
In September last year, tvzvezda.ru correspondent Alexander Stepanov visited Matua. Here are excerpts from his report “The Secret of Matua Island: When the Japanese Fortress Will Become a Russian Base.”
From a bird's eye view, Matua Island appears to be a small spot - 11 kilometers long and six and a half wide, two-thirds of the island's area is occupied by an active VOLCANO - Sarychev Peak. The island is not at all suitable for life. Severe climatic conditions: in summer there are constant winds and rains. One or two sunny days and I’ve had enough. Here, even in June, there is white snow on the slope of the hills. A snow cap adorns Sarychev Peak all year round. This volcano is famous for being one of the most active active volcanoes in the region. Norov at Sarychev Peak is steep - you can’t call him sleeping. Eruptions, although short-lived, are frequent and strong.
Despite all the natural disasters, the Japanese turned the island into impregnable fortress, where there were underground tunnels, an airfield, and even a railway. The garrison on the island exceeded three thousand people. In general, the Kuril Islands were used by the Japanese as a strategic barrier to exit Sea of Okhotsk V Pacific Ocean. A whole network of various military defensive fortifications was erected here.
Getting to the island by air requires a fair amount of luck. The so-called windows - small gaps - open over the island very rarely, and people sometimes have to sit at the airfield for several days to get into this window that opens briefly. The nearest airfield from which you can get to Matua is on the island of Iturup. This is about 500 kilometers. And if suddenly the weather over Matua deteriorates after the helicopter has almost approached the island, then you have to return to base with the remaining fuel. As helicopter pilots say, “with adventures.”
When approaching the island, you can see that it is pitted with coastal fortifications. Trenches starting at the very edge of the water. Pillboxes and bunkers, hollowed out in numerous hills of the island, look with empty loopholes towards the sea. It is noticeable that the island really resembles a fortress rising straight from the sea. In mid-June on Matua there is about seven degrees Celsius and a piercing wind. You have to keep warm in winter: jackets, sweaters, high-top boots. An expedition of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Geographical Society, the Eastern Military District and the Pacific Fleet has been working here since May under the leadership of Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral Andrei Vladimirovich Ryabukhin.
Despite the fact that since September 1945 the island passed to the USSR, no real research was carried out on it. The current expedition is designed to unravel the secrets of the most little-studied island of the Kuril ridge. And there are a lot of secrets here. The researchers have three main tasks: to study the military-historical component of the island, to study the volcanic activity of Matua and to understand how to develop military infrastructure on the island.
The scientific group of the Russian Geographical Society is engaged in routine, but very necessary work on the island - compiling maps of the island: landscape, geological and soil. Samples of soil and plant species are taken. The second group is looking for artifacts that remained from the Japanese. So, in June, search engines lifted the wing of a Japanese aircraft manufactured in 1942 and brought it to the camp. Also discovered were objects that could tell about the life of Japanese soldiers: ammunition, dishes, clothing, and household items. Members of the expedition even climbed Sarychev Peak, where two flags were hoisted - the Russian Federation and the St. Andrew's Navy flag.
Climbing a VOLCANO is not just about planting flags; the expedition members tried to understand in which direction the eruption and its plume were going. From above you can clearly see where the island has changed its structure, geography, and where new beaches have appeared. They found out how Japanese barriers, including anti-mud flows, blocked the path of mud heading towards the Japanese barracks. I asked one of the leaders of the expedition, a full member of the Russian Geographical Society Andrei Ivanov, whether Matua is really a mystery island where the secrets of imperial Japan are kept, or whether this is the idle speculation of journalists.
“Journalists love to ask questions about riddles,” the scientist smiles. – Of course, it is still difficult to thoroughly study what is left of the Japanese, to understand where the myths are and where the reality is. We managed to find out that the legends that exist on Matua underground city, built by them at the end of the Second World War, have some basis. We have discovered quite a few entrances that lead underground, all of them have been blown up or blocked up. We excavated one such entrance and found behind it numerous underground passages, storage facilities that were connected to the above-ground system of trenches and trenches by special passages. This is not a legend, it really is.”
At the same time, the main goal of the expedition is not to solve Japanese puzzles, but to make a comprehensive assessment of the territory in order to understand how suitable it is for development, and whether mudflows and a tsunami will wash away the new infrastructure of the island. The expedition is also interested in how the Japanese garrison solved life support issues, because, as it turned out, there are no water sources on the island.
The leader of the expedition, Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet Andrei Ryabukhin, told Army Standard that the Japanese used exclusively melt water, which is formed by melting snow on the volcano. Therefore, on Matua they find many old Japanese filters for water purification, which were invented by the head of the 731st detachment in Manchuria, Shiro Ishii (a Japanese doctor who conducted inhumane experiments on people and developed bacteriological weapons). They suggested two types of cleaning, coarse and fine. The coarse brush removed all dirt and debris from the water. During the thinning, water was forced through ceramic filters under pressure, then it went through trenches into special containers.
Part of the system was carried out in the area of the mountain system, and the Japanese installed part near lakes that formed during the melting of snow. Pumping stations were installed next to them. By the way, due to the fact that there were many rats on the island, which also used the water, strong antibiotics were found here, with which the underground hospitals were literally overwhelmed. The tablets prevented injury to personnel. At the same time, the expedition members claim that there was no production of bacteriological weapons on the island. After all, if something had gone wrong, the Japanese garrisons in the Kuril Islands would have died themselves.
The island was needed primarily as a huge base for storing and ensuring the security of an extended line of communication that ran from “big” Japan to the islands of Paramushir and Shumshu, where large garrisons were stationed. The only threats to the safety of this route were American submarines and surface ships. Since Allied aircraft could not actively bomb the islands due to their flight range, the main emphasis was placed on defense against the fleet. Therefore, a large airfield with two runways was built on the island, where fighter aircraft and bombers were based.
Also, up to ten thousand people could be on the island to, if necessary, strengthen the Japanese garrisons on northern islands Shumshu and Paramushir. I ask Ryabukhin: did the expedition manage to understand how the defense of the island was built?
“We figured out the Japanese communications and fortification system and understood how Matua’s defense structure was built,” he says. – The peculiarity of the island’s structure is a large number of valleys - long gorges in which they concentrated their warehouses. The island had a developed road system. It was of a serpentine type and led to where individual garrisons were stationed. Near the garrison, a warehouse and barracks were equipped, as well as defense positions - trenches, pillboxes. For now, we can only guess how food and ammunition were delivered to the positions. It is already clear that Matua was developed automobile transport and the railroad."
Of course, search engines have not yet found the railroad itself; only traces of it are found. One can only guess where it passed - these are tunnels made underground and, like arteries, crossing the island. The fact that it operated is also evidenced by numerous finds: trolleys rusted by time, fragments of rails. In addition, brass or bronze pipelines were laid throughout the island to supply fuel.
Searchers find characteristic fittings and pumping parts, but the containers where the fuel was stored have not yet been found. In addition, the expedition found out how the Japanese built their barracks. They were collapsible and consisted of a metal frame and wood. All the pillboxes on the island were also covered with wood.
The Japanese airfield is now in a rather deplorable state; it was badly damaged by air raids and natural disasters. Now there are several helipads equipped there. However, in the future its restoration is possible. Of course, the main question is: do we need this piece of land, absolutely unsuitable for normal life?
“Since last year, the Sea of Okhotsk has become our inland sea,” says Andrei Ryabukhin. - This is our sea. And here, so to speak, there is a lot open doors. And everyone wants to enter them. But with what intentions they enter these doors - good or not - you won’t immediately understand. In order to reliably protect our territories, we must make efforts so that later we do not regret that we did nothing. There are still loopholes, and they need to be eliminated, including by creating Russian bases. For now, it is planned that Pacific Fleet units will be located on the island, which will ensure the protection of state interests.”
At the same time, the vice admiral believes that restoring Japanese infrastructure on the island makes no sense.
“Now, in modern conditions, we can go deep underground, build cities there and railways expensive and impractical. - he continues. – Again, all the underground communications that we are opening are very dilapidated. They crumble, dilapidated. The soil structure here is unique, including very fragile rocks. What the Japanese dug here was very relevant for that time, but is no longer the case.”
Conclusions about whether the armed forces need Matua and whether a base will appear there will be made this year. And there is Great chance that our troops will still be stationed on Matua.
A detachment of the Pacific Fleet, including a large landing ship"Admiral Nevelskoy", the keel vessel KIL-168 and the rescue tug "SB-522", delivered members of the joint expedition of the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society, as well as more than 30 units of various equipment, to the Kuril Island of Matua.
Matua Island is located in the middle part of the Kuril ridge and is significantly removed from the populated areas of Sakhalin and Kamchatka. The size of the island is 11 kilometers long and 6 and a half wide. It is characterized by an abnormally cold climate with high rainfall. Matua is home to one of the most active active volcanoes in the region - Sarycheva Volcano. A powerful layer of historical and cultural heritage has been preserved here, which is divided into Ainu, Japanese and Russian. In addition, on Matua there is the northernmost point of distribution of Corded Ware - the Neolithic archaeological culture "Jōmon".
This year, the scientific composition of the expedition has expanded significantly. Hydrogeologists, volcanologists, hydrobiologists, landscape scientists, soil scientists, submariners, searchers and archaeologists from Vladivostok and Moscow, Kamchatka and Sakhalin will work on the island of Matua. The Expedition Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Russian Geographical Society and the personnel of the Pacific Fleet are taking part in the project.
During the work, materials will be collected to prepare an atlas identifying the marine life of the waters of the island of Matua and neighboring islands, as well as video recording of the bottom topography at dive sites will be carried out to analyze hydrographic characteristics.
The activity of the Sarychev Peak volcano over the past 100 thousand years will be reconstructed, and the level of its modern activity will be determined. This is necessary to assess the volcanic hazard of the territory and formulate a long-term forecast.
In addition, work will continue to search and study historical sites. military equipment and fortifications from the Second World War. Archaeological work to identify and study historical and cultural monuments of various eras, including the Ainu era, will be developed.
Based on the results of the 2017 expedition, materials will be prepared on the prospects for further development of the island: maps of dangerous natural phenomena, an analysis of alternative energy sources, the chemical composition of natural waters, and potential soil fertility was carried out.
In 2016, the Russian Geographical Society, together with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, organized an expedition to Matua for the first time. Its goal was to study artifacts of the Second World War and compile a historical and geographical portrait of the island.
The second large-scale expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society will go to the Kuril island of Matua in 2017. The commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, announced this on Wednesday, September 14, at a media club meeting.
The Japanese began to develop the island in the 1930s and gave it exclusively military significance. “The island served as a springboard for further expansion and capture of the Kamchatka Peninsula. A unique system of underground structures was created, connected by a single system of tunnels. Underground structures are a separate topic that requires in-depth study,” said Admiral Sergei Avakyants.
According to him, underground structures are divided into two types: fortifications and structures of unknown purpose - rectangular, square and round, up to 150 meters long.
“Initially there was an assumption that these were warehouse premises, but everything was removed from them. And if these were warehouse premises, then some material traces would have remained. Moreover, it was discovered that a high-voltage cable and power supply system were connected to these premises allowed up to 3 thousand volts to be supplied there. Naturally, this is excessive voltage for storage facilities. But, obviously, some kind of work was carried out in these structures," TASS quotes the head of the expedition.
The admiral also reported that the same high-voltage cable was discovered on the slope of the Sarychev volcano. "The volcano is alive, the volcano is still breathing. Every 25 years there are powerful eruptions. Residues discovered old road leading to the crater of the volcano. From a helicopter you can see the characteristic entrances to underground structures from the water surface. Serious deep-sea research is needed in the northern and northwestern parts of the volcano,” Avakyants emphasized.
He noted that during the expedition, dishes were discovered with symbols characteristic of the imperial family - stars, that is, the island was visited by the highest military-political leadership of Japan during the war, and the garrison was given exceptional attention.
“If on all the islands the Japanese garrisons fought fiercely, until the last soldier, then the island of Matua capitulated last, but capitulated without a fight. The garrison numbered 7.5 thousand people and, which is not typical for the Japanese army, did not offer any resistance,” - the commander said. “We concluded that the garrison fulfilled its main task - it removed all traces and all facts that could lead to the disclosure of the true nature of activities on this island,” he continued.
According to the admiral, the expedition also studied the volcanic activity of the island and discovered the remains of an ancient paleovolcano dating back several million years. “Thus, the version that the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and the Japanese Islands were a continuous strip of land requires confirmation,” Avakyants noted.
The commander of the Pacific Fleet believes that Toporkovy Island, which is presumably connected to Matua by underground tunnels, also requires further study. “With the permission and on the instructions of the President of the Russian Geographical Society, in 2017 we are conducting a second expedition involving a wide range of specialists from the Academy of Sciences, the Russian Geographical Society and Moscow State University. Further study of the fauna, flora of this island, volcanic activity, water supply system, underground structures, including including underwater. And, in addition, archaeological research is necessary,” the admiral concluded.
The Eastern Military District Command has the possibility of a future basing of the Pacific Fleet forces on the island of Matua.
The Zvezda TV channel produced a documentary film “Matua Island” about the research expedition of the Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Ministry of Defense. Experts went to the island back in 2016 and spent many months collecting materials about its natural, historical and cultural heritage. Why exactly Matua interested the Russian Geographical Society and what secrets the island keeps - in the material “360”.
From a no-man's island to a mothballed military base
Matua Island is part of the middle group of the Great Kuril Ridge and belongs to Sakhalin region. However, this was not always the case. The original population of Matua is considered to be the Ainu - ancient people Japanese Islands. In his language, the island is called the “hellmouth.”
For a long time, Matua existed on its own, and only in the 17th century did the first expeditions set off to the Kuril Islands. The Japanese, Russians and Dutch visited there and even claimed the land as the property of their East India Company.
By 1736, the Ainu converted to Orthodoxy and became Russian subjects, paying the residents of Kamchatka yasak - a tax in kind in the form of furs, livestock and other items. Russian Cossacks regularly visited the island, and the first scientific expedition arrived on Matua in 1813. The island's population has always been small: in 1831, only 15 inhabitants were counted on Matua, although at that time the census only counted adult men. In 1855, the Russian Empire officially received the right to the island, but 20 years later Matua found itself under Japanese rule - such was the price for Sakhalin.
Shortly before World War II, the island became the main stronghold of the Kuril chain. A fort with anti-tank ditches, underground tunnels and trenches appeared on Matua. An underground residence in the hill was created for the officers. After the start of the war, Nazi Germany supplied fuel to Matua. The island became one of Japan's key naval bases. In August 1945, a garrison of 7.5 thousand people capitulated without firing a shot. Matua passed to the Soviet Union.
Until 1991, there was a military unit on the island. During this time, not only historians, but also politicians were interested in Matua. US President Harry Truman, immediately after the end of World War II, offered Joseph Stalin to cede the island for a US naval base. Then the leader of the USSR, either jokingly or seriously, agreed to exchange Matua for one of the Aleutian Islands. The question is closed.
The Russian border outpost was located on Matua until 2000. Then the entire naval infrastructure of the island was mothballed, and the inhabitants left it. Matua is now uninhabited. The small island, 11 kilometers long and just over six kilometers wide, still holds many secrets. Members of the Russian Geographical Society and employees of the Russian Ministry of Defense went to uncover them.
Last September, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, told reporters about the results of the first expedition to Matua. It started in April and lasted almost six months. The expedition was attended by the Minister of Defense and President of the Russian Geographical Society Sergei Shoigu.
Research on Matua took place for the first time since 1813. According to Avakyants, many underground structures were discovered on the island. Some of them definitely belonged to the fort, but the purpose of the rest has not yet been determined.
Initially there was an assumption that these were warehouses, but everything was removed from them. And if these were warehouses, then any material traces would remain. Moreover, it was discovered that a high-voltage cable was connected to these premises, and the power supply system made it possible to supply up to 3 thousand volts there. Naturally, this is excess voltage for warehouse premises. But it is obvious that some work was carried out in these structures
Sergey Avakyants.
Among the unusual finds is a high-voltage cable on the slope of the Sarychev volcano. Nearby are the remains of an old road that leads to the crater of the volcano. At the same time, from a helicopter, members of the expedition noticed the entrances to underground structures. What exactly is in the thickness of the volcano is still unknown. Experts were also interested in another question: why the garrison surrendered without a fight in August 1945. This behavior is not typical for Japanese soldiers, which indicates a well-thought-out plan. “We concluded that the garrison fulfilled its main task - it removed all traces and all facts that could lead to the disclosure of the true nature of activities on this island,” the admiral explained.
Photo: RIA Novosti / Roman Denisov
Last year, members of the expedition decided to study the collected materials, and a few months later return to Matua to reveal other secrets of the island. What else will surprise Russians with a small piece of land that went from no-man's land to a secret Japanese fort, time will tell.
The second joint expedition of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Geographical Society to the island of Matua has ended. Its participants - historians, archaeologists, ecologists and hydrographers - spoke at the next meeting of the Russian Geographical Society about their amazing finds discovered on this small, but very mysterious island Kuril ridge, reports the correspondent. IA SakhalinMedia.
Participants in the second joint expedition of military and scientists to the Kuril island of Matua summed up the results of their work. At the next meeting of the Sakhalin branch of the Russian Geographical Society, they made reports in which they told what new secrets the island had revealed for them and what discoveries gave rise to new questions.
Opened the meeting Chairman of the Russian Geographical Society branch Sergei Ponomarev. He noted that cooperation with the Pacific Fleet has provided new opportunities for studying the Kuril Islands.
“The most expensive part of an expedition is transport delivery to the Kuril Islands. But the fact that Sergei Shoigu headed the Russian Geographical Society, allowed to organize such joint projects from the Ministry of Defense. The military is also heading to Matua for its own research purposes. And they take our scientists with them. We use this cooperation to our advantage. Our research concerns history, archeology, and ecology. Such multifunctionality helps the comprehensive study of islands - both on land and in the sea,” Ponomarev said.
Meeting with members of the expedition to Matua. Photo: IA SakhalinMedia
Meeting with members of the expedition to Matua. Photo: IA SakhalinMedia
Meeting with members of the expedition to Matua. Photo: IA SakhalinMedia
Meeting with members of the expedition to Matua. Photo: IA SakhalinMedia
Meeting with members of the expedition to Matua. Photo: IA SakhalinMedia
He recalled that Matua is a very interesting island from the point of view of local historians. It is located in the middle of the Kuril ridge and was previously used by the Japanese as a transit point on the route from north to south, as well as a powerful naval base and an airfield.
Local historian Igor Samarin during this expedition he continued his last year's work. His main task was to restore the pattern of Japanese long-term fire installations on the island. Last year, such a map was compiled, but, as it turned out, the island is fraught with many more discoveries.
“This year, quite by accident, our military colleagues discovered a ceramic pipe coming out of the ground. They lowered an improvised video camera into it - a smartphone with a flashlight, and found a room there. At a depth of three meters there was a concrete structure adjacent to an artillery rangefinder post. It turned out that there was a fire control command post underground there. From there, commands were transmitted to the guns using electronics,” said Igor Samarin.
Also, one of the tasks of this year was the study of a Japanese command post on one of the heights of the island. Samarin’s group dug up this concrete structure and got inside.
But the most interesting discoveries scientists did this by studying small, not always obvious details. So, next to one of the soldiers’ barracks we found a lampshade. Igor Samarin explains: according to the testimony of the Japanese military themselves of those years, naval sailors lived better than the infantry and they were the only ones who had electricity. So the found lampshade reinforced the belief that it was sailors who lived in the barracks on the island.
“Many ordinary things were revelations. Here we found a beer bottle, the most ordinary one, but on the bottom there was a production date of “18 S 8”. For knowledgeable person it’s simple - August 16, according to European chronology - 1941. 25 such bottles were found on the island. From them it was possible to determine the time when the bottles were delivered to the island. It turned out that the first supplies of provisions began in 1938 and ended in 1943. And in 1944, the blockade of the island of Matua by American submarines began,” Samarin continued his report.
The scientists did not ignore the Japanese kitchen heaps near each dugout. Bird bones were found among the waste. As it turned out, the Japanese actively used local puffins for food. They also ate mice - voles. There was even an exchange in kind - one mouse cost two cigarettes. Rodent skins were transported to the metropolis to make gloves.
In total, historians brought from the island 86 items from the Japanese and Soviet periods - from baby booties and dishes to fuel barrels and handicraft stoves.
Scientists also managed to solve another mystery that the Matua Islands have kept since the Second World War. For more than 70 years, the fate of the American submarine Herring, which sank two Japanese ships off Matua, was unknown and there was conflicting information about it. Hydrographers, led by the captain of a large hydrographic boat Igor Tikhonov, combed the entire water area of Dvoynaya Bay using a multi-beam echo sounder. And an object very similar to a submarine was discovered in the area of Cape Yurlov at a depth of 110 meters. The military will determine what to do next with this discovery.
As part of the expedition, researchers also studied a more ancient period of the island’s history. Yes, group archaeologist Olga Shubina discovered on the island more than a hundred pits from the ancient dwellings of the first inhabitants of the island. Most likely they belonged to the ancient Ainu, who lived here 2.5 - 3 thousand years ago. Scientists conducted excavations at the sites of the finds and marked the boundaries of the archaeological sites.
At the end of the meeting, Chairman of the Sakhalin Russian Geographical Society Sergei Ponomarev announced that scientists had created a working group dedicated to the unification geographical names on the island of Matua.
“Many objects in Matua still bear Japanese or “folk” Soviet names. The group is preparing a proposal for the official name of about three dozen bays, capes and heights, so that when drawing up maps and diagrams we can use the same designations and understand each other,” Ponomarev said.
