The Solovetsky Sea Cadet School was founded

25 May 1942

May 25, 1942 the People's Commissar of the Navy, Admiral N. G. Kuznetsov signed a decree on the establishment of the Sea Cadet School on the Solovetsky Islands in the White Sea.

The fleet of the Soviet Union at that difficult time for the country was in dire need of qualified specialists: boatswains, steersmen, radio operators, mechanics, torpedo and artillery electricians, etc.

Back in September 1941, Leningrad was besieged, and at the same time began a fierce battle for Sevastopol. The situation in the Baltic and Black Seas was hard. Therefore, the training base for future and current military sailors of all Soviet Navies became a training detachment of the Northern Fleet, located on the Bolshoy Solovetsky Island in the White Sea.

It was on the basis of this training detachment that Solovetsky Sea Cadet school was formed. According to the official order, "in order to train future high-qualified professionals for the fleet, requiring extensive training ..." Cadets studied there 12 months, upon graduation they were sent to serve in the regular navy, where, upon coming of age, were enlisted in the personnel.

The school was not widely promoted in fear of too much enthusiasm among young boys, unauthorized escapes to the Navy. But many young people were engaged in the rear then: worked in factories, participated in extinguishing fires after a night of air raids, etc. Of course, there were many street children, orphaned by war or those who escaped from the occupied territories. Thus, under special instructions of the Central Committee of Komsomol, to the school were accepted young boys from Moscow and eight more regions. In total it was planned to recruit 1, 500 young men 14-15 years old having 6 – 7 years of classes.

Despite all the "secret" measures, there were many volunteers, the competition was quite high. Unfortunately, local authorities rather neglected the correct selection of candidates, so already at the assembly point in Arkhangelsk, and on arrival at Solovki, some teenagers were elminated for various reasons: because of lack of education or due to biometric aspects or poor health. In 1942, there event was an urgent extensive recruitment of candidates in Arkhangelsk and Molotovsk (today Severodvinsk). The biggest recruitment was the last, third one (in 1944-1945) – 1, 428 young men, and the smallest was the second (1943-1944) - 1, 300.

The hardest time had the first recruitment of sea cadets, since the school did not yet have any resource base, and the boys had to create it themselves: they renovated an old, dilapidated building of the church, stone building and the former wooden hotel for pilgrims in the village Savvatyevo, which was located a few kilometers from Solovetsky Kremlin. These buildings were allocated for educational buildings. As for accommodation, the boys had to live in mud huts, but those had to build yet, and until then they slept in tents, the rest of the time spent outdoors.

It should be noted that future sea cadets endured all trials. They fulfilled all the duties, strictly followed the regulations. They also studied diligently, despite the fact that sometimes there was only one textbook for all.

The school had wonderful teachers - they were experienced sailors, already having the experience of teaching. Among 65 teachers 27 had a university degree, 4 - incomplete higher education, 22 - special secondary education, 12 - secondary education. They had done a lot for the material equipment of the educational process: assembled and equipped radio equipment classes, classes of naval tools, maritime instruments, etc. But first of all they had trained three groups of graduates - highly qualified specialists for the Soviet Navy.

Besides studying naval science, a lot of attention was paid to general subjects and political training of cadets. Teachers constantly worked on the military-patriotic education of future sailors.

In spite difficulties of the everyday life and studies, the boys found time for sport and creativity. For example, in the summer of 1944, cadets in the competition with adults won championship in basketball, volleyball, discus throwing, javelin, running at 5 km. A concert under the motto "Leningrad", performed by sea cadets, was very popular at Solovetsky Islands.

Totally during 1942-1945 at the school of sea cadets were trained 4, 111 professionals: 946 wireless operators, 717 torpedo boats motormen, 534 surface ships electricians, 411 surface ships boatswains, 139 torpedo electricians, etc. Graduates brilliantly proved themselves in the regular navy. In his memoirs, sea cadet L. Pshenichko who after graduation served in the Danube fleet, writes: "The commander, having learned that we are good specialists, made us to train sailors who served on the ship and fought, but never studied." So, the boys 15-16 years old organized seamanship trainings for 30-40-year-old seamen.

Many graduates have been awarded military decorations, some, for heroism, received Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star, and one of them, Vladimir G. Moiseenko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for undermining eight Japanese pillboxes and bunkers. In addition to electrician V. Moiseenko this high rank was awarded to another 5 of Solovetsky sea cadets.

Sea cadets had distinguished themselves not only on the battlefield, but in a peaceful post-war life. Everybody knows the name of a graduate of the Solovetsky sea cadet school, the famous writer Valentin Pikul. One of his novels - "Boys with bows" - is dedicated exactly to this page of his biography. Vitaly Guzanov’s literary heritage is also closely connected with the history of the sea cadet school. Boris Shtokolov, People's Artist of the USSR, State Prize laureate, became a famous Soviet and Russian opera singer. Nikolai Osokin was promoted to captain of the first rank, and after retirement, headed the Solovetsky Sea Cadet School Museum of the Northern Fleet.

The memory of the Solovetsky sea cadet school remained not only in the literature. In 1974, took place the premiere of the film "A Cadet of the Northern Fleet" (directed by Vladimir Rogovoy), based on the stories from autobiographical books by V. Pikul and B. Guzanov.  There are monuments to Solovetsky sea cadets on the Bolshoi Solovetsky Island near the Solovetsky Kremlin, on the Northern Dvina embankment, near the Eternal Flame in Arkhangelsk, and on the Solovetsky Sea Cadet square in Moscow.

History of the Sea Cadet School of the Northern Sea fleet is one of many, but very striking and important pages in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Graduates of the school had made a valuable contribution to the victory, and their teachers had taught them a lot and brought up good war sailors.

 

Lit.: Борис Штоколов – великий русский бас и соловецкий юнга [Электронный ресурс] // Соловки энцклопедия. 1998-2016. URL: http://www.solovki.ca/navy_solovki/shtokolov.php; Гузанов В. Г. Соловецкие паруса. Мурманск, 1982; Он же. Юнги Северного Флота: Докум. Повесть и очерки. М., 1977; Ермак Е. В. Из истории школы юнг // СМ. Вестник. Периодическое издание Соловецкого государственного историко-архитектурного и природного музея-заповедника. 15 августа 2002 г.; История школы юнг: цифры и факты // СМ. Вестник. Периодическое издание Соловецкого государственного историко-архитектурного и природного музея-заповедника. 15 августа 2002 г.; Никитина Е. В. Соловки: Соловецкая школа юнг [Электронный ресурс] // Сервер «Заграница». Б. д. URL: http://world.lib.ru/n/nikitina_e_w/ssoolloovvkkii.shtml; Пикуль В. С. Мальчики с бантиками: повесть. Л., 1979; Соловецкая школа юнг военно-морского флота (1942-1945 гг.). Архангельск, 2002; Соловецкая школа юнг //Соловецкое море. 2006. Вып. 5. С. 49-60; Соловецкие юнги: мемуары / сост., ред. Ю. К. Комаров. М., 2005.

 

The material provided by the Lomonosov Humanitarian and Natural Scientce Library of the Northeen (Arctic) Federal University