Alexander Marinesko
Alexander Ivanovich Marinesko (
Russian:
Александр Иванович Маринеско),
Aleksandr Marinesko,
Alexander Marinesco (
January 15,
1913 -
November 25,
1963) was the captain of the
Soviet submarine S-13 during
WWII that sank the German ship
Wilhelm Gustloff, with casualties estimated between 6,000 and 9,000. It turned out that the ship was transporting evacuated civilians and wounded soldiers, and the opinions about this hit are highly controversial, ranging from praise to accusations of a
war crime. At the same time it is reported that the ship was carrying a noticeable military force: around 1,000 submarine trainees, a female battalion of the
German Navy, anti-aircraft forces,
Croat volunteers; moreover, it was armed and under escort, with no markings of a hospital ship.
In a short period of time, Alexander Marinesko sank a second German ship,
Steuben, this time carrying mostly military personnel, with a total number of 3000. The second hit was as important as first, from the strategic point of view. This way, Marinesko became also the most successful Soviet submarine commander as for tonnage of ships sunk (42,000
BRT; not counting those he also sank a small transport)
Marinesko was not awarded for this event with the
Hero of the Soviet Union, the commanders wouldn't believe the reports on the scale of the hit, also he was deemed a controversial person, "not suitable to be a hero". Instead he was awarded the
Order of the Red Banner.
Due to problems with discipline and alcohol, in September 1945 Marinesko was removed from submarine command, with a lowered rank, and in November he was put into reserve.
Marinesko was awarded the title
Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously in
1990.
