Gennady Petrovich Lyachin, who grew up in the Volgograd steppes, connected his life with the sea. The commander of an ultra-modern submarine owes his life's work to the father of his future wife, a hereditary sailor who instilled a love for the navy. He will pass it on to his son, forever remaining in the memory of his contemporaries as the captain of the Kursk APRK, who tragically died in the waters of the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000.
Bio Pages
Gennady Lyachin's parents are simple workers who lived at the Sarpinsky state farm (now the territory of Kalmykia). The boy went to school already in Volgograd (school number 85), finding himself at the same desk with Irina Glebova, whose love will carry through his whole life. Being the tallest in the class, he enjoyed the attention of his classmates, but from the very beginning he was distinguished by his seriousness and understanding of what he wants from life. He was fond of football, but studied for fours and fives, choosing a profession in which he could really prove himself.
Fascinated by the stories of the future father-in-law about the romance and traditions of naval service, he joined the Navy, choosing the profession of a submariner. To this end, he entered the naval school, the famous Lenkom, in 1977 he received the shoulder straps of a lieutenant. Gennady Petrovich Lyachin devoted his whole life to the Northern Fleet, having lived for 23 years in the village-ZATO Vidyaevo (Murmansk region).
Submarine commander: military career stage
The officer's service began on diesel submarines, where in the 80s he would rise to the rank of senior assistant commander after graduating from the Higher Officer Classes. In 1988, he was even appointed commander of the B-478, but after the decommissioning of the ship, he would again be transferred to the senior assistant, but already to the nuclear-powered ship K-119 Voronezh. This is practically a twin of the future Kursk, requiring additional knowledge and skills. For a year and a half, the entire crew will sit at their desks, receiving special training in the capital of nuclear scientists, Obninsk.
Study will not be in vain, the next three years "Voronezh" will be the best in the division, and after leaving the stocks of Severodvinsk in 1996, the submarine battleship "Kursk" Gennady Petrovich Lyachin will receive the rank of captain of the 1st rank and appointment as commander of a new vessel. It was a handsome man with a displacement of 25 thousand tons, the size of a 9-entrance 8-storey building. Nuclear submarines were named after hero cities, which were given patronage in the difficult 90s.
Title of Hero of Russia
Becoming the commander of the K-141 "Kursk" APRK, very soon Lyachin led the crew to the front lines, where they wanted to getreal sailors and officers. He was good-naturedly called "One Hundred and Fifth" for his great weight, but this was a recognition that he had become a real "father" for professionals and conscript sailors. One of the best crew in the division included only 1st and 2nd class specialists and masters and performed tasks of any complexity, whether it was shooting or an autonomous trip in August-October 1999 to the Atlantic Ocean.
1999 is a stellar year for a ship on a top-secret mission to monitor NATO exercises in the Mediterranean. In the conditions of the civil war in Yugoslavia, the Russian Navy proved its ability to become a reliable shield for its country - the No. 1 maritime power. For the NATO countries were not armed with nuclear submarines capable of delivering not only a nuclear, but also a torpedo strike. The Russian ship disappeared from the exercise site through Gibr altar as quietly as it appeared, which made Captain Lyachin a personal enemy of the Americans. Many NATO officers paid with their positions. And Gennady Petrovich was received personally by V. V. Putin. He was presented with the title of Hero of Russia, and 72 crew members - with the Order "For Courage". But no one was destined to receive the reward in life.
Submarine "Kursk": the story of the tragedy
In July 2000, on its professional holiday, the APRK proudly took part in the parade of the Northern Fleet in Severodvinsk. In August, they were waiting for a planned three-day exercise with torpedo firing practice. Nothing foreshadowed trouble when, on Saturday morning, August 12, the commander reported that a conditional strike had been delivered to the enemy. On board was the division chief of staff Vladimir Bagryantsev, an experienced sailor who led the campaign. A torpedo attack was scheduled for 11:30 a.m., but the Kursk was silent and no longer contacted.
After flying around the helicopters and the absence of the fact of the ascent of the ship, the search and rescue of the submarine began. At 4-36 a report came from the cruiser "Peter the Great" that the APRK was found lying on the seabed at a depth of 108 meters. For a week, weather conditions did not allow them to go down and get inside, and when the Norwegian divers managed to do this, not a single person was alive on board. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the success of an unprecedented operation to raise a sunken ship from the depths of the sea and voice the official version of the tragedy.
Due to a hydrogen leak, a training torpedo detonated, causing another five torpedoes to detonate. Fortunately, the nuclear reactor, which the crew thought about in the first place, was not damaged, otherwise the scale of the tragedy could have been much more serious. The motherland lost 118 real men, the pride of the Navy - the personnel of the ship, led by the commander. In the 9th compartment, the last 23 people remained alive for some time, who did not have time to rise to the surface through the emergency hatch due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Afterword
The submarine "Kursk" has become a symbol of courage and fortitude of man. The whole country sobbed over the farewell lines left by individual sailors to the command and relatives. They have no fear and resentment of fate. The crew was just doing their duty. These lettersdestroyed, and all records are classified for 50 years, which does not allow to fully believe in the official version of the tragedy in the Barents Sea. When Prosecutor General Ustinov was the first to land on a ship raised from the bottom of the sea, his motor boat was driven by Lieutenant Gleb Lyachin, the only son of the deceased hero. Today, he still continues his father's work.
Gennady also left behind a daughter, Daria, and a wife, Irina, who devoted her time to politics. She ran as a candidate for the State Duma, and then became an assistant to the chairman of the Federation Council. In the team of Sergei Mironov, she de alt with issues of social protection of military personnel. Relatives meet together on the anniversary of the death of the crew, supporting each other and paying tribute to the memory of the sailors. Gennady Petrovich Lyachin did not live to see his 47th birthday, posthumously receiving the title of Hero of Russia.
