Self-propelled barge T-36

In December 1959, all six of the self-propelled barges attached to the garrison of the Iturup island, were beached in order to wait out the period of winter storms and perform planned repairs. Ten-day emergency rations that were normally stored aboard, were sent to the depot. Shortly before January 17, 1960 the command has been alerted of a final supply ship's late arrival, and two of the six barges were dragged back to the water. Both received 1.5 tonnes of diesel fuel and, on January 15, a three-day supplies of water and food. Both, T-36 and T-97, were moored to a floating barrel approximately 500 feet offshore.[2]

Shortly after midnight of January 17, 1960, the barges were hit by a severe storm, accompanied with hurricane-force winds. The tackle was torn and the crew, junior sergeant Askhat Ziganshin (Russian: Асхат Рахимзянович Зиганшин, Tatar: Cyrillic Әсхәт Рәхимҗан улы Җиһаншин, Latin Äsxät Räximcan ulı Cihanşin), and three privates, Filipp Poplavsky (Russian: Филипп Григорьевич Поплавский), Anatoly Kryuchkovsky (Russian: Анатолий Фёдорович Крючковский), and Ivan Fedotov (Russian: Иван Ефимович Федотов), started the barge's engines in attempt to stay away from the rocks. Weighing anchor away from the shore proved impossible due to poor visibility and strong winds; when, after 40–50 minutes the wind pushed the barge too close to the shore, the engines were started again in order to navigate further away from it. This sequence repeated a few more times. Fighting with the storm continued for over ten hours.

Eventually the eye of the storm passed over the island, and the wind reversed direction, this time pushing the barge away from the shore. The crew decided to run the barge aground, but when they attempted to do so, around 10pm, the engines ran out of fuel and stopped. The wind dragged the barge out of the lagoon and into the open ocean. The crew of T-97 had better luck and managed to successfully run their barge aground.

The garrison command was aware of the crew struggle with the hurricane, but then radio communications ceased, as the barge's transmitter was rendered inoperable by the storm. As the storm subsided, search and rescue crew of fifteen soldiers was deployed to sweep the seashore. The wreckage discovered by them, which included a lifesaver and remnants of the wooden coal storage box, both marked with the barge's number, confirmed the suspicion that the barge has been sunk by the hurricane, and its crew perished. After the conclusion of search efforts, formal missing person notifications have been sent to the families of the crew.

Meanwhile the uncontrolled T-36, lacking any means of communication, started its 49-day long drift, until the U.S. aircraft carrier Kearsarge picked up them on 7 March[3] in stormy waters 1,200 miles off Wake Island.

There was not enough food on the barge: one loaf of bread and a bucket of potatoes that got scattered around by storm and ended up sodden in diesel fuel. The crew eventually ate their leather belts, wristlets, leather parts of their garmon and leather boots in attempts to quell the hunger. While their original water supply, a 2-bucket-worth tank, has been destroyed by the storm, a significant amount — over 120 litres (32 US gal) — of fresh water, "red with rust, tasting like metal", was available in the engines' cooling system. After burning random papers, rags, and their wooden beds, the crew eventually resorted to using tires that served as the barge's fenders, for fuel.

Approximately 40 days into their journey, they spotted a passing ship, but attempts to attract its attention failed; in the following days, two more ships passed by without noticing them. Finally, around 3pm (local time) on March 7,[3] they were been spotted by two S2Fs launched by the Kearsarge, and consequently rescued.

The drift of Askhat "Victor" Ziganshin's crew were noticed by the worldwide press. Returning to the USSR, the crew had popularity close to that of cosmonauts, and took a major role in Soviet popular culture.[4] Soviet government expressed gratitude to the Kearsarge for its gesture;[5] the crew was soon returned home, first traveling to Paris on the RMS Queen Mary cruise liner, and then flying to the USSR, as doctors recommended against taking a transatlantic flight.

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  Filipp Poplavsky (left) telling their story. Askhat Ziganshin (center) listens.
• 
  Kryuchkovsky, Poplavsky, Ziganshin consuming some soup and bread shortly after being rescued.
• 
  Ivan Fedotov drinking coffee after being rescued. March 9, 1960.
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  Askhat Ziganshin is being shaved for the first time in 49 days.
• 
  Filipp Poplavsky getting a haircut for the first time in 49 days.
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  Fefotov, Ziganshin, Poplavsky on the deck of USS Kearsarge. March 14, 1960
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  After arrival at Moscow. March 1960. Left to right: Ivan Fedotov, Askhat Ziganshin, head of Political Directorate of the Soviet Army general Filipp Golikov, Filipp Poplavsky, Anatoly Kryuchkovsky