Libmonster ID: UK-1587
Author(s) of the publication: V. N. Bulatov

To the 40th anniversary of the Great Victory

During the Great Patriotic War, the Northern Sea Route was an important transport communication through which military and national economic transportation was carried out. There are two groups of messages identified here: external, through which cargo was delivered from England and the USA to the USSR, and internal. The Soviet transport fleet transported about 2 million tons of cargo via internal communications .1 This sea route was divided into western and eastern sectors. The boundary of the western one was a conditional line from the Barents Sea to the port of Tiksi, and the eastern one - from Tiksi to the Pacific Ocean. Timber was exported from Onega and Igarka, and coal was exported from Naryan - Mar and Dudinka. In each sector, the navigation of ships was regulated by the headquarters of naval operations. In the difficult conditions of the North, the icebreaker fleet carried out the Arctic transport wiring. Navigation lasted from July to October. The White Sea Military Flotilla 2 defended the communications .

One of the brightest pages in the history of naval operations at that time is the withdrawal of icebreakers from the Arctic in 1943 as part of convoy AB-55 (i.e., Arctic - White Sea, convoy No. 55). The nature of the activity of these icebreakers was determined by the seasonality of navigation in the Arctic. During the summer navigation, they went out on the highway to assist transports, in the fall they returned to the White Sea, where they were engaged in winter transport wiring of ships. German submarines and aircraft persistently hunted for our icebreakers. Attacks by enemy planes and submarines followed one after another. However, all attempts of the Nazis to disable the icebreakers were unsuccessful. This applies not only to the Arctic convoys of 1941-1944, but also to the Allied convoys of 1941-1945, which included British, American and Soviet ships from the Atlantic to the USSR and back. During the war, 40 such convoys arrived and 36 returned. To protect them, the Northern Fleet made 838 trips to sea3 .

When there were breaks in the movement of Allied convoys, the Fascist command sent a significant number of its submarines to operate in the Arctic communications. In August 1943, the Nazis, in order to disrupt shipping in the Kara Sea, planned Operation Wunderland-2, in which the heavy cruiser Lutzov and submarines, combined in the Viking group, were to take part. The cruiser disappeared due to the accident, and 13 submarines4 were actively deployed . They used the "wolf pack" tactic: with considerable speed and maneuverability, they hid in the sea as soon as the Soviet minesweepers launched an attack, and when the warships returned to the protected vessels, they again approached the convoy. The escort ships, many of which did not have sonar instruments, could not detect them immediately. As a result, the fleet suffered losses.

In September 1943, 15 transports that were in the Kara Sea were left to winter on Dikson. Only the icebreakers "I" were preparing to withdraw from the Arctic port of Tiksi under the protection of warships. Stalin " and " F. Litke", which were necessary for winter work in the White Sea. It was this convoy that received the designation "AB-55". Direct responsibility for the task was assigned to the commander of the Northern Fleet, Vice Admiral A. G. Golovko, who arrived in Arkhangelsk to lead the operation, and led the convoy.-

1 Kozlov I. A., Shlomin V. S. The Red Banner Northern Fleet, Moscow, 1983, p. 210.

2 For more information, see: Combat Path of the Soviet Navy, Moscow, 1974.

3 Kozlov I. A., Shlomin V. S. UK. soch., p. 210.

4 Puzyrev V. P. Belomorskaya flotilla v Velikoy Otechestvennoy voine [The White Sea Flotilla in the Great Patriotic War]. Moscow, 1981, pp. 136-137.

page 177

commander of the White Sea Flotilla Rear Admiral S. G. Kucherov, who flew to Dixon. It was supposed to conduct a convoy to the Kara Gate near Novaya Zemlya over the greatest depths and in the ice, which excluded torpedoing icebreakers by submarines or undermining on bottom mines. In the area of the Kara Gate, it was planned to concentrate military security from destroyers and minesweepers equipped with sonar; air cover was supposed to be carried out by long-range and short-range aircraft. The operation was conducted in strict secrecy; the radio stations worked only on reception, so as not to attract the attention of the enemy.

Weather conditions for the flight of the flotilla headquarters to Tiksi, to the icebreakers, were unfavorable: a powerful anticyclone passed along the route, which could not be avoided. The flight was carried out by the crew of the famous polar pilot I. I. Cherevichny at the Catalina airfield. Later, Ivan Ivanovich recalled: "We started throwing on the meridian of Ust-Taimyr: we met the "front". Solid cloud cover, no sea in sight, swirl, active icing. The ice tore off the antennae; chunks of ice fell from the propellers and drummed on the hull. We lost contact. Makarov did not have weights to release the antenna. I ordered senior flight mechanic Chechin to hand over the toolbox. While the cable with the load did not break, the radio operator managed to say a few words into the microphone, and then tied a new load. The car was moving at an altitude of 10-15 meters from the water. In truth, I've lost track of time. Finally, by 12 o'clock, Tiksi Bay was in sight. Good luck! In the bay, Duncan saw a narrow strip of unfrozen water. " 5
Meanwhile, the Fascist command was waiting for the withdrawal of Soviet transports or icebreakers from the Arctic. In the area of Novaya Zemlya, a German U-boat formation was on duty, and all the main fairways and approaches to the White Sea were mined. In mid-October 1943, the sea was covered with thick, viscous ice. Soon the navigation of local vessels was stopped. On the eve of going to sea on the icebreaker " I. Stalin " automatic guns have arrived. The gunners, without waiting for drawings and instructions, installed guns for three days, conducted training firings, which showed good training of sailors 6. On October 22, the icebreakers weighed anchor. At first, they went at a low speed and different courses in solid stationary ice up to 25 cm thick, and an escort consisting of the patrol ship SKR-19 and the minelayer "Murman"sailed towards them from Dixon Island.

Storozhevik, formerly the icebreaker steamer "Dezhnev", worked on the routes, supplying polar stations and wintering grounds with ordinary cargo. In the first days of the war, it was converted and included in the Northern Fleet for escorting transports. In August 1942, she and other ships fought off Dixon Island with the Nazi raider Admiral Scheer and emerged victorious. Assessing that battle, the commander of the Northern Fleet wrote:: "I bow before the courage and heroism of the polar explorers-the crew and personnel of the scientific station on board the Sibiryakov, the crews of the Dezhnev, Revolyutsionnier, gunners and port workers of Dixon-all of them fulfilled their duty as Soviet patriots. The repulse that they gave to the Fascist raider thwarted the plans of the Nazis. " 7
Now SKR-19 and "Murman" found themselves in a difficult ice situation and failed to make their way to the Vilkitsky Strait to meet the icebreakers. The order was received to go to Cape Neupokoeva. There, at the southern tip of Severnaya Zemlya, they met. SKR-19 passed on " F. Litke " coal and fresh water 8 . Two days later, the convoy continued its way in a wake column: the lead was "I.". Stalin" (commander V. I. Voronin), brought up the rear of the Murman caravan. For the sake of fuel economy, I took the patrol car in tow. The flagship fought an intense battle with the ice. The stokers selflessly kept a heavy watch. N. I. Nizhnik was considered one of the best stokers. With less than an hour to go until the end of his watch, the ship found itself in the midst of huge hummocky ice. It was necessary to sharply raise the steam pressure. Nizhnik and his shift mates Yu. V. Shchelkanov and V. I. Kuznetsov spent long hours not letting go of their crowbars, drilling coal in the furnaces .9
5 Cit. by: Papanin I. D. Ice and Flame, Moscow, 1977, p. 315.

6 State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Region (GAAO), f. 2323, op. 2, 152, l. 20.

7 Golovko A. G. Together with the Fleet, Moscow, 1979, pp. 129-130.

8 Redansky V. G. Arctic private, Murmansk. 1971, p. 125.

9 See Severnaya vakhta, 8.1.1944.

page 178

The further to the west, the more difficult the ice situation in the Kara Sea became. S. Y. Kononov, one of the best shipmasters, guided the ship by navigational instruments when there were no exact landmarks. A day of work in such conditions under the leadership of Voronin was considered a month of the "polar university". Finally, the caravan made its way to the Kara Bay and anchored. There he was guarded by a brigade of destroyers and minesweepers. This was the most dangerous crossing of the southeastern part of the Barents Sea. Meetings were held on the ships on the occasion of the approaching 26th anniversary of the Great October, political workers worked among the sailors. Wall newspapers, radio newspapers, and battle sheets were issued on the ships .10 Everything was subordinated to a single goal-to detect the enemy in the sea and in the air in a timely manner, in order to prevent him from approaching icebreakers.

The ships, having formed up in a column, set out on a campaign. To the right and left were destroyers, covering icebreakers. Minesweepers along the way conducted control trawling. From the T-114 minesweeper of the 3rd rank captain N. S. Debelov, a signal "I see a floating mine" was received. The flagship's course changed dramatically. Behind came the destroyer " V. Kuibyshev" under the command of Lieutenant Commander P. M. Gonchar. He found an enemy submarine. The destroyer charged at once, the depth charges sending up columns of water astern. However, the submarine managed to escape. Then the destroyer Razumny under the command of Captain 3rd rank N. I. Nikolsky also discovered the Nazi submarine. From the second combat approach, three underwater explosions were recorded. The fascist boat, having received damage, withdrew from the battle.

On 16 November, as the convoy was passing by Kolguev Island, German submarines began attacking it again. This time, depth charges hit the target." Kuibyshev". There was an explosion, a column of water and smoke rose, an oil stain appeared on the surface and various objects floated up. The enemy's boat was destroyed. When the other two submarines broke into the convoy, one of them was chased by the destroyer Gromky (commander-captain of the 3rd rank A. B. Sey) and the destroyer Grozny (commander - captain of the 3rd rank V. I. Andreev). Successful was the attack of the SU-114 ,which threw mines from a 24-barrel mortar at the German boat. Air bubbles appeared on the surface of the sea, a board of emergency material with the mark "S" surfaced, another enemy found an underwater grave 11 .

On November 17, enemy submarines pursued the convoy, following a parallel course. They were found first on the right, then on the left. The convoy changed course several times to avoid its pursuers. Here are the entries made by Voronin at that time in the ship's log: "November 17. 00 h. 44 min. - destroyer " V. Kuibyshev " went into another attack on the enemy submarine. 4 hours. 21 min. - battle alert, the destroyer "Enraged" attacks the submarine. 9 h. 30 min. - Terskiy Bereg was opened in the area of Cape Gorodetsky. On November 17, a report to the commander of the White Sea military Flotilla from the commander of minesweeper No. 114 was reported that on November 16, at 15 hours and 10 minutes, an enemy submarine was sunk. This is apparently the second boat sunk by a minesweeper during our passage from the Kara Gate to Cape Gorodetsky. About 13 hours icebreaker " I. Stalin", accompanied by destroyers and minesweepers, passed the Tersko-Oryol lighthouse. In the area of the" three islands "with very poor visibility, our planes appeared, holding out over the caravan for about 1 hour and 30 minutes." 12
While the convoy was traveling from the Kara Gate to Cape Kanin Nos, the guard ships continuously bombed the enemy. Finally, the convoy was drawn into the throat of the White Sea, where the Nazi submariners did not dare to enter. Voronin described this transition later in a letter to his physicist friend I. G. Fakidov. Here are some lines from it: "You, men of science, have given us, ordinary sailors, the devices with which we discover enemy ships, wherever they may be; whether in the darkness of the night, in the depths of the sea, we detect them and destroy them before they attack us. On the night of November 16-17, I had to fight off eight attacks by enemy submarines... You see, Ibragim Gafurovich, I am at war... Last year, we sank four enemy submarines, and this year

10 Vayner B. A. Northern Fleet in the Great Patriotic War, Moscow, 1964, p. 300.

11 Puzyrev V. P. UK. soch., p. 177.

12 GAAO, f. 2323, op. 2, d. 152, ll. 1-24.

page 179

"it's good that we fought them off, because the situation was too difficult and serious. The enemy had a direct goal to sink my ship - after all, it is a tasty morsel. Now I'm getting ready for a new job, for new hikes. " 13
And here is an entry from Golovko's diary from November 18, 1943: "The Arctic epic of the current year has ended after all; the ships of the icebreaker flotilla" and. "Stalin", "F. Litke", "Murman", as well as six destroyers and three minesweepers arrived in Arkhangelsk. Minesweepers performed very well in this campaign: they discovered and attacked several enemy submarines. A group of polar explorers from the icebreaker flotilla was awarded military orders. Among the awardees is V. I. Voronin, commander of the icebreaker "I. I.". Stalin is one of the best ice experts. We need to rely on such people in these areas. And on the sailors-polar explorers, and on the pilots of polar aviation, like Cherevichny... Cherevichny flies brilliantly and is undoubtedly one of those people who have a sense of flight as a sixth sense. " 14
The AB-55 convoy was successfully completed. In the mission report, it was noted that during the transition, the ships traveled 2,600 miles, of which 1,600 were in the ice. Warships inflicted "significant damage on the enemy - two submarines were sunk indisputably, two-probably one is damaged" 15 . The Nazis ' attempt to destroy the icebreakers and their escorts failed.

13 Cit. by: Pravda Severa, 12. IV. 1976.

14 Golovko A. G. UK. soch., pp. 192-193.

15 Central Naval Archive, f. 767, op. 2, 43, l. 16.

page 180


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