From the first days of the war, the ships of the Soviet Navy took part in combat operations. They were engaged in solving problems of supplying troops with military equipment, food, fuel, took out the wounded and civilians, equipment of enterprises, landed amphibious assault forces, worked as floating hospitals, etc. The crew of the Kursk steamer, which acted heroically during the war, also contributed to the approach of Victory.
At the end of the thirties many sailors knew about the "Kursk" steamer. In 1911 he was launched from the stocks of the English shipyard in Newcastle. At that time, it was large: carrying capacity of 8720 tons and engine power of 3220 hp. with. It was built on the money collected by the residents of the Kursk province, hence the name. He was a member of the Volunteer Fleet. He participated in the First World War and was even blown up by a mine. In 1916, he almost drowned in Arkhangelsk - was damaged as a result of sabotage. After the October Revolution, being far from the shores of the Fatherland, he was captured by the interventionists and taken to England. However, through the efforts of the Soviet government, he was returned to his homeland and was first included in the register of the Leningrad port, and then transferred to the Black Sea Shipping Company and put on the Odessa-Vladivostok line.
The crew of this ship, earlier than other Soviet people, faced the Nazis. In September 1936, "Kursk" under the command of Captain V. E. Zilke was sent to the ports of the fighting Spain. He was supposed to deliver Soviet pilots and barrels of aviation fuel. In the port of Alicante, an unarmed steamer was bombed. However, they managed to avoid hitting aerial bombs. The further route to Barcelona for the Soviet steamer was blocked by a German destroyer. The situation was extremely dangerous, but the captain found a way out. When dusk descended, the Kursk, with full ship lights, headed for the open sea, north to the Balearic Islands. After a few miles, the crew began to gradually extinguish the lights, depicting going beyond the horizon. When the lights were extinguished, the ship abruptly changed its course to the south, and the deluded fascist destroyer met the Spanish cruiser with artillery fire, mistaking it in the dark for a Soviet ship. The employees of our embassy in Barcelona, seeing the steamer, were surprised and delighted, because the Franco radio had already reported about the sinking of the Kursk. The return home, despite the dangers lurking, also went well. Until 1941 "Kursk" worked on the Poti-Mariupol ore-coal line. And with the beginning of the war, he joined in front-line transportation.
The second meeting of the steamer with the Nazis took place in the Odessa port on July 22, 1941. On board the Kursk at that moment there were more than seven hundred Soviet soldiers, over 380 horses, 62 carts, 10 cars, about 750 tons of ammunition and other cargo. The ship entered the burning port and, having given up anchor in the inner roadstead, began to wait for mooring and unloading. As soon as dawn came, German bombers appeared over Odessa, dropping their deadly bombs on the city and port. Two of them exploded at the stern of the Kursk. Shrapnel and a blast wave destroyed the ship's living and service areas. There were screams and groans of the wounded. Water poured into the resulting hole and began to fill the hold. At the command of captain V. Ya. Tinder's crew rushed to patch up the hole, which they quickly managed to eliminate. This time the ship received 180 holes in its sides. Soon, four 45-mm anti-aircraft guns and several machine guns were installed on the Kursk.
In September, when the Kursk was flying from Novorossiysk to Odessa, it was attacked by three German bombers. They dropped 12 bombs on the steamer. But, skillfully maneuvering, the Kursk managed to evade them. After 6 hours, the raid was repeated. Enemy aircraft were met with organized fire from cannons and machine guns. One of the bombers soared abruptly upward and, leaving behind a black plume of soot and smoke, began to fall heavily, breaking apart in the air. The rest of the planes took off. "Kursk" delivered to Odessa about 5,000 soldiers and commanders, weapons and ammunition.
9 flights to this besieged city were made by the "Kursk" under the command of Captain V. Trut, and it was more and more difficult to get there every day. Taking advantage of temporary air superiority, enemy aircraft continuously bombed and fired at our ships, the sea boiled with thousands of mines, but the Soviet ships continued their hard work.
On October 6, the ship was finishing loading and preparing for a voyage to Odessa, and on the way it was necessary to "throw" about a thousand Red Army soldiers to Feodosia. In Odessa, the Kursk was moored on the outer side of the Platonovskiy pier under 8-ton cranes. The sky was covered with haze. The northern warehouses, warehouses on the coastal quay, and individual houses were on fire. Flakes of soot flew in the air. The suburbs were lit up with crimson flashes. There were a lot of transports in the port, artillery, cars, ammunition and food were flowing in streams. Evacuation is clear. People are almost invisible. Soldiers on the lines of defense, they will be taken on board at the last moment. By the way, the Nazis did not know until the next morning that our troops had left their positions.
At night, 3000 Red Army men and Red Navy men, dusty, in bandages, burnt overcoats and pea jackets, were taken on board. However, everyone was in a fighting mood: we are leaving, but we will definitely return. Having loaded, the transports, guarded by the ships, alternately left the port. The picture, according to the recollections of the sailors, was ominous. The gleam of conflagrations, a continuous veil of black smoke on the cloudy clouds. The shore in a red glow. Horses are rushing through the streets - ordered to shoot them, but who will raise a hand? Our caravan stretched for ten miles: 17 ships and ships of the convoy led by the cruiser "Chervona Ukraine". Route Tendra-Ak-Mechet-Sevastopol.
With the first rays of the sun, the "Junkers" appeared and the satanic whistle dance began. Engines roared, bombs rumbled, shrapnel buzzed, anti-aircraft guns flapped and machine guns crackled. White cones of explosions rose, the sky was littered with shrapnel pom-poms. Fiery trails stretched towards the dive bombers. The Nazis managed to sink only a small transport "Bolshevik", its crew was removed by boats-hunters.
Sevastopol met the caravan of ships with alarm. There are clouds of dust, ash and clouds of smoke over the bays. Cannonade is heard from the direction of the Mekenzian mountains. The city, previously sunny and cheerful, has become stern, like a man who has changed from a civilian suit to a military uniform. After unloading, the Kursk moored at the Engineer's pier to fill the holds with industrial equipment for shipment to Sukhumi. In daylight, anti-aircraft guns and fighters drove off the Nazis. With the onset of darkness, the city was bombed, mines dropped.
When the ship arrived in Sukhumi, the sailors were somewhat dumbfounded, as if they were in pre-war time. The bazaar was bursting with vegetables and fruits, fragrant with aromas. Shops, cinemas, clubs and dance floors were open. And the blackout, one might say, is partial. The crew was given a short rest and the Kursk started shuttle flights: Novorossiysk (Tuapse) - Sevastopol. There - troops and equipment, back - the wounded and evacuees.
The slow-moving ships could not cover the distance from the rear bases to the besieged city in one night, and enemy aircraft raged during the day. There was no air cover. We thought of an original route. The transports, accompanied by a minesweeper or a hunting boat, follow from the Caucasus to the Turkish coast, then along Anatolia, without entering the territorial waters, to the meridian of Sevastopol. Then they turned to the north, with the expectation of entering the bay at dawn. Often they walked in such a roundabout way.
With the approach of winter, serious difficulties arose in the supply of coal. The Donetsk basin is captured by the enemy, every kilogram of fuel is registered. In Novorossiysk, the ship was bunkered with an anthracite dump, which contained more rock than coal. No trickery made it possible to raise the steam. The ship barely moved, although the stokers were getting out of hand. And then the foreman Yakov Kior proposed to water this "earth" with oil. We hung a barrel on hoists, gave a thin stream of fuel, and it went more fun. The weather has come - sheer disgrace: a squally wind with snow, a wave above the side. If it does not blow out, then the dead swell lays from side to side to the gunwale. Small guard ships were especially hit. They only signaled: "Reduce the speed, the impacts of the waves destroy the ship, the team is completely exhausted." Coming to Sevastopol, the ships immediately took on board the Red Navy and sea hunters. Emaciated and exhausted, they, refusing to eat, fell on the bunks of the sailors and fell asleep in death. And so day after day, night after night, through storms, fire and death …
In early December, the Kursk again loaded into Tuapse and on the morning of the 23rd approached Sevastopol. The sky was clouded with smoke, the front line noticeably approached the North side, even without binoculars it was clearly visible how the "silts" ironed out enemy trenches and trenches. It became more difficult to get to the inner raid - long-range artillery was added to mines and aviation. The steamer lay down on the Inkerman lines, and immediately around there were bursts of enemy shells. Shrapnel swept over the hull and superstructures. Maneuvering between the gaps, the Kursk entered the bay. I quickly got up to unload in order to get back out at night …
The "invincible" German army near Moscow received such a rebuff that it rolled back hundreds of kilometers from the capital. This affected the mood of the sailors. Fatigue faded into the background, with enthusiasm the crew began to receive soldiers and equipment for the Kerchek-Feodosia landing operation. It will be carried out in three echelons. "Kursk" in the third.
When the landing began, the weather was worse than you can imagine. A violent storm raised a steep wave. There is a leaden haze all around. Cuts twelve point wind. This was in the hands of Soviet transports, but communication between the ships was poor. The shore bristled with steel needles. The steamer "Penay" was hit, the motor ship "Kuban" was killed. At about midnight, the Kursk is finally at the port. Heavy icing made it difficult to organize the landing. The paratroopers jumped straight into the icy water and quickly went to Bald Mountain, completely shrouded in smoke and bursts of explosions. There was a roar in the air from cannon fire and gunfire.
Several angry women, cursing for what the light was standing, dragged a dark-haired man by the collar of his coat to the gangway. They were stopped by the commissar of the regiment delivered by the Kursk. It turned out that the women had detained a traitor who had betrayed many of our Gestapo men. Documents confirming his vile deeds were found with him. The traitor was shot right there on the pier. At dawn the Junkers swooped down. The crew opened fire. It was already cold, but the guns had not yet been transferred to winter lubrication. The flywheels were seized, which greatly complicated the guidance. This is how the second mechanic of the Kursk, A. Sledzyuk, who was in charge of the anti-aircraft gun, recalls this: “I twist the handles, trying to catch the silhouette of the plane in the crosshair. Sweat corrodes eyes, hands stiff with exertion. I see the bombs bite into the side of the nearby Krasnogvardeyts. The steamer sinks into the water with its bow and disappears in clouds of steam. "Dimitrov" is burning nearby. The wing of the bridge was blown off at the Kalinin pier. Firing back, the ship leaves for the roadstead. Attacks followed incessantly until lunchtime. At noon I go downstairs, take the watch, can hardly stand on my feet. In the engine room, the bombing is worse tolerated. Above, there is one goal - to repel the enemy, you forget about fear. Here it is completely different. The boilers roar. Winches clang overhead. Fever and fumes. You are thrown from bulkhead to bulkhead. What is outside is unknown. According to the signals from the bridge, the alternation of "forward", "back", "stop", I guess - they started to retreat. Instead of a first-class driver, I have a thirteen-year-old boy Tolya Yasyr - our "son of the ship", who came from a military unit when it was being transferred to positions. Together with him, we execute commands to change the course. An unexpectedly huge explosion pushes Tolya to me. The ship throws up, the hull shakes from a colossal hydrodynamic shock, the car freezes. We look around - there is no particularly serious damage, minor ones are eliminated."
After the Kursk entered the roadstead, another powerful explosion thundered. This time the situation was worse: the propeller nut gave up, a knocking began in the cylinder of the wet-air pump. The steamer had to go at a slow speed. Slowly, constantly fighting off the dive bombers, the ship hobbled to Novorossiysk. There, the minders made the necessary repairs on their own.
Swimming was both difficult and dangerous: mines, bombing, shelling, lack of navigation, blizzard and storms. And then, in February, ice bound the strait and the Kamysh-Burun raid. They had to unload on fast ice. Sometimes, when unloading, the guns and shell boxes fell through the ice. And then a team of cats fished them to the surface. On the transitions, torpedo bombers joined the attacking Soviet ships with dive bombers. Soon the ship "Fabricius" became their victim. In such difficult and dangerous trips, winter and spring passed, and summer came. In June, Kursk was ordered to deliver a cargo of manganese ore from Poti to Novorossiysk to be sent to the Urals. Abeam Pitsunda, the steamer was attacked by 10 torpedo bombers, who dropped 12 torpedoes. The crew could clearly see them tearing themselves away from the plane, with a chilling howl flying parallel to the water and flopping into the sea - a white foamy arrow of the trail. The ship could only manipulate the moves, rush, avoiding the deadly cigars. Two torpedoes emerged and sank again, like dolphins - apparently, they went cold - almost struck the sides of the Kursk. The Soviet steamer was lucky again. He safely reached the port and stood up for unloading.
On July 15, Soviet troops left Sevastopol. Many sailors could hardly hold back, and sometimes did not hold back their tears. In August, the Kursk was stationed in Novorossiysk. The city was bombed and fired from cannons. There was a lot of destruction and fires. Cement dust hung in clouds. The explosions shook the earth. It seemed to the sailors that they had been forgotten, there were no instructions. The third mechanic Koval announced to the minders: "If they come closer, we will blow up the ship and go to the mountains, we will begin to partisan." In the evening, children from the Krasnodar orphanage arrived on board. From such a load, the sailors were already in a sweat. The holy work is to deliver everyone safe and sound. At night, the ship sailed to Tuapse. With sunrise, the Junkers reappeared in the sky. The crew took their usual places at the guns and machine guns. Pompolit calmed the kids. Yes, they did not cry, they sat with serious faces. Having repulsed numerous air attacks, the Kursk reached its destination. Later it became known that “A. Serov "almost drowned, all of the holes stuck to the shallow. The crew simulated a fire with burning diesel fuel and smoke bombs. The planes took off. The ship ran aground and literally crawled to Poti on parole.
And the Kursk, all in holes, patched and repaired, went to Batumi for repairs. At the plant, they tried and accelerated the repair work as much as possible. Kursk is back in operation. He was instructed to transfer the mountain rifle division from Poti to Tuapse. Having taken on board the soldiers, 440 horses and 500 tons of equipment, the steamer set out on a voyage. The military command clearly organized observation and defense. The barrels of anti-tank rifles and the muzzles of machine guns stared into the sky. At Novye Gagra, five Junkers jumped out of the clouds. They were greeted with such friendly fire that, having scattered bombs around the area, they hastened to retreat. Two hours later, another attack. Several planes broke through to the ship. Bombs rained down. Large mines laid down against the engine room and the fourth hold. The deck was flooded with blood. Ship doctors Fanya Chernaya, Taya Soroka and Nadya Bystrova provided first aid, doctor Nazar Ivanovich opened an operating room. The explosion pierced the side, the fragments cut through the steam pipe that feeds all the auxiliary mechanisms. The premises were filled with steam, the car began to malfunction. The crew closed the valves and started cleaning the fireboxes. It was necessary to strip the insulation and get close to the pipes. With great difficulty, the damage was repaired. But the ship reached Tuapse and landed the fighters.
As soon as the Kursk was moored in Tuapse, a boat jumped to its side and gave the command “Shoot immediately! A raid by a large air force is expected! You can be covered in the fairway! " In a matter of minutes, the ends were finished, and the tug pulled the ship towards the exit. Nearby a minesweeper signal sounded: "Kursk", 30 "Junkers" are coming at you, accompanied by 16 "Messerschmitts", get ready! " As soon as the steamer had left the gate, planes pounced on it from all directions. A shower of bombs and jets of machine-gun bursts rained down. The water was seething, the splashes did not have time to fall. Shrapnel and bullets rattled against the skin. One by one, the sailors from the gun crews fell dead. Many were wounded, but continued to fire. The captain, maneuvering, dodged attacks. In the car and the stoker, there was total hell. The flooring was shaking underfoot, and clouds of coal dust hung in the air. And suddenly the ship was shaken by such a powerful blow that many flew head over heels. The gun's servant was destroyed by a direct hit. A fire flared up above, and the lights went out in the engine room, but the engines continued to run. The raid was repelled, but the victory came at a price. About 50 people died. There were many wounded. The vessel lost its reverse gear - the propeller nut came off even more. This battle between the Kursk and dozens of bombers was reported in the newspapers. The whole country learned about him.
Coal has become very bad. There was none. We decided to convert the boiler house to fuel oil. All work was carried out by the ship's crew. The work was completed ahead of schedule, and the ship went on voyage again. In February 1943, in order to disrupt the enemy's plans, a daring landing was carried out in the Stanichka area. The fighters settled on the Myskhako Peninsula, which later became known as Malaya Zemlya. The Kursk made five voyages there under fierce fire, delivering about 5,500 soldiers and sailors and almost 1,400 tons of cargo. The Soviet offensive continued. In September, Novorossiysk, Mariupol, Osipenko were liberated. Then the Taman Peninsula was completely cleared of the enemy. The battle for the Caucasus ended in victory. On April 10, Soviet troops entered Odessa. The Kursk, the last to leave, was one of the first to return.
Blooming Odessa was turned into ruins. There were now burnt piles of bricks on the site of the shops of the shipyard, refrigerator, elevator and warehouses. Almost all jetties and piers were blown up, power plants and water supply systems were put out of action. Many buildings and monuments were destroyed. It was hard, but people started to rebuild the city. And "Kursk" went on campaigns again. Flights to Romania and Bulgaria started. The news of the Victory found the ship at sea. There was no limit to the joy of the crew, who, from the first to the final hour of the most cruel and bloody war, did not spare themselves, fulfilling their duty to the Motherland. According to incomplete data, during this time "Kursk" has covered more than 14,000 miles, transported over 67,000 people and about 70,000 tons of cargo. And this is under shelling and bombing. Enemy aircraft carried out 60 raids on the ship, more than a thousand bombs and torpedoes were dropped on it. The Kursk withstood three direct hits from heavy high-explosive bombs. There were 4800 holes in the Kursk hull. By order of the Ministry of the Navy, memorial plaques were erected on the hero ships, and pennants of the People's Commissariat of the Navy were handed over to four distinguished ones, including the Kursk, for eternal storage. And after the war, the steamer-hard worker, despite "old age and wounds", continued to work, consistently overfulfilling the plan. In the orders for the shipping company and in the press, his crew was more than once used as an example. On the morning of August 1953, the Kursk left the berth of the Odessa port for the last time. The port said goodbye to him with a powerful chorus of beeps. Sailors and dock workers saluted the legendary steamer heading towards immortality.
