Modern young people, not keen on the military and post-war history of the Russian fleet, hardly know the name of Admiral Golovko . But politicians, historians and his fellow sailors are convinced that this outstanding man played a very important role in the formation and development of the USSR Navy.
Where there is no sea
The city of Prokhladny is located in Kabardino-Balkaria, on the small river Malka. In 1906 Arseny Golovko was born there. Then it was the land of mountains, vineyards and horse breeding. His father, a veterinarian paramedic, hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps. The necessary, demanded profession in the Cossack village. And Arseny himself thought the same.
After graduating from a parish school, he entered the labor school in Rostov-on-Don. Young people in the twenties actively participated in the public life of the country. There were no indifferents; everyone was determined to build a new society. Having joined the Komsomol, the young guy came to Moscow and entered the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.
Perhaps he would become a noble agronomist or livestock specialist (talented people are capable of much), would return to his homeland and continue the work of his ancestors there. But according to the Komsomol ticket, having studied for only six months, he went to serve on the workers 'and peasants' Red Fleet. The party said: âIt is necessary!â Komsomol replied: "Yes!"
Across all seas and oceans
And then the years of service and study alternated and combined. The sensible and savvy Arseny Golovko , admiral in the future, was quickly noticed and sent to study at the Frunze Naval School. Then there were courses of command personnel, the Voroshilov Naval Academy and service in all fleets of the USSR.
The communist Golovko served on the Black Sea destroyer Frunze, on the gunboat of the Caspian flotilla, on the destroyer of the Baltic Fleet, in the Far East. In 1934 he was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in a brigade of torpedo boats, where a year later he headed its headquarters.
Needless to say, the acquired knowledge and experience have contributed to rapid career growth. Having received an order for a new appointment, Arseniy Grigoryevich began to assimilate a new position. The surviving documents and memoirs of colleagues of those years claim that already in his young years he was distinguished by a sharp mind, the ability to make quick, innovative decisions, and increased responsibility not only for the combat effectiveness of the equipment entrusted to him, but also for the people with whom he served.
They tell as an example such a story. In the harsh winter of 1935, he, the chief of staff of the brigade of torpedo boats, to save the personnel and their families from freezing in the barracks thoroughly blown through, called ... firefighters from the city. Golovko asked them to pour water over the barracks, in a hard frost an ice dome immediately formed, which protected the house from the wind and bad weather. So we wintered.
Don Simon Garcia Galvis
The biography of Admiral Golovko is as stormy, abruptly changing and rebellious as the mountain river of his native land.
In 1936, Arseniy Grigorievich departed from the Pacific Fleet to Moscow to continue his education at the Naval Academy. But again failed to finish their studies. With a group of volunteers, he was seconded to Spain, on the territory of which battles with the fascist invaders had already been fought.
Here, Don Simon Garcia Galvis, such was his name, served in Cartagena as an adviser to the commander of the naval base. It was a time of training in practice. In his diary, Admiral Golovko writes that he gained invaluable experience in Spain, having learned to manage the fleet in combat conditions. And it was there that he realized what a naval convoy was and how much it was needed.
But he is modestly silent about the fact that the implementation of military operations, sometimes depending on the speed and unexpectedness of the commanderâs decision, taught him to take responsibility without spending precious time on approval from above. How many lives he saved by this! How many times therefore he himself risked his life!
After returning from Spain, he continued his studies at the academy, and then again served where the party sent: the Northern Fleet, the Caspian and Amur Flotillas, and again the Northern Fleet.
Call to the Kremlin
Arseniy Grigoryevich was only 34 years old when in 1940 this significant event for him and for the Northern Fleet of the USSR took place.
He was summoned to Moscow from the Amur, where he commanded the flotilla, the People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov. âWeâre going to the Kremlin,â he said.
Golovko first saw so close Stalin and members of the Politburo. They silently studied him, and he was embarrassed and blushed. Finally, Voroshilov turned to him and asked him to tell how things were in the Far East: are the ships in order, how are the Red Navy. Golovko answered. Then Stalin said: âWe will listen to Comrade Kuznetsov.â And the People's Commissar began to characterize Arseniy Grigorievich. Only after that they started talking about the North.
Stalin emphasized the importance of this fleet for Russia, noted that there are a lot of problems and there is a great need for a commander who can provide protection for this area. âSo, then, comrade Golovko, is he taking up this business?â âSo Admiral Golovko describes in his memoirs the first meeting with Stalin and his unexpected appointment.
North again
There were really a lot of problems in Polyarny. All destroyers, the base of the navy of that time, barely breathed. Repair was urgently needed, but there was no ship repair base. Submarines were no better either. Minesweepers altogether altered from fishing vessels. There are also difficulties with the personnel: there is nowhere to live, nothing to feed. Only people there gathered hardened by the north, ready to work and perform their daily feat.
When the D-1 submarine died along with the entire crew in November, Golovko, who was expecting at least a resignation, was given only a severe reprimand, recognizing the captainâs actions as erroneous. At the same time, it was forbidden to conduct exercises with the immersion of boats in the open sea to a depth greater than the working one. But, in an effort to teach the crews to act in real combat conditions, the fleet commander violated the order of the Headquarters, developing operations with the submersion of boats on a polar night, in storms, with maneuvers in the depths. The Kremlin pretended not to know about it.
While surface ships were being repaired, the future Fleet Admiral Golovko sent their crews to amphibious destroyers. There were training and studies.
The inspection, which arrived from Moscow in May 1941, issued a decision: "The fleet is not combat ready." Most of the ships at that time were still under repair. Despite the expected arrival of the commission, Golovko ordered not to rush and to repair the equipment efficiently.
They didnât remove him again, they didnât even give him a reprimand. The wise admiral, chairman of the commission, believed that in two weeks all the ships would be in service. And Golovko fulfilled his promise, by the beginning of the war, all of his repaired ships were ready for battle.
âIf tomorrow is war ...â
The Nazis have long behaved defiantly on our borders, violated them, and organized various provocations. Non-aggression pact Russia observed sacredly, an order was given not to respond to provocations. But they became bolder.
On June 17, another reconnaissance aircraft, led by a German pilot, appeared over the Kola Peninsula, as over its territory. He flew calmly and low, so that the figure of a pilot was visible from the ground. He flew over Polyarny, over Vaenga, slowly turned and flew back. Golovko made a blast to his subordinates. Why not shoot, where are the fighters? âFollow the instructions: if you break the border with unknown planes, shoot down !â
On the same day, when the Nazis decided to repeat their flight, they were met with friendly fire. But the height was too big, they didnât get it.
Then, on June 17, in spite of the fact that no instructions were given from Moscow, Admiral Golovko switched his fleet to increased readiness N 2. Sentinel observations from ships were conducted around the clock, the pilots were ready to take off at any moment. Arseny Grigoryevich, together with the commander of the ground forces of the Leningrad Military District, decides on issues of joint action. And all this is arbitrary. Moreover, the commander ordered the ships to leave Polyarny and hide in the nearby bays of the Kola Bay.
If the war had not begun, there is no doubt that Admiral Golovko Arseniy Grigoryevich would have been declared an âenemy of the peopleâ and executed. He himself perfectly understood this, but made decisions on the situation, which he personally observed. This required great courage; no one could disobey the order of Stalin. Upon receipt of a command from Moscow on the transition of troops to combat readiness No. 1, Golovko was already ready.
Battle Northern Fleet
When the bombing of the Polar began on June 22, it was aimed at destroying the fleet. But there were no ships in the bay; the commander saved them from death.
The base of the Northern Fleet was Murmansk, which the Germans wanted to take at any cost. At the beginning of the war there was complete confusion; there was no connection with the command; there were not enough people. Then Golovko decided to release local prisoners and form battalions from them. He armed people, and they, along with the Red Army, defended the approaches to Murmansk.
When Beria came to Stalin for permission to arrest Admiral Golovko , he replied: "The winners are not judged." The Germans, who went far deeper into our country, defeated only 40 kilometers in the Golovko section. Desperate sailors during counterattacks took off their helmets and pea jackets and marched on the enemy in vests and visors.
Already in August, a milestone was set in the north, which the Germans could not overcome throughout the war.
The death of the convoy PQ-17
Even before the formal agreement on the second front, Winston Churchill announced his intention to provide humanitarian assistance to Russia. To protect the convoys, the escort area was divided into two sections: English and Soviet.
At first Hitler did not pay attention to caravans of ships. But in 1942, the most powerful battleship Tirpitz was transferred to the shores of Norway, which opened a hunt for them. Six vessels with cargo were sunk in the convoy PQ-13, which did not expect an attack. There were more losses. But the convoy PQ-17 was completely destroyed.
When the Tirpitz went to sea, the convoy was escorted by British warships, which immediately received the command to "disperse". The British did not want to meet with the German battleship. As soon as the English ships that left unprotected ships with cargo âscatteredâ, the Germans attacked the convoy. 23 vehicles were loaded, loaded with all necessary country, including military equipment.
Our ships did not have time to help, aviation, too. The only plane whose pilot rushed into an unequal battle, managed to knock out the Tirpitz and another ship. The Germans surrounded the wounded battleship and, defending it, began to leave for Norway.
Berlin praised their victory. For the Soviet troops, the death of the convoy had grave consequences, equipment was lacking.
There were those who wanted to blame Admiral Golovko Arseniy Grigoryevich for this , but the fault of the British Admiralty was too obvious. Unable to save the load, he still blamed only himself.
The founder of tradition
Which of us has not read the story of Benjamin Kaverin, âTwo Captainsâ? There is a place where the author talks about the tradition of having a gala dinner for every sunken enemy ship. And not just lunch. The main dish there was a roast pig. âOn the eve of the day the transport, the guard and the destroyer were put to the bottom, and the anxious cooks brought in not one, but three whole piglets into the officerâs canteen.â This tradition was instituted in the Northern Fleet by Admiral Golovko . And then others picked her up.
On May 9, 1945, Arseny Golovko, admiral of the naval forces of the USSR, said from the rostrum, addressing his subordinates, that he was happy to command such people.
Having many different military awards, he presented his sailors with the highest award 85 times, the Star of the Hero, which he himself had never been awarded. Obviously, Stalin could not completely forgive the "arbitrariness" of the rebellious admiral.
Personal life of Arseniy Grigoryevich
Admiral Golovko was married twice. The first wife died in 1944. The second wife of Arseniy Grigoryevich, actress Golovko (Ivanova) Kira Nikolaevna, worked at the Moscow Art Theater. Their acquaintance took place after the war. It was a beautiful and happy couple. Comrade Stalin congratulated them on the birth of their son Misha.
When her husband was sent to work in the Kaliningrad region, she, without hesitation, went with him. Colleagues dissuaded, threatened with oblivion of the public, the end of a career. But Kira Nikolaevna could not and did not want to part with her husband.
There they lived happy years, their daughter Natasha was born. And colleagues were mistaken. Working in the theater of Kaliningrad, she gained experience that the capital's actresses could envy.
After returning to Moscow, she had a wonderful acting career, she is a laureate of the Stalin Prize and People's Artist of the RSFSR. All the years she has been cherishing the love of her admiral Golovko, whose photos are hanging in her room everywhere. This year, Kira Nikolaevna turned 98 years old. Good health to her!
After the war
In the postwar years, he continued to serve in the ranks of the top leadership of the USSR Navy, but in 1952 he was sent as the commander of the Baltic Fleet. What is the demotion of Arseny Golovko, admiral ? Again because of rebellion.
Admiral Kuznetsov was accused of espionage, under whose command Arseniy Grigoryevich worked for a long time. It was on his recommendation that he was appointed commander of the Northern Fleet before the war. The whole public was obliged to condemn the "enemy of the people", and Golovko refused. He was awaiting arrest, but was sent to the city of Baltiysk, Kaliningrad Region.
The four years that he lived here, the locals recall with gratitude. The small town was inhabited mainly by fleet personnel. Soon, Finland began to bring and install panel houses, people got normal housing. In the cleared park, on the initiative of Golovko, the Summer Theater was built. The city was transformed after the terrible battles that took place in these places. The fleet transferred to the states of peacetime, mastered new equipment, decommissioned old ships.
In 1956, Admiral Golovko was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the USSR. During a nuclear test, he became ill with radiation sickness and died on May 17, 1962, before he reached the age of 56.
In memory of the commander
At the grave of Admiral Golovko , at the Novodevichy cemetery, a monument was erected, which was created by the famous sculptor Lev Kerbel. He was familiar with Arseniy Grigorievich and kept the kindest feelings for him.
In the city of Prokhladny, one of the main streets and a school are named after him. In the city square there is a monument to a fellow countryman. His name was also immortalized by Nalchik, Severomorsk, Baltiysk, Krivoy Rog.
After his death, the Admiral Golovko missile cruiser , previously called Valiant, appeared on the fleet . Later, he was assigned to the Northern Fleet and served in various seas of the USSR.
When it was decided to write off the RKR Admiral Golovko, the commanderâs colleagues proposed to extend the life of the ship. They were supported by the cruiser team, and in 1989 he again began to sail after a major overhaul.
The glorious life of the ship was repeatedly marked by encouraging orders from the fleet. For successful missile shooting, the crew of the ship was repeatedly awarded. In 2002, the cruiser Admiral Golovko completed his 40-year service.
10 years after this, the name of Arseniy Grigoryevich was given to a new ship, which they began to build in the shipyards of St. Petersburg. It was assumed that he would quickly come off the slipways. But the story dragged on. The power plant of the ship used gas turbines of Ukrainian production. Now the production of this equipment within the state is being established and it is expected that the frigate Admiral Golovko will sail at the end of 2017.