Russian naval thinkers long thought that a well-designed canal system could help the Russian (or, later, Soviet) Navy overcome the geographic separation of the fleets based on Russia's Black Sea, Baltic, Arctic, Pacific, and Caspian coasts.[23] The White Sea Canal was also constructed with military use in mind,[24] and early in its history the canal was used to transfer the Northern Fleet's first warships to the White Sea from the Baltic.[25] [26]
According to historians, in the years between the canal's completion and the Soviet entry into World War II, the canal was used for the transfer of military vessels between the two seas on 17 occasions.[27]
During World War II, the canal was used to relocate unfinished submarines from Leningrad's Baltic Shipyard and Gorky's (Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard) to the new Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk.[28] Since then, the canal has been regularly used for delivering submarines, by transporter dock, from the Baltic Shipyard and Krasnoye Sormovo to Sevmash for completion.[29]
Niin toisen maailmansodan aikana. Voi olla vähän hankalampaa nykyään. Ei toki mahdotonta.