Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Azerbaijan State Maritime Academy
On March 5, 1944, Decree No. 5311 of the State Defense Committee (SDC) titled “On Measures for the Training of Command Personnel for the Maritime Fleet” was published. This decree determined the future development trajectory of maritime education in the USSR.
During the Second World War, the losses among maritime specialists were catastrophic. Major maritime hubs such as Leningrad, Odessa, and Novorossiysk fell directly within active combat zones. For this reason, on October 5, 1943, Decree No. 4255 “On the Training of Mass Professional Cadres for the Vessels and Enterprises of the People’s Commissariat of the Maritime Fleet of the USSR” had been adopted. That decree envisioned organizing the training of sailors, firemen, machinists, motormen, and radio operators in educational institutions within the labor reserves system.
Decree No. 5311, however, specifically emphasized that the existing practice of specialist training in maritime technical schools did not meet the standards required to operate modern shipping equipment and complex vessel and port machinery. To address this exact issue, it was decided to establish higher maritime schools by reorganizing several secondary specialized maritime technical schools.
On June 7, 1944, an order signed by P. P. Shirshov, the People’s Commissar of the Maritime Fleet of the USSR, was issued regarding the creation of higher education institutions—the Leningrad Higher Maritime School and the Vladivostok Higher Maritime School—through the reorganization of two maritime technical schools. Following the liberation of Odessa, two more higher education institutions were added to this list. Furthermore, new secondary maritime schools were opened across the Soviet Union as part of this maritime education reform. As a result, by the end of the year, four higher education institutions and 12 maritime schools preparing maritime specialists were operating in the USSR. These schools were granted the status of “closed” educational institutions, meaning that the students were under full state maintenance: food, uniforms, accommodation, and education were completely covered by the state.
Following its reorganization, the Baku Maritime Technical School was renamed the Baku Maritime Navigation School, and its first graduation ceremony took place in June-July 1945. Among the graduates of this class were Jabbar Hashimov, who would later lead the multi-thousand collective of the Caspian Shipping Company for 19 years, and Majid Gardashov, who would lead the collective of the aforementioned school for an equal duration starting from 1954.
PHOTO. Jabbar Hashimov
After graduating from the Navigation Faculty of the Baku Maritime Navigation School, Jabbar Azim oglu Hashimov worked on the transport fleet vessels of the Caspian Shipping Company, including the “Uzbekistan” and “Syrdarya”. In 1952, in recognition of his organizational skills, he was brought into the Shipping Company’s shore-based personnel, where he served as senior inspector, division head, and chief of the human resources department until 1965. During this period, he also pursued higher education, graduating from the Odessa Institute of Marine Fleet Engineers in 1964 with a degree in “Operational Engineering.”
He served as Deputy Head of the Shipping Company from 1965 to 1968, Head of the Shipping Company from 1968 to 1987, and from 1994 until the end of his life, as Advisor to the Head of the Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company.
Jabbar Hashimov was decorated with the Orders of the “Red Banner of Labor”, “Friendship of Peoples”, and the “Badge of Honor”, as well as numerous medals. He was awarded the titles of “Honored Transport Worker” and “Honorary Worker of the Marine Fleet.”
PHOTO. Majid Gardashov
Majid Shikhamir oglu Gardashov graduated from the Marine Engineering Department of the Baku Maritime Navigation School in 1945, and from the same faculty at the Odessa Higher Marine Engineering School in 1950. In the same year, he began his career as a specialized subject teacher at the Baku Maritime Navigation School, serving as Dean of the Marine Engineering Department and Deputy Head of the school until 1954. In 1954, he was promoted to Head of the school. From 1973 to 1987, the experienced pedagogue headed the secondary specialized educational institutions division of the Ministry of the Marine Fleet of the USSR.
Majid Gardashov was decorated with the Order of the “Badge of Honor”, honorary certificates of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR, and was awarded the title of “Honorary Worker of the Marine Fleet.”
However, as the year 1945 progressed, much work remained to be done for the fundamental development of the school. At such a critical juncture, leadership of the school was entrusted to Colonel Agaisa Mustafayev.
PHOTO. Agaisa Mustafayev
Agaisa Jabbar oglu Mustafayev served in the Caspian Naval Fleet from 1922 to 1931. From 1931 onward, the Colonel tied his destiny to this maritime education institution, working as a teacher, director of military training, and deputy head for military training affairs. He was appointed Head of the school in 1945.
Though known for his strictness and leaving a harsh first impression, Agaisa Muallim managed to remain in the memories of his students as an exceptionally kind, sensitive, and truly fatherly figure who cared for them deeply. Successful reports of the numerous professionals trained by Agaisa Muallim came from virtually all shipping lines operating across the Soviet Union.
As a cultured and noble person, the Honored Teacher Agaisa Mustafayev commanded immense authority and respect within the collective. His dedicated labor was worthily recognized: he was decorated with the Orders of the “Red Star” and the “Red Banner”, along with many medals, and was awarded the title of “Honorary Worker of the Marine Fleet.”
Sevda Abdullayeva,
Leading Specialist at the Public Relations Department of ASCO
