This black service jacket of a navy officer was made in the 1970s. On the left side of the chest, there are four medal ribbons, and on the right — a brass, diamond-shaped badge commemorating the graduation from the Higher Naval School. The stars on the shoulder marks indicate that the jacket belonged to a rear admiral. The jacket has eight metal buttons with crossed anchors, overlapped with the coat of arms of the USSR. This jacket belonged to Alexander Osipovich Shabalin.
Alexander Shabalin was born in the village of Yudmozero of the Onega District, Arkhangelsk Oblast. In 1931, at the age of 17, Alexander Shabalin went to Murmansk and joined a Krab fishing trawler as a cabin boy. Soon, he was enlisted in the crew as a sailor and began to learn how to steer the ship.
In 1933, Alexander Shabalin was appointed the trawler master on the Som trawler. After completing the navigation course at the Murmansk Maritime College in June 1935, he continued his career as a navigator, first on the Vayer river push boat, and then, from June 1936, on the Semga ship.
During the Great Patriotic War and later service, Alexander Shabalin served in the military and was awarded two Gold Star Medals, the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, two Orders of Lenin, three Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class, and the Order of Red Star. He also received medals “For Military Merit”, “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic” and “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945”.
During the war, Alexander Shabalin served as the commander of a torpedo and a mosquito fleet of the Northern Fleet. He was distinguished by his daring and efficient attacks. After the war, he continued to serve in various positions, including the commander of a surface ship brigade and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Northern Fleet. Between 1969 and 1975, he was the Deputy Head of the Mikhail Frunze Higher Naval School. In his later years, he lived in Leningrad.
Alexander Shabalin became an honorary citizen of Arkhangelsk and Onega where a bronze bust of him was installed. In 1983, a memorial complex was opened in Severomorsk to honor the heroic northern sailors. One of the exhibits was the TKA-12 torpedo boat that Alexander Shabalin had commanded.
