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{{short description|Soviet naval officer}}
{{short description|Soviet naval officer}}
{{for|the Romanian Olympic water polo player|Alexandru Marinescu (water polo)}}
{{for|the Romanian Olympic water polo player|Alexandru Marinescu (water polo)}}
{{Expand Russian|topic=bio|date=October 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2008}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2008}}
{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1963|11|25|1913|1|15}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1963|11|25|1913|1|15}}
| image = Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko.jpg
| image = Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko.jpg
| caption =
| caption = Marinesko in 1945
| nickname =
| nickname =
| birth_place = [[Odessa]], [[Russian Empire]]
| birth_place = [[Odessa]], [[Russian Empire]]
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| branch = {{navy|USSR}}
| branch = {{navy|USSR}}
| serviceyears = 1933 – 1945
| serviceyears = 1933 – 1945
| rank = Captain 3rd rank
| rank = [[Captain 3rd rank]]
| unit =
| unit =
| commands =
| commands =
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}}
}}


'''Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko''' ({{lang-ru|Александр Иванович Маринеско}}, {{lang-uk|Олександр Іванович Марiнеско}}, {{lang-ro|Alexandru Marinescu}}; {{OldStyleDate|15 January|1913|2 January}} – 25 November 1963) was a [[Soviet Navy|Soviet]] [[navy|naval officer]] and, during [[World War II]], the captain of the submarine ''[[Soviet submarine S-13|S-13]]'' which sank the [[Nazi Germany|German]] military transport ship ''[[KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff|Wilhelm Gustloff]]''. The most successful Soviet submarine commander in terms of [[gross register tonnage]] (GRT) sunk, with 42,000 GRT to his name, he was posthumously awarded the title [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] in 1990.
'''Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko''' ({{langx|ru|Александр Иванович Маринеско}}, {{langx|uk|Олександр Іванович Марiнеско}}, {{langx|ro|Alexandru Marinescu}}; {{OldStyleDate|15 January|1913|2 January}} – 25 November 1963) was a [[Soviet Navy|Soviet]] career [[navy|naval officer]]. During the last year of [[World War II]], he became known as the captain of the submarine ''[[Soviet submarine S-13|S-13]]'', which sank the [[Nazi Germany| German]] military transport ship ''[[KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff|Wilhelm Gustloff]]'' in the Baltic Sea in January 1945. Passengers included civilians and women and children being evacuated from East Prussia, in addition to military and related personnel. More than 9,300 of the more than 10,000 passengers and crew died.

Marinesko was the most successful Soviet submarine commander in terms of [[gross register tonnage]] (GRT) sunk, with 42,000 GRT to his name, but at the time the government considered him personally unsuitable for the highest award. In 1990 he was posthumously awarded the title [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] by President [[Mikhail Gorbachev]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Born in [[Odessa]], Marinesko was the son of a [[Romania]]n sailor, Ion Marinescu, and a [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] woman, Tatiana Mihailovna Koval from Kherson Province. His father had fled to Imperial Russia after beating an officer and settled in Odessa, Russifying his name to Ivan and changing the last letter "u" of his [[Marinescu|surname]] to "o".
Born in [[Odessa]], Marinesko was the son of Ion Marinescu, a [[Romania]]n sailor, and Tatiana Mihailovna Koval, a [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] from [[Kherson Governorate]]. His father had fled to the Russian Empire after beating an officer, and he settled in Odessa. There he modified his name according to Russian/Ukrainian language conventions, adopting Ivan as his first name and changing the last letter "u" of his [[Marinescu|surname]] to "o".


Marinesko trained in the Soviet Merchant Navy and the [[Black Sea Fleet]], and was later moved to a command position in the [[Baltic Fleet]]. He was promoted to lieutenant (ensign) in March 1936 and advanced to senior lieutenant (sub-lieutenant) in November 1938. In the summer of 1939 he was appointed commander of the new submarine M-96. When it entered service in mid-1940, it was declared to be the best submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Marinesko was awarded a golden watch and promoted to captain-lieutenant (капитан-лейтенант, equivalent to lieutenant (O2) in the USN) in 1940.
As a young man, Marinesko trained in the Soviet Merchant Navy and the Soviet Navy's [[Black Sea Fleet]]. Later he was assigned to a command position in the [[Baltic Fleet]]. He was promoted to lieutenant (ensign) in March 1936 and advanced to senior lieutenant (sub-lieutenant) in November 1938. In the summer of 1939 he was appointed commander of the new submarine M-96. When it entered service in mid-1940, it was declared to be the best submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Marinesko was awarded a golden watch and in 1940 promoted to [[captain-lieutenant]] (капитан-лейтенант, equivalent to Lieutenant Commander (LCDR/O-4) in the United States Navy).


== World War II ==
== World War II ==
Nazi Germany attacked the USSR in June 1941. The Soviet high command of the Baltic Fleet decided that the M-96 should be sent to the Caspian Sea to serve there as a training boat. But this could not be realized because of the German blockade of Leningrad. On 12 February 1942, a German artillery shell hit M-96, causing considerable damage.
[[Operation Barbarossa|Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, in June 1941]]. The Soviet high command of the Baltic Fleet decided that the M-96 should be sent to the Caspian Sea to serve as a training boat. But this could not be realized because of the German [[blockade of Leningrad]]. On 12 February 1942, a German artillery shell hit M-96, causing considerable damage.


In the beginning of 1943, Marinesko was appointed commander of the modernized submarine S-13. Of the 13 units of the Type S (Stalinets), Series IX and IXbis, only this boat survived the war.
In the beginning of 1943, Marinesko was appointed commander of the modernized submarine S-13. Of the 13 units of the Type S (Stalinets), Series IX and IXbis, only this boat survived the war.


=== ''Wilhelm Gustloff'' and ''Steuben'' ===
=== ''Wilhelm Gustloff'' and ''Steuben'' ===
⚫
Marinesko left the Soviet [[Porkkala Naval Base]] in Finland on 11 January 1945 and took position near [[Kołobrzeg|Kolberg]] on January 13. During the next few days his submarine was attacked several times by German torpedo boats. On 30 January 1945, S-13 attacked and sank the ''[[KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff|Wilhelm Gustloff]]'', which was evacuating civilians, mostly families with children, and military personnel from East Prussia. There were an estimated 9,400 casualties.


⚫
Days later, on 10 February, Marinesko sank a second German ship with two torpedoes, the ''[[SS General von Steuben|Steuben]]'', carrying mostly wounded military personnel, and more than 800 civilians, who were evacuating East Prussia and Memel (now Klaipėda). The total number of casualties is estimated at 4,267.<ref>Koburger, Charles W., ''Steel Ships, Iron Crosses, and Refugees'', Praeger Publishers, NY, 1989, p.7. Koburger also notes that other equally reliable sources put the total embarked at 3,300.</ref> Marinesko was ranked as the most successful Soviet submarine commander in terms of [[gross register tonnage]] (GRT) sunk, with 42,000 GRT to his name.
⚫
Marinesko left [[Porkkala Naval Base]] on 11 January 1945 and took position near [[Kołobrzeg|Kolberg]] on January 13. During the next few days his submarine was attacked several times by German torpedo boats. On 30 January 1945, S-13 attacked and sank the ''[[KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff|Wilhelm Gustloff]]'', which was evacuating civilians and military personnel from East Prussia. There were between 5,400 and 9,400 casualties.


Before sinking the ''Wilhelm Gustloff'', Alexander Marinesko had been facing a court martial due to his problems with alcohol. Despite his success with the sinkings, he was deemed "not suitable to be a hero". He was instead awarded the [[Order of the Red Banner]]. He was downgraded in rank to lieutenant and dishonorably discharged from the navy in October 1945, following war's end.
⚫
Days later, on 10 February, Marinesko sank a second German ship with two torpedoes, the ''[[SS General von Steuben|Steuben]]'', carrying mostly wounded military personnel, and over 800 civilians, with an estimated total number of 4,267 casualties.<ref>Koburger, Charles W., ''Steel Ships, Iron Crosses, and Refugees'', Praeger Publishers, NY, 1989, p.7. Koburger also notes that other equally reliable sources put the total embarked at 3,300.</ref> Marinesko thus became the most successful Soviet submarine commander in terms of [[gross register tonnage]] (GRT) sunk, with 42,000 GRT to his name.


⚫
In 1960 Marinesko was reinstated as captain third class and granted a full pension. In 1963 he was given the traditional ceremony due a captain upon his successful return from a mission, which he had not received in 1945. He died from cancer three weeks later on 25 November 1963<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bulvar.com.ua/gazeta/archive/s3_65888/7910.html|title=После изгнания с флота легендарный подводник МАРИНЕСКО работал грузчиком и столяром, последние годы жил в нищете и умер от рака в 50 лет|last=Grabenko|first=Lyudmila|date=15 January 2013|website=Бульвар Гордона|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030125959/http://bulvar.com.ua:80/gazeta/archive/s3_65888/7910.html |archive-date=2016-10-30 |access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref> he was buried at the [[Bogoslovskoe Cemetery]] in St. Petersburg. In 1990 Marinesko was posthumously awarded [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] by President [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], after [[Edvin Polyanovsky#Rehabilitation of Marinesko|rehabilitation]] of the late submarine commander by the newspaper ''[[Izvestia]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=1012|title=Маринеско Александр Иванович|website=www.warheroes.ru|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref>
[[File:Marinesko tomb 03.jpg|thumb|right|Marinesko's tomb in Bogoslovskoye Cemetery]]
[[File:Attack of the century. Death of Wilhelm Gustloff. Vladimir Kosov.jpg|thumb|Attack of the century. Death of Wilhelm Gustloff. Vladimir Kosov]]

⚫
Before sinking the ''Wilhelm Gustloff'', Alexander Marinesko was facing a court martial due to his problems with alcohol and was thus deemed "not suitable to be a hero". He was instead awarded the [[Order of the Red Banner]]. He was downgraded in rank to lieutenant and dishonorably discharged from the navy in October 1945. In 1960 he was reinstated as captain third class and granted a full pension. In 1963 Marinesko was given the traditional ceremony due to a captain upon his successful return from a mission. He died three weeks later on 25 November 1963 from cancer,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bulvar.com.ua/gazeta/archive/s3_65888/7910.html|title=После изгнания с флота легендарный подводник МАРИНЕСКО работал грузчиком и столяром, последние годы жил в нищете и умер от рака в 50 лет|last=Grabenko|first=Lyudmila|date=15 January 2013|website=Бульвар Гордона|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref> and was buried at the [[Bogoslovskoe Cemetery]] in St. Petersburg. Marinesko was posthumously awarded [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] in 1990 after [[Edvin Polyanovsky#Rehabilitation of Marinesko|rehabilitation]] by the newspaper ''[[Izvestia]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=1012|title=Маринеско Александр Иванович|website=www.warheroes.ru|access-date=2020-01-22}}</ref>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[File:Stamp of Moldova md102cvs.jpg|thumb|Alexander Marinesco on a [[Moldova]]n stamp]]
[[File:Stamp of Moldova md102cvs.jpg|thumb|Alexandru Marinescu on a [[Moldova]]n stamp]]
In 1990 Ulitsa Stroitelei (Builders' Street) in St. Petersburg was renamed in his honor to Ulitsa Marinesko, located in Kirovskiy District, connecting Avtovskaya and Zaitseva streets. The [[Museum of Russian Submarine Forces]] in St. Petersburg was named after him,<ref>[http://www.russianmuseums.info/M1999 St. Petersburg Submarine Museum], А.I. Marineskо Museum of Submarine Forces website.</ref> and monuments dedicated to him were erected in Kaliningrad, Kronstadt, and Odessa. He is one of the more prominent characters in the [[Günter Grass]]' novel ''[[Crabwalk]]'' (2002), which describes in detail the sinking of the ''Wilhelm Gustloff''.
*In 1990, the year of the posthumous award, Ulitsa Stroitelei (Builders' Street) in St. Petersburg was renamed in his honor to Ulitsa Marinesko. It is that portion located in Kirovskiy District, connecting Avtovskaya and Zaitseva streets.
*The [[Museum of Russian Submarine Forces]] in St. Petersburg was named after him,<ref>[http://www.russianmuseums.info/M1999 St. Petersburg Submarine Museum], А.I. Marineskо Museum of Submarine Forces, website.</ref>
*Monuments dedicated to him were erected in Kaliningrad, Kronstadt, Moldova, and Odessa.
*Marinesko is an historic figure and prominent character in [[Günter Grass]]'s novel ''[[Crabwalk]]'' (2002), which describes in detail the sinking of the ''Wilhelm Gustloff''.


== Honours and awards ==
== Honours and awards ==


*[[Hero of the Soviet Union]]
*[[Hero of the Soviet Union]], 1990
*[[Order of Lenin|Two Orders of Lenin]]
*[[Order of Lenin|Two Orders of Lenin]]
*[[Order of the Red Banner|Two Orders of the Red Banner]]
*[[Order of the Red Banner|Two Orders of the Red Banner]]
Line 57: Line 63:
*[[Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad"]]
*[[Medal "For the Defence of Leningrad"]]
*[[Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]
*[[Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]
*[[Medal "In Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad"]]
*[[Medal "In Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad"]], 1957


== References ==
== References ==


{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://sputniknews.com/voiceofrussia/radio_broadcast/2248764/2316400/ Hitler's Most Hated Man]


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:Heroes of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Heroes of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner]]
[[Category:People from Odessa]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Odesa]]
[[Category:Soviet military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Soviet military personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Soviet submarine commanders]]
[[Category:Soviet submarine commanders]]
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[[Category:Deaths from cancer in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Burials at Bogoslovskoe Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at Bogoslovskoe Cemetery]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Russia]]

Latest revision as of 18:15, 25 October 2024

For the Romanian Olympic water polo player, see Alexandru Marinescu (water polo).
Alexander Marinesko
Marinesko in 1945
Born15 January [O.S. 2 January] 1913
Odessa, Russian Empire
Died25 November 1963(1963-11-25) (aged 50)
Leningrad, Soviet Union
Allegiance Soviet Union
Service / branch Soviet Navy
Years of service1933 – 1945
RankCaptain 3rd rank
AwardsHero of the Soviet Union

Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko (Russian: Александр Иванович Маринеско, Ukrainian: Олександр Іванович Марiнеско, Romanian: Alexandru Marinescu; 15 January [O.S. 2 January] 1913 – 25 November 1963) was a Soviet career naval officer. During the last year of World War II, he became known as the captain of the submarine S-13, which sank the German military transport ship Wilhelm Gustloff in the Baltic Sea in January 1945. Passengers included civilians and women and children being evacuated from East Prussia, in addition to military and related personnel. More than 9,300 of the more than 10,000 passengers and crew died.

Marinesko was the most successful Soviet submarine commander in terms of gross register tonnage (GRT) sunk, with 42,000 GRT to his name, but at the time the government considered him personally unsuitable for the highest award. In 1990 he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union by President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Early life

[edit]

Born in Odessa, Marinesko was the son of Ion Marinescu, a Romanian sailor, and Tatiana Mihailovna Koval, a Ukrainian from Kherson Governorate. His father had fled to the Russian Empire after beating an officer, and he settled in Odessa. There he modified his name according to Russian/Ukrainian language conventions, adopting Ivan as his first name and changing the last letter "u" of his surname to "o".

As a young man, Marinesko trained in the Soviet Merchant Navy and the Soviet Navy's Black Sea Fleet. Later he was assigned to a command position in the Baltic Fleet. He was promoted to lieutenant (ensign) in March 1936 and advanced to senior lieutenant (sub-lieutenant) in November 1938. In the summer of 1939 he was appointed commander of the new submarine M-96. When it entered service in mid-1940, it was declared to be the best submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Marinesko was awarded a golden watch and in 1940 promoted to captain-lieutenant (капитан-лейтенант, equivalent to Lieutenant Commander (LCDR/O-4) in the United States Navy).

World War II

[edit]

Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, in June 1941. The Soviet high command of the Baltic Fleet decided that the M-96 should be sent to the Caspian Sea to serve as a training boat. But this could not be realized because of the German blockade of Leningrad. On 12 February 1942, a German artillery shell hit M-96, causing considerable damage.

In the beginning of 1943, Marinesko was appointed commander of the modernized submarine S-13. Of the 13 units of the Type S (Stalinets), Series IX and IXbis, only this boat survived the war.

Wilhelm Gustloff and Steuben

[edit]

Marinesko left the Soviet Porkkala Naval Base in Finland on 11 January 1945 and took position near Kolberg on January 13. During the next few days his submarine was attacked several times by German torpedo boats. On 30 January 1945, S-13 attacked and sank the Wilhelm Gustloff, which was evacuating civilians, mostly families with children, and military personnel from East Prussia. There were an estimated 9,400 casualties.

Days later, on 10 February, Marinesko sank a second German ship with two torpedoes, the Steuben, carrying mostly wounded military personnel, and more than 800 civilians, who were evacuating East Prussia and Memel (now Klaipėda). The total number of casualties is estimated at 4,267.[1] Marinesko was ranked as the most successful Soviet submarine commander in terms of gross register tonnage (GRT) sunk, with 42,000 GRT to his name.

Before sinking the Wilhelm Gustloff, Alexander Marinesko had been facing a court martial due to his problems with alcohol. Despite his success with the sinkings, he was deemed "not suitable to be a hero". He was instead awarded the Order of the Red Banner. He was downgraded in rank to lieutenant and dishonorably discharged from the navy in October 1945, following war's end.

In 1960 Marinesko was reinstated as captain third class and granted a full pension. In 1963 he was given the traditional ceremony due a captain upon his successful return from a mission, which he had not received in 1945. He died from cancer three weeks later on 25 November 1963[2] he was buried at the Bogoslovskoe Cemetery in St. Petersburg. In 1990 Marinesko was posthumously awarded Hero of the Soviet Union by President Mikhail Gorbachev, after rehabilitation of the late submarine commander by the newspaper Izvestia.[3]

Attack of the century. Death of Wilhelm Gustloff. Vladimir Kosov

Legacy

[edit]
Alexandru Marinescu on a Moldovan stamp
  • In 1990, the year of the posthumous award, Ulitsa Stroitelei (Builders' Street) in St. Petersburg was renamed in his honor to Ulitsa Marinesko. It is that portion located in Kirovskiy District, connecting Avtovskaya and Zaitseva streets.
  • The Museum of Russian Submarine Forces in St. Petersburg was named after him,[4]
  • Monuments dedicated to him were erected in Kaliningrad, Kronstadt, Moldova, and Odessa.
  • Marinesko is an historic figure and prominent character in Günter Grass's novel Crabwalk (2002), which describes in detail the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.

Honours and awards

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Koburger, Charles W., Steel Ships, Iron Crosses, and Refugees, Praeger Publishers, NY, 1989, p.7. Koburger also notes that other equally reliable sources put the total embarked at 3,300.
  2. ^ Grabenko, Lyudmila (15 January 2013). "После изгнания с флота легендарный подводник МАРИНЕСКО работал грузчиком и столяром, последние годы жил в нищете и умер от рака в 50 лет". Бульвар Гордона. Archived from the original on 2016-10-30. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  3. ^ "Маринеско Александр Иванович". www.warheroes.ru. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
  4. ^ St. Petersburg Submarine Museum, А.I. Marineskо Museum of Submarine Forces, website.
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