Sea captain in a skirt. Anna Shchetinina

Nowadays, women are increasingly occupying seemingly traditionally male positions. This is already becoming commonplace. But what was it like for those who were the first to decide to oust men in places where women were traditionally not allowed even close?

On February 26, 1908, at the small Okeanskaya station near Vladivostok, a girl was born into the family of switchman Ivan Shchetinin, who was named Anna at baptism. Who would have known then that over time her name would be spoken with respect by gray-haired “sea wolves” from various countries of the world, and it would even appear on sea maps.

Times were hard and hungry, the family had to move more than once, until in the early 20s they settled at Sedanka station (today it is a nearby suburb, 7 km from Vladivostok). The sea entered the girl’s life from childhood, because no matter where the family lived, it was nearby. When Anna graduated from school in 1925, she had no doubts about her choice of profession.

The girl managed to enroll in the navigation department of the Vladivostok Maritime College. Already during her studies she began to sail on sea vessels, first as a student and then as a sailor. In 1929, Anna graduated from technical school and received an assignment to the Kamchatka Shipping Company, where in just over five years she worked her way up from a sailor to a sea captain - an unprecedented career at that time.

It’s hard to say whether there weren’t enough personnel at that time or whether they trusted the young people to such an extent, but Anna Shchetinina went to Hamburg for her first ship, from where she was to ferry the ship “Chinook” to Kamchatka.

One can imagine how the faces of the Hamburg shipbuilders stretched out when a woman who was not yet thirty years old arrived to receive the ship. It was then that I began to actively write about her foreign press, after all, the event was destined for a full-fledged sensation - a very young woman became a sea captain for the Soviets. Newspapers even her route to Kamchatka along the Northern sea route They were not too lazy to keep track, but were disappointed - the ship arrived at its home port on time and without any incidents. There will still be enough serious incidents in her captain's life, and it was long, but they are ahead.

During her first years, Anna had to make voyages in the Sea of Okhotsk, “famous” for its storms and treachery. Already in February 1936, the sea tested the young captain's strength. The ship "Chinook" was covered in ice, and for 11 days the crew fought to save it. All this time, Captain Shchetinina did not leave the bridge, leading the crew and choosing the moment to escape from captivity in the ice. The ship was saved and received virtually no damage.

The year 1936 was marked for Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina with another significant event– she got her first state award, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Agree that at the age of 29, to become not only a sea captain, but also an order bearer, this was very rare for men in those years. “Captain Anna,” as her male colleagues began to call her, not only demonstrated the highest professionalism, but also won the respect of experienced captains, and this is not easy.

In 1938, Shchetinina was appointed head of the fishing port. The position was responsible, but coastal, and Anna had no intention of staying too long on the shore. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, she left for the Baltic and entered the navigating department of the Leningrad Institute water transport, where in two and a half years I managed to complete 4 courses. The war prevented me from continuing my studies.

In the most difficult conditions of the first months of the war, Anna Shchetinina made truly “fiery” voyages on the ship “Saule”, transporting various cargoes and troops, and participated in the evacuation of Tallinn. That time was stingy with awards, but Captain Shchetinina was considered worthy military order Red Star. The presentation read “For the exemplary performance of the tasks of the government and military command and the courage shown in operations in the Baltic.”

In the fall of 1941, Shchetinina returned to the Far East, where during the war she commanded various ships, transporting cargo, including under Lend-Lease. She visited America and Canada more than once, where she was always greeted very warmly. During the next voyage, while loading was in progress, she was invited on an excursion to Hollywood, where she was not only shown the “dream factory”, but was also given an original gift - a personalized gramophone record with “The Internationale” performed by Russian emigrants, released in a single copy by Columbia. .

In 1945, Anna Ivanovna had to take part in a combat operation, landing troops on Sakhalin. After the war I returned to the Baltic again; I had to finish college. But it was not possible to start studying right away. Before that, I had to command several ships of the Baltic Shipping Company and even become a participant in a serious incident - the ship Dmitry Mendeleev landed on a reef. Fog is not an excuse for a captain, so Shchetinina was punished, albeit in a unique way - she was sent to command the timber carrier Baskunchak for a year.

Continuing to sail on ships, Shchetinina resumed her studies at the Leningrad Higher Marine Engineering School, where she completed the 5th year of the navigating department in absentia. In 1949, even before passing the state exams, Anna Ivanovna was offered to move to the school to work as a teacher, because her navigation experience was simply unique. Until 1960 A.I. Shchetinina worked at LVIMU, was a senior teacher, dean of the navigating faculty, and head of the department.

Since 1960, Shchetinina trained future sailors at the Vladivostok Higher Marine Engineering School. It is curious that even after becoming a teacher, Anna Ivanovna did not leave the captain's bridge. IN summer period She served as a captain on ships of the Baltic or Far Eastern Shipping Company (even sailed around the world on the Okhotsk) or supervised the practice of cadets.

In 1978, Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. By the way, they appropriated it on the second attempt, the first performance was back in 1968 (for the 60th anniversary), but then something didn’t work out. Sea captain Anna Shchetinina had and personal life, although not particularly happy. Back in 1928, she married Nikolai Kachimov, who then worked as a radio operator on fishing vessels. Subsequently, he headed the Fishing Industry Radio Service in Vladivostok. In 1938 he was arrested, but a year later he was rehabilitated. Before the war, he worked in Moscow at the Radio Center of the People's Commissariat for Fishing Industry. In 1941 he went to the front, served in Ladoga military flotilla. Nikolai Filippovich died in 1950. There were no children in the family.

Anna Ivanovna devoted a lot of time to social work, was a member of the Soviet Women's Committee, a member of the Writers' Union (wrote two interesting books about the fleet and sailors), since 1963 she headed the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR. It is noteworthy that the author’s song developed in the 70s not without the participation of Anna Ivanovna, the “Tourist Patriotic Song Competition” held in Vladivostok, where she headed the jury, a year later turned into the Primorsky Strings festival, which would later become the largest bard - festival on Far East.

Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina died on September 25, 1999 and was buried at the Marine Cemetery in the city of Vladivostok. In memory of the first female sea captain, a cape in the Sea of Japan was named after her. Memorial plaques are installed on the buildings of the school from which she graduated and the college where she taught. But the main monument to the legendary captain was the grateful memory of thousands of sailors whom she led into the ocean.

In the Soviet Union, they were propagated from time to time equal rights. Including at sea. In the movies, an adult uncle told a shy girl that she was not a boy and was not suitable for sailors: “Girls can be captains too.” Films with girls-sailors came out. But in fact, there were very few female sea captains in the USSR. Anna Shchetinina became the first both in the Union and in the world.

Editorial Board PM

Shchetinina's name thundered throughout the world in 1935. The newspapers exploded with a sensation: “A young Soviet woman piloted a ship through the polar ice!” Anna Ivanovna was only twenty-seven years old, and she sailed on a ship called “Chinook” from Hamburg to Kamchatka through Arctic waters. Everything “polar” at that time was extremely exciting for the public, and then there was the first female captain in the ice and a record for the transition time.

Just a year later, the same “Chinook” was covered in ice, and Shchetinina was again on the captain’s bridge. For eleven days the crew, under her leadership, fought to save the ship and their lives - and broke out of the ice. On an almost intact ship.

By the ocean

Anna Shchetinina was born at a station called Okeanskaya, near Vladivostok. There were hills in one direction from the coastline, and heavy waves of the Pacific Ocean in the other. Then there was no question of a woman on the captain's bridge.

But in the roaring twenties, people were accepted into Soviet universities and colleges without looking at their gender. After finishing school, she took the risk of applying to the Vladivostok Marine College. And specifically for the navigation department: the competition is five people per place. And she was accepted! They warned that the work was physically difficult and that there was only room in the same room with the boys from the group. At the technical school, practice took place on ships. Anna had the opportunity to be in the shoes of a sailor. They pressed harder than on men. They gave us the most difficult tasks, there were no concessions in anything. Anya understood that failure, tears, and weakness were probably expected of her. Meanwhile, she received the best marks for the practice: literally everyone on the ship was filled with respect for such will and such pride. But two fellow students couldn’t stand the pressure and left. Although, it must be said, out of thirty-nine boys, only seventeen reached the end of their training.

After graduating from technical school, Shchetinin went from sailor to first mate in five years. An unusually fast career for that time. Well, at least the bosses were always fair to her: the demands were higher than for the guys, but the reward for such extra workload was not long in coming. So by 1935, Shchetinina earned herself a name in the navy and the right to become a captain. The Chinook was her first ship as captain. And immediately - an extremely difficult route. Everything is as always: at each new place it was tested for strength. This time with polar ice.

But three years later, however, she was removed from the captain's bridge. Vladivostok needed to create a fishing port. From scratch. Youth, energy, intelligence, authority and the ability to negotiate - all this together was required in one person, the head of the port. It is not surprising that Shchetinina was chosen.

Anna Ivanovna took full advantage of the delay on the shore. She not only set up the work of the port, but also completed four courses at the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport Engineers in two and a half years and... She quit. It seemed out of character for Shchetinina to quit, but at a session in Leningrad she learned that a large-scale transfer of ships to the Far East was being prepared. In June 1941, Anna Ivanovna took over the ship as captain in Liepaja. On June 21, she entered Leningrad on it; further the path lay to the Far East, but... The war began.

A woman on board is good luck

The ship was urgently handed over to the Navy. Shchetinina was placed on the old steamship “Saule” (that is, “Sun” in Lithuanian), which was already over half a century old. Nikolai also served nearby, on Ladoga. Throughout the war, Shchetinina transported soldiers, ammunition, shells, coal and fuel in her “old man.” Such ships were regularly fired upon by the Germans, and many of them were sunk to the bottom. But Shchetinina managed to get out alive and with the ship. On August 28, 1941, Anna Ivanovna had to participate in the mass evacuation from Tallinn. A caravan of 225 ships left the city. They were heading to Kronstadt, and these ships, in many ways the same “oldies” as Shchetinina’s, were fiercely bombed by the Germans. 163 ships reached Kronstadt, more than ten thousand people died. The loss of life in the Tallinn crossing became the largest maritime disaster in history.

But “Saule” was hit on the way to Tallinn. Shchetinina managed to run him aground. For several days the crew fought off the planes firing at the ship. Half fought back and half repaired their “Sun”. It was no longer possible to get through to Tallinn, and Shchetinina returned to Kronstadt. From there she was immediately transferred to the Far East. The task was unusual: she had to take her old ship “Karl Liebknecht” for repairs.

The strange thing was that it had to be repaired in Canada, and to get there it was necessary to travel across the Pacific Ocean on a leaking, falling apart steamship. The Canadians threw up their hands at the sight of the “patient,” but the woman captain and the path she had made on such a trough impressed them, and they, as Shchetinina later said, actually attached a new steamer to the old pipe.

Until the end of the war, Anna Ivanovna sailed from Vladivostok to Canada and the USA and back, although on a different ship. She transported military supplies and equipment from the Allies. Officially in the Pacific Soviet ships it was safe: Japan did not declare war on the USSR. But in fact, Japanese submarines, when possible, sank Soviet ships in the same way as American ones. As they say, because they could.

The steamer was American, long, new, but built without taking into account the need for special strength along its length. Such ships literally broke in half during severe storms. Shchetinina had the opportunity to remove the crew from the broken ship "Valery Chkalov". Anna Ivanovna’s steamer also split in the middle once, five hundred miles from the coast, but the crew managed to hold the diverging halves of the sides together “with a living thread.” The ship was brought to Akutan Bay. After such adventures, anyone who recalled in front of Shchetinina’s sailors that there was a woman on board, unfortunately, would have been ridiculed. Anna Ivanovna was definitely born with a huge supply of luck and generously shared it with her ships. The fame of the world's first female sea captain was actively used in the interests of Soviet diplomacy. As soon as she came ashore, Shchetinina, without really resting, had to put herself in a “secular” appearance and attend receptions and other events. There she actually held talks with important American naval officials.

Peaceful years

After the war, Shchetinina finally graduated from college and walked around the Baltic. Once she had an almost entirely female crew, and the Swedish pilot who happened to work with their ship was seriously scared at first. Of course, the women didn’t laugh in the Swede’s face, but he became a character in naval jokes in the Soviet Union for a long time.

After forty, Shchetinina was beset with difficult problems one after another. Anna Ivanovna lost her mother, her husband, and was demoted for an accident in difficult weather conditions (she ran a ship aground). I wanted peace. And, perhaps, convey your unique experience so that it does not go in vain. She agreed to a teaching position at the same university that she herself had once graduated from.

At the age of fifty, Shchetinina transferred to a university in the Far East: she was drawn to her homeland. Cooked for dozens of captains. She headed the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR and became an active participant in the Soviet Women's Committee. She, a living legend, was elected as a deputy several times. In absentia she became a member (the only woman) of the Australian Captains' Club and an honorary member of the International Federation of Sea Captains' Associations.

She lived a long life and died before she saw the next century - in 1999. She left behind many textbooks, manuals and, of course, several autobiographical books: she had something to tell the world about her life. And captains, many captains who raised new captains.

Anna was born in 1908 at Okeanskaya station near Vladivostok. Father Ivan Ivanovich, originally from the village of Chumai, Verkhne-Chubulinsky district Kemerovo region, worked as a switchman, forester, worker and employee...

Anna was born in 1908 at Okeanskaya station near Vladivostok. Father Ivan Ivanovich, originally from the village of Chumai, Verkhne-Chubulinsky district, Kemerovo region, worked as a switchman, forester, worker and employee in the fisheries, carpenter and commandant of dachas in the Regional Department of the NKVD. Mother Maria Filosofovna is also from the Kemerovo region. Brother Vladimir Ivanovich was born in Vladivostok, worked as a workshop foreman at the Aircraft Plant at the station. Varfolomeevka, Primorsky Krai.

In 1919 A.I. Shchetinina began studying at elementary school in Sadgorod. After the entry of the Red Army into Vladivostok, the schools were reorganized, and from 1922 Anna Ivanovna studied at the unified labor school at Sedanka station, where in 1925 she graduated from 8 classes. In the same year, she entered the navigation department of the Vladivostok Maritime College, where she was the only girl on the course among the Komsomol boys. While studying at the technical school, she worked as a nurse and cleaner in the dental office of the technical school. During her studies, she sailed as a student on the steamship "Simferopol" and the security ship "Bryukhanov" of the state association Dalryba, and served as a sailor on the steamship "First Crab Catcher". In 1928, she married Nikolai Filippovich Kachimov, a marine radio operator, later the head of the Radio Service of the Fishing Industry in Vladivostok.

After graduating from college, Anna Ivanovna was sent to the Joint-Stock Kamchatka Shipping Company, where she went from sailor to captain in just 6 years. She also worked on the schooner Okhotsk, which left in her memory vivid memories associated with one incident: “While parking at the plant, where repairs had just been completed at Okhotsk, the mechanic on watch started the auxiliary engine, which ensured the operation of the generator, and violated safety rules. There was a fire. After the people were removed, the engine room was closed, the ship was towed aground off the southern shore of the bay and scuttled, which required cutting through the wooden lining of the side. The fire has stopped. The divers sealed the hole in the casing, the water was pumped out, and the ship was brought back to the plant for repairs.” Anna then served as a navigator on the Koryak steamship.

Anya Shchetinina

In 1932, at the age of 24, Anna received a navigator's diploma. In 1933 or 1934 she received A.A. Kacharava (the future commander of the steamship Sibiryakov, which entered into battle with the “pocket” battleship Admiral Scheer in 1942) worked as a senior mate of the steamship Orochon, which belonged to the Kamchatka Joint Stock Company.

Anna Shchetinina's first voyage as a captain took place in 1935. Anna had a hard time - not every sailor could accept a 27-year-old beautiful woman as a captain, it was too unusual. Anna had to transfer the ship "Chinook" from Hamburg to Kamchatka. The flight attracted the attention of the world press.

Anna Ivanovna said:

“In Hamburg we were met by our representative, engineer Lomnitsky. He said that "my" ship had already arrived from South America and after unloading I was docked for inspection of the underwater part of the hull, that the captain was warned about my arrival and was stunned that a woman would come to replace him. Immediately Lomnitsky examined me rather critically and said that he never thought that I was so young (he apparently wanted to say - almost a girl). He asked, among other things, how old I was, and, having learned that I was already twenty-seven, noted that they could give me five years younger.

I, too, seemed to look at myself from the outside and thought that I was not respectable enough for a captain: a blue silk hat, a gray fashionable coat, light shoes with heels... But I decided that a uniform suit would only come later, on the ship, when I would do business . After breakfast and check-in at the hotel, everyone went to the ship. At the city pier we boarded a boat and set off along the Elbe River to the so-called “Free Harbor”, where there was a steamer that I so wanted and was so afraid to see. To my questions, Lomnitsky answered: “See for yourself.” Such an intriguing answer made us wary and expect some kind of surprise. Good or bad? The boat runs briskly along the river, and I look around restlessly, trying to be the first to see and recognize “my” steamer myself. But they don't give it to me.

Engineer Lomnitsky warns:- Around the bend, on the other side, there will be a floating dock. Look! The boat turns and rushes towards the opposite shore, and I see a floating dock and on it - a ship, stern towards us. The underwater part of its hull has been cleaned and one side has already been painted with bright red-brown paint - red lead. Minium is not only for beauty, it protects the sides and bottom of the ships from rust... The freeboard is green, the superstructures are white, the intricate Hansa company brand is on the pipe. On the stern the name is “Hohenfels” and the home port is Hamburg. I even choked with pleasure, joy, pride, whatever you want to call it. What a big, clean, strong ship! What wonderful body contours! I tried to imagine him many times. The reality exceeded all my expectations.

The boat stops at the pier. We climb onto the floating dock and go to the ship. They give way to me: the captain must board the ship first. I'm touched. I see people on deck: they are greeting us. But I don't look at them yet. As soon as I cross the gangplank, I touch the gunwale of the ship with my hand and, greeting him, whisper a greeting to him so that no one notices. Then I pay attention to the people standing on the deck. The first in the group of greeters are the captain - I can judge this by the braid on the sleeves - and a man in a civilian gray suit. I extend my hand to the captain and greet him in German. He immediately introduces me to a man in civilian clothes. It turns out that this is a representative of the Hansa company, authorized to formalize the transfer of this group of ships. I understand the captain in the sense that first I should have greeted this 'high representative', but I deliberately do not want to understand this: for me the main thing now is the captain. I can't find it in my stock german words necessary expressions for a polite greeting - for this several lessons German language, taken in Leningrad, are not enough. I switch to English. And only having said everything that I considered necessary to the captain, I greeted the representative of the Hansa company, keeping his last name in mind. This must be done strictly. If you have been told a person’s last name at least once, especially during this kind of introduction, you must remember it and not forget it in subsequent conversations. Here I also tried to manage English.

Then we were introduced to the chief engineer - a very elderly and very handsome-looking “grandfather” - and the senior mate - a desperately red-haired and freckled fellow of about thirty. He particularly shook my hand and spoke a lot, either in German or in English. This rather lengthy greeting caused the captain to jokingly remark that my appearance on the ship made a strong impression on everyone, but, apparently, especially on the senior mate, and the captain fears that he is not currently losing a good senior mate. Such a joke somehow helped me come to my senses and hide my involuntary embarrassment from everyone’s attention. After everyone got acquainted, we were invited to the captain's cabin. I quickly, but remembering every detail, examined the deck and everything that came into view: superstructures, corridors, ladders and, finally, the captain’s office. Everything was good, clean and in good order. The captain's office occupied the entire forward part of the upper deckhouse. It contained a solid desk, an armchair, a corner sofa, a snack table in front of it, and good chairs. The entire rear bulkhead was occupied by a glass sideboard with a lot of beautiful dishes in special nests.

The business part of the conversation was short. Engineer Lomnitsky introduced me to a number of documents, from which I learned the basic conditions for receiving the vessel, as well as the fact that the vessel was given the name of our Far Eastern large salmon fish - “Chinook”. The entire group of accepted vessels received the names of fish and sea animals: “Sima”, “Coho”, “Tuna”, “Whale”, etc. Here the captain and I agreed on the procedure for accepting the ship. It was decided to call the team on the next voyage of our passenger ship from Leningrad. Currently, it was necessary to get acquainted with the progress and quality of repair and finishing work stipulated by the agreement on the transfer of the vessel. After a business conversation, the captain invited us to have a glass of wine.

The conversation began. Captain Butman said that the news about the sale of the vessel came as a surprise to him. Soviet Union and that it must be transferred now. He did not hide that he was very upset. He has been sailing on this ship for six years, he is used to it, he considers it a very good seaworthy vessel, and he is sorry to leave it. He gallantly added that, however, he was glad to hand over such a wonderful ship to such a young captain, and even to the first woman in the world who had earned the right and high honor to become on the captain's bridge. Toast followed toast. The short toast from the representative of the Hansa company sounded dry and businesslike. It was felt that he was upset that Germany was forced to sell its fleet to the Soviet Union: he understood that the Soviet navy was growing, which means that our entire fleet was growing and developing. national economy. The toast of the “grandfather” who greeted all our sailors sounded very good and simple. He clinked glasses with everyone, and said a few warm words to me that sounded downright fatherly. The chief mate spoke again for a long time. From his German-English speech, I understood that he would try to hand over the ship in such a way that the new (compliments again followed) captain would not have any complaints and so that the new crew would understand that the ship was received from real sailors who knew how to take care and maintain it in due order. Wow! Now that's a thing! If this is not just polite chatter, then a friend has been acquired who wants to help in receiving the ship.

The next day, dressed in work clothes, I began inspecting the ship. The captain did not accompany me everywhere. This was done by the senior assistant. The holds, rope boxes, some double-bottom tanks, coal pits, and the engine room were inspected. Everything was examined in detail. No time was spared. We worked until two o'clock, then sorted out the drawings and other documents. After a working day, I changed clothes and, at the invitation of the captain, took part in long conversations that were held daily in the captain’s cabin with members of the German command staff of the ship and our sailors who came at the end of the working day. After such conversations, we Soviet sailors went to our hotel, had dinner, and walked around the city, although not always. We were all very burdened by the atmosphere of the city, and we tried to spend time in our own circle. I was in Germany for the third time. I used to like it there, I liked the people - they were so simple, cheerful and good-natured, business-like and sensible. I liked the exceptional cleanliness and order on the streets, in houses, in shops and stores. Germany in 1935 was unpleasantly struck by the deathly emptiness of many streets, the abundance of flags with swastikas and the measured clatter of forged boots of young men in khaki with swastikas on their sleeves, who, as a rule, walked in pairs along the streets, came across in hotel corridors, in the dining room. Their loud barking voices hurt my ears. It was somehow especially uncomfortable, as if you were in good mood I came to the house of my good old friends and found myself at a funeral... And I, I won’t lie, was simply scared in this huge hotel. It was terrible at night to listen to the same measured stomping, which even the carpets in the corridors did not muffle. I counted the days until the arrival of my team and until the final acceptance of the ship, when it would be possible to move onto it. With the arrival of our team, things began to boil in a new way, the acceptance of property and spare parts began. As always in such cases, opinions appeared that “this is not so” and that “not quite so.” There were aspirations to redo something, to do something anew. We had to strictly ensure that people did not get carried away and understood that the ship was not their own veranda and it was not at all necessary to remake it in their own way. After a few days, our entire crew came to the conclusion that the German team behaved very loyally towards us, helped a lot in our work and did a lot even beyond what was required by agreement. The first mate of the German team did not break his promises. From the very beginning, he proved that he was handing over the ship not only in good faith, but also more than that.

By the way, there was an anecdote. Whenever I came to the ship, he always met me not only at the gangway, but even on the pier. If I was carrying something, he offered to help. In a word, he courted me in his own way, probably, he liked me as a woman... My first mate, and all the assistants asked me: what to do with him - break his legs or leave him like that? And how should we behave: should we greet our captain ourselves at the entrance to the plant, or should we recognize this right as a German? I had to laugh it off: since we were not on our own land, we had to take this into account, but it doesn’t hurt our young people to learn politeness and attentiveness. Our team began to call the German first mate a “fascist,” but then, seeing his friendliness and business-like assistance, they simply called him “Red Vanya.” By the time the ship was received, a ceremonial raising of the flag was being prepared. What a great event this is - the acceptance of a new vessel for our navy. Flags of the Soviet Union Socialist Republics and the pennants of our organization were brought with us, and we eagerly awaited their solemn raising.

I invited the German captain and crew, as well as the representative of the Hansa company and other representatives, to the ceremonial raising of the flag. Everyone, as one, answered that they probably would not be able to accept the invitation: the captain was leaving for Berlin on that very day, the representative of the Hansa had to travel to other ports on business - and so on. We understood perfectly well that they were simply forbidden to attend the raising of the Soviet flag on our ship. Our guesses were confirmed by the fact that on the appointed day the ship was no longer raised german flag. I had to limit myself to inviting the German command staff to have a glass of wine with me even before the raising of our flag. There were toasts and wishes again. And then the Germans quickly left the ship one by one.

The captains and crews of our receiving ships, as well as our representatives, have arrived. And now the command sounds on our ship: - Raise the flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the pennant! And slowly, unfurled, our scarlet flag and with it the pennant of the Kamchatka Joint Stock Company rise. The flag and pennant are raised. We all sing “The Internationale” with enthusiasm. The sounds of a unique melody flow over the ship and the piers, which recently were still full of people, but are now empty, as if there was not a single person for many miles except us, Soviet people, on the deck of a Soviet ship, which has now become a piece of native territory. How much it means to be far from your homeland and feel at home! And the ship is also our native land!..."

Steamship "Chinook"

On June 15, 1935, the ship arrived in Odessa. A month later, on July 16, 1935, he left for Kamchatka with 2,800 tons of cargo, among which was equipment for the ship repair shipyard being built in Petropavlovsk. The journey here from the Black Sea took fifty-eight days. On the morning of September 12, 1935, the “Chinook” was solemnly greeted at the port of Petropavlovsk. After minor repairs, the ship proceeded to the coastal factories: its long-term daily voyages with supply cargo and passengers began.

In mid-December 1935, the “Chinook” was in Mitoga. A strong storm that swept over the plant destroyed many buildings and structures. Fortunately, there were no casualties. On December 14, the ship transferred food and warm clothing ashore for the victims.

In February, in the winter of 1936, the “Chinook” was covered in ice for eleven days in the area of the Olyutorsky fish processing plant. During the forced drift, food supply came to an end. The sailors were given meager rations: the crew was given 600 grams of bread a day, the command staff - 400. Fresh water was also running out. The crew and passengers collected snow from the ice floes, poured it into the forepeak, and then melted it with steam. So they produced about 100 tons of water for drinking and boilers. This allowed the ship to remove almost all fish products from Olyutorka.

Throughout the entire day of captivity on the ice, Anna did not leave the captain’s bridge, steering the ship with her own hands, looking for an opportune moment to take the “Chinook” out of the ice. The ship's crew worked smoothly and without fuss. The chief mate and the sailors tried to cut the ice floe with a saw to free the ship, but they were unable to do this. To turn the Chinook, a light anchor was placed on the ice. As a result of titanic efforts, the ship left heavy ice without damage to the case. In order to avoid damage to the propeller, the captain decided to sink its stern, for which the crew and passengers reloaded the contents of the bow holds into the stern for several days. However, although the ship's stern draft increased, three propeller blades were bent.

A. I. Shchetinina commanded the “Chinook” until 1938.

She received her first Order of the Red Banner of Labor precisely for these difficult, truly “male” flights across the Sea of Okhotsk. On January 10, 1937, the leadership of the AKO ordered her to be sent “to Moscow to receive the order.” The corresponding order came to Kamchatka from Glavryba on that day.

Anna in the captain's cabin with her favorite pets - a cat and a dog

On January 23–24, 1937, a conference of AKO enterprises was held in Petropavlovsk. Its transcript contains many episodes characterizing the state of the society's fleet during this period. The main problems preventing its normal operation were voiced by the captain of the “Chinook” A. I. Shchetinina, who by this time had achieved all-Union fame. Outstanding personal qualities, as well as great authority among sailors, gave Anna Ivanovna’s words significant weight, forcing high-ranking party and economic leaders to listen to them.

The main problem in the operation of the fleet was its long downtime. According to A.I. Shchetinina, each vessel should be assigned to a specific fish processing plant: “then both the vessel and the shore will mutually try to organize work.” It was necessary to clearly plan the work of ships during non-navigation times. Often they were simultaneously put into repair, then left at the same time and accumulated in the unequipped Petropavlovsk port, which was not suitable for their mass processing. It was necessary to provide ships with timely notifications about changes in navigation conditions in order to avoid situations like: “We were not told that lights were installed in Petropavlovsk, and we do not know where they are installed.” In winter, it was necessary to organize the transmission of weather reports and ice conditions.

In 1938, A.I. Shchetinina was appointed head of the fishing port in Vladivostok. In the same year, she entered the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport at the navigating department. Having the right to freely attend lectures, she completes 4 courses in two and a half years.

Main events

world's first female sea captain

Top career

Associate Professor of the Department of Maritime Affairs

Hero of socialist labor,

twice Order of Lenin,

Order of the Red Banner of Labor,

Order of the Red Star,

Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree,

medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945",

medal "For the Defense of Leningrad",

Medal "For Victory over Japan"

gold medal "Hammer and Sickle"

Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"

"Honorary Citizen Vladivostok"

Shchetinina Anna Ivanovna born February 26, 1908 Russian Empire, Primorsky region, Okeanskaya station died on September 25, 1999, Vladivostok. The captain is the mentor of the Far Eastern Shipping Company, the world's first female sea captain. Honorary worker Navy. Honorary member of the Geographical Society of the USSR. Honorary Member of the Far Eastern Sea Captains Association in London, FESMA And IFSMA. Author of the book “On the seas and beyond the seas...”.

Biography

Early years

Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina was born on February 26, 1908 at Okeanskaya station near Vladivostok. Father Ivan Ivanovich was born in the Kemerovo region in the village of Chumai, and over the years he worked in many different ways: as a mechanic, a forester, a fishery worker, a carpenter, and a commandant of dachas in the Regional Department of the NKVD. Mother Maria Filosofovna was a housewife for most of her life. The younger brother Vladimir worked at an aircraft factory as a shop foreman. In 1919 A.I. Shchetinina began studying at an elementary school in Sadgorod, but after the Red Army entered Vladivostok, all schools were reorganized. And from 1922, at Sedanka station, Anna Ivanovna studied at a general labor school, where in 1925 she graduated from 8 classes.

Military service

In 1925, after graduating from school A.I. Shchetinina entered the Vladivostok Maritime College in the navigation department. While studying at the technical school, she worked as a nurse and cleaner in a dental office. I have never been afraid of the so-called “dirty work”. During my studies at the technical school, I repeatedly went to sea as a student on the steamship "Simferopol", on the security ship "Bryukhanov" and then as a sailor on the steamship "First Crab". After graduating from college, Anna Ivanovna was sent to the Joint-Stock Kamchatka Shipping Company, where she went from sailor to captain in just 6 years.

In 1932, at the age of 24, Anna Ivanovna received a diploma as a navigator. In 1933, she took over as senior mate of the steamship Orochon.

In 1935, when she was only 27 years old, the entire world press started talking about Anna Ivanovna Shchedrin. It was this year that Anna Ivanovna, as a captain, carried the ship "Chinook" from Hamburg to Kamchatka. A. I. Shchetinina commanded the "Chinook" until 1938.

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Anna Ivanovna received a referral to the Baltic Shipping Company. In August 1941, under severe shelling from the Nazis, she drove the steamship Saule loaded with food and weapons across the Gulf of Finland, supplying our army and evacuating the population of Tallinn. In the fall of 1941, together with a group of sailors, she was sent to Vladivostok at the disposal of the Far Eastern Shipping Company. There she worked on the ships "Karl Liebknecht", "Rodina" and " Jean Jaurès" (like " Liberty") - transported military cargo through Pacific Ocean.

At the very end of World War II, on August 25, 1945, Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina participated in the VKMA-3 convoy in the transfer of the 264th Rifle Division to southern Sakhalin.

After the end of the war with Japan, she submitted a request to be released to Leningrad to graduate from the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport Engineers. In Leningrad, until 1949, she worked in the Baltic Shipping Company as captain of the ships "Dniester", "Pskov", "Askold", "Beloostrov", "Mendeleev". In 1947, the steamship "Dmitry Mendeleev", commanded by Shchetinina, delivered to Leningrad statues stolen by the Nazis from Petrodvorets during the occupation. And still on the same ship "Mendeleev" landed in the fog on the reefs of the island of Senar, for which she was transferred by the Minister of the Ministry of Fleet as captain of ships of Group V for one year. After the transfer, she commanded the timber carrier "Baskunchak" until its transfer to the Far East.

Since 1949, Shchetinina went to work at the Leningrad Higher Engineering maritime school- as an assistant and at the same time completing the 5th year of the navigation faculty in absentia.

At LVIMU in 1951, she was appointed first as a senior teacher, and then as dean of the navigation faculty. After 5 years, Anna Ivanovna was awarded the title of associate professor at the Leningrad Higher Marine Engineering School.

In 1960, he was transferred to the Vladivostok Higher Marine Engineering School to the position of associate professor in the Department of Marine Engineering.

In 1963, she became chairman of the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR

Perpetuation of memory

On September 25, 1999, Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina passed away. She was buried in the memorial plot of the Marine Cemetery in the city of Vladivostok.

In 2001, a bust was placed on her grave

2005 The Svetlana publishing house in Vladivostok published the book “Captain Anna” with numerous illustrations and memories of A.I. Shchetinina.

There she worked on the ships "Karl Liebknecht", "Rodina" and "Jean Zhores". These were Liberty-class steamships that transported military supplies across the Pacific Ocean. “...During the war, I quite often had to attend receptions in the USA and Canada,” she said. - At one of them I was introduced to the officials present. The embassy secretary greeted everyone and loudly announced their name and position. I arrived a little earlier than the specified time and was also introduced to the audience. In addition, one of the employees of the Soviet embassy, who took care of me, introduced me to people whom he called “important people useful for our state.”

Liberty steamship "Jean Jaurès"

At the very end of World War II, on August 25, 1945, Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina participated in the VKMA-3 convoy in the transfer of the 264th Rifle Division to southern Sakhalin.

In 1947, the steamship Dmitry Mendeleev, commanded by Shchetinina, delivered to Leningrad statues stolen by the Nazis from Petrodvorets during the occupation. Many years later she will say about herself: “I went through the entire difficult journey of a sailor from beginning to end. And if I am now the captain of a large ocean ship, then each of my subordinates knows that I did not come from the foam of the sea!”

After the end of the war with Japan, she submitted a request to be released to Leningrad to graduate from the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport Engineers. In Leningrad, until 1949, she worked in the Baltic Shipping Company as captain of the ships “Dniester”, “Pskov”, “Askold”, “Beloostrov”, “Mendeleev”. On the Mendeleev she landed in the fog on the reefs of the island of Senar, for which the Minister of the Ministry of Fleet was transferred to the captain of ships of group V for one year. She commanded the timber carrier "Baskunchak" before its transfer to the Far East.

Anna in 1943

Since 1949, Shchetinina went to work at the Leningrad Higher Marine Engineering School as an assistant and at the same time completed the 5th year of the navigation faculty in absentia.

At LVIMU in 1951, she was appointed first as a senior teacher, and then as dean of the navigation faculty. In 1956 she was awarded the title of associate professor. In 1960, he was transferred to the Vladivostok Higher Marine Engineering School to the position of associate professor in the Department of Marine Engineering. In the archives of Moscow State University. adm. G.I. Nevelskoy (formerly VVIMU and DVVIMU) documents related to A.I. are stored. Shchetinina, for example, in the “Minutes of the meeting of the department dated May 30, 1963 on the re-election of Shchetinina as an associate professor of the department are noted good reading lectures on the courses “Meteorology and Oceanography”, “Naval Affairs”, “Navigation and Pilotship”, manual theses, writing teaching aids and books."

In 1963, having become the chairman of the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR, Shchetinina published an appeal to seafarers, urging them to report observations “of unusual, anomalous or rare phenomena,” the study of which “will expand human knowledge.”

Anna at Neptune's festival

In 1969 and 1974, she was re-elected again, but in the department of “Ship Management and Its Technical Operation.” In 1972, DVVIMU petitioned for the appointment of sea captain A.I. Shchetinina. Republican pension. Unfortunately, as often happens in a state where mentally disabled people, like N.S. Khrushchev, come to power, instead of attention and care for those who are busy with the present and necessary thing, the authorities begin to glorify and praise those who bend their backs better. That is why Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina received the long-deserved title - Hero of Socialist Labor - only on her 70th birthday.

Captain Shchetinina was awarded several orders for commanding ships during the Great Patriotic War, on which she carried out the “fiery voyages” now known in history.

Her successes in peacetime were noticed not only in the USSR, but also abroad. Indicative in this sense is the fact that even unshakable conservatives - Australian captains and ship managers - violated their centuries-old tradition for her sake: not allowing a woman into the holy of holies - the Rotary Club. And in front of A.I. Shchetinina opened the doors. Moreover, they gave the floor on their forum. And later, during the celebration of her 90th birthday, the President of the World Captains Association, Mr. Kawashima, presented Anna Ivanovna with a congratulation on behalf of the captains of Europe and America.

But in her country, the first woman sea captain A.I. For a long time, Shchetinina was never awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Although by this time two women who became captains later than her - Orlikova and Kissa, bore this title. The school management prepared and sent the relevant documents to the government. But the award ceremony did not take place. Secretary of the Regional Committee of the CPSU for Ideology A.G. Mulenkov explained that an official on the award commission said: “Why are you nominating your captain? I have a woman in line - the director of the institute, and a woman - a famous cotton grower! " When he tried to explain that this was the world’s first female sea captain, he simply became rude: “You should also introduce the world’s first carriage driver...”. The reason for the refusal was the “dissenting opinion” of one of the representatives of the Marine Fleet in the CPSU Central Committee, who was previously deputy head of the Baltic Shipping Company for personnel. At one time A.I. Shchetinina sharply criticized him for unseemly deeds in this post.

Anna Shchetinina in the seventies

In the late 70s A.I. Shchetinina receives an invitation from the head of the Far Eastern MP V.P. Byankin to the position of captain-mentor. The award found her on her 70th birthday. It was on February 26, 1978, when Anna Ivanovna’s birthday was celebrated at the old Sailors’ Club, that the award document came to L.I. Brezhnev’s desk and was signed.

A.I. Shchetina became a member of the Russian Writers' Union and wrote two books, one of which is called “On the Seas and Beyond the Seas.” Writer Lev Knyazev said about her: “Anna Ivanovna is a wonderful writer, the only one in the world, as far as I know, who is a female marine painter. She did not turn to so-called “pure” fiction, although, judging by the language in which the books were written, she could well have done so. The value of her books lies in their absolute truthfulness, high professionalism and another, not so common quality - kindness. Talking about real events, describing hundreds of sailors and other people with whom her sea roads collided, she did not say a bad word about a single one of them. She is a sailor and understood sailors with their virtues and shortcomings. That's why her books will probably outlive many works of art and preserve her legendary image.”

The author's song developed in the 70s with the active participation of Anna Ivanovna. The “Tourist Patriotic Song Competition” held in Vladivostok, where she headed the jury, in a year will turn into the “Primorsky Strings” festival, which will subsequently become the largest bard festival in the Far East.

Anna Ivanovna was also the organizer of the “Captains Club” in Vladivostok in the ancient building of the Sailors’ Palace of Culture on Pushkinskaya Street. An obligatory ritual was the washing in a glass of the honorary badge “Sea Captain” for the newly appointed chief commander of the vessel. She amazed experienced captains with her directorial discoveries, which Eldar Ryazanov himself would have envied. These included comic competitions between teams of artists from the Primorsky Regional Theater named after M. Gorky and a group of captains, and a demonstration of fashionable women's clothing and ballroom dancing, in which gallant gentlemen performed fancy steps of a forgotten polonaise, dashingly danced in the Polish mazurka, and collective festive performances. Anna Ivanovna had to persuade some captains for a long time to play an unusual role. The elders of the “Captains Club” helped young commanders in their official and everyday affairs; they often had to directly contact the management of the shipping company. Captains of the Primorye fishing fleet and the most worthy commanders of the Pacific Fleet were also accepted into the Club. Misdeeds that discredited the title of captain were not overlooked, and “shavings” were removed from those who were guilty.

Anna Ivanovna died on September 25, 1999. There is a monument to her at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok, built with funds from shipping companies and ports. Hero Socialist Labor, Honorary Worker of the Navy, Honorary Citizen of the City of Vladivostok, Honorary Member of the Geographical Society of the USSR, Member of the Writers' Union of Russia, Active Member of the Soviet Women's Committee, Honorary Member of the Far Eastern Association of Sea Captains in London, FESMA and IFSMA. For her work, Anna Ivanovna was awarded many government awards: two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Patriotic War, II degree, the Order of the Red Star, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War" Patriotic War 1941-1945”, medal “For Victory over Japan”, gold medal “Hammer and Sickle”, insignia “Hero of Socialist Labor”. On October 20, 2006, the name Shchetinina was given to a cape on the Shkota Peninsula in the Sea of Japan. In Vladivostok, not far from the house where the female captain lived, there is a park named after her. A memorial plaque was unveiled on the school building, which Anna Shchetinina graduated from in 1925.

Anna Shchetinina - Hero of Socialist Labor