The sailors have a sign - a woman on a ship brings trouble. However, the sea captain Anna Shchetinina convincingly refuted this prejudice.
Starting conditions
Not all men are fit for naval service. The sailor must be of good health and character.
Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina is a charming and attractive woman. Initially, no one could have thought that a fragile girl would make a dizzying career in a purely male profession. Anya was born on February 26, 1908 in a peasant family. Father, like a real Russian man, was a jack of all trades. Carpenter, fished, and repaired railroad tracks. Mother was engaged in housekeeping. The child grew up “under the cow”.
According to all the current canons, the biography of Anna Shchetinina should have developed traditionally - children, kitchen, church. However, after finishing eight classes, the girl firmly decided to get a special education and entered the nautical school at the department of navigation. She knew perfectly well how sailors live during long voyages. Both her relatives and experienced sea wolves were amazed at her persistence and aspirations. After college, Shchetinin was sent to serve in Kamchatka.
Long voyage
Without shirking her job duties, Anna Ivanovna continued her education in practice. At the age of 24, Shchetinina received a navigator's diploma. Three years later, she became a captain. The oceanic fleet of the Soviet state was regularly replenished with large-tonnage vessels. In 1935, Shchetinina became the most famous captain in the world. This is not an exaggeration, but a pleasant coincidence. A 27-year-old girl was entrusted by the Soviet government to bring the Chinoycha dry cargo ship from the port of Hamburg to the port of Vladivostok.
All the newspapers of the civilized countries wrote about this voyage. Some with admiration, others with sarcasm. But, despite the envy and indignation of losers, Shchetinina's career was developing successfully. It is interesting to remind that at the finishing stage the dry cargo ship was almost covered by ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. In a difficult situation, the captain showed firmness of character and excellent knowledge of navigation. Not every man could do it. For the successful completion of the campaign, Shchetinin was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
Essays on personal life
Before the war, Anna Ivanovna was transferred to serve in the Baltic. Here she graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport as an external student. She met the war on the captain's bridge, when people and valuable cargo were evacuated under the bombing, saving them from being captured by the enemy. In difficult situations, Shchetinina always combined her experience, creativity and a reasonable amount of risk. For three years she worked in her native Pacific Fleet. Large-tonnage ships delivered military and civilian cargo to the Soviet Union.
Since 1960, Anna Ivanovna has been teaching at her native Higher Marine Engineering School. Very little is known about Shchetinina's personal life. She was getting married. It so happened that the husband and wife could not be around for a long time. It didn’t work to have children. All love and tenderness is given to the ocean. Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina died on September 25, 1999.
