Rear Admiral Nikolai Belorukov of the Soviet Navy, awarded the Orders of the Red Banner, Nakhimov Second Class, and the Red Star for his combat service, recounts his service in the Black Sea Fleet during World War II. After graduating from naval school, he was initially appointed navigator of the submarine ‘M-53,’ then senior assistant commander of ‘S-31,’ and in May 1942 he took command of...

This work, for the first time, provides a comprehensive description of all the military campaigns of the Russian sailing fleet over more than 160 years: from Tsar Peter I's war for Azov to the voyages of Russian squadrons to the shores of the United States during the American Civil War. The battles are described by comparing data from various sources, ensuring maximum accuracy of the overall...

In 1940, after Estonia's annexation by the USSR, the submarine ‘Lembit,’ built in England, became part of the Soviet Navy. This submarine, commanded by Captain Alexei Mikhailovich Matiyasevich, was destined to endure a difficult combat journey. It broke through enemy fairways through minefields, crept along the seabed under a hail of German depth charges that exploded almost right next to its...