The subject of this research is the information potential of the source complex of archival documents dedicated to the history of Sevastopol Central Research Institute “Compass” in the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg. Since Sevastopol was not only an industrial, but also a scientific and technological center, the engineering departments lead unique developments, which were later implemented in various sectors nationwide. Both, enterprises and engineering departments were integrated into a unified all-Union system, which justifies using not only the city archive, but also central archives to find sources on the history of industrial development of Sevastopol during the Soviet period. This article is dedicated to determination and detailed analysis of the documents related to the history of Sevastopol Central Research Institute “Compass”. The authors dwell on the types of the preserved departmental documents, provide explicit examples, and analyze the peculiarities of documentation. The work is based on the range previously unpublished archival documents. The conclusion is made that materials from the fund of the Central Research Institute “Compass” of the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg demonstrates the place and role of Sevastopol branch within the system of this organization, unlike the local documents stored the city archive of Sevastopol, which are focused on the local tasks and problems, and do not fully reflect the structural issues of the entire Scientific Production Association. Analyzing the extracted archival information on the Scientific Production Association “Compass”, the authors conclude that both the association itself and the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry of the Soviet Union were focused on strengthening integration and interrelation of enterprises both within the Central Research Institute “Compass “ and industry as a whole, which manifested in establishment of the Council of the Scientific Production Association “Compass”; its documents are also stored in the fund.
The peculiarities of archival heuristics in seeking information on the history of Soviet industry of Sevastopol in the central archives (on the example of the source complex on the history of Sevastopol branch of the Central Research Institute “Compass” in the Central State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation of St. Petersburg)