Hero of the Soviet Union Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich: biography, feat and interesting facts

Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich - Rear Admiral, heroically displayed commander's qualities during the Great Patriotic War. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His main activity was the command of submarine vessels. As commander of the K-21 submarine, in 1942 he managed to accomplish a feat that affected the balance of the opposing forces on the northern seas.

Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lunin: biography, childhood

Nikolai Alexandrovich Lunin was born on August 21, 1907. My father gave his life to the sea, lived and worked in the seaside city of Odessa. From an early age the child saw the sea and ships, which left vivid impressions in the head of the little boy, and he decided to link his future destiny with the service in the fleet. At the age of three, together with his family, the boy moved to Mariupol. This city is also located on the beach. The child's father continued working on a ship that cleared the waters near the port of the city.

Nikolai went to gain knowledge in the school near the sea station, where in those years children of people who worked in the Navy studied. The school was even informally called the school of seamen. From the age of 12 the boy began working life on the ship, having worked as a cabin boy on a merchant marine ship, where his father served as a sailor. After completing his school life in 1924, the young man was determined to continue his studies and in the following year, after moving to Rostov-on-Don, entered the Naval School. Studying in this institution, becomes a member of the Communist Party.

Carier start

In 1929, the school graduated from Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich, and a year later the boy was called to the Red Army, where his primary service was connected with the encryption case. Since 1931, after the end of service and demobilization, the professional career of the future hero begins. Lunin started working as a dean in one of the Odessa institutes, then he goes to the ship Vega, where he first becomes an assistant, and then the captain of the ship. Since 1933 he worked as a navigator on an oil-carrying tanker, and since 1935 he became a captain of an oil tanker.

Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich (submarine fleet of Russia). Getting Started

Since 1935 the service to the navy begins. In 1937 he completed the courses of commanders at the military educational institution. After this event, activity begins directly on the submarines. At first he played secondary roles on the U-31 submarine until the beginning of the spring of 1938, then served as commander of the U-404 submarine.

Unfortunately, in the historical realities of the Soviet state there was a period of repression, and in 1938 Lunin overtook the fate of the convict. However, a year later, probably realizing the error, he was acquitted, appropriated the rank of captain-lieutenant, reinstated in the place of work and sent to serve on the northern seas.

Commander Shch-421

Since the spring of 1940 followed the appointment of the commander of the submarine Shch-421. It was a boat well equipped with military equipment and military training before the war. The submarine began combat activity in the first day of the war. In 1942, according to Lunin, his submarine attacked and was able to destroy 7 enemy ships with a total displacement of nearly 50,000 tons. However, only one successful attack found confirmation in the documents. On February 5 this year the German ship Consul Schulze was sunk. Without taking this into account, the state recognized the merits of Lunin Nikolai Aleksandrovich, and in 1942, for success in sea battles, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition to his title, he was awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. The very same submarine is also honored with the Order of the Red Banner.

Commander K-21

In 1942, the already mature commander was entrusted to the leadership of one of the most combat-capable underwater vehicles. Such a submarine was cruising K-21. Up until this point, this boat has often been in battles, a well-coordinated combat team was working on its board. Armament was advanced taking into account the technologies of those years. On its board there were several torpedo tubes, and artillery weapons, in addition, the submarine was equipped with mines. Taking command of the boat in March, at the beginning of next month Lunin commands the rescue of the injured submarine ship Sh-402. However, until July, the submarine's commander did not succeed in destroying the forces of the German troops.

Lunin's feat: torpedoing the battleship Tirpitz

In the summer of 1942, a submarine led by Lunin went to the coast of Norway for military actions in the cold waters of the northern seas. On July 5, the soldiers on board the boat saw the ships of the Germans, one of them - the battleship "Tirpitz" and several large cruisers. The commander decided to attack German ships. As a result, the submarine released several torpedo salvos on enemy targets. However, the attack itself took place in conditions of extremely low visibility, in addition, the ships of the Germans began to maneuver quickly, and finally the submarine itself sank to the depth. Therefore, Lunin did not see the results of the attack. However, several explosions were heard, which are typical for damage to the ship. Despite the lack of visual information, submariner Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich counted and recorded that the battleship was damaged, and one of the cruisers - sunk.

Interesting facts from the life of Lunin

An interesting fact is that the German leadership did not confirm the loss of its ships. After the attack, the fascist ships moved at their own speed at high speed. Information that repair was not carried out on any ship was not recorded anywhere. Moreover, in the documents of the battleship there was no mention of this attack at all. And finally, now it is already reliably known that on that day there were no losses among the German courts. The Soviet authorities massively covered the fact of the attack, information was spread by the foreign press. This event brought about critical changes in the life of Lunin's father. The Nazis grabbed the father of our hero, and then publicly shot in the center of Rostov-on-Don.

The Soviet command confirmed the destruction of enemy ships. Moreover, as a result of this attack, the German squadron was forced to retreat. The convoy of allied forces, to which the Tirpitz planned to attack, was not damaged. Thus, the submarine K-21 under the guidance of Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich fulfilled his tasks. Later, in the autumn of the same year, following the results of the operation, the submarine was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

Running ahead, it is worth mentioning the interesting fact that during the years of military service Lunin was credited with 17 successfully flooded enemy targets. However, documents prove the death of only four vessels.

Military service from 1942 to 1943

During the following period, almost all the tasks facing the submarine command were fulfilled. For a year Lunin managed to sink 10 enemy ships. So, late autumn of 1942, thanks to the effective actions of the submarine commander, a large transport ship "Rigel" was destroyed off the coast of Norway. At the end of the winter of 1943, when the boat was off the coast of Norway, in enemy waters, a fire broke out on board. Thanks to effective actions of seamen he was liquidated. A somewhat adventurous, but in the end the right decision was made by the Hero of the Soviet Union Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich after completing the assignment and retiring from the enemy's waters. The boat went past the Germans over the water with lights turned on. No one could believe in such courage of the crew, and the Germans took the boat as their own. As a result, the K-21 managed to sink several patrol boats and piers to which they were moored. The extraordinary mental abilities of the commander of the ship led to success.

In 1944, the fighting service on the fronts of the war for Lunin ended. From the beginning of spring this year he studies at the Naval Academy, after graduation he is awarded the rank of Rear Admiral.

Postwar years and death

After the end of hostilities, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Lunin, whose biography was considered in the article, directed the squadrons of submarines, developed scientific activity and defended his thesis. In 1962, due to poor health, he retired. In 1967, he came to the city of Mariupol to plunge into the memories of his childhood. This was his last visit to a small homeland. 1970 was the last in the life of Lunin Nikolai Alexandrovich. He was buried in St. Petersburg (in those years - Leningrad), now his grave is on the Theological Cemetery.