 |
|  |
Sharapov Nikolai Sergeevich
|
One thousand year history of Russia has kept certificates about thousands of feats of its children from legendary hero Peresvet to heroes of Chechnya War. Books and series are being written and songs are being composed about them. Hero’s feat has become a sample for imitation and education of young people.
But there were such events in the history, when feats of the whole detachments, fighting selflessly up to the end, have been missed.
This year the 60th anniversary of the greatest victory over fascism will be marked. More and more time separates us from these events, fewer and fewer witnesses and participants of the war stay alive, and recollection goes with them.
But it mustn’t be so; only owing to these people we live and enjoy the independence and freedom now. In order not to let the recollection die, we decided to take a part in this competition. We read a lot of war books, watched a lot of films, we know about heroes, but when we visited for the first time our school museum, we found quite unknown surname there. We were eager to know who we was and the guide explained to us that it was Nikolay Sergeevich Sharypov, leaver of school #6, 2 times hero of the Soviet Union. Just then we decided to write down his memories about the war to keep these events alive.
Sharypov was born on the 15th of November (new style – 28) in 1915 and grew up in Archangelsk at Pomorskaya Street. He studied at school #6 (which was named at that time “seven-factory school”), and then in Solombala – at naval school (now it has the name of S.N. Oreshkov) to become an engine-diver and locksmith. After finishing school, Sharypov became a stoker at the icebreaker “Georgy Sedov” and became a member of a science expedition to the Arctic. These events took place in July 1937. Nikolay Sergeevich was the youngest among 15 participants of this expedition. But no one could ever suppose that this young man, risking his life would save the steamer and the whole team from death in the ice-floes. On 23rd of October “Georgy Sedov” was forced to stay for winter about the midnight on the 26th of the September in 1938 the ice-floes began to throw the ship down the right board. Opening of spare refrigerator has gone under the water. The damaged valve began leaking. At midnight right board heel reached 30o. With every taken ton of water the ship had been merging under the water. The ship continued sinking – it could not take the right position because of the thick ice platform along its bulk. While watching 3 hours wreck, during which the crew unsuccessfully tried to erect a ship.
During three-hour work tried to build a cement box and to pump out water. The inexperienced captain of “Georgy Sedov” K.S. Badigin was the organizer of this work. Every hour 25-30 tons of water were acted on board but only 10 tons were pumped out.
On 27 September 1938 at 2 a.m., mechanic Nikolai Sharypov and mechanic Sergei Tokarev went down the ice to find out the hole on board on depth of 1.5 meters and tried to caulk it up.
They were in the ice water for 20 minutes at temperature 12 degrees below zero, by the way Sharypov had to dive into water. By self-denying actions they rescued “Geo9rgy Sedov” and all people on it. For this heroic act Nikolai Sergeevich was awarded the title of the hero of the Soviet Union for heroic deed in peace time.
But it wasn’t his last deed. He took an active part in the years of the Great Patriotic War. First, he served as a seaman in the North navy, on cargo ships, and then on military ships. In 1942 he took part in the battle foe Stalingrad with two battalions of seamen. Thanks to the heroic deeds of the sailors the 62nd army’s tasks were fulfilled and the German plants were destroyed. The Navy was the only one of the all armed forces of the country, which met the first day of the war fully armed. The strategic actions of the Soviet Army in the fights for Stalingrad lasted from November 19, 1942 until February 2 1943.
The historical meaning of this battle is great. It was such a blow, which crushed the whole German army. The strategic initiative was in the hands of the Soviet Army. These fights of the Red Army made a great contribution to the victory of our country in the Great Patriotic War.
Nikolai Sharypov was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War and Order of the Red Star for the showed courage. During the campaign, he revealed great boldness and savvy.
And so this long awaited day of the Victory came!
9th of May – the day of great people, great victories and great fame!
9th of May – you stood up to the fire and to the attack,
9th of May – free will and the hope to your heart are bloody stuck!
On the 9th of May the Fatherland was saved!
Thank you for the great heroic deed you’ve made!
After the war people are capable of making heroic deeds. This is proved by the event, which happened with Nikolay Sergeevich in 1966. He was badly injured saving the builders. At that time, he worked at the construction site in Moscow. When the crane was lifting a concrete slab to the assembly ground, one of the slings jumped off and was broken, and the slab began to fall on the builders. He noticed it and rushed towards it to block the people. After this accident, he had his leg amputated, but people’s loves were saved.
But we were not satisfied with this information and decided to find materials that would help us to know more about Sharypov. We turned to the captain Boris Korotyaev who knew Sharypov personally not only as a hero but as a friend too. In 2005 on the 24th of January the headmaster of our gymnasium received a letter from Boris Korotyaev, in which he laid out his reminiscences: “In June 1945 I was sent to one of the largest and newest ship of Northern Shipping Company “Dixon”. Sharypov took part in transportation of army forces and machinery to Stalingrad. Sharypov took part in these expeditions too.
So I met the hero of Sedov ship for the first time. Nikolay Sharypov was a machinist, and I was in a deck crew. There were voyages to Arctic, and at the end of 1945 all ships of Northern Shipping Company sailed abroad at the first time without escorts, guard and it was very dangerous.
I thought about Nikolay Sharypov like modest, sociable person. He was very respectable on the ship. We asked him to tell us about those days of drifting, and he spoke about it very interesting and modestly. He wore full regalia very seldom. I was at the reception twice, and “the star of the hero” was modestly shining on his chest.
In summer in 1946 I knew that he was moved to “Stalinabad” ship.
Many years ago, I knew that he lived in Moscow. Seamen what had been sailing with him visited him and always got cordial reception. He was interested in how Archangelsk people lived, sent his regards.
I still remember this well-deserved polar seaman, looking through my archives, because I devoted all my life to navy too: from a young sailor to a captain of long voyage.
K.S. Badigin in his book “Na morskih dorogah” (“On the See Ways”) names Nikolay Sergeevich a splendid inventor, Jack-of-all-trades, a brave person. Sharypov told us that the most dangerous event in his life was diving under “Sedov”, because ices could join together and he could sink or just not emerge.”
The stamp issued in April of 1949, is famous not only for the representing of 15 heroes of the Soviet Union. It’s because the only stamp, out of the 6380, issued for the Soviet time, where Nikolay Sergeevich Sharypov has been depicted. This native from Archangelsk was the youngest Hero of the Soviet Union awarded by the highest title of the Hero for the civil deeds. He was only 24 years old having got such an Order.
We don’t know much about this hero. The main facts about his deeds are memoirs of his friends. His deeds were brave and self-sacrificing but he didn’t say a lot about them. When we remember the heroes, we imagine very strong, brave people who are ready for self-sacrifice. Thinking about the deeds we ask ourselves: “What were they performed for?” And we get the answer: “It is a gust of soul and heart which does not depend on sense and thought.”
In our notion a hero is a human, who performed heroic deeds, as a true patriot of his country. Everyone has to strive for being a real patriot to become a worthy citizen. And even if heroes are not perfect sometimes, but they have pure souls and hearts of gold.
|  |
|
