And you know who died the day before yesterday (June 21 - Red. )? I will tell you. Askhat Ziganshin has died. Almost eighty were to him. An outstanding person, by the way, was. One of the four Soviet sailors who, on January 17, 1960, was blown into the open sea, or rather into the open Pacific, from Iturup Island, where they served. Bleed them on a self-propelled barge. And shook FORTY-NINE DAYS. And they survived. Largely thanks to Askhat, who was the senior (the rank of junior sergeant, the rest - rank and file) and managed to somehow organize their lives. The provisions on the barge were only for a few days, and then everything that could be used - belts, bellows and crocheted boots, which could hardly be cut into narrow noodle strips and digested. Water was drunk from the radiators, and when it was over, they collected the rainwater. Each day a small razor cup emerged, and even by the end of the drift it was necessary to cut.

The name of the four soldiers was this:.

Askhat Ziganshin, junior sergeant Philip Poplavsky, private Anatoly Kryuchkovsky, private Ivan Fedotov, private They were found in forty-nine days by the American aircraft carrier "Kirsarge" (Kearsarge).

This is how Ziganshin described this in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta in our days:.

"March 7 heard some noise outside. At first they decided: again hallucinations. But could not they start at the same time for the four? Hardly got on deck. Look - over the heads of aircraft are circling. We threw a signal rocket on the water, marked the area. Then instead of planes there were two helicopters. They descended low and low, it seems, you can reach by. Here we have finally believed that the torture is over, help has come. Standing, embracing, supporting each other.

Pilots leaned out of the hatches, dropped rope ladders, showed signs how to climb, shouted something to us, and we waited for someone to descend to the barge, and I, as commander, would put my conditions: "Give food, fuel, cards, and We'll get home ourselves ". And they exchanged glances: they are on top, we are from below. Helicopters hovered-hung, fuel ran out, they flew away. They were replaced by others. The picture is the same: Americans do not descend, we do not rise. We look, the aircraft carrier, from which the helicopters took off, turns around and begins to retire. And the helicopters after. / Fortunately, the aircraft carrier returned, came closer, from the captain's bridge in broken Russian we were shouted: "Romosh vam! Pomosh!". And again helicopters were raised in the sky. This time we did not force ourselves to persuade.

Then they were taken to San Francisco, where they became the heroes of the day and honorary citizens of the city, the golden symbolic key from which was handed to Askhat. And then they were sent home.

At home - long live the thaw! - they were not imprisoned for treason, but rewarded with the orders of the Red Star.

Askhat all his life was connected with the sea, he worked as part of the rescue division of the Leningrad Naval Base.

He lived in Strelna, and the diligence of local ethnographer Oleg Varenik became an honorary resident of the city. Identity number 2, right after Putin.

The glory of this four was incredible, deafening and some very humane and simple.

Here was such a counting-point:.

Yuri - Gagarin Ziganshin - Tatar Nikita - Khrushchev, And who are you?.

But the most downhill, of course, was the song on the melody Rock around the clock Bill Haley. And the words there were like this:.

As in the Pacific The barge with dudes is dying The dudes are not discouraged Rock on the deck is throwing Ziganshin-rock, Ziganshin-boogie Ziganshin - a guy from Kaluga Ziganshin-boogie, Ziganshin-rock Ziganshin ate someone else's boot Poplavsky-rock, Poplavsky-boogie Poplavsky ate a friend's letter So far Poplavsky cleaned his teeth Ziganshin ate the second boot Ziganshin-boogie, Kryuchkovsky-rock Poplavsky ate the second boot While Ziganshin rock threw Harmon Fedotov finished until Poplavsky's teeth scraped Ziganshin ate his sandals.

I DISASTER THE EVERY COUNTRY I saw the live Askhat once, several years ago, visiting the same Strelna ethnographer Oleg Varenik. It was a small old man, shy and inconspicuous.

After the death of Askhat Ziganshin, only Anatoly Fedorovich Kryuchkovsky remained alive from the glorious four of these guys. He lives in Kiev, suffered a stroke. It would be nice to find him.

In the picture - a fantastic four in San Francisco. I recall their names:.

Askhat Ziganshin, junior sergeant Philip Poplavsky, private Anatoly Kryuchkovsky, private Ivan Fedotov, private Perfect BEATLES, well, after all?.

Rest in peace, Uncle Askhat!.

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