Combat services bdk 50 years of patronage of the Komsomol. Tankman's day of battles

5. Chronicle of BS in 1975

At the beginning of 1975, the first detachment of ships of the 8th operational squadron of the Navy, which entered it in May 1974, continued its combat service, almost in the same composition (2 TFR pr.159 "SKR-18", "SKR-36", 2 MTShch pr.264A "Timofey Ulyantsev", "Vasily Gromov", 1 BDK pr.1171 "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol" and 1 DPL pr.641 "B-85"), with the exception of the destroyer "Influential" which December 1974 returned to Vladivostok. And the cruiser pr. 68bis "Dmitry Pozharsky", the nuclear submarine pr. 659T "K-59" and the MRZK "Deflector" that arrived at the BS in November 1974.

Research vessels and ships of the space fleet continued to work in the Indian Ocean. So the R/V "Borovichi" since January 5, based on .Kerguelen took part in the Soviet-French studies. The R/V Nevel paid a visit to Port Louis (Mauritius) on January 6-8. Operating since June 1974 in the Indian Ocean, the EOS project 596P "Absheron" completed its trip and on January 20 set off back to the Black Sea around Africa. And another EOS pr.596P "Sevan" after docking in Singapore on January 28 went back to the Indian Ocean.

From December 30, 1974, the nuclear submarine pr.659T "K-59" was on vacation in the port of Berbera. In addition to her, there were the Ivan Kucherenko floating base, a diesel submarine of project 641, a patrol ship, a sea minesweeper, a floating barracks, a floating dock for docking ships with a displacement of up to 5000 tons and several boats for servicing ships. He was then the second commander on the K-59 "Retired Captain 1st Rank Viktor Vasilyevich Korotkikh recalled:" After the celebration of the New Year 1975, scheduled preventive maintenance of those mechanisms began, on the operation of which there were comments at sea. The work was carried out by submariners. The planned work was completed by the commissioning of the reactor units. We didn’t forget about rest, after lunch we always went by bus to the beach in two combat shifts, where we played volleyball, football, swam in the sea and sunbathed. The water temperature in the sea is + 34˚С, swimming brought little pleasure, I wanted to swim in the Russian seas, where the temperature is much lower. On January 18, the installations of both sides were introduced, the air conditioning system started working, but the high temperature in the compartments remained for a long time until + 22˚ - + 28˚С was established.

On January 19, 1975, we left the mooring lines, lay down on the alignments to leave the port of Berbera, the mood was joyful, nevertheless we are going back, closer to home, although combat missions are still ahead. At the exit from the port of Berbera, we received a radiogram from the Main Headquarters of the Navy with permission to dive and proceed to an area 100 miles east of Socotra Island, 300x200 miles in size. »

From January 12 to February 21, 1975, the American AUG operated in the Indian Ocean, consisting of: the nuclear aircraft carrier "Enterprise" CVAN-65, the missile cruiser "Long Beach" CGN-9, the missile destroyer "B. Stoddert» DDG-22, frigate « Rathburne» DE-1057 and auxiliary vessels « Camden» AOE-2 and « Passumpsic» TAO-107. During their stay there, they made 3 visits: to the port of Mombasa (Kenya) on February 5-8, to the Seychelles and to Port Louis (Mauritius) on February 12-15.

In connection with the appearance on January 11 of the American AUG led by the ENTERPRISE aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean, in mid-January, five Soviet ships from the Gulf of Aden moved to the central part of the Arabian Sea to monitor the AUG. These ships were: BDK "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol" (onboard 397, commander of k-3r. Zaputryaev A.F.), PBPL "Ivan Kucherenko" (onboard 970), reconnaissance vessel "Deflector" and tankers "Alatyr" and "Gorky".

In addition to surface vessels, the nuclear-powered ship pr.659T "K-59" that left the port of Berbera was sent to track the aircraft carrier. The captain of the 1st rank, retired Viktor Vasilievich Korotkikh, who was then the second commander on the K-59, recalled: “ The search and tracking area for the Enterprise was determined to be the same off the western coast of India, as if the Main Headquarters of the Navy had information that the aircraft carrier was heading to the Persian Gulf in the range of carrier-based aircraft of the territory of the USSR. Everything was the same as when tracking the Constellation, but the difference was that for 8 days we went at a speed of 8 to 32 knots, we were pretty exhausted! The aircraft carrier Enterprise was 50 miles short of the entrance to the Persian Gulf and turned south. After the Enterprise passed the traverse of Socotra Island, we were ordered to return to the previously assigned search and tracking area (east of Socotra Island). A calm swim began. »

From the Arabian Sea, the AUG headed for the Kenyan port of Mombasa on a visit, where he stayed on February 5-8. Then there was a hurricane that caused damage to the island of Mauritius. By the time our ships arrived, the AUG left the island, heading for the exit from the Indian Ocean; on February 22, it had already arrived in Singapore.

On January 20, 1975, at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, the Timofey Ulyantsev MTShch began patrolling (airborne 304, commander of k-3r. G.G. Galyuk).

On January 23, 1975, the floating workshop "PM-129" (kl.SurovikovViktor Egorovich). She headed for the Gulf of Aden.

Our sailors are in the aftermath of a hurricane on Mauritius Island.

On February 6-7, 1975, a strong tropical hurricane raged over the island of Mauritius for two days and three nights Gervaise» (Cervaise). The wind speed at times reached 174 miles per hour, and the country suffered enormous damage. Dozens of people died, many were injured, hundreds of houses and dozens of ships were completely destroyed, and sea berths were damaged. 10 thousand people were left homeless, hundreds of kilometers of roads and power lines were destroyed and littered with uprooted trees. The water supply and telephone connection failed. The island froze in ruins, life on it almost stopped. At that time, eight foreign diplomatic missions worked in Mauritius, and the USSR, France and the USA offered their help in eliminating the consequences of the hurricane. This was apparently one of the first joint humanitarian operations of the navies of the opposing blocs, although they acted separately.

American and French ships were during the cyclone in the region of Madagascar and from there headed for the island. February 9, 1975 American high-speed universal supply transport Camden AOE-2 having arrived first in Port Louis, proceeded to assist the victims of the disaster. On February 10, the French aircraft carrier Clemenceau arrived on the island. The nuclear strike aircraft carrier "Enterprise" CVAN-65, the nuclear missile cruiser "Long Beach" CGN-9 and the squadron supply transport "Mars" AFS-1 joined the rescue operations the next day - February 11. The ship's personnel spent more than 10,000 man-hours working to restore water supply, electricity, telephone communications, clearing roads and debris. Helicopters have been allocated to deliver medical equipment, food, including 10,000 pounds of powdered milk, 60,000 gallons of drinking water, to the affected areas. The amount for which the Americans provided assistance amounted to more than 300,000 dollars. In addition, the US donated $25,000 to help victims of the cyclone.

The arrival of a detachment of American warships was regarded by the government of Mauritius as a show of force. Following the policy of the countries of the Indian Ocean, striving to turn this zone into a peaceful and nuclear-free one, the government of Mauritius invited the American detachment to leave the territorial waters of the country. "Enterprise" Departed on February 16, and on February 17 the French aircraft carrier Clemenceau also left.

The USSR also did not stand aside from assistance. A detachment of Soviet ships from the 8th Operational Squadron, which was at that time in the northern part of the Indian Ocean, commanded by Rear Admiral Nikolai Yakovlevich Yasakov, hurried to help the victims, although they were 2,400 miles from the island. On February 11, the cruiser "Dmitry Pozharsky" weighed anchor and headed for the island of Mauritius. At the crossing, a general ship party meeting was held, at which they talked about how to ensure trouble-free running before anchoring in Port Louis, form a repair and restoration detachment from the best specialists, and prepare personnel for international duty in an unfamiliar country. The repair and restoration detachment had five platoons of 35 people each. The party stratum in it was 25%. The platoon was divided into fives, put at the head of an officer or a well-trained foreman. The commander approved the proposal - to arrive at the destination a day earlier. It was possible to ensure the fulfillment of this task under the condition of developing the maximum possible speed and strict economy of fuel reserves: the refueling ship did not have time to reach the meeting point.

On the evening of February 15, the cruiser "Dmitry Pozharsky" (board number 837, captain of the 2nd rank F.N. Gromov) stood in the road near the island, on February 16 the sailors had already started work. By the way, in many references to the participation of Soviet sailors in helping, it is said that they came to the island on February 11, this mistake comes from the publication in G. Ammon's book "Naval Memorable Dates". M. 1987, p. 370.

On February 18, the EOS project 596P "Sevan" and the tanker "Polyarnik" approached (in a number of publications it is erroneously called "Polyarny"). And on February 26, the EOS pr. pr. 596P "Yamal" and the tanker "Roslav" approached. There were no other Soviet ships there at that moment. The ships left Mauritius on 1 March.

The rescue team managed to do a lot in 12 days. The ship's electricians wound up over 200 kilometers of broken wires, replacing them with new ones. 106 kilometers of power lines were restored (of which 62 kilometers were high-voltage lines), 126 kilometers of telephone network lines. Our sailors cleared 12 kilometers of debris from the road, strengthened the dam on the Little Rivier River, cleared a large number of houses from debris, of which 423 were connected to the power supply. Two settlements were completely restored, a refrigerator of the Ministry of Fisheries and a transformer substation were put into operation. The civilian hospital was completely restored by the hands of our guys. The cruiser organized the donation of 32 liters of blood donated by 130 Soviet sailors to the health authorities of Mauritius. As a one-time assistance, the island received a gift from our country 25 tons of fish and a large batch of medicines.

Other ships of the squadron were engaged in their tasks.

On February 3-5, the Gorky tanker paid a visit to the port of Karachi. This was the first visit by a Soviet "naval vessel" to Pakistan since June 1970.

From February 12 to March 1, 1975, the minesweeper "Timofey Ulyantsev" (onboard 304) and the large landing craft "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol" (onboard 397) were in the port of Umm-Kasr (Iraq).

On February 18, having completed Soviet-French research on .Kerguelen left the R/V Borovichi.

In mid-February 1975, there was a partial change of ships on the BS. The nuclear submarine pr.659T "K-59" operating since last year in the Indian Ocean and the submarine pr.1886 "Ivan Kucherenko" completed the BS and on February 17 they left the Indian Ocean through the Malacca Strait heading for Vladivostok.

In turn, from there, on February 23, the DBK pr. Vodoleeva P.P.) and sea refrigerated transport pr.502R "Ulma".

On February 21, 1975, the naval vessels of the USSR and the USA were involved in the incident. The American frigate "JOSEPH HEWES" FF-1078 (commander Buell (Buell)) patrolled near Socotra Island, where Soviet naval vessels were constantly stationed with the task of tracking their actions. At that moment, there was just a patrol ship pr.159A (NATO - Petya) "SKR-18" onboard 801, commander of k-3r. Teslenko and the tanker from which the TFR received fuel. A helicopter took off from the frigate in the sky. The helicopter was instructed to take photographs of the Soviet vessels and head east from the anchorage to try and locate any submarine that might have been there. An American frigate equipped with a new type of sonar also decided to approach the Soviet ships in order to collect additional data on them. When the American frigate approached the Soviet ship for 3.5 miles on it heard roar and almost immediately detected the fall of the projectile into the water a mile from the ship. The helicopter pilots also recorded the fall of the projectile, although they did not observe the flash of the shot. Immediately after the incident, the American frigate left the area and reported this to the leadership. The commander of the US warship said his ship was operating in accordance with legal regulations at the time of the incident. Statements were exchanged in which Moscow denied firing from its ship at the US ship. JOSEPH HEWES was ordered to continue surveillance operations at Socotra, but not to take any action that could be considered by the Soviet ships as a disturbance, threat, or provocation.

Despite the order, the commander of the American ship continued to behave unceremoniously and it is not surprising that he ran into a symmetrical response from the Soviet sailors. According to the memoirs of the American sailor Chuck Mitchell who was there (Chuck Mitchell) Captain Buell: “...returned and slowly approached the frigate again. He decided to lower the sonar buoy into the water and let it float around the frigate and collect information. That is exactly what we did. We lowered the buoy, and the water current carried it to the frigate. While collecting information, we noticed that the buoy was sailing close enough to the Russian, and Captain Buell was glad that we would get such good data. Suddenly, from the invisible side of the frigate, a small motorboat arrived, and they hooked up our top secret new buoy and brought it to their ship. Captain Buell was furious. »

On February 24-27, 1975, the USSR Ministry of Defense Marshal A.A. Grechko visited India, he was accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral S. Gorshkov and the Air Force Commander Marshal Kutakov.

On February 27, American exercises ARYAN-75 began in the Gulf of Oman, which were observed by the Soviet MRZK "Deflector", which has been there since February 25.

On March 5, 1975, the USSR had 1 submarine, 7 surface warships, 1 reconnaissance vessel and 6 auxiliary vessels in the Indian Ocean.

In March-April, another detachment of ships 2 TFR pr.159A "SKR-21" (onboard 811, commander Derenkov) and "SKR-141" (onboard 812, commander Feskov), 2 MTSH pr. pr. 264 "Pavlin" arrived at the BS Vinogradov "(commander of the l.A.V. Onishchenko) and "MT-5" (since 1976, "SKR-137", commander of the 3r. A.G. Zozul).

In April 1975, the second MRZK pr.502 "Kursograph" arrived at the BS in the Indian Ocean, commander lieutenant commander A. Gornitsky, commander of the reconnaissance group Alentyev. In April-May, two reconnaissance ships "Deflector" and "Kursograph" operated in the region at once, until the "Deflector" returned to Vladivostok in May. The chief of staff of the 38th OSNAZ brigade, captain 2nd rank E.P. Lopatin, moved from the "Cursograph" to the "Deflector".

Also at the end of March, the BS began in the Indian Ocean BDK pr.1171 (NATO - Alligator) "Nikolai Vilkov" (airborne 554, commander of k-3r.Zagoruiko Alexei Ilyich). It carried out an inter-fleet transition from the BF from Baltiysk to the Pacific Fleet around Africa with the carrying of the BS in the Indian Ocean from March to November, arrived in Vladivostok in December 1975.

On the "SKR-18" in 1975, there was an emergency associated with an attempt to escape a sailor from the ship. The watchman, together with the SKR-36, was stationed in Berbera, the sailor Kozlov, for religious and political reasons, secretly left the ship and made his way to one of the Arab ships in the port, intending on it to go abroad. But since the ship waited for the customs officers issued the fugitive Somali police, after which he was returned to the ship. Later, as Andrei Zuev, an eyewitness to these events, wrote: “was returned to the ship and locked in the midshipman's cabin. Then he was transferred to the Soviet Union. Where, according to rumors, he was declared insane and placed in a mental hospital. » .

From 3 to 21 April 1975, the ships of the squadron took part in the naval exercises "Ocean-75". 23 Soviet ships of various types operated in the Indian Ocean. Initially, all located in the Indian Ocean were divided into three groups. The first in the Gulf of Aden - Petya-class TFR (project 159A) and a minesweeper, the second - a minesweeper and 2 Alligator-class large landing craft (project 1171) was in the Arabian Sea. The DBK "Angry" and 2 submarines of the Foxtrot class (project 641) "B-8", "B-833" were also sent there. The third group consisting of the Sverdlov class cruiser (Project 68bis) "Dmitry Pozharsky", 2 escort ships and 2 tankers in the southern part of the Arabian Sea. In the subsequent stages of the exercises, these groups united for operations in the southern part of the Arabian Sea. According to Western data, anti-submarine aircraft Il-38 (NATO - MAY) from airfields in Somalia, where they flew for this, were involved in the maneuvers for the first time. In addition, on April 19, a reconnaissance flight over the exercise area in the Indian Ocean was carried out by 2 Tu-95RTs (NATO - BEAR DELTA) bombers that took off from bases in the USSR and passed through a corridor in Iranian airspace.

The Americans could not ignore maneuvers of this magnitude and used their available forces to observe. So frigate "trippy» DE -1075 since April 16 has been monitoring the ships participating in the exercises. After the completion of the exercises, on April 30, he paid a visit to Bandar Abbas (Iran).

At the end of the exercises on May 3, the cruiser "Dmitry Pozharsky" and "SKR-36" (onboard 804), under the flag of the squadron commander Rear Admiral N.Ya. Yasakova arrived on a visit to the Indian port of Madras.

After the end of the visit, the cruiser "Dmitry Pozharsky" and "SKR-36" went home. Also, with the completion of the exercises, they returned to the base "SKR-18", MTShch "Timofey Ulyantsev" and "Vasily Gromov", BDK "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol", MRZK "Deflector".

At the Timofei Ulyantsev MTSC from Berbera to Vladivostok, from the PMTO and ships based there, they carried a dozen demobilizations whose service life ended in December 1974, that is, the guys served not 3 but 3.5 years. The long-term BS of the minesweeper was not without bitter losses, in the Gulf of Aden the minder sailor Nikolai Polovaykin was buried, who died from electric shock while performing welding work in an oil tank, a sailor from the BCH-5 standing in the ranks on the ship's poop when being put on duty received a bullet wound in the abdomen and a watch in Berbera. The shot happened when the Makarov pistol was carelessly handled by the midshipman of the neighboring floating workshop, who was dismantling the pistol in the cabin and the bullet, flying out through the open porthole, hit the sailor, it was lucky that it did not hit the vital organs. During the trip, 13 appendicitis were cut out from the sailors of the ship, and this despite the fact that there was no surgeon on the ship and for operations they had to go to the nearest Soviet ship or to Berbera.

After the departure of the cruiser "Dmitry Pozharsky", on May 25, the flagship of the squadron became the DBK "Angry".

In May, he began his BS in the Indian Ocean, TFR project 1135 "Reasonable" (onboard 201, k-3r.Kulik V.V.). In March 1975, he left Baltiysk for the inter-fleet passage around Africa to Vladivostok, participating in the Ocean-75 maneuvers in the Atlantic in April. At the end of May 1975, they approached the island of Mauritius and stood for a couple of days on the roadstead of Port Louis, but the visit was canceled and the guard went further to Somalia.

Also in May, the BS began in the Indian Ocean BDK pr.1171 (NATO - Alligator) "Nikolai Vilkov".

During the first week of June 1975, the Soviet presence in the Indian Ocean consisted of two large surface ships (DBK and TFR pr. 1135 "Razumny") equipped with missiles, two patrol ships, a torpedo submarine, two minesweepers, a landing craft, five support vessels, a spacecraft, two oceanographic vessels and two tankers.

Thanks to the activities of the Navy of various countries, including the USSR in 1974-1975. mine clearing of the Suez Canal and approaches to it in the Red and Mediterranean Seas was carried out, as well as the rise of sunken ships in the canal.

Before the official opening of the channel in November 1974, small Egyptian ships passed through it, in March 1975 two Egyptian destroyers.

June 5, 1975 The Suez Canal was reopened to navigation. There were only two naval officers from the USSR Navy at the opening ceremony, including the commander of the trawling detachment, Captain 1st Rank Alexander Nikolayevich Apollonov, who was the personal guest of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Under the glare of photographic flashes, he shook hands with Apollonov and said in Russian: "Thank you." However, Sadat at the opening of the ceremony shook hands with all the heads of the naval contingents participating in the opening of the canal, including American admirals - the commander of the 6th American Fleet, Vice Admiral Stansfield Turner (Stansfield M. Turner) and Commander of Task Force 65, Rear Admiral Kent Carroll (Kent J. Carroll). The first convoy, consisting of the Egyptian destroyer October 6, with President Sadat on board, the presidential yacht MAHROUSA, the American cruiser LITTLE ROCK and two Egyptian motor vessels, completed a six-hour voyage from Port Said to Ismailia. The presence of an American cruiser in the convoy was unexpected, and naturally upset the Soviet representatives, since by this they were clearly relegated to the background. The first to pass through the canal were three Egyptian ships, the Star of Aswan, the Syria, and the Egypt.

The opening of the canal opened up new opportunities to support the activities of the 8th squadron in the Indian Ocean. The distance between the Black Sea bases and the Gulf of Aden when moving through the Suez Canal was 2,500 miles, in contrast to 11,500 miles when traveling around Africa. Or from 7700 miles from Vladivostok. If we assume an average speed of 15 knots, then the passage time from Sevastopol to the port of Berbera (Somalia) is 8 days, and to the American base on Diego Garcia 13 days. The pre-opening supply route from Vladivostok is 17 days to Berbera and 14 days to Diego Garcia. However, the USSR was in no hurry to use the channel, on July 10, 1975, the American newspaper “ Washington Post" reported that only six weeks after the opening of the Suez Canal, the first Soviet warship passed through it, by this time a number of warships of the US Navy had passed through the canal (the first frigate passed from the Indian Canal in June " Joseph Hewes» FF-1078), Great Britain, France, Iran and even Oman.

In July, the ships of the squadron mainly conducted surveillance in the Gulf of Aden and near the Strait of Hormuz. The command ship "Taman" for some time was near Diego Garcia watching the American base.

On July 17, a detachment of American ships arrived in the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca, consisting of the Reeves CG-24 missile cruiser, 2 Badger FF-1071, Harold E. Holt FF-1074 frigates and the Mispillion AO-105 tanker. It operated in the Indian Ocean for approximately 50 days, during which time their ships visited ports - Singapore, Penang (Malaysia), Port Louis (Mauritius), Victoria (Seychelles), Mombasa (Kenya), Karachi (Pakistan) and Colombo (Shri -Lanka). Apart from a permanent detachment of 1 command ship and 2 destroyers operating in the Persian Gulf, this is the second deployment of American ships in the Indian Ocean within a year.

On July 12-16, the port of Mogadishu (Somalia) was visited by the DBK "Gnevny", the SKR class Petya (project 159A) and the tanker "Vladimir Kolechitsky". The visit was made after exercises in the Seychelles area, in which a Foxtrot-class submarine (project 641) was also involved. Normal, in general, this visit, but what’s interesting is the “Angry” DBK carried tail number 561, and this despite the fact that at the beginning of the BS it had 998 onboard. Moreover, foreign diplomats noted the fact that in place of the last digit, another one was visible, which they mistook it for the letter B or C. As far as I know, this is the second case when the side number was changed on a ship during the BS, the first was with BDK-66 during its BS as part of the experimental 1st mixed brigade of the Pacific Fleet in the Indian Ocean on 28.04. 1973 to June 11, 1974

In the 20th of July, Soviet warships for the first time after the opening passed the Suez Canal in a northern and southern direction.

On July 23, the first Soviet combat ship of the SKR class Petya (project 159A) passed through the canal in a northerly direction from Krasnogov to the Mediterranean Sea, it was towed by a civilian tug. The same tug on July 6 brought him from Vladivostok to Cape Gvardafuy, he was intended for transfer to the Syrian Navy, he was brought to Tartus on July 27.

On July 24, the first Soviet warship of the Alligator-class BDK (project 1171) with onboard 412 passed from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea in a southerly direction, heading from the Black Sea to the port of Berbera. On board the BDK was a set of PMT-100 pipeline and 50 tons of gasoline in metal drums. To ensure the management of the loading of the PMT-100 and motor gasoline, the placement and escort of cargo on the ship, as well as for the laying and operation of the pipeline in Somalia, a group of servicemen-specialists of the Black Sea Fleet fuel service was formed, consisting of 5 officers and 30 sailors. The leadership of the group was entrusted to the Deputy Head of the Fuel Service Colonel Oleg Alekseevich Bogovich. The ship was loaded in Sevastopol and at 17.00 July 17, 1975 went on a campaign. The transportation was not easy. As the ship moved south, the temperature in the hold began to rise. When approaching the Red Sea, the observed indicators reached the following values: air in the hold +33°, near the surface of the barrels +36°, sea water +26°С. After the ship crossed the northern Tropic of Cancer and entered the tropical zone at 16.00 on July 27, these figures reached: air in the hold + 42 °, barrels + 46 °, water + 29 ", and at 20.00 the hold heated up to + 48 °, barrels up to + 53 ° , sea water was+29-30°. Separate barrels swelled, plug gaskets swelled, gasoline began to seep out at the upper ends. To prevent the ignition of gasoline vapors, it was necessary to turn on the seawater irrigation system. Irrigation continued until the BDK was moored at the Berbera port berth. The ship approached the port of Berbera on July 29, but only on July 30 at 3.00 and after incomprehensible delays was moored. On the morning of July 30, the unloading of barrels of gasoline began and their transfer to the Black Sea Fleet rear point in Berbera. On August 1 of the war, pipeline workers along the highway conducted a reconnaissance along the planned pipeline route Berbera Hargeisa. But by this time it became clear that the need for laying the pipeline had disappeared. So the pipeline workers on the same BDK went back on August 7th. On August 13, the BDK passed through the Suez Canal in a northerly direction and on August 17 arrived in Sevastopol.

At the end of July, most of the squadron's units concentrated in the Gulf of Aden, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bCape Guardafui and off the island of Socotra.

In August, the squadron's auxiliary fleet tried a new method of supplying the squadron's ships with fuel. On August 7, the Pevek sea tanker passed through the Suez Canal in a northerly direction, in the Mediterranean Sea north of Sallum Bay, it refueled from two tankers and returned to the Indian Ocean through the canal on August 16. Thus, the voyage of the tanker was reduced by 2/3.

In May-August 1975, Soviet ships regularly patrolled the Strait of Hormuz. This task was partially carried out by the Kursograph reconnaissance ship, and partially by a minesweeper.

In September, the Kursograph MRZK completed its BS in the Indian Ocean. Before his return to Vladivostok, the scout was spotted near Island D. Iego Garcia. Thus ended the first deployment of the MRZK in the region since the end of the war between India and Pakistan in December 1971. With his departure, there were no other reconnaissance vessels in the region. Their function will probably be performed by PSK Taman.

On September 20, 1975, for the second time this year, two Soviet Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft (NATO - MAY) flew to the airfield near the port of Berbera. They flew back on 29 September. For the first time, these aircraft flew in April to participate in the Okean-75 exercises.

In September, MTSC "MT-5" (k-3r.A.G. Zozul) made a business call to the port of Umm Qasr (Iraq).

In October, through the Suez Canal, the squadron arrived in the fleet carrying out the inter-fleet transition from the Baltic SKR pr.1135 (NATO - Krivak) "Striking" and 2 BDK pr. . Vavilov V.M.) and "BDK-63" (onboard 514,k-3 p. Gorokhovsky). The BDK arrived in Vladivostok in January, and the TFR in April. The transition of the BDK was headed by the commander of the landing ship division Boris Vasilievich Kozin.

In October 1975, the floating base pr.1886 (NATO - Ugra) "Ivan Vakhrameev" (onboard 968) and the SSGN pr.675 (NATO - Echo II) "K-189" came from the Pacific Fleet to the Indian Ocean.

On October 27, the third detachment of American ships arrived in the Indian Ocean through the Malacca Strait during the year, consisting of the Midway aircraft carrier CV-41, the Worden CG-18 missile cruiser, the Turner Joy destroyer DD-951, and the Fanning frigate FF-1076 , the Sacramento AOE-1 support vessel and the Mispillion AO-105 tanker. AUG, after calling at Karachi (Pakistan) in the Arabian Sea, will take part in the MIDLINK 75 naval exercises together with the British and Iranian Navy on November 15-29 and Pakistan.

In October 1975, the Razumny TFR operating in the Indian Ocean since May, together with the tanker, went to Vladivostok. But south of Sri Lanka, his journey home was interrupted and he was sent to intercept an American detachment of ships that entered the Indian Ocean.

From the opening of the Suez Canal to October 1, 1975, 10 Soviet naval ships and 348 merchant ships passed through it. And on November 1, 11 Soviet naval vessels passed through the channel. 5 ships passed south from warships: 1 TFR project 1135 (NATO - Krivak) "Striking", 3 landing ships (BDK class Alligator (pr. "BDK-63") and 1 OSA-II class missile boat (project 205), which was towed in Somalia. In the northern direction, 2 ships passed from the warships: 1 Petya-class TFR (project 159A) on July 23 going under tow to Syria and 1 Alligator-class large landing ship (project 1171) with onboard 412, on August 13 in the opposite direction. The remaining transits were carried out by auxiliary ships and tankers of the Navy.

In November 1975, the first and only Soviet warship transferred to this country was delivered to Sri Lanka. The large torpedo boat pr.205ET (NATO - MOL) "T-233" (factory 451, commissioned in 1974) from the Black Sea Fleet was taken in tow by a civilian tugboat and left the Black Sea on October 28, on November 3 it was taken through the Suez Canal. In November, she was brought to Sri Lanka, there are no rocket and torpedo weapons on her, there is only deck artillery, she will deal with smuggling between India and Sri Lanka, supplementing 5 Chinese patrol boats of the type Shanghai . The Sri Lankan Navy was transferred on December 31, 1975 and received the name "Samudra Devi » R 3250. In January 1976, after training in the USSR, 7 Sri Lankan sailors arrived on board, the Soviet team remained on the ship until about mid-1976. It was decommissioned in 1983.

In November, a total of 8 ships of the squadron monitored the course of the naval exercises "MIDLINK 75" within the framework of the CENTO block, in which the US, British, Iranian and Pakistani navies participated. Among them was the SSGN pr.675 (NATO - Echo II) "K-189" and 2 ships equipped with missiles. Among the ships was the minesweeper Project 264 (NATO - T-58) "MT-5" (since 1976 "SKR-137", k-3r. Zozul A.G.). Retired captain 1st rank Zozul Alexander Grigoryevich recalled: “The ship took an active part in tracking and reconnaissance of the US Navy exercises together with the fleets of Iran and Pakistan on the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz, codenamed "Midlig-75". We were so carried away by tracking that we almost entered Pakistan's terrorist waters, specifying the location of the US Navy aircraft carrier. And when a Pakistani Navy boat (like our Yaroslavets) began to approach us with a fairly large number of personnel on the upper deck with the clear intention of approaching our board, I, out of harm's way, played a drill with an exercise to combat PDSS. Artillery mounts were moving, machine gunners took their places according to the schedule. Only after that the Pakistanis abandoned their intention to approach our board. »

In addition, on November 17, two Tu-95RTs (NATO - BEAR DELTA) long-range bombers that took off from bases in the USSR and passed through a corridor in Iranian airspace searched the Indian Ocean for the American aircraft carrier Midway.

There were no incidents. An American sailor who served on the destroyer "Turner Joy" DD-951 told how "the Soviet cruiser almost rammed us for harassing one of her submarines trying to penetrate the flotilla ". Turner Joy acoustics, having discovered a Soviet submarine in the south, chased it for two hours until a Soviet ship approached with missiles that it aimed at an American destroyer. The Americans, in turn, pointed their 5-inch guns at the Soviet ship, in addition, after a signal for help, the aircraft carrier Midway sent two F-4s in support. After that, the Soviet ship left.

On November 25, on the aircraft carrier Midway, during landing maneuvers, the aircraft touched the bridge and crashed into another aircraft, two crew members were injured.

MTSC "MT-5" after a month and a half patrol in the Strait of Hormuz, which coincided with the American exercises "Midlig-75", made a business call to the port of Umm Qasr. Some time after the MT-5, the minesweeper Pavel Khokhryakov entered the port of Umm-Qasr.

November 22-27, 1975 in Bombay (India), a detachment of ships under the command of Captain 1st Rank V.Kh. After the visit of the DBK "Angry" went home to Vladivostok, since May 25 it has been the flagship of the squadron.

On December 15, 1975, a new detachment of ships entered the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca - 2SKR pr.159A (NATO - Petya) "SKR-43" (onboard 831, commander Kazurov V.M.) and TFR with onboard 826, 2 minesweepers pr. 264 (NATO - T-58) "Pavel Khokhryakov" (airborne 853, commander of k-3r.S.N. Kozlov), “Fyodor Mitrofanov” (airborne 854, commander of the l. Yu.K. Mursalimov), 1 BDK pr. Pozdnyakov V.A.) on board the BDG under the command of Major V.B. Dzherikhov, 1 Akhtuba tanker and 1 auxiliary tug vessel. On board the BDK were Rear Admiral Nikolai Yakovlevich Yasakov, commander of 8 OPESK, and a group of officers of the newly appointed headquarters of 8 OPESK, who were heading to the Indian Ocean zone to their duty station. On the 98th meridian we met with the ships returning home. New Year was celebrated at the transition to about .From early.

In December, after the arrival of the shift, 2 TFR Project 159A "SKR-21" (airborne 811, commander Derenkov) and "SKR-141" (airborne 812, commander Feskov), 2 MTSH pr. pr. 264 " Peacock Vinogradov "(commander of the l.A.V. Onishchenko), "MT-5" (since 1976 "SKR-137", commander of the 3rd district A.G. Zozul) and DPL pr.641 (NATO - foxtrot ) "B-833" (former "B-133", commander of the k-2r. V.I. Shestakov). The submarine was being towed. During the BS on the SKR-141, the foreman of the team of electricians midshipman Melnikov died from electric shock, having buried him in the sea.

In December 1975, Soviet ships paid four visits to the port of Colombo, for comparison, during the rest of the year there were only 2 ships of the space fleet (PSK). In December, at the beginning and end of the month, Colombo visited PSK Dikson twice, on December 14-16 a fleet tanker came there, and on December 16-30, BDK-63 (airborne 514) carried out a diplomatic mission, delivering the Soviet ambassador to the Maldives.

In the last days of December 1975, the destroyer Project 56 (NATO - Kotlin) "Inspirational" (airborne 400, commander k-2r.Litvinov) and diesel submarine project 641 (NATO - foxtrot ) "B-8" (on board the 332nd reserve crew, commander of k-2r. Yu.P. Dotsenko, senior - ZKB k-1r. V.A. Senkin) which he brought in tow to save motor resources.

Rosin Alexander.

By the end of 1968, the already mentioned 8th Special Purpose Squadron of the Black Sea Fleet was reorganized into the 8th Operational Squadron of the Pacific Fleet and began combat service in the Indian Ocean. With the increase in the proportion of political tasks solved by the combat service forces, landing ships with marines and military equipment on board began to be included in their composition.

military service - a set of measures and actions carried out by the forces of the fleet in peacetime according to a single concept and plan in order to prevent a surprise attack by the aggressor, to maximally weaken or frustrate the strikes of its naval forces, to maintain high combat readiness of formations, formations, ships and units to solve the tasks facing them.

Combat service provides for a long stay of a certain number of surface ships and submarines in various areas of the oceans (seas), as well as the presence of part of the forces on combat duty at basing points (at airfields) in the established readiness for departure (departure). Combat service is carried out in strict accordance with the norms of international maritime law.

The first combat service in the Pacific Fleet in the Indian Ocean was entrusted to the 390th Marine Regiment. You should know that combat service was the highest form of operational use of the forces of the fleet in peacetime.

From August 7, 1969 to February 13, 1970, on a long sea voyage aboard the BDK-66 (since February 13, 1975 - a large landing ship of project 1171 "Sergey Lazo"), the task was carried out by a reinforced company of marines. The landing commander is the commander of the 1st BMP, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolaenko Nikolai Ilyich.

The ship with the landing on board entered Port Said (Egypt), Lagos (Nigeria), circled Africa and in early December 1969 entered Mogadishu (the capital of Somalia). The entry was carried out on the instructions of the Soviet government in order to support the new Somali leadership from the danger of overthrow. (On the night of October 21, 1969, the progressive officers of the Somali army, under the leadership of the army commander, Major General Mohammed Siad Barre, carried out a revolutionary coup and took power in the country into their own hands. The ministers of the former government were arrested, parliament, political parties, as well as public organizations - disbanded). According to the testimony of the former platoon commander, Lieutenant Mikhail Andreevich Popov, the marines were even involved in the protection of important objects of the capital of the state.

Then there were calls to South Yemen, Ethiopia and the Indian port of Bombay.

Combat service rating - "excellent".

The Marine Corps in combat service solved the following tasks:

1. Assistance to the crews of landing ships in repelling attacks by surface ships and aircraft of a potential enemy using MANPADS, mortars, armament of tanks, armored personnel carriers and small arms.

2. Assistance to the crews of landing ships in the struggle for survivability.

3. Participation in identifying reconnaissance signs, in photographing and describing ships and aircraft of foreign states.

4. Direct protection of Soviet/Russian civilian ships from piracy.

5. Protection of diplomatic missions, PMTO Pacific Fleet, communication centers and other facilities. Ensuring their evacuation in case of sharp exacerbations of the military-political situation.

6. Maintaining the established degree of combat readiness for amphibious landings and actions on the coast, including as part of international groupings of forces.

7. Ensuring the planned replacement of troops of friendly states on combat duty in hard-to-reach areas.

The issues of training and combat service were closely linked with the activities of such formations of the amphibious assault forces of the Pacific Fleet as the 100th and 14th brigades of landing ships, later the 22nd division of amphibious assault forces.

It should be noted that the First Deputy Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Vice Admiral Yasakov N. Ya., Rear Admirals Tulin K. A. and Kochergin N. F., captains 1st rank Prisyazhnyuk, Chebanov, Volkov, Simonov A. IN.

ochergin Nikolai Fedorovich, who became the commander of the 22nd infantry division and rear admiral, is second from the right. First on the left - Simonov A.V., still a senior lieutenant; then - chief of staff 22 dmds.

In the process of combat services, the Marine Corps units have worked out such tactics and methods of using weapons, such as:

Firing at a surface target with 120mm mortars from the upper deck of a landing ship using data from the ship's fire control system;

Shooting at surface targets from medium (T-55) and amphibious (PT-76) tanks from tank decks through the open stern of the landing ship;

Shooting at a surface target from armored personnel carriers installed on the upper deck of the landing ship;

Shooting at low-flying air targets from small arms as part of a squad and platoon;

Covering a landing ship, which is in a solo voyage, from enemy air strikes by the forces of anti-aircraft gunner squads of the Marine Corps;

Keeping watch to combat sabotage forces and means with practical grenade throwing.

At any opportunity, practical exercises were held (with disembarkation) in shooting, driving (including afloat), and in restoring physical endurance (mainly accelerated movement and crosses).

Maintenance of landing equipment (1 infantry fighting vehicle) on the territory of 933 PMTO with unloading from the large landing ship "Nikolai Vilkov"

When the Pacific Fleet received new landing ships built by the Kaliningrad Yantar plant or Polish-built, the following practice existed: Marine units were transferred from Vladivostok by aircraft, received armored vehicles in the Baltic Fleet, and the inter-theater transition of the ship was combined with the solution of tasks of combat service as part of 8 opesk.

So, in May 1972, the 1st company of the marines, reinforced by a platoon of amphibious tanks of the 150th tank regiment of the 55th marine division and other units, with small arms, but without equipment, was transferred by military transport aircraft from the Khorol Pacific Fleet air base to the city of Kaliningrad. In the city of Baltiysk, a company landing group (landing commander - Major Borisenko B.I., chief of staff - Captain Kanishchev N.I., commander of a marine company - Senior Lieutenant Popov M.A.) received armored personnel carriers and amphibious tanks. In the city of Liepaja, the landing force boarded the large landing ship of project 1171 "Alexander Tortsev" that had left the building and departed for military service. Business calls were made to the ports of Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and Iraq. On February 16, 1973, the landing ship arrived at the main naval base of the Pacific Fleet, Vladivostok.

At the same time, there was a precedent when, in 1983, a reinforced company of captain

Gudkova V.V. from the 3rd marine battalion, leaving Baltiysk to the BDK of project 775, received equipment for combat service from the battalion landing group

1 battalion of marines captain Verkhozin E.M. The transshipment site was Logistics Point 933 on the Ethiopian island of Nokra in the Dahlak archipelago in the Red Sea.

In fact, either a company or a battalion became the basis of an airborne unit.

Officially, such an airborne unit was called a "reinforced company of marines" or "reinforced tank company", and unofficially - "company landing group (RDG)".

Such an airborne unit was officially called the "marine battalion" or "tank battalion", and unofficially - "battalion landing group (BDG)". In a number of cases, one of the Marine companies was replaced by a tank company, and the Marine battalion took on a strange organization of two companies of the Marine Corps and a tank company, which more suited the definition of a "battalion landing group (BDG)".

A reinforced battalion of marines or a reinforced tank battalion could already freely accommodate on the landing ship of project 1174.

There were no precedents in the Pacific Fleet when one battalion for combat service was deployed on two or more landing ships.

The regiment has a rich history of military service. The marines had a chance to give an armed rebuff to the presumptuous enemy, and to participate in joint tactical exercises in foreign territories, and to help in the redeployment of the combat service forces of friendly armies. A number of episodes of military service are associated with a demonstration of the strength of the Soviet fleet, depending on the evolving military-political situation.

In 1969, company 1 of the marine battalion

lieutenant colonel Nikolaenko N.I. the taking under protection of a number of important objects in the capital of Somalia ensured the stability of the revolutionary government.

In November 1977, during the evacuation of personnel of Soviet diplomatic services and military institutions from Mogadishu, units of the 2nd Marine Battalion

Major Ushkov Vyacheslav Konstantinovich was thwarted by the offensive violent actions of the Somali military by direct landing on the berths of the port; those, remembering the rapid landing in the presence of the Minister of Defense of Somalia, General Samantar M.A., the breakthrough of the Somali antiamphibious defense and the 80-kilometer march through the desert from the port of Bulakhar to the port of Berbera in 1972, the battalion of Major Mochalov Izosim Vasilyevich from the 165th Marine Regiment, quickly calmed down and allowed the evacuation to be completed.

Here's how it happened: the 390th Marine Regiment opened post-revolutionary Somalia for us, and it also put an end to Soviet-Somali relations XX century.

Destroyed vehicles at the site of the fighting in Ethiopia

In 1978, the soldiers of Major Ushkov V.K. already provided effective assistance to Ethiopia by ensuring the transfer of part of their military equipment to Ethiopian units, its correct combat use, evacuation, restoration of damaged equipment and its commissioning.

In addition, under the direct control of Major Ushkov V.K. and an officer of the special department of the squadron Osetsky Sergey Vladimirovich, secret documents of great importance were seized from the enemy headquarters. “... we were interested in any opportunity that would allow us to organize the receipt of documentary materials about the plans, actions of the parties, about intelligence conducted by both government troops and separatists ... And so the shelling began. Heavy fire was carried out by grenade launchers, "Grads" and machine guns with tracer bullets. The group crawls along the asphalt to the headquarters. We were two steps away from him, but suddenly, before our eyes, the headquarters building was falling apart with a roar from a direct hit. But we run to the burning headquarters. There is such a word "should". ... In the building engulfed in fire and smoke, we found all the intelligence reports regarding our ships, Soviet citizens, our group, command and squadron. In fact, they were entire dossiers. Collected a lot of documents. But such an operation was very risky. They didn't take prisoners in that war. Yes, and the political resonance could be very negative. So they had no right to "puncture". … The documents proved to be useful for both counterintelligence and intelligence. The generalized data was sent to the Center, and, judging by the content of the response telegrams from Moscow, our results were highly appreciated.”

Suffice it to say that Major Ushkov V.K. was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of War, his deputy for the technical part, Senior Lieutenant Boyko - the Order

Red Star, more than ten sailors and sergeants - medals "For Military Merit" and medals of Ushakov.

In 1974, the 1st Battalion of the 390th Marine Regiment, having unloaded its military equipment from the tween decks of the BDK "50 Years of VLKSM Patronage" to the territory of the Yemeni naval base in the port of Aden, ensured the loading and transportation of equipment and material stocks of the Yemeni infantry brigade in several flights in the vacated tween decks. The brigade was transported to the combat duty area on the border of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen with Saudi Arabia. The crew of the ship and the landing force significantly exceeded the deadlines set by the Government of the USSR; on this occasion, an official reception was given by the Deputy Minister of Defense of the PDRY.

In 1983, the large landing ship "Nikolai Vilkov" with the 1st battalion of the marines of the regiment (commander - Captain Verkhozin E.M.) entered the port of Maputo of the Republic of Mozambique, demonstrated the naval flag of the USSR and military equipment of the landing force to the Ambassador of the Soviet Union and the top military leadership of the republic support in the elections at the IV Congress of the FRELIMO party.

BDK "Nikolai Vilkov"

From left to right:

Deputy commander of the ship for political affairs captain 3rd rank Kuznetsov

Operational Brigade Commander Capt. II rank Kochergin N.F.

Captain of the ship II rank Zhukov A.G.

Landing commander (commander of 1bmp 390 pmp) captain Verkhozin E.M.

Meeting of the Ministry of Defense and the NSS of the Republic of Mozambique.

The head of the guard of honor is Captain Tashlykov V.A.

In the year, on the basis of Soviet-Ethiopian intergovernmental agreements, 933 logistics support points (PMTO) of the Navy were created on the island of Nokra in the Dahlak archipelago.

The living conditions there were harsh. Eyewitnesses say: “... There were enough “inconveniences” - heat reaching + 40C and above, 100% humidity, gastrointestinal diseases. However, the main danger on the island was represented by snakes, especially two species: efas and mambas. The old-timers of Nokra said that in the early years, during the drill, the sailors pressed one ephe every 50 meters. By the way, already on the first day we learned that the efa had attacked a sailor the night before in the barracks. The doctors had serum, and everything worked out. Mambas were much scarier. There is no antidote for its poison, and when bitten, a person dies within 30 minutes. On the island, these creatures were less common than ephs, but they were also there.

... In early 1980, the activities of the PWTO were threatened by Somalia and Eritrean separatists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Eritrea (EPLF). Protective measures had to be taken.

Since 1980, from the airborne unit

Major Ivanov Viktor Vasilievich 390 PMP and landing force Major Makeev B.A. 165 PMP on the island of Nokra began to exhibit a security platoon and an air defense platoon (ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" and MANPADS "Strela").

In February 1990, the separatists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Eritrea (EPLF) captured the main base of the Ethiopian fleet - the port of Massawa. The materiel of the coastal artillery brigade was also captured, including the 130-mm SM-4-1 guns with a firing range of 28 kilometers, which made it possible to freely shell the islands of the archipelago. At first, still aimlessly, but gradually, the fire began to be corrected by reconnaissance and sabotage groups landed on uninhabited islands and local agents. Shells increasingly began to hit the target - the PMTO area, firing positions and deployment sites of Ethiopian units, neighboring islands.

The ships of the Ethiopian Navy and the remnants of the defeated military units were relocated to the port of Assab and (with the consent of the Soviet government) to the island of Nokra, which immediately transferred the fighting to the Dahlak archipelago. The pilots of the Soviet air group from Asmara were also urgently evacuated there, leaving equipment, property and supplies. Their Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft, An-26 transport aircraft and Mi-8 helicopters were destroyed as a result of an attack by saboteurs. The war came close to the base.

On February 12, Nokra Island and the archipelago began to be systematically fired upon by long-range artillery from the Buri Peninsula.

The units in combat service under the command of Major Tikhonchuk V.V. (in 1985-1986) and Major Zhevako V.N. (in 1990) in order to protect 933 logistics points located on the island of Nokra in the Dahlak archipelago in the Red Sea, they repeatedly engaged in fire confrontation with anti-government forces. At the same time, the marines very successfully used the capabilities of shipborne radar stations stationed in the adjacent water area.

BDK project 1174 "Ivan Rogov"

In 1987, the service for the protection and defense of the PMTO was carried out by the 6th company of the Marine Corps from the landing unit of Captain Evgeny Georgievich Oseledets.

2nd Battalion of Captain E.G. Oseledets in 1986 he departed from the 390 infantry regiment to the city of Baltiysk, where he loaded onto the BDK of project 1174 "Ivan Rogov". In 1987, through the Suez Canal, the battalion arrived on the island of Nokra. In June of the same year, he completed military service. Captain Oseledets E.G. during the period of being in military service, he was awarded the military rank of "major"

... In December 1990, the marines of Lieutenant Colonel V.N. Zhevako from the BDK-14 were replaced by the BDK-101 with a landing group under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Filonyuk, which evacuated the base. Zhevako Valery Nikolaevich recalled:

Major Tikhonchuk V.V. was awarded the Order "For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces" III degree, and major Zhevako V.N. and Oseledets E.G. - Orders of the Red Star. Why does A. Rozin call Zhevako V.N. lieutenant colonel - I don't know.

After the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, in 1980, the amphibious landing formations of the US Navy became significantly more active.

In May 1980, a joint Soviet-Yemeni tactical exercise was held to land an amphibious assault of the Pacific Fleet on the island of Socotra - the territory of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.

The purpose of the exercises is to demonstrate the introduction of a limited military contingent of the USSR Armed Forces into Afghanistan in December 1979 and to neutralize the activities of the American landing forces in the Indian Ocean by demonstrating the increased capabilities of the Soviet marines.

The participants included: a reinforced company of 165 pmp on board the Nikolai Vilkov large landing ship of project 1171, which entered combat service on February 2, 1980 (landing commander - Major Makeev B.A.);

reinforced battalion 390 infantry regiment (landing commander - deputy regiment commander Major Shilov P.S.) on board the BDK project 1174 "Ivan Rogov", which entered combat service in March 1980; landing STOL project 1206 "Kalmar" and helicopters Ka-25 / Ka-27, included in the set of large landing craft "Ivan Rogov"; Marine Corps of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen aboard the Soviet Project 775 BDK.

The landing forces included a control ship, submarines and surface ships, ships for the integrated supply of the operational squadron.

Head of the exercise: commander of the 8 operational squadron of ships in the Indian Ocean, Rear Admiral Khronopulo Mikhail Nikolaevich.

The "enemy" was imitated by the Yemeni people's militia, which is subordinate to the governor of the island of Socotra.

Ka-29 is a transport and assault helicopter based on the search and rescue Ka-27PS

The exercise was preceded by a staff training and a training landing on the Yemeni island of Abd al-Kuri with a terrain similar to that of Socotra Island.

The landing was carried out in the morning at three landing points on a five-kilometer front in the following order: obstacle and cover groups at the Kalmar command post from a distance of five kilometers, tactical airborne assault from seven helicopters

Ka-25/Ka-27, the main forces with landing afloat; reserve - a platoon of medium tanks with equipment for underwater driving and a Yemeni company landed "at point blank range".

Having captured the bridgehead and taken up defense on the commanding heights in the depths of the island, the amphibious assault completed the task; Yemeni militias, imitating the enemy, simply fled.

The effect was striking; and what is surprising - the entire horizon was simply lined with tankers and merchant ships of foreign countries that had come from nowhere, as if according to pre-purchased tickets!

The high proficiency of the marines was appreciated by the representatives of the USSR Ministry of Defense and the chief of the general staff of the Yemeni Armed Forces present at the exercise.

DKaVP project 1206 Kalmar

Before backload after exercise

The advantage of the conducted exercises over the American ones was that the Soviet-Yemeni landing covered the entire content of amphibious landing operations on real terrain and real distances along the front and in depth.

The Americans, on the other hand, carried out their exercises in a simplified manner, marking the proposed coastline with buoys; their marines, disembarking from the landing craft in amphibious armored personnel carriers, reached the buoys in amphibious waves and loaded back onto the ships.

In 1985, the BDK of project 1171 "Nikolai Vilkov" was located on the island of Nokra with

3 Marine Battalion 390 PMP under the command of

Captain Bernavsky Vladimir Petrovich on board (during the period of being in combat service, Captain Bernavsky V.P. was awarded the military rank of "major"). Around the same period of time, from January 6 to April 1985, the reinforced 882 separate battalion of marines 810 detachment of the Black Sea Fleet under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Lisovsky A.A. was in combat service in the Indian Ocean.

By the decision of the Main Inspectorate of the USSR Ministry of Defense, in the course of bilateral exercises, the readiness to perform tasks for the intended purpose of two battalions of marines in combat service was checked. According to the training situation, the battalion 390 infantry regiment was in the defense of 933 PMTO, and the battalion 810 military regiment solved the problem of capturing the PMTO by actions in amphibious assault with landing afloat.

By the decision of the 882nd separate battalion of the Marine Corps, Lieutenant Colonel A.A. Lisovsky, who checked the actions. were found to be more effective than

3 battalions of the Marine Corps 390 infantry regiment of Major Bernavsky V.P., and he deservedly received an "excellent" rating.

In December 1974, on board the BDK "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol" with the personnel of the landing unit

Captain Bronnikov N.V. from 390 PMP met the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the USSR Hero of the Soviet Union Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S.G. Gorshkov, who arrived in Somalia on a working visit.

In July 1980, the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, Hero of the Soviet Union, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov S.G. at the head of a military delegation, he visited Ethiopia to determine the scope of cooperation through the Navy.

In 933 PMTO on board the BDK of project 1174 "Ivan Rogov" he was met by soldiers of 390 infantry regiment under the command of Major Shilov P.S.

The Marines were frozen in line in apparently unsuitable black uniforms in temperatures over 40 degrees.

Having greeted the sailors, Sergei Georgievich looked at some coastal premises, was dissatisfied with the general situation at the point ... He immediately uttered an order to the head of the logistics of the Navy on the additional equipment of the PMTO, an urgent study and report on the issue of lightweight uniforms for marines and a number of instructions for other performers.

On board the BDK "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol"

Landing - 1bmp 390 pmp; commander - Captain Bronnikov Nikolai Vasilyevich

In addition to the units that performed the tasks of combat service, the regimental band also had a chance to participate in a long sea voyage.

Project 1886 submarine floating base

In 1973, in response to the official friendly visit of the Chilean military training sailing ship Esmeralda in 1972, a detachment of Pacific Fleet ships as part of the Ivan Kucherenko project 1886 submarine floating base and the Vishera tanker made the first and only visit in the history of the Pacific Fleet :

For the visit, the third year of the Pacific Higher Naval School named after Admiral Makarov was allocated, for which the start of the next academic year was shifted by one month. In addition to the cadets, the orchestra of the 390th Marine Regiment participated in the campaign.

The marching headquarters was headed by the head of the TOVVMU, Vice Admiral Boris Nikolaevich Potekhin.

But everything turned out to be more difficult than planned. At a time when a detachment of ships passed Hawaii and headed for South America, the marching headquarters received a notice of a military coup in Chile and the assassination of President Salvador Allende by the military junta. On September 23, 1973, the “Statement of the Soviet Government” was published, which condemned the military coup and announced the severance of diplomatic relations between our countries. On September 26, representatives of the Soviet embassy left Santiago.

After consultations between the Ministry of Defense of the USSR and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was decided to follow all the same to Peru, reducing the level of the visit to the usual business call; the program for Ecuador has not changed.

The participants of the visit visited the Peruvian port of Callao, the capital of this exotic country, Lima, as well as the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil and the capital of Ecuador, Quito. Everywhere the Pacific Ocean was very warmly welcomed by both the sailors of these countries of South America and their inhabitants. Tens of thousands of Peruvians and Ecuadorians visited the Ivan Kucherenko mother ship, and everywhere they spoke very flatteringly, with admiration about our sailors and the USSR.

In 1975, the military conductor of the regiment, senior lieutenant Glebov Viktor Grigoryevich, headed a concert group that provided an official visit to the countries of South America for cadets of Soviet naval higher educational institutions. The group included conscripts from the orchestra of the 390th Marine Regiment Murashev Nikolai Ivanovich and Bichukin Nikolai Nikolayevich, musicians from the orchestra of the cruiser control "Admiral Senyavin" and individual soloists of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Pacific Fleet. In early October, leaving the port of Vladivostok, the oceanographic research vessel "Leonid Sobolev" made calls to the ports of Callao (Peru) and Guayaquil (Ecuador). During the visit, meetings were held with cadets of the Peruvian Naval School and local residents (including in the capital of Peru, the city of Lima), excursions and performances by a concert group. They returned to Vladivostok in November 1975.

In the center - senior lieutenant Glebov V.G.;

behind him - Murashev N.I.

On the sea crossing, the OIS "Leonid Sobolev" for some time monitored the maneuvers of the ships of the American aircraft carrier group.

On the Google map you can see everything that the USSR built for them in Berbera.

During Soviet times, many feudal African princelings tried to fish out economic assistance and weapons by declaring a "course towards socialism." Such a prince in Somalia was Siad Barre.
In 1970, he declared "socialism", by the way, mixed with Sharia law.
And help moved:
We built 4 modern airfields, two naval bases (one for our base - Berbera, the second smaller one - for the Somali fleet, to which the USSR presented this fleet - a dozen missile, patrol and torpedo boats, KFOR and trained crews), almost a hundred aircraft (fighters and bombers ), and, of course, tanks, armored personnel carriers and air defense systems.
Our leaders offered this princeling to unite with the Ethiopians. But he decided to chop off an entire province on the sly of his neighbors. And Ethiopia by that time also became socialist. A country with its separatist Eritreans. In general, and larger than Somalia, and the population is Christian, without Sharia law. Also Prince Haile Mariam, but he quickly became friends with Fidel Castro.
In general, the strategic picture was successful - the Red Sea was tightly clamped from NATO from both sides. Despite the loss of Egypt in 1974, the transport arteries of the Red Sea were clamped by Yemen, Ethiopia, and the Persian Gulf could also be controlled. The fleet had a bunch of parking and PMTO. It was here that the President of Egypt, Saddat, advised the "Sharia builder of socialism" to blackmail the USSR, and to turn to the Americans at the same time. And without the Saudis here, too, could not do.
Further events developed uncontrollably:
"" After Cuba and the USSR took the side of the latter during the aggression of the Somali army against Ethiopia, the relations that had lasted for many years between our countries were severed. On November 13, 1977, Somali President Siad Bare announced the termination of the Soviet-Somali treaty of July 11, 1974.
By November 20, two thousand Soviet specialists and members of their families were to leave the country.
On November 15, 1977, TASS published a statement “On the issue of Soviet-Somali relations”: “The Government of the Somali Democratic Republic declared that it does not consider it necessary for Soviet specialists to continue to stay in the SDR, and also terminates the Soviet-Somali Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation of July 11, 1974. The Somali government took its action unilaterally and in the conditions of a virtual war unleashed by it against neighboring Ethiopia. In essence, behind this action is dissatisfaction with the fact that the Soviet Union did not support the territorial claims of Somalia to a neighboring state and refused to help incite a fratricidal war in the Horn of Africa.""

In general, just those 2 thousand of our citizens turned out to be hostages of the situation:
From the memoirs of Igor Georgievich Penkov, at that time a political adviser to the head of the political department of the Somali Navy:
“The first sign of an impending storm was associated with Fidel Castro’s visit to Somalia. Portraits of the guest were plastered all over Mogadishu. By the way, Cuban military advisers also worked in Somalia, and they had the same problem as we have, good relations with Ethiopia. When Castro spoke, he was applauded, but at the moment when in his speech he advised the Somalis to learn from Ethiopia's experience in creating communes, something unimaginable began: yelling and whistling went up, stones flew at the Cuban leader, people rushed to tear his portraits from the walls Siad Barre ordered all Cubans to leave the country within 48 hours.The Cubans obviously did not have time, and we sheltered them, since our colony of military specialists with their families was not in Mogadishu itself, but somewhat on the outskirts.

But it's our turn. And that's what struck me - how instantly a friend can become an enemy. We were really friends with our Somali colleagues. They used to say: “We have much in common with you in the most important thing. We had a revolution in October, and you have an October revolution. Your country is called the USSR, and ours in Russian is called the USSR - the Union of Somali Socialist Republics. I asked what republics are part of the Somali Union? It turned out that President Siad Barre considered such states as Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti as an integral part of Somalia ...

On the morning of November 13, my Somali colleagues and I greeted each other and smiled at each other. In the afternoon, the president announced the denunciation of treaties with the Soviet Union and, in fact, suggested that we get out. In the evening we were already surrounded by enemies. For Moscow, lulled by tales of unbreakable friendship, this was an unpleasant surprise. For us, it's a nightmare. In the houses where Soviet families lived, electricity and water were cut off. The village was cordoned off by commandos to protect us from angry mobs. They gathered around, shouting threats and insults, throwing stones. Difficulties with food began - nothing was sold to the Soviet in stores. We managed to shoot a few wild pigs, whose meat is considered inedible in Somalia.

Unlike the Cubans, we were graciously given a whole week to leave the country. The Soviet colony found itself in the position of hostages. In addition, there was a mass of Soviet property. How to take it all out in a week? The Somalis solved the problem simply, they took everything and confiscated it. But how can you take out thousands of Soviet specialists with their families in a week? I asked the commander of the Somali fleet to allow our landing ships to enter the port from the Gulf of Aden to evacuate our property. But Siad Barre forbade: "there is nothing to evacuate from Somalia."

Our group began to cross to the airport, which turned out to be a trap. They just bullied us there. Special flights were sent for us - passenger "ILs", which were led by experienced military pilots in civilian clothes. When planes landed at night, electricity was completely cut off on the runways. Only the miracle and skill of our pilots saved us from disasters.

The queue for customs clearance became infinitely long. Women with children slept on the floor, they began to get sick. And customs officers slowly, around the clock, replacing each other, gutted suitcases and bags. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but they said that the Cuban ambassador was subjected to special bullying. He was stripped almost naked. However, ours got it - God forbid. Almost everything was taken away, including worn children's things. The customs officer shakes out the suitcase and simply robs. He laughs and puts aside the things he likes, says: "This is mine." And from above, on the mezzanine, correspondents from the BBC and Xinhua were on duty with movie cameras. The ambassador severely punished them: not to give them “compromising evidence”.

And yet those correspondents waited for the sensation. The turn has come to one of our specialists. When the customs officer started a mockery of his family, scattered children's things on the floor, he, a hefty man, punched him properly. And then all of us, unarmed, armed with full bottles of Pepsi-Cola and stood like a wall, ready to fight. They realized that any mess with shooting at the unarmed would end badly for them. They got scared. Just then our amphibious assault arrived in time. Things immediately moved faster. I was the last to fly on the AN-12, I was not examined by customs at all. Well, when we arrived at home, they took a non-disclosure agreement from us ... "

From the memoirs of Admiral Mikhail Nikolayevich Khronopulo, at that time a captain of the 1st rank, chief of staff of the 8th OPZSK: “At that time I was on the large landing ship “50 years of patronage of the Komsomol”.
We were then based in the north of Somalia in the port of Berbera in the Gulf of Aden. On November 13, 1977, Somali President Siad Barre announced that all Soviet citizens must leave the country by November 20. In addition, the Somali leadership announced that all Soviet property located on the territory of the republic would be confiscated. I immediately informed the center of the need to urgently organize an evacuation. The center gave me a scolding for alarmism and offered to draw up a plan for a gradual evacuation before the new year. I drew up such a plan and handed it over to the center. On November 14, the order came to redo the plan. Another day passed in this red tape. It was only on November 16 that the order was given to urgently go to Mogadishu.

Since the Somali authorities behaved towards us, to put it mildly, dishonorably, I did not consider it necessary to request permission to enter the harbor of Mogadishu. Our transport ship was still standing there, which was not allowed to approach the pier to load Soviet property. Like, there is nothing to ship, everything has now become the property of Somalia. Naturally, we did not recognize this illegal action. The Marines landed on the beach. As soon as our paratroopers appeared on the shore, the situation changed instantly. The bullying of our people stopped, and no one dared to interfere with the loading of Soviet property onto a transport ship.

A participant in the military campaign on the large landing craft "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol" in the Indian Ocean zone as part of the battalion of marines of the Pacific Fleet from June 1977 to May 1978, Sergeant Yudin Sergey Mikhailovich recalled:
“... in 77, the situation in the Arabian Peninsula and in Africa escalated sharply, as the political officer simply explained to us, “the Somali separatists rolled a barrel against the socialist Ethiopians,” they also claimed Yemeni territories. So our trip began from the port of Berbera (probably a mistake, in fact - Mogadishu), but the Somalis did not let us into the port. Then the escort ship BOD "Chapaev" approached, made a U-turn in the harbor, and the port was open for us. Families of diplomats and specialists were taken away by other vessels, and our ship (large craft "50 years of patronage of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League") was loaded with airfield equipment, aviation tankers. On the high seas, we transferred all this to dry cargo ships. The task was not easy, but it was done carefully, only one KrAZ had a broken frame.

And after that we went to Socotra - to explain to the Somalis whose island it is. By that time, Yemen had already sent troops there, we transferred their tank brigade (T-34), specialists, products to the island.

The command of the Somali army knew firsthand what the Soviet marines were capable of. Back in September-October 1972, during joint exercises, the area of ​​​​the port of Bulakhar (west of Berbera), the Soviet marines of the Pacific Fleet immediately broke through the prepared antiamphibious defense of the Somali troops after landing and, having made an 80-kilometer march in the desert, reached the port of Berbera. The Minister of Defense of Somalia, General M.A. Samantar, was also present at the exercises. Therefore, in November 1977, after the landing in Mogadishu with one PT-76 amphibious tank and two BTR-60 armored personnel carriers, the Somalis did not try to counteract the actions of our sailors and did not interfere in anything. Moreover, this was fraught for the Somalis themselves, because what appeared before the eyes of our Marines angered them very much. Here is what one of the landing participants recalled: “On the shore, stacks of boxes with the very property that the Somali leadership decided to appropriate for themselves rose like a wall. Behind these piles on a high-rise were armed people. And in front of the stacks on a narrow strip along the pier were Soviet specialists with their families, or rather, some of them. The rest were at the Mogadishu airport. On this narrow strip of land they spent either two or three days under the scorching sun. It was scary to get out of there, because from time to time they shot at the piles. The people were in despair. When the landing craft came to their rescue, the women cried, and one of them could not stand it and jumped into the water from a high pier with her child. The sailors immediately picked her up, and then fired several bursts over that barricade of boxes. The situation returned to normal, everything went like clockwork.”

When our ships from the Gulf of Aden pulled up to Berbera, it was already known that the Somalis announced the confiscation of all Soviet property and provocations from the Somalis were possible, up to the seizure of ships in the port. The Soviet colony was surrounded by internal troops, searches are underway, nothing is allowed to be taken out or taken out of the Soviet colony. Rumors reached the sailors that atrocities had been committed against our people at the airports. The leadership of Somalia issued a decree prohibiting our ships from approaching Somali ports. There was no time to wait for detailed instructions from the center to the command of the 8th operational squadron of the Navy: they urgently needed to save their compatriots. So they had to resort to a little psychic demonstration. The guns and missiles of the ships were brought into combat condition, the paratroopers were openly preparing for landing. Our amphibious assault with tanks and artillery looked so impressive that the detachments of the Somali internal troops did not dare to interfere in anything. People were evacuated, then our sailors dismantled all Soviet property and loaded onto ships. Everything went without shots and excesses, and was done in the shortest possible time.

The following can be concluded: 1. The leadership of the USSR wanted to know only what he liked. Objectivity was not taken into account in the Kremlin.
A negative role in determining Soviet policy with the Somali leader was played by the appointed in September 1974. Ambassador to Somalia G.E. Samsonov. He replaced A.S. Pasyutin, who adhered to reasonable restraint in assessing Siad Barre, which, apparently, did not escape the attention of the latter and prompted him during a visit to Mogadishu in July 1974. N.V. Podgorny to ask the distinguished guest to appoint as an ambassador another adviser-envoy of our embassy that he liked. Which was done and only aggravated our uncritical attitude towards the policies of Siad Barre. Especially since Siad Barre, at meetings with our delegations and in messages to the Soviet leadership, invariably made lulling statements about the peacefulness of Somalia. Moscow believed him. With the active assistance of the then Ambassador to Mogadishu, G.E. Samsonov, a lively personal correspondence was carried out between Siad Barre and L.I. Brezhnev, and the ambassador clearly corrected the "renome" of the Somali leader with his own calculations, references to the fact that "Comrade Siad assured", " comrade Siad asked me to hand it over to comrade Brezhnev personally, ”etc.

Again from the memoirs of Igor Georgievich Penkov :

Speaking at the XXV Congress of the CPSU, the Somali leader Siad Barre told how he was building socialism, and our leadership willingly believed him, because they wanted to believe. We, those who worked in Somalia, were convinced that our leadership had little knowledge of the situation in that country.

There was a solemn visit by N.V. Podgorny, which was considered very successful in Moscow. And in Mogadishu they were dissatisfied with the visit, because they believed that the Soviet leader should have brought them large cash gifts or loans. They needed to get as much as possible from us, feudal orders, fanaticism and the personality cult of the president reigned in the country.

I tried to inform Moscow about the true state of things, but my letters did not reach there, sometimes they were destroyed before my eyes, because they ran counter to the optimistic reports of the leadership of the Soviet colony. The phenomenon is generally widespread ... As a result, the management stopped sharing objective information with me. I and our entire colony of military advisers were forced to follow the course of the Somali-Ethiopian war by "votes".

2. The history of the landing, covered in 35 years by a bunch of legends, is actually mainly indicative of the fact that the sailors and commanders skillfully acted independently to protect their own citizens, without waiting for instructions from the center, which, as always, would be belated. And it is indicative of the fear that the unbelted Somali warriors experienced before the Soviet force of arms.
Of course, it was necessary to demonstrate strength earlier. Maybe there would be no outcome ....

By the way: there was no shooting, except for bursts from a machine gun into the air for warning, from the side of the landing force.
The property was taken out almost everything that could be taken, watercraft too.

Photo by N Yu. Prokhorov BDK pr. 1171 (Orsk), July 2003

BDK pr. 1171 (code "Tapir") was developed in the early 60s at TsKB-50 under the leadership of chief designer I.I. Kuzmin, and in 1963 he was transferred to TsKB-17 (since 1967 - Nevsky G1KB). The ship is intended for transportation by sea and landing on an unequipped coast of a military unit (numbering up to a battalion) with mobile armored vehicles and vehicles. It can also be used as an ammunition transport, including for transporting ballistic missiles in containers or other large-sized combat equipment.

BDK pr. 1171 is designed on the basis of a multi-purpose dry-cargo vessel. The ship is two-deck, with a forecastle, poop, aft engine room and a five-tier superstructure. With four holds, one of which is located aft of the engine room. Hatch covers do not clutter up the upper and cargo decks. The hull is divided by watertight bulkheads into seven compartments. Large cutouts in the main transverse bulkheads on the cargo deck for loading and unloading mobile equipment have mechanized bulkhead closures (gates) with remote control. The ship is equipped with a bow landing gear with main and additional folding gangways and remote control of all its units. In addition, there is aft closure-gangway, which provides reception and unloading of mobile equipment on a pier or wall. The transported equipment can move around the entire cargo deck, with its exit along the interdeck gangway for placement on the upper deck. Project 1171 ships are capable of vertical loading of various cargoes with their own means. To do this, they are equipped with four (for pr. 1171 mod. I and pr. 1171 mod. IT) or two (for pr. 1171 mod. III and pr. 1171 mod. IV) deck cargo hatches, a crane with a lifting capacity of 7.5 tons In addition, the ships of the first modification had two cranes with a lifting capacity of 5 tons each.

BDK pr. 1171 mod. I

Longitudinal section of BDK pr. 1171 mod. I:

1 - installation of MANPADS; 2 - cargo cranes K326TD with a lifting capacity of 5 tons; 3 - winch stern anchor device; 4 - team quarters; 5 - cabins for officers and midshipmen; 6 - chimney MO; 7 - AP radar "Don"; 8 - navigation bridge; 9 - wheelhouse; 10 - cellar 57-mm shots; 11 - 57 mm AU Zif-31 B; 12 - bow cargo holds; 13 - cargo crane KE29 with a lifting capacity of 7.5 tons; 14 - foremast; 15 - separation of capstan machines and mechanisms of the bow landing device; 16 - lazport of the bow landing device; 17 - additional folding gangway; 18 - main folding gangway; 19 - hold compartments; 20 - bow ballast tanks; 21 - fuel tanks; 22 - cellars of ammunition for the landing and pantries of provisions; 23 - DG compartment; 24 - interpubic gangway; 25 - MO; 26 - auxiliary boiler room; 27 - fresh water tanks; 28 - stern ballast tank; 29 - aft cargo hold; 30 - tiller compartment; 31 - aft closing-gangway; 32 - stern anchor device.

The BDK has a special stern anchor device that keeps it in place when receiving (unloading) equipment from an unequipped shore, and also pulls it aground when moving away from the shore. For the personnel of the Marine Corps, sleeping quarters are equipped in the hull, and the crew is accommodated in the superstructure. It was possible to increase the landing capacity to 400 marines on the last two modifications of the project by equipping an additional cockpit in hold No. 1.

The ship has (despite the presence of a bow landing gear) good seaworthiness, a long cruising range at full speed, good landing capacity, and the possibility of its wide use for transportation in holds and tween decks of general cargo with a total mass of up to 3750 tons. steam capacity of 700 kg/h. Experts consider the disadvantages of the BDK pr. 1171 to be insufficient full speed, weak artillery weapons and insufficient unsinkability for a warship, since it was designed in compliance with the norms of the USSR register.

In 1966–1975 at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, 14 BDK pr. 1171 were built in four modifications, which differed from each other in landing capacity, autonomy in terms of provisions and weapons composition. By the time of the collapse of the USSR, they were all part of the fleet. Currently (as of August 2007), five ships remain in service, one of which is part of the Navy.

Voronezh Komsomolets(manufacturer No. 291, project 1171 mod. I, BDK-10, from 03/18/1992 - BDK-65, from 2003 - Saratov). Shipyard "Yantar": February 5, 1964; July 1, 1964; 08/18/1966 After commissioning, the ship was part of the Northern Fleet, and since 1985 - part of the Black Sea Fleet. In July 1999, as part of the UN peacekeeping operation in Yugoslavia, the ship participated in the transfer of troops from Tuapse to the Greek port of Thessaloniki. Together with other ships of the landing group, he delivered 260 units to their destination. equipment, 1700 soldiers and officers with full equipment. The ship was excluded from the lists of the fleet in the first half of 2007.

Crimean Komsomolets(manufacturer No. 292, project 1171 mod. I, BDK-6). Shipyard "Yantar": February 5, 1964; July 1, 1964; 08/18/1966 He was a member of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1993, the ship was excluded from the lists of the fleet and transferred to SARS for disposal.

Tomsk Komsomolets(manufacturer No. 293, project 1171 mod. I, BDK-13). Shipyard "Yantar": 02/18/1965; March 26, 1966; 09/30/1967 He was a member of the Pacific Fleet. In 1992, the ship was excluded from the lists of the fleet and transferred to SARS for disposal.

Komsomolets of Karelia(manufacturer No. 294, project 1171 mod. I, BDK-62). Shipyard "Yantar": 5.08.1966; March 1, 1967; December 29, 1967. Was a member of the Federation Council. In 1997, the ship was excluded from the lists of the fleet and transferred to SARS for disposal.

Sergey Lazo(manufacturer No. 295, project 1171 mod. II, BDK-66,). Shipyard "Yantar": 03/07/1967; 08/28/1967; 09/27/1968 He was a member of the Pacific Fleet. In 1994, the ship was excluded from the lists of the fleet and transferred to SARS for disposal.

BDK-69(manufacturer No. 296, project 1171 mod. II, since 2003 - Orsk). Shipyard "Yantar": 30.08.1967; February 29, 1968; 12/31/1968 After commissioning, it was part of the Pacific Fleet, and since 1994 - part of the Black Sea Fleet. In July 1999, as part of the UN peacekeeping operation in Yugoslavia, the ship participated in the transfer of troops from Tuapse to the Greek port of Thessaloniki. Together with other ships of the landing group, delivered 260 units to their destination. equipment, 1700 soldiers and officers with full equipment. Orsk is planned to be excluded from the lists of the fleet in the first half of 2008.

COMBAT SERVICE Help. BDK "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol" Large landing ship of project 1171. The chief designer of the ship of this project was I.I. Kuzmin, chief observer from the Navy - Captain 2nd Rank A.N. Belinsky. It was laid down at the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad on March 12, 1968 (serial number 297, group 3). Launched on 31 August 1969. Entered service on September 30, 1969 and became part of the Pacific Fleet. Until October 12, 1972, it was called "BDK-77". In honor of the 50th anniversary of the patronage of the Lenin Komsomol over the Navy, for high performance in combat and political training, the ship was given the name "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol". Historically, on the advice of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the Fifth All-Russian Congress of the RKSM took patronage over the resurgent Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet on October 16, 1922. By a special order of the Revolutionary Military Council of October 19, it was announced: "In accordance with the decision of the V All-Russian Congress of the RKSM, the Russian Communist Youth Union is to be the chief of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet." In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people over Nazi Germany for success in socialist competition and military-patriotic education of youth, the Komsomol organization of the ship in 1975 was awarded the pennant of the Komsomol Central Committee, which had been in space on the Soyuz-9 spacecraft. Board numbers: 564, 363, 343 (1972), 355 (1974), 397 (1975), 386 (1977), 083 (1978), 079 (1981), 092 (1986), 062 (1989), 099 (1989) ). Full displacement - 4650 tons. Dimensions: length - 113.1 m width - 15.6 m stern draft - 4.5 m Speed: 16.5 knots Cruising range at 16 knots - 4800 miles two screws Armament: 1 x 2 - 57 mm ZIF-51B; two launchers of the Strela-3 air defense system Crew: 69 people Landing capacity: 20 medium tanks and 440 people, or 47 BTT units and 440 people, or 52 trucks and 440 people, or 1000 tons of cargo. 18 SOVIET MARINE

KTOF MARINES IN THE SOMALIAN-ETHIOPIAN CONFLICT Combat service was to be carried out on a large landing ship of project 1171 "50 years of patronage of the Komsomol". The commander of the ship, Captain 3rd Rank Markin Anatoly Semenovich, his deputy for political affairs, Captain-Lieutenant Leontyev V.V. On September 29, 1977, after landing on the Klerk peninsula and replenishing supplies in Vladivostok, the large landing craft "50 Years of VLKSM Patronage" went into combat service. On the sea crossing, the commander of a tank company Kuznetsov A.N. was operated on for the removal of appendicitis. The ship entered the zone of operations of the 8th operational squadron of the USSR Navy in the Indian Ocean on October 18, 1977. Immediately after that, the squadron headquarters headed by Rear Admiral Nikolai Yakovlevich Yasakov moved to the BDK. The crew was told that the ship was heading to the port of Victoria, Seychelles, for the first official visit. Sunset was planned for the November holidays. Before the visit, the BDK stood at sea for five days, cleaned and painted, made a “marafet”, and prepared. And at the same time, Rear Admiral Yasakov N.Ya. was awarded the rank of vice admiral, so that in the Seychelles he was already a vice admiral. To meet the President of the Republic of Seychelles Frans-Albert Rene, a guard of honor was equipped from the landing force, which included lieutenants Bernavsky V.P., Tashlykov V.A., Fedotov S.V. and Tsypylov S.I. Since there were no experts in the ritual of meeting the presidents (another omission in the preparation of landings), the guard acted according to an independently developed scenario. A piquant detail - since, according to the protocol, the chief of the guard of honor was to be a senior officer (and Major Ushkov V.K. did not want to act in this role), Lieutenant Bernavsky V.P. had a chance to put on the major shoulder straps, as the most suitable in complexion. President Rene, surrounded by bodyguards consisting only of girls, was pleased with the respectful attitude towards himself. The region of military service by the landing of Major V.K. Ushkova Then the ship hosted a reception of the diplomatic corps "a la buffet". The cultural program was provided by the orchestra of the Black Sea Fleet, located at the BDK at the same time as the officers of the 8th Opesk. For residents of the city, two days of "open doors" were organized with a display of the ship and landing equipment. The President of the Republic of Seychelles Rene, in honor of the Soviet sailors, arranged a return reception in the capital - in the city of Victoria. The host country, in turn, provided a number of cultural events and excursions. The zoo impressed with the display of the world's largest turtles. The MARINES OF THE USSR DURING THE COLD WAR 19