Vladimir Konovalov

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
Any material not supported by sources may be challenged and removed at any time. This article has been tagged since November 2006.

Rear Admiral Vladimir Konstantinovich Konovalov, Владимир Константинович Коновалов (December 5, 1911 – November 29, 1967) was a Soviet Navy submarine commander.

Born to a Jewish family in the village of Nadyezhnoe (in what is now Ukraine), he joined the Soviet Navy in 1932 and graduated from naval school in 1936. Beginning in 1940, he was second in command of the Soviet submarine L-3, and he was named her commander in March 1943.

As a commander in the Eastern Front during World War II (known in the USSR as the Great Patriotic War), Konovalov commanded minelayer submarines, but at the same time also engaged in offensive operations against German shipping when opportunities presented themselves, ultimately making 11 attacks during the war.

On April 16, 1945, Konovalov sunk the German ship Goya, which was disguised as a refugee ship while it carried Wehrmacht troops flying from the Eastern Front. At least 6,000 people drowned with only 165 people saved. It was the worst maritime disasters in number of casualties inflicted on Germans during WWII. For the sinking of the Goya, Konovalov was later awarded the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union on July 8, 1945.

Konovalov's submarine also laid five mine barrages of 52 mines during the war, one of which sunk a ship measuring 1141 GRT on January 21, 1945. (According to some sources, he may have sunk another ship of similar tonnage on January 31, 1945).

From May 1946 to November 1947, he commanded the N-27 (formerly the German Type XXI U-Boat U-3515). He was made a rear admiral on May 7, 1966, but died in Leningrad the following year.

Over the course of his career, Konovalov was awarded the Order of Lenin (three times), the Order of Ushakov 2nd class, the Order of the Patriotic War 1st class (twice), and the Order of the Red Star (twice).

In the book and subsequent film The Hunt for Red October, the fictional Soviet Alfa class nuclear-powered attack submarine is named the V.K. Konovalov.