The book of memoirs of Vice Admiral E. A. Skvortsov is a real textbook of naval life, a practical guide to action, and in a number of issues - a guide for a novice commander - and not only naval ones. The author's multifaceted experience can provide invaluable assistance in instilling a sense of duty, responsibility, and strong-willed military qualities traditionally inherent in the elite of the country's officer corps - commanders of ships and formations of the domestic fleet. An equally important point, not only for the new generation of officers, but also for a wide range of readers, is the disclosure of the activities of the ship’s commander, who is responsible for the life of the crew as a whole and each of its members individually, both in exhausting ocean voyages and in dangerous storm conditions , both when mastering weapons, and in unpredictable situations that life at sea is so rich in.