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On 5 May in the capital of Panama on the territory of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary a memorial was opened to commemorate the exploits of Soviet submariners during the Great Patriotic War.
The first in Latin America monument to the heroes of submariners is erected near the Panama Canal, through which in 1942 passed a group of Soviet submarines, which made the most difficult passage from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and later entered into battle with the Nazi fleet. This passage was classified, and for the first time people started talking about it after the release of the film ‘The Mystery of the Three Oceans’ by Sergei Brilev.
The memorial takes the form of a pavilion with columns; inside it there is a bas-relief which tells about the exploits of Soviet submariners. The memorial was created thanks to the efforts of Russian compatriots. According to Natalia Bogdanova, Chair of the Coordinating Council of Organisations of Russian Compatriots of Panama, the project started back in 2019, but due to the coronavirus pandemic it was frozen for two years. Funds were raised at the events held by the Russian diaspora: parishioners of the Church of the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, compatriots, Panamanians, including graduates of Soviet universities, gave as much as they could. The remaining sum for the installation of the roof of the gazebo was allocated by the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly, and the work was completed by Victory Day.
‘This previously unknown fact about the heroism of Soviet sailors during the Great Patriotic War should become the property of everyone who respects historical memory,’ - says Andrey Belyaninov, Secretary General of the Eurasian and African Peoples’ Assembly. - Supporting this project is a matter of our civil conscience’.
The project was also supported by the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, Victory Volunteers, the Fatherland Soft Association and private individuals from Moscow and Vladivostok.
The opening ceremony of the monument was attended by Russian compatriots in Panama, representatives of the Russian Embassy, the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation and Panamanian guests. The ceremony was opened by Konstantin Gavrilov, Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Panama.
‘The creation of the memorial to Soviet submariners in Panama has united people from different countries and continents, and the monument will become one of the centers of attraction of the Russian world in Latin America,’ - said Nikita Anisimov, a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, at the opening ceremony.
After the opening of the monument all the participants of the ceremony honored the memory of the submarine heroes at the memorial service, lit candles and laid flowers at the bas-relief.
On the same day, Russian compatriots in Panama held the annual ‘Immortal Regiment’ procession along St Petersburg Street, which leads to the new memorial.
For reference
At the end of 1942, a group of Soviet submarines from the Pacific Fleet made a secret transatlantic passage through the Panama Canal to the Northern Fleet (to Murmansk). Four of the newest ‘S’ type submarines and two ‘L’ type submarines were to be transferred to the Northern Fleet. The ‘L’ type submarines were shipped from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the ‘S’ type from Vladivostok.
The first to arrive in San Francisco were submarines ‘S-51’ and ‘S-56’, and on November 5 they were joined by ‘S-54’ and ‘S-55’. Having replenished their supplies, they headed in groups for the Panama Canal. By the morning of November 24, ‘C-54’ and ‘C-55’ approached the Panama Canal and anchored. A few hours later they were joined by the S-51 and S-56.
The boats passed the Panama Canal together. During daylight hours on their own, in the narrowest places - under tow of electric locomotives using electric traction, which was delivered by the Americans and installed on the shore.
By evening all four subs arrived at the American base in Panama, where they were repaired. On December 2, 1942, the S-51 and S-56 left the base, and the next day the S-54 and S-55 left the base. The route of the submarines went to Cuba, to the American base of Guantanamo Bay. In the Caribbean Sea, in the area of action of the German submarines, the safety of the transition provided American ships.
From Guantanamo Bay, the submarines travelled to the Canadian naval base of Halifax. Off the coast of Canada, the submarines experienced a terrible storm, as a result of which the ‘S-56’ was half-submerged and lost power. She had to undergo repairs in Halifax.
The ‘L’ type submarines, which left Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, arrived at the U.S. naval base of Dutch Harbour on October 1. On the morning of October 5, the submarines, accompanied by an American frigate, put to sea and headed for San Francisco. By evening the frigate finished escorting and lay on a return course to the base. The boats then proceeded independently in a surface position. On October 11, the submarine ‘L-16’, which was the lead submarine, suddenly exploded and quickly sank into the water. After the war, the commander of the Japanese submarine took responsibility for its sinking - the last remaining torpedo was fired from it. On ‘L-16’ 56 people died.