SEPTEMBER- OCTOBER, 1998, military parade magazine N5 (29)

The Smithy of Russian Fleet Engineers

Kudryavtsev Victor Fedorovich - Vice-Admiral (Ret.), headed the Dzerzhinsky Higher Naval Engineering School (Saint - Petersburg Naval Engineering Institute), in 1979 – 1988

In its 200 years history, the School gone through a complex way of transformations and become the first class smithy of the officer engineering staff, preparing experts on military shipbuilding, nuclear power and complex control systems of technical aspects of the ship.

The Russian seamen have entered many bright pages in the development of a naval science, technical equipment and shipbuilding and among them, the special place is occupied by pupils of the specialized naval engineering educational institution, the first in the world's history.

Its history began in August 31, 1798. On this day under the command of Emperor Peter the Great, the Naval Architecture School was established. The first school graduation made only seven specialists who were honoured at the presence of the tsar’s court. In 1898, in honour of the 100th anniversary and merits before the fleet, it was renamed to the Naval Engineering School of Emperor Nikolay II. The School is the only thing from all military educational institutions of Russia which has not been closed within revolution and civil war. Nowadays it is glorified, one of the oldest educational institutions of the country Saint - Petersburg Naval Engineering Institute. The engineering staff for the Naval Fleet of the Russian Federation had been preparing for two centuries. There were no other institutes in Russia as yet, but on the building berths, the ships were already constructed under projects of pupils of the school - A.A.Popov, I.J.Osminin, M.M.Okunev and N.N.Berzhanov. The school graduate, I.A. Amosov , the first of the Russians has applied the propeller screw at construction of vessels, H.V.Prokhorov has constructed the first country battleship, the first Russian fighting submarine the "Dolphin" (designer I.G.Bubnov), the first country nuclear submarine (V.N.Peregudov), the first Soviet rockets (V.V. Rasumov), a priority of electric welding introduction in shipbuilding (V.P.Vologdin) - these and many other design decisions are connected to names of pupils of the Oldest Smithy of Fleet

The following future academicians studied herein different years: A.I.Berg, J.A.Shimansky, N.S.Solomenko, I.D.Spassky, V.L.Pozdjunin and A.A.Sarkisov. There was practically no higher educational institution in the country in which graduates would not occupy the leading role among the most qualified teachers. Pupils of the School and its scientists have brought a big contribution in to the development of theoretical bases of essentially new kinds of ship combat technology and weapons, successfully introducing them into practice.

Not having an opportunity to name many honourable graduates, it is necessary to especially mention the academician I.D.Spassky (the graduate of 1949), who is now the head of the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering and whose role in creating the modern submarine rocket - nuclear fleet is significant. Under his management, some generations of nuclear and diesel-electric submarines were constructed.  Spassky’s contribution to the science and technical equipment has been embodied in more than one hundred nuclear submarines, armed with ballistic and cruise missiles.  I.D.Spassky was the pioneer in the field of transition from separate development of different kinds of the weapon to the system designing.

In different years, the following future graduates were educated in the School and subsequently occupied the highest posts at fleet and in the industry: navy deputy  commander-in-chief  N.V.Isachenkov, P.G. Kotov, V.G.Novikov, V.V.Zaitsev admirals, the deputy to Minister of Defence of the USSR admiral S.S.Turunov, ministers of ship-building industry A.M. Redkin and M.V.Egorov, directors of  shipbuilding industry factories E.N.Voskresensky, N.N.Kutejnikov, I.S.Pribylsky, I.G.Miljashkin. The first cosmonaut from seamen was the graduate of 1961, V.I.Rozhdestvensky.

In its 200 years history, the School has passed a complex way of transformations and has  become the first class smithy of the officer engineering staff, preparing experts on military shipbuilding, nuclear power and complex control systems of technical means of the ship. “ The school posesses an outstanding role in the making of domestic and global shipbuilding, in creation and development of modern ocean rocket - nuclear fleet “ emphasises the directive of the Navy commander-in-chief from March, 23, 1997, “about preparation for celebrating of the 200-anniversary from the date of the establishment of school”.

Its pupils participated in tests of the nuclear weapon, liquidation of failures of nuclear power installations on submarines, ships demagnetization, in preparation of space rockets, in development of record depths. More than 800 pupils of school were awarded with government awards.

The School is a nest of about 230 naval dynasties. Among them – Isaev’s, Kudryavtsev’s, Kostylev’s, Kobsev’s, Savelov’s, Markitantov’s, Titov’s, Gusev’s,  Muru’s and others.

Saint - Petersburg Naval Engineering Institute played an appreciable role in the creation of higher educational institutions: School of Communication Naval Forces Worker Peasant Red Army (1932-1933), Military-Political School (1932 - 1936), Higher Naval Engineering Schools - in city of Pushkin, Leningrad region (1948) and in Sevastopol (1951).

Today the Institute keeps the historical continuity of the best traditions, mainly indefatigable preparation of highly skilled teaching personnel ; establishment of the advanced pedagogics; upbringing of the highest common engineering and professional culture; fundamentality of graduates preparation; aiming at education not only of experts - officers - ship engineers, but also citizens - patriots of its land; aspiration to inculcate to pupils (cadets) not only high professionals but also common culture; the creation of own scientific schools, close connection of theoretical and practical training of the future officer of naval-engineering service.

The Institute has powerful scientific and teaching potential, the basis of which consists of about 50 doctors of sciences and professors, more than 140 candidates of sciences and senior lecturers. It was a place of work for the outstanding scientist, the graduate of 1944, Professor N.P.Muru. His works in the field of the theory of ship salvaging, statics of the ship and development of the doctrine about unsinkability are fundamental in our country and widely known abroad.  Unique operations were carried out under his management on the salvage of sunken German liners “Hansa“ and “Hamburg” in 1949-1950 and the linear ship “Novorossisk” in 1957.

In the last decade in Saint - Petersburg Naval Engineering Institute, a number of the country's  known scientific schools were established, formed under the governing of new generation scientists. Under the leadership of Doctor of Technical Science, G.A.Ershov the mathematical algorithmic and programming software for the automated planning, optimization and the analysis of works on technical maintenance both ship AMD and the stationary NPP and also other complex objects has been developed.

For the 200-years history of the Institute, from its walls on fleet more than 18 thousand specialists were directed. Among them are twelve Heroes of the Soviet Union, seven Heroes of Socialist Labour and two heroes of the Russian Federation. Among the graduates are six academicians and four members -correspondents of the Russian Academy of Science, 30 honoured scientists of RSFSR, USSR and the Russian Federation and 137 winners of Lenin and State premiums. 220 graduates have passed from the naval cadet up to Admiral. Names of many pupils of the oldest naval “Alma Mater” were named the ships, streets and schools. Some of the graduates have proved themselves on a literary field, among them the author of the book “On” Orel “ In Tsushima “ V.P.Kostenko, and also writers M.I.Glinka, A.N.Vorontsov, M.G.Alekseenko, M.V.Kabakov, I.V.Ozimov, L.L.Klimchenko, V.N.Infantjev, V.E.Korzh and others.

The 200 years anniversary of the Institute is an outstanding event not only for the fleet but also for all of the country.

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P.S. There is no official website of Saint - Petersburg Naval Engineering Institute. That is only English translation of basic information on that Naval Establishment.

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