This Soviet sailor attended the coronations of TWO British monarchs
On May 20, 1937, a massive naval parade took place in Portsmouth, UK. 200 ships from around the world arrived to mark George VI’s coronation. Among them was the Soviet Baltic Fleet battleship ‘Marat’, whose crew included a young cadet named Olympiy Rudakov. Sixteen years later, he would return to England in a different capacity — and for a different monarch.
On the brink of execution
The talented sailor graduated from a naval academy in St. Petersburg and completed his training as an officer before continuing service in the Northern Fleet. When World War II broke out, Rudakov was an artillery commander aboard a destroyer and received an order as early as 1941. But, in 1942, a tragedy occurred that nearly cost him his career.
The destroyer ‘Sokrushitelny’ (lit. ‘The Destructive’), on which Rudakov served as senior assistant to the captain, suffered an accident in the Barents Sea during a storm. Rudakov, along with the captain, evacuated onto ships that had arrived to assist.
However, they were not the last to leave the sinking vessel. In the navy, this was considered a serious breach of military discipline, carrying the risk of a court-martial and execution. But a vice admiral spoke up for him.
Rudakov was to be sentenced to 10 years in labor camps, but command could not afford to lose a valuable officer due to the situation at the front.. After a brief stint in penal units, he returned to the front, fought bravely, was wounded, and had his officer rank reinstated, allowing himto serve aboard a destroyer in the Northern Fleet once again.
Back in Portsmouth
In June 1953, the Soviet fleet was invited to another coronation parade — this time for Elizabeth II.
“Shortly before the parade, my father was summoned by Admiral Golovko,” recalled Boris, Olympiy Rudakov's son. “Get ready, you'll be representing the Soviet Union at the coronation of Elizabeth II,” the admiral said.
Rudakov was given the newest cruiser at the time, the ‘Sverdlov’. He prepared the ship for the voyage in record time. Once again, he arrived in Portsmouth — no longer as a sailor, but as captain.
Rudakov and his crew managed to moor in a record 12 minutes, while other navy teams took over an hour. According to legend, this impressed the Queen herself.
Later, the Soviet sailors attended a gala reception and posed for photographs with Elizabeth II. Their visit gave rise to countless legends and tall tales that, with the passage of time, can no longer be confirmed or refuted. For example, it was said that the Queen of England invited Rudakov to dance, and that he was among the very first people to receive the honor after her coronation.
After the overseas visit, Rudakov's career took off: he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral, earned academic degrees, and received numerous awards.
Olympiy Rudakov died in 1974, but his memory lives on beyond just military chronicles: back in 1938, he served as the model for the bronze sculpture of a sailor at the ‘Ploschad Revolutsii’ (lit. ‘Revolution Square’) metro station in Moscow.