Baku Naval School
The school was located about 7 miles north of Baku, in an isolated position on the sloping shores of the Caspian Sea. It was transferred here from Leningrad 2 years ago, where it had been functioning in permanent installation in one form or another, since the time of Peter the Great. All buildings at the new site were of permanent gray masonry construction. There were four barracks, housing 600 students, plus administrative offices. Classrooms were housed in two buildings similar to those housing the barracks.
The messhall was housed in a one-story buildingj it seats all students simultaneously. It also contains the kitchens, scullery, and an officers1 mess for those of the officer personnel who do not dine in their own apartments. Officers' quarters were in two buildings similar to those housing the barracks, containing apartments for families and for officers without families.
All officers live on the reservation because of the distance to Baku and the lack of transportation. The entire installation was apparently of recent construction and was said to had been built for some purpose other than the present one. Efforts were being made to beautify the area by planting trees and flower beds, but the general aspect was rather stark and bare. The majority of the area about the buildings was covered with asphalt paving, including a large central square between the classroom and barrack buildings, which was used for mass exercises and drill. The dimensions of the reservation were estimated at 700 x 1,000 yards.
The surrounding country was dry and barren unless it was well irrigated. In nearly all respects, it was a perfect picture of south Texas, except that it was more hilly. Violent and sudden winds were common, although they were predictable 24 or more hours in advance. "Baku", in local dialect means "windy city". Winters were cool to cold, windy and very dusty. Summers were dry and exceedingly hot, necessitating a revised schedule to ease the burden of the hot afternoons. Temperatures were as follows: Jan. 38°, Feb. 39°, Mar. 43°, Apr. 50°, May 630, Jun. 71°, Jtfl- 77°, Aug. 78°, Sept. 70°, Oct. 62°, Nov. 51°, Dec. 44°• The above summer temperatures were deceptive in that the nights were quite cool, lowering the daily average considerably. Maximum summer day temperatures in the shade frequently reach 100°.
Classrooms were exceptionally clean, well-illuminated by natural light through large windows on one side. There was a separate desk and chair for each student and large blackboard space. Laboratories were very well-equipped, radio laboratories having a large variety of modern receivers and small transmitters. Torpedoes were exceptionally well demonstrated. There were many sections of parts and mechanisms plus individual parts and assemblies working under compressed air for demonstration.
Ordnance material covers various types of projectiles and propellants. There were several light (about 2 inch) dual purpose guns and one 5 inch gun. Guns were mounted inside with no apparent facilities for gun or loading drills but merely for exhibition. The mine room had several types -of moored mines, but little of the detail seen in the torpedo room. The optics room covers all types from spotting glasses to 5 meter range finders. Large windows permit ranging practice on a distant island.
All gear appeared to be first class and in excellent working condition. It was said that all was Soviet made. Engineering material was limited, with the piece de resistance being a model high pressure boiler sliced through the middle, with gear to swing two halves apart to show the interior. There was no evidence of any instruction in practical work in machine, wood, foundry, boiler or sheet metal shops.
Practical navigation received special attention, judging from the facilities provided. One room contains about 30 magnetic compasses mounted in conventional pinnacles and on a rotating platform, for exercises in compass compensation. In another room, students were seated at long tables. Between each two students were mounted a gyro repeater, engine room counter and clock. The instructor changed the course and speed from a control station, simulating tracking or dead reckoning exercises at high speed in close waters.
Each student plots the track on his chart, taking into account the currents and winds. Fifty hours of this and related instruction was given during the course. The seamanship "P" work room contains rigged models of small boats, ground tackle, deck gear, diving apparatus, and samples of knots and splices. Buoys and lights were demonstrated in a room full of all types, full size when possible, otherwise models, complete with illuminating gear and all operating as they would in use. The gyro compass laboratory contains two Soviet-made gyros complete and a large number of component parts and assemblies broken down for demonstration. The electrical "P" work room was very similar to that in the U.S.Naval Academy, with lines of motors, lamp banks, boards for plug-in leads and meters.
There were displays in showcases and on the corridor walls throughout the buildings, showing the evolution of warships, models and section of foreign and Soviet ships, plans of ships (including USS WASHINGTON), maps of the various war fronts throughout the world, with pins showing positions of the troops, signal flags, slogans, and famous sayings of contemporary and past Russian naval commanders, portraits of famous Russian admirals, and innumerable bad likenesses of Admiral Kuz-netsov, always in full dress uniform.
Small boats were used for rowing, sailing practice, and sailing drills in which the boats maneuver, tack, turn, and come alongside by use of sails alone and with the rudder unshipped. Two 2-masted 60-foot schooners were manned for periods of several weeks at a time by junior classmen for practical work in deck seamanship and in the use of the sextant. Power boats were manned by regular Red Navy personnel, with occasional midshipmen acting as bowhooks.
Students were selected from the country at large and from the ranks of the navy, candidates usually having had an education comparable to that of a graduate of a U. S. high school. The Superintendent informed the military chiefs of the various districts of USSR how many candidates will be acceptable from that region so that representation may be maintained equally from the country at large. Candidates were sent to Baku/where they were examined mentally and physically.
If they failed mentally and were acceptable physically, they were sent to the ranks of the fleet to work out their term of compulsory military servicej they may choose the army instead, however, which was sometimes more desired in that the term of army compulsory service was only two years, while in the navy it was five. Candidates were received from ranks of the navy on the same basis as above, but indications were that the number was very small. The age limit for civilians was 16 - 20 and from the ranks, up to 27. Failures during the course of instruction were sent to the fleet as seamen to finish their terms of compulsory military service. An average of 30% failed during the four year course, of which the great majority failed the first year and probably not more than two or three the final year.
Principal subjects in order of their importance are: navigation, seamanship, ordnance, communications, and engineering.
Classroom work consisted largely of lectures and explanation by instructors (all naval officers). There was very little questioning of or recitation by students, who usually take copious notes during these periods. It was believed that blackboards were little used by students and were mostly for demonstration and explanation by instructors. Examinations were held semiannually and wholly determine the marks and standing, of the students. Those students not quite passing may be given a re-exam, turned back into the next lower class, or sent to ranks of the navy. Various subjects had different weights in computing the final multiple.
Examinations were not especially long. Honor students, consisting of about ten percent of the class, had their photographs posted on the bulletin board in the recreation room until they were displaced in class standing by others. After graduation and two years in the fleet, the top students at the Naval School were generally those selected for post-graduate and specialist training, if their military capabilities had turned out ti> be commenstirate with their scholastic ability. Practical work, in practically all subjects carries much weight.
The schedule in summer was: 0400 Reveille; 0445 Morning tea; 0530-0900 Four 40-minute recitation periods in classroom; 1000 Breakfast; 1030-1300 Three periods, usually practical work; 1300-1500 Independent study in the library or such classroom as lihe individual desires. The instructor was present in each such available classroom to advise and answer questions of individuals; 1500 Dinner; 1530-1600 Enforced rst in banks; 1600-2000 Recreation on the ground or study, as the individual desires; occasionally there were seamanship drills; 2000 -2200 Recreation on grounds or study, as the individual desires; 2200 Lights out.
Liberty was granted on Sunday for the junior class and on Saturday afternoon and Sunday for other classes. Leave in time of peace was one month annually", but since the outbreak of the war, it had been completely cut out.
Practice cruises were made on board combatant ships of all types. While on board ship, students of the first three classes exercise no authority over Red Navy men. Those of the senior class had nominal authority in certain cases, such as in command of ship's boats, but generally exercise authority only among groups of students on board. The usual period of sea duty (cruise) is: 1st year U months, 2nd year U months, 3rd year 5 months, 4-th year 6 months.
Interior discipline was directly in the hands of naval officer in command of each company of students. Under him, were the usual company, platoon and squad petty officers chosen from the ranks of that course, and who assisted him in military functions and in maintaining discipline. Students of different classes were not mixed at drill or in the messhall. Petty officers of each clase were furnished from that class and exercise authority only over members of that class, except when on watch, when they exercised such authority over any student as the fulfilment of their duty demanded.
Student petty officers were usually chosen for a period of a full year, on the basis of military and scholastic qualities. They may be removed for disciplinary reasons or for poor performance of duty, but this occasion rarely occured. Punishments were based on the fact that the act was committed and not the degree of the act itself. The same punishment was given for being one minute over liberty as for one hour or one day. Minor offenses were punished by lowering the military aptitude mark; more serious offenses were punished by confinement.
Barracks housed units of each class in large bunk rooms and accommodated about 100 students. Iron beds were very close together. Hanging space and small lockers were in separate rooms. Arms, including rifles, light and heavy machine guns, tommy guns, all with ready ammunition, were kept in ready racks in the bunk rooms. Each student had his own heavy, dull edged sword of plain appearance. Toilet and bath facilities appeared inadequate and had characteristic gamey odor of such places in the USSR, but they were superficially, at any rate, quite clean.
Messing takes place in a large bright screened hall accommodating the entire student body. Tables seating about twenty were presided over by student petty officers of the same class as those seated at the table. There were white table cloths and backless benches. Students marched in, stood at attention alongside the tables, and seated themselves on command of the duty officer.
The galley was large, airy and well-screened with much the same appearance on small scale as the U.S.Naval Academy galley. The menu was based on weights of food per day in each category, as was the practice in the Red Navy. Calory count per diem was added up and appeared to be the item of chief interest on the weekly menu; it averaged close to 2,980 calories total per day; Alcoholic drinks were forbidden to students at any time, and drunkenness was punished by confinement of from three to ten days, with repeated offenses bringing transfer to the ranks of the Red Navy.
Uniforms were those of the Red Navy, with the exception of the cap ribbon and shoulder marks. Ex-sailors who had served at the front wore a cap instead of a flat hat. The usual summer uniform was black trousers, black shoes, white jumper, and white flat hat. Shoulder straps were black with a two inch fouled anchor in gilt. Petty officers had the usual Red Navy petty officer marks, on the shoulder straps, in addition to the above mentioned anchor.
The appearance of the students, in general, was good.The hair of students was close cropped. They had no beards or moustaches. They were on the average smaller in stature than American midshipmen, as was the average Russian considerably smaller than the average American.
Physically they appeared well enough fed and show no exterior evidence of any deficiencies in diet, such as was general among the civilian population of the country as a whole. Most of them were sunburned from seamanship drill with no jumpers on. Their military carriage and marching while enroute to the messhall was not up to the standard of the U.S.Naval Academy.
There were indications that individual discipline was of the Prussian type and considerably more strict and machinelike than American. This had been quite evident in observing relations between Red Navy officers, where in spite of "Comrade Captain" and so forth, the distinctions between ranks and the subservience of the junior was infinitely greater than in either the U.S., French, Italian, or British Navies.
For recreation, each company had a "play room"; something on the order of the Smoke Hall at the U.S.Naval Academy, with a piano, magazines and newspapers, and games. The walls were covered by slogans, wall newspapers (occasionally in English or French for the increase of interest in foreign languages), photographs, pictures of Stalin and Lenin, and a large portrait of Admiral Kuznetsov. The chief effort in the latter was usually concentrated on the grand effect of the full dress uniform. Very few of them actually resembled the Commissar of the Navy. There were no facilities for sports other than the cutters, which were used for sailing in spare time. Motion picture exhibitions and plays were given weekly.
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