Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class nr. 18032 was awarded by Order of the Northern Fleet of December 21, 1943 to 28-year-old Senior Lieutenant Iosif Stepanovich Kazakov, head of Departments 2 and 3, submarine S-55, 2nd Submarine Division, Submarine Brigade, Northern Fleet.

Iosif Stepanovich Kazakov was born on April 15, 1915 in the village of Novy Krupets in Roslavl District in the south of Smolensk Province – some 50 kilometers from the Byelorussian border – in a family of peasants. Kazakov joined the Navy in 1936 and in 1937 he enrolled at the newly established Pacific Higher Naval School in Vladivostok. His class graduated on June 24, 1941, two days after the German invasion.

Following his graduation, Kazakov was assigned to S-class submarine S-55, which at the time was in the final stages of construction at the Dalzavod Factory in Vladivostok. It is likely that during the years in Vladivostok, Kazakov also married his wife, Nina. S-55 was part of the 3rd Division of the Pacific Fleet’s Submarine Brigade. Until the autumn of 1942 the submarine conducted sea trials and training.

In September, the State Defense Committee ordered the Northern Fleet to be transferring six submarines of the Pacific Fleet. S-55 was one of them. On October 5, paired with her sister submarine S-54, she headed north toward Kamchatka, crossed the Bering Sea to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and then headed south along the American coast. She crossed the Panama Canal, passed Cuba and proceeded north again until she reached Halifax, Canada. The boat crossed the Atlantic by way of Iceland, transited the English Channel, and finally arrived at Rosyth, Scotland, where she received an overhaul. She was docked and her batteries were replaced. S-55 departed Rosyth in February and on March 8 she finally arrived at her new homeport of Polyarny, the Northern Fleet’s main base. S-55 was attached to the 2nd Division of the Northern Fleet’s Submarine Brigade.

In early 1943 Kazakov was admitted to the Communist Party. Only a few weeks after arriving at Polyarny, S-55’s – and Kazakov’s – wartime service began in earnest. On March 24, S-55 and the destroyer Uritsky helped the submarine M-174, which had hit a mine in the Varangerfjord, return to Polyarnoye. A few days later, on March 28, S-55 set out on her first war patrol. She operated northwest of Vardш, in the far northeast of Norway. Nine hours after reaching her designated patrol area, S-55 started her first attack. She spotted an enemy convoy heading west and launched four torpedoes at two of the convoy vessels. The submarine registered two dull explosions and assumed two of the torpedoes had hit, but in fact all torpedoes missed. Three submarine chasers launched depth charges at the submarine, but inflicted no serious damage. On S-55 a few valves were destroyed and several light bulbs were shattered, but the boat was able to continue her patrol. After one of her screws got entangled in the mooring cable of a mine, the electric engines caught fire. Fortunately for the submarine, the mine did not explode. Due to the damage S-55 cut short its patrol and on April 3 returned to Polyarny.

Upon S-55’s return to base, Kazakov was awarded his first decoration, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class. After minor repairs, S-55 set out on her second war patrol on the evening of April 22. On the evening of the 29th, she spotted a convoy. S-55 launched four torpedoes at two ships and recorded three explosions. Skipper Lev Sushkin believed he had hit both targets, but he had only hit the German collier Sturzsee. The 708-ton ship, carrying iron ore, was hit by two torpedoes and quickly sank. Over the course of three hours, German submarine chasers dropped 87 depth charges. S-55 was eventually able to make her escape. When S-55 was able to surface, her crew saw that the bow has suffered considerable damage. The boat returned to Polyarny on the evening of April 30.

S-55 departed Polyarny on the evening of September 30, 1943 for her third war patrol. On the morning of October 12, S-55 spotted an enemy convoy. She torpedoed and sank the 5281-ton transport Ammerland, carrying 2400 tons of provisions and fodder for German forces in Lapland. S-55 was again pursued and depth charged by submarine chasers, but she managed to get away, arriving at Polyarny on October 16.

After this patrol, Sushkin nominated Kazakov for his second award, this time an Order of the Red Banner. One of Sushkin’s superiors, the commander of the Northern Fleet’s Submarine Brigade, downgraded the recommendation to an Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class. The award was approved on December 16 and officially awarded on December 21, but by that time S-55 was underway again – and probably already sunk. The boat departed on her fourth – and final – war patrol on the evening of December 4, 1943, with orders to patrol in the Tanafjord area. After a failed attack at a Norwegian vessel on the 8th, nothing was further was heard from S-55. It is possible that S-55 struck a German mine. In 1996, remnants of a submarine were found off Cape Slettnes, which may have been S-55. On December 29, 1943, S-55 was officially declared lost with all hands. 52 crew members perished, including Kazakov.

Kazakov was survived by his wife, Nina. Kazakov’s two awards, evidently kept ashore, were dispatched to her home in Vladivostok on January 6, 1944. This included the OPW2, whose paperwork was submitted when Kazakov was still alive but which was approved after the submarine had foundered.

Record card of an award recipient

Last name: Kazakov
First name: Iosif
Patronymic: Stepanovich
Rank: Senior Lieutenant
Position and unit: Head of Departments 2 and 3, submarine S-55, Red Banner Submarine Brigade, Northern Fleet

Awarded:

Home address:

Biographical particulars

1. Year of birth: 1915
2. Place of birth:
3. Party membership and period: Member of the Communist Party since 1943
4. Nationality: Russian
5. Period of service in the Red Army or Navy: Since 1936
6. Award documents are located in file nr.: 47.02

Awards issued:

Other remarks: Killed in action. Orders dispatched to his wife. Ref.nr. 4221, March 8, 1944

Concerning: Senior Lieutenant Iosif Stepanovich Kazakov, head of Departments 2 and 3, submarine S-55, 2nd Submarine Division, Northern Fleet

Name of the award:

1. Year of birth: 1915
2. Nationality: Russian
3. Social position and origins: Working class from a family of peasants
4. Party membership and period: Member of the Communist Party since 1943
5. Since when in the Red Army: Since 1936
6. Service in the Civil War: No
7. Wounds and contusions: No
8. He has been nominated for an award before: Yes
9. Which commendations and awards has he received: Order of the Patriotic War, 1st Class
10. Service in the White Army or other armies and time spent as a prisoner of war: No, no
11. Permanent address: _______________

Brief, concrete description of his feat of arms or achievements:

Senior Lieutenant Iosif Stepanovich Kazakov

Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class nr. 18032, obverse and reverse

Line drawing of the S class	S-55 departing from Mare Island Navy Yard, California during her transoceanic relocation from Vladivostok to Polyarny
S-55 prior to departure, Polyarny, 1943	Navigation officer Aleksandrov, commander Sushkin, and gunnery & torpedo officer Kazakov, 1943
A torpedo being loaded on S-55	S-55 underway
The bow of S-55 showing considerable damage after the submarine's second war patrol	The Sturzsee, S-55's first victim
Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class nr. 18032, obverse	Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd Class nr. 18032, reverse