In July 1807, the famous naval battle took place near Mount Athos in the Aegean Sea, where our squadron defeated the Turkish one. The ship "Raphael," commanded by Captain Dmitry Lukin, particularly distinguished itself. He successfully engaged in battle with the 120-gun flagship "Messudie," and the situation nearly escalated to boarding. Thanks to the actions of our crew, the enemy was defeated. Pavel Svinyin, a participant in the battle, wrote: "No matter how glorious our victory, our main loss is Captain 1st Rank Lukin, who was killed in the heat of battle by a cannonball to the chest. The homeland lost a skilled naval officer, who earned great respect everywhere through his courage and bravery." These words are not an exaggeration in memory of a dear friend. Dmitry Lukin truly became a legend even during his lifetime.

For his incredible strength, he was called the Russian Hercules. He easily held a cannonball on his outstretched arm, broke steel horseshoes, and amazed sailors with his ability to drive nails into the ship's side with his finger. Abroad, however, he was considered a bully and a ruffian. For example, in England, he had a conflict with English sailors over boxes on the shore. When the situation escalated, the English decided to teach him a lesson with their fists, but Lukin dealt with them as if they were helpless puppies. The next day, the police arrived at the port with reports of assault, but the matter was hushed up.

On another occasion, Lukin, along with his family and coachman, got lost near a village and asked the owners of one of the houses to spend the night. They agreed, but at night, the coachman overheard them discussing their murder for the sake of robbing the carriage. The coachman told the captain everything. Lukin, without losing his composure, went into the next room and single-handedly dealt with the three criminals. It is worth noting that he only resorted to his fists as a last resort. To those who treated him well, he responded in kind and was always ready to help.