The city of Severomorsk was given its current name in 1951. It is located on the Kola Peninsula, in the Arctic Circle and in the permafrost zone. The first settlement on the site of the city, which emerged between 1896 and 1897, was named after the nearby Vayenga River. The word “Vayenga” is derived from the Sami word “vayongg”, meaning “doe”. The settlers of Vayenga engaged in hunting, fishing, and cattle breeding. In 1917, there were only 13 residents in the settlement.

Historically, the Sami people have lived on the lands that now comprise Severomorsk. They are a small group of Finno-Ugric peoples who are among the indigenous communities of Northern Europe. In Russian, they are referred to as “lopari, ” “loplyany, ” or “lopya”. The Sami have historically been known in English as Lapps or Laplanders, hence the name Lapland, which means “land of the lapps”.

The Sami people were renowned for their hunting and fishing skills. In winter, they hunted deer and sea mammals for their skins. They hunted birds and other forest animals for meat. Year-round, the Sami were engaged in nomadic reindeer-herding. In time, they domesticated wild deer and began using them for transportation. By summer, Sami families would travel to the coast, where they would fish in the numerous rivers and lakes. This led them to the present-day territory of Severomorsk, where they established a temporary camp, which was named Vayenga.

Pomors, who were Russians who lived along the coasts of the White and Barents Seas, also inhabited this area. The climate there is harsh, with cold weather, strong winds, and significant precipitation. However, these disadvantages were offset by the richness of the polar region and a relatively free lifestyle. At first, there were only temporary settlements in the area that is now Severomorsk. By the mid-19th century, permanent settlements began to emerge. During that time, colonies such as Ura-Guba, Zapadnaya Litsa, Gavrilovo, Teriberka, and Kildin emerged along the coast of Murmansk. Finns and Norwegians mostly settled in the west, while Russian colonists mainly settled in the east.

In 1947, the headquarters of the Northern Fleet were transferred from the town of Polyarny to Vayenga. From that time onwards, Vaeynga began to develop, grow, and acquire the characteristics of a city. By the 1960s, the town had already flourished: a bread factory, a sausage plant, and a workshop for producing soft drinks were established in Vayenga. There even was a swimming pool. On November 26, 1996, by a decree of the President of Russia, Severomorsk was reclassified: it was turned from a large naval base into a closed administrative and territorial entity.