Asaf Kutdusovich Abdrakhmanov (russian: Аса́ф Кутду́сович Абдрахма́нов tt-Cyrl, Асаф Котдус улы Габдерахманов ; 20 December 1918 — 3 September 2000) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

naval officer awarded the title

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Abdrakhmanov was born on 20 December 1918 in

Agryz Agryz (russian: Агры́з; tt-Cyrl, Әгерҗе, ''Ägerce'') is a town and the administrative center of Agryzsky District in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Izh River (Volga's basin), east of Kazan. As of the 2010 Census ...

to a

Volga Tatar The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars ( tt-Cyrl, татарлар, tatarlar) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are Russia's second-largest ethnicity after t ...

family. He grew up in a village in

Agryzsky District Agryzsky District (russian: Агрызский райо́н; tt-Cyrl, Әгерҗе районы, ''Ägerce rayonı'') is a territorial administrative unit and municipality of the Republic of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation. The district is ...

and after graduating from junior high school and the Aviation Technical School in

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...

, Abdrakhmanov worked as a technician at an aircraft factory.

Military career

Abdrakhmanov joined the Soviet Navy in 1939 and in 1942 he graduated from the Higher Naval College. After finishing training, Lieutenant Abdrakhmanov joined the Black Sea Fleet and served aboard Motor boats. He was in charge of a detachment of three Motor torpedo boats when the Soviet Navy raided

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast (Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russian i ...

one night. In November 1943, during the Kerch–Eltigen Operation, Abdrakhmanov landed the first assault troops onto the Crimean side of the

Kerch Strait The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from ...

and delivered ammunition and troops. On 22 January 1944 he was awarded the title

for his courage and heroism in the fight against the Nazi invaders.Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР «О присвоении звания Героя Советского Союза офицерскому, старшинскому и рядовому составу Военно-Морского флота» от 22 января 1944 года
// Ведомости Верховного Совета Союза Советских Социалистических Республик : газета. — 1944. — 3 февраля (№ 6 (266)). — С. 1

Later life

From 1964 to 1973, Abdrakhmanov was the commander of a "monitoring ship" (russian: Корабль измерительного комплекса, ''Korabl izmeritelnogo kompleksa'')) named ''Suchan'', one of the Soviet Navy's signals monitoring vessels involved with missile testing. (The ship was later renamed ''Spassk'' in 1972 as a side effect of the

Sino-Soviet border conflict The Sino-Soviet border conflict was a seven-month undeclared military conflict between the Soviet Union and China in 1969, following the Sino-Soviet split. The most serious border clash, which brought the world's two largest communist states to ...

). He retired from his naval duties in 1973 and lived in

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

for the remainder of his life, where he died on 3 September 2000. Currently there is a memorial plaque outside the house he lived in Sevastopol.

Awards

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

* Two

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

Order of the Patriotic War The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...

1st and 2nd classes * Three

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

References

External links

«Alliance veteran Naves of the Missile Range Instrumentations Ships named by admiral Maksuta»
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdrakhmanov, Asaf 1918 births 2000 deaths People from Tatarstan Tatar people of the Soviet Union Soviet Navy officers Soviet military personnel of World War II Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner