Sea captain Valentina Yakovlevna Orliko. Women captains of sea vessels Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina sea captain
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 push men out 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 was sent 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 the foreign press began to actively write about her, after all, the event was destined for a full-fledged sensation - a very young woman became a sea captain for the Soviets. Newspapers even took the time to track its route to Kamchatka along the Northern Sea Route, 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 received her first state award, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. You must admit 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 of Water Transport, where she managed to complete 4 courses in two and a half years. 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 of the military Order of the 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 went to 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 also presented 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 became 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 navigation 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 the summer, she served as a captain on ships of the Baltic or Far Eastern Shipping Companies (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 also had a personal life, although not a particularly happy one. Back in 1928, she married Nikolai Kachimov, who then worked as a radio operator on fishing boats. 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 and served in the Ladoga military flotilla. Nikolai Filippovich died in 1950. There were no children in the family.
Anna Ivanovna devoted a lot of time 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 in the 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 1935 in Hamburg Soviet Union the steamer "Chinook" he had acquired was transferred. The very fact of such a transfer was not extraordinary, despite the fact that by that time the National Socialists had been in power in Germany for two years.
But the experienced “sea wolves”, of whom there were plenty in Hamburg, were deeply struck by the personality of the Russian captain who arrived to receive the ship.
The captain arrived in Hamburg wearing a gray coat, light shoes and a flirty blue silk hat. The captain was 27 years old, but everyone who saw him believed that he was five years younger. Or rather, she, for the captain's name was Anna Shchetinina.
A few days later, all the newspapers in the world wrote about this girl. It was an incredible event - never before in the world has a woman become a sea captain. Her first voyage was closely watched, but Captain Shchetinina confidently guided the “Chinook” along the route Hamburg - Odessa - Singapore - Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, dispelling both all doubts about her professional suitability and all superstitions associated with a woman’s stay on the ship.
Port of Hamburg, 1930s. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Letter of happiness
She was born on February 26, 1908 at Okeanskaya station near Vladivostok, so the sea was next to her from the first days of her life.
But she really “fell ill” with it at the age of 16, after traveling on a ship to the mouth of the Amur, where her father worked part-time in the fishing industry.
The girl’s intention to become a sailor was taken by her family as a youthful whim, but with Anya everything turned out to be serious. So seriously that she wrote a letter to the head of the Vladivostok Naval School with a request to accept her for study.
The letter turned out to be so convincing that the head of the “seafarer” invited Anya to a personal conversation. The conversation consisted of an experienced sailor explaining to the girl that the maritime profession is difficult, not at all feminine, and, despite Anya’s enthusiasm, it is better for her to abandon her intention.
But Anna was not embarrassed by all his arguments; finally the boss waved his hand - take the exams and study if you get in.
So in 1925, Anna Shchetinina became a student in the navigation department of the Vladivostok “Seafarer”.
Order of Merit and Port to Load
It was hard, unbearably hard work, in which no one made allowances for the fact that she was a woman. On the contrary, many were waiting for her to give up and break. But she only gritted her teeth, performing the duties of a deck sailor along with other “midshipmen.”
In 1929, a 21-year-old college graduate was sent to the Kamchatka Joint Stock Company, where over the course of six years she rose from sailor to first mate.
In 1935, the management recognized that 27-year-old Anna Shchetinina was a high-class professional and could be a sea captain. And then there was that same flight on the Chinook, when newspapers around the world wrote about her.
But she didn’t come to the fleet for momentary glory, not to prove something to anyone. She came to do hard work, which she liked more than anything else.
In 1936, the Chinook, under the command of Captain Shchetinina, was trapped by heavy ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. A critical situation that not every male captain can handle successfully. Captain Shchetinina managed it - after 11 days, the Chinook escaped from captivity without significant damage.
For exemplary work during voyages in difficult conditions of the Sea of Okhotsk, Anna Shchetinina was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in the same 1936.
In 1938, on her 30th birthday, she received an unexpected “gift” - an appointment as head of the Vladivostok fishing port. As a matter of fact, at that time there was no fishing port in Vladivostok - Captain Shchetinina was supposed to create it. It seems that by that time those at the top had realized that a woman captain could be entrusted with the most difficult tasks with peace of mind. Anna did not disappoint - within six months the fishing port began to function fully.
Anna Shchetinina reads a book in her cabin, 1935. Photo: RIA Novosti
Diplomatic embarrassment
Captain Shchetinina continued to improve, and in the same 1938 she entered the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport at the navigating department. Having the right to freely attend lectures, she completed 4 courses in two and a half years.
At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the female captain ended up in the Baltic, where, under a hail of German bombs and attacks by German submarines, she supplied the army in the Baltic states, and then evacuated the civilian population from Tallinn. In 1941, many Soviet ships and brave sailors perished in the Baltic, but Captain Shchetinina proved too tough for the Nazis.
In the fall of 1941, she was returned to the Far East. Captain Shchetinina is entrusted with flights to deliver military cargo from the USA and Canada across the Pacific Ocean.
The female captain attracts increased attention overseas, and to strengthen international ties she has to attend official receptions. Here, in addition to difficult maritime science, one has to master no less difficult diplomatic etiquette.
Many influential people, “useful for our state,” as the diplomats who looked after Anna said, wanted to meet Mrs. Shchetinina.
Anna was introduced to officials, and their names were told to her. Once, while talking with one of her new acquaintances in Canada, she innocently asked him to give his name again because she had forgotten his name.
After the reception, the Soviet diplomat gave Anna a dressing down - from the point of view of diplomatic etiquette, this was a gross oversight.
As Anna Ivanovna later recalled, after listening to the comments, she returned to the ship, locked herself in the cabin and... burst into tears.
But, having pulled herself together, she began to intensively train her memory - for faces, names and surnames. And soon the navy started talking about the amazing memory of Captain Shchetinina...
No discounts or concessions
In August 1945, the female captain took part in the war with Japan - her ship, as part of the VKMA-3 convoy, participated in the transfer of the 264th rifle division to Japanese-occupied South Sakhalin.
In 1947, having returned to the Baltic to complete her studies at the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport, she again participated in an event related to the war. The ship "Dmitry Mendeleev" under her command delivered to Leningrad statues stolen by the Nazis from Petrodvorets during the occupation.
Until 1949, she worked at the Baltic Shipping Company as captain of the ships “Dniester”, “Pskov”, “Askold”, “Beloostrov”, “Mendeleev”. Still no one gave her any discounts - when in the fog near the island of Senard the Mendeleev landed on a reef under her command, Anna Shchetinina was demoted for a year.
In 1949, Captain Shchetinina began to pass on her experience to the young - she became a teacher at the Leningrad Higher Marine Engineering School. In 1951, Anna Shchetinina became a senior teacher and then dean of the navigating faculty.
In 1960, Associate Professor Shchetinina returned to her homeland, Vladivostok, becoming an Associate Professor at the Department of Maritime Engineering at the Vladivostok Higher Marine Engineering School.
She worked a lot with young people, wrote books, and headed the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR. Anna Shchetinina said to 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!”
Shchetinin in 1939. Photo: RIA Novosti / Dmitry Debabov
From Brezhnev to Australian captains
Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina has earned the respect of sailors all over the world, but not the officials of her native country. Surprisingly, the first female sea captain in the world was not awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for a long time. Natalia Kissa And Valentina Orlikova who became sea captains after Anna Shchetinina, had already been awarded, but her candidacy was rejected under various pretexts.
One day, an irritated official said: “Why are you exposing your captain? I have a woman in line - the director of the institute and a woman - a famous cotton grower! You could also introduce the world’s first carriage driver...”
Justice triumphed in 1978, when, in a roundabout way, Anna Shchetinina’s award case reached head of the USSR Leonid Brezhnev. The aging and sick General Secretary was still not as crazy as the official who compared the world's first female captain to a carriage driver and approved the awarding of the title of Hero of Socialist Labor to Anna Shchetinina.
The famous Australian club of captains, the Rotary Club, which has existed for several centuries, had a firm rule - never invite women to its membership. This holy commandment was changed for the sake of a Russian female captain, who was given the floor at the captains' forum.
Captain Shchetinina was destined for a long life. When Anna Ivanovna turned 90 years old, she was given a special congratulation on behalf of all the captains of Europe and America.
The honor of the city, the honor of the captain...
When girls who wanted to connect their lives with the sea came to her and asked her advice, the answer sounded unexpected to many - the world’s first female captain believed that her example was an exception rather than a role model, and the maritime profession was far away not the most feminine...
But those who really cannot live without the sea need to overcome all difficulties and not feel sorry for themselves, as young Anya Shchetinina once did.
Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina passed away on September 25, 1999 and was buried at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.
In October 2006, the cape on the coast of the Amur Bay of the Sea of Japan was named after Anna Shchetinina.
In 2010, Vladivostok was awarded the honorary title “City of Military Glory”. In honor of this event, two years later a memorial stele was erected in the city. The bas-relief of the stele depicts Anna Shchetinina and the steamer Jean Jaurès, on which during the war she made voyages to the USA and Canada, transporting cargo much needed by the front...
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 primary 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 on 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) served as 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, he 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 gangway, 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 the necessary expressions for a polite greeting in my German vocabulary - several lessons for this 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 language.
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 he was surprised by the news about the sale of the ship to the Soviet Union and that it should 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 - so simple, cheerful and good-natured, businesslike 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 in a good mood you came to the house of your good old friends and found yourself at a funeral... But I, I won’t lie, it was just scary 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. We brought the flags of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the pennants of our organization 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 German flag was no longer raised on the ship. 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 for many miles there is not a single person except us, Soviet people, on the deck of a Soviet ship, which has now become a piece of our 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. It turned out that 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 ice captivity, 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 this 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.
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. 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.
She was then 27 years old, but according to engineer Lomnitsky, our representative in Hamburg, she looked at least 5 years younger.
Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina was born in Vladivostok in 1908. at Okeanskaya station. The sea splashed not far from her home and beckoned her since childhood, but in order to fulfill her dream and achieve something in the harsh men's world sailors, she had to become not just the best, but an order of magnitude better. And she became the best.
After graduating from the navigating department of the maritime technical school, she was sent to Kamchatka, where she began her labor activity a simple sailor, at 24 she is a navigator, at 27 she is a captain, in just 6 years of work.
She commanded the "Chinook" until 1938. In the harsh stormy waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. She managed to become famous again when in 1936 the ship was captured by heavy ice.
Only thanks to the resourcefulness of the captain, who did not leave the captain’s bridge during the entire period of ice captivity, and the well-coordinated work of the team, they were able to get out of it without damaging the ship. This was done at the cost of titanic efforts, while they almost ran out of food and water. And in 1938, she was tasked with creating the Vladivostok fishing port practically from scratch. This is at 30 years old. She also coped with this task brilliantly, in just six months. At the same time, she entered the Institute of Water Transport in Leningrad, successfully completed 4 courses in 2.5 years, and then the war began.
She was sent to the Baltic Fleet, where, under fierce shelling and continuous bombing, she evacuated the population of Tallinn, transported food and weapons for the army, cruising the Gulf of Finland.
Then again the Far Eastern Shipping Company and a new task - voyages across the Pacific Ocean to the shores of Canada and the USA. During the war, ships under her command sailed across the ocean 17 times, and she also had a chance to participate in the rescue of the steamship "Valery Chkalov." Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina has many glorious deeds to her name, she commanded large Oken liners and taught first in Leningrad at the Higher Engineering and Naval School, then she was the dean of the faculty of navigators at DVVIMU - Far Eastern Higher Marine Engineering School named after. Adm. Nevelsky in Vladivostok.
Now it is the Maritime State University named after. adm. Nevelsky.
She was the organizer of the “Captains Club” in Vladivostok and the chairman of the jury at tourist song festivals, which grew, with her active participation, into the famous art song festival “Primorskie Strings” in the Far East; she wrote books about the sea and textbooks for cadets.
Her merits were highly appreciated by captains abroad; for her sake, the famous Australian club of captains, the Rotary Club, changed the centuries-old tradition and not only invited a woman to their club, but also gave her the floor at the captains’ forum.
And during the celebration of Anna Ivanovna’s 90th birthday, she was presented with congratulations on behalf of the captains of Europe and America.
Anna Shetinina - Hero of Socialist Labor, Honorary Resident of Vladivostok, Honorary Worker Navy, member of the Russian Writers' Union, Honorary Member of the Geographical Society of the USSR, member of the Soviet Women's Committee, Honorary Member of the Association of Far Eastern Captains in London, etc., the irrepressible energy of this woman, her heroism were highly appreciated in her homeland - 2 Orders of Lenin, Orders of the Patriotic War 2 degrees, Red Banner, Red Banner of Labor and many medals. Anna Ivanovna passed away at the age of 91 and was buried in the Vladivostok naval cemetery. The city has not forgotten this amazing woman.
At the Maritime University, where she taught, a museum was created in her memory, a cape on the Shkota Peninsula was named after her, not far from the house where she lived, a park was built in her name, etc.
Then other female captains came, but she was the first.
She said about herself:
“I went through the whole 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!”
