The cruiser "Aurora" is a ship known for one shot. The main characteristics, the history of the cruiser

The cruiser "Aurora" is one of the most recognizable symbols of the October Revolution. However, the history of the ship includes many more events and military campaigns, without which the idea of the historical path of the cruiser would be incomplete.

The draft cruiser

Construction of the cruiser "Aurora" (the ship type "Diana") began in 1896. According to the previous shipbuilding program, this project was not at all in the plans of the fleet. However, at the end of the 19th century, the foreign policy situation deteriorated noticeably. The arms race with Germany began. Against this background, the state needed such new courts as the Aurora.

The ship was the third among cruisers of its class (the first two were "Diana" and "Pallas"). The ship was laid in the New Admiralty. His project belongs to the authorship of the Navy engineer-designer Xavier Ratnik. The draft version was approved by the Marine Technical Committee, after which preparations for construction began.

In the spring of 1897, Emperor Nicholas II was offered 12 ideas for the name of the future ship. The king chose the "Aurora" - the name adopted from the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn. The ceremony took place on June 4. It was attended by the Admiral-General of the Fleet Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. The other two cruisers were completed before the Aurora appeared. The ship was delayed due to the fact that the contractor for a long time could not agree on the delivery of the steam engine. At first, the Society of Franco-Russian factories did not want to transfer valuable drawings to the Baltic plant. Finally, the conflict was settled, and the contract was signed (July 20).

Getting Started

May 24, 1900 the ship "Aurora" was launched. The ceremony took place in the presence of Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna and mother Maria Feodorovna. It is symbolic that during the descent there was a sailor who previously served on the frigate "Aurora" of the same name, who participated in the defense of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky during the Crimean War. The installation of machines and auxiliary machinery began the next day.

The main technical characteristics of the vessel are as follows: length - 126 meters, width - 16 meters, draft - 6 meters. "Aurora" has a displacement of 6,731 tons. As a motor, the designers chose Belleville water-tube boilers. With a capacity of about 12,000 horsepower, the ship could accelerate to 35 kilometers per hour (19 knots). The crew of the ship was 550 sailors and another 20 officers.

Several years the ship was tested, and then in 1903 he became a member of the detachment under the command of Rear Admiral Andrei Wienenius. The further fate of the vessel was connected with the Second Pacific Squadron, created because of the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. She went to Port Arthur in order to unlock the besieged port. The ships had a long way to go, which usually stretched out for no less than a year.

The Hull incident

During the voyage in the Baltic Sea on October 22, 1904, a serious incident occurred. The ships of the squadron fired a firing at an unidentified ship in a fog. It turned out that they were English fishermen. Two of them died. "Aurora" also fell under friendly fire due to poor visibility. 5 shells fell into the ship. Due to the injured, the hieromonk, who was on the cruiser, soon died. The event became known as the Hull incident. Because of the error of the fleet, relations between Russia and Britain were seriously spoiled. In order to find out all the circumstances of the tragedy, the parties agreed to investigate the arbitration court. This was the first such case in world practice.

Despite the incident, the squadron continued its journey. What was the situation on the cruiser Aurora? The ship quickly patched up, and its damage did not cause the return to their homeland. On the island of Madagascar, during the stay, the sailors learned that Port Arthur had fallen, and the First Pacific Fleet was dead.

Battle of Tsushima

On May 14 or 27, 1905, according to a new style, the ship "Aurora" took part in the famous Tsushima battle. For the Russian Navy, this was a decisive battle and the last hope for the salvation of the entire military campaign. The second Pacific squadron suffered a crushing defeat. "Aurora" was lucky - the ship was damaged, but did not surrender and was not sunk, unlike most other domestic ships.

After the battle, the cruiser found 18 hits. The anchor chain was broken, and the hawk was disabled. The rest of the damage were holes. On May 21, the ship, accompanied by Americans, landed in the port of the Philippines Manila. The ship was interned. The team gave a subscription on non-participation in further military operations with the Japanese. "Aurora" remained in the parking lot in Manila until the signing of the Portsmouth peace that put an end to the war. The cruiser returned to his homeland on February 19, 1906. An anchor in Libau was abandoned 458 days after the ship went on an expedition as part of the Second Pacific Squadron.

World War I

Immediately after the outbreak of the First World War, the ship-cruiser Aurora arrived in the port of Revel in anticipation of new orders. August 26, 1914 in the waters of the Gulf of Finland ran aground "Magdeburg". "Aurora" went to intercept the German ship. Russian sailors managed to seize the ship. Later he was dismantled for scrap.

Then followed a long parking in the port of Helsingfors. In 1916 the Aurora entered the Gulf of Riga and assisted the ground forces with the help of a dense artillery fire. In the autumn the ship went to Kronstadt for repairs.

The February Revolution

During the stay in Kronstadt, Captain Mikhail Nikolsky tried to resist the political revolutionary agitation that flourished at the local plant where the ship was being repaired. Strikes began at the enterprises. The demands of the workers were different. Someone wanted to reduce the working day, others in general opposed the authorities. In this situation, the captain rightly feared for the morale of his sailors.

On February 27, the guard was strengthened, guarding the cruiser Aurora. The history of the ship already included dangerous sea battles, but if a riot started on the ship, the officers would not have to count on anything. In addition, agitators spread rumors that a ship from the Aurora will be made a floating prison.

On the eve of the February Revolution , riots broke out on the ship. The sailors stopped obeying Nikolsky's orders, after which the officers opened fire on them. Three people were injured, one later died of complications. Meanwhile, in Petrograd, massive mass demonstrations were already taking place, and power in the capital was actually paralyzed.

On the 28th, a demonstration began in front of the "Aurora". The workers flooded the ship. When they found out that there had been shooting on the ship the day before, there was an outrage. The disgruntled detained Captain Nikolsky and another officer, Ogranovich. With them, the shoulder straps were torn off. These two were torn to death by the crowd in the growing chaos of the demonstration. Nikolsky was shot for unwillingness to go to the Tauride Palace with a red cloth in his hands. The officers did not manage to protect the ship from the agitators.

The Restless 1917th

In 1917 the model of the ship "Aurora" still remained combat-ready and relatively modern. The cruiser, despite all the costs of war and revolution could be used for its intended purpose. After the February events and the overthrow of the monarchy, the sailors established a ship committee. There were many representatives of the leftist parties, but not a single Bolshevik.

However, in the summer the situation radically changed. Lenin's supporters carefully worked with the army and the fleet. Therefore, of course, they could not ignore such an important cruiser Aurora. The history of the ship was briefly known to all residents of the capital. If the Bolsheviks managed to persuade the ship's command to their side, this would be an unqualified success.

The most eloquent agitators of the party (for example, Mikhail Kalinin) made speeches on the Aurora, which emphasized its special attitude to the ship standing in the parking lot. The result did not keep itself waiting. By the summer of the committee there were already 42 representatives of the RSDLP (b). The sailors began to actively participate in the Bolshevik street actions. On July 4, during a mass demonstration in Petrograd, the sailors were subjected to a machine-gun fire at the army, which remained loyal to the Provisional Government. Soon repression began against the Bolsheviks. Lenin fled to a hut in Razliv, and some particularly zealous sailors of the Aurora were arrested.

October Revolution

In September, the re-election of the ship's committee took place. His chairman was elected Bolshevik Alexander Belyshev. Nikolay Erikson became the captain. Since the repair of the ship was completed, he soon had to go to sea. However, on October 10, the Bolsheviks at a meeting of the Central Committee decided on an armed coup in Petrograd. The Aurora needed them not only as a well-armed cruiser, but also as an important symbol.

The Bolsheviks controlled not only the ship, but also the Petrograd Soviet. According to his decision on October 24, the sailors left the ship in St. Petersburg. "Aurora" was supposed to bring Nikolayevsky bridge. The city authorities tried to block the crossing in order to stop the coup in the capital, and the insurgents tried to prevent it.

On the night of October 25 the ship entered the Neva. Captain Erickson initially resisted this decision, but nevertheless agreed. He feared that the inept sailors would simply land the ship. The Nikolayevsky bridge was in the hands of the cadets. At the approach of the "Aurora" they fled, and the supporters of the Bolsheviks were able to restore movement across the river.

Blank Shot

By the morning of October 25, Lenin from Smolny controlled the entire communications infrastructure of Petrograd - telegraph, mail, railway station, etc. The Provisional Government still remained in the Winter Palace. The Bolsheviks were going to shoot him from the Peter and Paul Fortress, in case the ministers refused to surrender it.

What could the Aurora help in the assault? The type of ship and its weapons allowed to make a signal shot. The Bolsheviks decided to take advantage of this opportunity. On the afternoon of the 25th, Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko, the head of the field headquarters of Lenin's supporters, arrived at the ship. He gave the order for an empty shot, which was planned to be made after the signal from the Peter and Paul Tower. In addition, the Bolsheviks used radio on the Aurora to broadcast the appeal of the leader of the world proletariat.

A blank shot rang out at 21:40. It was produced by the commandant Yevdokim Ognev. The shot served as a signal for storming the Winter Palace. In addition, he forced the panics of the Provisional Government ministers to settle in their last stronghold. Historians are still arguing about whether there was a technical opportunity for field shooting Aurora in the Winter Palace. Some researchers argue that there could be no fire for the defeat, at least because of the location of the ship. Anyway, but further shooting was not needed. The Winter Palace was in the hands of the insurgents and without the help of the Aurora.

Follow-up history

The episode that took place during the October Revolution became the most famous for the cruiser Aurora. The history of the ship was immediately transformed into an important image of the birth of Soviet power. Three days after the events in the Winter Palace, he returned for repairs. Soon the Aurora again became part of the active fleet.

In the summer of 1918, the power of the Bolsheviks was still fragile. Near Petrograd, the advance of the white army of Yudenich developed. The class of the ship "Aurora" could not help the fighting on the ground. Nevertheless, it was decided to use the cruiser somewhat differently. At the same time, Petrograd faced the threat of foreign intervention. The Bolsheviks wanted to sink the Aurora and several more ships in order to block the way to enemy ships. However, there was no such need.

In peacetime, the ship "Aurora", a photo of which, during the October events in Petrograd, got to the editorials of many Russian and foreign newspapers, became a training ship. The cruiser participated in several overseas voyages. During these expeditions new sailors of the RKKF were gaining experience. On the tenth anniversary of the revolution in 1927, the Aurora was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The last long-distance hike the ship made in 1930, when he rounded the Scandinavian Peninsula. Then followed a long overhaul. However, he could not mitigate the fact that the ship was obsolete. By 1941, he was generally planned to withdraw from the fleet, but this prevented the coming war.

During the siege of Leningrad "Aurora" was subjected to numerous bombings of German aviation. At the beginning of the war, the Soviet leadership decided to make the ship part of the city's air defense system. On the ship there were several anti-aircraft guns, which could be useful in combating Luftwaffe aircraft. The shelling caused the ship to get a lot of holes. At the end of 1941, the sailors were evacuated. The palm on the "Aurora" ceased only after the blockade was lifted.

In the eternal parking lot

In 1944 it was decided to send the ship to the eternal parking near the Petrogradskaya embankment and make it a museum. By that time in the entire Soviet Union there were almost no such legendary monuments as the cruiser Aurora. Excursion around the ship became mandatory for tourists of the Northern capital.

Over the next few decades, the Aurora experienced a dozen restorations. In 2014 the ship was sent to Kronstadt for regular repairs. It is planned that he will return to the eternal parking near the Petrogradskaya embankment in the summer of 2016.