Imperial Russian Navy
The
Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Navy of
Imperial Russia, before the
Soviet Union.
Under Tsar
Mikhail Feodorovich construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in
1636. It was built in
Balakhna by
Danish shipbuilders from
Holstein according to European design and was christened the
Frederick. During its maiden voyage on the
Caspian Sea the
Frederick unfortunately sailed into a heavy storm and was lost at sea.
During the
Russo-Swedish War, 1656-1658, Russian forces seized the
Swedish fortresses of
Dunaburg and
Kokenhausen on the
Western Dvina and the latter was renamed
Tsarevich-Dmitriev. A boyar named
Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin founded a shipyard at Tsarevich-Dmitriev fortress and began constructing vessels to sail in the Baltic Sea. In
1661, however, Russia was once again forced to abide by the harsh terms of a treaty, this time the Peace of Cardis. Russia agreed to surrender to Sweden all captured territories, and all vessels constructed at Tsarevich-Dmitriev were ordered destroyed. Boyar Ordin-Nashchyokin, not grieving long over defeat, turned his attention to the
Volga River and Caspian Sea. With the Tsar's approval, the boyar brought Dutch shipbuilding experts to the town of Dedinovo near the confluence of the
Oka and Volga Rivers. Shipbuilding commenced in the winter of 1667. Within two years, four vessels had been completed: one 22-gun galley, christened the
Орёл ("Eagle"), and three smaller ships. The ill-fated Frederick had been a Holstein vessel; the
Орёл became Russia's first own three-masted, European-designed sailing ship but met with a similarly unfortunate end. The ship was captured in
Astrakhan by rebellious
Cossacks led by
Stepan Razin. The Cossacks ransacked the
Орёл and abandoned it, half-submerged, in an estuary of the Volga.
During much of the seventeenth century Russian merchants and Cossacks, using
koch boats, sailed across the
White Sea, exploring the Rivers
Lena,
Kolyma and
Indigirka, and founding settlements in the region of the upper
Amur. Unquestionably the most celebrated Russian explorer was
Semyon Dezhnev, who, in
1648, sailed the entire length of present-day Russia by way of the
Arctic Ocean. Rounding the
Chukotsk Peninsula, Dezhnev passed through the
Bering Sea and sailed into the
Pacific Ocean.
The creation of the regular Russian Navy took place during the reign of
Peter the Great. During the
Second Azov campaign of
1696 against
Turkey, the
Russians employed for the first time 2
battleships, 4
fireships, 23
galleys and 1300 strugs, built on the
Voronezh River. After the occupation of the
Azov fortress, the
Boyar Duma looked into Peter's report of this military campaign and passed a decree on commencing the construction of the
navy on
October 20,
1696. This date is considered the official birthday of the regular Russian Navy.
During the
Great Northern War of
1700-
1721, the Russians built the
Baltic Fleet. The construction of the row fleet (galley fleet) took place in
1702-
1704 at several
shipyards (
estuaries of the rivers
Syas,
Luga and
Olonka). In order to be able to defend the conquered coastline and attack enemy's maritime communications in the
Baltic Sea, the Russians created a sailing fleet from the ships built in
Russia and imported from abroad. In
1703-
1723, the main
base of the Baltic Fleet was located in
Petersburg and then in
Kronstadt. The bases were also created in
Vyborg,
Helsingfors,
Revel and
Åbo. At first,
Vladimirsky Prikaz was in charge of shipbuilding. Later on, these functions were transferred to the
Admiralteisky Prikaz. The naval officers for the fleet were supplied from among the
dvoryane and regular
sailors - from
recruits. The service in the navy was lifelong. The children of the dvoryane were educated at the School for Mathematical and Navigational Sciences, which had been founded in
1701. Students were often sent abroad for training in foreign fleets. It was also customary to hire foreign nationals to serve in the Russian Navy. In
1718, they established the highest naval authority in Russia called the Admiralty Board (Адмиралтейств-коллегия). In
1722, the Russian Navy had 130 sailing
vessels, including 36 battleships, 9
frigates, 3 shnyavas (
шнява - a light two-mast ship used for
reconnaissance and messenger services), 5 bombardier ships and 77 auxiliary ships. The row fleet consisted of 396 vessels, including 253 galleys and semi-galleys (called
скампавеи, or scampavei; a light high-speed galley) and 143
brigantines. The ships were being constructed at 24 shipyards, including the ones in
Voronezh,
Kazan,
Pereyaslavl,
Arkhangelsk,
Olonets, Petersburg and
Astrakhan.
The organizational principals of the Russian Navy, educational and training methods for preparing future staff, and methods for conducting military action were all summarized in the Naval Charter (1720) with regards for naval experience of foreign fleets.
Peter the Great,
Feodor Apraksin,
Alexey Senyavin,
Naum Senyavin,
Mikhail Golitsyn and others are generally credited for the development of the Russian art of
naval warfare. The main principles of naval warfare were further developed by
Grigory Spiridov,
Feodor Ushakov, and
Dmitry Senyavin.
|
The Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt was one of several cathedrals of the Imperial Russian Navy. |
In the 2nd half of the
18th century, the Russian Navy grew stronger due to activization of Russia's foreign policy and
Russo-Turkish wars for supremacy in the
Black Sea. For the first time, Russia sent its
squadrons from the Baltic Sea to distant
theaters of operations (
see Archipelago expeditions of the Russian Navy).
Admiral Spiridov's squadron gained supremacy in the
Aegean Sea by destroying the
Turkish fleet in the
Battle of Chesma in
1770. In
1771, the
Russian army conquered the coasts of the
Kerch Strait and
fortresses of
Kerch and
Yenikale. After having advanced to the
Danube, the Russians formed the
Danube Military Flotilla for the purpose of guarding the Danube estuary. In
1773, the vessels of the
Azov Flotilla (created anew in 1771) sailed out into the Black Sea. The Russo-Turkish War of
1768-
1774 ended victoriously for Russia, which gained the coasts of the
Sea of Azov and a part of the Black Sea coastline between the rivers
Bug and
Dniester. The
Crimea was pronounced independent under Russia's
protectorate and would become a part of Russia in
1783. In
1778, the Russians founded the port of
Kherson. It is in this city that the first battleship of the
Black Sea Fleet was commissioned in 1783. A year later, it was already a squadron.
In the 2nd half of the 18th century – early
19th century, the Russian Navy had the third biggest fleet in the world after
Great Britain and
France. The Black Sea Fleet possessed 5 battleships and 19 frigates (
1787), the Baltic Fleet had 23 battleships and 130 frigates (
1788). In the early 19th century, the Russian Navy consisted of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets,
Caspian Flotilla,
White Sea Flotilla and
Okhotsk Flotilla. In
1802, the Ministry of Naval Military Forces was established (renamed to Naval Ministry in
1815).
In
1826, the Russians built their first armed
steamboat Izhora (73.6
kW, or 100
horsepower), equipped with 8
cannons. In
1836, they constructed the first
paddle steam frigate of the Russian Navy called
Bogatyr (displacement – 1340
tons, power – 177 kW (240 horsepower), armament – 28 cannons). Between
1803 and
1855, the Russian sailors undertook over 40
circumnavigations and distant voyages, which played an important role in exploration of the
Far East, different
oceans and Pacific theatre of operations.
Russia's slow technical and economical development in the 1st half of the 19th century caused her to fall behind other
European countries in the field of
steamboat construction. By the outbreak of the
Crimean War in
1853, Russia had the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, Arkhangelsk Flotilla, Caspian Flotilla and
Kamchatka Flotilla (altogether, 40 battleships, 15 frigates, 24
corvettes and
brigs, 16 steam frigates etc.). The combined number of staff of all the fleets equaled 91,000 people. Despite all this, the reactionary
serfdom system had an adverse effect on the development of the Russian Navy. It was especially typical of the Baltic Fleet, which was known for its harsh
military drill. Thanks to admirals
Mikhail Lazarev,
Pavel Nakhimov,
Vladimir Kornilov, and
Vladimir Istomin, the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet were taught the art of
warfare and upholding of military traditions of the Russian Navy, formed in the times of Admiral Ushakov. The
Battle of Sinop in 1853 demonstrated bravery and heroism of the Black Sea Fleet sailors and Nakhimov's tactical innovations. During the
Siege of Sevastopol in
1854-
1855, the Russian sailors set an example of using all means possible for defending their base from land and sea. In accordance with the
Treaty of Paris, Russia lost its right to have a military fleet in the Black Sea. In the
1860s, Russian sailing fleet lost its significance and was gradually replaced by steamboats.
After the Crimean War, Russia commenced construction of steam-powered
ironclads,
monitors, and floating batteries. These vessels had strong
artillery and thick
armor, but lacked seaworthiness, speed and long-distance abilities. In
1861, they built the first
steel armored
gunship Opyt (Опыт). In
1869, the Russians began the construction of one of the first seafaring ironclads
Pyotr Velikiy (Пётр 'еликий).
to be expanded - please completeOn the night of
February 8, the Japanese fleet under Admiral
Heihachiro Togo opened the war with a surprise
torpedo attack on the Russian ships at Port Arthur, badly damaging two Russian battleships. The attacks developed into the
Battle of Port Arthur the next morning. A series of indecisive naval engagements followed, in which the Japanese were unable to attack the Russian fleet successfully under the land guns of the harbor and the Russians declined to leave the harbor for the open seas, especially after the death of Admiral
Stepan Osipovich Makarov on 13 April 1904
After the attack on Port Arthur, the Japanese attempted to deny the Russians use of the port. During the night of February 13"14, the Japanese attempted to block the entrance to Port Arthur by sinking several cement-filled steamers in the deep water channel to the port. But the steamers sank too deep into the water for it to be effective. Another attempt to block the harbor entrance on the night of May 3"4 with blockships also failed. In March, the energetic Vice Admiral Makarov took command of the First Russian Pacific Squadron with the intention of making plans to break out of the Port Arthur blockade. By then, both sides began a policy of tactical offensive mine-laying by laying mines in each others ports. This was the first time in warfare that mines were used for offensive purposes. In the past, mines were used as purely defensive purposes by keeping harbors safe from invading warships. The Japanese mine-laying policy was effective at restricting the Russian movement of its ships outside Port Arthur when on
April 12,
1904, two Russian battleships, the flagship
Petropavlovsk and the
Pobeda ran into a Japanese minefield off Port Arthur, both striking mines. The
Petropavlosk sank within an hour, while the
Pobeda had to be towed back to Port Arthur for extensive repairs. Makarov died on the
Petropavlovsk by choosing to go down with his ship. But the Russians soon learned the Japanese policy of offensive minelaying and decided to play the strategy too. On
May 15,
1904, two Japanese battleships, the
Yashima and the
Hatsuse, were both lured into a recently laid Russian minefield off Port Arthur, both striking at least two mines. The
Yashima sank within minutes taking 450 sailors with her, while the
Hatsuse sank under tow a few hours later.
The Russian fleet attempted to break out from Port Arthur and proceed to
Vladivostok, but they were intercepted and defeated at the
Battle of the Yellow Sea. The remnant of the Russian fleet remained in Port Arthur, where they were slowly sunk by the artillery of the besieging army. Attempts to relieve the city from the land also failed, and after the
Battle of Liaoyang in late August, the Russians retreated to Mukden (
Shenyang). Port Arthur finally fell on
January 2,
1905, after a series of brutal, high-casualty assaults.
The Russians had already been preparing to reinforce their fleet the previous year by sending the
Baltic Sea fleet under Admiral
Zinovy Rozhestvensky around the
Cape of Good Hope to Asia. On
October 21,
1904, while passing by the
United Kingdom (an ally of Japan but neutral in this war), they nearly provoked a war in the
Dogger Bank incident by firing on British fishing boats that they mistook for torpedo boats. The duration of the journey meant that Admiral Togo was well aware of the
Baltic Fleet's progress, and he made plans to meet it before it could reach port at
Vladivostok. He intercepted them in the
Tsushima Strait between Korea and Japan, and in the
Battle of Tsushima,
May 27–
28,
1905, the more modern Japanese fleet, numerically inferior but with superior speed and firing range, shelled the Russian fleet mercilessly, destroying all eight of their
battleships.
After the debacle of the Russo-Japanese War Russia fell from being the third greatest naval power to sixth place. The Czar created a Naval Ministry and a Naval general staff in 1906. An ambitious expansion programme was put before the
Duma (Parliament) in 1907 and 1908 but was voted down. The
Bosnian Crisis of 1909 forced a rethink and new
Dreadnoughts, cruisers and destroyers were orderd for the Baltic Fleet. A worsening of relations with
Turkey meant that new ships including the
Imperatritsa Mariya class battleships were also ordered for the Black Sea Fleet. The total Russian naval expenditure during 1906-1913 was $519 Million, in fifth place behing Britain, Germany , USA and France.
The re-armament programme included a significant element of foreign participation with several ships (including the cruiser Rurik) and machinery ordered from foreign firms. After the outbreak of World War I ships and equipment being built in Germany were confiscated. Equipment from Britain was slow in reaching Russia or was diverted to the Allies' own war effort.
Baltic Sea
In the
Baltic Sea, Germany and Russia were the main combatants, with a number of British submarines sailing through the
Kattegat to assist the Russians, including E9 commanded by
Max Horton. With the German fleet larger and more modern (many
High Seas Fleet ships could easily be deployed to the Baltic via the
Kiel Canal when the North Sea was quiet), the Russians played a mainly defensive role, at most attacking convoys between Germany and Sweden and laying offensive minefields. Russian and British submarines attacked German shipping sailing between Sweden and Germany
With heavy defensive and offensive mining on both sides, fleets played a limited role in the Eastern Front. The Germans mounted major naval attacks on the
Gulf of Riga, unsuccessfully in August 1915 and successfully in October 1917, when they occupied the islands in the Gulf (
Operation Albion) and damaged Russian ships departing from the city of
Riga (
Battle of Moon Sound), which had recently been captured by Germany.
By March 1918, the
Russian Revolution and the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk made the Baltic a German lake, and German fleets transferred troops to support newly independent
Finland and to occupy much of Russia, halting only when defeated in the West. The Russians evacuated the Baltic fleet from
Helsinki and
Tallinn to Kronstadt during the
Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet in March 1918
Black Sea
The
Black Sea was the domain of the Russians and the Ottoman Empire but the Russian fleet ruled. It was a large fleet based in
Sevastopol and it was led by two skilled commanders:
Admiral Eberhart and
Admiral Kolchak (who took over in 1916).
The war in the Black Sea started when the Ottoman fleet bombarded several Russian cities in October
1914. The most advanced ships in the Ottoman fleet consisted of just two German ships: the battlecruiser
SMS Goeben and light cruiser
SMS Breslau, both under the command of Admiral
Wilhelm Souchon. The Goeben was damaged on at least four different occasions and was usually chased back to port by the superior Russian navy. By the end of
1915, the Russian fleet had nearly complete control of the sea.
The Black Sea fleet was used mainly to support
General Yudenich in his
Caucasus Campaign. For example, in August
1915, a Russian submarine and two Russian destroyers attacked a Turkish convoy of four transports escorted by a cruiser and two destroyers. The Russian ships sank all four transports without losing a ship. Later, during the summer of
1916, the Ottoman army, under,
Vehip Pasha, was ordered to re-take
Trebizond. The Ottoman forces tried to march along the coast in June but the Russian fleet was able to reduce the speed of their advance to a crawl using naval bombardment to harass marching troops and destroy their supply columns. Eventually the Ottoman army gave up and withdrew.
After Admiral Kolchak took command (August 1916), the Russian fleet mined the exit from the
Bosporus, preventing nearly all Ottoman ships from entering the Black Sea. Later that year, the naval approaches to
Varna were also mined. The greatest loss suffered by the Russian Black Sea fleet was the destruction of the modern
Dreadnought Imperatritsa Mariya, which blew up in port on
October 7 1916, just one year after it was commissioned. The sinking the
Empress Maria was never fully explained, it could have been
sabotage or a terrible accident.
*
The History of the Russian Navy - Chapter 11. The Great War - In the Black Sea
to be expanded -please complete*
Heads of Imperial Russian Navy* Imperial Russian navy Admirals - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Imperial_Russian_Navy_admirals
History of the Russian Navy
