The rank of captain of the 1st rank: history, merits and shoulder straps

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

As a child, every child dreamed of becoming a military man. This is a valiant and courageous profession, backed by universal honor and respect among all people. There are many ranks in military affairs - from junior staff to generals, but today we will talk about the captain of the 1st rank.

All you need to know

What is a captain of the 1st rank? Let's try to answer this question. Sea captain of the 1st rank (abbreviated caprase, or cooperang) is a naval military rank used in the Navy (Navy) of the Russian Federation and the CIS countries. Refers to senior officer ranks. In terms of importance, a captain of the 1st rank is a colonel, respectively, of the land rank in the Russian Armed Forces.

A bit of history

The rank of captain of the 1st rank was introduced in 1713 in the Russian Empire by the founder of the Russian navy, Peter I. In 1731, the division into ranks was abolished until September 1751.

What does the title correspond to?

Captain 1st rank corresponds to the highest rank among all the ranks assigned to the so-called senior officers of the Navy. It also includes a captain of the 3rd rank (relatively lower in seniority) and a captain of the 2nd rank. Above the captainOnly admiral ranks go to the 1st rank, such as rear admiral, vice admiral and admiral. The age limit for a captain of the 1st rank should not exceed 55 years.

What are the powers?

Captain of the 1st rank, according to his status, can command the corresponding ships. These include the largest ships in the Navy, such as aircraft carriers, large missile cruisers, and nuclear submarines. A ship of the first rank and, accordingly, its captain has seniority over ships of a lower rank. In Russia, ships of the first rank currently include such ships as the Admiral Kuznetsov, Admiral Nakhimov (nuclear missile cruiser) and so on.

Sometimes in the Navy you can meet the rank of engineer-captain of the 1st rank for the engineering-floating composition. It was introduced already in the Soviet Union in the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet in 1971, and then transferred to the Soviet Navy and became a senior engineering staff.

Differences in shoulder straps

The shoulder straps of a captain of the 1st rank practically correspond to the shoulder straps of a colonel in the ground forces and aviation, except for the color. They are black with gold lines and stars in the dress version, have a gold (yellow) color with black lines. Every noble profession has its heroes. It is about the outstanding captains of the 1st rank that will be discussed in the future.

Hero posthumously

Captain 1st rank Lyachin Gennady Petrovich - Hero of Russia, who was born in 1955 in the Volgograd region. He commanded the infamous sunken submarine "Kursk" of the K-141 project. AfterAfter graduating from school, he decided to enter the Leningrad Higher Naval School of the Lenin Komsomol. Over the entire existence of this school, more than a hundred of its graduates received the title of admiral, and 16 became Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. In 1998, in connection with the reforms in the Navy, the school was merged with the Higher Naval School named after M. V. Frunze. The educational institution changed its name to the St. Petersburg Naval Institute.

On August 10, during a scheduled patrol, the Kursk submarine disappeared from the radar, none of the crew got in touch for more than two days. Domestic and foreign specialists were sent to rescue the sailors. Unfortunately, there was no good news for relatives. As a result, it became known that on August 12, 2000, Lyachin and the entire personnel of the submarine were killed. This catastrophe of the agro-industrial complex has become one of the most tragic in the recent history of modern Russia. Captain Gennady Lyachin was presented to the Hero of Russia posthumously. He was buried on the Alley of Heroes of the Seraphim Cemetery along with members of his crew. The school in Volgograd, where he studied, was named after him.

Captain 1st Rank Alexei Dimitrov

Another outstanding officer and hero of the Russian Federation is Alexei Dimitrov, commander of a nuclear submarine. Alexei's father is also a captain of the 1st rank, commanded the well-known submarine K-19. After graduating from school in 1990, Alexei did not have a question about his future fate. He entered the naval school. After training, he began military service inmulti-purpose submarine "Tiger".

After receiving the rank of captain of the 1st rank, he served on the following submarines: "Wolf", "Leopard", "Vepr", "Gepard" and "Panther". Now he commands the crew of the Tiger submarine. During the exercises of the Northern and Pacific Fleets, his crew was highly appreciated by Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky. In 2006 and 2009, the submarines under the command of Captain Dmitrov were recognized as the best in the country's navy.

From frigate to majestic ship

The next captain I want to talk about is Sergey Zakharovich Balk. He was born in 1866 in the family of a retired military man. In 1887 he graduated from the naval school. After that, he served on the General-Admiral frigate, and from 1890 to 1892 he served on the Minin cruiser.

Captain VF Rudnev spoke about Balka as follows: “When performing the most serious duties, he does not experience any problems, he does everything clearly, confidently, efficiently and with great enthusiasm. He is well versed in maritime affairs, often they turn to him for advice. Executive, knows how to obey, but in combat terms, he needs more diligence. He is a straight forward, honest and fair person. An excellent companion and subordinate.”

The captain of the "Yermak" D. F. Yuryev, who treated Balk with contempt, notes that he has a special craving for the dangers caused by storms, war, natural disasters, for life-threatening campaigns, he is always eager to fight first, because he dreams ofheroic deeds. These circumstances kindle passion and enthusiasm in him. It is under such dangerous circumstances that he can be of the greatest benefit to the Russian Empire.

For courage and courage during emergencies, Sergei Zakharovich was awarded the Order for Rescuing the Dead in 1890. Due to his personal qualities, Balk made a good impression on the command and was appointed captain of the tugboat "Strongman". By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Balk, for his inflexible character, gained great fame in the Russian fleet. He was entrusted with the most complex and difficult tasks. He was highly respected by the sailors. The finest hour for Balk was the defense of Port Arthur, where he and his team in their tug "Strongman" provided invaluable assistance to ships wrecked in battle.

Despite his great desire to join the battle, he understood the full responsibility of his work. Balk recalls his participation in the rescue of the wrecked battleship Retvizan as follows: “Sometimes, I felt sadness and remorse that I was here, on a tugboat, and not on a destroyer, to rush on it into the thick of battle. But when you see that it is our Strongman that is saving one of the best ships in Russia, you feel your importance and significance, and it immediately becomes easier. Even in this difficult time, in the autumn of 1904, Balk always looked confident and joked a lot. One of his colleagues recalls how they knocked on the thresholds of officials together to obtain the necessary materials. For greater success, they were waiting for shelling from the sideJapanese and after the last (during which a Japanese shell fell a few meters from the office), entering the office, Bulk boomed loudly: “Oh, great bang! Uh, damn, exploded right outside our door. Not bad cross-eyed shot!"

After the Russo-Japanese War, on December 6, 1910, he received a captain of the 1st rank. After that, he commanded the patrol ship "BORDER GUARD", and in January 1913 he was transferred to the transport ship "Riga". There he began to drink heavily, and thoughts of suicide increasingly came into his head, but everyone treated his words as if they were a drunken joke. On February 27, 1914, he shot himself in his cabin. Balk was buried in the Helsingfors cemetery.

In conclusion

Not everyone knows, but the uncle of the head of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Shelomov Ivan Ivanovich (1904-1973), a veteran of the Soviet Navy, was also a captain of the 1st rank. He began his military service as a cadet (1924-1926) from the naval school. From 1926 to 1930 he studied at the M. V. Frunze Naval School. After that, he served in the headquarters of the B altic Fleet, was repeatedly rewarded for courage, valor and good service.