THE LONGEST-SERVING CAPTAIN LIVES IN RUSSIA

Georgiy Lebedev has a record-breaking tenure as captain in Russia’s Far-East Maritime Steamship Line, and this fact has recently been entered into the Guinnes Book of Records (the news came from the Book’s London headquarters). Mr. Lebedev, born in Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, entered the steamship line in 1938 as radio operator. During the World War II, he served on vessels carrying goods from USA to USSR under the Land Lease Contract. Then he became navigator, and from 1993 on, served as captain. He ended his career in 1997 on the captain’s bridge of the “Ob” motor-ship at the age of 80.