On June 26, 2009, a significant event occurred among the maritime border guards - in St. Petersburg, at the Almaz shipbuilding company, a new generation border patrol ship "Rubin" (project 22460), built specifically for the Border Service of the FSB of Russia, was launched. On November 13 of the same year, its state tests were successfully completed and after the signing of the acceptance certificate, on May 12, 2010, the ship was accepted into the Black Sea-Azov Border Guard Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation.

PSKR "Rubin" is designed to protect the state border, territorial waters, continental shelf, carry out emergency rescue operations, as well as environmental control and liquidation of the consequences of natural disasters. A ship of this class is capable of fighting terrorism and maritime piracy. Officially, it belongs to the border (patrol) patrol ships of the territorial sea of ​​the second rank.

The high pace of ship construction (from September 2007 to November 2009) was ensured largely due to the high quality of technical documentation developed by the Severnoye PKB design organization, where the FORAN three-dimensional design system is widely used (actively used in surface combat ship projects since 1998 ). Until this time, there were no analogues to this new generation ship in Russia. One of the main features of the Rubin PSKR is the presence on board of a take-off and landing pad for a light helicopter, for which a hangar can be equipped. And all this was able to be placed on a ship with a displacement of less than 700 tons. On the Swedish corvette Visby of a similar displacement, which until recently was considered the smallest warship with a helicopter on board, there is no hangar - only a helipad.

Another important feature is the presence in the stern of an inclined slipway, on which a high-speed rigidly inflated boat can be installed, intended, for example, for quickly delivering an inspection party to an intruder vessel. Both a search helicopter and 2 boats on board significantly expand the capabilities of this relatively small ship.

The ships of this project have a high level of modernization resource, and the use of electronic 3D modeling technologies, starting from the earliest stages of design, ensured rational placement of mechanisms and systems in the hull and high maintainability. If we talk about the external appearance of the ship, then its modern architecture is striking, corresponding to the “stealth” technology with a maximum reduction in visibility in all radiation ranges and a decrease in the levels of physical fields.

Taking into account the difficult climatic conditions of Russia in various regions, from Kamchatka to the Caspian and Baltic, the ship is designed so that it can be operated even in broken ice up to 20 centimeters thick.

Armament consists of one six-barreled 30 mm AK-630 automatic artillery mount and two 12.7 mm machine guns. If necessary (for example, mobilization in wartime), the ship is equipped with Uran anti-ship missile launchers with a firing range of up to 130 km.

Sea trials showed the ship's good seaworthiness. It is equipped with one of the best main engines in its class from MTU (Germany). This, along with the optimal contours of the hull, allows the PSKR "Rubin" to maintain a fairly high speed for a long time - about 25 knots with waves up to 4-5 points. In calm water the ship reaches speeds of up to 30 knots. The ship's run from full speed to "stop" was about 250 meters, and the transition time from full forward to full reverse was only 90 seconds.

Controllability also fully meets customer requirements. The circulation diameter was 4.5 hull lengths at full speed, and the time for a full turn (360 degrees) using a thruster was no more than a minute. At low speeds (up to 5 knots), the ship is controlled using a “joystick” and allows you to stay at a given point, which is very important during inspection and rescue operations.

A very important advantage is the high level of automation. The modern TRIMS bridge system made it possible to bring the level of automation to class A1, which made it possible to reduce the number of crew members keeping a constant watch in the pilothouse to three. At the same time, all systems and mechanisms of the ship are controlled, which requires a high level of professionalism of each crew member.

PSKR "Rubin" has comfortable living conditions - there is even a sauna with a swimming pool. The entire crew is accommodated in comfortable block cabins. All cabins have modern ergonomic furniture, individual bathrooms with showers, round-the-clock provision of hot water and air conditioning. There is a video surveillance system that allows you to record any movements both inside the ship and conduct external surveillance, including the approach and landing of a helicopter.

The ships developed at the Northern Design Bureau have long been familiar to our maritime border guards. Back in 1983–1990, the naval units of the border troops of the KGB of the USSR included PSKR project 11351 (code “Nereus”), created to protect the 200-mile economic zone on the basis of the patrol ship of project 1135. Due to the abandonment of the anti-submarine missile system, it was possible to place a hangar with the permanent deployment of the Ka-27PS search and rescue helicopter. The ships turned out to be very successful: highly seaworthy, with strong weapons, capable of serving in almost any weather conditions. The new generation PSKR of Project 22460 will primarily protect the territorial waters of Russia.

The tradition of naming border ships “after” precious stones, which arose in our country at the beginning of the 20th century, was continued after the Great Patriotic War. Thus, in the mid-1970s, a series of ships of Project 1124P - “Emerald”, “Brilliant”, “Pearl”, “Ruby”, “Amethyst”, “Sapphire” - were built especially for the Marine units of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR. When the question arose of what to name the new ship of the reviving border fleet, it was decided to continue the glorious tradition.

Since 2010, the Rubin PSKR has been serving in the Black Sea and took part in ensuring the security of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. According to available data, the PS FSB of the Russian Federation plans to build up to 30 ships of this project. After the lead "Ruby", the PSKR "Brilliant" (summer 2012) and "Pearl" (autumn 2012) have already entered service, followed by "Emerald" and "Amethyst", and in the fall of 2014 "Sapphire" was launched ", four more ships are being built, and orders have been placed for three new PSKRs.

Both the developers and builders of the ship are confident that Rubin and subsequent ships of Project 22460 will bear their glorious names with honor.

Project 22460 ship construction cycle

While the fierce liberal howl about the detention of three Ukrainian Navy ships fills the network and is broadcast from TV channels, it is becoming increasingly difficult to watch. Especially if you are a more or less educated person for whom the concepts of “Coast Guard”, “Black Sea Fleet”, etc. - not an empty phrase, but very concrete things. It’s no secret that this was used by everyone to their advantage (except Russia, of course).

For the President, Square is a chance to cancel the elections or at least postpone them, for the West - to extend the next package of sanctions, for the home-grown opposition - another reason to throw mud at the Motherland, using the same method: “Putin is losing his rating”, and get their 30 pieces of silver from their Western owners.

At the very beginning, the information space of Ukraine was filled with a trend about an attempt to “heroically break the blockade of Azov.” Which is quite understandable. More recently, Roman Mokryak, the commander of the Berdyansk, one of the armored artillery tanks of the Gyurza-M type, was ranting about “wolf packs” that supposedly could destroy the enemy with their numbers. Well, isn't he a hero? Ukrainian “naval commanders” were probably already digging holes for medals. But…

Later it would turn out that after the very first shots were fired at Berdyansk, Mokryak immediately stopped, surrendered and even began asking the “damned Muscovites” for help for the three wounded. Apparently, having assumed this possibility from the very beginning and expecting that the “heroes of Ukraine” they praised would turn out to be wet hens in practice, the “undead” soon changed the trend to Yaroslavna’s lament for the tiny ships attacked by the “Russian fleet.”

"The boys are making noise, so that's how it happened"

And the thicker the layer of mournful snot became, the more impressive the enemy Russian ships became. When their scale was comparable to a dreadnought, it seemed unfair to the author that the saga of the Nibelungs was being forged about the Gyurza-M tanks, but not a word was said about the true heroes. At the same time, “heroes” is not an exaggeration, because... the Kerch crabs that pseudo-ecologists were shouting about would now be feasting on Ukrainian sailors if it weren’t for the professionalism of our guys. But they could well have lost their nerves, because, judging by the detailed information of the Russian FSB (posted on the service’s website), Ukrainian Navy vessels tested the strength of the character of our sailors for several hours in a row.

So. Firstly, the Russian fleet, which supposedly unleashed all its might on the “unfortunate boats” that were sailing with uncovered weapons, like lambs of God, initially did not show up at all for the historical battle. The small anti-submarine ship "Suzdalets", which, ironically, left the stocks of the "Lenin Forge" (now the plant is owned by Poroshenko) in Kyiv in 1983, i.e. from the stocks of the same plant as the Gyurza-M type boats, was involved at the very end of the epic “battle”. And only in order to observe the actions of the already stopped Nikopol.

The main characters in this drama were PSKR “Don” and PSKR “Izumrud”, related to the coast guard of the border service, i.e. to the FSB, not the fleet. They were supported by boats of the Sobol and Mongoose type. But the first violin was played, of course, by the PSKR.

Let's start with the veteran, i.e. border patrol ship "Don". "Don" was launched from the stocks of the Yaroslavl shipyard more than 20 years ago, in August 1996, and was built according to project 745P. This project was a continuation of the series of Project 745 sea tugs from the 70s and was modernized specifically for the needs of the Border Troops of the KGB of the USSR. On the basis of this project, however, both rescue ships and experimental ships were built. In total, about 20 ships were produced under Project 745P. All of them were launched at two shipyards - Yaroslavl and Zelenodolsk. Their operation showed that the project was successful. The ships had good seaworthiness and could also operate in difficult ice conditions. The author finds this very ironic, because it was the “Don” that made a pile-up on the tugboat “Yana Kapu”. Even now, the product package of the Zelenodolsk plant includes a descendant of the 745 series - the 745MB sea tug.

The ship "Don" has the following factory performance characteristics:

Total displacement 1620 tons;

Length 56.5 m, beam 12.6 m, draft 4.6 m;
- full speed 13 knots;
- cruising range at full speed is 6,700 miles, at economical speed - 8,000 miles;
- autonomy from 30 to 40 days;
- power plant: 2x1500 hp, electric motors PG-950, 2 diesel generators 25DV-2 1100 kW each, 2 diesel generators 300 kW each, 2 diesel generators 100 kW each;
- the armament consists of 30-mm six-barrel automatic ship artillery mounts AK-306 (they can be easily seen right in front of the wheelhouse).

“Don” is also equipped with a navigation radar station of the same name. The crew consists of 47 people, including 6 officers and 4 midshipmen.

Construction of the Don, founded on December 18, 1991, was extremely difficult. The political turmoil, which paranoidly argued against the interests of the state, no longer saw the point in a reliable military shield, and therefore the coast guard ships seemed unnecessary. But despite the nonsense of the liberals of the 90s, “Don” was still completed. And the difficult guard duty began.

At first, “Don” guarded the tranquility of our shores on the Caspian Sea (until October 2013). Afterwards, the ship was transferred to the Black Sea with a base in Novorossiysk, therefore, in the author’s native bay, the silhouette of the “Don” was, so to speak, its own. After the return of Crimea, “Don” settled in Sevastopol Bay.

The second hero of the tragicomedy (although Poroshenko can turn everything into a tragedy) with the Ukrainians’ breakthrough into Azov, PSKR “Izumrud”, unlike his comrade, looks like a modern, muscular athlete. "Izumrud" was built according to project 22460 type "Hunter".

This project, coded “Rubin” (the name is similar to the name of the lead ship of the series), was developed at the Northern Design Bureau. The ships of this project have increased seaworthiness and are capable of operating in sea conditions up to 6 points (wave height reaches 5-6 meters). And again, ironically, even during the design, the bureau introduced a number of features - it is possible to use ships of this type in various regions of the world, both in equatorial waters and in the north, in conditions of thin and broken ice. But most importantly, the project also included the possibility of completing the assigned task even after a collision with an intruder vessel, i.e. use of bulk.

PSKR “Emerald”, part of a series that received the unofficial name “Precious Stones” (“Ruby”, “Diamond”, “Amethyst”, “Sapphire”, etc.), was laid down on September 21, 2012 at the Almaz shipyard » in St. Petersburg. On August 14, 2013, the ship with serial number 504 was launched, and on June 27, 2014, the flag was raised on the ship, and the Izumrud was handed over to the FSB. In July of the same year, the PSKR "Izumrud" began moving along inland waterways to the Black Sea, where it became part of the Black Sea-Azov Border Directorate of the Coast Guard of the FSB of Russia in Crimea, based in Balaklava.

The ship "Izumrud" has the following factory performance characteristics:

Displacement about 670 tons;
- length 62.5 m, width 11 m, draft 2.6-3.3 m;
- full speed 25 knots;
- cruising range at an economical speed of 8 knots - 3500 miles;
- autonomy up to 30 days;
- power plant: diesel engines with a power of 11520 kW (in this case, a real epic happened with the project - at first it was planned to install 4 German MTU 16V4000M73L, but in 2015 Germany broke the contract, and it was decided to supply Chinese engines to the ships);
- the armament consists of a 30-mm AK-630M automatic artillery mount, two 12.7-mm Kord heavy machine guns or a 14.5-mm MTPU.

The designer also envisioned the use of eight Igla MANPADS as anti-aircraft weapons. Aircraft weapons are also provided. For this purpose, in the stern there is a take-off and landing pad for the Ka-226 light helicopter or for a UAV. One way or another, in addition to the Emerald, 12 more ships of this project have been built at the moment, not counting those laid down. All of them were built at two shipyards - Almaz and Vostochnaya Verf JSC.

But, alas, in the end, the information network contains only an overflow of empty populism. The author, of course, was not surprised by the gloating of home-grown oppositionists in view of the raised information wave. I was not surprised by the schadenfreude about the damage allegedly received by our ships, which is quite real, because pile-on is an extremely dangerous and complex technique. And it’s not at all surprising that the criticism of the sailors erupts from the throats of sofa-fat lampooners, who begin to feel seasick at the mere sight of the ship.

What is really disappointing is that the authorities did not announce commensurate rewards for the captains and crews of the ships that participated in the operation to prevent illegal border crossings. The author hopes that this is a consequence of the specifics of the Coast Guard service, which is part of the FSB. After all, it will be a shame if the real work of people, useful for the state, is not recognized, and the next package of awards goes to some bohemian clown who is coming out of a binge solely in order not to breathe fumes on the president.

A scarlet wreath of artificial flowers swings on a raft on a sharp leaden-blue swell. In the autumn season, you can no longer find real flowers in these harsh regions... 76°09"02" north latitude, 87°47" east longitude - “coordinates of glory.” Passing this point in space, every ship flying the Russian flag is obliged to stop move, line up the crew on the quarterdeck, lay a wreath on the water and lower the flag to the middle of the topmast - in memory of the sailors who have been resting under these waves for the eighth decade...

In the fall of '44, a modest border guard with tail number 29 - "Diamond" - heroically died here in a battle with the enemy.

Photo. “Wreath of Glory” on the waters of the Arctic.

The lines of the technical form, yellowed with time, are strict and brief: “The border patrol ship SKR-29 “Brilliant”, built according to the design of a basic minesweeper, is the second ship in a series of four units built at shipyard No. 190 in Leningrad for the naval units of the border guard of the NKVD troops . Laid down on October 19, 1934, launched on November 15, 1935, accepted into active service on December 18, 1936. On June 6, 1937, as a PSKR, he became part of the 1st patrol detachment of the Border Guard of the NKVD maritime border detachment in Murmansk. The ship's commander is captain-lieutenant B. Chernyshev...

From the memoirs of retired captain 1st rank B.I. Chernyshev:
- I accepted the Diamond in January 1938. It was built by our wonderful Komsomol members, and it was listed as such - a youth ship... It was a well-armed, high-speed ship of the BTShch type for that time. A raised forecastle, providing good seaworthiness for the modest size of the ship, a flat poop, spreading low over the water. On the forecastle there is a gun with a long barrel - a universal rapid-fire “weaving”, in addition, three 37-mm machine guns and six machine guns... Not enough, it seems? But it’s quite enough for the border service; after all, we can’t fight battleships if anything happens. Navigation equipment was modern for those years: a gyrocompass, the latest radio direction finder, an electrolag. Electric steering... Wonderful ship!

Photo. SKR-29 "Diamond" at the pier in Yokanga.

The first war for the Diamond, manned by a Komsomol crew, was the Finnish one. The tasks of the patrol ship are to guide transport convoys along sea communications, anti-submarine and air defense of naval formations, patrolling territorial waters... Thanks to the shallow draft of the minesweeper, the Diamond even took part in the landing operation in Liinakhamari. He came almost close to the shore, took a position between two treacherous rocky shoals - where larger ships could not turn - and with artillery fire cleared a bridgehead from the enemy for the landing of marines...

Photo. At full speed - to the shore occupied by the enemy...

The Diamond was almost the first of the entire fleet to enter the battle with the Nazi Air Force. On May 30, 1941, the patrolman carried out routine border guard duty in the area of ​​Orloak Bay. The sea was deserted, low cumulus clouds were spreading over the horizon, a thunderstorm was gathering... At 20:25, an observer on the bridge of the Diamond noticed a winged shadow falling out of a thick thundercloud ahead of them... An airplane! The pilot did not respond to signals that his course was violating the state border, and without hesitation, he invaded the airspace of the USSR. Combat instructions order in such cases to fire a warning shot - and “Brilliant” unsheathed its anti-aircraft guns...

And the plane, carefully turning around... went into a dive. And the ringing shot of a machine gun burst splashed across the superstructures! There's no time for warnings! Having transmitted a message to the base about a provocative attack, the Diamond opened defensive anti-aircraft fire. He didn’t shoot down the German, but he forced him to turn away from the combat course.

That day, during a combat patrol, the patrolman was subjected to attempted demonstrative air attacks twice more. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the crew. The reader could probably ask the question why the malicious air gunner was not simply destroyed... But war had not yet been declared, the Non-Aggression Pact was in force between the USSR and Germany, and the maritime border guards were restrained by a strict order not to succumb to provocations. To shoot down someone else's plane, even over your own territorial waters, is obviously to run the risk of acting as the instigator of hostilities that were not previously included in the plans of the High Command.

Photo. The patrol aircraft "Groza", which also patrolled the state border in May 1941.

The morning of June 22, 1941 met the Diamond in its home port. At 3:50 a.m. the combat alarm sounded: hiding behind a foggy haze, a wave of German bombers was heading towards the city...

One of them was never able to break through either to the ships stationed in the roadstead or to the residential areas of the town spread out on basalt rocks - it collapsed, howling with a crippled engine, into the sea under the fire of a 37-mm Brilliant anti-aircraft gun. For the first victory over the enemy, won 10 minutes after the sudden invasion, the anti-aircraft gunners of the patrol were presented with medals.

From the memoirs of the former commander of the patrol detachment, retired rear admiral A.I. Dianova:
- At the beginning of the war, there were few patrol ships in the Northern Fleet, and this placed great responsibility on the border ships, since they could successfully perform the functions of anti-submarine ships. Therefore, the main burden of service in combat patrol, in searching for submarines, guarding and escorting allied convoys fell on them. Suffice it to recall that in 1941 alone we destroyed seven enemy submarines and ten aircraft. And here I would especially like to mention the crew of the Diamond. On July 12, 1941, when the Diamond was guarding a transport convoy, at 19:48, observers discovered a breaker around the submarine’s periscope. The guard rushed towards him at full speed. The boat, sensing a threat, immediately sank. "Brilliant" began to jam it with depth charges - in areas. As soon as the first series of bombs was dropped, oil stains appeared on the surface of the water, some debris and debris floated... Did it really hit the first time? But German submariners sometimes cheated - they dumped the contents of a garbage can through a torpedo tube, seasoned with a certain dose of used lubricant. The enemy will see a vile spot on the water, decide that the boat is lost, and will leave it alone, and she, the infection, meanwhile lies alive at the bottom, preparing for a new breakthrough to the convoy. But “Brilliant” went for a second pass! After the second series of bombs were dropped, a strong underwater explosion occurred and several bodies of dead German sailors were thrown to the surface. Now the boat was definitely finished. The Military Council of the Northern Fleet expressed gratitude to the crew of the SKR-29.

Photo. A patrol boat fires at the submarine's dive site with a Hedgehog-type bomb launcher.

The second submarine "Brilliant" was sunk on July 14, 1941, when, together with her partner, the same border guard, "Pearl" she was escorting a caravan of transports in the area of ​​Savikha Bay. The German submarine tracked the convoy and tried to attack from a semi-surface position, but the patrolmen forced it to dive with artillery fire. If you don't want a 100mm shell in the wheelhouse, you'll dive in! And then - work for the acousticians... Having approximately determined the position of the hidden boat, the ships passed directly over it and bombed. The depth was not great, and the explosion was so strong that the boat, literally torn in half, was thrown piece by piece to the surface.

Photo. The German submarine of the seventh series is a threat to transport convoys.

The capture of Murmansk could provide German troops with strategic dominance in the region and guaranteed to deprive the Soviet Union of contacts with British allies. Therefore, on July 17, 1941, the fascist mountain ranger divisions began a desperate offensive along the Pechenga-Murmansk road. A day later, the border ships “Brilliant”, “Smerch” and “Iceberg” came to support our troops defending the islands of Sredny and Rybachy. They fired at the enemy for six hours, suppressed several artillery and mortar batteries, and covered a large concentration of infantry. The attacks of the fascists who tried to break through the Musta-Tunturi ridge were repulsed. Supported by naval artillery fire, units of the Red Army stopped the further advance of the enemy and thwarted plans to storm the city.

Photo. The SKR-23 Rubin is the same type as the Brilliant.

But the naval detachment, already returning to Yokanga Bay, unexpectedly came under a massive air attack. About forty German bombers attacked the flotilla. "Smerch" and "Iceberg" managed to retreat into the fog. But “Brilliant” hesitated a little - and the full power of the German attack went to him...

From the logbook of the SKR-29 “Brilliant”:
Attacked by enemy bombers. They dive three at a time, in front. They dropped several bombs. One bomb exploded at the bow, 50 meters away, the second at 40 meters, the third at the rear at the stern, 70 meters away. Due to strong nearby explosions, the deck was covered with water, fragments and dirt from the bottom... Due to a hydrodynamic shock at a close rupture, a leak opened in the drinking water lines. Wave after wave of planes attack. I am conducting hurricane fire from guns and DShK. Ammunition is running low...

Photo. Lieutenant Makhonkov - the future commander of the Diamond with a group of officers - naval border guards.

He had enough ammunition for two hours of continuous anti-aircraft fire. During this time, eight massive air attacks were repelled, and one Junkers was shot down. The nimble and maneuverable patrol ship survived the unprecedented raid even without any casualties in the crew, and after 4 days of repairs it was ready for new battles.

Standing at anchor in the Iokangsky roadstead, he somehow missed a flight of Junkers, which came from the low northern sun and suddenly fell on the patrol boat with bombs... Two bombs exploded right at the side, opened the hull, riddled the unarmored tank with a whirlwind of hot fragments ... A fire broke out on deck, which the crew put out until the last minute. Before the order to leave the sinking ship given by the commander, Lieutenant A. Kosmenyuk. Political instructor of “Brilliant” Pavel Ponomarenko, who led the fight for survivability, did not have time to carry out this order...

From the order for the fleet:
“On September 23, 1943, the assistant commander for political affairs of the patrol ship SKR-29 “Brilliant”, senior political instructor Pavel Vasilyevich Ponomarenko, who heroically died along with the ship during an enemy air raid on the Yokanga naval base on May 12, 1942, was forever included in the list of personnel of the Yokanga naval base. "

For bravery and courage in this battle, government awards were awarded to the crew members of the Diamond: senior lieutenant Dobrik, lieutenant Gavrilov, foreman 1st class Volkov, Red Navy men Galtsov, Kochnev and many others...

Photo. The SKR-29 “Diamond” lifebuoy is now on display at the Museum of Arctic Exploration and the Northern Sea Route in St. Petersburg.

It would seem that this is the end of the biography of the brave “Diamond”. But the shallow depths at the site of the sinking and the acute shortage of small escort ships in the theater of operations forced the Northern Fleet command to think about trying to raise the ship. The fleet's diving expedition spent four months sealing the Diamond's hull at the bottom. In addition to two major bomb damages in the skin of the SKR-29, divers counted ... more than 800 fragmentation holes.

And yet it was raised, towed with water drains to the Arkhangelsk shipyard and restored for new battles with the enemy. In the fall of 1944, the patrol ship, revived to life, came to the Laptev Sea to participate in the protection of transport convoys on this section of the Northern Sea Route.

It’s a long way through the northern waters from the Vilkitsky Strait to the icy Dikson. On September 22, 1944, a transport convoy with a load of ammunition and food for the front left the Laptev Sea along this route. There were seven guards guarding the convoy. Ahead of the caravan, four minesweepers were combing the waves from mines. The Diamond was commanded by Senior Lieutenant M. Makhonkov, who took delivery of the ship recently - still under repair.

It was September 23rd, deep northern midnight. At 1 hour 13 minutes in the morning, the Diamond's observation watch noticed a thin steel periscope rod in the black water, framed by an elongated ring of white foam. And above the teeth of the cold swell, the reflection of a lens dimly sparkled in the light of a powerful spotlight... A boat! Diamond raised the alarm.

At the first sounds of a howler, breaking the sensitive silence, the boat dived. Security ships surrounded the transports in a tight ring, uncovering artillery barrels and preparing sets of depth charges for dropping. Searchlight beams flickered across the waves...

Suddenly, to the left along the course of the Diamond, under a layer of lead-black water, a silver path appeared - the trace of a torpedo. The deadly German "cigar" was heading straight for the transport "Revolutionary" - one of the largest ships in the convoy, on board of which the caravan headquarters was located. Another moment - and the steel "fish" would break into the high black side, a deafening explosion would crush the bulkheads, letting in cold the sea inside the dying ship, and the gigantic - compared to the tiny patrol ship - ship will collapse in a list...

Photo. Transport ships awaiting unloading.

Full speed ahead! - Senior Lieutenant Makhonkov briefly threw into the ear cushion of the speaking pipe and jerked the handle of the machine telegraph...

The torpedo explosion seemed to split the low night sky in two. An orange glow blazed above the masts. A huge column of water stood at the side of the "Revolutionary" and fell, showering the deck with icy splashes...

When silence reigned over the sea again, the Diamond was no longer on the surface.

Photo. Document about the death of Senior Lieutenant Makhonkov.

From the memoirs of retired captain 1st rank B. Valinsky, commander of the SKR-23 “Rubin”, participant in the convoy operation:
- When we approached the site of the death of SKR-29, we saw a large solar stain on the water, two boats torn from the rostrum and flooded with water, several cork mattresses and wooden fragments. There were no people... Apparently, the torpedo hit the patrol ship in the area where the diesel engines were located, and its death was instantaneous; none of the crew had time to escape. At the final debriefing of the campaign regarding the death of the Diamond, all officers expressed a unanimous opinion: Makhonkov, noticing the trail of a torpedo aimed at the transport, blocked its path with the side of his ship. Possessing good maneuverability and a large reserve of speed compared to that of the transport column itself, the Diamond could easily evade the torpedo, but then it would hit the transport with cargo for the front... And the communist Makhonkov made the only decision...

Later it turned out that one sailor from the Diamond still survived this battle. Signalman Alexey Stakhanov, the namesake of the famous miner originally from Kursk, was wounded during the explosion and thrown overboard by the blast wave. In the darkness, other patrolmen did not find him, and holding on to a piece of deck board, the Red Navy sailor Stakhanov swam more than 100 kilometers - to the deserted shore of Taimyr Island. Here the sailor’s strength left him, and he was no longer able to reach the island’s weather station - he died from loss of blood and fatigue on a narrow path, lost between the cold rocks. His remains were found by a hydrograph expedition only in 1961.

Photo. Lists of casualties of the SKR-29 “Brilliant” crew personnel.

In 1985, at the Mosfilm studio, director Rudolf Fruntov, based on a script by Alexei German, shot the film “Once Upon a Brave Captain,” one of the main “heroes” of which was the border guard patrolman SKR-29 “Memory of Ruslan,” in which the minesweeper BT-820 starred. . The fate of “The Diamond” served as material for the “biography” of the film character.

Photo. The minesweeper is a participant in the filming.

Nowadays the name “Diamond” is borne by the newest coast guard ship - already the fourth in this glorious family...

Photo. Heir to a glorious name.

TACTICAL AND TECHNICAL DATA PSKR-29 “DIAMOND”
- Maximum length, m. . 67.5
- Width, m...... 7.3
- Draft, m...... 2.2
- Displacement, i.e. . 600/1000
- Speed, knots...... 16.8
- Diesel power, l. With. . 2Х1100
- Crew, people. ....... 68
- Weapons:
-- artillery - 1 102 mm gun, 3 37 mm anti-aircraft naval guns, 2 12.7 mm machine guns on turrets;
-- mine: rails and stern ramp;
-- bomb: 2 tray bomb releasers, 2 bomb throwers;
-- chemical: 6 marine large smoke bombs (MBDS) in baskets.

Photo. Bench model of SKR-29 "Diamond".