It is mostly known for the naval bases located in the Ara and Ura Bays. The locality itself is situated on the eastern side of the Ura Bay.
History
It was founded in 1958 as Uritsa (Урица), after the river flowing from Pityevoye Lake into the bay and providing drinking water for the settlement.[citation needed] Most likely, the name Uritsa is a Russian diminutive of Ura, which is a native Saami (Lappi) name for the bay and for a larger river Ura also feeding into the Ura Bay several kilometers away from Vidyayevo. Uritsa was renamed Vidyayevo in 1964 in honor of the World War II submarine commander Fyodor Vidyayev who perished in the Barents Sea in course of the military mission of the submarine ShcH-402 under his command.
Naval base
In the early 1960s, the area started serving as a base for diesel-powered submarines, and in 1979 nuclear-powered ones as well. In the 1980s, the base at Ara Bay was a relatively large one, serving submarines of all three generations. Remaining submarines in service in Ara Bay today are of the Akula (Shchuka-B), Sierra, and Oscar-II (Antey) class.
Vidyayevo (particularly the Ara Bay) was the home base of the now lostK-141 Kursk (which was an Oscar-II class). Naval radioactive waste storage facilities are located at the Ara Bay as well.
The base at Ura Bay is used for diesel submarines and a few smaller surface vessels. The settlement consists mostly of five-story apartment buildings built on granite rock foundations or on poles driven into permafrost.
Мурманская областная Дума. Закон №96-01-ЗМО от 6 января 1998 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Мурманской области», в ред. Закона №1953-01-ЗМО от 24 декабря 2015 г. «О внесении изменений в Закон Мурманской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Мурманской области"». Опубликован: "Мурманский Вестник", №10, стр. 3, 16 января 1998 г. (Murmansk Oblast Duma. Law #96-01-ZMO of January 6, 1998 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Murmansk Oblast, as amended by the Law #1953-01-ZMO of December 24, 2015 On Amending the Law of Murmansk Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Murmansk Oblast". ).
Мурманская областная Дума. Закон №530-01-ЗМО от 2 декабря 2004 г. «О наделении статусом городского округа закрытых административно-территориальных образований Мурманской области», в ред. Закона №1812-01-ЗМО от 19 декабря 2014 г. «Об упразднении населённого пункта Мурманской области и о внесении изменений в отдельные законодательные акты Мурманской области». Вступил в силу 1 января 2005 г. Опубликован: "Мурманский Вестник", №234, стр. 3, 7 декабря 2004 г. (Murmansk Oblast Duma. Law #530-01-ZMO of December 2, 2004 On Granting Urban Okrug Status to the Closed Administrative-Territorial Formations of Murmansk Oblast, as amended by the Law #1812-01-ZMO of December 19, 2014 On Abolishing an Inhabited Locality in Murmansk Oblast and on Amending Various Legislative Acts of Murmansk Oblast. Effective as of January 1, 2005.).