Anatoly Nikolayevich Sakharov was a born seafarer, courageous ice captain and participant to the Greenland Sea operation of setting free the ice-bound steamer Georgy Sedov, pilot and mentor who brought up entire pleiad of real salted seamen.
In August 1914 his father Nikolay Maksimovich Sakharov brought schooner Holy Martyr Phocas back home after an ill-fated polar expedition. And the son practically lived on high seas from the age of 15, worked as deck hand, boatswain, ordinary carpenter, chief officer and finally, took his rightful place in command on the captain’s bridge.
Sakharov even served in place of group captain of the ships chartered in Spain. He demonstrated his indomitable will by preventing two of those ships from wintering in Arctic while later it seemed that the whole fleet was hopelessly stuck in ice.
In 1939 Anatoly Nikolayevich took steamship Stalingrad under his command. In the darkness of polar night the seamen replenished fuel and provision supplies of icebreaker Joseph Stalin that in the course of a month tried to get to Georgy Sedov with a view to rescuing her from the ice captivity.
The USSR-Finland war was on and because of that, problems with radio communications existed. A storm was raging and, as ill luck, a hole in the Stalingrad hull was discovered. At the beginning of 1940, the transshipment of coal from Stalingrad to Georgy Sedov was conducted in darkness and stormy weather conditions, fifteen hours in a raw. The ships were jumping on the waves like balls, hitting against each other.
Neither Sakharov nor other crewmembers of Stalingrad were rewarded for this heroic deed what could only be explained by the antipathy of Hero of the Soviet Union I.D. Papanin, new head of Glavsevmorput (Administration of the Northern Sea Route). Yes, our captain was not the one who crouches back before the bosses. In contrast, his heroism was duly esteemed by Englishmen.
In 1942 Anatoly Nikolayevich preparing in Reykjavik for sea passage to Arkhangelsk realized clearly that it was going to be a voyage on a powder keg, literally: the ship holds were packed with ammunition, planes and tanks showed off on decks and a lot of passengers including diplomats were on board.
On September 13 in so-called “corridor of death” between Spitsbergen and Bear Island the ship was torpedoed in the area of engine room and began to lose her buoyancy quickly. The Captain commanded “all abandon the ship”; tied with rope the handle of steam whistle to the railings and a long, sad, recording the disaster sound flew over the sea. True to traditions, Sakharov was the last who left the sinking boat.
He survived by a miracle when managed to swim off the sinking ship eddy that claimed 21 lives. The people were picked up by passing ships and Captain Sakharov was rescued by the crew of destroyer Jay-72, whose crew witnessed the disaster of Stalingrad and saw in binoculars a solitary figure on the bridge.
Unexpectedly a message came to Arkhangelsk from the British Ambassador informing that Captain Sakharov was awarded the highest decoration of England – Distinguished Service Cross. The decoration was to be awarded in the company of military band and gave the right for both audience by the King and a fixed pension. Other privileges were granted too.
His reply to persistent recommendations coming “from the top” to decline the award, was as follows: “I can refuse the money but never the order. It will stay in Russia”.
In August 1914 his father Nikolay Maksimovich Sakharov brought schooner Holy Martyr Phocas back home after an ill-fated polar expedition. And the son practically lived on high seas from the age of 15, worked as deck hand, boatswain, ordinary carpenter, chief officer and finally, took his rightful place in command on the captain’s bridge.
Sakharov even served in place of group captain of the ships chartered in Spain. He demonstrated his indomitable will by preventing two of those ships from wintering in Arctic while later it seemed that the whole fleet was hopelessly stuck in ice.
In 1939 Anatoly Nikolayevich took steamship Stalingrad under his command. In the darkness of polar night the seamen replenished fuel and provision supplies of icebreaker Joseph Stalin that in the course of a month tried to get to Georgy Sedov with a view to rescuing her from the ice captivity.
The USSR-Finland war was on and because of that, problems with radio communications existed. A storm was raging and, as ill luck, a hole in the Stalingrad hull was discovered. At the beginning of 1940, the transshipment of coal from Stalingrad to Georgy Sedov was conducted in darkness and stormy weather conditions, fifteen hours in a raw. The ships were jumping on the waves like balls, hitting against each other.
Neither Sakharov nor other crewmembers of Stalingrad were rewarded for this heroic deed what could only be explained by the antipathy of Hero of the Soviet Union I.D. Papanin, new head of Glavsevmorput (Administration of the Northern Sea Route). Yes, our captain was not the one who crouches back before the bosses. In contrast, his heroism was duly esteemed by Englishmen.
In 1942 Anatoly Nikolayevich preparing in Reykjavik for sea passage to Arkhangelsk realized clearly that it was going to be a voyage on a powder keg, literally: the ship holds were packed with ammunition, planes and tanks showed off on decks and a lot of passengers including diplomats were on board.
On September 13 in so-called “corridor of death” between Spitsbergen and Bear Island the ship was torpedoed in the area of engine room and began to lose her buoyancy quickly. The Captain commanded “all abandon the ship”; tied with rope the handle of steam whistle to the railings and a long, sad, recording the disaster sound flew over the sea. True to traditions, Sakharov was the last who left the sinking boat.
He survived by a miracle when managed to swim off the sinking ship eddy that claimed 21 lives. The people were picked up by passing ships and Captain Sakharov was rescued by the crew of destroyer Jay-72, whose crew witnessed the disaster of Stalingrad and saw in binoculars a solitary figure on the bridge.
Unexpectedly a message came to Arkhangelsk from the British Ambassador informing that Captain Sakharov was awarded the highest decoration of England – Distinguished Service Cross. The decoration was to be awarded in the company of military band and gave the right for both audience by the King and a fixed pension. Other privileges were granted too.
His reply to persistent recommendations coming “from the top” to decline the award, was as follows: “I can refuse the money but never the order. It will stay in Russia”.
