Emil Spiridonov
Emil Nikolayevich Spiridonov | |
---|---|
Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | |
Buried | |
Allegiance | Soviet Union |
Service/ | Soviet Navy |
Years of service | 1942–1981 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held | Pacific Fleet |
Awards | Order of the Red Banner Order of the Red Star - twice Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" Third Class |
Spouse(s) | Valentina |
Emil Nikolayevich Spiridonov (Russian: Эмиль Николаевич Спиридонов) (26 September 1925 – 7 February 1981) was an officer of the Soviet Navy. He rose to the rank of admiral and was commander of the Pacific Fleet, before his death in the 1981 Pushkin Tu-104 crash, which also killed many of the Fleet's senior officers.
Born in 1925, Spiridonov's early studies were interrupted by the
While returning to the fleet base at
Early life
Emil Spiridonov was born on 26 September 1925 in the town of
Early postings
From 1948 until 1949 Spiridonov served as a navigator aboard the submarine M-2, of the 6th division of the 2nd submarine squadron of the Pacific Fleet, then based at Nakhodka Bay. On 19 December 1949 he was transferred to the Shch-125 of the 1st submarine squadron, being promoted to senior lieutenant on 19 December 1950. On 8 January 1952 he took the Higher Special Officer Classes for submariners at Vladivostok, graduating in October 1952.[2] He was then assigned to the Shch-22, part of the 123rd squadron of the 40th Submarine Division of the Pacific Fleet. On 9 May 1953 he was appointed to the S-165, a Project 613-type submarine then under construction. Advanced to captain lieutenant on 14 September 1953 with the completion of the S-165, Spiridonov was assigned to the Northern Fleet from 25 June 1954, joining the 297th squadron of the 33rd submarine division.[2]
Command
Impressing his commander, Spiridonov was appointed assistant commander of the S-165 on 9 July, and on 13 November 1954 he became senior assistant commander on the S-44, of the 96th submarine squadron. On 5 November 1956 he was promoted to captain 3rd rank and on 25 November given his first command, the S-185. Impressing his superiors over the next two years he spent in command, he was earmarked for further promotions. On 6 September 1958 he was appointed commander of the Project 629-type ballistic missile submarine B-41, then under construction at Severodvinsk.[2] While B-41 was nearing completion, Spiridonov sailed on a long distance voyage aboard the Project AB611-type submarine B-78, serving as second in command under Captain 2nd rank V. V. Gorontsov. During the voyage Spiridonov familiarised himself with the new type of submarines, and carried out tests of the R-11FM ballistic missile system.[2]
With the completion of B-41, Spiridonov brought her to Olenya Bay, where she was commissioned as part of the 140th independent squadron, and assigned the designation K-79. On 7 November 1959 he was promoted to captain, 2nd rank. In January 1960 K-79 was assigned to the Northern Fleet and between June and July Spiridonov took her down to the Canary Islands and then returned to Olenya Bay, carrying out drills and missile exercises. He was commended for his services by the commander of the Northern Fleet, Admiral Andrei Chabanenko, and received a personal weapon from the navy's commander-in-chief.[2]On 21 January 1961 he was appointed Chief of Staff of the 212th squadron of the 8th submarine division of the Northern Fleet. Shortly after his appointment, on 27 January, the S-80 was lost at sea. A State Commission, headed by Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky, did not return any final conclusions, but still led to a shakeup of personnel.[2]
On 28 June 1961 Spiridonov was appointed Deputy Commander of the 18th Division of the 12th submarine squadron of the Northern Fleet. The division included the latest Project 629 ballistic missile submarines.[2] Spiridonov took control of the training of submarine crews. Between August and December 1961 five new ships were assigned to his unit. Spiridonov personally took each one to sea. On 17 December 1962 he was appointed commander of the 211th brigade of the 4th submarine squadron. The squadron commander assessed Spiridonov as being "A tactically literate, energetic, strong-willed, disciplined, courageous, and decisive commander of the formation. Knows his assigned business well and copes with it successfully. He has extensive practical experience in the submarine service. Repeatedly undertook independent voyages on submarines. Has commanded boats of projects 613, 641, 629. A good sailor, in a difficult situation acts decisively and correctly. Hardworking."[2] Spiridonov was promoted to captain 1st rank on 21 February 1964, and commended by the Northern Fleet's commander, Admiral Semyon Lobov, as "An intelligent and promising officer."[2]
Flag rank
Spiridonov took at series of courses at the
In 1977, during his tenure as deputy commander, he took personal charge of the rescue efforts of the Project 667B -type submarine K-477, which suffered a fire while loading nuclear ballistic missiles at the dockside in Kamchatka.[2] Spiridonov flew from Vladivostok to Kamchatka and took the submarine to sea. After a full day of fighting the fire, on 8 September an explosion caused the warhead of a damaged nuclear missile to be ejected from the submarine and sink in the sea. With the submarine now out of danger, Spiridonov brought her back to port and then supervised the recovery of the warhead and its disposal. For his actions he was awarded the Medal "For Courage in a Fire".[2]
On 21 February 1978, he was awarded the Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" Third Class, and on 31 August 1979 he was appointed Commander of the Pacific Fleet.[1] This was followed with a promotion to admiral on 25 October 1979.[2]In 1980 he was elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and was a delegate to the 26th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.[2]
Death and legacy
In early 1981 Spiridonov and much of the Pacific Fleet's leadership attended meetings in Leningrad, before planning to return to Vladivostok on 7 February. At 18:00 local time the plane, a Tupolev Tu-104, took off from Pushkin Airport, and almost immediately crashed just clear of the runway, killing all aboard.[1][3][4] Spiridonov was the highest ranking officer to die, along with 15 other admirals and generals, and 38 lower ranking officers.[5][6][7] Also killed along with Spiridonov was his wife Valentina. They were both interred with most of the other victims of the crash in the Serafimovskoe Cemetery in Leningrad, where a memorial to the dead was erected on the orders of the Navy's Commander-in-Chief, Sergey Gorshkov.[5] A memorial service is held annually on 7 February at the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg, and on the twentieth anniversary of the crash the line “Those who died in the line of duty on 7 February 1981” and an Orthodox cross were added to the memorial stele commemorating the Pacific Navy sailors.[5]
Over his career Spiridonov was awarded the
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Спиридонов Эмиль Николаевич – биография". viperson.ru (in Russian). 11 November 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Bogomazov, K. Ya. (2014). "«Подводники из Гаджиево». Сборник биографических очерков". geroi-vmf.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "Crash of a Tupolev TU-104 in Pushkin: 52 killed". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archive. Retrieved 8 April 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Flight Safety Foundation: Saturday 7 February 1981". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Koshelev, S. "ЧЕРНЫЙ ФЕВРАЛЬ" (in Russian). Morskaya Gazeta. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b Smolyannikov, Sergei (7 February 2011). "Командование Тихоокеанского флота погибло из-за халатности и неосторожности". bagnet.org (in Russian). Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ a b Sokirko, Viktor (8 March 2018). "История трагедии: как Тихоокеанский флот лишился руководства в авиакатастрофе 1981 года". tvzvezda.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 8 April 2019.