Underwater ace. Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko
The future submariner was born 15 January 1913. His father, Ivan Alekseevich Marinescu, was from Romania. An orphan since the age of seven, he, being clever and hardworking, has risen to a respected driver of agricultural machinery. In 1893, he was called into the fleet and identified as a fireman on the destroyer. Ivan Alekseevich coped with his duties until one of the officers finished his work. After a blow to the face, an enraged sailor, according to one version, beat the senior officer, on the other, he pushed him away with force. Without waiting for the trial, the sailor, with the assistance of his comrades, escaped from the punishment cell, swam across the Danube and moved to Ukraine. The expectation of getting lost was justified. Up to 1924, Ivan Alekseevich did not register citizenship, stayed away from large cities, and also changed his last name to Marinesko. By the way, he found a piece of bread everywhere — gold hands were saved.
In 1911, being in the Poltava region, Ivan Alekseevich met the black-eyed beauty peasant Tatiana Koval, and after a short time they got married. Young moved to Odessa, where Marinesko found a job in his specialty. It was here that they had two children: a daughter, Valentina, and a son, Alexander. According to the memoirs of a submariner, a very soft and indulgent father emerged from the former state criminal, while his mother was much stricter, with a very heavy hand.
The young years of Alexander Ivanovich passed on the streets of Odessa. The submariner himself said: “At the age of seven I was already swimming very well. Behind the shipyard there was a cemetery of old ships. Adults didn’t go there, and we spent whole days fishing, swimming, eating and smoking. Our order was rarely changed, and only for a variety of impressions. Sometimes we trooped off to the passenger jetties and asked the passengers of cruise ships to throw the dimes into the water. When someone threw a coin, we dive after it into the clear water. It happened that they took possession of them in battle, to the delight of the passengers watching the underwater battles. ”
The Black Sea yachts were the first ships for Alexander Ivanovich. Light winged and snow-white, they seemed like dirty-faced Odessa kids with fabulous visions that were unattainable for ordinary people. The revolution made significant adjustments to this view. Yachts began to belong to the factory teams, but they accepted to the Odessa Yacht Club everyone who was ready to work properly. Marinesko said: “After finishing fifth grade, I was only thinking about the sea. The first school for me was the local yacht club. All spring I helped repair the yachts, and by the beginning of the navigation I was among the best enlisted in one of the teams. All summer I sailed, performing the duties of a real sailor. And at the end of the summer I already participated in real competitions. ”
Despite such a successful start, they soon had to part with the yachts - the club moved to the Arcadia region. Parting with his beloved vessel, Alexander endured painfully - he could not exist without ships and the sea. Fortunately, there was a temporary way out. Marinesko got a job as a student at the central rescue station located on Lanzheron. His service began with the duty on the tower, the benefit of the signalman experience he had. Then he underwent a primary briefing and was allowed to rescue operations.
Despite the restless nature, Alexander studied quite well and read a lot. However, at the school desk, he spent only six years - until 1926. After he turned thirteen, Marinesko, as an apprentice to a sailor, began sailing on ships of the Black Sea Shipping Company. At fourteen, the teenager saw the Caucasus and the Crimea, and soon came a decree on the admission of Alexander to the school of the young man.
Becoming a pupil of this institution was not only a great honor, but also a serious test. The first year of study included classes in joinery, turning and plumbing - the sailor must be able to do everything. The guys studied the basics of navigation and rigging, learned to read sea lanes and shipping documents. All this was given to Alexander easily. In the second year, science has become more difficult. The entire course was sent to the blockade "Lakhta", driven from the Baltic. There, the guys lived in a barrack position, with a routine close to the military. Everything was done at the signal of a horn; there was no entertainment. Despite the fact that the block was standing near the breakwater, the students came out on the beach only on Saturdays, and even then they were not on duty. A hereditary sailor, Sergei Shaposhnikov, who studied with Marinesko, said: “The old boatswain still did not give anyone the imperial service. But forced retreat had its own charm. We became friends, learned to live in such a way that no one would annoy or bother anyone. Today, in the era of nuclear submarines and space flights, the problems of mutual adaptation and psychological compatibility are being developed by scientists. Then such words did not even know. But in strict order on the "Lakhta" was a deep meaning. It was a filter. Not satisfied with such a life - go to the boat and farewell. Nobody holds, as it will be more difficult at sea. ” Two years was the term of study at the school jung. Marinesko, as the most successful, was reduced to one and a half years, after which he was enrolled in the Odessa Nautical School without exams.
"Sailor" was preparing future navigators for long-distance navigation. A year of hard study, and then a five-month practice on the famous sailing ship “Comrade” ended for Alexander with a state exam. The twelve captains who received it were impartial and merciless - out of forty cadets after the tests, only sixteen remained. After graduation, Marinesco returned to the coast for a while. Marine science still remained in first place, but this did not prevent him from engaging in public affairs. In a short time, Alexander visited the most unexpected roles - an activist of the Society of Friends of Soviet Cinema and Photo, an entertainer, a member of the amateur ensemble of the Sailor Club. And in April 1933, Alexander Ivanovich received his first appointment - to the steamboat of the Black Sea fleet The Red Fleet is the fourth assistant captain. Here is what Marinesco said about his debut: “Our steamer is an old vessel with a thousand tons of displacement. He sailed along the Crimean-Caucasian line, transporting grain. The captain, an experienced sailor and a great drunkard, carefully looked at me for two weeks, and then he completely confided and practically did not look at the bridge during the watch shift. Two months later, I became the second assistant and at the post of this decently siphoned grief. There was a forced transportation of grain from Kherson, Skadovsk and Nikolaev to the ports of Transcaucasia. In order to overfulfill the plan, the ship was unnecessarily loaded, which worked safely for the time being. Once, twenty hours from Batumi, we were hit by a storm of eight points. There were a lot of damages on our box, the gangway and boat were blown away by the waves. "In Batumi, when the holds were opened, they saw that the wetted, swollen grain saved us, which clogged the hole and stopped the flow of overboard water."
Alexander Ivanovich didn’t have to sail on the steamers for a long time - in the fall of 1933 he was called up as a member of the Navy. Already in November, he arrived in Leningrad and, having received the insignia of the commander of the sixth category, he was sent to the navigator classes of special courses for commanders. Together with him, Nina Marinesko (nee Karyukina) also arrived in the northern capital of Russia. Their wedding took place shortly before departure. Little is known about the beginning of the Marinesko naval service. The old comrades, who saw him in the first months, unanimously noted: “Alexander studied well, there were no complaints either from the Komsomol organization or the command to him, but his mood was at times depressed. A certified navigator, in the near future the captain of the Black Sea ship, here he again turned into a cadet, learning a lot from the beginning. ”
Alexander Ivanovich completed the courses ahead of schedule in 1935 and was assigned to the submarine Shch-306 “Haddock” as a navigator understudy. A few days after the appearance of Marinesco, the submarine began to be prepared for a multi-day trip. Alexander Ivanovich - physically strong, of small stature - easily mastered his economy, quickly learned to navigate the boat, figured out the cars and weapons. He did not know how to miss and prepared for the campaign with zeal. Submarine veteran Vladimir Ivanov recalled: “That autonomous campaign was forty-six days. For the "pike" is a lot. In such voyages, a person is fully revealed. Alexander was a real sailor, he served impeccably. Cheerful and cheerful, the team immediately fell in love with him. After a couple of months, he knew the whole boat very well - it was obvious that he was preparing himself for control. ”
By 1937, a crucial period in the life of Marinesko ended. He considered himself a real submariner, he had a new goal in life, and in November Alexander Ivanovich was sent to the Higher Courses of commanders. Those who graduated from them deserved the right to independently control the ships. But then suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, at the height of the 1938 summer practical exercises, an order came to the courses: “Dismiss the Marinesko listener and demobilize from the fleet.” The order was not connected with any sins of Alexander Ivanovich. Among the most possible reasons, historians cite a purely questionnaire circumstance - the short-term stay of a minor Sasha on lands occupied by whites, or the Romanian origin of the father.
So the young sailor was left without a favorite cause. Attempts to get a merchant navy led nowhere. Alexander Ivanovich endured the painful exile in silence. Realizing that it was pointless to demand explanations, he did not write statements and did not go to the authorities. Trying to occupy himself, Marinesko, avoiding marinas, wandered around the city, met with a few friends and helped them in everyday life. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, and he briefly answered all questions: “An error has occurred, they will understand.” Fortunately, this state, exhausting the soul, lasted a relatively short time. Just as suddenly, as the order for demobilization came, a decree arrived at the service, and Marinesko, reappearing as part of the Training Detachment, began to make up for lost time with gusto. In November, 1938, having graduated from courses, Alexander Ivanovich was promoted to Starley and took command of the M-96 boat.
From the very first days of the operation of the submarine, unforeseen difficulties emerged, the main of which was that the M-96 submarine was completely new. The new boat is a new team, not welded and not accumulated joint traditions and experience. For the first six months builders worked on the boat, whose presence made it difficult for them to perform daily service. Another difficulty was that, due to the small size of the submarine, the positions of the military commissar and assistant commander were not provided for. Alexander Ivanovich himself didn’t swim as an assistant, he didn’t have any political experience either. Marinesko helped cope with these difficulties head of the division "babies" Evgeny Yunakov. Being a talented educator, Yevgeny Gavrilovich set himself the task of educating the lack of first-degree motherboard skills in a clearly gifted young submarine commander. Subsequently, he said: “There was no need to do a sailor from Marinesko. It was necessary to make a naval sailor. " About how zealously the commander of "M-96" took up the case, can be judged by the fact that in 1940 the crew of the submarine on the basis of political and military training took first place, and Alexander Ivanovich was awarded the gold watch and promoted to captain-lieutenant. In January, 1941, rigorous and highly experienced, gave the twenty-seven year old submarine commander the following description: “Marinesko is decisive, bold, resourceful and intelligent. Great sailor, well prepared. He knows how to quickly navigate and makes the right decisions. Transmits subordinates their skills, knowledge and fighting spirit. Neglecting personal interests for the benefit of the service, sustained and tactful. Caring for subordinates. "
Before the war, the “baby” of Alexander Ivanovich was regularly carrying out the patrol and intelligence service. The submariner wrote about the last prewar voyage of M-96: “On the ninth day of being at sea, everyone was very tired ... We did a good job - last year’s standards, which gave us the general fleet championship, are noticeably exceeded. From now on, for an urgent immersion, we need only seventeen seconds (according to the 35 norms) - so far, not a single “baby” has achieved this. It was difficult, but no one complained. ” News about the beginning of the war found "M-96" in the sea. The Hanko garrison - a stony peninsula leased from the Finns, where the Marinesko family moved before the war - was preparing to repel the attack, but the civilian population needed to be urgently evacuated. Nina Ilyinichna, taking the most necessary things, together with her little daughter Laura sailed on a boat to Leningrad. Alexander Ivanovich could not see them; in July 1941 his “M-96” entered the battle position in the Gulf of Riga. The mine situation at that moment was relatively tolerable, but on the way back it significantly changed for the worse. Marinesko, who had not yet had the experience of walking through minefields, was one of the first to master this science - a science where any mistake threatened death. Alexander Ivanovich said: “There is nothing more painful than the passing of a minefield in a submerged position. It is like a fight with the invisible. Mina does not betray herself, for good reason they call her silent death. One can only guess about its true disposition, relying on the stories of your comrades who walked before you and on your own instincts. ” For the fate of "M-96" not without reason were worried, but Alexander Ivanovich brought the boat to Kronstadt.
After returning to the base, an order was received - two Baltic “babies”, including M-96, were sent to the Caspian fleet. To send the boat it was necessary to dismantle and disarm, and it began to implement. However, due to the rapid advance of the German troops, the order was canceled, and the boat was again brought into a state of combat capability. By that time, the situation on the Leningrad front was critical, and for a while the M-96 was mined. In late autumn, the 1941 boat was driven off to the Aegna floating base. During the shelling of Leningrad in mid-February, an artillery shell exploded 1942 two meters from the port side of the submarine. The robust case could not stand it, and the water flooded two compartments. The boat had only eight cubic meters of positive buoyancy, when, thanks to the crew’s speed, a catastrophe was averted. The accident turned out to be large (especially for blockade conditions), in addition to the hull work, diesel engine damage was found. The restoration of the boat was completed only by the summer of 1942, and in early August, the crew of the M-96 began preparations for the combat march.
The experience of Marinesco gained on merchant ships was useful in this voyage. He knew very well the sea routes along which the transport ships were moving. The result was the sinking of German transport in a seven thousand ton displacement. The attack was made from a submerged position in the afternoon, and both torpedoes hit the target. The transport was guarded by three patrol ships, and Marinesko decided not to go away from prosecution, but towards the occupied port of Paldiski, which was occupied by the enemy. The enemy was confused, and the submarine, looking up from the pursuit, on the eleventh day came to a rendezvous with the Soviet boats waiting for her. It is curious that during the ascent of the ships by mistake they fired at "M-96". According to one submariner of their crew, Marinesko: “The commander also found a rare exposure here. After a second ascent, he placed the submarine between the two ships so that if they opened fire on us again, they would fall into each other. This brilliant calculation made it possible to gain time. Later we asked why we were mistaken for the fascists. Kaperniki responded that on the cabin of the boat a swastika. Only then did we figure it out - white camouflage paint appeared in some places and it really turned out to be similar. ” During this campaign, Alexander Ivanovich was awarded the Order of Lenin and by the end of navigation he was able to successfully complete another voyage with a special reconnaissance mission. In addition, he was promoted to captain of the third rank and accepted as candidate of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Among the thirty officers who distinguished themselves in the summer campaign, he received permission to fly out of surrounded Leningrad to his family and to celebrate the New Year with her.
1943 year became the most difficult for the Baltic submariners, remaining in their memory the time of forced inactivity and severe losses. The German command, making sure that the barriers installed at the exit from the Gulf of Finland were not so impassable, took additional measures. At the very beginning of the campaign, forcing barriers, several first-class Soviet submarines were blown up, and our command decided not to send more submarines to death. During this time, Alexander Ivanovich was transferred to the commander of the submarine "C-13". He took the new appointment seriously: “The boat is big, everything is new - both people and equipment. On the “little one,” I knew every nut, raised the team, believed it, and she believed me. ” Nevertheless, Marinesko took up the matter thoroughly. He trained his personnel in his own way, constantly conducting dives on the Neva. Persistently the commander was preparing and artillery calculations. On the C-13 submarine, in addition to a forty-five-millimeter cannon, there was a long-range 100-mm caliber gun, which served seven people. By the beginning of the navigation, the submarine was “to shit!”, However, in 1943, Marinesko was not released into the sea.
The grief over the dead friends, along with the forced inaction, was painfully experienced by both the sailors and their commanders. Soviet troops on almost all fronts went over to the offensive. The accumulated experience required application, and force - output. People became more nervous and irritable, Alexander Ivanovich only during the summer and autumn 1943 twice visited the guardhouse, having received a warning at the party line and then a reprimand. Marinesko gave the word to correct, and he kept his promise. In May, the 1944 party committee of the submarine brigade decided to lift off the reprimand in connection with “redemption of guilt with high discipline and honest work.
After the capitulation of Finland, it was time for new campaigns. C-13 left Kronstadt on October 1, heading for a position in the Danzig Bay area. October 9 submarine found an armed transport "Siegfried." Torpedo attack failed. Despite the fact that the torpedo triangle was determined correctly, the captain of the ship stopped the turn in time, and all the torpedoes passed over the nose. Such a misfire did not discourage Alexander Ivanovich, he again attacked with a single torpedo, but she was noticed, the transport gave way, and the torpedo passed astern. It seemed that all was lost, but Alexander Ivanovich gave the command “artillery alert”. Between the submarine and transport artillery duel ensued. Soviet sailors fired better and soon the enemy ship began to sink into the water. Having successfully broken away from the enemy destroyers, the C-13 arrived at the harbor of Hanko, where Soviet smelters were already stationed. During this campaign, Marinesko received the Order of the Red Banner, and the damaged Siegfried was towed by the enemy to Danzig, where he was restored until the spring of 1945.
Throughout November and December, the 1944 boat was under repair, and Marinesko was suddenly attacked with a blues. It should be noted here that at this time his family fell apart. Subsequently, Nina Ilyinichna said: “Today I understand that when an inhuman strain of forces is required of a person in battle, it is impossible to wish that in everyday life he was a good girl. But then I was younger - and did not forgive. ” On New Year's Eve, Alexander Ivanovich unexpectedly made the hardest offense for everyone - he left the mother ship without permission, went on a spree in the city and appeared only the next evening. The incident was extraordinary and unprecedented. The war was not yet over, and the strict laws of wartime retained their force, especially in the territory that was recently hostile. Alexander Ivanovich was threatened by the court of the tribunal. Nevertheless, the command showed common sense - the submarine was ready for the march, and the commander enjoyed great confidence in the crew. Marinesko was allowed to atone for its mistakes in a fight with the enemy, and on January 9 1945 "С-13" again sailed to the position in the area of Danzig Bay.
Having appeared on a habitual place, Alexander Ivanovich again became what the team knew him - a brave, prudent and energetic fighter. Thirteen days the boat sailed in the middle of the designated area of action, a couple of times coming in contact with the courts of the enemy. However, Marinesko never attempted to attack, saving torpedoes for a larger game. In the end, he decided to move to the southern part of the district. On the night of January 30, submariners spotted a group of ships leaving the bay of Danzig and moving to the north-west. And soon a message came from the hydroacoustics, which heard the sound of the blades of a huge twin-screw ship. "C-13" went for rapprochement. There was no visibility on the bridge at that time — the snowstorm and the rolling motion prevented it — and the commander ordered the dive to a safe twenty-meter depth from an impact ram attack. However, the speed of the submarine decreased, and Marinesko realized from the acoustic bearing - the target was removed. Blind to shoot, given the imperfections of the then equipment, he did not, and when the target passed over the bow of the submarine, he gave the command to float. Visibility became better, and the divers, taking a course parallel to the huge liner, rushed in pursuit.
It was not easy to compete with the ocean liner in the course. After two hours of chase, Alexander Ivanovich made the perilous decision to force the engines. The crazy race lasted about an hour more, and all this time the commander did not leave the bridge. Visibility still left much to be desired, but a blessing in disguise - on the ships of the convoy they also did not see the boat. And finally, the decisive moment. The torpedo attack was perfect. Three fired torpedoes hit the target, hitting the most vulnerable places of the ship. The fourth torpedo, by the way, came out of the device by half, and later the torpedoes of the compartment pulled it into place. The liner sank after half an hour, but the crew of the submarine did not see this - after the explosions, Marinesko ordered an urgent dive. It should be noted that the C-13 attack was carried out according to the plan of the commander from the coast. The calculation of Alexander Ivanovich turned out to be correct - the escort, consisting of six destroyers, did not expect an attack from this side at all and was at a loss in the first instant, which allowed the boat to go deep. The negative sides of the decision were made later, when escort ships groped for the approximate location of the submarine. On the coastal depths, a hidden boat was much easier to spot and tax. And then Alexander Ivanovich showed the art of maneuvering. A deadly battle lasted for four hours, and none of the two hundred and forty bombs dropped on the boat damaged the hull (such trifles as light bulbs shaken by shaking and broken devices did not count). Marinesko later said: “When people talk to me about my luck, I laugh. I want to answer in Suvorov - once lucky, twice lucky, well, put something and skill ... ". Having captured the moment when the pursuers had run out of a stock of depth charges, the submarine made a move and left the dangerous area.
The news of the death of the superliner Wilhelm Gustlov spread with the speed of a sound wave. Soviet submariners in Finnish shipyards heard about the S-13 feat before it returned to base. The participants in the “attack of the century” themselves did not seek home. After minor repairs and reloading torpedo tubes, the crew began to prepare for new attacks. For the following purpose, the Baltic submarine helped aviation. Arriving at the indicated coordinates, the S-13 found a cruiser of the Emden type in combat guard of six destroyers of the latest type Karl Galster, moving towards Germany. The chase began, somewhat similar to the recent race for the liner. Again full speed in cruising position, again boosting engines. This time Marinesco decided to shoot stern. Despite the known risk — there were only two, and not four, feed devices — a similar attack made it possible to quickly escape from the pursuit. The volley fired on February 10, 1945, was unusually well-aimed. Both torpedoes hit the target, and the auxiliary cruiser General Steuben sank in a matter of minutes. Instead of an urgent dive, Alexander Ivanovich ordered "full speed ahead!", And the "S-13" disappeared into the open sea.
Despite outstanding achievements, the commander received only the Order of the Red Banner for this campaign. The reduced evaluation of the feat was influenced by his sin on New Year's Eve. The legendary submariner didn’t take the blame off himself, but he told his colleagues: “And the team was rewarded with awards. What does she have to do with it? ” In a new campaign, "C-13" went 20 April. The crew was configured in combat, but swimming did not meet the expectations of submariners. By the way, only the combat score of the boat did not increase, but in its intensity the march was not inferior to the others. Only ten days (from April 25 to May 5) the submarine evaded fourteen torpedoes fired at it. It is unlikely that at the end of the war, enemy submariners have forgotten how to shoot - with so many torpedoes you can destroy an entire squadron, and only thanks to the vigilance and excellent skills of the Marinesko crew, not one of them hit the target. The underwater ace ended the war just as he began, on patrol. Victory sailors celebrated lying on the ground with the observance of all precautions. Returning home was delayed - the command considered it inappropriate to immediately withdraw submarines from their positions. It is curious that of the thirteen diesel-electric torpedo submarines of the Baltic fleet "C" class, only the one that Marinesko commanded survived during the war years.
After the cramped and shyness, after the monstrous overstraining of forces on the shore, people were irresistibly drawn to "feel free". Alexander Ivanovich was well aware of this and under the personal responsibility he set sailors' detachments ashore. This was called "degaussing walk". Unfortunately, the commander himself did not justify the confidence of the command. Nervous exhaustion, loneliness, mental disorder resulted in his unauthorized absences and conflicts with the authorities. In addition, Marinesko showed the first signs of epilepsy. The management decided to lower him in rank to Starley and transfer him to another boat as an assistant. The warlords who issued the verdict appreciated Alexander Ivanovich and wanted to save for the submarine fleet. However, for Marinesko, the prospect of saying goodbye to C-13, getting under the command of another commander was intolerable. The famous admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov wrote: "In this case, the punishment did not correct the person, but broke him." After learning about his demotion, an underwater ace in November 1945 left the service.
In the 1946-1948 years, Alexander Ivanovich, as an assistant captain, sailed on merchant ships, visited foreign flights. However, he never became a captain and was fired due to weakening his eyesight. While sailing on the ships of the Leningrad Shipping Company, Marinesko met the radio operator Valentina Gromova, who became his second wife. Following her husband, she moved to the shore, and soon they had a daughter, Tanya. And in 1949, the secretary of the Smolninsky District Committee offered the submariner a job at the Institute of Blood Transfusion as deputy director for the business unit. Unfortunately, the director was an honest deputy, who interfered with self-supply and build a dacha, was completely unnecessary. A hostility arose between them, and soon Marinesko, who, after the oral permission of the director, distributed to the employees several tons of peat briquettes, written off as useless, was accused of plundering socialist property. There was a court in which the prosecutor dropped the charges, and both lay assessors expressed a special opinion. The case was considered in a different composition, and the sentence was three years in Kolyma. By the way, a year later, the director of the economic part, who was completely entangled in his frauds, found himself on the dock.
It is curious that, being in difficult circumstances, Alexander Ivanovich gathered. Sick and broken, he did not collapse either morally or physically, did not become angry and did not lose his human dignity. For all the time of his conclusion, he did not have a single epileptic seizure. A submariner wrote letters to his wife cheerful, with a humor: “I live, work and consider time not in days, but in hours. There are about 1800 left, but if you throw out the sleep clock, then 1200 comes out. To go to the bath eight times, to eat bread seventy kilograms ”.
After returning to Leningrad in October, 1951 Alexander Ivanovich worked as a loader, topographer and, finally, got a job at the Mezon plant. Marinesko fell in love with his new job in the industrial supply department, he lived in the interests of the enterprise and, when meeting with old comrades, always talked about factory problems. He said: “I allow myself a lot there. In the factory newspaper I write critical articles, I object to the administration. Everything is coming off. Well, I know how to get on with the workers. ” Incredibly, but the fact is that Alexander Ivanovich accomplished during the war years, factory workers learned only from the newspapers, while the legendary submariner never told anything about his exploits. The last years of his life were relatively calm. Daughter Marinesko said that her father had many interests: “In his youth, he was a good boxer. Not bad painted colors and pencil, mostly - ships and the sea. He loved to dance tap dance - he specifically took lessons from one sailor. He sang beautifully Ukrainian songs. And during the holidays I got into the boat and went fishing. ” Marinesko also broke up with his second wife. And in the early sixties, Valentina Filimonova, who became the third and last wife, entered his life. They lived very modestly. Valentina Alexandrovna recalled: “We didn’t have a decent chair or table, we slept on plywood for the first time. Later, they got the ottoman and were happy. ”
At the end of 1962, doctors discovered a tumor of the throat and esophagus in Marinesko. The surgeon who operated on Marinesko wrote: “Alexander Ivanovich at the hospital behaved courageously, patiently endured the torment, was, like a child, shy. He never once mentioned the merits and did not complain about fate, although he was frank with me ... He understood everything, but did not lose hope, did not lose heart, did not "go into a disease", on the contrary, he was interested in everything that happened outside the hospital walls " . The legendary submariner 25, November 1963, died at the age of fifty, and 5 in May, 1990, was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
According to the story A.A. The krone “Sea Captain” and the site http://www.aif.ru.
In 1911, being in the Poltava region, Ivan Alekseevich met the black-eyed beauty peasant Tatiana Koval, and after a short time they got married. Young moved to Odessa, where Marinesko found a job in his specialty. It was here that they had two children: a daughter, Valentina, and a son, Alexander. According to the memoirs of a submariner, a very soft and indulgent father emerged from the former state criminal, while his mother was much stricter, with a very heavy hand.
The young years of Alexander Ivanovich passed on the streets of Odessa. The submariner himself said: “At the age of seven I was already swimming very well. Behind the shipyard there was a cemetery of old ships. Adults didn’t go there, and we spent whole days fishing, swimming, eating and smoking. Our order was rarely changed, and only for a variety of impressions. Sometimes we trooped off to the passenger jetties and asked the passengers of cruise ships to throw the dimes into the water. When someone threw a coin, we dive after it into the clear water. It happened that they took possession of them in battle, to the delight of the passengers watching the underwater battles. ”
The Black Sea yachts were the first ships for Alexander Ivanovich. Light winged and snow-white, they seemed like dirty-faced Odessa kids with fabulous visions that were unattainable for ordinary people. The revolution made significant adjustments to this view. Yachts began to belong to the factory teams, but they accepted to the Odessa Yacht Club everyone who was ready to work properly. Marinesko said: “After finishing fifth grade, I was only thinking about the sea. The first school for me was the local yacht club. All spring I helped repair the yachts, and by the beginning of the navigation I was among the best enlisted in one of the teams. All summer I sailed, performing the duties of a real sailor. And at the end of the summer I already participated in real competitions. ”
Despite such a successful start, they soon had to part with the yachts - the club moved to the Arcadia region. Parting with his beloved vessel, Alexander endured painfully - he could not exist without ships and the sea. Fortunately, there was a temporary way out. Marinesko got a job as a student at the central rescue station located on Lanzheron. His service began with the duty on the tower, the benefit of the signalman experience he had. Then he underwent a primary briefing and was allowed to rescue operations.
Despite the restless nature, Alexander studied quite well and read a lot. However, at the school desk, he spent only six years - until 1926. After he turned thirteen, Marinesko, as an apprentice to a sailor, began sailing on ships of the Black Sea Shipping Company. At fourteen, the teenager saw the Caucasus and the Crimea, and soon came a decree on the admission of Alexander to the school of the young man.
Becoming a pupil of this institution was not only a great honor, but also a serious test. The first year of study included classes in joinery, turning and plumbing - the sailor must be able to do everything. The guys studied the basics of navigation and rigging, learned to read sea lanes and shipping documents. All this was given to Alexander easily. In the second year, science has become more difficult. The entire course was sent to the blockade "Lakhta", driven from the Baltic. There, the guys lived in a barrack position, with a routine close to the military. Everything was done at the signal of a horn; there was no entertainment. Despite the fact that the block was standing near the breakwater, the students came out on the beach only on Saturdays, and even then they were not on duty. A hereditary sailor, Sergei Shaposhnikov, who studied with Marinesko, said: “The old boatswain still did not give anyone the imperial service. But forced retreat had its own charm. We became friends, learned to live in such a way that no one would annoy or bother anyone. Today, in the era of nuclear submarines and space flights, the problems of mutual adaptation and psychological compatibility are being developed by scientists. Then such words did not even know. But in strict order on the "Lakhta" was a deep meaning. It was a filter. Not satisfied with such a life - go to the boat and farewell. Nobody holds, as it will be more difficult at sea. ” Two years was the term of study at the school jung. Marinesko, as the most successful, was reduced to one and a half years, after which he was enrolled in the Odessa Nautical School without exams.
"Sailor" was preparing future navigators for long-distance navigation. A year of hard study, and then a five-month practice on the famous sailing ship “Comrade” ended for Alexander with a state exam. The twelve captains who received it were impartial and merciless - out of forty cadets after the tests, only sixteen remained. After graduation, Marinesco returned to the coast for a while. Marine science still remained in first place, but this did not prevent him from engaging in public affairs. In a short time, Alexander visited the most unexpected roles - an activist of the Society of Friends of Soviet Cinema and Photo, an entertainer, a member of the amateur ensemble of the Sailor Club. And in April 1933, Alexander Ivanovich received his first appointment - to the steamboat of the Black Sea fleet The Red Fleet is the fourth assistant captain. Here is what Marinesco said about his debut: “Our steamer is an old vessel with a thousand tons of displacement. He sailed along the Crimean-Caucasian line, transporting grain. The captain, an experienced sailor and a great drunkard, carefully looked at me for two weeks, and then he completely confided and practically did not look at the bridge during the watch shift. Two months later, I became the second assistant and at the post of this decently siphoned grief. There was a forced transportation of grain from Kherson, Skadovsk and Nikolaev to the ports of Transcaucasia. In order to overfulfill the plan, the ship was unnecessarily loaded, which worked safely for the time being. Once, twenty hours from Batumi, we were hit by a storm of eight points. There were a lot of damages on our box, the gangway and boat were blown away by the waves. "In Batumi, when the holds were opened, they saw that the wetted, swollen grain saved us, which clogged the hole and stopped the flow of overboard water."
Alexander Ivanovich didn’t have to sail on the steamers for a long time - in the fall of 1933 he was called up as a member of the Navy. Already in November, he arrived in Leningrad and, having received the insignia of the commander of the sixth category, he was sent to the navigator classes of special courses for commanders. Together with him, Nina Marinesko (nee Karyukina) also arrived in the northern capital of Russia. Their wedding took place shortly before departure. Little is known about the beginning of the Marinesko naval service. The old comrades, who saw him in the first months, unanimously noted: “Alexander studied well, there were no complaints either from the Komsomol organization or the command to him, but his mood was at times depressed. A certified navigator, in the near future the captain of the Black Sea ship, here he again turned into a cadet, learning a lot from the beginning. ”
Alexander Ivanovich completed the courses ahead of schedule in 1935 and was assigned to the submarine Shch-306 “Haddock” as a navigator understudy. A few days after the appearance of Marinesco, the submarine began to be prepared for a multi-day trip. Alexander Ivanovich - physically strong, of small stature - easily mastered his economy, quickly learned to navigate the boat, figured out the cars and weapons. He did not know how to miss and prepared for the campaign with zeal. Submarine veteran Vladimir Ivanov recalled: “That autonomous campaign was forty-six days. For the "pike" is a lot. In such voyages, a person is fully revealed. Alexander was a real sailor, he served impeccably. Cheerful and cheerful, the team immediately fell in love with him. After a couple of months, he knew the whole boat very well - it was obvious that he was preparing himself for control. ”
By 1937, a crucial period in the life of Marinesko ended. He considered himself a real submariner, he had a new goal in life, and in November Alexander Ivanovich was sent to the Higher Courses of commanders. Those who graduated from them deserved the right to independently control the ships. But then suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, at the height of the 1938 summer practical exercises, an order came to the courses: “Dismiss the Marinesko listener and demobilize from the fleet.” The order was not connected with any sins of Alexander Ivanovich. Among the most possible reasons, historians cite a purely questionnaire circumstance - the short-term stay of a minor Sasha on lands occupied by whites, or the Romanian origin of the father.
So the young sailor was left without a favorite cause. Attempts to get a merchant navy led nowhere. Alexander Ivanovich endured the painful exile in silence. Realizing that it was pointless to demand explanations, he did not write statements and did not go to the authorities. Trying to occupy himself, Marinesko, avoiding marinas, wandered around the city, met with a few friends and helped them in everyday life. He didn’t want to talk about his feelings, and he briefly answered all questions: “An error has occurred, they will understand.” Fortunately, this state, exhausting the soul, lasted a relatively short time. Just as suddenly, as the order for demobilization came, a decree arrived at the service, and Marinesko, reappearing as part of the Training Detachment, began to make up for lost time with gusto. In November, 1938, having graduated from courses, Alexander Ivanovich was promoted to Starley and took command of the M-96 boat.
From the very first days of the operation of the submarine, unforeseen difficulties emerged, the main of which was that the M-96 submarine was completely new. The new boat is a new team, not welded and not accumulated joint traditions and experience. For the first six months builders worked on the boat, whose presence made it difficult for them to perform daily service. Another difficulty was that, due to the small size of the submarine, the positions of the military commissar and assistant commander were not provided for. Alexander Ivanovich himself didn’t swim as an assistant, he didn’t have any political experience either. Marinesko helped cope with these difficulties head of the division "babies" Evgeny Yunakov. Being a talented educator, Yevgeny Gavrilovich set himself the task of educating the lack of first-degree motherboard skills in a clearly gifted young submarine commander. Subsequently, he said: “There was no need to do a sailor from Marinesko. It was necessary to make a naval sailor. " About how zealously the commander of "M-96" took up the case, can be judged by the fact that in 1940 the crew of the submarine on the basis of political and military training took first place, and Alexander Ivanovich was awarded the gold watch and promoted to captain-lieutenant. In January, 1941, rigorous and highly experienced, gave the twenty-seven year old submarine commander the following description: “Marinesko is decisive, bold, resourceful and intelligent. Great sailor, well prepared. He knows how to quickly navigate and makes the right decisions. Transmits subordinates their skills, knowledge and fighting spirit. Neglecting personal interests for the benefit of the service, sustained and tactful. Caring for subordinates. "
Before the war, the “baby” of Alexander Ivanovich was regularly carrying out the patrol and intelligence service. The submariner wrote about the last prewar voyage of M-96: “On the ninth day of being at sea, everyone was very tired ... We did a good job - last year’s standards, which gave us the general fleet championship, are noticeably exceeded. From now on, for an urgent immersion, we need only seventeen seconds (according to the 35 norms) - so far, not a single “baby” has achieved this. It was difficult, but no one complained. ” News about the beginning of the war found "M-96" in the sea. The Hanko garrison - a stony peninsula leased from the Finns, where the Marinesko family moved before the war - was preparing to repel the attack, but the civilian population needed to be urgently evacuated. Nina Ilyinichna, taking the most necessary things, together with her little daughter Laura sailed on a boat to Leningrad. Alexander Ivanovich could not see them; in July 1941 his “M-96” entered the battle position in the Gulf of Riga. The mine situation at that moment was relatively tolerable, but on the way back it significantly changed for the worse. Marinesko, who had not yet had the experience of walking through minefields, was one of the first to master this science - a science where any mistake threatened death. Alexander Ivanovich said: “There is nothing more painful than the passing of a minefield in a submerged position. It is like a fight with the invisible. Mina does not betray herself, for good reason they call her silent death. One can only guess about its true disposition, relying on the stories of your comrades who walked before you and on your own instincts. ” For the fate of "M-96" not without reason were worried, but Alexander Ivanovich brought the boat to Kronstadt.
After returning to the base, an order was received - two Baltic “babies”, including M-96, were sent to the Caspian fleet. To send the boat it was necessary to dismantle and disarm, and it began to implement. However, due to the rapid advance of the German troops, the order was canceled, and the boat was again brought into a state of combat capability. By that time, the situation on the Leningrad front was critical, and for a while the M-96 was mined. In late autumn, the 1941 boat was driven off to the Aegna floating base. During the shelling of Leningrad in mid-February, an artillery shell exploded 1942 two meters from the port side of the submarine. The robust case could not stand it, and the water flooded two compartments. The boat had only eight cubic meters of positive buoyancy, when, thanks to the crew’s speed, a catastrophe was averted. The accident turned out to be large (especially for blockade conditions), in addition to the hull work, diesel engine damage was found. The restoration of the boat was completed only by the summer of 1942, and in early August, the crew of the M-96 began preparations for the combat march.
The experience of Marinesco gained on merchant ships was useful in this voyage. He knew very well the sea routes along which the transport ships were moving. The result was the sinking of German transport in a seven thousand ton displacement. The attack was made from a submerged position in the afternoon, and both torpedoes hit the target. The transport was guarded by three patrol ships, and Marinesko decided not to go away from prosecution, but towards the occupied port of Paldiski, which was occupied by the enemy. The enemy was confused, and the submarine, looking up from the pursuit, on the eleventh day came to a rendezvous with the Soviet boats waiting for her. It is curious that during the ascent of the ships by mistake they fired at "M-96". According to one submariner of their crew, Marinesko: “The commander also found a rare exposure here. After a second ascent, he placed the submarine between the two ships so that if they opened fire on us again, they would fall into each other. This brilliant calculation made it possible to gain time. Later we asked why we were mistaken for the fascists. Kaperniki responded that on the cabin of the boat a swastika. Only then did we figure it out - white camouflage paint appeared in some places and it really turned out to be similar. ” During this campaign, Alexander Ivanovich was awarded the Order of Lenin and by the end of navigation he was able to successfully complete another voyage with a special reconnaissance mission. In addition, he was promoted to captain of the third rank and accepted as candidate of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks). Among the thirty officers who distinguished themselves in the summer campaign, he received permission to fly out of surrounded Leningrad to his family and to celebrate the New Year with her.
1943 year became the most difficult for the Baltic submariners, remaining in their memory the time of forced inactivity and severe losses. The German command, making sure that the barriers installed at the exit from the Gulf of Finland were not so impassable, took additional measures. At the very beginning of the campaign, forcing barriers, several first-class Soviet submarines were blown up, and our command decided not to send more submarines to death. During this time, Alexander Ivanovich was transferred to the commander of the submarine "C-13". He took the new appointment seriously: “The boat is big, everything is new - both people and equipment. On the “little one,” I knew every nut, raised the team, believed it, and she believed me. ” Nevertheless, Marinesko took up the matter thoroughly. He trained his personnel in his own way, constantly conducting dives on the Neva. Persistently the commander was preparing and artillery calculations. On the C-13 submarine, in addition to a forty-five-millimeter cannon, there was a long-range 100-mm caliber gun, which served seven people. By the beginning of the navigation, the submarine was “to shit!”, However, in 1943, Marinesko was not released into the sea.
The grief over the dead friends, along with the forced inaction, was painfully experienced by both the sailors and their commanders. Soviet troops on almost all fronts went over to the offensive. The accumulated experience required application, and force - output. People became more nervous and irritable, Alexander Ivanovich only during the summer and autumn 1943 twice visited the guardhouse, having received a warning at the party line and then a reprimand. Marinesko gave the word to correct, and he kept his promise. In May, the 1944 party committee of the submarine brigade decided to lift off the reprimand in connection with “redemption of guilt with high discipline and honest work.
After the capitulation of Finland, it was time for new campaigns. C-13 left Kronstadt on October 1, heading for a position in the Danzig Bay area. October 9 submarine found an armed transport "Siegfried." Torpedo attack failed. Despite the fact that the torpedo triangle was determined correctly, the captain of the ship stopped the turn in time, and all the torpedoes passed over the nose. Such a misfire did not discourage Alexander Ivanovich, he again attacked with a single torpedo, but she was noticed, the transport gave way, and the torpedo passed astern. It seemed that all was lost, but Alexander Ivanovich gave the command “artillery alert”. Between the submarine and transport artillery duel ensued. Soviet sailors fired better and soon the enemy ship began to sink into the water. Having successfully broken away from the enemy destroyers, the C-13 arrived at the harbor of Hanko, where Soviet smelters were already stationed. During this campaign, Marinesko received the Order of the Red Banner, and the damaged Siegfried was towed by the enemy to Danzig, where he was restored until the spring of 1945.
Throughout November and December, the 1944 boat was under repair, and Marinesko was suddenly attacked with a blues. It should be noted here that at this time his family fell apart. Subsequently, Nina Ilyinichna said: “Today I understand that when an inhuman strain of forces is required of a person in battle, it is impossible to wish that in everyday life he was a good girl. But then I was younger - and did not forgive. ” On New Year's Eve, Alexander Ivanovich unexpectedly made the hardest offense for everyone - he left the mother ship without permission, went on a spree in the city and appeared only the next evening. The incident was extraordinary and unprecedented. The war was not yet over, and the strict laws of wartime retained their force, especially in the territory that was recently hostile. Alexander Ivanovich was threatened by the court of the tribunal. Nevertheless, the command showed common sense - the submarine was ready for the march, and the commander enjoyed great confidence in the crew. Marinesko was allowed to atone for its mistakes in a fight with the enemy, and on January 9 1945 "С-13" again sailed to the position in the area of Danzig Bay.
Having appeared on a habitual place, Alexander Ivanovich again became what the team knew him - a brave, prudent and energetic fighter. Thirteen days the boat sailed in the middle of the designated area of action, a couple of times coming in contact with the courts of the enemy. However, Marinesko never attempted to attack, saving torpedoes for a larger game. In the end, he decided to move to the southern part of the district. On the night of January 30, submariners spotted a group of ships leaving the bay of Danzig and moving to the north-west. And soon a message came from the hydroacoustics, which heard the sound of the blades of a huge twin-screw ship. "C-13" went for rapprochement. There was no visibility on the bridge at that time — the snowstorm and the rolling motion prevented it — and the commander ordered the dive to a safe twenty-meter depth from an impact ram attack. However, the speed of the submarine decreased, and Marinesko realized from the acoustic bearing - the target was removed. Blind to shoot, given the imperfections of the then equipment, he did not, and when the target passed over the bow of the submarine, he gave the command to float. Visibility became better, and the divers, taking a course parallel to the huge liner, rushed in pursuit.
It was not easy to compete with the ocean liner in the course. After two hours of chase, Alexander Ivanovich made the perilous decision to force the engines. The crazy race lasted about an hour more, and all this time the commander did not leave the bridge. Visibility still left much to be desired, but a blessing in disguise - on the ships of the convoy they also did not see the boat. And finally, the decisive moment. The torpedo attack was perfect. Three fired torpedoes hit the target, hitting the most vulnerable places of the ship. The fourth torpedo, by the way, came out of the device by half, and later the torpedoes of the compartment pulled it into place. The liner sank after half an hour, but the crew of the submarine did not see this - after the explosions, Marinesko ordered an urgent dive. It should be noted that the C-13 attack was carried out according to the plan of the commander from the coast. The calculation of Alexander Ivanovich turned out to be correct - the escort, consisting of six destroyers, did not expect an attack from this side at all and was at a loss in the first instant, which allowed the boat to go deep. The negative sides of the decision were made later, when escort ships groped for the approximate location of the submarine. On the coastal depths, a hidden boat was much easier to spot and tax. And then Alexander Ivanovich showed the art of maneuvering. A deadly battle lasted for four hours, and none of the two hundred and forty bombs dropped on the boat damaged the hull (such trifles as light bulbs shaken by shaking and broken devices did not count). Marinesko later said: “When people talk to me about my luck, I laugh. I want to answer in Suvorov - once lucky, twice lucky, well, put something and skill ... ". Having captured the moment when the pursuers had run out of a stock of depth charges, the submarine made a move and left the dangerous area.
The news of the death of the superliner Wilhelm Gustlov spread with the speed of a sound wave. Soviet submariners in Finnish shipyards heard about the S-13 feat before it returned to base. The participants in the “attack of the century” themselves did not seek home. After minor repairs and reloading torpedo tubes, the crew began to prepare for new attacks. For the following purpose, the Baltic submarine helped aviation. Arriving at the indicated coordinates, the S-13 found a cruiser of the Emden type in combat guard of six destroyers of the latest type Karl Galster, moving towards Germany. The chase began, somewhat similar to the recent race for the liner. Again full speed in cruising position, again boosting engines. This time Marinesco decided to shoot stern. Despite the known risk — there were only two, and not four, feed devices — a similar attack made it possible to quickly escape from the pursuit. The volley fired on February 10, 1945, was unusually well-aimed. Both torpedoes hit the target, and the auxiliary cruiser General Steuben sank in a matter of minutes. Instead of an urgent dive, Alexander Ivanovich ordered "full speed ahead!", And the "S-13" disappeared into the open sea.
Despite outstanding achievements, the commander received only the Order of the Red Banner for this campaign. The reduced evaluation of the feat was influenced by his sin on New Year's Eve. The legendary submariner didn’t take the blame off himself, but he told his colleagues: “And the team was rewarded with awards. What does she have to do with it? ” In a new campaign, "C-13" went 20 April. The crew was configured in combat, but swimming did not meet the expectations of submariners. By the way, only the combat score of the boat did not increase, but in its intensity the march was not inferior to the others. Only ten days (from April 25 to May 5) the submarine evaded fourteen torpedoes fired at it. It is unlikely that at the end of the war, enemy submariners have forgotten how to shoot - with so many torpedoes you can destroy an entire squadron, and only thanks to the vigilance and excellent skills of the Marinesko crew, not one of them hit the target. The underwater ace ended the war just as he began, on patrol. Victory sailors celebrated lying on the ground with the observance of all precautions. Returning home was delayed - the command considered it inappropriate to immediately withdraw submarines from their positions. It is curious that of the thirteen diesel-electric torpedo submarines of the Baltic fleet "C" class, only the one that Marinesko commanded survived during the war years.
After the cramped and shyness, after the monstrous overstraining of forces on the shore, people were irresistibly drawn to "feel free". Alexander Ivanovich was well aware of this and under the personal responsibility he set sailors' detachments ashore. This was called "degaussing walk". Unfortunately, the commander himself did not justify the confidence of the command. Nervous exhaustion, loneliness, mental disorder resulted in his unauthorized absences and conflicts with the authorities. In addition, Marinesko showed the first signs of epilepsy. The management decided to lower him in rank to Starley and transfer him to another boat as an assistant. The warlords who issued the verdict appreciated Alexander Ivanovich and wanted to save for the submarine fleet. However, for Marinesko, the prospect of saying goodbye to C-13, getting under the command of another commander was intolerable. The famous admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov wrote: "In this case, the punishment did not correct the person, but broke him." After learning about his demotion, an underwater ace in November 1945 left the service.
In the 1946-1948 years, Alexander Ivanovich, as an assistant captain, sailed on merchant ships, visited foreign flights. However, he never became a captain and was fired due to weakening his eyesight. While sailing on the ships of the Leningrad Shipping Company, Marinesko met the radio operator Valentina Gromova, who became his second wife. Following her husband, she moved to the shore, and soon they had a daughter, Tanya. And in 1949, the secretary of the Smolninsky District Committee offered the submariner a job at the Institute of Blood Transfusion as deputy director for the business unit. Unfortunately, the director was an honest deputy, who interfered with self-supply and build a dacha, was completely unnecessary. A hostility arose between them, and soon Marinesko, who, after the oral permission of the director, distributed to the employees several tons of peat briquettes, written off as useless, was accused of plundering socialist property. There was a court in which the prosecutor dropped the charges, and both lay assessors expressed a special opinion. The case was considered in a different composition, and the sentence was three years in Kolyma. By the way, a year later, the director of the economic part, who was completely entangled in his frauds, found himself on the dock.
It is curious that, being in difficult circumstances, Alexander Ivanovich gathered. Sick and broken, he did not collapse either morally or physically, did not become angry and did not lose his human dignity. For all the time of his conclusion, he did not have a single epileptic seizure. A submariner wrote letters to his wife cheerful, with a humor: “I live, work and consider time not in days, but in hours. There are about 1800 left, but if you throw out the sleep clock, then 1200 comes out. To go to the bath eight times, to eat bread seventy kilograms ”.
After returning to Leningrad in October, 1951 Alexander Ivanovich worked as a loader, topographer and, finally, got a job at the Mezon plant. Marinesko fell in love with his new job in the industrial supply department, he lived in the interests of the enterprise and, when meeting with old comrades, always talked about factory problems. He said: “I allow myself a lot there. In the factory newspaper I write critical articles, I object to the administration. Everything is coming off. Well, I know how to get on with the workers. ” Incredibly, but the fact is that Alexander Ivanovich accomplished during the war years, factory workers learned only from the newspapers, while the legendary submariner never told anything about his exploits. The last years of his life were relatively calm. Daughter Marinesko said that her father had many interests: “In his youth, he was a good boxer. Not bad painted colors and pencil, mostly - ships and the sea. He loved to dance tap dance - he specifically took lessons from one sailor. He sang beautifully Ukrainian songs. And during the holidays I got into the boat and went fishing. ” Marinesko also broke up with his second wife. And in the early sixties, Valentina Filimonova, who became the third and last wife, entered his life. They lived very modestly. Valentina Alexandrovna recalled: “We didn’t have a decent chair or table, we slept on plywood for the first time. Later, they got the ottoman and were happy. ”
At the end of 1962, doctors discovered a tumor of the throat and esophagus in Marinesko. The surgeon who operated on Marinesko wrote: “Alexander Ivanovich at the hospital behaved courageously, patiently endured the torment, was, like a child, shy. He never once mentioned the merits and did not complain about fate, although he was frank with me ... He understood everything, but did not lose hope, did not lose heart, did not "go into a disease", on the contrary, he was interested in everything that happened outside the hospital walls " . The legendary submariner 25, November 1963, died at the age of fifty, and 5 in May, 1990, was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
According to the story A.A. The krone “Sea Captain” and the site http://www.aif.ru.
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