Combat Awards of Submariners and Divers: Stories of Heroism for Sevastopol

Award Set of Diver Yefim Petrenko

Among the awards related to naval themes, sets belonging to divers are of particular interest. Such awards are found much less frequently than those of other military branches, making them highly valued in collector circles.

One such set belonged to Petty Officer 1st Class Yefim Maksimovich Petrenko. The awards have been preserved along with documents, which allows for an accurate reconstruction of his service history.

• Order of the Red Star (number 2221302)
• Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class (1985 anniversary issue)
• Medal 'For the Defence of the Caucasus'

The set also includes the certificate for the medal 'For the Victory over Germany,' but the medal itself has been lost.

Underwater Feat during the Liberation of Sevastopol

According to the award citation, the Order of the Red Star was awarded to Yefim Petrenko for a feat performed during the liberation of the port of Sevastopol. His actions required exceptional courage and professionalism.

1. Working in a light diving suit at depths of 12 meters or more.
2. Assembling and dismantling the first line of the boom barrier, working underwater for 5 or more hours at a time.
3. Thanks to his selfless work, the first line of the boom barrier was completed ahead of schedule.
4. During the stay of foreign ships in the port of Sevastopol, Petty Officer Petrenko carried out a special assignment in the roadstead to service these vessels.

As a result of his actions, the normal and safe mooring of foreign ships in the Sevastopol roadstead was ensured.

Order of the Red Star of Submariner Nikolai Dyomin

Awards of submariners are also considered rare and valuable items in phaleristics. One such example is the Order of the Red Star belonging to Chief Petty Officer Nikolai Ivanovich Dyomin.

Nikolai Dyomin served as a 1st class radio telegraphist on the submarine 'S-19'. His Order of the Red Star is numbered 1792442. Prior to this, he was also awarded the medal 'For the Defence of Sevastopol'.

Both heroes, the diver Petrenko and the submariner Dyomin, participated in the battles for Sevastopol, which makes their awards historically connected. It is a coincidence that both awards, which ended up in the same collection, are related to the same hero city.

Combat Missions on a Battleship and Submarines

Nikolai Dyomin's award citation details his combat record. His courage and bravery were demonstrated in numerous missions on various ships of the Black Sea Fleet.

• Evacuation of the wounded from Sevastopol in December 1941.
• Landing of troops and the capture of the city of Sudak.
• 9 combat missions on the battleship 'Sevastopol' during the shelling of enemy shores near Sevastopol, Balaklava, and Feodosia.
• 5 combat missions on the submarine 'S-33', during which one enemy transport ship was sunk.
• A combat mission on the submarine 'S-19' in November 1944.

For his demonstrated courage, bravery, and ensuring uninterrupted radio communication, which contributed to the fulfillment of the command's combat missions, Dyomin was nominated for a high government award — the Order of the Red Star.

Auxiliary Collector's Items

In addition to the main awards, the collection was supplemented with other items necessary for the restoration and completion of orders and medals. This particularly concerns ribbons and suspension mounts.

Nine new moiré ribbons for the Order of the Red Banner were acquired. Such ribbons are used to replace worn-out originals on awards to give them a display-worthy appearance.

The acquisition also included heavy, two-layer suspension mounts, which are not often found. Among them were mounts with original old ribbons for the medals 'For Courage' and 'For Battle Merit'. The presence of such authentic elements is important for the correct completion of the awards.