Sergei Georgievich Gorshkov is an outstanding Soviet military leader, naval commander. Creator of the first Russian nuclear missile fleet. Winner of the Lenin and State Prizes, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
Biography
The future military leader was born in February 1910 on the twenty-sixth in the small Ukrainian town of Kamenets-Podolsky. When he was barely two years old, the family moved to the city of Kolomna. Sergei's parents were teachers and paid great attention to their son's education. After successfully graduating from high school, at the insistence of his family, he entered the university to study physics and mathematics. But Sergei did not go to university, and less than a year later he left the university.
Military career
Gorshkov dropped out of university in 1927. In October of the same year, he joined the army, where he began to build his career. After service, he entered the St. Petersburg Naval School. In 1931 he successfully completed his studies and went to serve in the Azov Sea fleet. In November, he was promoted to chief of watch on the destroyer Frunze. Two months later, he was again promoted to navigator.
In the spring of 1932, the command decided to transfer a promising military man to the Pacific Fleet. By November 1934, Gorshkov had risen to the rank of commander and headed the patrol ship Burun. In 1937 he took courses for the training and qualifications of ship commanders. In October he was appointed chief of staff.
In May of the following year, he led a combat destroyer brigade in the Pacific Fleet. In the summer, his brigade took part in the battles with the Japanese at Lake Hasan. In 1940, Gorshkov was sent to the Black Sea Fleet, where he led a brigade of cruisers.
The Great Patriotic War
Gorshkov took part in the war from the very beginning. His brigade was responsible for the Black Sea and adjacent shores. In August, he distinguished himself for the first time as an outstanding military leader in the defense of Odessa. In October, he was appointed commander of the Azov fleet. In November 1942, he was acting commander of the 47th Army. This is the only time in the entire war that a naval officer commanded a ground force.
In early 1943 he returned to the post of commander of the Azov fleet. Provided maximum assistance to the ground forces in the Donbass operation. In April 1944, Gorshkov was transferred to the Danube Flotilla, where he took part in offensive operations. At the end of the year, the talented military leader was removed from office and sent back to the Black Sea, where he met the end of the war.
Post-war life and death
After the war, Gorshkov commanded the Black Sea squadron for several more years. In 1948 he was appointed commander of the headquarters. In January 1956, he was appointed to the highest post - Commander of the Soviet Navy, where he remained until 1985. He devoted much less time to his personal life than to work. The famous admiral died in May 1988, when he was 78 years old, and nine years later his wife Zinaida passed away and was buried next to her husband.
