Research on the History of Submarine Shipbuilding Development in the Works of Professor Yurii Kriuchkov

Abstract

The article analyzes the historical and scientific works of Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Yurii Kriuchkov (1928–2015), a recognized specialist in the field of submarine shipbuilding and an authoritative researcher of both the history of shipbuilding and the history of the city of Mykolaiv. The stages in the development of the scholar’s interest in the history of submarine shipbuilding are examined. Years of practical experience at the A. Marti Shipbuilding Plant (now the Black Sea Shipyard), work at the Krylov Central Research Institute (TsNII-45), postgraduate studies, and the successful defense of candidate and doctoral dissertations in the field provided him with a substantial theoretical and practical foundation in submarine shipbuilding. The article analyzes the scientific papers and monograph that laid the groundwork for his subsequent historical research. The example of Yurii Kriuchkov’s scholarly activity illustrates the bias and lack of integrity demonstrated by Soviet publishing houses with regard to copyright issues in the USSR.

Particular attention is devoted to the professor’s fundamental synthetic monographs, which constitute one of the first attempts at a historical and critical analysis of the formation and development of submarine shipbuilding both in Ukraine and in the leading countries of the Western world. The professor’s works contain important data that had previously been classified, including information on shipyards, technical drawings, submarine models and types, the names and biographies of designers, and accounts of submarine accidents and losses. These monographs present, for the first time, a comprehensive historical overview of the development of submarines worldwide in general and in the USSR in particular. They also identify Yurii Kriuchkov’s personal contribution to the construction, design, and testing of submarines and their equipment.

The article demonstrates the significance of the professor’s scholarly legacy for understanding the evolution of submarine shipbuilding as one of the most science-intensive branches of industry. It also highlights his contribution to the study of the history of Mykolaiv as a leading shipbuilding center in Central and Eastern Europe.