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Further Reading

Naval History

The navy of Russia (USSR), as independent military service it were added in the period from end 17 prior to the beginning of the 20th Century. Creation of regular fleet in Russia - historical legitimacy. It was caused by the imperative need of the country for overcoming of the territorial, political and cultural isolation, which became on the boundary of 17-18 substances main obstacle for the economic and social development of Russian state.

The first constant group of forces (Azov fleet) was formed from the ships and ship, the built with winter 1695-1696 and was intended for the assistance to army in the campaign on the mastery of Turkish fortress Azov. On 30 October, 1696, the boyars' Duma for the idea of tsar Peter 1 adopted decision to "seagoing vessels to be...", which became the first law about the fleet and acknowledgement the official date of his base.

In the course of northern war 1700-1721 were determined the basic tasks of fleet, whose enumeration remains practically constant up to now, namely: fight against the Navy of enemy, fight on sea communications, the defense of its coast from the sea direction, assistance to army in the coastal zones, inflicting impacts and the guarantee of invasion of the territory of enemy from the sea direction. The specific weight of these tasks changed in proportion to a change in the supplies and nature of armed struggle at sea. With respect to this they changed role and the place of separate it was ancestral the forces, which entered into the composition of fleet.

During the Seven Years' War, the Russian Fleet struck a decisive blow against Frederick the Great. At that time a large number of British officers, particularly Scotsmen, were in the Russian Navy. In 1757 Memel was bombarded and captured, and the coast of Prussia was blockaded. Prussia was seriously threatened when a large body of soldiers was put ashore. The Russian commissariat was inefficient, and the Russian troops were, at last, forced to withdraw. This ill-success did not, however, turn the Russians from their purpose, and during 1758-1760 they repeated their attempts to invade Prussia from the sea. At last, in 1761, they succeeded, and Oolberg was taken towards the close of the year. Frederick the Great's capital was thus menaced and his defeat seemed probable, when the Empress Elizabeth died. She was succeeded by Peter, who forthwith became the ally of the Prussian King for the purpose of making war on Sweden. The death of the Empress saved Prussia.

Russian naval prestige rested upon her wars with Sweden and Turkey in the 18th century. If the ambitions of Charles XII. had taken a naval rather than a military shape, the far wiser aspirations of Peter the Great would have been less quickly realised. It was a Sweden in her decadence that Russia successfully opposed at sea, and the seamen by whom Russian victories were won were largely drawn from the population of Swedish provinces. Moreover, the Russian navy of the eighteenth century owed its fighting efficiency mainly to British officers. The Turks were never a great naval nation, and the fighting in the Black Sea resolved itself principally into affairs of flotillas, while the victory of Tchesme was wholly due to the skill and gallantry of Scotchmen. At Navarino no serious demand was made upon the Russian squadron, and at Sinope the conditions were so unequal as to preclude deductions. The Russian navy has not shown marked enterprise, produced great naval commanders, or proved conspicuous in seamanlike ability. Nelson's aphorism, " Close with a Frenchman and outmanoeuvre a Russian," expressively sums up the opinion of the greatest of admirals.

Thus, before the First World War basic problems were solved by surface ships, and they were the main kind of the naval forces. In the period of the Second World War this role for some time passed to naval aviation, while in the postwar period with the advent of a nuclear rocket weapon and ships with the atomic power plants - as the main kind of forces were affirmed submarines.

Before the First World War the fleet was uniform. Coast troops (marines and coast artillery) existed since the beginning of 18 centuries, however, in organizational sense into the composition of fleet they did not enter. On 19 March, 1906, they were conceived and began to be developed as the new fighting arm of the navy submarine forces.

In 1914 were formed the first parts of naval aviation, which in 1916 also acquired the signs of the independent kind of forces. Air force day VMF is noted on 17 July in the honor of the first victory of Russian marine pilots in the air battle above the Baltic sea in 1916 finally OF VMF as razrodnoye strategic association it were formed to the middle 1930- X it was annual, when into the composition VMF organizationally they entered naval aviation, coast defense and air defense units.

The contemporary system of control elements VMF finally was formed on the eve of the World War II. On 15 January, 1938, the decision TSIK and SNK created the People's commissariat VMF, in composition of which was formed main naval headquarters. They were illegible in the period of the formation of the regular fleet of Russia its organizational and manning structure and the functions. On 22 December, 1717, on the edict of Peter I an Admiralty-board was formed for daily management of fleet. On 20 September, 1802, the ministry of sea forces was formed, subsequently renamed into the sea ministry, which existed up to 1917. After the Russo-Japanese war the creation on 7 April, 1906, of sea General Staff provided the organs of combat (operational) control of forces VMF. In this chapter of Russian fleet stood such well-known naval commanders as Peter 1, P.V.Chichagov, IR Of grigorovich, N.G.Kuznetsov, S.G.Gorshkov.

Permament groups of forces in the maritime theaters were added in proportion to the solution by the Russian state of the historical tasks, connected with the acquisition of outputs into the world ocean, by the start of the country in the world economy and policy. In the Baltic region the fleet constantly existed from 18 May, 1703, Caspian flotilla from 15 November, 1722, and fleet in the Black sea from 13 May, 1783, on the north and Pacific Ocean the groups of the naval forces were created, as a rule, on the temporary basis or, without having obtained significant development, were periodically abolished. Present Pacific Ocean and northern fleets as constant groupings there exist in accordance with 21 April, 1932, and on 1 June, 1933.

The greatest development fleet obtained to the middle of the 1980s. At this time in its composition there were 4 fleets and Caspian flotillas, in composition of which there were more than 100 divisions and the brigades of surface ships, submarines, naval aviation and coast defense.

For the course of entire its history Russian and Soviet warships could be seen on all latitudes of seas and oceans not only with the military aims, but also opened the new earth, that penetrated polar ices for scientific studies. Study and description by seamen north Siberia is coast, Kamchatka, Alaska, Aleutian and Kurile Islands, Sakhalin, Sea of Okhotsk, round-the-world floatings, the discovery Antarctica they had world value. Russia glorified such well-known seafarers as M.P.Lazarev, F.F. Bellinsgauzen, G.I.Nevel'skoy, etc.

The role of fleet in the history of Russia always exceeded the scope of the accomplishment by it of purely military objectives. The presence of fleet contributed to conducting by our country of active foreign policy. It repeatedly became determent factor for the enemy of our state with the appearance of the threat of war.

The role of fleet in the formation of national self-consciousness was great. Victories in Gangut, Grengame, Ezele, Chesme Of fidonisi, Kaliakrii, Navarine, Sinop became the object of national pride. The Russian people piously honor the memory of the outstanding naval commanders F.F.Ushakova, D.N.Senyavina, M.P. Lazarev, V.N.Kornilova, P.S.Nakhimova, N.G. Kuznetsov.