Family book of memory and glory. Marine mixture - livejournal Patrol ship diamond

During the holidays, two more descendants and heirs of the sailors from the “precious stones” got in touch. The first is Natalya, the granddaughter of Arkady Alekseevich Zhukov, the commander of "Rubin": . The second was Svetlana, a relative of Alexander Mironov, a sailor from the Diamond: . Based on the results of the conversation, I made the necessary clarifications.
I am very glad that the published information turns out to be necessary for people.

Traveling to Bogorodsk - Noginsk

Last year I was lucky to pass through Noginsk (formerly Bogorodsk) near Moscow. I stopped by the address: Rabochaya St., 86. I knew that before the war, my grandfather’s friend, the last commander of the Diamond, Mikhail Makhonkov, lived in this house. I called. They opened it. I was lucky - I talked to Mikhail Vasilyevich’s niece. The house turned out to be not exactly the one I knew from early photographs.

It was like this:

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To my shame, I only recently found out and watched the film “There Lived a Brave Captain,” filmed back in 1985. Why shame? Because in the film there are two ships with the designations SKR-29 and SKR-30. It was these designations that were worn by the border guard PSK-303 “Diamond” and PSK-304 “Sapphire”, respectively, when they were commanded during the war by two friends - two border guard sailors: Mikhail Makhonkov and Mikhail Parovenko. And I thought I knew a lot about these people and ships. However...

The film was directed by Rudolf Fruntov. Screenwriters: Alexey German and Svetlana Karmalita. This film is not a documentary. It only contains documentary footage of the bombing of the city, and in the scene of an artillery duel with a German submarine, footage showing the actions of fascist submariners “from the other side” is clearly cut from the propaganda chronicle of the Third Reich.

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The fate of the prototype ships shown in the film generally corresponds to reality: the SKR-29 "Memory of Ruslan" ("Diamond") perishes, and the SKR-30 "Beast" ("Sapphire") reached the end of the war.

Anyone who has not seen the film “There Lived a Brave Captain” should watch it. Despite the fact that it was filmed at the turn of the century in 1985, the film retained the good qualities of Soviet films about the war, which, unfortunately, cannot be said about most modern “war” films.

Despite the fact that the Bryansk region is remote from seas and oceans, sailing also exists here. Windsurfing sails have long been seen on the Orlik lake system associated with the Desna. As far as we know, Bryansk fans of sailing boards are not united in any structure, but they are all united by a love of water, wind and speed. You can learn about these passionate people and their life on the water on this website: http://www.bryansk.wind.ru/
By the way, in the background you can see the church of the village of Otradnoye (formerly Golyazhye), from which the sailor Nikolai Zentsov who died on the Diamond was from:

Bryansk sailor from the Diamond

An article from the magazine "Around the World" and a damaged original photo
from the archive of captain 2nd rank Mikhail Parovenko

During the war, many people from the village of Otradnoye, Bryansk region, went to the front. Not everyone returned from the war. Most of those who died defending our Motherland have graves on which grateful descendants lay fresh flowers. However, not all of our fallen fellow countrymen have an earthly grave.

From the “Book of Memory” (vol. 2, p. 259): “ZENTSOV Nikolai Illarionovich, sailor, Russian. Called up by the Bryansk RVC. Killed at sea 09.23.1944.”

Behind these short lines, neither the place nor the circumstances of the death of sailor Nikolai Zentsov are visible. Despite this place in the Kara Sea, where the ashes of our fellow countryman and his comrades in arms rest, are declared the coordinates of military glory (76 degrees 10 minutes north latitude and 87 degrees 45 minutes east longitude) and all warships passing through this point lower their flags, paying tribute to the heroic deeds of the sailors.

New life of a border guard

In May 1942, the patrol ship Diamond was sunk by German aircraft in the roadstead of the Iokang naval base.

Before the war, the Diamond was named PSK-303 (border patrol ship) and belonged to the NKVD Marine Border Guard. At that time it was the newest ship (it entered service in 1937). Possessing powerful weapons and high speed, it, like three identical twin patrol ships: “Ruby”, “Sapphire” and “Pearl”, became a thunderstorm for violators of the maritime borders of the Arctic on the eve of the war. With the beginning of the war, the “precious stone division” became part of the Northern Fleet and became the combat core of the Iokang naval base. The letters PSK were changed to SKR (patrol ship).

In the photo: Sea border guards. 1939. From left to right: M. Makhonkov, future commander of the Brilliant TFR, M. Parovenko, future commander of the Sapphire TFR, P. Khvedchun - commissar of the Rubin PSK, Konopelko - commander of the warhead-5 (electric group).

Already in the fall of 1942, the ship was raised from the bottom and put for repairs at plant No. 402 in Molotovsk (now Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region). When the Diamond was still under repair, a new team arrived on it, led by Senior Lieutenant M.V. Makhonkov. Probably, at the same time, Red Navy motorman Nikolai Zentsov also came to the patrol. Together with the plant's specialists, the new crew took an active part in the restoration of their ship. There was a lot of work. Only about 800 holes from fragments of German air bombs were counted. In addition, the stern of the ship was torn apart by the explosions of its own depth charges, which were triggered when the ship sank. Almost half of the ship's entire plating, more than half of the transverse and longitudinal bulkheads, and all machinery and mechanisms were replaced. In fact, the ship was rebuilt. The issue of restoring the Diamond was under special control and was even considered twice at meetings of the State Defense Committee, chaired by Stalin. The cost of restoring the patrol ship amounted to more than 7.5 million rubles!
On June 24, 1944, the Diamond came out of long-term repairs and re-entered service. After repairs, the weight of the ship increased by 62 tons. The armament also changed: 100-mm main-caliber guns remained, and instead of two 45-mm guns, three 37-mm automatic cannons, two 12.7-mm machine guns, as well as two bomb throwers and bomb releasers for depth charges were installed. The Diamond and its crew were ready for further battles. No one suspected that there were only three months left before the tragic death of the ship...

The second death of the Diamond

Convoy VD-1, named after its route: “Vilkitsky Strait - Dixon,” was formed in the early autumn of 1944. It included the transports “Komsomolsk”, “Kingisepp”, “Budeny” and “Revolutionary”. The SKR-29 “Brilliant” was also guarding the convoy along with six other patrol ships and minesweepers.
To intercept this convoy, the Germans deployed three of the six submarines of the Greif (Vulture) “wolf pack” operating in the Soviet Arctic. German attacks began from the very first day of ships moving from the Vilkitsky Strait. On September 21, the submarine U-711 fired six torpedoes at the convoy. Most of them did not work for unknown reasons, and one ended up in a drifting iceberg. However, the sailors of the convoy considered the powerful explosion, which lifted hundreds of ice fragments into the air, to be the explosion of one of the floating mines. The next day, the convoy was attacked by U-739 and U-957, but their salvos also brought no results. There were only a few hours left before the tragedy.
The night fell on September 23rd. The submarine U-957 under the command of Lieutenant Gerd Schaar launched another attack on the convoy. The shot of the last remaining homing acoustic torpedo in the submarine, the Zaunkönig, turned out to be fatal for the Diamond.
This is how eyewitnesses testified to what happened. Former second mechanic of the steamship “Komsomolsk” N.A. Nosulya: “SKR-29 was on the right abeam of our ship at 150-200 meters. Suddenly, in the area of ​​the ship's forecastle, a column of orange-red flame burst out, illuminating everything around. The bow gun tore off its foundation and, turning over in the air, fell overboard. People were flying from the navigation bridge in different directions, arms and legs outstretched, along with the debris. For some moments the ship continued to follow its previous course, without losing momentum. But after a few seconds, clouds of steam poured out from the living quarters and the stern, and it began to slowly plunge with its bow into the water. Soon the Diamond became almost vertical, stern up. It remained in this state for several seconds, then there was a push, similar to the peck of a fishing float, and the ship sank about three-quarters of the hull, then another push - in a vertical position, the “Diamond” quickly disappeared under the water.”

Who is left alive?

To save the crew of the “Brilliant”, two patrol boats were left at the site of its torpedoing: “AM-120” under the command of Captain-Lieutenant Lysov (the next day he himself would die in battle, torpedoed by another German submarine) and the same type of “Brilliant” SRK “Rubin” .
B. Valinsky, former commander of the patrol ship Rubin, later recalled the circumstances of the death of the Diamond: “After the SKR-29 was torpedoed, the Brilliant sank in just a few minutes, so lowering the boats was out of the question. Indeed, “AM-120” was the first to approach the place of death of the patrol ship and... lifted one person from the water, who died right there on the deck.” No one could be saved. As it was then assumed, the entire crew of the Diamond died in the explosion.
However, a long time later it turned out that after the death of the Diamond there were still survivors. In 1961, Soviet hydrographers discovered on the coast of the Taimyr Peninsula the remains of a man in half-decayed American-made naval uniform, gnawed by Arctic foxes. Nearby lay empty cans of Lend-Lease biscuits, which were in the emergency supply (emergency reserve) of the lifeboats of Soviet ships. The researchers were helped by finding in his pocket a piece of newspaper with a report from the Sovinformburo (it was presumably used to determine the date of death of the sailor and linked him with the Diamond) and a folding knife with the inscription carved on the handle - “Rudenko Ivan S. 1925.” Have they really found the remains of the owner of the knife? No. It turned out that the sailor Ivan Rudenko did not die in the war and was still living in Leningrad at that time. During the war, he studied at the Solovetsky school of cabin boys, and upon graduation he exchanged knives with his friend Alexei Stakhanov, originally from the village of Rakovo, Kursk region. Red Navy man A. Stakhanov was a signalman in the crew of the Diamond. It was his remains that were found by hydrographers. Probably, when the ship was torpedoed, Alexey was on watch on the upper deck, which is why he was able to survive the explosion. He had enough strength to use a boat or life raft to finally reach solid ground. But the places around were wild and uninhabited. Help didn't come...
Then there were other finds related to the dead guard. In the early 70s, a lifebuoy from the Diamond and the remains of a military boat were found in the Kara Sea on the Pakhtusov Islands. Were any of the crew of the Diamond able to reach these islands on it? Could our fellow countryman Nikolai Zentsov be among them? Not known. Since Zentsov was a mechanic and was on duty in the internal compartments of the ship, he did not have many chances to escape immediately after torpedoing.
These finds made it possible to confirm another version of the circumstances of the death of the Diamond crew. As navigator V.A. Dementyev and some other sailors testified, after the explosion, two half-submerged boats remained on the water, containing up to twenty people. However, when the lifeboat was able to approach those in distress, it could only find one half-submerged boat with a frozen sailor. Where did the second boat go? Were the sailors able to pump out the water and escape to the saving shores?

Following the death of border guard sailors

The death of the Brilliant and AM-120 patrol aircraft was not in vain. All convoy transports loaded with strategic materials reached their destination port. Soon, German submarines were forced to leave the Soviet Arctic. Two dead patrol ships were the last losses of the Northern Fleet from enemy submarines in the war...
Bryansk is located far from the Arctic seas, however, in our country, researchers continue to study the history of the military operations of the border guard sailors of the Arctic, including the Diamond, decades after the death of this patrol ship.
Moreover, not only historians or search engines in the Bryansk region are engaged in this noble cause. So, in 2004, Kursk criminologists recreated a portrait of Alexei Stakhanov, who survived the sinking of his ship. The relatives did not have any other photographs of the sailor. Only 60 years after the death of the sailor, his brother, other relatives and fellow villagers were able to see the appearance of their fellow countryman-hero captured on paper.
Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to find photographs of Nikolai Zentsov. There is little other information about our fellow countryman. It is known that Nikolai was born in the village of Golyazhye in 1917. Even before the war in 1938 (according to other sources in 1939) he was called up for military service by the Bryansk military registration and enlistment office. Moreover, in the personal registration cards that were also included in the Memorial OBD, the village of Golyazhye of the Khetylevsky Village Council of the Oryol Region appears. It has already become clear that an error crept into the name of the Khotylevsky village council, which then included Golyazhye (now Otradnoe). In addition, Nikolai’s registration documents indicate: “from the workers, single, non-party member.” His mother Alexandra Nikolaevna and sister Anastasia Illarionovna remained at home to wait for him. He served on the Brilliant as a motor mechanic in the bilge crew.
The Zentsovs are a common surname in Otradny and the Bryansk region. Perhaps relatives, neighbors or acquaintances of Nikolai Illarionovich will respond, who will be able to complement the story about their fellow countryman, who defended the Arctic during the war. Thus, the story of the feat of the Bryansk sailor and his comrades will become more complete.

Grigory KOZHURIN,
"Bryansk Crossroads", No. 24 (607) dated June 20, 2012 (with changes)

Thanks to Yu. Bocharova for restoring the 1939 photograph.

After the war, he was the head of the organizational and mobilization department of the Kola defensive region of the Northern Fleet. From 1946 to 1947 he was a student of the highest Order of Lenin special officer classes of the USSR Navy in Leningrad. From 1947 to 1949 he served as naval commandant of the port of Odessa and the water district. In 1949 he was appointed head of the Odessa Regional Military Training Center. Since 1952, he was the head of the naval inspection of the USSR Navy Auxiliary Fleet Directorate in Moscow. In 1961, he retired with the rank of captain 1st rank.
For many years of impeccable service to the Motherland, Andrey Andreevich Kosmenyuk was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner, Orders of the Patriotic War of the 1st and 2nd degrees, the Order of the Red Star, medals “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic”, “For Military Merit”, “For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, with many anniversary medals. After retirement, he lived in Moscow and worked in various ministries and departments in engineering and technical positions.
Andrei Andreevich died in 1991 and was buried at the Khovanskoye cemetery. On September 23, 1944, senior lieutenant M.B. Makhonkov died heroically while performing a combat mission with a ship in the Kara Sea (torpedoed by the submarine U-957 seventy miles from Middendorf Bay). Posthumously awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree.

On June 26, 2009, Russian border guards celebrated a significant event - the launching of a new border patrol ship of Project 22460 (code “Okhotnik”), called “Rubin”. Often this vessel is simply called “Project 22460”. The launch took place at the facilities of the Almaz shipbuilding company in St. Petersburg. This vessel was ordered by the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation. On November 13, 2009, it passed state tests and was accepted into the ranks of the Black Sea-Azov PU. Today we will get to know this ship in more detail and find out how it differs from its predecessors.

Purpose

The tasks of the Project 22460 ship include:

1. Protection of borders and territorial waters.
2. Protection of the continental shelf.
3. Emergency rescue work.
4. Environmental control.
5. Elimination of consequences of natural disasters.

In addition, a ship of this class can combat maritime piracy and terrorism. Officially, it is classified as a border patrol ship of the second rank.

Construction

Thanks to the high quality of preparation and technical documentation developed by Severnoye PKB, high rates of construction of the vessel were ensured. Its construction took a little over two years. This design bureau actively uses the FORAN system in its developments, which allows for three-dimensional design. The system has been actively used for surface combat vessels since 1998. Previously, there were no analogues of the Project 22460 ship in Russia.

Peculiarities

The main distinguishing feature of the Rubin vessel is the presence of a takeoff and landing pad for a light helicopter. A hangar can be equipped for it on the ship. It's amazing that all this fits on a ship with a displacement of up to 700 tons. For example, the Swedish ship Visby, of similar displacement, which has long been considered the smallest combat vessel, can only boast of having a helicopter on board, without a hangar.

The most important feature of the ship is that it has an inclined slip on which a high-speed inflatable boat can be installed. Such boats are used, for example, to deliver searchers to a ship that has violated certain rules. 2 boats and a helicopter on board greatly expand the capabilities of the vessel.

The Project 22460 patrol ship is also distinguished by a high level of modernization resource. Thanks to the use of three-dimensional modeling technologies at all stages of design, the developers were able to place mechanisms and systems in the case as rationally as possible. This ensures high maintainability and the possibility of rapid modernization. The Project 22460 vessel looks very modern. Its appearance embodies stealth technologies. Visibility in all radiation ranges is minimal, as is the level of physical fields.

The designers took into account that the vessel will be operated in different climatic conditions. The maximum it is capable of is working in broken ice no more than 200 mm thick.

Armament

The ship is armed with one six-barreled AK-630 artillery mount of 30 mm caliber and two Kord machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber. If necessary (for example, in the case of military mobilization), it provides for the installation of Uran anti-ship missile launchers, the firing range of which reaches 130 km.

Seaworthiness

Already during the first tests it became clear that the vessel has very good seaworthiness. The German MTU engine, which is equipped with the Project 22460 border ship, is considered the best in its class. Together with the successful design of the hull contours, it allows the vessel to maintain a decent speed for a long period of time. With waves of 4-5 points, it is about 25 knots. In the absence of waves, the ship can reach a speed of 30 knots. At the same time, the ship’s run-out from full speed to “stop” is about two and a half hundred meters. And for the ship to go from full forward to full reverse, it takes only 90 seconds.

Control

The controllability of the vessel is at a very high level. The circulation diameter at full speed is 4.5 ship lengths. A minute is enough for him to turn 360 degrees. When turning, a thruster is used. At speeds of up to 5 knots (at low speeds), the vessel is controlled using a special joystick. An important parameter is the ability to hold the ship at one point. This is very convenient for rescue and inspection operations.

Another significant advantage of the Rubin ships was their automation class. Thanks to the modern TRIMS bridge system, the developers managed to bring the level of automation to class A1. This made it possible to reduce the number of crew on watch in the guardhouse to three people. At the same time, they will be able to control all systems and mechanisms of the vessel. Of course, each crew member must be a professional.

Living conditions

The Project 22460 patrol ship has very comfortable living conditions. There is even a sauna and swimming pool. The crew is accommodated in comfortable block cabins with ergonomic furniture. Each cabin has a private bathroom with shower and air conditioning. A desalination plant operates to provide the vessel with fresh water. Hot water is supplied around the clock.

The video surveillance system allows you to record all actions inside the ship and, for example, monitor the approach and landing of helicopters.

Big Brothers

The vessels created by Severny Design Bureau have long proven themselves to be positive among Russian border guards. Back in 1983, the first PSKR project 11351 (code “Nereus”) became part of the KGB PV of the USSR. This series of vessels was intended to protect an economic zone with a length of 200 miles, based on the lead ship of Project 1135. Thanks to the abandonment of the anti-submarine missile system, the designers were able to place a hangar on the deck in which the Ka-27PS search and rescue helicopter was permanently based. In general, the Project 11351 vessels turned out to be very successful: high seaworthiness, strong weapons, and operability in almost any conditions. Project 22460 "Okhotnik" ships will primarily protect the territorial waters of the Russian Federation.

Origin of the name

The tradition of giving frontier gems began in the early twentieth century and was continued after World War II. In the mid-70s, a series of Project 1124P vessels were built specifically for the border troops. It included such ships as “Emerald”, “Pearl”, “Amethyst” and others. When the question arose about the name of the new ship of the reviving border fleet, it was decided to continue the old tradition.

Service and prospects

The Project 22460 border patrol ship (code “Okhotnik”) has been serving in the vast Black Sea since 2010. In 2014, he took part in the waters during the Olympic Games in Sochi. According to the latest data from the Russian FSB border service, project 22460 will be implemented by at least 25 patrol vessels. Following the lead “Rubin”, several more vessels of the project were built. The first of them was “Diamond”. It was launched on November 25, 2011. After a series of tests and completion, the ship went to serve as part of the Caspian Border Department.

In May 2012, two vessels were laid down for this project - “Sapphire” and “Coral”. This time construction was organized at the Vostochnaya Verf enterprise. Meanwhile, by July 2014, the Almaz plant built two more ships - Zhemchug and Izumrud. At the moment, construction of several more vessels is underway as part of the state order “Project 22460 “Okhotnik””. The developers and builders of the Rubin ship and subsequent ships of the project are confident that the ships will bear their names with honor.

Conclusion

Today we learned what the Project 22460 patrol ship is. Summarizing the above, it is worth noting that the Rubin and subsequent ships of the project are border patrol vessels of the second rank, which can be classified as small corvettes. They are designed to protect state borders, carry out rescue and emergency operations, environmental control and eliminate the consequences of natural disasters.

The Project 22460 ship differs from its predecessors not only in its updated weapons, but also in its increased functionality. It maneuvers freely in seas of force 6 and can reach speeds of 30 knots. Thanks to the slipway at the stern, a speedboat can be launched from the ship. Well, thanks to the hangar located right on the deck, you can store and maintain a small but very useful helicopter. With all this, the relatively small ship offers very comfortable living and working conditions for seafarers. These are the new generation patrol ships.

A scarlet wreath of artificial flowers swings on a raft on a sharp leaden-blue swell. In the autumn season, you can no longer find real flowers in these harsh regions... 76°09’02 "north latitude,...

A scarlet wreath of artificial flowers swings on a raft on a sharp leaden-blue swell. In the autumn season, you can no longer find real flowers in these harsh regions... 76°09’02″ north latitude, 87°47′ east longitude – “glory coordinates”. Passing this point in space, each ship flying the Russian flag is obliged to stop its progress, line up the crew on the quarterdeck, lay a wreath on the water and lower the flag to the middle of the topmast - in memory of the sailors who have been resting under these waves for the eighth decade...

In the autumn of '44, a modest border guard with tail number 29, "Diamond", heroically died here in a battle with the enemy.

“Wreath of Glory” on the waters of the Arctic.

The lines of the technical form, yellowed with time, are strict and brief: “The border patrol ship SKR-29 “Brilliant”, built according to the design of a basic minesweeper, is the second ship in a series of four units built at shipyard No. 190 in Leningrad for the naval units of the border guard of the NKVD troops . Laid down on October 19, 1934, launched on November 15, 1935, accepted into active service on December 18, 1936. On June 6, 1937, as a PSKR, he became part of the 1st patrol detachment of the Border Guard of the NKVD maritime border detachment in Murmansk. The ship's commander is Lieutenant Commander B. Chernyshev...

From the memoirs of retired captain 1st rank B.I. Chernyshev:

I took Diamond in January 1938. It was built by our wonderful Komsomol members, and it was listed as a youth ship... It was a well-armed, high-speed ship of the BTShch type for that time. A raised forecastle, providing good seaworthiness for the modest size of the ship, a flat poop, spreading low over the water. On the forecastle there is a gun with a long barrel - a universal rapid-fire “weaving”, in addition, three 37-mm machine guns and six machine guns... Not enough, it seems? But it’s quite enough for the border service; after all, we can’t fight battleships if anything happens. Navigation equipment was modern for those years: a gyrocompass, the latest radio direction finder, an electrolag. Electric steering... Wonderful ship!

SKR-29 "Diamond" at the pier in Yokanga.

The first war for the Diamond, manned by a Komsomol crew, was the Finnish one. The tasks of the patrol ship are to guide transport convoys along sea communications, anti-submarine and air defense of naval formations, patrolling territorial waters... Thanks to the shallow draft of the minesweeper, the Diamond even took part in the landing operation in Liinakhamari. He came almost close to the shore, took a position between two treacherous rocky shoals - where larger ships could not turn - and with artillery fire cleared a bridgehead from the enemy for the landing of marines...

At full speed - to the shore occupied by the enemy...

The Diamond was almost the first of the entire fleet to enter the battle with the Nazi Air Force. On May 30, 1941, the patrolman carried out routine border guard duty in the area of ​​Orloak Bay. The sea was deserted, low cumulus clouds were spreading over the horizon, a thunderstorm was gathering... At 20:25, an observer on the bridge of the Diamond noticed a winged shadow falling out of a thick thundercloud ahead of them... An airplane! The pilot did not respond to signals that his course was violating the state border, and without hesitation, he invaded the airspace of the USSR. Combat instructions order in such cases to fire a warning shot - and “Brilliant” unsheathed its anti-aircraft guns...

And the plane, carefully turning around... went into a dive. And the ringing sound of a machine gun burst splashed across the superstructures! There's no time for warnings! Having transmitted a message to the base about a provocative attack, the Diamond opened defensive anti-aircraft fire. He didn’t shoot down the German, but he forced him to turn away from the combat course.

That day, during a combat patrol, the patrolman was subjected to attempted demonstrative air attacks twice more. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the crew. The reader could probably ask the question why the malicious air gunner was not simply destroyed... But war had not yet been declared, the Non-Aggression Pact was in force between the USSR and Germany, and the maritime border guards were restrained by a strict order not to succumb to provocations. To shoot down someone else's plane, even over your own territorial waters, is obviously to run the risk of acting as the instigator of hostilities that were not previously included in the plans of the Supreme Command.

The patrol aircraft "Groza", which also patrolled the state border in May 1941.

The Diamond met the morning of June 22, 1941 in its home port. At 3:50 a.m. the combat alarm sounded: hiding behind a foggy haze, a wave of German bombers was heading towards the city...

During the war with Finland, the detachment’s personnel not only vigilantly guarded the border, but also, together with the ships of the Northern Fleet, carried out patrol duty, escorted transports with troops, military cargo and food, and participated in air defense. The sailors of the border boats "Rubin" and "Brilliant" were involved in the naval operation - the capture of the port of Liinakhamari. It was December 2, 1939, when the Red Army was advancing on Pechenga. For military distinction, a large group of Red Navy men were awarded orders and medals. Among the recipients are the commander of the PSK-28 “Rubin”, senior lieutenant A. D. Shevardnadze, the commander of the PSK-29 “Brilliant”, captain-lieutenant B. I. Chernyshev and others.
The “precious stones” division did not escort the transport fleet, but carried out targeted reinforced anti-submarine patrol.
The distance from Murmansk to Arkhangelsk is more than four hundred and fifty miles, so it could be assumed in advance that the enemy would try to block at least one section of the busy caravan road. And, indeed, the patrol ship "Rubin", which received the task of going on combat patrol to the line Cape Svyatoy Nos - Cape Kanin Nos, on June 27 took note of a radiogram sent from the base, which reported that an enemy submarine had been spotted in the Lumbovsky Islands area. Of course, it had to be found and destroyed.
SKR-28 headed at full speed towards the coordinates indicated in the radiogram. Signalmen, artillerymen and miners peered intently at the water surface, waiting every minute for the appearance of a periscope or a torpedo trail. Finally, when approaching the Lumbov Islands, observer Chegodar discovered a submarine periscope directly along the bow of the ship on the left.
The commander of SKR-28, Senior Lieutenant Shevardnadze, ordered the helmsman to turn to the periscope and give the vehicles full speed ahead. The miners, foreman of the second article Bidnik and the Red Navy man Tsilenko, began dropping depth charges at the site of the fascist submarine’s dive. A few moments pass, and suddenly, after the explosion of the fourth bomb, a large column of water shot up behind the stern: almost the ninth wave of water covered the entire aft deck of the Rubin - the German boat, without any doubt, was destroyed. As for the caravan of ships, their movement interval was not violated and, in the end, all transports safely reached Arkhangelsk.
...It was the fourth week of the war.
The ship "Rubin" under the command of the permanent captain of the third rank A.D. Shevardnadze was on patrol on a well-studied route: Cape Svyatoy Nos - Cape Kanin Nos. The sea patrol did not seem to foretell imminent serious disturbances, but then the same vigilant posts of the coastal SNiS spotted some kind of submarine lying in the area of ​​the Lumbovsky Islands, drifting. It was again an enemy submarine - our submarines that day were far from the White Sea. The combat mission of the Rubin was formulated quite unambiguously: to search for and, having discovered an enemy submarine, destroy it.
The patrolman rushed to the indicated area. The ship's engines were working at maximum load: it seemed as if the water was parting with a roar in front of its stem. Arriving at the site of the fascist sea rookery, after a short search, the SKR-28 on the left side found the submarine in a cruising position. Turning around, "Rubin" boldly went to ram, although the enemy could have stopped it with accurate artillery fire. But the duel did not work out: the German submarine, having fired only two salvos from its guns, sank into the abyss at the signal of the howler's urgent dive. However, the depth in the area of ​​the Lumbov Islands was not sufficient for complex underwater maneuvers, and the submarine was unable to escape from the search ship. After the patrolman dropped depth charges, a lot of debris and objects surfaced, indicating that the Rubin had fully complied with the order, adding another German submarine to the combat account of the “gem” division.

The information is unreliable!
According to official information, none of the border ships took part in battles with enemy submarines and did not sink them. During the entire war in the North in 1943 and 1944, only 2 German boats were sunk and border ships had nothing to do with this.

Armament

Artillery according to the project

• 2 x 1 102 mm AU;
• 2 x 1 45 mm semi-automatic 21K;
• 2 x 1 12.7 mm DShK machine guns.

Mine-anti-submarine weapons

• 2 bomb releasers for GB, 20 depth charges;
• 31 mine arr. 1926 (in overload).

Same type ships

Border patrol ship SKR-29 "Brilliant"- the second ship in a series of four units built at shipyard No. 190 in Leningrad for the naval units of the border guard of the NKVD troops. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, it was transferred to the Northern Fleet of the USSR Navy. He died while guarding convoy VD-1 in September 1944 as a result of an attack by the German submarine U-957.

Construction

The ship was laid down on October 19, 1934 at plant No. 190 in Leningrad (serial number S-484), launched on November 5, 1935, the certificate of acceptance of the ship by the customer was signed on December 18, 1936.

Combat service

The ship entered service on June 6, 1937 and, as a PSKR, became part of the 1st SOPS MPO NKVD Murmansk PA. On June 23, 1941, the detachment became part of the Northern Fleet.

During the period from August 26 to December 30, 1941, the SKR-29 “Brilliant” was on combat patrol for 91 days.

In May 1942, the SKR-29 "Brilliant", together with the ships "Rubin", "Breeze", "Iceberg", as well as the destroyers of the Northern Fleet, received the allied convoy R-16 in the North Cape area and escorted it to Arkhangelsk.

First death

On May 12, 1942, three Ju-88 bombed the Yokanga naval base, the bombs exploded near the side of the TFR, and several holes appeared in it, the superstructures caught fire, but the fire was soon extinguished. While the TFR was being towed to the shore, depth charges exploded on it and the ship sank. 13 people were killed and 46 were injured.

Lifting, repair and commissioning

The operation to raise the TFR by the emergency rescue service of the Northern Fleet began on September 12, 1942, the work was headed by Lieutenant Commander L.K. Birger is the head of the technical department of the Yokanga base. On September 25, 1942, the Diamond was raised and put to drying.

From March 1943 to June 1944, it underwent a major overhaul in Molotovsk at plant No. 402 and on June 20, 1944 it went back into operation.

Last Stand

On the night of September 23, 1944, the ship was guarding the VD-1 convoy, which was heading to the island. Dixon. Sank in the Kara Sea (w = 76° 10 ; d = 87°45) as a result of a torpedo attack by the German submarine U-957.

Ship commanders

• From 1939 (1938?) to 1940 - Lieutenant Commander B.I. Chernyshev (B.G. Chernyshev?)
• WITH? to May 1942 - ? A.A. Kosmenyuk
• Since August 24, 1943 - senior lieutenant M.B. Makhonkov

Perpetuation of memory

On September 23, 1943, the assistant commander for political affairs of the patrol ship SKR-29 "Brilliant", senior political instructor Pavel Vasilyevich Ponomarenko, who heroically died along with the ship during an enemy air raid on the Yokanga naval base on May 12, 1942, was forever included in the list of personnel of the Yokanga naval base.

By a joint order of the chief of troops of the North-Western Border District and the commander of the Red Banner Northern Fleet, the commander of the Northern Fleet dated June 26, 1966, the place of death of the SKR-29 "Brilliant" (68 o 45 "north latitude, 42 o 55" west longitude) was declared the coordinates of military glory.

Ship in art

In 1985, at the Mosfilm film studio, director Rudolf Fruntov, based on a script by Alexei German and Svetlana Karmalita, filmed the film “Once Upon a Brave Captain,” in which the ships SKR-29 “Memory of Ruslan” and SKR-30 “Beast” appear, the prototypes of which were The patrol ships “Brilliant” and “Sapphire” took their turn.