The new book of the writer of the marine painter captain of the 1st rank V. Shigin tells about some figures of the domestic fleet, who, due to a combination of circumstances and the political situation in Soviet times, were declared heroes. Among them - the leader of the uprising on the battleship "Potemkin" Afanasy Matyushenko, the famous "red lieutenant" Peter Schmidt and others. As a result of many years of historical research and work in the archives, the author managed to collect unique documents and evidence that in a completely new way illuminate the seemingly well-known historical events, as well as the true role of historical figures in them.