Author: Fredy Rotman
The round-the-world journey of the icebreaker Anastas Mikoyan is inscribed in golden letters in the history of the Soviet Navy. In the first year of the German-Soviet War, the icebreaker undertook a unique circumnavigation — from the Georgian port of Batumi to Molotovsk on the White Sea. Practically unarmed, the Soviet vessel crossed twelve seas and four oceans, breaking through waters controlled by the Germans and Italians.
Yet despite their selflessness and the constant threat of sinking to the bottom of the sea, the Red Navy sailors risked just as much when they dared to openly criticize Soviet reality. One example is the fate of Petty Officer Second Class, diving team commander Jacques Grigoryevich Vorobyov, who, after completing the circumnavigation, was sent straight from the icebreaker to prison, and later — to a penal battalion.
Jacques Vorobyov, namesake of the famous French navigator, was Jewish by nationality. He was born on October 16, 1916 (according to other sources — in 1915) at the Znamenka railway station in the Odessa region, into the family of actor Grigory Osipovich Vorobyov. Later, he lived with his father and mother, Yevgenia Yefimovna, in the Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk. From an early age, Jacques was familiar with the theater stage. His career path seemed obvious — the boy was determined to become a priest of Melpomene!
With his theatrical appearance and remarkable talents, 14-year-old Jacques Vorobyov joined the operetta troupe of Lazar Nemkovsky. From October 1929 to the spring of 1931, he toured cities and villages across the North Caucasus, performing in both classical operettas and Soviet musical comedies.
But in May 1931, when the traveling troupe “settled down” in Voronezh, the young actor felt it was time to move on. Jacques left for Leningrad, where he immediately enrolled in courses at the studio of the Leningrad Drama Theater under the People’s Commissariat for Education. The courses were fascinating, but his time there was brief: in December 1931, the studio was dissolved.
The young man went to visit his parents in Kramatorsk. At home, his father immediately invited him to join the Lenin Theater in Kramatorsk. Jacques accepted the offer and performed in local productions as an actor until February 1935.
Shortly before being drafted into active military service, Jacques Grigoryevich moved to Crimea. There, he worked as an entertainer at the engineering and technical club of the Kerch Metallurgical Plant. From there, he was conscripted into the Soviet Navy. Physically very strong and an excellent swimmer, Jacques served as a diver in the underwater operations division of the Black Sea Fleet. Recognized as a capable petty officer, he was sent to Moscow near the end of his service to study at the Underwater Work Instructor Courses. After completing the specialized training, Jacques Grigoryevich returned to Crimea, where he became head of the emergency rescue service for the Karasubazar district.
The very next day after Germany and its allies attacked the USSR, Jacques Vorobyov went to Sevastopol, from where he was assigned to the icebreaker Anastas Mikoyan. At the time, the vessel was unfinished at the shipyard of the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Plant, but after a German air raid, it was urgently taken out to sea.
On August 12, 1941, Jacques Vorobyov was officially enlisted as a crew member of the Anastas Mikoyan, which, after being equipped with five guns, anti-aircraft weapons, and machine guns, was classified as an auxiliary cruiser of the Black Sea Fleet. The Anastas Mikoyan’s crew took part in the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol, and Novorossiysk, from where they were able to withdraw without losses to the Georgian port of Poti.
In November 1941, following a decision by the State Defense Committee, the ship was disarmed and relocated to Batumi. The crew was given an order: to prepare for a transition from the Black Sea to the Far East via the Bosporus.
Since Turkey, which controlled the strait, only allowed unarmed vessels to pass, the Anastas Mikoyan planned to proceed via Turkey and Cyprus to the port of Haifa in Mandatory Palestine. At first, the journey went smoothly, but near the island of Rhodes, the Soviet sailors were detected by the Italian coastal guard. Surrounded by Italian torpedo boats, the crew made a daring decision to ram through the blockade — and broke free. The ship suffered several hundred holes from the Italian attack boats and had its first wounded. Soon after, the vessel was attacked from the air. Having repelled the air assault, the sailors saw destroyers approaching from afar. A thick fog saved them from pursuit. On November 30, 1941, the Anastas Mikoyan reached Cyprus. After taking British representatives on board, the crew sailed immediately to Beirut and anchored in the port of Haifa on the evening of December 3, 1941.
Jacques Vorobyov took part in all these events with dedication, as attested by several commendations from Captain Sergeev of the line icebreaker, who repeatedly praised the diver’s heroism. One such commendation, signed by the captain on January 3, 1942, described a horrific incident that took place while the icebreaker was docked in Haifa. At 12:15 p.m. on December 24, 1941, the British tanker Phoenix cast off its moorings and, about 70 meters from shore, caught fire. An investigation later revealed that the oil-laden tanker had struck an Italian mine. Oil spilled from the exploding tanker, and a pillar of fire rose just a few dozen meters from the Anastas Mikoyan. The icebreaker was in grave danger, and the crew had to act quickly to escape the danger zone. Jacques Vorobyov was one of the first to assess the situation and respond immediately. Captain Sergeev named him as one of the standout crew members who helped rescue people from the destroyed Phoenix, extinguish the burning ship, and swiftly release the moorings.
However, it was also in Haifa that Diving Commander Vorobyov ran into serious trouble. During the more than a month that the icebreaker remained in Palestine, the crew regularly went ashore on leave. Visiting Palestine for the first time, Jacques Vorobyov quickly struck up connections with locals. A ladies’ man, a former actor, and a heroic sailor, he spent hours sitting with local Jews in restaurants, shopping, and even managed to have a pair of fashionable trousers tailored. As later testified during an investigation by Vorobyov’s former subordinate, diver Kirill Levandovsky, “Vorobyov, in conversations about life in Palestine, praised the achievements of Jewish immigrants and their luxurious lifestyle.” Jacques Grigoryevich spoke admiringly of the cities built by Jews, the well-organized commerce, and the abundance of goods — things that in the Soviet Union were nothing but a dream. His remarks quickly reached the ship’s political officer Mikhail Novikov, who sternly warned the crew not to engage in political conversations while in the city.
Vorobyov, a Petty Officer Second Class, was never one to hold back. Constantly expressing his opinions and openly criticizing orders he considered unjust, he quickly made enemies. This likely played a role in what happened a month after the ship’s departure from Haifa: on January 27, 1942, Captain Sergeev suddenly recalled an incident involving Vorobyov while ashore.
On the day the Anastas Mikoyan left Haifa — January 6, 1942 — Jacques Grigoryevich was once again on shore leave. Around noon, he unexpectedly ran into his comrade Fedorov, who told him he had been sent to fetch Vorobyov, as the entire crew had been ordered to urgently return to the ship. That same evening, the icebreaker left Haifa and headed toward the Suez Canal.
Captain Sergeev accused Vorobyov of unauthorized absence — allegedly sneaking ashore without permission from his immediate superior. As punishment, Jacques Grigoryevich was demoted to the rank of private for one month. Notably, in his order, Captain Sergeev emphasized that Vorobyov’s actions merited a court-martial, but since he had no previous infractions and had otherwise demonstrated discipline aboard the vessel, he was spared harsher consequences. The order also highlighted Jacques Vorobyov’s professionalism, particularly his precise actions during the recovery of a broken anchor chain.
Later, on July 20, 1942, after the Anastas Mikoyan had already visited Cape Town, Montevideo, San Francisco, and was en route to Seattle, Vorobyov received another warning from the captain. Labeled as someone who “had failed to draw the appropriate conclusions for himself,” the diver was accused of arguing with a superior and was banned from taking shore leave in foreign ports.
In Seattle, the ship planned to undergo repairs, receive necessary weaponry, and replenish supplies. It was there that Jacques Vorobyov committed another offense. Together with his cabinmates — diver Levandovsky and anti-aircraft gunner Kuzhelyov — Vorobyov discussed the purchase of uniforms for the crew in the U.S. Red Navy sailor Kuzhelyov was outraged: “The officers bought themselves good uniforms, and they got us some kind of burlap!” In response, Vorobyov launched into a tirade: “There was never any truth and there never will be. The Party put idiots in charge, and now they do whatever they want. Just look at our commissar — he doesn’t understand a damn thing, can’t even give a report! Same with junior political officer Barkovsky. The Party appointed them — so now they sit there.” The diver cited an example from his time working in Kerch, where his boss was supposed to oversee important operations but understood nothing about them.
When Kirill Levandovsky replied that in the USSR an incompetent supervisor would be removed, Jacques Vorobyov only intensified his criticism of the Soviet system, noting that unlike the U.S., in the Soviet Union, any such criticism could land a person in jail. Vorobyov didn’t miss the chance to compare the living standards of the proletariat in the two superpowers: “In America, workers earn a decent wage — around $20 a day — and even own personal cars.” Levandovsky, who regularly reported Vorobyov’s remarks to Senior Political Officer Novikov, promptly informed him of this new incident as well.
In early August 1942, after a nine-month voyage spanning 25,000 miles, the Anastas Mikoyan reached the Anadyr Bay in Chukotka. Joining the Special-Purpose Expedition EON-18, the icebreaker was now tasked with heading west via the Northern Sea Route, delivering military cargo and allowing the Northern Fleet to be reinforced with warships.
On August 14, 1942, EON-18, now under the command of newly appointed Captain Yuri Khlebnikov, set out on a challenging mission. Despite being hunted by German submarines and the heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer, the convoy managed to avoid destruction. By mid-November 1942, as navigation season came to an end, the icebreaker made its way toward Molotovsk on the White Sea.
On the way to Molotovsk, as the crew rounded Cape Kanin Nos, completing their circumnavigation, they faced yet another ordeal. On the evening of November 26, 1942, about 300 miles from Arkhangelsk, the ship was shaken by a massive explosion. Having struck a German mine, the icebreaker lost propulsion, steering, electricity, and communications, and began to list heavily to starboard. The entire aft section of the vessel was mangled; the engine room and upper deck were severely damaged.
The crew quickly launched the diesel generator and began efforts to save the ship. Without hesitation, Jacques Vorobyov suited up in his diving gear and descended underwater. Working in icy water and total darkness was nearly impossible, but the diver managed to seal the breach. Thanks to his bold actions, the crew was able to start pumping out the water just 15 minutes after the explosion and restore propulsion. The Anastas Mikoyan was saved and brought to the Molotovsk shipyard for repairs.
While in Molotovsk, Jacques Vorobyov continued diving operations to repair the ship. Yet, even though he had shown heroic performance in combat situations, he continued to clash with his superiors in everyday service. On December 21, 1942, he went ashore to meet a young actress from the Molotov Lenin Komsomol Theater, unaware that this shore leave would become his fateful mistake.
Four days later, First Officer Marlyan and Icebreaker Captain Khlebnikov ordered Senior Lieutenant Favorov to interrogate Jacques Vorobyov and forward the case materials to the Military Tribunal. The diver was accused of desertion: despite having received numerous warnings and reprimands, he had once again left the ship without permission and remained AWOL for more than 16 hours.
Jacques Grigoryevich was arrested on December 29, 1942, right aboard the icebreaker, and placed in the local internal prison of the NKVD. His case was taken up by Lieutenant of State Security Andreev, head of the NKVD Investigative Department of the Belomorsk Naval Flotilla, and Senior NKVD Officer Nikitin, a senior political commissar. The arrest warrant stated that Vorobyov, “hostile to the existing regime in the USSR,” had systematically expressed anti-Soviet views among the Red Navy sailors during the ship’s overseas missions. In addition to political dissent, Vorobyov was charged with criminal negligence of duty — specifically, for having left the ship without authorization while stationed in Haifa, which allegedly delayed the Anastas Mikoyan’s scheduled departure. The order also referenced his second act of absence without leave a few days earlier in Molotovsk.
After questioning crew members, NKVD investigators gathered further material against Jacques Vorobyov. Senior Political Officer Novikov, who had long been compiling compromising evidence on Vorobyov, reported that the diver not only slandered living conditions in the USSR but also discredited the ship’s command staff. “Vorobyov said the officers buy so many goods abroad that the ship is starting to list forward,” Novikov claimed — the officers’ cabins were located in the forward section of the ship.
A closed military trial of Jacques Vorobyov took place on January 15, 1943. He was charged under Articles 58-10 Part 2 and 193-7 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. The Military Tribunal of the Belomorsk Naval Flotilla sentenced Jacques Grigoryevich to eight years in a forced labor camp, but — as he requested in his final statement — the sentence was deferred due to his deployment to the front lines.
Straight from the courtroom, Jacques Vorobyov was sent to prove his loyalty in the 614th Separate Penal Company of the Northern Fleet. He was deployed to the Kola Peninsula, near the Tuloma River, to fight against the Germans. In the penal unit, Vorobyov was constantly on the front lines, where, under relentless enemy shelling, he worked to construct defensive positions. During one combat operation, Jacques Grigoryevich was wounded — but, keeping his composure, he rushed to help other injured soldiers, providing first aid under heavy enemy fire.
For his heroism, in April 1943, the Military Tribunal of the Northern Defense District of the Northern Fleet released Jacques Vorobyov from serving his sentence. He remained on the frontlines in the Arctic, fighting in a submachine gun company, where he once again proved his courage and bravery. In January 1944, Jacques Grigoryevich was recalled by command to the Electromechanical School of the Northern Fleet’s training detachment, where he began training new divers.
Despite his lifelong passion for the theater, after the war Jacques Vorobyov chose to dedicate himself to the sea. Theater remained only as a hobby in amateur arts — his main occupation now involved far riskier matters. After being demobilized in September 1948, he worked recovering sunken barges loaded with ammunition in the Neva River and Lake Ladoga and spent many years as a test diver. His service took him across half the globe, but he eventually settled in Latvia. In Riga, Vorobyov helped build a bridge and construct the Komsomol Embankment. Dangerous work constantly forced him to stare death in the face. On one occasion, while installing a massive concrete well underwater for a nuclear reactor, Jacques Grigoryevich’s diving suit got snagged on a piece of rebar, leaving him suspended in the water column. He had to wait six hours for help — a deep-water diving suit had to be fetched from 40 kilometers away. Water had already begun to seep into his suit, and it seemed all hope was lost, but rescuers managed to pull him to the surface just in time.
In September 1963, the war veteran decided to uncover the truth behind his arrest in December 1942. In a written statement to the Prosecutor of the City of Arkhangelsk, Vorobyov emphasized: “I believe my conviction was unjust… I do not wish to carry a stain on my name for the rest of my life for actions rooted in the era of the personality cult.” Eventually, the Military Tribunal of the Northern Fleet reviewed his case. In November 1963, the Military Prosecutor of the Northern Fleet concluded that the opinions Vorobyov had expressed about the ship’s commissar and political officer — as well as his other remarks — did not constitute anti-Soviet agitation. The accusation of desertion in Haifa was also not confirmed. As for his unauthorized leave on December 21, 1942, in Molotovsk, under the Criminal Code of the RSFSR in effect in the 1960s, such short-term absence was no longer considered a criminal offense. The conviction against Jacques Vorobyov was overturned, and the case was dismissed for lack of criminal grounds.
The hero of the icebreaker’s circumnavigation, decorated with combat medals, had proven that the accusations of desertion leveled against him were fabricated. His so-called “anti-Soviet statements” turned out to be nothing more than observations of the absurdities that permeated Soviet life. In truth, Vorobyov had been imprisoned for speaking his mind — precisely the kind of outcome he had warned his comrades about.
In the late 1960s, Jacques Grigoryevich became the founder of a rescue station in one of the most beloved recreation spots for Riga residents — Vecāķi. In addition to saving lives, the station chief also found time to teach at a junior divers’ club, recruiting students from Riga’s schools. Jacques Vorobyov once admitted that during one of his near-death experiences, he felt a powerful realization that stayed with him for the rest of his life: he understood that in critical moments, there is no greater duty than to come to someone’s aid — as quickly as possible. It didn’t matter who needed help — a loved one, a friend, or a complete stranger.
Jacques Grigoryevich Vorobyov passed away on June 5, 1987. Until his final days, he worked as Deputy Head of the Rescue Service and as a diving specialist. His name is inscribed on two gravestones: one in Jūrmala, and another on the northwestern outskirts of the town of Kola in Murmansk Oblast, where he had once mistakenly been presumed killed.
10.01.2023
Bibliography and Sources:
Case against Jacques Grigoryevich Vorobyov under Articles 58-10 Part 2 and 193-7 of the RSFSR Criminal Code, December 27, 1942 – April 23, 1964. — GAKirO, Kropyvnytskyi, f.P-5907, op.2-r, d.5802 // Project “J-Doc”; accessed March 12, 2025, https://jdoc.org.il/items/show/1906
Solovyov, A. “And Lives Will Be Saved.” Soviet Youth, No. 34 (February 16, 1969). https://www.periodika.lv/periodika2-viewer/DocPrint?issue=602162&article=DIVL164&lang=lv
Obolevich, A. “People of Rare Professions — Divers.” Soviet Youth, No. 89 (May 8, 1986). https://www.periodika.lv/periodika2-viewer/DocPrint?issue=1182116&article=DIVL286&lang=ru
Shvarts, L. “By the Alarm Signal.” Soviet Youth, No. 180 (September 14, 1968). https://www.periodika.lv/periodika2-viewer/DocPrint?issue=1211430&article=DIVL294&lang=ru
Jacques Vorobyov
1916 – 1987
