Gennady Lyachin
Encyclopedia
Captain First Rank Gennady Petrovich Lyachin was the commanding officer of the Russian submarine Kursk
when the vessel suffered a series of explosions and sank
on 12 August 2000.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin
awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation
to Lyachin posthumously
"For courage and heroism, during performance of sailor's duties".
Lyachin was born in Sarpinsky in Volgograd Oblast
. He entered the Navy in 1972 and graduated from the Submarine Navigation Higher Naval School in Leningrad
(present-day Saint Petersburg) in 1977 and was commissioned as an officer. He served as a weapons officer aboard the diesel-electric Juliett class
cruise missile submarine K-58. From 1984 to 1986, as Captain 3rd Rank, he served as the executive officer of the K-77
, also a Juliett Class. In 1986 he attended Advanced Special Officers' Classes during which time he was promoted to Captain 2nd Rank.
in 1991.
In April 1991, he was appointed executive officer of a nuclear submarine, the Project 949A Antey class (NATO reporting name Oscar-II) K-119 Voronezh and served aboard through 1996. He and the newly formed crew spent the time between September 1991 and March 1993 undergoing training in Obninsk
.
Lyachin was promoted to the rank of Captain 1st Rank in 1996 and given command of the Voronezhs sister ship, the ill-fated K-141 Kursk
, the very last Project 949A submarine to be constructed, which had been commissioned only two years earlier. When the Kursk sank
on August 10, 2000, Lyachin perished along with the rest of the 117 crew members.
Russian submarine K-141 Kursk
K-141 Kursk was an Oscar-II class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy, lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000...
when the vessel suffered a series of explosions and sank
Russian submarine Kursk explosion
On 12 August 2000, the Russian Oscar II class submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea after an explosion. The investigation showed that a leak of hydrogen peroxide in a torpedo led to explosion of its fuel, causing the submarine to hit the bottom which in turn triggered the detonation of further...
on 12 August 2000.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation is a Russian decoration and the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by the Russian Federation. The President of the Russian Federation is the main conferring authority of the medal, which is bestowed on those committing actions or deeds that...
to Lyachin posthumously
Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
"For courage and heroism, during performance of sailor's duties".
Lyachin was born in Sarpinsky in Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast
Volgograd Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Volgograd. Population: -Geography:*Area: 113,900 km²;*Borders length: 2221,9 km²....
. He entered the Navy in 1972 and graduated from the Submarine Navigation Higher Naval School in Leningrad
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
(present-day Saint Petersburg) in 1977 and was commissioned as an officer. He served as a weapons officer aboard the diesel-electric Juliett class
Juliett class submarine
The Project 651, known in the West by its NATO reporting name Juliett class, was a class of Soviet diesel-electric submarines armed with cruise missiles. They were designed in the late 1950s to provide the Soviet Navy with a nuclear strike capability against targets along the east coast of the...
cruise missile submarine K-58. From 1984 to 1986, as Captain 3rd Rank, he served as the executive officer of the K-77
Soviet submarine K-77
K-77 was a "Project 651" cruise missile submarine of the Soviet Navy. Her keel was laid down in the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard in Gorky on 31 January 1963...
, also a Juliett Class. In 1986 he attended Advanced Special Officers' Classes during which time he was promoted to Captain 2nd Rank.
Command history
In October 1988, Lyachin received his first command, the K-304also a Juliett class. He held this position until the K-304 was decommissioned after the fall of the Soviet UnionHistory of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)
The history of the Soviet Union from 1982 through 1991, spans the period from Leonid Brezhnev's death and funeral until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Due to the years of Soviet military buildup at the expense of domestic development, economic growth stagnated...
in 1991.
In April 1991, he was appointed executive officer of a nuclear submarine, the Project 949A Antey class (NATO reporting name Oscar-II) K-119 Voronezh and served aboard through 1996. He and the newly formed crew spent the time between September 1991 and March 1993 undergoing training in Obninsk
Obninsk
Obninsk is a city in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: Obninsk is one of the major Russian science cities. The first nuclear power plant in the world for the large-scale production of electricity opened here on June 27, 1954, and it also doubled as a training...
.
Lyachin was promoted to the rank of Captain 1st Rank in 1996 and given command of the Voronezhs sister ship, the ill-fated K-141 Kursk
Russian submarine K-141 Kursk
K-141 Kursk was an Oscar-II class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy, lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000...
, the very last Project 949A submarine to be constructed, which had been commissioned only two years earlier. When the Kursk sank
Russian submarine Kursk explosion
On 12 August 2000, the Russian Oscar II class submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea after an explosion. The investigation showed that a leak of hydrogen peroxide in a torpedo led to explosion of its fuel, causing the submarine to hit the bottom which in turn triggered the detonation of further...
on August 10, 2000, Lyachin perished along with the rest of the 117 crew members.