August 30, 1974 the death of the brave bpk. "Singing frigate" goes into immortality. BOD "Otvazhny" (Black Sea Fleet). The operational duty officer of the Black Sea Fleet continued to describe the situation

In Sevastopol, on the territory of the Communards cemetery, you can find a small, modest monument. It is located between the mass grave of the crew of the battleship "Novorossiysk" and the monument to Lieutenant P. P. Schmidt. An inscription engraved on the marble monument says: "To the sailors of the Brave, who died in the line of duty in August 1974". It also contains a list of 24 names of the dead sailors. You will not be able to get more information from this monument, in the USSR they preferred not to spread much about the death of this ship.

BOD "Otvazhny"
The large anti-submarine ship "Otvazhny" was included in the fleet on January 25, 1966 and during its rather short life managed to make 7 military campaigns. From 5 to 30 June 1967, the ship carried out a combat mission to provide assistance to the Egyptian armed forces and visited Port Said. In 1968-69, the Otvazhny BPK underwent current repairs at the 61st plant in Nikolaev, during which its missile armament was modernized. Since 1969, the captain of the 3rd rank Ivan Petrovich Vinnik was appointed the captain of the ship.

In 1970, the BOD was declared an excellent ship of the Black Sea Fleet, took part in the Ocean maneuvers, and sailed to the shores of Cuba and the Atlantic. In 1972-1973, the ship underwent another eight-month repair at the docks of Sevastopol. As part of the detachment of ships of Rear Admiral L. Ya. Vasyukov, the Otvazhny BOD made friendly visits to the ports of Italy - Taranto and Messina. The last combat cruise of the ship in the Mediterranean Sea took place from November 10, 1973 to March 6, 1974. "Brave" was part of the 70th brigade of anti-submarine ships.

The Otvazhny BPK belonged to the Project 61 ships of the Komsomolets Ukrainy type (NATO codification - Kashin). This was a type of large anti-submarine ships that were in service with the Soviet fleet from 1964 to 1991, and later were in service with the Russian fleet. In 2012, only 1 ship of this type remained in the Russian Black Sea Fleet - the Smetlivy TFR. He remained the only ship of 20 vessels of the project, which managed to become part of the USSR fleet from 1962 to 1973. The remaining 18 ships were decommissioned and dismantled for metal, one more - the Otvazhny BOD - sank.

The standard displacement of ships of this type was 3500-3700 tons, the maximum displacement was 4500-4750 tons. The modernized vessels have 3950/4900 tons respectively. Hull dimensions: length - 144 m (modernized - 147 m), width - 15.8 m, draft - 4.8 m (up to 6 m). 4 gas turbines with a total capacity of 94,000 hp worked on 2 propellers, providing the ship with a maximum speed of 36-38 knots. The cruising range at a speed of 20 knots was 4,000 nautical miles. The ship could accommodate the Ka-25 anti-submarine helicopter. The BOD provided for the storage of 5 tons of aviation kerosene, as well as ammunition for the helicopter (depth charges, anti-submarine torpedoes, sonar buoys). Due to the absence of a hangar on the ship, the helicopter could be placed on it only temporarily.

The armament complex of the new ship could be called innovative. For the first time in the history of Soviet shipbuilding, the BOD received 2 M-1 "Volna" air defense systems. Each anti-aircraft missile system was a two-boom PU ZIF-101, a magazine with 2 rotating drums for 8 V-600 missiles each and a Yatagan control system. Artillery armament included 2 paired 76-mm turret artillery mounts AK-726 (rate of fire 90 rds / min., Maximum firing range 13 km., Height reach - 9 km., Ammunition for each installation consisted of 2400 unitary shots). In addition, the ship had 2 fire control systems "Turel", the ship was equipped with a five-tube torpedo tube PTA-53-61 for torpedoes 53-57 or SET-53 and had 2 rocket launchers RBU-1000 and RBU-6000 (ammunition 48 RSL-10 and 192 RSL-60, respectively).

All ships of this project had advanced radar weapons and hydroacoustics, as well as excellent seaworthiness and maneuverability. These ships were distinguished by their remarkable appearance and architecture.

The death of the BOD "Otvazhny"
From 4 to 7 August 1974, the Otvazhny BPK took part in regular exercises of the fleet, and from 27 August the ship was to become the flagship control ship during the 2nd stage of the exercises. BOD "Otvazhny" was supposed to provide firing of small missile ships, as well as take part in anti-submarine exercises with torpedo firing. On August 29, 1974, the ship under the control of Captain 2nd Rank I.P. Vinnik went out to sea and successfully conducted torpedo firing. At dawn on August 30, the BOD embarked on a raid in Streletskaya Bay in order to take on board Rear Admiral V. Kh. Sahakyan, the Chief of Staff of the KChF, as well as a group of senior officers of the fleet. On this day, the ship was supposed to provide anti-aircraft fire from small rocket ships at the range near Cape Chersonesos. At 9:55 am, the ship arrived at the training ground, and a combat training alert was announced.

After only 3 minutes, at 9:58 am, a slight shaking of the vessel was felt on the bridge, as if a small explosion had occurred in its stern. After that, the vehicles were immediately stopped, an emergency and combat alert was announced on the ship. 10 seconds after the first, the ship was shaken by a stronger explosion, a sheaf of flame and a clearly visible head of white smoke appeared behind the stern tube. After another 20 seconds, a third explosion occurred, which occurred in the area of the rocket cellar No. 8. A column of flame rose over the site of the explosion and poured thick black smoke. The explosion was so powerful that it tore off the cellar lid and, together with the anti-aircraft missile launchers, threw it onto the aft chimney. After that, a strong fire broke out in this area of the BOD, and the ship's personnel began to fight for unsinkability and survivability.

As it was later found out, the following happened: after the announcement of the combat training alert on the ship, the midshipman, who was at the control panel of the missile control post of aft cellar No. 8, in which 15 B-601 missiles were stored in 2 vertical drums in a combat state, acting according to the instructions , ordered the sailors on duty at the post to connect the external power supply. After that, he turned the toggle switches on the power supply panel to the "on" position. Immediately after clicking the last toggle switch, he saw through the porthole a fairly strong sheaf of flame on the left drum. Without launching the fire extinguishing means, the midshipman left his combat post and rushed down the corridor to the bow of the ship, where he was overtaken by a strong explosion, the blast wave of which threw him aside.

In the course of the investigation, it was possible to establish that exactly 18 seconds elapsed from the moment the fire appeared in cellar No. 8 to the moment of a strong explosion. Subsequently, it was found that the flame in the cellar appeared due to the spontaneous activation of the main engine of one of the anti-aircraft missiles. This was followed by the launch of the rocket engine of its own launch stage, which led to the launch of the launch engines of several more missiles. All this led to a sharp jump in pressure in the cellar (about 3 atmospheres), as a result of which a force of about 2500 tons began to act on the cover of the cellar, which caused it to break. As a result of the explosion in the side skin of the ship in the area of the 8th cellar, 2 holes were formed, through which outboard water began to flow into the compartments.

At 10 o'clock a combat alert was announced on the ship, and then an emergency alert, at this time a fire was raging in cellar No. 8, in corridors 9 and 10. The BOD got a 12-degree roll to starboard. Between 10:10 and 10:20 a command was given on the ship to turn on the water protection system, irrigation and flooding of cellars No. 6, 7 and 10 began. The explosion from the ship's poop into the sea threw 7 sailors, who were picked up by the ships that approached the scene.

At 10:23 am, the Otvazhny personnel, located in the aft compartments of the ship, were ordered to evacuate from the ship. At this time, the fire on board was gaining momentum. At the same time, ammunition cellars No. 6 and No. 7 were constantly watered with water from hoses. At 10:40 am, the destroyer "Conscious" came to the aid of the BOD, and after another 12 minutes "Bedovy", from which a special rescue party was landed on the "Otvazhny". At 10:54 am the destroyer "Conscious" took the "Otvazhny" BOD into tow in order to take the ship aground in the Chersonesos area, at which time the ship's roll had already reached 13 degrees. After 7 minutes, the Otvazhny began the procedure for pumping fuel from starboard to port, but this did not help to get rid of the roll.

Soon the stern of the BOD plunged into the sea along the upper deck, and the list to starboard reached 16 degrees. Secret documents were quickly evacuated from the ship. At 11:24 am, torpedoes were dropped into the sea, and the ship's roll was reduced to 14 degrees. At the same time, ammunition cellars No. 6 and 7 were flooded with water using fire hydrants. At 11:55 am, the Komsomolets Ukrainy BPK arrived at the scene to provide assistance.

At 11.59 the fire on board the ship was localized, white smoke began to pour from the cellars. However, 7 minutes later, the towing ropes from the destroyer "Conscious" broke off, and new ropes were started from the Bedovoy. All this time, the fire in the aft engine room of the ship continued. At 12.27, the command was given to stop the supply of water to the compartment, it was decided to use only foam. A chemical fire extinguishing system was activated in the aft engine room. Towing of the ship in distress at a speed of 3 knots began again at 12:49, at which time the anti-submarine ship's roll reached 17 degrees.

At 12:55 the rescue vessel "Beshtau" arrived at the scene at 13:20 - SS-15 and SS-26, a few more minutes later the fire-decontamination vessel "Flame". Foam was supplied from these vessels on board the Otvazhny shipyard to the area of the burning cellars. At 14:30 an attempt was made to pump water out of the aft compartments, but after 17 minutes an explosion of aviation ammunition, located in cellar No. 10, occurred. Apparently, at the same time, the tank, in which 5 tons of aviation kerosene was stored, exploded. All this seriously complicated the situation, the list of the ship to starboard quickly reached 19 degrees, increasing to 25. At 15:07 it stabilized at around 27 degrees. After another 3 minutes on the ship, the power supply to the devices was cut off and the lighting was turned off. At 15:12, the personnel received an order to evacuate the ship in distress, the last BOD left by the captain.

At 15.35, the Otvazhny ship began to plunge into the Black Sea astern without capsizing, and a tug was released from the Bedovoy destroyer. After just 12 minutes, the ship completely disappeared under water. The depth at the place of its flooding was about 125 meters. In total, 5 hours and 47 minutes elapsed from the moment a fire was discovered on the ship until its sinking. As a result of internal explosions and the resulting holes in the hull, the ship took on board almost 3,600 tons of water, 6 impenetrable compartments were flooded. At the same time, after the flooding of 4 compartments located in the stern, the trim and roll were stabilized, and the BOD had positive stability. But when the water completely flooded 2 more compartments, the vessel's buoyancy was exhausted. However, even having sunk, the Otvazhny BOD demonstrated very high survivability. According to the specification, the ships of this project could remain afloat only after the flooding of 3 adjacent compartments.

Of the 287 people who were on board the Otvazhny BPK, including cadets undergoing practical training, 24 people (19 sailors and 5 cadets) were killed. The entire personnel of the ship during the struggle for survivability and unsinkability, as well as when extinguishing the fire, acted skillfully and showed courage. All measures were taken to save the ship, but the damage received as a result of the explosions made it impossible to rescue it. Subsequently, valuable equipment was dismantled from the sunken ship, and its hull was blown up on the ground.

Sources of information:
-http: //ser-sarajkin.narod2.ru
-http: //flot.sevastopol.info/history/otvazhniy.htm
-http: //d-t-p.net/index.php? option = com_content & view = article & id = 4443: ---- qq & catid = 33: 2010-06-24-10-13-10 & Itemid = 40
-http: //ru.wikipedia.org/wiki

On August 30, 1974, twenty miles from the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, in the afternoon, in relatively good weather (sea waves did not exceed 4 points) with a sufficient number of rescue forces and means, in peacetime a modern ship, designed to fight, sank, even having received serious damage. During the accident, people died.

On the second day after the death of the ship, the body of a galley worker who had not been rescued was still protruding from the galley porthole. The flaps of his white jacket were fluttering in the current, and the divers were already examining the Brave to find out the details of its rise. It was impossible to lift the ship because of the danger of a spontaneous explosion of ammunition.

The total weight of this ammunition was about 15 tons, for its detonation and reliable detonation it was necessary to put 113.6 tons of TNT on the ship. The work was carried out at a depth of 127 meters, while the diver Roman Todorovich Gavyuk was killed.

On December 23, 1977, senior lieutenant Lupashin switched on the electric detonators with a switch on the SS-26 rescue vessel (now the Epron SS). A flame shot up over the sea to a height of more than 30 meters, and a wall of water rose along the length of the ship, the BOD "Brave" died for the second time and forever.

The Russian Navy numbered five "Brave". In 1696-1699, Peter I laid the foundation for 60-gun ships of the 1st rank “Royal Sun”, “Great Monarch”, “Triumphant”, “Brave” and others.

Launched in St. Petersburg in 1843 steamer frigate "Otvazhny" with a displacement of 1.450 tons. Excluded from the fleet in 1861.

Also in St. Petersburg in 1892 was launched sea armored gunboat "Otvazhny" with a displacement of 1,717 tons. Her crew heroically fought the enemy during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. Before the surrender of Port Arthur Russian sailors blew up and sank the "Brave" in the White Wolf Bay, having fulfilled their duty to the Motherland to the end.

The fourth was destroyer of project 30K “Brave”, Founded in 1939. The construction was terminated on May 20, 1942, and continued with the end of the Great Patriotic War. Launched on January 2, 1946, entered service on March 2, 1950. Full displacement - 2.860 tons, crew of 301 people. It was a member of the 4th Navy since April 16, 1950, and a member of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet since December 24, 1955. Excluded from the lists on March 17, 1958 and scrapped.

The fifth was large anti-submarine ship (BOD) of project 61 "Otvazhny"... (note - on the photo the BOD pr.61 "Sharp-witted"). It was built in Nikolaev, the naval flag was raised on it on September 18, 1965. The first commander of the "Brave" Captain 2nd Rank Gennady Evstigneev did everything to quickly put the ship into operation. However, his heart could not stand it, and in December 1965, with a diagnosis of myocardial infarction, Gennady Ivanovich ended up in a hospital bed.

An urgent replacement was needed, a strong-willed and energetic commander was required. And such was found - senior assistant commander of the destroyer "Bravy" Captain 3rd Rank Alexei Murzaev. Quickly and with high quality, "closing" the tasks of K-1, K-2 and K-3, the ship entered combat service, participated in actual hostilities for the security of Port Said, in the "Ocean" naval maneuvers with the performance of rocket firing in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1968, "Brave" won the prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy for anti-submarine warfare, the commander was awarded with nominal binoculars, in 1969 the ship is excellent and annually confirmed the title during all the numerous checks, even of the highest level.

In 1969, Captain 3rd Rank Ivan Petrovich Vinnik was appointed as the commander of the Otvazhny. During the years of commanding "Brave" Ivan Petrovich Vinnik, right up to 1974, the crew not only did not lose their positions, but also significantly increased their professionalism and solidarity.

In 1970, in addition to the prize already available for anti-submarine training, the crew won the Navy Commander's Prize for rocket firing, which they retained the following year. And this is a strong confirmation of a consistently high level of skill, because the applicants were "bison" from the Baltic, Northern, and Pacific fleets.

In 1973-1974, “Brave” with excellent and good grades passed all course tasks, performed combat and special exercises. The ship's officers were distinguished by good preparation, ease of ascent. And also - youth.

Among the commanders of the warheads, they wore lieutenant captain's shoulder straps: Aleksey Vlasov - the commander of the warhead-1, Vladimir Likhovsky - the commander of the warhead-2, Gennady Kamalov - the head of the RTS, Vadim Shevkunov - the commander of the warhead-5. The commander of the BC-4 Anatoly Shmelev, the head of the medical service Viktor Tsvelovsky, the commander of the BC-3 Stanislav Kachinsky are senior lieutenants, and the assistant commander for supply Vladimir Gdyra is the lieutenant.

October 1973 to March 1974 “The Brave” was in the Mediterranean Sea in combat service. During this period, calls were made at the Italian ports of Taranto and Messina, the ship twice prepared for actual hostilities in the area of the Arab-Israeli conflict, dozens of combat exercises were performed with a high score. The general assessment of the ship for this voyage is “excellent”.

Immediately after military service, Lieutenant Commanders G. Alantiev and political commander I. Boyko were promoted. Lieutenant-Commander Viktor Vsevolodovich Balashov was appointed Chief Officer, Lieutenant-Commander Vasily Mikhailovich Nesterovich was appointed deputy political officer.

We received an order to promote our commander, Captain 2nd Rank Ivan Petrovich Vinnik. By the end of August 1974, the crew “closed” the “personal” combat training plan and, in fact, could have rest, especially since they were about to prepare for the next combat service. But…

On August 29, in the afternoon, the ship went to sea to perform planned combat training missions, torpedo firing. Having successfully fired off, the Otvazhny together with the Komsomolets Ukrainy BOD, the Bedovy RSC continued to work with the submarine and by 7.00 on August 30 received an order to arrive at the outer raid of the main base and receive the NSh of the Black Sea Fleet and the commander of the missile boat brigade.

At this point, a number of key officials were absent from the ship. So, instead of the commander of the warhead-5 Lieutenant-Commander Vadim Shevkunov, the commander of the machine group of the BOD “Resolute” Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Martyanov went to sea, instead of the commander of the warhead-2 Lieutenant Commander Vladimir Likhovsky, the commander of the bow launch battery, Senior Lieutenant Vladimir Kostin, remained.

The deputy commander for political affairs, Lieutenant-Commander Vasily Nesterovich left for the exams at the academy. His duties, according to the order for the ship, were performed by the deputy commander of the BC-5 for political affairs, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Melnik.

Several other junior officers were absent, with at least a year of naval service behind them. Just two weeks before this fateful day, six lieutenants - graduates of naval schools arrived on the ship: the commander of the aft missile fire control group Vasily Yarchuk, engineer BCH-2 Alexander Bezmeltsev, commander of the electronic navigation group BCH-1 Ivan Telegin, commander of the BCH-4 group Pyotr Kolesnik, commander of the electrical engineering group of BCh-5 Savely Tyugay, engineer of the RTS Dmitry Sorokin.

To supervise the exercise, at 7.45 am the Chief of the Fleet Staff Rear Admiral V. Sahakyan, the Chief of the Air Defense of the Navy Rear Admiral V. Putintsev, the commander of the missile boat brigade Captain 1st Rank A. Komar and with them twelve commanding officers boarded the Otvazhny.

COMBAT LOG

August 30, 1974 Combat training ground 17 miles west of Cape Chersonesos.

9.45. BOD "Otvazhny" together with firing small missile ships (MRK) occupied the training ground.

9.55. We played a combat training alert, turned on the radar stations. Captain 2nd Rank I. Vinnik, having received a report on the readiness of the ship for exercises from the Chief Lieutenant Commander V. Balashov, climbed from the GKP to the navigating bridge. Rear-Admiral V. Sahakyan, Chief of the Fleet Staff, was also here. Senior Lieutenant S. Kachinsky took over as the watch officer.

10.02. UNEXPECTED a huge column of fire and smoke burst into the sky with a hiss in the area of the aft pipes, and a POWERFUL EXPLOSION was heard. The blast threw seven people overboard. At that time, the foreman of the prelaunch preparation team, warrant officer A. Shuportiak, senior sailors A. Koryakin and E. Daukste, sailor A. Venclovas, were in the aft PKS. All of them were numb for a split second when, through the thick glass of the rectangular window, they saw a blinding flash of fire, white smoke, their ears blocked from the growing rumble and pressure.

A more horrible and desperate situation cannot be imagined. It became clear: the powder engine of one of the rockets spontaneously started right in the cellar. Then others also ignited. The numbness quickly passed when, UNSUCCESSELY trying to report to the battery commander about what had happened to the KGS and realizing the danger of the situation, Shuportiak shouted: "Leave the PKS!" Everyone ran out into corridor 11.

Immediately, the commander announced a COMBAT, and then an emergency alarm, stopped the engines, gave the command over the broadcast: "To extinguish the fire for the bow and stern emergency parties!" Literally 20 seconds later, the ship shuddered from the SECOND explosion, the THIRD and FOURTH thundered at about the same interval.

The commander, with the permission of the chief of staff of the fleet, went down to the GKP to manage the fight for the survivability of the ship, and his first command was: "To the commanders of combat posts, report the appearance of smoke, fire and water, as well as the presence of personnel." From that moment until the very last minute, the ship's financier, midshipman Alexander Bobreshov, was inseparable from the commander. With his usual punctuality and accuracy, he kept the "Journal of Combat Actions".

Still few people believed that all this is real, very serious. Dozens, HUNDREDS OF TIMES during exercises and trainings such commands were given to the ship. On August 30, they were actually performed for the FIRST TIME. It soon became clear that there was no connection with the aft engine room, aft missile store, aft emergency party and aft artillery installation.

The commander immediately sent a chief mate to assess the damage and condition of the ship. A few minutes later, Viktor Balashov reported: the aft cellar of anti-aircraft missiles No. 8 has been DESTROYED, the missile launcher is ABROAD in the area of the aft pipes, there is a strong FIRE in the cellar, the fire spreads to the stern to the cellar of artillery shells No. 9 and to the bow, in the area of the aft engine room. The struggle for the survivability of the ship began, the commander set the task - prevent the spread of fire to the bow and stern.

10.07. Having understood the situation and realizing the seriousness of the situation, the Chief of the Fleet Staff Rear Admiral V. Sahakyan from the damaged ship gives the order to all ships in the area to follow the Otvazhny BPK to provide assistance, and the Consciousness EM to take it to tug and provide assistance with fire extinguishing equipment.

It was also announced the readiness of No. 1 to the rescue detachment of the fleet, ALL ships of the formation of surface ships standing in the base, hurriedly breaking away from the berths, maneuvering at extremely high speeds, went to the emergency area to the rescue of their comrades.

We rushed to “Otvazhny” and at different times arrived in the area of EM “Consciousness”, RSC “Bedovy” with the commander of the 70th brigade, Captain 1st rank L. Makarov on board, BPC “Komsomolets Ukrainy”, “Smetlivy”, “Restrained”, SS-26, SB-15, VM-416, PZhS-123, BT-271, 318, 259, MT “Vakulenchuk”, TKAB, TK-119.

In addition, MRK Briz, Tempest, Zarnitsa, Vikhr were already in the area. Exactly they picked up 26 people from the water, thrown overboard by the blast wave... Aviation also appeared in the region - Ka-25, Mi-4 helicopters and a Li-2 aircraft. As you can see, considerable forces were thrown to help the damaged ship, and their crews were ready to take risks in order to save their comrades, but this was not training on the TCB, it was a real, terrible fire ... Effectively fight it, as further development will show events, the fleet was unable to.

10.10. The accident at the Otvazhny BPK was reported to the Central Command Center of the Navy. At this time, the Acting Fleet Commander Rear Admiral V. Samoilov was in Yalta to report to the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S. Gorshkov.

At about 10.30 a report was made about the accident to Samoilov and Gorshkov. By this time, the "Brave" through the holes formed from the explosions had taken a lot of water into the compartments, the roll has reached 12 degrees... In addition, the actions of the emergency party and the personnel of the aft combat posts to extinguish the fire led to additional filling of the emergency and adjacent rooms with seawater.

Taking this into account, the commander ordered to demolish all portable drainage devices in the stern, turn on stationary drainage devices at full capacity. Despite the fact that all fire extinguishing means were involved, including foam, the fire did not stop.

It covered the premises of three adjacent compartments - 10th, 11th and 12th - aft engine room, corridors No. 8, 9, 10, 11, cockpits No. 3, 4, 5, cellar No. 8, PKS, turret compartment stern gun mount, wheelhouse of the ship duty officer.

10.43. At the command post of the fleet, a radio report was received signed by the chief of staff of the fleet: "I cannot put out the fire on my own ... I cannot extinguish the fire."

The situation was aggravated by the fact that in the area of the fire there were cellars with artillery ammunition, deep-rocket, aviation bombs, diesel fuel tanks, aviation kerosene. The commander makes a decision flood cellars with rocket depth charges(RSL) No. 6 and 7 and shoot combat torpedoes overboard.

10.54. By this time I. Vinnik already had a fairly clear picture of the nature and extent of the accident and gave the only correct command for the ship: “ Establish a defense line in the personnel canteen and refrigerators on the 164th frame”. This position, designated by the commander, for several hours for the crew became a line of defense, from which the SEAFARERS did not retreat a single step.

10.56. EM “Conscious,” who came to the rescue, put an emergency rescue group aboard the “Otvazhny” and, taking the emergency ship in tow, tried to take it to shallow water, to the shore. However, the effectiveness of such towing was insignificant, the rudder jammed by 35 degrees to the left side led the “Brave” to the side, the roll to the starboard side sharply increased, the ship LEFT aboard. The cable rang like a string, it could break at any second.

11.16. A little more than an hour has passed since the start of the fire, but effectively there was nothing to extinguish it with... Senior Lieutenant V. Martyanov reported: "... all means of fighting the fire, except for water in the hoses, have been used up." It was time trouble. Attempts to extinguish such a large fire with only water from hoses could not lead to success. The commander understood this well, he also understood that only a large amount of carbon dioxide and a foaming agent could help in this situation.

Here is what Ivan Petrovich writes in his memoirs: “I personally ordered to transfer to the command post of the fleet, so that carbon dioxide and a foam concentrate would be delivered by helicopters. I cannot say whether it reached the command post of the fleet. The fleet's OD log says that they "loaded the cylinders." But they were NOT delivered to the ship ”.

11.18. From the command post of the fleet, the chief of aviation headquarters received an order to work out the issue of air delivery of fire extinguishing equipment to the area of the accident. The request of the commander of the dying ship turned out to be a voice crying in the desert, the crew was left alone with their misfortune. Although he later approached the board of the Bedovy RSC, tried to help, but he himself was literally stuffed with missile, bomb and torpedo ammunition ...

11.30. By order of the commander, the personnel under the leadership of Senior Lieutenant S. Kachinsky and Warrant Officer E. Medvedev dropped five combat torpedoes overboard.

11.37. Rear Admiral V. Samoilov, Acting Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, arrived at the command post of the fleet and heard a report on the state of the damaged ship.

11.52. Rear Admiral V. Samoilov handed over to the Otvazhny BOD the order of the First Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet V. Kasatonov: “1. Assess the situation, take measures to straighten the ship, but according to the situation. 2. If it is impossible to save the ship, evacuate the personnel. If necessary, go to the shore and run aground ”.

12.30. It was at this moment that the hope for the salvation of the ship appeared. At the command post of the fleet from the board of "Otvazhny" received a report: “1. The fire in corridors 7, 8 was extinguished. 2. The commander of the BCH-5 entered the PEZH. 3. The dining room is not monitored. 4. Roll 10 degrees to starboard, trim 2–6 meters. 5. The second line of defense was placed on the 143rd frame. Assessment of the situation: the landing and stability of the ship have stabilized, unsinkability is ensured. "

SS Beshtau, SB-15, PZhS-123 approached the “Otvazhny” in turn, trying to cool the deck in the stern area, to supply foam to the emergency compartments. People risking their lives did everything possible and impossible, at times it seemed that victory was near, “Brave” would be saved.

At this time, the deputy commander of the brigade for EMC, Captain 2nd Rank Gleb Umerenkov, landed on the "Brave", he greatly helped I. Vinnik in making a decision on the BZZh. After the first encouraging report (from 12.30), the crew and the forces of the rescue squad in incredible tension fought the fire for another two hours and 15 minutes, pumped fuel from side to side, trying to straighten the ship, pumped overboard the accumulated water.

There were killed, many wounded. But the struggle continued. And if the fire from above and from the bow could somehow be controlled and suppressed, then it was absolutely impossible to recognize the situation in the stern of cellar No. 8. And it developed catastrophically. The foam has run out.

Ivan Petrovich Vinnik recalls: “I went to the PZhS-123, talked with the captain of the 2nd rank Zhbanov (head of the ACC), asked for foam inside the premises, which he did, and while there was foam, we stopped the fire in the corridors. But the foam is over! And we ourselves could pour water into the interior. ... He will confirm, as I asked: “Well, give me some foam!”. Received the answer: “No foam!”. Everything".

14.45. There was an explosion. Last. Fatal. From the commander's recollections: “Eyewitnesses at the GKP said that when cellar No. 10 and kerosene exploded (I believe it happened together), I sat down on the table, took off my cap, threw it into the corner and said:“ That's all! ”. True, I do not remember this, apparently, I was very afraid of it, but it happened! ”.

Yes, the explosion of aerial bombs in cellar No. 10 and a ten-ton tank with aviation kerosene in one fell swoop dashed all hopes of salvation. A HUGE BREAK was formed in the board, water literally poured into the interior. Roll and trim began to increase rapidly. Damage control has ceased to be meaningful.

15.06. Rear Admiral Samoilov ordered the personnel to leave the ship.

15.17. PZhS-123, having taken on board 65 people and the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, departed from the side. The personnel under the command of the commander began to leave the ship. We must pay tribute to Rear Admiral V. Sahakyan. By his presence until the very end of the struggle for the survivability of the ship, he, without interfering with the actions of the commander, he supported him, together with him analyzed the situation and approved his decisions. He seemed to set an example of composure, endurance and ... hope for salvation. This is an officer's act.

15.24. All personnel left the ship. The last to leave was the commander.

15.57. BOD "Otvazhny" sank at point Ш - 44о43.0`; D - 33o01.5` at a depth of 122 meters along a bearing of 300 degrees at a range of 178 cab. from Cape Chersonesos.

16.00. An order was given to the BOD "Bedovy": "Mark the place of death with buoys ...". The sailors of the "Brave" held out for 355 minutes. They showed massive heroism.

Finding out the causes of the fire, or rather, the reasons for the spontaneous launch of the main engine of one of the anti-aircraft missiles in the aft cellar, the commission of the Ministry of Defense came to this conclusion. The activation of the squib launching the main engine SAM V-601 was the result of a violation of the quality of installation in the KP-1 junction box. Purely design and factory flaw.

This violation in this situation led to the closure of the terminal lobes of the dangerous and control circuits in this box and the formation of bypass circuits, leading to a voltage of 26 volts to detonate the squib of the main engine of the rocket. Let's leave the technical details for specialists. It is more important to tell how the Otvazhny crew tried to eliminate the catastrophic consequences of the design flaws of the Volna missile system.

First of all, we can confidently assert that officers, warrant officers, foremen and sailors in a critical situation showed high moral and combat qualities, PSYCHOLOGICAL STABILITY, strong ship survivability skills... As usual, in a difficult situation there were weak-willed, cowardly. But who can give himself a guarantee that a strong fire, explosions, burning metal will not suppress the will, will not make him instinctively jump back to a safe place? ..

Such people were in plain sight, and everyone knows about them. But history has other examples as well. High professionalism, courage and heroism were demonstrated by Senior Lieutenant S. Kachinsky, Warrant Officer E. Medvedev, Petty Officer 2 Article V. Kozleneev and many sailors.

Having received the order of the commander flood depth charges, at the risk of their lives, acting in a very smoky room, they flooded the 5th and 6th cellars with the help of fire hoses, preventing a possible explosion of 5 tons of explosives and preventing flooding of the huge room of the personnel canteen, which made it possible to maintain the stability of the ship for a long time.

Petty Officer 2 articles A. Garibyan, sailor V. Nikitenko in the area of a strong fire near the aft pipes thrown overboard cylinders of acetylene and oxygen on which the paint has already caught fire. They also prevented an explosion, possible severe damage to superstructures and the death of a large number of personnel.

Lieutenant A. Bezmeltsev, who had recently arrived after graduating from the P.S. Nakhimov ChVVMU, who had not yet had time to get used to the ship, set a personal example by active and courageous actions during extinguishing the fire, was in the most dangerous areas in the area of the ZKP and stern pipes.

His classmate at the school, Lieutenant V. Yarchuk, together with Warrant Officer I. Kozlov, sailor A. Osetrov and others resolutely fought fire, using all available means, created a reliable line of defense and prevented the spread of fire into the interior of the bow from the 164th frame ...

The interim commander of BCH-5, Senior Lieutenant V. Martyanov, competently and confidently directed the actions of the personnel in the fight for survivability, timely analyzed the condition of the ship, made the necessary calculations and submitted substantiated proposals to the commander of the ship.

One of the most active and courageous that day on the burning ship was undoubtedly the commander of the hold group, Lieutenant B. Gul. By order of the commander, risking his life, from the heavily smoky room of the PEL, when the fire was already engaged on the instruments and bulkheads, the officer brought out the two sailors who remained there, thereby saving their lives.

He also armed the fighters of emergency parties to work in emergency rooms in insulating gas masks, he himself repeatedly descended into dangerous rooms in the IP, and carried out reconnaissance of the fire. His face, hands and body were burned, black with smoke and burning.

A courageous act was made by the commander of the artillery division, the foreman of the 2nd article A. Achmiz. After one of the explosions, he rushed to the rescue of fellow senior sailor A. Urupe in the burning turret compartment, but the next explosion took him by surprise. He was thrown onto the deck of a ship that came to the rescue, his body was severely disfigured. Adam Achmiz is the only one of the dead who was buried in the ground in his homeland. All the rest drowned along with the ship, the sea became their mass grave.

Having boldly acted in the area of the fire after the command “Leave the ship”, the acting commander of the BC-2, Senior Lieutenant V. Kostin, with a roll of about 30 degrees, made his way into the officers' wardroom and carried the Red Banner of the Krasnodar Regional Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League to the “Best ship of the formation”, which the crew firmly held for several years in a row.

For a long time, in the sight of the entire crew, an example of courage and self-control was demonstrated by the sailors who found themselves in the galley. BLASTING JAMMED THE DOOR, essentially WALKING them up. KIPYATOK spilled out from the digesters torn from the base onto the deck. Petty Officer 1 article P. Murgu, sailors A. Idzhyan, S. Petrukhin, S. Livitsky, V. Prochakovsky, J. Vorozhbit, P. Bedakov IN HOPE TO break out of this hell UNSUCCESSFULLY tried to break open the stubborn door, but it was also impossible to open it from the outside ...

Sailor Bedakov tried to climb onto the waist through one of the windows, but JAMMED. The commander ordered gas-welded cut the porthole together with Bedakov, but this could not be done. Senior Lieutenant of the Medical Service V. Tsvelovsky, trying to EASIATE THE PARTICIPATION of a sailor in trouble, constantly gave him pain-relieving injections.

Realizing the LOSS OF THE SITUATION, the sailor Prochakovsky, who was in the same room, keeping his composure and complete sanity, shouted through the window: “Guys! Everything is clear with me. Save the ship! " This could only be done by a real man - seasoned and strong, loving naval service, a ship, and his comrades.

During the struggle for survivability, senior lieutenants I. Melnik, O. Evdokimov, warrant officers A. Karpenko, P. Gaidarly, I. Shpak, R. Mukhamadeev, N. Shepitko, V. Teliga, foremen of the 1st article I. Eldarov, A. Burykh, foremen 2 articles I. Dolinchuk, V. Garkush, S. Eremenko. Among those who boldly rushed to dangerous areas, there were many young sailors.

The crew passed the exam during the actual battle for the survivability of the ship. By the way, after the sinking of the ship, a strict and meticulous commission with passion checked the level of professional preparedness, skills and knowledge in matters of BZZ of almost all crew members - both experienced and young. And I was forced to confirm compliance with the requirements for them.

Admiral I. Kasatonov in his book "The Fleet Out into the Ocean" assessed the actions of the crew of the deceased BOD: "On the" Brave ", as well as on the" Novorossiysk ", the sailors showed massive heroism, self-sacrifice, mutual assistance and mutual assistance. But there were no awards ... ”

Captain 1st rank retired Oleg Prikhodko,
former commander of ZAB-3 of the BOD "Otvazhny"

I recently helped a friend move. In the new place, the former owners left a lot of unnecessary things. It took a long time to rake them out.
Somewhere in the middle of the process of disassembly and removal, a box with a demobilized album and a camera was discovered, which probably took photos for this album.
Here I will post some of the photos and drawings from this album.

Consider, then open the album.

The first drawings are traditionally dedicated to the native ship and the fleet in general.

BOD "Brave".
11/15/1966 laid down at the 61 Communards plant in Nikolaev, launched 02/06/1968 and 12/20/1968 enlisted in the lists of the Navy ships. It entered service on 12/27/1969 and on 01/09/1970 was included in the Black Sea Fleet.

In 1976 -1977. modernized at the "Sevmorzavod" in Sevastopol according to the project 61M.

17-22.09.1976 paid a visit to Messina (Italy),
08-13.04.1978 - to Algeria,
April 13-18, 1979 - to Rijeka (Yugoslavia).

In the period from 17.12.1982 to 30.01.1985, a major overhaul took place in Riga, after which it was transferred to the Baltic Fleet.

01/19/1988 leased to the Polish Navy and renamed “Warszawa”.

03/05/1988 excluded from the USSR Navy.

Sevastopol Bay. The Moscow helicopter carrier was already on fire, but still strong. Selling it for scrap abroad can only be dreamed of in a nightmare.

Many drawings and poems are in the style of "sailor romanticism" ...

In general, the girl who waits and waits is a very important part of the album.

A great journey beyond the distant seas to maturity has begun ...

An acutely felt frontier is the passage under the bridge over the Bosphorus.

The Rubicon has been crossed.

The voyage was far from solitary.

Mediterranean Sea: fresh breeze.

Reception of fuels and lubricants on the go.

Swimming doesn't always hinder creativity.

Lyrical digression - amateur performance.

Another lyrical digression. This colorful midshipman could well be the boatswain of the ship.

The lyrics are over - a meeting with the ship of a potential enemy.

Ship - USS Barry.
Destroyer
Enlisted in the fleet - September 7, 1956.
Withdrawn from the fleet on November 5, 1982
Currently, the ship is a museum.
In 1977, after modernization, it again became part of the US 6th Fleet.
In the period January 24 - February 3, 1978, the destroyer monitored a group of ships of the Soviet Navy, which included the aircraft carrier "Kiev", the anti-submarine cruiser "Moscow". Then he participated in a series of NATO exercises in the Mediterranean.

Another possible opponent is USS Nimitz.
Commissioned on May 3, 1975
Currently, he continues to serve.
September 10, 1979 - the beginning of his third campaign in the Mediterranean Sea.

The image of the enemy for the Soviet sailor was somewhat exotic and naive.

Mediterranean ...

Entering the port is a good relaxation after a strenuous hike.

Friendly local population

On the way home.
How can you not be photographed against the background of such printed materials!

Houses!
The boom gate has been cleared. There is no maul yet. The Konstantinovskaya battery is just beginning to be repaired.

The number of miles traveled is very impressive ...

This is the long-awaited word - "ORDER".

Wait!

With comrades, as a keepsake.

From viewing the album, good impressions were left - the person passed the tests, got experience.
In the end, he succeeded, he made his journey on the "Brave" ...

P.S .: I apologize for the incorrect operation of the photo hosting. I transferred the photo to another resource, I hope this will make viewing more enjoyable.

09/11/2013 6 487 0 Jadaha

The death of the "Valiant"

Catastrophes

The modern warship is a combination of the incompatible. Fuel and oxygen, explosives and electricity are squeezed in an enclosed space. the slightest mistake can lead to tragedy. There were many such tragedies in the history of the fleet, only it was not customary to talk about them ..

On the morning of August 30, 1974, the Otvazhny large anti-submarine ship left Sevastopol to participate in rocket firing. On board there were 258 crew members, 16 cadets and officers of the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, a total of 287 people. The ship was commanded by the captain of the 2nd rank I.P. Vinnik.

By 10 o'clock in the morning "Brave" arrived at the designated square opposite Cape Chersonesos, where the destroyer "Conscious" and missile boats were already stationed.

At the signal "drill" the crew scattered to the command and combat posts. A minute later, a clap was heard in the ammunition cellar. Smoke poured into the missile control room. Midshipman Shuportyak, who was sitting at his post, realized that things were bad, and rushed to run, forgetting the emergency fire extinguishing button ...

As it turned out later, the engine of one of the missiles worked in the cellar. After 20 seconds, the fire was already raging with might and main. A plume of fire escaping from the rocket nozzle burned through everything around. Two people who were nearby were killed instantly.

A fire on a ship is dangerous, and on a warship, packed with ammunition to the eyeballs, it is doubly dangerous. And the worst was not long in coming ..

“I ran after those who were in front,” recalled sailor Alexander Kolyshev. - From the corridor through the washstand I ran into the latrine, where I was caught by the first explosion. Everyone fell ... Insulation fell on us from the bulkheads. "

After a few seconds, there was a second explosion. Apparently, the engines of one more or even several missiles went off. The third explosion tore the deck of the superstructure. A powerful column of flame burst out from there. The rocket launcher climbed up, swayed from side to side, and was thrown onto the chimney. The metal curled from the heat like birch bark and melted. The food, pierced by the explosion, began to settle. The fire crept up to the cellars where the depth charges were stored. In the galley, boilers of boiling water fell on the sailors. Scalded people rushed about in the corridors, choking on smoke and gases. One of the sailors tried to get out through the window and got stuck. Captain 1st Rank Balashov saw the skin of the doomed sailor peeling off the body ...

The crew tried to stop the flames. The fire was even extinguished, but the carbon dioxide foam ran out, and the fire flared up with renewed vigor. Ammunition exploded. The aft bulkhead was pierced with shrapnel. People rushed about the deck, trying to get away from the flame devouring everything in its path. The fire cut off 13 people at the stern. They did not hear the commands transmitted over the loudspeaker, did not know what to do, and, fearing another explosion, threw themselves overboard. Only one sailor, unable to swim, grabbed the flagpole in horror.

The order was given to flood the cellars located next to the raging fire. The list of the ship, already sunk through the hole, increased to 12 degrees.

From the destroyer "Conscious" and the large anti-submarine ship "Bedovy", rescue teams landed on the blazing ship. But they were also unable to help the crew of the "Brave". Fuel leaking from the punctured tanks caught fire. Red-hot torpedoes flew overboard. The roll increased to 16 degrees Around the "Brave" many ships gathered, but attempts to extinguish the fire with carbon dioxide foam or tow the ship to the shore were unsuccessful.

Secret documents were quickly evacuated from the ship. At 11:24 am, torpedoes were dropped into the sea, and the ship's roll was reduced to 14 degrees. At the same time, ammunition cellars No. 6 and 7 were flooded with water using fire hydrants. At 11:55 am, the Komsomolets Ukrainy BPK arrived at the scene to provide assistance.

“After this command,” recalled warrant officer Karpenko, “staff officers, a financier and others began to jump on the rescuer. Around the ships launched launches. I tried to persuade the sailors to jump. I looked, the boatswain in a vest comes out onto the upper deck. Not far from him is the sailor Ernazarov, who cannot swim. I say to the boatswain: "Give him your vest, we will lower him along the towing rope." I went down the port side, Ernazarov behind me. Already there was the bottom, I felt the shells with my hands. I say, "Jump after me when I sail away." Jumped, and he hangs. "Jump!" - it hangs. Around the fuel is already starting to burn - it hangs. A motor launch came up, and they tried to take off the sailor with a hook. I sailed away, looked around, I looked - it was hanging, and only when they had already stopped taking it off did I fall between the ship and the launch. The sea was 3-4 points, the strong wind carried the rafts thrown out by airplanes and helicopters. "

“People were afraid to jump from the Brave,” said mechanic Gleb Umerenkov. - The height at the port side was about 15 meters. They began to push people to enter. One sailor in a vest grabbed the rails and handrails like that. that they could not drag him away. I handed him the second vest, he held out his hands to him, and then we pushed him into the water. I also jumped; we swim with him, he holds on to my shoulder and yells. Some lieutenant in the water sang: "The enemy does not surrender ...". The brave was still pulled, but when it went down astern, the tug was chopped off. The ship stood upright, and for about 30 minutes its nose was visible. He probably stood at the bottom ... "

At 15.35, the Otvazhny ship began to plunge into the Black Sea astern without capsizing, and a tug was released from the Bedovoy destroyer. After just 12 minutes, the ship completely disappeared under water. The depth at the place of its flooding was about 125 meters. In total, 5 hours and 47 minutes elapsed from the moment a fire was discovered on the ship until its sinking. As a result of internal explosions and the resulting holes in the hull, the ship took on board almost 3,600 tons of water, 6 impenetrable compartments were flooded. At the same time, after the flooding of 4 compartments located in the stern, the trim and roll were stabilized, and the BOD had positive stability. But when the water completely flooded 2 more compartments, the vessel's buoyancy was exhausted. However, even having sunk, the Otvazhny BOD demonstrated very high survivability. According to the specification, the ships of this project could remain afloat only after the flooding of 3 adjacent compartments.

Captain 1st rank retired A. Zhbanov tells about the tragedy that happened on August 30, 1974 with the Otvazhny BPK built in Nikolaev. Head of the ACS-PSS Black Sea Fleet in 1973-1986.

There is a wise proverb: "Victory has many parents, and defeat is always an orphan."

I repeat it quite often, especially remembering the events of 1974 related to the emergency at the Otvazhny BOD. I confess right away: for the sinking of the large anti-submarine ship Otvazhny, I, along with other officers of the Black Sea Fleet, received a stern reprimand from the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov. The wording was: “For insufficient initiative”. Not entirely offensive, but this severe reprimand gives me the right to consider myself one of the “parents” of a serious defeat at sea - after all, the ineffective actions of the rescue forces of the fleet were unable to ultimately save a modern, first-class warship.
The penalty from the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, which he subsequently removed from me personally, I took as quite fair, and morally I was ready for more serious sanctions. Many of us - participants in this tragedy - were in a very depressed state for a long time. The feeling of guilt did not leave even after all the materials of the investigation were analyzed, and the Commander-in-Chief himself answered the question posed to him personally: “Was it possible to save“ Brave ”? It is difficult to answer this question - the keel of the ship was broken, but the Black Sea Fleet did not do everything to save it ”.
However, let's go back on the ladder of time.
On August 30, 1974, twenty miles from the main base of the fleet, in the afternoon, in relatively good weather (the sea state did not exceed 4 points) with a sufficient number of rescue forces and means, in peacetime a modern ship, designed to fight, sank, even after receiving serious damage ... During the accident, people died. Who is to blame for this?
Constructors? Shipbuilders? Fleet? Crew? Forces involved in salvation? I have no right to condemn anyone and give any assessments. I will try to describe only what I saw and what I personally participated in. Perhaps it will be useful for modern rescuers who, in today's difficult conditions, provide search and rescue support to the once mighty fleet.
As for the analysis of the shipwreck and the performance of subsequent work on it, they were described in detail and objectively by the now deceased Colonel-Engineer EE Leibovich in the story “The Fate of the Otvazhny BPK”. The article was written by a very experienced and authoritative specialist, from whom I took the position of head of the ACC Black Sea Fleet department in 1973, it covers all aspects of this disaster.
According to the service chain - in the event of emergencies in the fleet, my place was determined at the command post of the fleet, as the deputy chief of the search and rescue post, which was made up of the leading specialists of the fleet.

That day I was at the headquarters of the fleet and arrived at the post 3 minutes after the alarm was announced. The information received from the damaged ship did not allow a sufficiently objective assessment of its condition. The fire, as you know, began in the rocket cellar No. 8 from the spontaneous launch of the main engine of the B-601 rocket, and the command post of the fleet received information about the explosion of an air cylinder in the second engine room. In general, the situation from the very beginning was incomprehensible, and I asked for permission from the Acting Commander of the Fleet, Vice-Admiral V.A. Samoilov, to leave for the area of the accident.
I got permission instantly. There were other reasons why I wanted to take a direct part in the rescue of the ship. And one of them worried me very much, because the commander of the Black Sea Fleet rescue squad was a former submariner. A good officer, but he did not have sufficient experience in leading the rescue forces in such a serious accident, moreover, of a surface ship. In addition, shortly before this accident, the ACC fleet conducted an exercise to assist the damaged ship of exactly 61 projects, and I wanted to put into practice the experience gained in this exercise.
By the way, like many naval officers, I disliked staff work, never held staff positions. I had experience in command of three rescue ships, in three fleets, a battalion of rescue ships in the Baltic, and I was sure that, in the event of a ship accident, my place was at sea, and not at the command post of the fleet.
Overtaking by a high-speed missile boat the ships of the rescue squad, going at full speed to the area of the accident, I accepted the reports of their commanders on the readiness to carry out rescue operations, gave the necessary orders, And this is the first lesson that I will remember for the rest of my life. On air, on ultrashort waves, unimaginable chaos was created. In excited voices, interrupting each other, many officials - ship commanders, officers of the fleet headquarters, radio operators serving them, transmitted conflicting information and orders: “The commander of the fleet ordered! ...”, “The commander-in-chief ordered! ...”, “The Minister of Defense ordered! ... ”. There were so many orders and they were so incomprehensible that there was no way to carry them out.
In the course of combat training, the command of the fleet demanded from us strict observance of communications discipline, but in a real emergency, everyone forgot about it. Unified, strict, consistent and continuous command and control of the forces at the very beginning of the rescue operations at Otvazhny was not organized. The command post of the fleet clearly understood that an experienced and authoritative chief of staff of the fleet, Rear Admiral V.Kh. Sahakyan, who was able to take the leadership of the forces on himself, which is why he showed understandable delicacy. It was extremely difficult to control the forces from the side of the damaged ship, the crew of which, not knowing the root cause of the explosion and the complete situation on their own ship, is fighting for survivability, is losing people.
I must self-critically admit that I was unable to realize my capabilities in this important matter and provide the Chief of Staff of the Fleet with the necessary assistance in managing forces. On board the missile boat on duty, controlled by Lieutenant-Commander V. Isakov, on which I arrived in the area of the accident, there were combat missiles and he, on behalf of V.Kh. Sahakyan, it was forbidden to approach the emergency ship, on which ammunition continued to explode in the flames of fires. I was forced to jump into the sea and swim to get to the “Brave” fire-fighting vessel, moored to the side of the “Brave”, the crew of which, under the leadership of the commander, senior lieutenant I.Kh. Nagervadze restrained the spread of the fire into the bow of the damaged ship.
By joint efforts, the crew of the emergency ship, the 167th rescue party and the PZhS-123 managed to keep the spread of fire on the 164 frame - the forward bulkhead of the aft engine room. I considered this to be some success and did not expect that the death of the ship could come so quickly from another explosion - this time in cellar No. 10 and the aviation fuel storage. This last explosion led to the flooding of the fifth compartment (the first four compartments were flooded earlier) and the subsequent loss of the longitudinal stability of the ship.

The explosion, which predetermined the death of the ship, occurred 1.5 hours after my arrival in the area. Could it have been prevented? This is how it is written about it in the final act of the commission to investigate the causes of the death of “Otvazhny”: “The decision to set up a line of defense in the aft part of the ship practically could not be implemented, since after the explosion of cellar No. 8 the fire spread to the tiller compartment and cellar No. 10 The disembarkation of personnel at the stern of the Otvazhny BPK for the purpose of unloading aerial bombs and removing kerosene overboard was impossible. "
And yet this question still haunts me. I personally could not believe that the "Brave" could die with such a large buoyancy and stability margin, which the ships of the 61 projects possessed. The sailors, foremen, midshipmen and officers who participated in the struggle for the survivability of the ship and its salvation did not succumb to panic and until the end remained quite capable of performing any, the most risky actions. Volunteers could be sent to flood cellar No. 10 and discharge the kerosene overboard with compressed air. Would the volunteers be able to solve this problem, or would they only increase the number of victims? I did not set such a task for my subordinates. Today I analyze and ask myself - unfortunately or fortunately?
It was possible to flood cellar No. 10 only by supplying water to it with hoses. Only then, a few months after the disaster, we discussed this issue with the officers of the emergency rescue service and the technical management of the fleet and came to the conclusion that, having filled cellar No. 10, we would forcibly reduce the longitudinal stability of the ship, which would also lead to overturning it.
I cannot forget the energetic commands that were given from the "Brave", it seems that senior lieutenant V. Fedorchenko shouted most of all at the rescue ships: "Give me some foam ...!" These commands testified that the crew of the damaged ship tried to prevent a decrease in its stability and unsinkability due to the inflow of filtration water, the amount of which was difficult to account for. But the ship, as it turned out, did not capsize at all from the filtration water.
When, after the last explosion, “Brave” began to lurch noticeably and sink aft, I, after consulting with the chief of the fleet technical department, captain 1st rank - engineer Igor Vladimirovich Nikitin, persistently suggested that the chief of staff of the fleet begin the evacuation of personnel. This was the only case in my practice. Command "Leave the ship!" was carried out in an orderly manner, without fuss and panic. More than 50 people went to the PZhS-123 after leaving, the rest of the crew, on command, went to the tank and from there jumped overboard. The commander of the ship, Captain 2nd Rank Ivan Petrovich Vinnik, was the last to leave the ship, when the tank rose 15 meters above the sea surface. His dress jacket with orders and medals received for impeccable ship service remained in the commander's cabin. One of the last to leave the ship was the assistant to the chief of the electromechanical service of the 70th brigade of anti-submarine ships, senior lieutenant-engineer Vasily Moiseevich Fedorchenko (now captain 1st rank engineer (reserve), one of the few surviving mechanical engineers who fought for the survivability of the "Brave"). Once in the water, he helped several sailors who could not swim to escape.
On the eve of the next anniversary of the sinking of the ship, I met with Vasily Alekseevich and captain 1st rank in reserve Vitaly Fedorovich Yurganov. The latter on that day was the duty commander of the fleet's rescue squad. When assisting the "Brave", he replaced the commander of SB-15, landed and worked with the ASG SB-15 on the starboard side of the "Otvazhny", in memory of this he keeps his boots with soles burned to holes.

For 25 years, the passions around the "Brave" have subsided, the mothers of the dead sailors and cadets have grown old, we had no need to mask the bitter truth, and we agreed with the assessment of the disaster given to her by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov.
Do not forget how the graceful hull of the ship rose vertically by 50 meters above the surface of the calm sea, going down to the bottom like a candle ... No one could believe in the reality of what was happening.
A few hours later, another work began for the rescuers - it was necessary to find and raise secret literature and equipment from the "Brave", and then try to raise the ship as well.
These were unique works carried out at a depth of 127 meters. This is how E.E. Leibovich: “The tasks assigned to the special ship-lifting detachment of the Black Sea Fleet for work on the Otvazhny BPK were completed in full.”
Being, nominally, the chief of staff of a special ship-lifting detachment, in fact, I was in charge of the entire marine part of the work carried out on the "Otvazhny". The fact is that the commander of the detachment, Captain 1st Rank Lev Potekhin, is my immediate superior, and I dare to believe that my friend, being an excellent sailor and a talented organizer, had no real opportunity to distract himself from the daily leadership of the forces of the Auxiliary Ships Directorate and the emergency rescue service of the Black Sea Fleet. ... The control forces of those "stagnant" times worked very hard in all the seas of the world's oceans. At a meeting at the headquarters of the fleet, the chief of the rear services of the Navy, Admiral L. Mizin, under whose leadership I happened to serve in the Baltic, very harshly demanded to carry out the order of the Commander-in-Chief to raise the ship. I politely but persistently defended the position of the Black Sea people, declaring that the forces and necessary equipment were insufficient for such a unique ascent. Of all the officers present at the meeting, only Captain 1st Rank V. Molchanov, a representative of the research institute of the Navy's ACC, dared to defend this position. We were both sharply criticized and painfully experienced. I am still grateful to Vladimir Aleksandrovich, with whom we served in the Kamchatka military flotilla, for his clear grounded position, backed up by engineering knowledge and calculations.
Later it was confirmed that the ship could not be lifted because of the danger of a spontaneous explosion, the ammunition on it, some of which was in its final form, in particular, those were depth charges. The total weight of this ammunition was about 15 tons, but for its detonation and reliable detonation, it was necessary to put 113.6 tons of TNT on the ship. I think that no one in the world carried out such works at a depth of 127 meters either before “The Brave” or after him.
On December 23, 1977, senior lieutenant Lupashin, at my command, used a switch on the SS-26 rescue vessel (now the SS Epron) to energize the electric detonators. A flame shot up over the sea to a height of more than 30 meters, and a wall of water rose along the length of the ship, “Brave” died a second time and forever.
I went down to the ship three times in an observation chamber and an underwater vehicle. The first time was on the second day after his death, when the body of a worker in the galley, who could not be saved, protruded from the porthole in the galley. The flaps of his white jacket were fluttering in the current, and we examined the ship to find out the details of its rise. The second time I had to go down to clarify some issues when laying the explosive ammunition. The galley porthole was already empty. For the third time, I visually recorded the results of a powerful underwater explosion. In place of the handsome ship lay only heaps of twisted metal that did not resemble a ship in any way. All problems with the explosiveness of the ship and its secrets were radically solved.
Diver Roman Todorovich Gavyuk died during diving operations at Otvazhny. We mastered the new diving equipment SVG-200 and a faulty breathing gas inlet valve, at a depth of 127 meters caused the death of a strong and courageous person.
Work on the Otvazhny lasted for more than three years, the bulk of which was carried out by the crew of the rescue ship-lifting vessel Karpaty. Many rescue and complex work fell on the crews of the Kazbek rescue vessels, SS-21, SS-26, SS-50, midget submarines, diving ships, rescue tugs, sea tugs and killers. I do not know of a single case when at least one of the crews of these ships would have shown cowardice, or an attempt to evade a difficult and dangerous mission. Particular courage, of course, was shown by deep-sea divers, a deep bow to them for their skill and courage.
A few words about the fabrications that appeared at one time, about the allegedly located on the "Brave" nuclear weapons. There was not even a trace of nuclear ammunition on the ship, and it was not towed into the open sea, this is a pure fiction. I disagree with many of the positions of the late writer B. Karzhavin, who described the sinking of the ship in the book "The Death of the Brave". There is a good Finnish proverb: "When there is trouble at sea, there are always many smart people on the shore." You shouldn't be clever about “Brave” either. The Cold War was going on, the fleet with great tension carried out combat service in all oceans of the planet and achieved respect for itself from a potential enemy. He was armed with ships that were created by our domestic industry, and they were staffed with people who were called up from our cities and villages. These people deserve respect for their heroic service. This fully applies to the crew of the "Brave" and all those who selflessly sought to save him.

The death of "Otvazhny", as well as the death of the battleship "Novorossiysk" forced to look in a new way at many provisions concerning constructive and organizational measures to ensure the survivability and unsinkability of ships. The large ship fires that occurred in the subsequent years of my tenure as head of the Black Sea Fleet's ACC on the anti-submarine cruiser Moskva, the destroyer Sovrshenny and the complex supply ship Berezina, which were packed with ammunition, confirmed the correctness of the conclusions on the Otvazhny, and I went to sea again to personally lead the actions of the rescue forces. On the Berezina, for the second time, I helped Ivan Petrovich Vinnik, now a brigade commander and captain of the 1st rank. He had to endure a lot of trials, blessed memory for him and all those who died on the "Brave".

It might be helpful to read: