The flagship of the State Security Service of the State Border Guard Service, the ship “Hryhorii Kuropiatnikov”, received its name as a sign of perpetuation of the memory of the heroic sailor-border guard.

The flagship of the State Security Service of the State Border Guard Service, the ship “Hryhorii Kuropiatnikov”, received its name as a sign of perpetuation of the memory of the heroic sailor-border guard.

The ship's crews have always maintained a strong, almost family relationship with the relatives of Hryhorii Oleksandrovych. For more than 30 years, the hero's family has been taking care of the ship's fate, they often visit, they know all the commanders personally. Unfortunately, Hryhorii’s wife Hanna Oleksiivna died a few years ago, but the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the hero reverently preserve the traditions and memory of the legendary ancestor - they come to the Ship Day every year with soulful symbolic gifts.

Nowadays, the current crew during the flag-raising ritual remembered the heroic path of Hryhorii Kuropiatnikov, honoring his victory.

World War II hero Hryhorii Kuropyatnikov was born on January 24, 1921. After graduating from seven grades of school, he worked as a turner at a factory of agricultural machinery.

In 1939, an eighteen-year-old boy was called up to fulfill his constitutional duty to defend his homeland. He began his service in the Border Troops, on one of the boats of the 4th Black Sea Detachment of Border Vessels of the Ukrainian Border District.

With the beginning of the war, a detachment of border ships was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet. Hrihorii Kuropyatnikov first fought as a machine gunner, and from September 1941 as a commander of the miners' department. He took part in hostilities at the mouth of the Danube, in defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. In December 1941, his boat landed on the Kerch Peninsula and evacuated the defeated troops of the Crimean Front in May 1942.

During the infernal years of 1942-1943 he defended the Black Sea coast, participated in the landing of landings and in providing military base.

On March 25, 1943 Hrihorii Kuropyatnikov, repelling machine-gun fire attack enemy aircraft, prevented the death of the boat. In this battle he was severely wounded in the chest and head, lost his left arm.

Hryhorii Kuropiatnikov, the foreman of the 2nd article, was awarded the title of Hero for exemplary performance of combat tasks of the command on the front against the Nazi invaders and for his courage and heroism!

After leaving the hospital in late 1943, Hrihorii Kuropiatnikov was appointed commandant of the coastal base in the fleet. In May 1944, Article I officer G.O. Kuropiatnikov was demobilized due to disability, but by nature he could not stay at home. Returning to Kropyvnytskyi, he worked as a dispatcher.

On February 25, 1982, the heroic heart stopped, and Hryhorii Oleksandrovich was buried in the Pantheon of Eternal Glory in Kropyvnytskyi.

Traditionally, a session of collective communication with Hryhorii Oleksandrovych’s relatives took place on significant dates. Currently, the main “communicators” in the family are the hero’s daughter Svitlana Hryhorivna and grandchildren Konstantin and Oleksandr Borysovych. They exchanged warm memories and good wishes for peace, health, well-being and new interesting meetings with the crew.

The hero's feat lives on as long as he is remembered!