Shchetinina Anna Ivanovna - biography. Sea captain Hero of Socialist Labor

Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina is the world's first certified female captain, associate professor, author of a number of autobiographical books and textbooks on navigation, Hero of Socialist Labor, active member of the Committee of Soviet Women, chairman of the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR, member of the Union of Writers of Russia.

February 26, 1908 Born in Vladivostok, on Sedanka. Parents: mother Maria Filosofovna and father Ivan Ivanovich Shchetinin.

1919-1925 She studied at schools in Sadgorod and Sedanka.

20s.

autumn 1925. Entered to study at the navigation department of the Vladivostok Maritime College.

1926 Deck apprentice on the ship "Simferopol" (Sovtorgflot).

1927 Deck apprentice on the steamship “Bryukhanov” (Dalryba).

1928 2nd class sailor on the ship “First Crabcatcher” (Dalgosrybtrest)

1929 Graduated from the Vladivostok Marine College and was sent toJoint Stock Kamchatka Company (AKO).

After graduating from the Vladivostok Maritime College.

May 1929 - February 19351st class sailor, navigator's student, 3rd, 2nd and senior mate on AKO vessels: "Tungus", "Okhotsk", "Lamut", "Koryak", "Toporok", "Eskimo", "Orochen" "

March 1935 - April 1938Captain of the steamship "Chinook" AKO.

Captain Anna Ivanovna Shchetininawith crew memberssteamship "Chinook". 1936

1936 Awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor “for exceeding production targets.

April-October 1938 Head of the Vladivostok fishing port.

1938-1941 Student at the Leningrad Institute of Water Transport Engineers. Graduated from 4 courses (out of five) of the navigating department.

1939-1947 Deputy of the Kirov District Council of Workers' Deputies of Leningrad.

May-September 1941 Captain on the ships “Bira” and “Saule” of the Baltic Shipping Company.

September 26, 1941 Seconded to the Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO).

November 13, 1941 - June 1946Captain on the ships “Karl Liebknecht”, “Rodina”, “Jean Jaurès”, which transported cargo from the ports of the USA and Canada to the Far East, as well as providing landing operations during the war with Japan.

Anna Ivanovna in 1942

June 4, 1942. Awarded the Order of the Red Star “for exemplary fulfillment of the tasks of the government and military command and demonstrated courage in operations in the Baltic.

1943 Anna Ivanovna is a guest of the Twenty Century Fox film company in Hollywood.

Anna Ivanovna is the captain of the ship “Jean Zhores”. 1943

1944 Member of the Soviet Women's Committee.

1945 Awarded the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Patriotic War, 11th degree.

1946-1949 Seconded to the Baltic Shipping Company, where she worked as captain of the ships “Dniester”, “Pskov”, “Askold”, “Beloostrov”, “Mendeleev”, “Baskunchak”.

1947-1951 Deputy of the Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies.

1949 Delegate to the All-Union Conference of Peace Supporters from the Maritime Transport Workers Trade Union. Participant of the 1st Congress of Peace Supporters in Moscow.

November 1949 By order of the MMF, she was seconded to the Leningrad Higher Marine Engineering School (LVVIMU). Assistant at the Department of Navigation. 5th year student of the Navigation Faculty.

1950 Graduated from LVIMU with a degree in naval engineering.

October 1951 Senior teacher of the Department of Navigation and part-time head of the navigation department of LVIMU.

1953-1960 Deputy of the Sverdlovsk District Council of Workers' Deputies of Leningrad. She was awarded a diploma from the executive committee for her fruitful work on the board of trustees of orphanage No. 58.

1955-1983 Author, co-author and editor of textbooks and teaching aids, many of which have been republished several times: “Nautical Instruments and Instruments”, “Tidal Accounting in Navigation”, “Marine Affairs”, “Sailor’s Handbook”, “Ship Control and Its Technical Operation” , “Instructions for organizing navigator service”, etc.

December 1957 Awarded the medal “For Labor Valor.”

Anna Ivanovna on board the m/v "Lyuban".Photo from an English newspaper. 1957

September 1, 1960 – February 2, 1977Associate Professor of the Department of Maritime Engineering at the Far Eastern Higher Engineering School. Chief practice manager on the training and production ship "Meridian" (1962-1963).

While working at DVVIMU - captain of the ships "Orsha", "Orekhov", "Okhotsk" (circumnavigation).

1962 She took an active part in the creation of the Maritime Museum in Vladivostok.

June 1963 Delegate from the Primorsky Territory at the World Congress of Women in Moscow.

A.I. Shchetinin and V.V. Tereshkova at the World Congress of Women in Moscow.

May 4, 1964 – May 14, 1970Chairman of the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR.

May 23-30, 1964 Delegate to the 4th All-Union Congress of the Geographical Society of the USSR.

1965-1969 Deputy of the Primorsky Regional Council of Workers' Deputies.

February 28-March 2, 1967 On the initiative of the Chairman of the PFGO USSR A.I. Shchetinina in Vladivostok hosted the 1st scientific conference on the problems of studying the Pacific Ocean and the use of its resources.

1968 The Far Eastern Book Publishing House published a bookA.I. Shchetinina “On the seas and beyond the seas.”In the dedication to this edition of the book, Anna Ivanovna wrote: “To my glorious comrades - the sea workers - with deep respect and love.”

A.I. Shchetinina n and a judge boat among the teachers of DVVIMU during the annual rowing and sailing regatta.

February 6-7, 1969 In Vladivostok on the initiativeA.I. Shchetinina held the 2nd scientific conference on the problems of studying the Pacific Ocean and the use of its resources.

1971 The Main Committee of the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy of the USSR was approved as a participant in VDNKh.

June 22, 1973 Organizer and chairman (until 1979) of the captains’ club in Vladivostok.

1974 Dalizdat published the second edition of the book by A.I. Shchetinina “On the seas and beyond the seas.”

December 1974 Appointed as head of the department of “Ship Control and Its Technical Operation” at the Far Eastern Military Museum named after Admiral G.I. Nevelsky.

A.I. Shchetinina discusses with a navigator cadetnavigation task on the state exam.

February 2, 1977 Appointed captain-mentor of the FESCO maritime security service.

On February 24, 1978, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

1978 The 3rd edition of the book “On the Seas and Beyond the Seas” was published in Dalizdat.

November 1988 Elected honorary member of the Geographical Society of the USSR.

1994 The Rubezh publishing house published a book by A.I. Shchetinina “Along different sea roads.”

since February 5, 1998 Honorary member of the Far Eastern Association of Sea Captains.

since February 26, 1998 Honorary member of the International Federation of Sea Captains (London).

February 28, 1998 Solemn meeting of the Vladivostok public at the Sailors' Palace of Culture on the occasion of the 90th anniversaryAnna Ivanovna Shchetinina.

On September 25, 1999, Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina passed away.She was buried in the memorial plot of the Marine Cemetery in the city of Vladivostok.In 2001, a bust was installed on her grave, made by the sculptor, full member of the OIAC V.E. Barsegov. He is also the author of the memorial plaque installed on the wall of the main building of the Maritime State University named after Admiral G.I. Nevelsky.

January 8, 2002 At the Admiral Maritime State UniversityG.I. Nevelsky, the maritime section of the Society for the Study of the Amur Region - the Primorsky branch of the Russian Geographical Society - was formed.

February 28, 2002 Meeting of the maritime section of the OIAC, dedicated to the 94th anniversary of the birth of A.I. Shchetinina.

2005 The Svetlana publishing house in Vladivostok published the book “Captain Anna” with numerous illustrations and memories of A.I. Shchetinina. Editor-compiler, full member of the Russian Geographical Society - OIAC I.N. Egorchev.

2006 The park named after A.I. was laid. Shchetinina on the Egersheld Peninsula.

On December 5, 2006, the head of the Vladivostok city administration signed a resolution assigning the “Secondary comprehensive school”No. 16 Vladivostok" name A.I. Shchetinina.

January-February 2008 The newspaper “Vladivostok” held the action “Let’s return the name of Shchetinina to Vladivostok.” On the pages of the newspaper, a number of leaders of maritime organizations, as well as people who knew Anna Ivanovna well, came out with a proposal to name one of the streets in Vladivostok after Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina.

February 28, 2008 In the assembly hall of Moscow State University. adm.G.I. Nevelskoy held a solemn meeting dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of A.I. Shchetinina. Flowers were laid on the grave and on the memorial plaque on the building of the Maritime University.

The compiler of the booklet is the chairman of the maritime section of the OIAC at Moscow State University named after adm. G.I. Nevelskoy full member of the Russian Geographical Society V.F. Verevkin.

When compiling the text, information prepared by full member of the OIAC L.A. was used. Ermolenko on his 90th birthday A.I. Shchetinina.

Illustrations selected from the book “Captain Anna” and personal archive V.F. Verevkina.

105 years have passed since the birth of Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina, the world’s first female sea captain, Hero of Socialist Labor, graduate of the Vladivostok Maritime College, associate professor, and then head of the department of “Ship Control” at FEVIMU named after. adm. G.I. Nevelsky.

Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina was born on February 26, 1908 at Okeanskaya station near Vladivostok. Anna went to elementary school at Lyanchikhe station (Sadgorod district) at the age of eleven. The civil war was in full swing, schools were closed every now and then. The Shchetinins lived in Sedanka in those years; there was no money for travel, and the girl had to get there on foot. And this is seven kilometers there and seven kilometers back. In winter - skate along the river to the bay, and then on the ice of the Amur Bay. After the entry of the Red Army into Vladivostok, the schools were reorganized, and in 1922 Anna Shchetinina entered the unified labor school at Sedanka station. She was actively catching up. She graduated from eight-year school in six years and submitted documents to the Vladivostok Marine College.

Decades later, she will tell in the book “On Different Sea Roads”: “I wrote a letter to the head of the technical school. This was both a modest request and an assurance of one’s readiness for all difficulties. Not a letter, but a whole poem." With a sinking heart, she lowered the envelope into the box and began to wait for an answer. Finally I received an invitation to “appear in person” to the boss...

Do you want to go to the sea? - he asked. - Tell me, why did you suddenly want this?

Tell me, are you prohibited from accepting girls? - I asked.

No, it’s not prohibited,” the boss winced in annoyance. - But I’m three times older than you and I want to warn you from the bottom of my heart. Well, tell me, what makes you choose to become a navigator? Have you read enough novels? Does romance appeal?

Job. Interesting job.

Job? You don't know this work at all. From the first days you will be treated not more leniently, but more strictly than others. You will have to spend twice as much time and effort on work as your comrades. If a guy makes a mistake and can’t do something, it will be just a mistake. And if you make a mistake, they will say: woman, what can they take from her? It may be unfair and offensive, but it will happen. And all your successes will be attributed to imaginary concessions that were supposedly made to you, as a girl. After all, we have a lot of people of the old stock. If you end up with some old boatswain, he will shake the soul out of you... My guys often run away from practice, and you go there too!

I won’t hold back, rest assured.”

In 1925, Anna Shchetinina entered the navigation department of the Vladivostok Maritime College. Just one episode in the fate of the future captain, one stroke in her character: to earn a living, she worked at night as a loader in the port along with her classmates. Anna did not receive a scholarship at the technical school: despite excellent grades, she was denied as a “unpromising student.” And in the port she did not give herself any concessions, trying to be like everyone else. She walked in circles, gritting her teeth from pride and fatigue: she had to carry thirty to forty kilograms on her shoulders. The money earned for such work was enough for five days.

Anna completed her internship as a deck apprentice on the steamship "Simferopol" and the sailing security vessel "Bryukhanov", and then as a sailor on the steamship "First Crab". Only she alone knew how many offensive jokes, neglect and outright gloating she had to endure from individual crew members during practice. The boatswain turned out exactly as the head of the technical school predicted. He gave me the dirtiest and hardest work: removing rust, cleaning the hold, washing paint cans. She did everything she was ordered, suffering from bouts of seasickness. Many years later she admitted: “I understood that if I refused, I would never stand on an equal footing with the sailors, I would always be a passenger for them.”

Anna Shchetinina graduated from the Marine College in 1929. When she entered, the competition was four people per place. Of the forty-two guys who were accepted with her, eighteen reached the diploma.

After graduating from college, Anna Shchetinina was sent to the Joint-Stock Kamchatka Shipping Company. She did not have enough swimming qualifications to obtain a navigator's diploma. I had to sail for several months as a student or sailor. No one would believe that this girl would go from sailor to captain in six years. At the same time, without skipping a single step: seaman of the port fleet, navigator's student, sailor of the first class, third navigator, second, senior... Is this why her simple words sound so weighty in the book: “I went through the entire difficult path of a sailor from beginning to end. And if I am now the captain of a large ocean ship, then each of my subordinates knows that I did not come from the foam of the sea”?

At the age of 27, Anna Shchetinina ascended to the captain's bridge. Her first voyage as a captain was in 1935, ferrying the steamer "Chinook" from Hamburg to Kamchatka.

“In the spring of '35, I spent my vacation in Moscow,” Anna Ivanovna recalled. - I planned to watch new performances in theaters, run around exhibitions and go south with a ticket in my pocket. But instead of the desired rest, I received a work order! Yes what! Captain of a ship purchased by the Soviet government in Germany.

From the first day, Hamburg unpleasantly struck me with the deathly emptiness of the streets, the abundance of flags with swastikas and the measured clatter of forged boots of stormtroopers walking along the pavement. But work is work. I will forever remember the moment when the boat stopped at the pier. So we climb onto the floating dock and move onto the ship. They give way to me: the captain must board the ship first. We are greeted. But I'm not looking at anyone yet. As soon as I cross the gangplank, I touch the gunwale of the ship with my hand and whisper a greeting to him so that no one notices. Then I extend my hand to the captain and greet him in German. He immediately introduces me to a man in a gray civilian suit: it turns out that this is a representative of the Hansa company, authorized to formalize the transfer of a group of ships to the Soviet Union. I understand that I should say hello to this representative first, but I deliberately do not want to understand this. For me, the main thing now is the captain. And only having said everything that I considered necessary for the captain, I greeted the representative of “Hansa”.

She created a sensation abroad. There was a bet among sailors all over the world: could the “lady captain” bring her ship from Hamburg to the shores of the Far East? The whole world closely watched the progress of the ship, expecting a disaster. But Anna Shchetinina did not live up to the skeptics’ predictions, successfully completing the most difficult voyage. Her fame overtook the ship, and as soon as the Chinook dropped anchor in Singapore, Anna was invited to an elite English maritime club. It was crowded: gentlemen came especially to look at the “lady captain”. In a respectful, surprised whisper behind her, she caught the general meaning: the gentlemen expected to see “at least a brown bear from the Siberian forests...”.

And the sea, testing the unusual captain’s strength, dealt blows to her immediately after taking office...

“During the ship’s passage from Hamburg to Odessa, the Chinook fell into a strip of continuous lingering fog. Each of us had to wake up in the dark and find a way out of the room by touch. But the only price you pay for losing your bearings in the house is bruises and bumps. What if the ship loses its bearings?.. After all, the navigational equipment of ships in those years was not the same as it is now, when navigators were armed with a gyrocompass, radio direction finders, radars... And then there were only a magnetic compass, a log with a turntable, and lots - mechanical and manual.” .

The “Chinook” was literally groping its way through the North Sea, stuffed with ships, shoals and currents, tearing through the thick canvas of fog with its stem. The Sea of ​​Japan, Okhotsk and Bering Seas accustomed Shchetinina to swimming in fog, but it was difficult to get used to Europe. The ship's whistle sounded continuously, at short intervals. For fear of not hearing a return signal, everyone on the ship avoided the noise. Those off duty gathered at the bow and looked ahead until their eyes hurt, so as not to miss the rapidly approaching silhouette of the oncoming ship. Multi-deck passenger liners sailed past, light fishing boats slipped by, warships walked gloomily, and so it went on for a long, very long time...

In the winter of 1936, the Chinook was covered in ice. The steamer drifted for eleven days. During this time, all food supplies were depleted. The sailors were on hard rations: the crew was given 600 grams of bread a day, the command staff - 400. Fresh water for boilers and drinking was also running out. The entire crew and passengers were mobilized to prepare snow. It was collected from the ice floes, poured into the forepeak, and then melted with steam. During eleven days of ice captivity, Anna Ivanovna did not leave the captain’s bridge, steering the ship with her own hands and choosing the right moment to take the “Chinook” out of the ice.

Even in her books decades later, she did not admit how scared she was. This recognition came out only once, in 1997 at a meeting with fellow captains. Anna Ivanovna suddenly said: “I’m not that brave... Many times I felt scared. Especially when the deck of the Jean Jaurès burst..."

In December 1943, the steamship Jean Zhores, under the command of Anna Shchetinina, assisted the steamship Valery Chkalov in the Bering Sea, whose deck burst during a storm and it broke in two. In the most difficult storm conditions, with the second shot of the line gun, rescuers managed to place the towing line on the stern of the Valery Chkalov, which miraculously continued to stay afloat. The crew was saved. The captain of “Chkalov” Alexander Fedorovich Shantsberg, who began his captain’s career even before Shchetinina was born, respectfully said: “You are a cat and a dad, but you raped karasho!” This time, of course, she was not offended for the “woman.”

And on the next voyage, the Jean Jaurès got into trouble. This happened in the Gulf of Alaska, when the nearest Akutan Bay was 500 miles away. During a strong storm, the deck of the ship also burst. It was as if a cannon had fired, and from the bridge the watch saw a crack that barely reached the port side. The wide gap was “breathing”, and it seemed that the next push of the waves would break the ship. Everyone had the accident of “Valery Chkalov” fresh in their memory. Shchetinina decided not to give a distress signal. The center of the cyclone had passed, the weather could not have been worse, there was nowhere to wait for help, real and close, and the crack was localized by drilling holes at its ends. When three days later the ship approached Akutan and the commander of the military boat allowed the Russian ship to continue its journey, Anna Ivanovna invited the American to climb onto the deck of her barely alive ship.

The boat commander grabbed his head... They urgently brought the ship to the pier. Unloaded some of the flour. A floating workshop was called from the port of Dutch Harbor. They welded the crack and offered to return the ship to America for repairs. But in wartime, every day was worth its weight in gold. “I got to Akutan with such a crack in a storm, I’ll get to Petropavlovsk with the long-awaited bread, if I’m lucky with the weather,” Shchetinina decided. And they arrived...

During the Second World War, Anna Shchetinina, under fire from enemy aircraft, evacuated people and transported strategically important cargo. Throughout the war she worked on ships delivering food and equipment from America and Canada to Russia. In 1945, it provided landing operations during the war with Japan.

For the courage and skill of captain Shchetinina was awarded the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” in 1941, the Order of the Red Star in 1942, and the Order of Lenin in 1945. After the war, in 1950, she completed her education at the Leningrad Higher Marine Engineering School, where she entered before the war. In September 1960, Anna Ivanovna returned to her native Vladivostok, having been appointed associate professor of the Department of Ship Management.

By this time, she had become not only a world celebrity, but also the author of several textbooks for future sailors. For many years her life was connected with the Far Eastern Higher Marine Engineering School. Sharing her experience with future navigators, she continued to remain on the captain’s bridge for a long time, going on voyages on the ships “Orsha”, “Orekhov”, “Okhotsk”, “Anton Chekhov”... Anna Ivanovna gave fifty years to the sea. She circumnavigated all the oceans of the world, was the captain of fifteen ships, and circumnavigated the world on the Okhotsk.

Anna Shchetinina conducted enormous public activities. She founded a section of navigation and oceanology in the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society of the USSR and headed it herself. And a few years later she became the chairman of the Primorsky branch of the Geographical Society. On her initiative, the Captains Club was created in Vladivostok, and the Far Eastern captains elected her as the first chairman of the club. She was a deputy of the Primorsky Regional Council and a member of the Soviet Women's Committee, which was headed by Valentina Tereshkova, the world's first female cosmonaut.

In 1978, Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and the title of Honorary Resident of the city of Vladivostok. She lived a great life, her 90th birthday was celebrated by the whole country. And the whole city saw her off on her last journey in 1999.

A cape on the coast of the Amur Bay, a square on the Shkota Peninsula, and a street in the Snegovaya Pad microdistrict are named after this wonderful woman. School No. 16 in Vladivostok bears her name. The best cadets of the Maritime Academy are annually awarded a scholarship named after Anna Shchetinina.

I would like to believe that in the future the name of the famous captain Shchetinina will appear on board a modern ocean-going vessel. And a monument to her will definitely be erected on one of the streets of our city. It is no coincidence that the phrase was born: “Shchetinina is for Vladivostok, like Gagarin is for Russia.”

Galina Yakunina,

Today, I know of several female captains, all of whom command very respectable ships, and one of them is the largest ship of its type in the world. Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina, whom I deeply respect, is considered to be the first female captain in the world, although in fact it is unlikely - just remember Grace ONeill (Barki), the most famous female filibuster from Ireland, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1st. Probably, Anna Ivanovna can safely be called the first female captain of the 20th century. Anna Ivanovna once said that her personal opinion is that there is no place for a woman on ships, especially on the bridge. But let’s not forget that even with the relatively recent past, the middle of the last century, much in the sea and the world has changed dramatically, so modern women prove to us with considerable success that there is a place for women on ships, in any position.

The world's largest livestock ship is headed by a woman

April 16, 2008 - Siba Ships appointed the captain of her largest livestock transport vessel, also the largest vessel of this type in the world, Stella Deneb, woman - Laura Pinasco.

Laura brought Stella Deneb to Fremantle, Australia, her first voyage and first ship as captain. She is only 30 years old; she got a job at Siba Ships in 2006 as a first mate.
Laura from Genoa, at sea since 1997. She received her captain's diploma in 2003.

Laura has worked on gas carriers and livestock carriers, serving as first mate on Stella Deneb prior to captaincy, and in particular during a record-breaking voyage last year when Stella Deneb loaded a shipment worth A$11.5 million in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. , assigned to Indonesia and Malaysia.

20,060 heads of cattle and 2,564 sheep and goats were taken on board. It took 28 trains to deliver them to the port. Loading and transportation were carried out under the careful supervision of veterinary services and met the highest standards.

No men or strangers allowed - the only ship in the world entirely managed by women

December 23-29, 2007 - container ship Horizon Navigator(gross 28212, built 1972, US flag, owner HORIZON LINES LLC) 2360 TEU Horizon Lines was hijacked by women.

All navigators and the captain are women. Captain Robin Espinosa, first mate Sam Pirtle, 2nd mate Julie Duchi. All the rest of the total crew of 25 are men. The women fell onto the bridge of the container ship, according to the company, completely by accident, during a trade union competition. Espinosa is extremely surprised - for the first time in 10 years she is working in a crew with other women, not to mention navigators. The International Organization of Captains, Navigators and Pilots in Honolulu says its membership is 10% women, down from 1% 30 years ago.
The women, needless to say, are wonderful. Robin Espinoza and Sam Pirtle are classmates. We studied together at the Merchant Marine Academy. Sam is also a certified sea captain. Julie Duchi became a sailor later than her captain and first mate, but sailor navigators will understand and appreciate this hobby of hers (in our times, alas and alas, this is a hobby, although without knowing the sextant, you will never become a real navigator) - “I’m probably one of the few navigators who uses a sextant to determine the location, just for my own pleasure!”
Robin Espinoza has been in the Navy for a quarter of a century. When she first began her naval career, a woman was a rarity in the US Navy. For her first ten years on ships, Robin worked on all-male crews. Robin, Sam and Julie love their profession very much, but when you are separated from your native shore for many weeks, it can be sad. Robin Espinoza, 49, says: “I really miss my husband and 18-year-old daughter.” Her peer Sam Pearl never met someone with whom she could start a family. “I meet men,” she says, who want a woman to constantly look after them. And for me, my career is a part of myself, I cannot allow for a moment that anything could prevent me from going to sea.”
Julie Duchi, who is 46 years old, simply loves the sea, and simply cannot imagine that there are other, more worthy or interesting professions in the world.
Details about the glorious command staff of Horizon Navigator, and photographs, were sent to me by the children's writer, former sailor, Vladimir Novikov, for which many thanks to him!

The world's first female captain of a mega liner

May 13-19, 2007 - Royal Caribbean International appointed captain of a cruise ship Monarch of the Seas Swedish woman Karin Star-Janson.

Monarch of the Seas is a liner of the first, so to speak, rank, gross 73937, 14 decks, 2400 passengers, 850 crew, built in 1991. That is, it belongs to the category of the largest airliners in the world.

The Swede became the first woman in the world to receive the position of captain on ships of this type and size.

She has been with the company since 1997, first as a navigator on Viking Serenade and Nordic Empress, then as first mate on Vision of the Seas and Radiance of the Seas, then as backup captain on Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas. Her whole life is connected with the sea, higher education, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, bachelor's degree in navigation. She currently has a diploma allowing her to command ships of any type and size.

Belgium's first female captain

And the first female captain of an LPG tanker...
LPG tanker Libramont (deadweight 29328, length 180 m, beam 29 m, draft 10.4 m, built 2006 Korea OKRO, flag Belgium, owner EXMAR SHIPPING) was accepted by the customer in May 2006 at the OKRO shipyards, a woman took command of the vessel, the first female captain in Belgium and, apparently, the first female captain of a gas carrier tanker.

In 2006, Rogge was 32 years old, two years after she received her captain's diploma. That's all that is known about her.

Site reader Sergei Zhurkin told me about it, for which I thank him very much.

Norwegian pilot

Pictured is Marianne Ingebrigsten, April 9, 2008, after receiving her pilot's diploma, Norway. At 34, she became the second female pilot in Norway, and that, unfortunately, is all that is known about her.

Russian women captains

Information about Lyudmila Tebryaeva was sent to me by site reader Sergei Gorchakov, for which I thank him very much. I did some digging as best I could and found information about two more women in Russia who are captains.

Lyudmila Tibryaeva - ice captain

Our Russian female captain Lyudmila Tibryaeva is, and apparently we can confidently say, the only female captain in the world with experience in Arctic navigation.
In 2007, Lyudmila Tebryaeva celebrated three dates at once - 40 years of work in the shipping company, 20 years as a captain, 60 years since her birth. In 1987, Lyudmila Tibryaeva became a sea captain. She is a member of the International Sea Captains Association. For outstanding achievements, she was awarded in 1998 the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, second degree. Today, her portrait in a uniform jacket against the backdrop of a ship adorns the Arctic Museum. Lyudmila Tibryaeva received the "Sea Captain" badge number 1851. In the 60s, Lyudmila came to Murmansk from Kazakhstan. And on January 24, 1967, 19-year-old Lyuda set off on her first voyage on the icebreaker Captain Belousov. In the summer, the correspondence student went to Leningrad to take the exam, and the icebreaker went to the Arctic. She made her way to the minister to get permission to enter the naval school. Lyudmila also had a successful family life, which is rare for sailors in general, and even more so for women who continue to sail.

Alevtina Alexandrova - captain at the Sakhalin Shipping Company In 2001, she turned 60 years old. Alevtina Alexandrova came to Sakhalin in 1946 with her parents and, while still in school, began writing letters to naval schools, and then to ministries and personally to N.S. Khrushchev, with a request for permission to study at the nautical school. At less than 16 years old, A. Alexandrova became a cadet at the Nevelsk Naval School. The decisive role in her fate was played by the captain of the ship “Alexander Baranov” Viktor Dmitrenko, with whom the girl-navigator did an internship. Then Alevtina got a job at the Sakhalin Shipping Company and worked there all her life.

Valentina Reutova - captain of a fishing vessel. She is 45 years old, so she seems to have become the captain of a fishing vessel in Kamchatka, that's all I know.

Girls rule

Young people also join the fleet, and letters to the president or minister are no longer required. Last year, for example, I gave a note about a graduate of Moscow State University. adm. G.I.Nevelsky. On February 9, 2007, the Maritime University gave a start in life to the future captain Natalya Belokonskaya. She is the first girl in the new century to graduate from the navigating department. Moreover, Natalya is an excellent student! Future captain? Natalya Belokonskaya, a graduate of FEVIMU (MSU), receives a diploma, and Olya Smirnova works as a sailor-helmsman on the river m/v "Vasily Chapaev".

North America's first female captain dies

On March 9, 2009, North America's first certified female merchant marine captain, Molly Carney, known as Molly Cool, died in Canada at the age of 93. She qualified as a captain in 1939 at the age of 23, and spent 5 years sailing between Alma, New Brunswick and Boston. It was then that the Canadian Shipping Act changed the word “captain” from “he” to “he/she”. Pictured is Molly Carney in 1939 after receiving her captain's diploma.

She was then 27 years old, but according to engineer Lomnitsky, our representative in Hamburg, she looked at least 5 years younger.

Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina was born in Vladivostok in 1908. at Okeanskaya station. The sea splashed not far from her home and beckoned her since childhood, but in order to fulfill her dream and achieve something in the harsh male world of sailors, she had to become not just the best, but an order of magnitude better. And she became the best.

After graduating from the navigation department of the maritime technical school, she was sent to Kamchatka, where she began her career as a simple sailor, at 24 she was a navigator, at 27 she became a captain, in just 6 years of work.

She commanded the "Chinook" until 1938. In the harsh stormy waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk. She managed to become famous again when in 1936 the ship was captured by heavy ice.

Only thanks to the resourcefulness of the captain, who did not leave the captain’s bridge during the entire period of ice captivity, and the well-coordinated work of the team, they were able to get out of it without damaging the ship. This was done at the cost of titanic efforts, while they almost ran out of food and water. And in 1938, she was tasked with creating the Vladivostok fishing port practically from scratch. This is at 30 years old. She also coped with this task brilliantly, in just six months. At the same time, she entered the Institute of Water Transport in Leningrad, successfully completed 4 courses in 2.5 years, and then the war began.

She was sent to the Baltic Fleet, where, under fierce shelling and continuous bombing, she evacuated the population of Tallinn, transported food and weapons for the army, cruising the Gulf of Finland.

Then again the Far Eastern Shipping Company and a new task - voyages across the Pacific Ocean to the shores of Canada and the USA. During the war, ships under her command sailed across the ocean 17 times, and she also had a chance to participate in the rescue of the steamship "Valery Chkalov." Anna Ivanovna Shchetinina has many glorious deeds to her name, she commanded large Oken liners and taught first in Leningrad at the Higher Engineering and Naval School, then she was the dean of the faculty of navigators at DVVIMU - Far Eastern Higher Marine Engineering School named after. Adm. Nevelsky in Vladivostok.

Now it is the Maritime State University named after. adm. Nevelsky.

She was the organizer of the “Captains Club” in Vladivostok and the chairman of the jury at tourist song festivals, which grew, with her active participation, into the famous art song festival “Primorskie Strings” in the Far East; she wrote books about the sea and textbooks for cadets.

Her merits were highly appreciated by captains abroad; for her sake, the famous Australian club of captains, the Rotary Club, changed the centuries-old tradition and not only invited a woman to their club, but also gave her the floor at the captains’ forum.

And during the celebration of Anna Ivanovna’s 90th birthday, she was presented with congratulations on behalf of the captains of Europe and America.

Anna Shetinina - Hero of Socialist Labor, Honorary Resident of Vladivostok, Honorary Worker of the Navy, Member of the Writers' Union of Russia, Honorary Member of the Geographical Society of the USSR, Member of the Soviet Women's Committee, Honorary Member of the Association of Far Eastern Captains in London, etc., the irrepressible energy of this woman, her heroism was highly appreciated in her homeland - 2 Orders of Lenin, Orders of the Patriotic War 2nd degree, the Red Banner, the Red Banner of Labor and many medals. Anna Ivanovna passed away at the age of 91 and was buried in the Vladivostok naval cemetery. The city has not forgotten this amazing woman.

At the Maritime University, where she taught, a museum was created in her memory, a cape on the Shkota Peninsula was named after her, not far from the house where she lived, a park was built in her name, etc.

Then other female captains came, but she was the first.

She said about herself:

“I went through the entire difficult journey of a sailor from beginning to end. And if I am now the captain of a large ocean ship, then each of my subordinates knows that I did not come from the foam of the sea!”

Molly Carney, North America's first female certified merchant marine captain

Are they or are they not women in the navy? On the one hand, it’s 2016, when women are absolutely everywhere, no matter how traditionally masculine this or that occupation is considered. On the other hand, the fleet is extremely conservative in this matter, and the saying “a woman on a ship means trouble” still instills superstitious fear in the hearts of sailors. “The maritime profession is not a woman’s business,” the retrogrades mutter contemptuously. “You are women yourself!” - feminists shout. So that you can figure out for yourself who is right, we offer you a selection of interesting facts.

– According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), there are 1.25 million seafarers in the world. Only 1-2% of them are women, but this number is growing. In the cruise sector, their number increases to 17-18%. In general, most women in the navy work on passenger ships - ferries and liners. The cargo fleet accounts for only 6% of sailors.

– In 1562, King Frederick II of Denmark issued a decree, which, in particular, contained the following wording: “Women and pigs are prohibited from entering His Majesty’s ships; if they are found on the ship, they should be immediately thrown overboard.” His Most Gallant Majesty was not alone in his opinion - 150 years later, Emperor Peter I, who created the Russian navy from scratch, adhered to the same rules.

– Anna Shchetinina is considered the world’s first female sea captain. Starting as a simple sailor, she became a captain at the age of 27. The year was 1935. Anna became famous throughout the world for her first voyage, sailing the cargo ship "Chavycha" from Hamburg through Odessa and Singapore to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. For many years she drove ships for the Baltic Shipping Company, rising to the rank of port manager and dean of the navigating department. Known for the statement “There is no place for a woman on the bridge!” – in her case, quite paradoxical.

– Not all countries are equally willing to send women to work in the navy. 51.2% of seafarers come from Western Europe and the USA, 23.6% from Eastern Europe, 9.8% from Latin America and Africa, 13.7% from East Asia, and only 1.7% from South Asia and Middle East. This is due to the fact that in eastern countries the attitude towards women is more conservative than in western ones. Spanish-speaking countries have moved not far from the east. “Barefoot, pregnant, in the kitchen” is a very famous proverb in Latin America.

– In July 2009, a Turkish bulk carrierHorizon-1, owned by Horizon Maritime Trading, was captured by Somali pirates. The crew of the bulk carrier included a female navigator, 24-year-old Aysan Akbey. The pirates showed gallantry worthy of filibusters of the 17th century - they allowed her to call her family in Turkey whenever and as much as she wanted. The girl refused, saying that she did not need privileges, and she would call home at the same time when other crew members were allowed to do so.

– The world’s first female icebreaker captain is Russian Lyudmila Tibryaeva. She became a sea captain in 1987, when she was forty years old. The icebreaking transport vessel Tiksi was one of the first to sail from Europe to Japan via the North Sea route. At the age of forty-one, she got married and almost left the sea at the request of her husband, but on reflection, she continued her career. It is admitted that the marriage turned out to be very happy. “The boss must be able to spare the pride of his subordinates,” Lyudmila is sure. “Women are good captains because they know how to spare men’s pride.”

– In December 2007, on board an American container shipHorizon Navigator, owned by Horizon Lines, has undergone personnel changes. As a result, a unique situation arose: the entire senior command staff was female. Captain Roberta Espinosa, First Officer Samantha Pirtle and Second Officer Julie Duchi took control of the vessel. They had 23 crew members under their command - all men. All three women took positions by chance, following a trade union competition. “This was the first time I worked in a crew where there were women besides me,” admitted Roberta Espinosa. By the way, at the time of assuming the position of captainHorizon NavigatorRoberta had an 18-year-old daughter, whose upbringing she successfully combined with her maritime career.

– In 2008, a woman became the captain of the world’s largest livestock ship. The ship is calledStella Deneband is owned by the Australian company Siba Ships. When Laura Pinasco took over the captain's bridgeStella Deneb, she was only thirty years old. However, she received her captain's diploma five years earlier. “Delivering the first batch of cattle was a real challenge,” recalls Laura. – The party included more than twenty thousand heads of cattle, plus two thousand sheep. Loading was like hell. We took them to Malaysia and Indonesia. No one in the world has as many passengers on board as I do.”

– The most democratic attitude towards women sailors is in the USA, but even there, until 1974, only men were allowed to enter maritime schools. Now among the cadets of American naval schools and academies, there are 10-12% of girls. “A lot of girls just don’t know that they can join the navy too,” says American and ex-captain Sherry Hickman. “Otherwise this percentage would be much higher.”

– In 2014, the incredible happened: in the United States, a woman became a real admiral, with four stars on each shoulder, and also the vice-commander of naval operations for the entire country’s military fleet. We are talking about African-American Michelle Howard - she is now officially considered the woman who has risen to the highest rank in the navy. Michelle has a checkered military background. Have you seen the movie Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks? So, it was Michelle who at one time rescued the real Phillips from the hands of Somali pirates.

– The first female naval commander in history was Queen Artemisia, ruler of Helicarnassus. At the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. e. she fought on the side of the Persians and led an entire flotilla. It is to the account of the brave Artemisia that the famous exclamation of the Persian king Xerxes, who was following the progress of the battle, is attributed: “Today women were men, and men were women!” However, Artemisia brought misfortune to Xerxes' fleet - it was defeated. Which turned out to be a great happiness for Europe, where there are now so many sailors: if not for the Greek victory at Salamis, she would not have been on the map long ago.

– In 2007, Royal Caribbean appointed Swede Karin Star-Janson as captain of the cruise shipMonarch of the Seas, one of the largest liners in the world. Before this, women had not occupied the bridge of ships of this class and size, much less taken responsibility for the lives of 2,400 passengers and 850 crew members. Why, Swede Paula Wallenberg, Karin’s compatriot, commands a submarine in her homeland!

To an unbiased eye, it is clear that there are more women in the navy than not. It’s too early to judge whether they cope with their responsibilities better or worse than men. Those discussed above probably cope better, otherwise they would not have been allowed at all either to the helm, or to the bridge, or even to scrub the deck. Pioneers always have to be head and shoulders above those around them. When will there be more women in the Navy, when will we seeregular, and not the legendary female captain, when it comes toaverage a female admiral, then it will be possible to compare who does a better job. However, the need for such a comparison will no longer be necessary by that time.