Legendary naval special forces "Kholuai": myths and truth about the most secret part of the Pacific Fleet. How to get into the special forces of the Russian Marine Corps, who serves there and the naval reconnaissance point

The secret unit "Kholuai" of the Pacific Fleet, also known as 42 MCI Special Forces (military unit 59190), was created in 1955 in Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, and was later relocated to Russky Island, where to this day reconnaissance saboteurs undergo combat training. There are many legends about these guys, their physical training admired, they are called the best of the best, the cream of the special forces.

Preface
“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that, ten of us, the Japanese took us to the headquarters of a colonel, the commander of an aviation unit, who wanted to make us hostages. I joined the conversation when I felt that the representative with us Soviet command Captain 3rd Rank Kulebyakin, as they say, was “pinned to the wall.” Looking the Japanese in the eye, I said that we had fought the entire war in the west and had enough experience to assess the situation, that we would not be hostages, but rather, we would die, but we would die along with everyone who was at headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here. Hero of the Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door with a key, put the key in his pocket and sat down on a chair, and Volodya Olyashev (after the war - Honored Master of Sports) lifted Andrei along with the chair and placed him directly in front of the Japanese commander. Ivan Guzenkov went to the window and reported that we were not high, and Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, standing at the door, began tossing an anti-tank grenade in his hand.
The Japanese, however, did not know that there was no fuse in it. The colonel, forgetting about the handkerchief, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after some time signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison."- this is how naval reconnaissance Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, described just one military operation in which a handful of daring and brave naval reconnaissance officers of the Pacific Fleet literally forced a large Japanese garrison to lay down their arms without a fight. Three and a half thousand Japanese samurai shamefully surrendered.
This was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Detachment, the harbinger of modern naval special forces, which today everyone knows under the incomprehensible and mysterious name “Holuai”.

Origins
And it all started back in the years of the Great Patriotic War. At that time, the 181st reconnaissance detachment successfully operated in the Northern Fleet, carrying out various special operations behind enemy lines. The crowning achievement of this detachment’s activity was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily destroy an amphibious convoy) in preparation for the landing of troops in the port of Liinakhamari ( Murmansk region).
This, in turn, ensured the success of the Petsamo-Kirkenes landing operation, which became the key to success in the liberation of the entire Soviet Arctic. It is difficult to even imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured just a few guns of German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this purpose the reconnaissance detachment was created to sting the enemy in small forces the most vulnerable spot…
The commander of the 181st reconnaissance detachment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Leonov, and two more of his subordinates (Semyon Agafonov and Andrei Pshenichnykh) became Heroes of the Soviet Union for this short but important battle.

In April 1945, part of the personnel of the 181st detachment, led by the commander, was transferred to the Pacific Fleet to form the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet, which was supposed to be used in the upcoming war with Japan. By May, the detachment was formed on Russky Island in the amount of 139 people and began combat training. In August 1945, the 140th Reconnaissance Squadron took part in the capture of the ports of Yuki and Racine, as well as the naval bases of Seishin and Genzan. As a result of these operations, chief petty officer Makar Babikov and midshipman Alexander Nikandrov of the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and their commander Viktor Leonov received the second Hero star.
However, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the USSR Navy were disbanded due to imaginary uselessness.

But soon history turned around...

From the history of the creation of parts special purpose: In 1950, in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, separate special-purpose companies were formed in each army and military district. In the Primorsky Territory, in particular, three such companies were formed: the 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th Combined Arms Army with a deployment in Ussuriysk, the 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th combined arms army stationed at the Boets Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. The special forces companies were tasked with searching for and destroying the most important military and civilian targets deep behind enemy lines, including enemy nuclear attack weapons. The personnel of these companies were trained in military reconnaissance, mine explosives, and made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit to serve in the airborne forces.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed the indispensability of such units for decisive actions on enemy communications, and in connection with the unleashing by the Americans " cold war", the need for such units became very clear. high efficiency new units were shown already at the first exercises, and the Navy became interested in units of this kind.

The head of Navy intelligence, Rear Admiral Leonid Konstantinovich Bekrenev, wrote in his address to the Minister of the Navy: “...taking into account the role of reconnaissance and sabotage units in the general reconnaissance system of fleets, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... to create... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of separate naval reconnaissance divisions..."
At the same time, captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically justified such a decision, arguing that “...the difficulties and duration of training for reconnaissance light divers necessitates their advance preparation and systematic training, for which special units must be created...”.

And so, by the Directive of the Main Naval Staff of June 24, 1953, similar special intelligence formations are formed in all fleets. In total, five “special purpose reconnaissance points” were formed - in all fleets and the Caspian flotilla.

The Pacific Fleet has its own reconnaissance point created on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Navy No. OMU/1/53060ss dated March 18, 1955. However, “Unit Day” is considered June 5, 1955 - the day when the unit completed its formation and became part of the fleet as a combat unit.

Kholuai Bay
The word “Kholuai” itself (as well as its variations “Khaluai” and “Khalulai”), according to one version, means “lost place”, and although disputes on this subject are still ongoing and sinologists do not confirm such a translation, the version is considered quite plausible - especially among those who served in this bay.

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name was widely practiced - Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century) construction of anti-landing defense facilities for Vladivostok began. Defense facilities included long-term coastal firing points - bunkers.
Some especially fortified bunkers even had proper names, for example, “Stream”, “Rock”, “Wave”, “Bonfire” and others. All this defensive splendor was served by separate machine-gun battalions, each of which occupied its own defense sector.
In particular, the 69th separate machine gun battalion of the Vladivostok coastal defense sector of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of ​​​​Cape Krasny in Kholuai Bay (New Dzhigit), served firing points located on Russky Island. For this battalion in 1935, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built. The battalion was stationed here until the forties, after which it was disbanded. The barracks were not used for a long time and began to collapse.

And in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks, the secrecy of whose existence was brought to the highest limit.

First Deputy Chief of the GRU, Colonel General I. Ya. Sidorov, accepts the report of the commander of the special forces group.

In open use among the “initiates,” the unit bore the name “Recreation Base “Irtek” of the Main Naval Base “Vladivostok.” The unit also received the code name military unit No. 59190 and the open name “42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point.” The people had a “folk” name for the part - “Kholuai” - after the name of the bay.

So what was this part? Why are so many different legends hovering around her, both then and today, sometimes bordering on fantasy?

Birth of a legend
The formation of the 42nd special-purpose maritime reconnaissance point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During formation, the duties of commander were temporarily performed by captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky, but the first approved commander of the new unit was... no, not a reconnaissance officer, but the former commander of the destroyer, captain of the second rank Pyotr Kovalenko.

For several months the unit was based on Ulysses, and the personnel lived on board the old ship, and before leaving for the permanent deployment point on Russky Island, the reconnaissance sailors at the submarine training base underwent an accelerated diving training course.

Having arrived at the unit’s location in Kholuai Bay, the reconnaissance sailors first set about... construction works, because they needed to somehow arrange their housing, and no one was going to help them in this matter.

On July 1, 1955, single combat began in the unit. combat training future reconnaissance divers under the training program for special forces units. A little later, combat coordination between the groups began.

In September 1955, the newly formed naval special forces took part in his first exercises - having landed on boats in the Shkotovsky region, naval reconnaissance officers carried out reconnaissance of the Abrek naval base and elements of its anti-sabotage defense, as well as highways behind the lines of the so-called “enemy”.

Already at that time, the command of the unit came to the understanding that selection for naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.
Candidates for service who were called up from military registration and enlistment offices or transferred from educational units fleet, faced severe tests - for a week they were subjected to extreme loads, which were reinforced by severe psychological pressure. Not everyone survived, and those who couldn’t stand it were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

But those who survived were immediately enlisted in the elite unit and began combat training. This test week began to be called “hell”. Later, when the US created its units" fur seals"(SEAL), they adopted our practice of selecting future fighters as the most optimal, allowing short time understand what a particular candidate is capable of, whether he is ready to serve in naval special forces units.
The meaning of this “personnel” rigidity came down to the fact that commanders initially had to clearly understand the abilities and capabilities of their fighters - after all, special forces operate in isolation from their troops, and a small group can rely only on itself, and, accordingly, the importance of any team member increases many times over. The commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates must be confident in their commander. And that is the only reason why “entrance to service” in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be any other way.

Looking ahead, I will say that today nothing is lost: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious tests, inaccessible for the most part even to physically well-prepared people.

In particular, the candidate must first of all run ten kilometers in a heavy body armor, meeting the running standard provided for jogging in sneakers and sportswear. If you fail, no one will talk to you anymore. If you ran on time, then you immediately need to do 70 push-ups while lying down and 15 pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Moreover, it is advisable to perform these exercises in their “pure form”. Most of people, already at the stage of jogging in a bulletproof vest, suffocating from physical overload, begin to wonder, “Do I need this happiness if this happens every day?” - it is at this moment that true motivation manifests itself.
If a person strives to serve in the naval special forces, if he firmly knows what he wants, he passes this test, but if he has doubts, then it is better not to continue this torment.

At the end of the test, the candidate is placed in the ring, where three hand-to-hand combat instructors fight with him, checking the person’s readiness for the fight - both physical and moral. Usually, if a candidate reaches the ring, he is already an “ideological” candidate, and the ring does not break him. Well, and then the commander, or the person replacing him, talks with the candidate. After this, the harsh service begins...

There are no discounts for officers either - everyone passes the test. Basically, the supplier of command personnel for Kholuy are three military schools - the Pacific Naval School (TOVVMU), the Far Eastern Combined Arms School (DVOKU) and the Ryazan Airborne School (RVVDKU), although if a person wants, then nothing prevents an officer from other schools I would like to join the naval special forces.
As a former special forces officer told me, having shown a desire to serve in this unit to the head of naval intelligence, he immediately had to do 100 push-ups right in the admiral’s office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer went through Afghanistan and was awarded two military orders. This is how the Pacific Fleet intelligence chief decided to cut off the candidate if he did not complete such a basic exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

IN different time part was commanded by:
Captain 1st Rank Kovalenko Petr Prokopyevich (1955–1959);
Captain 1st Rank Guryanov Viktor Nikolaevich (1959–1961);
Captain 1st Rank Petr Ivanovich Konnov (1961–1966);
Captain 1st Rank Klimenko Vasily Nikiforovich (1966–1972);
Captain 1st Rank Minkin Yuri Alekseevich (1972–1976);
Captain 1st Rank Zharkov Anatoly Vasilievich (1976–1981);
Captain 1st Rank Yakovlev Yuri Mikhailovich (1981–1983);
Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983–1988);
Captain 1st Rank Omsharuk Vladimir Vladimirovich (1988–1995) - died in February 2016;
Lieutenant Colonel Gritsai Vladimir Georgievich (1995–1997);
Captain 1st rank Kurochkin Sergey Veniaminovich (1997–2000);
Colonel Gubarev Oleg Mikhailovich (2000-2010);
Lieutenant Colonel Belyavsky Zaur Valerievich (2010-2013).

Exercises and service
In 1956, naval reconnaissance officers began to master parachute jumps. Usually the training took place at naval aviation airfields - according to subordination. During the first training camp, all personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from Li-2 and An-2 aircraft, and also learned to land “assault-style” from Mi-4 helicopters - both on land and on water.

A year later, naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered landing on the shore through the torpedo tubes of submarines lying on the ground, as well as returning to them after completing a mission at the coastal facilities of a mock enemy. Based on the results of combat training in 1958, the 42nd naval reconnaissance point became the best special part Pacific Fleet and was awarded the challenge pennant of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

In many exercises, intelligence officers developed the necessary skills, acquired specialized knowledge and expressed their wishes regarding the composition of the equipment. In particular, back in the late fifties, naval intelligence officers formulated requirements for weapons - they should be light and silent (as a result, samples of special weapons appeared - small-sized silent pistols SMEs, silent grenade launchers "Silence", underwater pistols SPP-1 and underwater assault rifles APS, as well as many other special weapons). The scouts also wanted to have waterproof outerwear and shoes, and their eyes needed to be protected from mechanical damage with special safety glasses (for example, today the equipment set includes four types of safety glasses).

In 1960, the unit's staff was increased to 146 people.

By this time, we had already decided on our specialization, which was divided into three areas:
- part of the personnel was represented by reconnaissance divers, who were supposed to conduct reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as mine ships and port facilities;
- some of the sailors were engaged in conducting military reconnaissance - in other words, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land reconnaissance officers;
- the third direction was represented by radio and electronic intelligence specialists - these people were engaged in instrumental reconnaissance, which made it possible to quickly detect the most important objects behind enemy lines, such as field radio stations, radar stations, technical observation posts - in general, everything that emitted in broadcast any signals and had to be destroyed first.

Marine special forces began to receive special underwater carriers - in other words, small underwater vehicles that could deliver saboteurs over long distances. Such a carrier was the two-seat "Triton", later - also the two-seat "Triton-1M", and even later the six-seat "Triton-2" appeared. These devices allowed saboteurs to quietly penetrate directly into enemy bases, mine ships and piers, and perform other reconnaissance tasks.
These were very secret devices, and the more “terrible” was the story when a naval special forces officer, secretly escorting containers with these devices (in civilian clothes under the guise of a regular cargo forwarder), suddenly heard with a trembling knees how a slinger was in charge of reloading a container from a railway platform onto the truck, shouted loudly to the crane operator: “Petrovich, lift it carefully, there are NEWTs here”... and only when the officer pulled himself together, calmed down his trembling and calmed down a little, he realized that no leak of top-secret information had occurred, and the unlucky slinger only had meaning THREE TONS of container weight (that’s how much the Triton-1M weighed), and not the most secret Tritons that were inside...

For reference:
"Triton" - the first carrier of divers open type. Immersion depth is up to 12 meters. Speed ​​– 4 knots (7.5 km/h). Range – 30 miles (55 km).
"Triton-1M" - the first carrier for divers closed type. Weight – 3 tons. Immersion depth is 32 meters. Speed ​​– 4 knots. Range – 60 miles (110 km).
"Triton-2" is the first closed-type group carrier for divers. Weight – 15 tons. Immersion depth is 40 meters. Speed ​​– 5 knots. Range – 60 miles.
Currently, these types of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from combat service. All three samples are installed as monuments on the territory of the unit, and the decommissioned Triton-2 apparatus is also presented at the street exhibition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

Currently, such underwater carriers are not used for a number of reasons, the main one of which is the impossibility of using them covertly. Today, naval special forces are armed with more modern underwater carriers "Sirena" and "Proteus" various modifications. Both of these carriers allow for the secret landing of a reconnaissance group through a submarine's torpedo tube. "Siren" "carries" two saboteurs, and "Proteus" is an individual carrier.

Insolence and sport
Some of the legends about “Kholuai” are associated with the steady desire of the military personnel of this unit to improve their reconnaissance and sabotage skills at the expense of their own comrades. At all times, the "Kholuai" caused many problems to people daily outfit, serving on ships and in coastal units of the Pacific Fleet.
There were frequent cases of “training” abductions of orderlies, duty documentation, and theft of vehicles from careless military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically assigned such tasks to the scouts... but for successful actions of this kind, the reconnaissance sailors could even receive short-term leave.

There are many fairy tales about how special forces "with one knife he is thrown out in the middle of Siberia, and he must survive and return to his unit".
No, of course, no one is thrown out anywhere with just a knife, but during special tactical exercises, reconnaissance groups can be sent to other regions of the country, where they are given various training reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to their unit - preferably undetected . At this time, the police are intensively searching for them, internal troops and state security agencies, and citizens are told that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

In the unit itself, sports have been cultivated at all times - and therefore one should not be surprised that even today, at almost all naval competitions in strength sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prize-winning places are usually taken by representatives of “Kholuy”. It should be noted that preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows a naval scout to feel confident both on foot or ski trips, and in long-distance swimming.
Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without excesses even gave rise to a peculiar saying on “Kholuay”: “Some things are not necessary, but some things you can limit yourself to.”
It contains a deep meaning, largely reflecting the essence of a naval reconnaissance Russian Navy- who, being content with little, is capable of accomplishing a lot.

Healthy special forces chauvinism also gave rise to the special audacity of the intelligence officers, which became a source of pride for the naval special forces fighters. This quality was especially evident during exercises, which were and are being carried out almost constantly.

One of the admirals of the Pacific Fleet once said: “The naval special forces guys were brought up in the spirit of love for the Motherland, hatred of enemies and the awareness that they are the elite of the fleet. Not for the feeling of their own superiority over others, but in the sense that huge amounts of money are spent on them folk remedies, and their duty, if anything happens, to justify these costs...”

I remember in my early childhood, in the mid-eighties, on the embankment near the S-56 I saw a lonely wandering sailor with a parachutist badge shining on his chest. At this time, a ferry was loading at the pier, heading to Russky Island (there were no bridges at that time). The sailor was stopped by a patrol, and he presented his documents, gesticulating desperately, pointing at the ferry, which was already raising the ramp. But the patrol, apparently, decided to detain the sailor for some offense.
And then I saw a whole performance: the sailor sharply pulled the cap of the senior patrolman right over his eyes, snatched his documents from his hands, slapped one of the patrolmen in the face, and rushed headlong to the departing ferry!

And the ferry, I must say, had already moved one and a half to two meters away from the pier, and the sailor-paratrooper overcame this distance in a graceful jump, grabbed the ferry's railing, and there he was already pulled on board by the passengers. For some reason, I have no doubts in which unit that sailor served...

Return of a Legend
In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain First Rank Viktor Leonov, came to the unit. Several photographs have been preserved in which the “legend of naval special forces” is captured with military personnel of the unit, both officers and sailors. Subsequently, Viktor Leonov would visit the 42nd reconnaissance point several more times, which he himself considered a worthy brainchild of his 140th reconnaissance detachment...

Combat use
In 1982, the moment came when the Motherland demanded the professional skills of naval special forces. From February 24 to April 27, a regular special forces group performed combat service tasks for the first time, being on one of the Pacific Fleet ships.

In 1988–1989, a reconnaissance group equipped with Siren underwater carriers and all the necessary combat equipment was in combat service for 130 days. A small reconnaissance ship from the 38th brigade delivered the Kholuaevites to the place of their combat mission. reconnaissance ships Pacific Fleet It is too early to say what these tasks were, because they are still hidden under a veil of secrecy. One thing is clear - some enemy has become very ill these days...
In 1995, a group of military personnel from the 42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point took part in a combat operation to establish a constitutional regime in the Chechen Republic.

The group was attached to the 165th regiment operating there Marine Corps Pacific Fleet and, according to the senior commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps group in Chechnya, Colonel Sergei Konstantinovich Kondratenko, acted brilliantly. The scouts remained calm and courageous in any critical situation. Five “Kholuaevites” laid down their lives in this war. In 1996, a monument to the military personnel of the unit who died in the line of military duty was erected on the territory of the unit.

— your guide to the world of scale modeling!

Yesterday, looking through the event feed in social network On VKontakte, I came across a photograph in one of the groups called “Somewhere in the forests of Russky Island.” It depicts a soldier with a flag of military unit 59190 42 OMRPSN. This rather outlandish abbreviation was left to us as a legacy from the USSR.

This part is known to all Primorye residents, and indeed to many residents of the Far East, under a different name - “Kholuai”. This is part of the combat swimmers of the Pacific Fleet, working in the interests of the fleet and the GRU.

Kholuai (there are 2 more variants of the name - Khaluai/Kholulai) can be considered one of the unique symbols of our region. And since I’m describing memorable/military sights of the Far East, I decided that I simply had to tell you about it, dear readers and colleagues.

I myself first heard this name - Kholuai (or rather, Kholulai) when I came from Sakhalin to study in Khabarovsk. The man from whom my friend and I rented an apartment for a long time had served in military service in the Pacific Fleet. Went on long ocean voyages. Then I learned a lot of new and interesting things about Indian Ocean, Adene. I saw naval photographs from the late 70s - early 80s.

And among other things, we were then told about the top secret units of Pacific Fleet combat swimmers, who also served on ships. Solving, of course, your specific problems.

In general, when it comes to Kholuay, the question of extremely scant information about life/service/training methods in naval special forces units of the USSR Navy comes up. In general, about all parts. These were practically the most secret units in the country.

And where there is no reliable information, a lot of rumors and legends arise. Yes, exactly legends.

There is so much to hear about the fighters of this unit and what they did. Every “armchair expert” wants to say that he personally knew or served there. He saw everything and knows for sure.

I can say one thing. Those people who served/are serving in the MCI SPN are either completely silent, avoiding service issues, or limit themselves to general phrases about how they got there and what they did.

I know this from my own experience. Simply because I once worked in a company where my senior colleague was a Kholulite. Common phrases. Common words. Non-disclosure agreement. State secret.

Only one thing - these are still people of a special cut. Marine. The sea makes a person different. Gives a different attitude towards life and death. A different perspective on many things.

Kholuai is still alive today. The part, after a long half-dead state of the troubled times of the 90s, is again operating in full force. As they say knowledgeable people: “It’s not possible to get into the location. Already on the approaches - head straight into the ground" :)))

Personally, I don't have any classified information, I’m not going to reveal state secrets.

I just want you, dear colleagues, to taste at least a little of the sensations of the Far Eastern Primorye - a free land, with beautiful nature and wonderful people. And they knew that there was such a strange, tasty word - HOLUAY, behind which stands the glorious history of the Pacific Fleet.

SPECIAL PURPOSE MARINE INTELLIGENCE CENTER

Naval reconnaissance parachute units (naval reconnaissance points) were created in the early 50s in the naval reconnaissance system.

Back on May 20, 1953, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov, in the “Plan of Measures to Strengthen Navy Intelligence,” approved the creation of special-purpose units in the fleet. In the summer of the same year Black Sea Fleet The first special purpose naval reconnaissance point (MRp SpN) was formed, the commander of which was appointed captain 1st rank E.V. Yakovlev. The naval reconnaissance point was stationed in the Kruglaya Bay area near Sevastopol and had a staff of 72 personnel. One of the types of combat training was airborne, where naval reconnaissance officers mastered parachute jumps, including water jumps.

Experimental exercises confirmed the need to create similar units in all fleets. As a result, a total of seven maritime reconnaissance points and the 315th training detachment of light divers (military unit 20884) were formed, which trained personnel, including for maritime special reconnaissance. The training detachment was stationed in Kyiv, and naval reconnaissance points were scattered across all fleets: two each in the Black Sea and Baltic fleets, one each in the Northern and Pacific, and one more was part of the Caspian flotilla.

The naval special forces adopted a special diver's parachute, SVP-1, which made it possible to land a naval reconnaissance officer in full diving gear. Scouts of the Black Sea Fleet repeatedly performed low-altitude parachute landings from a height of 60-70 m during exercises.

According to the results of an audit conducted by a GRU commission in 1963, the combat readiness of naval special forces turned out to be quite high. The commission came to the conclusion that all naval reconnaissance points are prepared for landing from a submarine, as well as for parachute landing on rough terrain with cargo in night conditions. In addition, 23 reconnaissance personnel of the 42nd Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet are prepared for parachute jumps onto the water.

A series of reorganizations by 1963 left each fleet with one naval reconnaissance point, and in the Northern Fleet, due to difficult climatic conditions, the naval reconnaissance point was disbanded.

Composition of special reconnaissance units of the USSR Navy:

17th ObrSpN military unit 34391, Black Sea Fleet, Ochakov, Pervomaisky Island;
42nd MRPSPN military unit 59190, Pacific Fleet, Vladivostok, Russky Island;
160th infantry regiment of the Black Sea Fleet, Odessa;
420th MRSPPN military unit 40145, Northern Fleet, Severomorsk;
431st MRSPSpN military unit 25117, KasFl, Baku;
457th MRPSPN military unit 10617, BF, Kaliningrad, Parusnoye village;
461st MRSPN, BF, Baltiysk.

SPECIAL FORCES TOF KHOLUAY: 42 OMRRP SN: Military unit 59190

The legendary “secret part of Kholuai” in Vladivostok celebrates its 60th anniversary on June 5. On this day in 1955, in accordance with the directive of the General Staff of the Navy dated March 18, 1955 with a location in Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, 42 ​​MCI Special Forces (military unit 59190) were created in the Pacific Fleet. Due to the lack of necessary premises, accommodation in specified location It turned out to be impossible and only in December of the same year the personnel were stationed at a permanent deployment point on Russky Island in Kholuai Bay.

Map of English: Sights of the island, incl. and location of MCI

The history of the 42nd separate special-purpose maritime reconnaissance point began on March 18, 1955. At first, like other naval special forces units formed earlier in the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet, it was called the “Maritime Reconnaissance Point.” In the 1970s, naval reconnaissance points received the names RPSpN, retaining the point numbers.

Chevrons and badges 42 MRp SN

The founder of the unit is twice Hero of the Soviet Union, captain 1st rank Viktor Leonov. At the end of World War II, he commanded the 140th Guards Marine Reconnaissance Detachment of the Pacific Fleet. This detachment became famous for its daring operations and rightfully bore the title of Guards.

Considering that military unit 59190 was created precisely on the basis of this detachment, the command repeatedly came up with the initiative to return the former name of the unit. The first commander of the 42nd RSPPN was Captain 2nd Rank Pyotr Kovalenko. The location of the unit at the founding of the 42nd MCI was designated Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, but there were no premises there. During 1955, the point changed its location more than once, choosing a convenient location. Only at the beginning of December 1955, the personnel of the 42nd MCI were relocated on Russky Island to Kholuai Bay, the permanent location of military unit 59190. Subsequently, the staff of the 42nd OMRPSpN changed several times.

On the day of the 60th anniversary of the “secret part of Kholuai”, a monument to Viktor Leonov was unveiled on its territory.

Monument to twice hero of the USSR Viktor Leonov

Also, the underwater sabotage carrier “Triton-2” was installed as a monument on the territory of the unit. Exactly the same one can be seen today in the courtyard of the KTOF Museum on Svetlanskaya Street. The Triton-2 midget submarines were in service with the fleet from 1975 to the 1990s. They were intended for patrolling the waters of ports and roadsteads, delivering and evacuating reconnaissance divers, mining piers and enemy ships, and exploring the seabed.

Chairman of the Council of the Primorsky Regional Branch " The Brotherhood of War", reserve colonel, who retired from the post of chief of staff of a marine division in 2000, Alexander Fedorov, recalls with warm feelings the years spent serving in the naval special forces.

“Only healthy guys according to all medical criteria could get into the special forces. In this unit there was completely different training, special tasks were performed. Service in the naval special forces is an honorable, but extremely difficult job, which not everyone can handle,” noted the reserve colonel.

Military unit 59190 included the following ships: MTL - a naval torpedo boat and five boats, and for landing in the surface version, the Kholuai naval special forces used inflatable boats SML-8.

Combat service Kholuai fighters of the Pacific Fleet special forces take place on Pacific Fleet ships. The presence of the 42nd OMRPSpN with all the necessary equipment and weapons on board the ship meant that the Kholuai naval special forces were ready to parachute into a special events area or reconnaissance area at any time. Groups of the 42nd OMRPSpN also perform combat service on submarines. Such business trips last about two months. The combat service of the Kholuai naval special forces on surface ships lasts up to six months.

“I would love to go back to those times, if only because I was young then.” Despite our special forces status, we, like all military personnel, had leave of absence. It was impossible to sit “behind the wire” all the time! Still, youth, girls,” Alexander Fedorov says nostalgically.

The reserve colonel noted that the scouts of the 42nd OMRPSpN fought in the first Chechen campaign. A group of 10 people from the Kholuai naval special forces acted successfully, but 3 of them died. All members of the Kholuai group of the Pacific Fleet special forces were awarded by the Russian Federation. Warrant officer Andrei Dneprovsky and senior lieutenant Sergei Firsov were awarded the title of Hero of Russia (posthumously).

During their existence, underwater reconnaissance saboteurs also carried out combat missions near Persian Gulf, in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Writer, journalist Alexey Sukonkin in 1993-94 he served in a special forces unit ground forces, but from time to time some of them were also in the naval special forces.

— In the 90s, there, as in the entire army, there was devastation and collapse. Little attention was paid to the army and navy, so people there were focused on survival; there was no time for combat training,” said Alexey Sukonkin.

He noted that today everything is different. Some thrive, not survive.

People who meet the requirements for service in the airborne forces go to serve in the naval special forces. The service life is standard: conscripts – one year, contract soldiers – 3 and 5 years,” said Alexey Sukonkin.

The unit still remains one of the most secret units of the Pacific Fleet and is rightfully considered elite in terms of the level of combat training of its personnel.

The special forces of the Pacific Fleet are aimed at solving problems against the enemy’s most important island and coastal targets, for which they are armed with underwater delivery vehicles, special weapons and combat robots. But the most important thing is people - trained, motivated, capable of the impossible.

HOLUAI: WHAT IS THIS?

On Russky Island, the only Chinese toponym preserved is Kholuai Bay (Se-Huluai). The bay with a beautiful and rare name for Russian-Island toponymy, Kholuai, is translated from Chinese as “a shore in the shape of a gourd.” "

Kholuai" - formed by three components: "hu" - small egg (jug), "lu" - reeds, "ai" - shore, edge, edge of the mountain. During the Soviet period, the military topographic maps a new Russian interpretation of it began to appear - “Ostrovnaya”.

However, the new name did not take root well, so for everyone who knew Kholuai Bay, it is still called that way.

VIDEO

SOURCES

AFTERWORD

After this article was published, I received an email from a person who suggested adding this material Andrey Zagortsev’s book “Sailor Special Forces”. The author is a fairly well-known military writer who served in military service in Kholuay and fought in Chechnya. Afterwards he returned to the 42nd MrP as a lieutenant.

The book is truly interesting. She's wonderful for her in simple language, lots of details. For me personally, it is very reminiscent of the work of Andrei Ilyin, whom I respect very much.

Anyone who wants to experience the whole essence of the service of a reconnaissance diver is a must read.

The secret unit "Kholuai" of the Pacific Fleet, also known as 42 MCI Special Forces (military unit 59190), was created in 1955 in Maly Ulysses Bay near Vladivostok, and was later relocated to Russky Island, where to this day reconnaissance saboteurs undergo combat training. There are many legends about these guys, their physical fitness is admired, they are called the best of the best, the cream of the special forces. Each of them could become the protagonist of an action movie. Today RIA PrimaMedia publishes material military historian and journalist Alexei Sukonkin about the legendary part "Kholuai". In 1993-94, he served in a special forces unit of the ground forces, but from time to time they were also part of the naval special forces.

Preface

“Suddenly for the enemy, we landed at a Japanese airfield and entered into negotiations. After that, ten of us, the Japanese took us to the headquarters of a colonel, the commander of an aviation unit, who wanted to make us hostages. I joined the conversation when I felt that the With us, a representative of the Soviet command, Captain 3rd Rank Kulebyakin, was, as they say, “pinned to the wall.” Looking into the eyes of the Japanese, I said that we fought the entire war in the west and have enough experience to assess the situation, that we will not be hostages , or better yet, we will die, but we will die together with everyone who is at headquarters. The difference is, I added, that you will die like rats, and we will try to escape from here. Hero of the Soviet Union Mitya Sokolov immediately stood behind the Japanese colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Pshenichnykh locked the door with a key, put the key in his pocket and sat down on a chair, and Volodya Olyashev (after the war - Honored Master of Sports) lifted Andrei along with the chair and placed him directly in front of the Japanese commander. Ivan Guzenkov went to the window and reported that we were not high, and Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, standing at the door, began tossing an anti-tank grenade in his hand. The Japanese, however, did not know that there was no fuse in it. The colonel, forgetting about the handkerchief, began to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his hand and after some time signed the act of surrender of the entire garrison."

This is how naval reconnaissance Viktor Leonov, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, described just one military operation in which a handful of daring and brave naval reconnaissance officers of the Pacific Fleet literally forced a large Japanese garrison to lay down their arms without a fight. Three and a half thousand Japanese samurai shamefully surrendered.

Viktor Leonov and comrades after the battle for Seisin. Photo: from the Red Star archive

This was the apotheosis of the combat power of the 140th Marine Reconnaissance Detachment, the harbinger of modern naval special forces, which today everyone knows under the incomprehensible and mysterious name “Holuai”.

Origins

And it all started during the Great Patriotic War. At that time, the 181st reconnaissance detachment successfully operated in the Northern Fleet, carrying out various special operations behind enemy lines. The crowning achievement of this detachment’s activity was the capture of two coastal batteries at Cape Krestovoy (which blocked the entrance to the bay and could easily defeat an amphibious convoy) in preparation for the landing in the port of Liinakhamari (Murmansk region - editor's note). This, in turn, ensured the success of the Petsamo-Kirkenes landing operation, which became the key to success in the liberation of the entire Soviet Arctic. It is difficult to even imagine that a detachment of several dozen people, having captured just a few guns of German coastal batteries, actually ensured victory in the entire strategic operation, but, nevertheless, this is so - for this purpose the reconnaissance detachment was created to sting the enemy in small forces the most vulnerable place...

The commander of the 181st reconnaissance detachment, Senior Lieutenant Viktor Leonov, and two more of his subordinates (Semyon Agafonov and Andrei Pshenichnykh) became Heroes of the Soviet Union for this short but important battle.

Twice Hero of the USSR Viktor Leonov. Photo: wikipedia.org

In April 1945, part of the personnel of the 181st detachment, led by the commander, was transferred to the Pacific Fleet to form the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet, which was supposed to be used in the upcoming war with Japan. By May, the detachment was formed on Russky Island in the amount of 139 people and began combat training. In August 1945, the 140th Reconnaissance Squadron took part in the capture of the ports of Yuki and Racine, as well as the naval bases of Seishin and Genzan. As a result of these operations, chief petty officer Makar Babikov and midshipman Alexander Nikandrov of the 140th reconnaissance detachment of the Pacific Fleet became Heroes of the Soviet Union, and their commander Viktor Leonov received the second Hero star.

However, at the end of the war, all such reconnaissance formations in the USSR Navy were disbanded due to imaginary uselessness.

But soon history turned around...

From the history of the creation of special-purpose units: In 1950, in the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, separate special-purpose companies were formed in each army and military district. In the Primorsky Territory, in particular, three such companies were formed: the 91st (military unit No. 51423) as part of the 5th Combined Arms Army with a deployment in Ussuriysk, the 92nd (military unit No. 51447) as part of the 25th combined arms army stationed at the Boets Kuznetsov station and the 88th (military unit No. 51422) as part of the 37th Guards Airborne Corps stationed in Chernigovka. The special forces companies were tasked with searching for and destroying the most important military and civilian targets deep behind enemy lines, including enemy nuclear attack weapons. The personnel of these companies were trained in military reconnaissance, mine explosives, and made parachute jumps. For service in such units, people were selected who, for health reasons, were fit to serve in the airborne forces.

The experience of the Great Patriotic War showed the indispensability of such units for decisive actions on enemy communications, and in connection with the outbreak of the Cold War by the Americans, the need for such units became very clear. The new units showed their high efficiency already at the first exercises, and the Navy became interested in units of this kind.

The head of Navy intelligence, Rear Admiral Leonid Konstantinovich Bekrenev, wrote in his address to the Minister of the Navy:

“...taking into account the role of reconnaissance and sabotage units in the overall reconnaissance system of fleets, I consider it necessary to carry out the following measures: ... create... reconnaissance and sabotage units of military intelligence, giving them the name of separate naval reconnaissance divisions...”

At the same time, captain of the first rank Boris Maksimovich Margolin theoretically justified this decision, arguing that “... the difficulties and duration of training of reconnaissance light divers necessitate their advance preparation and systematic training, for which special units should be created...”.

Descent underwater. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

And so, by the Directive of the Main Naval Staff of June 24, 1953, similar special intelligence formations are formed in all fleets. In total, five “special purpose reconnaissance points” were formed - in all fleets and the Caspian flotilla.

The Pacific Fleet is creating its own reconnaissance point on the basis of the directive of the General Staff of the Navy No. OMU/1/53060ss of March 18, 1955.

However, “Unit Day” is considered June 5, 1955 - the day when the unit completed its formation and became part of the fleet as a combat unit.

Kholuai Bay

The word “Kholuai” itself (as well as its variations “Khaluai” and “Khalulai”), according to one version, means “lost place”, and although disputes on this subject are still ongoing and sinologists do not confirm such a translation, the version is considered quite plausible - especially among those who served in this bay.

In the thirties, on Russky Island (at that time, by the way, its second name, Kazakevich Island, which disappeared from geographical maps only in the forties of the twentieth century, was widely practiced) construction of anti-landing defense facilities for Vladivostok was underway. Defense facilities included long-term coastal firing points - bunkers. Some especially fortified bunkers even had their own names, for example, “Stream”, “Rock”, “Wave”, “Bonfire” and others. All this defensive splendor was served by separate machine-gun battalions, each of which occupied its own defense sector. In particular, the 69th separate machine gun battalion of the Vladivostok coastal defense sector of the Pacific Fleet, located in the area of ​​​​Cape Krasny in Kholuai Bay (New Dzhigit), served firing points located on Russky Island. For this battalion in 1935, a two-story barracks and headquarters, a canteen, a boiler room, warehouses and a stadium were built. The battalion was stationed here until the forties, after which it was disbanded. The barracks were not used for a long time and began to collapse.

First Deputy Chief of the GRU, Colonel General I. Ya. Sidorov, accepts the report of the commander of the special forces group. Photo: from the archive of V. M. Fedorov

And so, in March 1955, a new military unit with very specific tasks moved here, the secrecy of its existence was brought to the highest limit.

In open use among the “initiates,” the unit bore the name “Recreation Base “Irtek” of the Main Naval Base “Vladivostok.” The unit also received the code name military unit No. 59190 and the open name “42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point.” The people had a “folk” name for the part - “Kholuai” - after the name of the bay.

So what was this part? Why are so many different legends hovering around her, both then and today, sometimes bordering on fantasy?

Birth of a legend

The formation of the 42nd special-purpose maritime reconnaissance point of the Pacific Fleet began in March and ended in June 1955. During formation, the duties of commander were temporarily performed by captain of the second rank Nikolai Braginsky, but the first approved commander of the new unit was... no, not a reconnaissance officer, but the former commander of the destroyer, captain of the second rank Pyotr Kovalenko.

For several months the unit was based on Ulysses, and the personnel lived on board the old ship, and before leaving for the permanent deployment point on Russky Island, the reconnaissance sailors at the submarine training base underwent an accelerated diving training course.

Arriving at the unit's location in Kholuai Bay, the reconnaissance sailors first of all set about... construction work, because they had to somehow equip their housing, and no one was going to help them in this matter.

On July 1, 1955, the unit began single combat training of future reconnaissance divers under the training program for special forces units. A little later, combat coordination between the groups began.

In September 1955, the newly formed naval special forces took part in their first exercises - having landed on boats in the Shkotovsky region, naval reconnaissance officers carried out reconnaissance of the Abrek naval base and elements of its anti-sabotage defense, as well as highways in the rear of the conditional “enemy”.

Special purpose group. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

Already at that time, the command of the unit came to the understanding that selection for naval special forces should be as tough as possible, if not cruel.

Candidates for service who were called up from military registration and enlistment offices or transferred from training units of the fleet faced severe tests - during the week they were subjected to extreme loads, which were reinforced by severe psychological pressure. Not everyone survived, and those who couldn’t stand it were immediately transferred to other parts of the fleet.

But those who survived were immediately enlisted in the elite unit and began combat training. This test week began to be called “hell”. Later, when the United States created its SEAL units, they adopted our practice of selecting future fighters as the most optimal, allowing them to quickly understand what a particular candidate is capable of and whether he is ready to serve in naval special forces units.

The meaning of this “personnel” rigidity came down to the fact that commanders initially had to clearly understand the abilities and capabilities of their fighters - after all, special forces operate in isolation from their troops, and a small group can rely only on itself, and, accordingly, the importance of any team member increases many times over. The commander must initially be confident in his subordinates, and subordinates must be confident in their commander. And that is the only reason why “entrance to service” in this part is so strict. It shouldn't be any other way.

Looking ahead, I will say that today nothing is lost: the candidate, as before, will have to go through serious tests, inaccessible for the most part even to physically well-prepared people.

Naval scouts with American weapons. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

In particular, the candidate must first of all run ten kilometers in a heavy body armor, meeting the running standard provided for jogging in sneakers and sportswear. If you fail, no one will talk to you anymore. If you ran on time, then you immediately need to do 70 push-ups while lying down and 15 pull-ups on the horizontal bar. Moreover, it is advisable to perform these exercises in their “pure form”. Most people, already at the stage of jogging in a bulletproof vest, suffocating from physical overload, begin to wonder, “Do I need this happiness if this happens every day?” - it is at this moment that true motivation manifests itself.

If a person strives to serve in the naval special forces, if he firmly knows what he wants, he passes this test, but if he has doubts, then it is better not to continue this torment.

At the end of the test, the candidate is placed in the ring, where three hand-to-hand combat instructors fight with him, checking the person’s readiness for the fight - both physical and moral. Usually, if a candidate reaches the ring, he is already an “ideological” candidate, and the ring does not break him. Well, and then the commander, or the person replacing him, talks with the candidate. After this, the harsh service begins...

There are no discounts for officers either - everyone passes the test. Basically, the supplier of command personnel for Kholuy are three military schools - the Pacific Naval School (TOVVMU), the Far Eastern Combined Arms School (DVOKU) and the Ryazan Airborne School (RVVDKU), although if a person wants, then nothing prevents an officer from other schools I would like to join the naval special forces.

As a former special forces officer told me, having shown a desire to serve in this unit to the head of naval intelligence, he immediately had to do 100 push-ups right in the admiral’s office - Rear Admiral Yuri Maksimenko (chief of intelligence of the Pacific Fleet in 1982-1991), despite the fact that the officer went through Afghanistan and was awarded two military orders. This is how the Pacific Fleet intelligence chief decided to cut off the candidate if he did not complete such a basic exercise. The officer completed the exercise.

A special forces group performs a mission in Kamchatka, 1989. Photo: from the archive of Igor Dulnev

Captain 1st Rank Kovalenko Petr Prokopyevich (1955–1959);

Captain 1st Rank Guryanov Viktor Nikolaevich (1959–1961);

Captain 1st Rank Petr Ivanovich Konnov (1961–1966);

Captain 1st Rank Klimenko Vasily Nikiforovich (1966–1972);

Captain 1st Rank Minkin Yuri Alekseevich (1972–1976);

Captain 1st Rank Zharkov Anatoly Vasilievich (1976–1981);

Captain 1st Rank Yakovlev Yuri Mikhailovich (1981–1983);

Lieutenant Colonel Evsyukov Viktor Ivanovich (1983–1988);

Captain 1st Rank Omsharuk Vladimir Vladimirovich (1988–1995) - died in February 2016;

Lieutenant Colonel Gritsai Vladimir Georgievich (1995–1997);

Captain 1st rank Kurochkin Sergey Veniaminovich (1997–2000);

Colonel Gubarev Oleg Mikhailovich (2000-2010);

Lieutenant Colonel Belyavsky Zaur Valerievich (2010-2013);

Let the names of today's commanders remain in the coastal fog of military secrecy...

Exercises and service

In 1956, naval reconnaissance officers began to master parachute jumps. Usually the training took place at naval aviation airfields - according to subordination. During the first training camp, all personnel performed two jumps from a height of 900 meters from Li-2 and An-2 aircraft, and also learned to land “assault-style” from Mi-4 helicopters - both on land and on water.

A year later, naval reconnaissance officers had already mastered landing on the shore through the torpedo tubes of submarines lying on the ground, as well as returning to them after completing a mission at the coastal facilities of a mock enemy. Based on the results of combat training in 1958, the 42nd Naval Reconnaissance Point became the best special unit of the Pacific Fleet and was awarded the challenge pennant of the Commander of the Pacific Fleet.

In many exercises, intelligence officers developed the necessary skills, acquired special knowledge and expressed their wishes regarding the composition of the equipment. In particular, back in the late fifties, naval intelligence officers formulated requirements for weapons - they should be light and silent (as a result, samples of special weapons appeared - small-sized silent pistols SMEs, silent grenade launchers "Silence", underwater pistols SPP-1 and underwater assault rifles APS, as well as many other special weapons). The scouts also wanted to have waterproof outerwear and shoes, and their eyes needed to be protected from mechanical damage with special safety glasses (for example, today the equipment set includes four types of safety glasses).

In 1960, the unit's staff was increased to 146 people.

By this time, we had already decided on our specialization, which was divided into three areas:

Some of the personnel were represented reconnaissance divers, which were supposed to conduct reconnaissance of enemy naval bases from the sea, as well as mine ships and port facilities;

Some of the sailors were engaged conducting military reconnaissance- simply put, having landed from the sea, they acted on the shore as ordinary land reconnaissance officers;

The third direction was presented radio and radio intelligence specialists- these people were engaged in instrumental reconnaissance, which made it possible to quickly detect the most important objects behind enemy lines, such as field radio stations, radar stations, technical observation posts - in general, everything that emitted any signals into the air and was subject to destruction first queue.

Marine special forces began to receive special underwater carriers - in other words, small underwater vehicles that could deliver saboteurs over long distances. Such a carrier was the two-seat "Triton", later - also the two-seat "Triton-1M", and even later the six-seat "Triton-2" appeared. These devices allowed saboteurs to quietly penetrate directly into enemy bases, mine ships and piers, and perform other reconnaissance tasks.

These were very secret devices, and the more “terrible” was the story when a naval special forces officer, secretly escorting containers with these devices (in civilian clothes under the guise of a regular cargo forwarder), suddenly heard with a trembling knees how a slinger was in charge of reloading a container from a railway platform on the truck, shouted loudly to the crane operator: " Petrovich, pick it up carefully, there are NEWTs here"... and only when the officer pulled himself together, stopped trembling and calmed down a little, he realized that no leak of top-secret information had occurred, and the unlucky slinger only meant THREE TONS of container weight (that’s how much the Triton-1M weighed), and not the most secret "Tritons" that were inside...

For reference:

"Triton" is the first carrier for open-type divers. Immersion depth is up to 12 meters. Speed ​​– 4 knots (7.5 km/h). Range – 30 miles (55 km).

"Triton-1M" is the first closed-type carrier for divers. Weight – 3 tons. Immersion depth is 32 meters. Speed ​​– 4 knots. Range – 60 miles (110 km).

"Triton-2" is the first closed-type group carrier for divers. Weight – 15 tons. Immersion depth is 40 meters. Speed ​​– 5 knots. Range – 60 miles.

Currently, these types of equipment are already outdated and withdrawn from combat service. All three samples are installed as monuments on the territory of the unit, and the decommissioned Triton-2 apparatus is also presented at the street exhibition of the Museum of Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.

Currently, such underwater carriers are not used for a number of reasons, the main one of which is the impossibility of using them covertly. Today, naval special forces are armed with more modern underwater carriers "Sirena" and "Proteus" of various modifications. Both of these carriers allow for the secret landing of a reconnaissance group through a submarine's torpedo tube. "Siren" "carries" two saboteurs, and "Proteus" is an individual carrier.

Insolence and sport

Some of the legends about “Kholuai” are associated with the steady desire of the military personnel of this unit to improve their reconnaissance and sabotage skills at the expense of their own comrades. At all times, the “Kholuai” caused many problems to daily duty personnel serving on ships and in coastal units of the Pacific Fleet. There were frequent cases of “training” abductions of orderlies, duty documentation, and theft of vehicles from careless military drivers. It cannot be said that the command of the unit specifically assigned such tasks to the scouts... but for successful actions of this kind, the reconnaissance sailors could even receive short-term leave.

There are many fairy tales about how special forces soldiers “are thrown out in the middle of Siberia with one knife, and he must survive and return to his unit.”

No, of course, no one is thrown out anywhere with just a knife, but during special tactical exercises, reconnaissance groups can be sent to other regions of the country, where they are given various training reconnaissance and sabotage tasks, after which they need to return to their unit - preferably undetected . At this time, the police, internal troops and state security agencies are intensively looking for them, and citizens are told that they are looking for conditional terrorists.

In the unit itself, sports have been cultivated at all times - and therefore one should not be surprised that even today, at almost all naval competitions in strength sports, martial arts, swimming and shooting, prize-winning places are usually taken by representatives of “Kholuy”. It should be noted that preference in sports is given not to strength, but to endurance - it is this physical skill that allows a naval scout to feel confident both on foot or ski trips, and in long-distance swimming.

Unpretentiousness and the ability to live without excesses even gave rise to a peculiar saying on “Kholuay”:

“Some things are not necessary, but some things you can limit yourself to.”

It contains a deep meaning, which in many ways reflects the essence of the naval reconnaissance officer of the Russian Navy - who, being content with little, is capable of accomplishing a lot.

Healthy special forces chauvinism also gave rise to the special audacity of the intelligence officers, which became a source of pride for the naval special forces fighters. This quality was especially evident during exercises, which were and are being carried out almost constantly.

One of the admirals of the Pacific Fleet once said:

“The guys of the naval special forces were brought up in the spirit of love for the Motherland, hatred of enemies and the awareness that they are the elite of the fleet. Not for the feeling of their own superiority over others, but in the sense that huge public funds are spent on them, and their duty, in if something happens, justify these costs...”

I remember in my early childhood, in the mid-eighties, on the embankment near the S-56 I saw a lonely wandering sailor with a parachutist badge shining on his chest. At this time, a ferry was loading at the pier, heading to Russky Island (there were no bridges at that time). The sailor was stopped by a patrol, and he presented his documents, gesticulating desperately, pointing at the ferry, which was already raising the ramp. But the patrol, apparently, decided to detain the sailor for some offense.

And then I saw a whole performance: the sailor sharply pulled the cap of the senior patrolman right over his eyes, snatched his documents from his hands, slapped one of the patrolmen in the face, and rushed headlong to the departing ferry!

And the ferry, I must say, had already moved one and a half to two meters away from the pier, and the sailor-paratrooper overcame this distance in a graceful jump, grabbed the ferry's railing, and there he was already pulled on board by the passengers. For some reason, I have no doubts in which unit that sailor served...

Return of a Legend

In 1965, twenty years after the end of World War II, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Captain First Rank Viktor Leonov, came to the unit. Several photographs have been preserved in which the “legend of naval special forces” is captured with military personnel of the unit, both officers and sailors. Subsequently, Viktor Leonov would visit the 42nd reconnaissance point several more times, which he himself considered a worthy brainchild of his 140th reconnaissance detachment...

Leonov arrived in a naval special forces unit, 1965. Photo: from the archive of V. M. Fedorov

In 2015, Viktor Leonov returned to the unit forever. On the day of the 60th anniversary of the formation of the reconnaissance point on the territory of the military unit, a monument to the real legend of naval special forces, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Nikolaevich Leonov, was unveiled in a solemn ceremony.

Monument to Leonov. Photo: Sergey Lanin, RIA PrimaMedia

Combat use

In 1982, the moment came when the Motherland demanded the professional skills of naval special forces. From February 24 to April 27, a regular special forces group performed combat service tasks for the first time, being on one of the Pacific Fleet ships.

In 1988–1989, a reconnaissance group equipped with Siren underwater carriers and all the necessary combat equipment was in combat service for 130 days. A small reconnaissance ship from the 38th brigade of reconnaissance ships of the Pacific Fleet delivered the Kholuaevites to the place of their combat mission. It is too early to say what these tasks were, because they are still hidden under a veil of secrecy. One thing is clear - some enemy has become very ill these days...

In 1995, a group of military personnel from the 42nd Special Purpose Naval Reconnaissance Point took part in a combat operation to establish a constitutional regime in the Chechen Republic.

The group was attached to the 165th Marine Regiment of the Pacific Fleet operating there and, according to the reviews of the senior commander of the Pacific Fleet Marine Corps group in Chechnya, Colonel Sergei Konstantinovich Kondratenko, acted brilliantly. The scouts remained calm and courageous in any critical situation. Five “Kholuaevites” laid down their lives in this war. Ensign Andrei Dneprovsky was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

From the award list:

"…organized the training of the battalion's freelance reconnaissance group and skillfully acted as part of it. On February 19, 1995, in a battle in the city of Grozny, he personally saved the lives of two sailors and carried out the body of the deceased sailor A.I. Pleshakov. On the night of March 20-21, 1995, while carrying out a combat mission to capture the Goitein Court height, A.V. Dneprovsky’s reconnaissance group secretly approached the height, identified and neutralized the militants’ military outpost (one was killed, two were captured). Subsequently, during a short-lived battle, he personally destroyed two militants, ensuring the company’s unhindered approach to the heights and the completion of the combat mission without losses.…".

On the same day, he died heroically while performing a subsequent task... In 1996, a monument to the military personnel of the unit who died in the line of military duty was erected on the territory of the unit.

Names are engraved on the monument:

Hero of Russia Ensign A. V. Dneprovsky

Lieutenant Colonel A. V. Ilyin

Midshipman V. N. Vargin

Midshipman P.V. Safonov

Chief ship's sergeant K. N. Zheleznov

Petty Officer 1st article S. N. Tarolo

Petty Officer 1st article A. S. Buzko

Foreman 2 articles V. L. Zaburdaev

Sailor V.K. Vyzhimov

Kholuy in our time

Today, “Kholuai”, already in a new look, with a slightly changed structure and strength, after a series of organizational events, continues to live its own life - according to its own special, “special forces” way of life. Many cases of this part will never be declassified, but books will be written about others. The names of the people who serve here today are not publicly available, and rightly so.

Service in the Naval Special Forces is the work of real men!. Photo: Alexey Sukonkin

Even today, naval reconnaissance officers sacredly honor their combat traditions, and combat training does not stop for a second. Every day, “Kholuaevites” are engaged in a variety of activities: they train dives (both real ones in the sea and in a pressure chamber), achieving the proper level of physical fitness, practice hand-to-hand combat techniques and methods of covert movement, learn to shoot from a variety of types small arms, study new technology, which is being supplied to the troops in abundance today (there are now even combat robots in service) - in general, they are preparing at any moment, on the orders of the Motherland, to carry out any assigned task.

All that remains is to wish our intelligence officers to realize their combat skills only at training grounds...

Airborne troops. History of the Russian landing Alekhin Roman Viktorovich

SPECIAL PURPOSE MARINE INTELLIGENCE POINTS

We should also talk about the naval reconnaissance parachute units created in the early 50s in the naval reconnaissance system.

Back on May 20, 1953, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov, in the “Plan of Measures to Strengthen Navy Intelligence,” approved the creation of special-purpose units in the fleet. In the summer of the same year, the first special purpose naval reconnaissance point (mrpSpN) was formed in the Black Sea Fleet, the commander of which was appointed captain 1st rank E.V. Yakovlev. The naval reconnaissance point was stationed in the Kruglaya Bay area near Sevastopol and had a staff of 72 personnel. One of the types of combat training was airborne, where naval reconnaissance officers mastered parachute jumps, including water jumps.

Experimental exercises confirmed the need to create similar units in all fleets. As a result, a total of seven maritime reconnaissance points and the 315th training detachment of light divers (military unit 20884) were formed, which trained personnel, including for maritime special reconnaissance. The training detachment was stationed in Kyiv, and maritime reconnaissance points were scattered across all fleets: two each in the Black Sea and Baltic fleets, one each in the Northern and Pacific, and one more was part of the Caspian flotilla.

The naval special forces adopted a special diver's parachute, SVP-1, which made it possible to land a naval reconnaissance officer in full diving gear. Scouts of the Black Sea Fleet repeatedly performed low-altitude parachute landings from a height of 60–70 m during exercises.

According to the results of an audit conducted by a GRU commission in 1963, the combat readiness of naval special forces turned out to be quite high. The commission came to the conclusion that all naval reconnaissance points are prepared for landing from a submarine, as well as for parachute landing on rough terrain with cargo in night conditions. In addition, 23 reconnaissance officers of the 42nd Marine Special Forces of the Pacific Fleet are prepared for parachute jumps on water.

A series of reorganizations by 1963 left each fleet with one naval reconnaissance point, and in the Northern Fleet, due to difficult climatic conditions, the naval reconnaissance point was disbanded.

In 1983, a special-purpose maritime reconnaissance post was re-formed in the Northern Fleet. The staff of the new, 420th MRSPPN amounted to 185 people. Captain 1st Rank G.I. Zakharov was appointed commander. By 1986, the unit was already combat ready. The main task of the reconnaissance point was the destruction of coastal hydroacoustic stations included in the SOSUS underwater tracking system. The unit included two combat detachments: the 1st for underwater sabotage, the 2nd for operations on land with a sea landing. There was also a radio and electronic reconnaissance detachment (RRTR). According to the state, each detachment had three groups, but in reality there was only one. Subsequently, the staff of the reconnaissance point grew to 300 people, mainly due to an increase in the number of technical and maintenance personnel.

With the beginning of combat training, the collection of intelligence information concerning the targets of a potential enemy located in Norway and Iceland began. In total, there were more than forty such objects, four of which were the same coastal hydroacoustic stations of the S0SUS system.

The 1st detachment worked against BGAS. The 2nd detachment operated against NATO aircraft, which were based at airfields in Northern Norway. The object of the RRTR detachment was a long-range radar warning post, also located in Northern Norway. Aerial photographs were collected for all objects, as well as photographs taken from space. In addition to the photographs, there was other information about the protection and defense of the BGAS, obtained from intelligence sources.

In order to increase the combat readiness of special-purpose reconnaissance groups, combat posts for preparing the RGSpN for the task were created in the unit, where all the necessary equipment of the group was located. The creation of such posts made it possible to significantly reduce the time it took to bring the group to full combat readiness.

In order for the groups to have the opportunity to train at real facilities, similar facilities were selected in the Northern Fleet that had a similar location and infrastructure. Methods of airborne landing of groups behind enemy lines were also practiced.

In the Black Sea Fleet, the MRPSpN was deployed into a brigade with about 400 people in three detachments. The brigade was stationed on the artificial island of Berezan, where combat training was reliably hidden from prying eyes.

Composition of special reconnaissance units of the USSR Navy;

17th ObrSpN military unit 34391, Black Sea Fleet, Ochakov, Pervomaisky Island;

42nd MRPSPN military unit 59190, Pacific Fleet, Vladivostok, Russky Island;

160th infantry regiment of the Black Sea Fleet, Odessa;

420th MRSPPN military unit 40145, Northern Fleet, Severomorsk;

431st MRSPSpN military unit 25117, KasFl, Baku;

457th MRPSPN military unit 10617, BF, Kaliningrad, Parusnoye village;

461st MRSPN, BF, Baltiysk.

SPECIAL PURPOSE BANDITS In 1993, FSB Colonel Lazovsky organized the work of killers called the “Uzbek Four”. All four were Russians, originally from Uzbekistan. The group consisted of former special forces soldiers, who, according to the head of the 10th department