As I already said, every year, after completing classroom training, cadets from various courses at the school were sent to the country’s fleets to undergo shipboard practice (for final year cadets this was an internship). Teacher-officers from different departments and combat officers of cadet battalions were appointed as supervisors of the cadets' shipboard practice (or their internship). During my service at the school, I had to serve in this role twice (at the beginning of my service in June 1971 and two years before its completion, in August 1983).
June 1971... I was appointed one of the leaders of the internship of a group of graduate cadets in the Northern Fleet (almost a hundred people). Four years of their studies at our school have passed. All of them were awarded the rank of midshipman. After the school graduates returned from their internship in early July 1971, the first graduation of naval political workers was supposed to take place. In the Northern Fleet, they had to undergo training on the ships of those formations to which they were already assigned.
I arrived at the school in October 1969. The discipline “CRT and EOC” was taught in the second year, graduates of 1971 were already in the 3rd year at that time. Therefore, I was not very familiar with them. I remember that the senior group of trainees in the Northern Fleet was the foreman of their company. I remember a few stories...
At the beginning of June we went to the Northern Fleet by train (in my opinion, it was a direct Kyiv-Murmansk train, running only in the summer). There were few passengers on the train. The graduate cadets were located in one of the reserved seat carriages, the internship supervisors were located in the compartment carriage. In the morning, on the day the train arrived in Murmansk, I was invited to his place... by the director of the train restaurant:
– Yesterday, several of your cadets in the restaurant took cognac, vodka, several bottles of wine, then they, how can I tell you... “rested” all night together with our waitresses... I understand... The guys are young... But for some reason they don’t want to pay for the wine ... And besides, they broke dishes and ashtrays... I don’t want you to get into trouble, but we need to somehow resolve this issue...
– How much does it cost to resolve this “issue”?
The director told me the amount... I don’t remember exactly how much it was - at that time it was quite an impressive figure, indicating that my charges had a very good “rest”...
I called the foreman of our group, spoke about the situation and offered the participants of the “vacation” to pay for a “pleasant night spent”... The answer of the foreman of the group, to put it mildly, amazed and puzzled me:
- But they don’t have money... So they will come to the North, ask their “wives” (?!) to send them money and then pay...
We were approaching Murmansk. It was necessary to avoid a scandal... I thought about the honor of our school, and about my role in the eyes of the command: for the first time they were entrusted with managing the internship of school graduates and allowed them to act in such a disgraceful manner (in the navy, managers are always to blame)...
- Fine. I'll pay for them now. When we return, take the money from them and return it to me...
End of June... We are returning to Kyiv... Train Murmansk - Kyiv... We are already approaching Leningrad... No one is going to return my money... I call the foreman of the group:
- So what about the money I paid “for the pleasure” of your comrades?
- They have no money... They said that their wives sent them money, but they... Spent it.
- ?!?!?!.. So this is it... Either you bring me the money in half an hour, or upon returning to Kyiv I immediately report this case to the head of the school. Then I’m not sure whether everything will go well for you and your comrades with graduation...
After 15 minutes, the foreman returned to me in the compartment and handed me a cap, in which, apparently, that exact amount was lying in different bills (and coins!)... It must be assumed that the cap was “passed around” to help the bankrupt ones (in every sense! ) classmates...
Upon arrival at the Northern Fleet, the trainee graduates of the school were divided into two groups: one of them trained in Polyarny (I was the leader of this group), the other at the main base in Severomorsk. If my memory serves me correctly, besides me, the supervisors of the internship were captain 2nd rank V.A. Kuzmin (senior lecturer of the department of party political work) and captain 1st rank G.S. Major (Senior Lecturer at the Department of Tactics and Combat Weapons of the Fleet). In Polyarny, school graduates were assigned to their internship sites, and I was offered a place at one of the floating workshops. The internship of the first graduates was short-lived. Already on June 29, the date of their departure from the Northern Fleet was set (I think that this was due to the fact that already in the first days of July their graduation from the school was supposed to take place in the presence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S.G. Gorshkov).
Internship for a group of final year cadets in the Northern Fleet.
In the left photo – standing third from the right is engineer-captain 3rd rank V. Levitsky;
on the right - in anticipation of the distribution of graduates among internship sites.
Polar, June 1971.
During the internship of school graduates in Polyarny, I had to solve various organizational issues, for which I had to visit Severomorsk quite often (the message was not bad - a Meteor-type hydrofoil boat was cruising). In Severomorsk, I was still a cadet in the summer of 1954 during shipboard practice on the cruiser Zheleznyakov (I wrote about this in the book of my memoirs, “Six Years Under the Spire...”). Almost 20 years have passed... I don’t remember being struck by big changes in the city itself... But the fleet has already become different, missile-carrying, ocean-going...
During one of my trips to Severomorsk, I met my college classmate, captain 2nd rank engineerVolodya Raspopov(he served at the headquarters of the Northern Fleet). I still remember with pleasure our meeting and the warm welcome in his family (Lucy, Volodya’s wife, invited me to stay with them every time I was in Severomorsk)…
I really regretted that I was not able to see my cousin Irina and her husband Eric Kovalev (we had previously agreed on this opportunity in connection with my arrival “to such remote places”). Captain 1st rankEric Alexandrovich Kovalevat that time he served in Gadzhievo (nuclear submarines were based there, he was the commander of one of them).
Captain 1st Rank Erik Aleksandrovich Kovalev... Graduated with a gold medal from the First Baltic Higher Naval School... A famous submariner, sailor, as they say, “from God”, since 1965 - commander of the K-19 SSBN, in 1967 - commander of a nuclear submarine cruiser strategic purpose Project 667A K-207 (in October 1969, the K-207 SSBN dived to the maximum depth of 400 meters for the first time in the history of the Soviet Navy), participant in six long-term autonomous campaigns for combat service, author of wonderful books about submariners and the history of the submarine fleets of Tsarist Russia and Soviet Union…
Captain 1st Rank Erik Aleksandrovich Kovalev and SSBN Project 667 A.
Northern Fleet, 1971.
Irina wrote to me that Eric went to military service, and she and her little son Vadik went to Leningrad to visit their mother...
I met Eric Kovalev several years later, when he was already serving in Leningrad - sharing his knowledge and experience with submarine officers at the Higher Special Command Classes of the Navy... I am proud of this acquaintance...
My charges in Polyarny did not cause me much trouble. Periodically, I checked their completion of internship assignments by visiting the ships to which they were assigned. At the same time, I myself studied the features of operating electrical equipment of ships and submarines of various projects (this was planned by my head of the department).
June 29, 1971... The day of departure of our trainees (I ordered tickets for the Murmansk-Kyiv train, so I remember this date well). The day before, the Head of the base's political department gathered all the graduates of our school who were interning on ships in Polyarny, summed up the results of the internship, and expressed many kind words and wishes. I wrote a note to one of the interns (he was the senior of our group), in which I asked him to respond and thank the base command for the warm welcome and good organization of the internship...
The train from Murmansk departed in the middle of the day, somewhere around 14:00. Early in the morning, from Polyarny, our group was taken in tow to Severomorsk, from where, on another large tug, the school trainees of both groups were supposed to go to Murmansk. In Severomorsk, the higher command (I think, at the level of the Political Directorate of the Northern Fleet) decided to hold a general summation of the results of the internship of school graduates in the Officers' House on the very day of our departure. And although the train's departure time was known, the meeting dragged on. I had to be pretty nervous. Finally, everyone boarded a tug and set off for Murmansk. They seemed to have time... But in Murmansk the unexpected happened: the captain of the tugboat was unable to moor to the pier opposite the railway station the first time (there was little space on the pier, and he was unable to moor with a log). The tug turned around and made a second attempt... I told our leaders that in any case I would go ashore and try to warn the station duty officer about the possible delay of our large group... The tug buried its nose in the pier, I, without waiting for our trainees to unload, jumped onto the pier and ran to the station... There was very little time left before the train departed... Having reached the station (it was located on a hill from which both the bay and the piers were clearly visible), I turned around - the tugboat was once again turning around in the bay... It became clear that by the time of departure The cadets don't catch the train. I found the station duty officer and began to beg her to delay the departure of the train for a few minutes... “I can’t do anything... Run to the train driver and negotiate with him...” the duty officer answered. He ran to the locomotive, briefly explained the situation to the driver, and began to persuade him to delay the departure...
The spring and summer of 1944 brought the joy of many victories over the Nazi invaders. The liberation of Odessa and Sevastopol caused particular rejoicing among the North Sea residents. Among the sailors, a fundraiser began to raise funds for the restoration of the city of sea glory - Sevastopol.
Important events also took place in the life of the submarine brigade during this period. At the end of March, the S-56 submarine was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and on April 10, the first holders of the Order of Naval Glory appeared in the brigade. The Order of Ushakov, II degree, was awarded to the brigade commander, Captain 1st Rank I. A. Kolyshkin; Order of Nakhimov II degree - captains 2nd rank M. P. Avgustinovich, I. F. Kucherenko and G. I. Shchedrin. Medals named after the famous Russian naval commanders were received by chief petty officers F. Kudryashov and G. Sorokin, foremen of the 2nd article N. Fadeev and V. Sidorov, senior sailor I. Shevkunov, sailor I. Bazanov and other brave submariners who participated in many military campaigns. On June 22, 1944, a monument to submarine heroes who died in battles for their Motherland was unveiled in Polyarny. At a meeting dedicated to this event, the sailors vowed to mercilessly destroy the fascist invaders and to bring the long-awaited hour of victory over the enemy closer with new military successes.
In May, the submarines S-15, S-56, S-103 and M-201 actively operated on enemy communications.
"M-201" boldly attacked a transport stationed at the pier of the village of Malvik (near Cape Makkaur). In the same area, “S-15” opened its combat account (commander-lieutenant commander G.K. Vasiliev). On May 29, “S-103” (commander captain 3rd rank N.P. Nechaev) attacked three minesweepers with four torpedoes, two of them sank.
In the summer of 1944, many submarines distinguished themselves. On June 20, “S-104” (commander captain 2nd rank V.A. Turaev) in the Kongsfjord area received a radiogram about the convoy leaving Kirkenes and headed towards it. Her attack ended with great success - with four torpedoes she sank a transport, a patrol ship and a minesweeper. For this brilliant success, the entire crew of the boat received high government awards. The political department of the brigade issued a special leaflet on this occasion, “Glory to the Winners!”, which spoke about the military valor and skill of the S-104 personnel. It ended with the call: “Comrade submariners! The hot time for decisive battles has come. Now we cannot waste a single day, not a single minute, all our strength, all our skills - on searching and destroying enemy transports and ships!”
On July 9, another operation of submarines and reconnaissance aircraft began on enemy communications. By July 12, the submarines L-15, Shch-402, S-56, S-14 and M-200 were deployed off the Norwegian coast. Two days later, a reconnaissance plane discovered a fascist convoy in the Magereysund Strait. It consisted of 6 transports, 10 ships and 11 boats. Three submarines received radio messages about the movement of the convoy and went out to intercept it.
On the morning of July 15, the convoy was successively attacked by the submarines S-56 (in the area of Cape Harbacken) and M-200 (in the Persfjord area). Then a group of torpedo boats attacked it ("TKA-12", "TKA-13", "TKA-238", "TKA-239", "TKA-240", "TKA-241", "TKA-242" and "TKA-243") led by the division commander, Captain 2nd Rank V.N. Alekseev. It was covered by four fighters. Having discovered the convoy at Bekfjord, the boats, under the cover of a smokescreen, rushed towards it to attack its center. However, having encountered strong opposition from high-speed patrol boats, they changed the direction of attack - they came from the tail of the convoy. In this battle, the enemy lost 3 transports and several escort ships. "TKA-239" (commander senior lieutenant V.D. Yurchenko) went on the attack on its own (before that it was busy destroying the enemy driftboat). The enemy managed to sink the boat with strong artillery fire.
The crew of the S-103 achieved significant success in their fifth combat campaign. On August 23, the boat sank an enemy tanker. On August 28, Captain 3rd Rank N.P. Nechaev received a radiogram about the movement of another enemy convoy. The calculations made by the navigator showed the possibility of meeting him at Cape Harbacken, but for this it was necessary to go at maximum speed. Then the commander took a risk, deciding to force the minefield at periscope depth. As always, the first to notify of the enemy’s approach was the acoustician foreman of the 2nd article N. S. Berezovsky. The commander raised the periscope: in room 80. a convoy of two transports and four escort ships was coming from the boat, and an airplane was hanging in the air. The boat began to approach. Having reached the calculated salvo point, she fired four torpedoes one after another. A minute and a half later, three explosions were clearly heard in the compartments. The enemy's transport and patrol ship did not reach their destination.
Underwater minelayers were active throughout the year. "L-20" made six combat missions to lay mines off the enemy's coast. The new crew of this boat, headed by Captain 3rd Rank E.N. Alekseev, who arrived from the Pacific Fleet, quickly got used to the situation in the Northern Sea Theater and significantly increased the ship’s military glory.
With a new crew, the boat went to sea on June 11. She was seen off by the commander and head of the political department of the brigade, and sailors from other boats. According to good tradition, the commander of the same type "L-15", captain 3rd rank V.I. Komarov, wished Alekseev military success and handed over the mooring lines. An experienced submariner, division commander, Captain 2nd Rank M. P. Avgustinovich, took part in the campaign.
On June 14, on a busy communications section near the island of Rohlsey, the L-20 laid mines, on which the next day a fascist transport of 7 thousand gross tons was blown up and sank.
At the end of June, the boat again went to sea to lay mines. Another enemy transport sank at this minefield.
Underwater minelayers "L-15" and "L-22" also carried out several minelaying on enemy communications.
In September, the fleet was preparing to defeat the enemy in the Arctic. In accordance with the general plan of the Petsamo-Kirkenes offensive operation, it was planned to strengthen the actions of the North Sea troops on the enemy’s sea communications. During the preparation period and during the operation, from September 15 to October 31, the submarines made 17 combat cruises. “S-14”, “S-15”, “S-51”, “S-56”, “S-101”, “S-102”, “S-104”, “Shch” took part in the final battles in the North -402", "M-171", "L-15", "L-20", "V-2", "V-3" and "V-4". This was the most intense period in the combat activities of Northern Fleet submarines in 1944.
Kovalev Eric Aleksandrovich was born in Moscow on July 18, 1931 in the family of the commander of the RKKF. The son of captain 1st rank Alexander Semenovich Kovalev, who began serving as a cabin boy on submarines of the Baltic Fleet in 1914.
Since 1923, his father was the commissar of the Wolf submarine, then until 1926, the commissar of the submarine brigade of the Baltic Sea Naval Forces. Next - a student of the command department of the Naval Academy, the USSR naval attaché in Japan. As an officer at the headquarters of the Baltic Fleet, he died in August 1941 during the transition from Tallinn to Kronstadt.
He spent his childhood and school years (up to 5th grade) at his father’s place of service in Moscow, Tokyo, and Leningrad. I was evacuated to Astrakhan and Samarkand.
In 1949, Kovalev E.A. graduated from the Leningrad Nakhimov Naval School with a gold medal, then – three courses at the VVMU named after M.V. Frunze (Stalin scholarship holder) and transferred to the First Baltic Higher Naval School to become a submariner, from which he graduated with a gold medal in August 1953.
Lieutenant Kovalev E.A. was appointed commander of the torpedo group of the submarine S-154 of the Baltic Fleet. Since November 1954, he has been the commander of the mine, torpedo and artillery combat unit of the submarine S-166 BF.
In 1956, he graduated with honors from the Special Courses for Officers at the Baltic Higher Naval School of Underwater Diving and, with the rank of senior lieutenant, was appointed commander of the mine-torpedo warhead of the cruising nuclear submarine K-14 of Project 627A of the Northern Fleet.
Since July 1958, he has been assistant commander of the cruising nuclear submarine Project 645 K-27 SF, lieutenant commander.
In 1960, he completed training at the 16th Navy Training Center. The military rank of captain 3rd rank was awarded in 1961.
Since December 1962 - senior assistant commander of the cruising nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) of Project 658 K-40 SF.
In 1964 he graduated with honors from the command faculty of the Higher Special Officer Classes of the Navy.
Since July 1964 - senior assistant commander of the Project 658M K-19 SF SSBN, captain 2nd rank.
In September 1965, he was appointed commander of the K-19 SSBN of the Northern Fleet.
Since February 1967 - commander of the Project 667A K-207 strategic nuclear submarine cruiser of the Northern Fleet.
In 1968 he completed his studies at the 93rd Naval Training Center. Awarded the rank of captain 1st rank.
Approved for independent control of nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles of projects 658M and 667A.
Cold War veteran at sea. During his service as a floating member of the Navy, he continuously participated in the development of submarines of five new projects, four of them nuclear, as well as new radio engineering and navigation weapons, torpedo and missile weapons.
In 1967, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star for the development of new weapons and military equipment (the Sigma navigation system and the first missile system for firing from under water, D-4).
Gained extensive experience in combat patrols as part of the Naval Strategic Nuclear Forces and in combat duty in areas where submarines are dispersed on the surface and underwater at anchor.
Participant of six long-term autonomous combat tours as commander of an SSBN and a tactical group of submarine nuclear-powered missile cruisers. He mastered the navigation areas of the Baltic Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the North-West and North-East Atlantic.
Has significant experience in the use of practical weapons: – various types of torpedoes and ballistic missiles.
In 1967, the K-19 fired R-21 missiles during an inspection by the General Staff of the USSR Armed Forces. The result is a prize from the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for excellent missile shooting.
In October 1969, for the first time in the history of the Soviet Navy, a serial SSBN K-207 dived to a maximum depth of 400 meters.
In the summer of 1971, for the first time after two years of transport tests, the K-207 fired R-27 missiles at two different targets. Both targets were hit with an “excellent” rating. The crew was awarded the prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for missile firing.
Since September 1973, Eric Aleksandrovich has been a senior lecturer, acting as head of the department of combat use of missile and artillery weapons of the Higher Special Command Classes of the Navy. He is the author of two textbooks on the combat use of missile weapons from submarines, 23 teaching aids, methods and guidelines. He participated in 11 research projects. During his service at the VSOC, the Navy trained and prepared hundreds of commanding submarine officers for practical activities.
Since 1989, Eric Alexandrovich has been in the Navy reserve.
In addition to the Order of the Red Star, he was awarded 12 state anniversary and departmental medals.
After retirement, he worked as an engineer at his department, then as chief power engineer at the Ruchi oil depot. Currently, senior researcher at the St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise “Museum of the History of Russian Submarine Forces named after A.I. Marinesko." Lives in St. Petersburg.
Throughout his life, E.A. Kovalev was interested in the history of Russian combat diving. The results of his research activities over the past 25 years were embodied in the books he created:
– “Knights of the Deep” (chronicle of the dawn of the Russian submarine), published in 2004.
– “Kings of the submarine in the sea of jacks of hearts” (a chronicle of the initial period of the Soviet submarine), published in 2006.
Eric Kovalev
ABYSS
Us into such crazy depths
They brought in dashing propellers,
That the dolphins turned pale with fear
And the whales died of envy!...
A. Sakseev
We got deep sea tests
When the lead submarine of a new series is preparing to enter service in the country's navy, it is subjected to full testing. One of the most important tests is considered to be testing the strength of a submarine's robust hull by immersing the ship to the maximum design immersion depth.
The lead submarine, more precisely the lead strategic missile submarine cruiser (RPK SN) K-137 of Project 667A under the command of Captain 1st Rank Vadim Leonidovich Berezovsky, approached the line of deep-sea testing in 1967, when some circumstances were discovered. Here's how the ship's commander himself writes about them:
“...K-137, the lead submarine of Project 667A, on which I was the commander, was not allowed to test the maximum diving depth. And it's not our fault. The crew was well prepared. But the whole point is that our ship was handed over to the fleet with a “sore” that did not allow this to be done. A minor defect in the durable hull was discovered just before leaving the boathouse, when a more advanced method than fluoroscopy was introduced into practice for checking the defect-free nature of metal structures. The boat could be guaranteed to dive to the working depth, but this was not enough to go to the “limit”.
Hero of the Soviet Union Rear Admiral Vadim Leonidovich Berezovsky
I must admit, I didn’t feel much disappointment about this. You know, it’s one thing when, at one of the stages of construction, the boat is tested by pressure from the inside, and you are outside the durable hull and far from it, and quite another thing when you are inside, and the entire ocean swell presses with extreme pressure from the outside ... "
The management was faced with the question of assigning another submarine of the mentioned project to conduct deep-sea testing. The choice fell on the serial K-207 (sixth 667A project), which I had the honor of commanding since August 1967.
After the completion of intense tests, combining factory and state ones, at the very end of 1968, the fleet accepted the ship into its composition on December 30 of the same year, the cruiser until the summer of 1969 was at the outfitting wall of the plant, which, slowly, eliminated the flaws identified during the tests, allowed during construction. This is the “tradition” that Sudprom has developed.
When the boat arrived at its permanent base in Yagelnaya Bay, the command set us the task of being ready to go on combat patrols in the Atlantic by the fall. At the same time, it ordered the boat to be prepared for deep-sea testing, which was planned for September of the same year. Preparation for the tests was carried out during testing and passing tests on course tasks, and in September 1969 the ship entered the first line, that is, it acquired the highest degree of readiness for combat use.
Project 667A strategic missile submarine in the ocean
Preparation for testing
Employee of the Rubin design bureau V.I. Efremov recalls:
“In accordance with the joint decision of the SME and the Navy No. 334127 of August 5, 1969, a commission was appointed to prepare and conduct a deep-sea dive to the maximum depth of the Project 667A submarine (serial number 400).
Vladimir Ivanovich Efremov
– from the enterprise mailbox A-7523 (LPMB “Rubin”) – Kovalev S.N., Rabkin G.R., Efremov V.I.,
– from VP 1059 MO and military unit 27177 – Milovsky I.D., Solomenko N.S.,
– from the enterprise mailbox B-8662 (Central Research Institute named after A.N. Krylov) – Gorev A.R.,
– from the enterprise mailbox A-3700 – Smirnov,
reviewed the documentation on robust hull structures and, based on this documentation, confirmed the readiness of the robust hull of the Project 667A submarine, serial number 400, for deep-sea diving to a maximum depth of 400 meters.
In September 1969, in the village of Gadzhievo, the commission drew up a work program to organize measurements of the stress state of a number of pressure hull units at all stages of the submarine’s immersion and ascent.
At the beginning of September 1969, I, Vladimir Ivanovich Efremov, head of the strength sector of the Rubin LPMB, was called by the deputy commander of the Northern Fleet, A.I. Petelin. sent to the city of Severodvinsk to prepare the submarine serial number 400 for deep-sea diving. As a member of the commission, I temporarily acted as technical director, representing A.I. Petelina. and introducing him to the work plan. Two senior officers from the Navy's Emergency Rescue Service (ARS) were assigned to help me.
To ensure safety when diving submarines to a maximum depth of 400 m, the organization SPMBM "Malachite" developed special rescue containers, and the Sormovsky plant built them and sent them to the city of Murmansk at the Sormovsky delivery base. By me, together with representatives of the ACC, the containers were found, and the representative of the Sormovsky plant was notified by my note about the need to send containers with documentation for their maintenance to the base location of the submarine factory No. 400. Soon the containers were delivered on board a floating crane to the base location of the submarine in village of Gadzhievo.
The work of installing containers on board the submarine was entrusted to SMP, since the equipment of the workshops in the village of Gadzhievo did not allow the installation of containers. A tug with plant specialists led by builder Zyatkovsky was sent from Severodvinsk. The timing of the installation of containers and deep-sea testing was in jeopardy. The situation was aggravated by the approaching seasonal deterioration of weather conditions.
My appeal to A.I. Petelin's proposal to transfer the submarine for work on the Northern Sea Route was rejected by the plant director E.P. Egorova. Subsequently, my proposal was rejected by V.N. Kitaev and S.N. Kovalev, motivating his position by the fact that, once on the Northern Sea Route, the sailors will find reasons to extend their stay in Severodvinsk.
The Navy ACC was practically not ready to install containers, since the instructions for their maintenance by its representatives were not studied fully enough. Acceptance of tests on placing seafarers in containers was carried out several times, since they did not fit into the standard time. During loading, the air supply hoses (50 atm) were recessed and a second set had to be sent.
At the same time, a Project 671 submarine, serial number 602, built at the Admiralty Plant, which also required the mentioned containers, was preparing for a similar dive in Zapadnaya Litsa. An employee of the Malakhit SPMBM Kondratenko E.N., a representative of the Chief Designer G.N. Chernyshev, repeatedly came to Gadzhievo to try to take containers from us, insisting that our order was not ready, while their order was ready for testing.
When installing additional fastenings for containers - cable guys with lanyards (4 guy ropes per container), necessary to ensure reliable fastening of containers during the transition to the test area, it was necessary to abandon two stern guys of the stern container, since it was not possible for them to recoil when surfacing in the open sea before diving to a depth of 400 m. Due to the design of the hull, the lower ends of the guy wires went into the water. The submarine commander was warned about this decision and the need for careful maneuvering when swimming underwater during the transition.”
We were all fatalists
While moored at the base on the boat, work was underway to equip the hatches of the end shelter compartments for installing rescue chambers above them. Anticipating possible accidents in which the boat might not be able to surface on its own, and the rescue service then, and perhaps even now, was unable to rescue submariners at great depths, shipbuilders designed rescue chambers that were pre-installed on two landing rings above hatches of the end shelter compartments.
The device consisted of two colossal horizontal “barrels” installed on the landing rings of the hatches of the end shelter compartments. Fifty people could be placed in each barrel using the “tandem” method (each subsequent person sits on the knees of the previous one along the barrel in two rows). The check confirmed this possibility. In the event of an accident or catastrophe, people, according to the designers, dispersed into “barrels”, were placed in them, sealed the “barrels” and, having detached them from the hull of the boat, floated to the surface as necessary.
Fortunately, the designers’ “premonitions” remained on paper. Any device of this type can be considered successful if it is tested and mastered by people, those for whom it was intended. Like an aviation parachute. There was deception again. We went on a deep sea dive with an untested device. Only now do you begin to understand the irresponsibility of the naval and shipbuilding leadership of those years. And we, the young ones, didn’t care then. - “If only my native country would live, and there would be no other worries!”
Having analyzed all possible accidents in which the boat, remaining with a serviceable strong hull, but without movement, was deprived of the opportunity to float on its own, the division’s flagship mechanic, engineer-captain 1st rank M.A., and I Suetenko thought about it. All kinds of nonsense entered my head.
Finally, they came to the conclusion that this could happen if at the same time the boat was suddenly left without main ballast tanks or unproductively used up all the high-pressure air. We calmed down on the fact that this could never happen!(?).
Since no training on rescue from depths was planned in the chambers, they realized that the installation of the cameras was another “rubbing in the glasses” of the illiterate military-industrial complex and the high command on the topic: “All possible options for safe testing are provided” in order to obtain permission for the experiment.
In naval terms, “you live through”
This is what captain 2nd rank Valentin Sergeevich Shmelev, who was the commander of the 10th compartment of the ship at that time, writes about the preparation for the tests.
Senior Lieutenant Shmelev Valentin Sergeevich
“...In the fall of 1969, as part of the crew of the RPK SN K-207, he participated in the fulfillment of a government task when testing the 667A project by diving to a maximum depth of 400 meters. According to the Manual for the Combat Use of Technical Equipment, the Project 667A RPK SN can dive to a depth of 400 meters five times in peacetime and unlimitedly in wartime.
The dive itself took hours, but the preparation lasted months. As the commander of the aft 10th compartment, I supervised the installation of a landing ring for the SK-56 rescue chamber (for 56 people) and a basket for laying the air supply hose in case the nuclear submarine crashed onto the ground.
I was entrusted with receiving the hose at the ACC warehouse in the village of Drovyanoe. Short briefing by the commander of the warhead-5, captain 3rd rank Davidenko N.I. and instructions - test the hose with a pressure of 400 kg/sq.m. see. Why and why it was necessary to pressure test the hose, I still don’t know. On Friday morning, on an old, pre-war communications ship, we left Yagelnaya Bay. The commander of the communications ship (messenger ship) was Captain 3rd Rank Turgenev. The weather is completely calm, sunny, but visibility is minimal, as peat bogs are burning on the hills, and the Kola Bay is in smoke. A typhon signal is constantly given, indicating the location of the ship. After entering Rosta, in the afternoon, we arrived in the village of Drovyanoe. At the ACC warehouse, by proxy, I received two hose reels of 200 m and 300 m.
The diameter of the coils is 1 m 70 cm. Documents confirming the quality or technical condition of the rubber hose reinforced with textile braid are not provided. Fulfilling the order of the commander of the warhead-5, captain 3rd rank Davidenko N.I., a hose 300 meters long was pressure tested without unwinding it from the reel. The EK-10 compressor was eventually able to create a pressure of 192 kg/sq.m. cm and “baked.” The test result of a 300 m long hose was extended to the remaining 200 meters, and the hoses were delivered to the pier in the village of Drovyanoe.
In the Kola Bay it was the end of the low tide, the level difference between the root of the pier and the floating pier (raft) was 6 meters, the gangway was at an angle of 70º-80º. When the 300m reel was lowered down the ladder, the sailors stood behind the railings (fencing) of the ladder. A wave came, the floating pier and the gangway began to “walk”, the sailors could not hold the hose reel, and it spontaneously rolled to the end of the floating pier (no more than 8 m long) and fell into the water.
At low tide, water from the Kola River enters the Kola Bay and rushes past the pier of the village of Drovyanoe. This stream of water pulled the hose reel under the floating pier. I didn't see her again. The communications ship has left for base. The diver went to the ground to look for a hose and reported that the bottom was very cluttered and it was impossible to stand on the ground, because the diver was being carried away by the strong current. The search was postponed until the morning.
On Saturday and Sunday, in the interval between high and low tides (this is 2 hours, 2 times a day), the search continued, but did not yield any results. On Monday I arrived at the base and reported to the command. Commander of the RPK SN K-207 captain 1st rank Kovalev E.A. I reacted to the report extremely calmly, without emotion. Reaction of the commander of the warhead-5, captain 3rd rank Davidenko N.I. was always a continuation of the reaction of the bosses. He didn’t say anything, but looked at me as if I were an enemy of the people, and the only thing missing was the command “fas””...
Commander of BC-5 Davidenko N.I.
Naval operation of the Northern Fleet
At the same time, representatives of scientific and design organizations and state acceptance organizations were preparing for testing.
IN AND. Efremov recalls:
“...The deep-sea diving of the submarine serial number 400, according to a joint decision of the Navy and SMEs, was carried out by a commission consisting of:
– Chairman of the Commission, Senior Commissioner of the Baltic Military Acceptance Group of the Ministry of Defense, Rear Admiral Maslov F.I.
– Members of the commission and specialists involved in the tests:
– from the enterprise mailbox A-7523 – Butoma G.B., Pravdinsky A.P., Alekseev I.V., Efremov V.I., Odnoletkov Yu.L., Kupressov I.K.,
– from military unit 27177 – Solomenko N.S.,
– from the Central Research Institute named after A.N. Krylova – Fedotov Y.V.,
– from SMP – Zyatkovsky G.A. (did not go to sea)
– from VP 1059 MO – Milovsky I.D.,
– from military unit 34357 – Korobov V.K. (Berezovsky V.L. went to sea instead),
– from the Main Administration of the Navy – V.N. Kitaev
Meanwhile, the Northern Fleet headquarters developed an entire testing operation, setting up an area with a flat bottom at a depth of 450 m, stretching in all directions for tens of miles. The location was chosen in the Norwegian Sea, 100 miles along a bearing of 115° from Bear Island. The testing area was located 300 miles NW from the entrance to the Kola Bay.
For reliable anchorage of supply ships, sea barrels were placed in the area. Naturally, this attracted the attention of NATO intelligence. Norwegian "Neptunes" have frequented the area. Once the plane even managed to shoot and sink one of the barrels.
In advance, forces supporting testing began to gather in the area: a rescue ship of the Karpaty type, an icebreaker Dobrynya Nikitich and several anti-submarine ships.
Dive site of the RPK SN K-207 in the Norwegian Sea
The first deputy commander of the Northern Fleet, Vice Admiral A.I. Petelin, who was in charge of the testing, approached the area at that time on a large anti-submarine ship (BOD), became familiar with the situation in the testing area and, realizing that NATO forces would interfere with their conduct, gave orders remove all supplies except for the rescuer and icebreaker from the area. Together with the ships of the Northern Fleet, NATO forces also left the area.
There were doubts
After installing rescue cameras on the boat, the commission limited its underwater speed to ten knots. Although the cameras were secured with steel cable braces and turnbuckles, their separation from the body was not ruled out. And the separation of at least one of them would lead to the sudden appearance of a capsizing moment, which was hardly possible to successfully cope with at a speed of 10 knots. The buoyancy of the submarine would also be significantly impaired. The situation was complicated by the fact that we were not given the opportunity to accurately determine our underwater speed on the measuring line after installing the cameras.
With the arrival of the commission headed by the chairman, Rear Admiral F.I. Maslov, at the submarine, we left the base in advance and headed to the exit from the Kola Bay. When Motovsky Bay was on the left abeam, the thought flashed through my head that somewhere here, on November 13, 1940, the very first submarine built in the Soviet Union, D-1, “Decembrist”, was buried forever at the bottom (the commander of the boat F M. Eltishchev with the whole team). I didn’t share this thought with anyone.
But she did not return from a deep-sea dive after the division commander M.I. Gadzhiev left her board at noon. Maybe later on such outings the management became obligated to send a “senior on board”, like a mascot. We had two of them at once.
Of course, the appearance on the boat of V.L. Berezovsky, as the eldest of the division, could only be pleased, because I knew him well and understood that if things were bad for us, he would not let us down.
In fact, when arguing about the benefits of a senior on board, in addition to the commander of the ship, you need to understand who he is, the senior, who is the commander of the boat, and why the boat went to sea. Sometimes the actions of a senior on board, not stopped in time by the ship's commander, can lead to disastrous consequences. I tested it myself.
We dived slowly at Rybachy. When we were convinced that the cameras were securely fastened, we accepted the ballast completely. It took a little longer than usual to differentiate. Then we went underwater, maintaining secrecy.
On the morning of October 1, we found ourselves in place. They arrived dead reckoning with a large discrepancy due to an error in determining the speed on an underwater run with “barrels”. We surfaced in a cruising position in order to prepare the rescue chambers for action in case of an accident. The guy ropes holding the cameras were disconnected. Now the cameras will be held on the “mirrors” of the landing rings only due to downforce - the difference in external and internal pressures.
Hooray! Ascent is equal to immersion!
In the area there was a large anti-submarine ship, from which the tests were supervised by Vice Admiral Alexander Ivanovich Petelin, who immediately went into radio and hydroacoustic communication with us, a rescue ship of the Karpaty type, and the icebreaker Dobrynya Nikitich with a sound-underwater beacon, which we used orientated after the dive.
Calling me to the apparatus, Alexander Ivanovich suggested starting the dive without delay. At the same time, he warned that there is a high probability of loss of communication at a depth of over 60 meters, and if this happens, then continue the dive, despite the instruction’s requirement to interrupt the tests in this case until communication is restored.
That's how it all turned out. The tests were not interrupted, although the connection was lost quite often, or rather, it simply did not exist. They moved from step to step.
At 15:59 Moscow time on October 1, 1969, following the Nord course, at a speed of 10.2 knots, for the first time in the history of the Russian fleet, the serial submarine K-207 reached a depth of 400 meters.
A recordgram of a device for measuring the speed of sound in water is shown in the figure.
Record record of changes in the speed of sound in water at depths from 0 to 400 m during a test dive of the submarine K-207
Up to a diving depth of 60 m, the speed of sound underwent minor changes; deeper, it remained constant. Due to the lack of 400 m marking tapes in the rear of the fleet, it was necessary to use 100 m tapes, marking them to the actual diving depths. The fact of diving to a depth of 400 m was recorded by the BIUS “Tucha” on the documentation tape.
Observations during the dive
IN AND. Efremov: “ ...The immersion was carried out sequentially with a short stay at the depths (steps) necessary to carry out measurements of the stressed state of the hull assemblies and provided for by the immersion schedule. The sailors attached threads to the bulkheads and measured their sagging.
V.S. Shmelev says:... The RPK SN K-207 entered the sea on time. The dive to depth proceeded as usual. However, there were some minor incidents. At a depth of 250 m, the sailors of compartment 10 filled a 3-liter jar of sea water and dedicated themselves to becoming submariners. I, as the commander of the compartment, also took a sip of the can. The personnel of the compartment did not show any excitement; everything was ordinary, as always. At a depth of 410 meters, the central post received reports that the latrines in the compartments were blown overboard. However, the latrine of the third compartment, despite the report, was not ventilated, since the door was jammed, which the deputy commander for political affairs closed behind him (!).
After ascent, the strain gauges told me that the tenth compartment had the minimum load compared to other compartments, since the compartment had a volume of 249 cubic meters. m and the shape of a truncated cone. The greatest load on the hull was in the area of the third compartment, and after surfacing, the spare parts mounting posts (a) on the middle deck did not return to their original position. They had a deviation of 40-60 cm from the original position. They were later replaced.
KSDU senior lieutenant Koifman F.N. Before the hike, I insured my life for 10 thousand rubles. We were young, energetic and teased our friend for a long time.
The government task was completed, and all of us, young senior lieutenants, including me, were awarded the next military rank of captain-lieutenant on time.
My entire service in the Navy passed in one breath, which I do not regret at all.
I am proud to have been a submarine officer and served on the RPK SN 667A project. I often remember those years, everyone with whom I had to measure sea miles, all those who believed in us, waited for us and loved us.”
The commander of the combat communications unit, Ivan Ivanovich Yankovsky, recalls:
“...Our dive is the history of the submarine forces of the USSR Navy. We were all at combat posts. Communication on VHF ZAS with the head of our dive support, Admiral A.I. Petelin. stopped. The equipment was ready to transmit the “emergency” signal.
According to the schedule, I was supposed to monitor all changes during the dive on the lower deck of the central compartment and report to the CPU.
All the doors of combat posts and cabins were open. The compression of the submarine's hull was felt, and a cracking sound was heard in the compartment. When the maximum depth was reached, all the doors were jammed.
There was a power switchboard near the communications post (radio room), and suddenly sparks flew from it. I de-energized the shield and reported it to the central control center, where all comments were recorded. When inspecting the power board, I discovered the cause of the short circuit. The shield was attached to two corner posts. When the body was compressed, the corners bent and deformed the shield body. But upon ascent, everything leveled out, only traces remained in the places of bending. Together with the team foreman, Santalov, they opened the shield, cleaned the burnt contacts and restored power to the radio room.
Warhead-4 commander I.I. Yankovsky reads to the personnel of the compartment comments discovered during a deep-sea dive
When ascending to the periscope depth, communication was established on the VHF ZAS "Sirena" with the dive leader. The commander and admiral Maslov arrived at the radio room. He reported our safe ascent. Petelin congratulated everyone on completing the government task and said that we were all entitled to government awards.
Maslov: – What rewards! Say well that we have surfaced... and so on...
Petelin: I can’t hear you well.
Maslov - And I’m good to you.
Leader Vanya Senin: - Comrade Admiral, you are speaking in the wrong direction, so it’s hard to hear you.
Maslov: – I’m an admiral, I know where to talk.
I wanted to turn the radiotelephone receiver over to him, but the commander said:
- Let him speak wherever he wants.
That's all it was.
It was scarier when we dived in the Atlantic. I still have a recording of the “nightingale trill” of sperm whales on my tape recorder...”
The foreman of the starting team, Viktor Pavlovich Komyagin, sent a letter:
“... Now about our dive to 400 m.
4th compartment 10th post - Guryev Boris, starboard side, 20-30th post - Komyagin Viktor, Gorilko Vasily, starboard side upper deck. As a section foreman, Alekseevsky (commander of the warhead-2, E.K.) instructed to go down to the middle and lower decks. On the middle deck there was the 60th - Any, in the galley Artemyev Misha.
Up to 200 m we walked as usual, everything was fine. They descended slowly and, in my opinion, a deathly silence pressed on everyone. By 300 meters the compartment seemed to become hotter. We checked the doors of the galley, provisions rooms, power room, and smoking room vestibule for closure - not a single door was closed. And the door to the smoking room closed - it alone was in the plane of the frame. Let's go below, no more comments.
And now the mark was 350 or 360 meters, I couldn’t remember. It was located on the upper deck (compartment IV was divided horizontally into 4 levels: upper deck, middle deck, lower deck and hold. E.K.), when in the silence a sound was heard, as if someone had pulled the string of a double bass, and everything became silent. I went down to the middle deck and immediately saw Artemyev, who was silently pointing towards the stern. We approached the pipe that connected the upper and middle decks in the area of the ladder to the lower deck. It was curved (curvature towards the stern). And only at the pipe Misha said in a whisper that he noticed how the pipe was quietly swaying, and then, making a sound, it bent and froze. We went down to the lower deck, everything was the same, only the door to the smoking room no longer closed. No more comments.
And here is the announcement: - we are going at a depth of 400 meters. Yes, everything is behind us and immediately all the internal tension has disappeared somewhere. After the report: “There are no comments on the fourth!” Guryev and I turned on the fan in the smoking room and took 4 puffs of cigarettes. (May the commander forgive us for a small violation!).
Of course, after this dive, and then after the accident with the rudders, pride in the K-207 and its commander knew no bounds. Of course, I cannot speak for the entire crew, but for the BC-2 I can confidently say...”
Petty officers of the RPK SN K-207 after diving to the maximum depth. From left to right.
First row: senior chemist V. Zemkov, senior cook M. Artyomov, senior electrician A. Helemelya, senior radiotelegraph operator ZAS?
Second row: foreman of the team of navigational electricians Osipov, foreman of the team of electricians A. Fedorov, foreman of the diesel generator team V.S. Targonsky, foreman of the starting team V.P. Komyagin. foreman of the special hold team B. Kaskov
Pressure of more than two million tons!
In addition to instrument control, visual, “home-grown” control was also used. A pair of lower ends “suspended” from the durable body of the missile silos were pulled together without bending to the center plane by a steel string, to the middle of which a load was attached. After diving to the specified depth, the load sagged half a foot. In other words, the lower ends of the shafts converged to at least the width of two fingers. When we surfaced, the string did not return to its original state. Either it stretched out, or a residual deformation occurred in the body, apparently acceptable.
When we reached the specified immersion depth, the scientific director of the tests, Nikolai Stepanovich Solomenko (future academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences and rear admiral engineer), came up to me and happily reported that the values of the stresses measured by strain gauges in the durable case completely coincided with the calculated ones. Then he asked:
– Eric Alexandrovich, can you imagine the total pressure the strong hull of the boat is now experiencing?
When I admitted that I couldn’t imagine it, he replied:
– More than two million tons!
“And I can’t imagine this either!”
Scientific director of tests Nikolay Stepanovich Solomenko
If Nikolai Stepanovich was kept in a state of heightened attention by the naturally increasing tension in the structures of the durable body, recorded by sensors, and he weakly responded to external, tangible manifestations of this tension (cracking of structures, bending of racks, sagging of tensioned threads, sparks from the electrical panel box), then the voltage, the feeling that was squeezing me was rooted in the control of the ship.
Throughout the tests, I maintained myself in a state of readiness to instantly hold the ship in the given parameters of movement, complicated by being at depths close to the maximum, failure beyond which could cause unpredictable consequences, as well as the unusual influence of rescue chambers. And most importantly, their (one or both) possible separation at the very bottom of the area and the de-trim of the boat at the maximum depth, when the echo sounder “recorded” only a 25-meter depth under the keel. Every “little thing” like sparks from shields, sagging threads and pillars bending “with music” somehow turned out to be not perceived.
And here is how the electrician of the sixth compartment, Alexey Dmitrievich Mikhailovsky, described the process of diving to the maximum depth in his letter:
“...I remember preparing for a deep-sea dive, how they hooked barrels at the bow and stern. They were later removed in Zapadnaya Litsa. Before the dive, in the 6th compartment we pulled a thread along the bulkhead that separated the switchboard and the generators of the demagnetizing device. Section commander Ivanov A.I., section foreman midshipman Targonsky, mechanic Misha Fedosov. I kept watch on the Kama control panel together with officers Volkov and Sutormin. My power supply was located in the 6th compartment on the middle deck, where the thread was stretched. We did not go to sea with a full crew, but the BC-5 was in full force. When the dive began, first after 50 m, the commands “Look around in the compartments!” came in a circular message, and then every 20 m, and there were also warnings not to eliminate the leak by tightening the taps.
At the maximum depth (for some reason they write 400 m everywhere, because the depth gauge showed 420 m) rejoicing began. "HOORAY! Let's go even deeper!" Nervous tension began to emerge. And in the 3rd compartment in the computer computer room, the manager (he was nicknamed “cosmonaut” - he drank a glass of lemon juice every morning) laid out his IDA-59 (an individual breathing apparatus designed for underwater work in it and rescue from a sunken submarine. E.K.). In the 6th compartment, we wrote our names on the inside of the cabinet door. After surfacing, the door that led to the generator compartment of the demagnetizing device stopped closing. After all, the thread sagged very much and deformation of the intracompartment septum occurred.
I also remember our return from the autonomy, when we surfaced and there was no side light. The massive rod was cut off like a blade, and I was grabbing the carrier and you allowed me to smoke in the fresh air. So I was the very first member of the crew to light a cigarette in the wheelhouse enclosure after the autonomy. This is where I will end my message...”
Nobody wanted to repeat the deep-sea dive
We came to our competitors in Zapadnaya Litsa during the day. At night, during the transition on the surface, having secured the rescue chambers with guy ropes, they were moving at full speed.
IN AND. Efremov continues the story:
“After the tests, we returned to Zapadnaya Litsa to transfer containers to order No. 602.
When I went out onto the bridge after mooring, it was snowing. On the pier stood the Chief Designer of Project 671 G.N. Chernyshev. He turned to me:
- Volodya, come with us. You have a lot of experience and, moreover, you oversaw the construction of this order.
And I was not watching this one - the 602nd, on which it was necessary to dive, but the lead 600th.
I replied that I was very tired and had no desire to go through all this again.”
On the 602nd order, A.I. was to be the chairman. Sorokin, but at the last moment they decided to send F.I. Maslova. You should have seen his frightened face. How he was not happy with this!
The commander of the 1st flotilla cordially and without fanfare greeted us at the pier and asked to show the boat to the officers of the association. I took Anatoly Ivanovich Sorokin around the ship and showed him everything new that the shipbuilding industry had equipped the submarine with. The admiral was pleased, and so were the flotilla officers.
At this time, another commission was busy reloading the rescue chambers on board the K-147 submarine, which was about to repeat the same deep-sea dive as ours.
At night the team rested, and the next morning we moved to our base in Saida Guba, Yagelnaya Bay. Our home base greeted us surprisingly calmly. Just think, 400 meters! Passed stage. Combat service lay ahead of us.
Somewhat later, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy issued an order in December 1969 that stated:
“... In October 1969, submarines K-207 (serial number 400) of project 667A and K-147 (serial number 602) of project 671 conducted deep-sea dives to the maximum depth for submarines of these projects.
This event is a great achievement for the shipbuilding industry and the Navy, the personnel of the K-207 and K-147 submarines, who, with their excellent training and high military discipline, ensured the successful completion of the tests.”
The executive part of the order announced the awarding of a cash bonus to the submarine commander, the division's flagship mechanic and the submarine's mechanical engineer in the amount of 50 rubles each. The head of the tests was awarded as much as 100 rubles in “banknotes” (!!!).
I don’t know how it was on other ships (the exchange of sailing experience at the association was not properly organized), but on our boat, after deep-sea tests, all the watch officers boldly maneuvered in depth when the situation required it.
Photos of RPK SN K-207 officers who also participated in the 400-meter dive:
N. Ivanov – commander of warhead-1
N.T. Alekseevsky - commander of BC-2
A.F. Tomkovich - commander of the warhead-3
Valya Shtykov – commander of the survivability division
A.T. Chernykh – head of RTS
Saint Petersburg
