Pupils of the senior class were called midshipmen. At the end of the corps, they were promoted to midshipmen and constapels.
The famous hydrograph captain I rank A.I. became the first director of the corps. Nagaev. Together with him, Kh. Laptev, G. Spiridov, I. Golenishchev-Kutuzov, E. Iretsky taught in the building. At different times, famous navigators and naval figures were at the head of the corps: P.K. Kartsov, I.F. Kruzenshtern, N.P. Rimsky-Korsakov, N.G. Kazin, S.S. Nakhimov, V.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, D.S. Arseniev, A.I. Rusin and others. Through their efforts, the Naval Corps has become the leading educational institution in Russia, giving the fleet and the state many talented sailors, scientists, statesmen and creative individuals.
Initially, the training program included 28 disciplines, including: mathematics with its various sections, mechanics, navigation, geography, artillery, fortification, genealogy, history, politics, rhetoric, one of the European languages by choice, maritime evolution, maritime practice, rigging , ship architecture, drawing, fencing, dancing.
In 1762, they tried to merge the Naval Corps with the Land Cadet Corps, but thanks to Empress Catherine II, who had just ascended the Russian throne, the Naval Cadet Corps retained its independence and received strong support from the Admiralty Board and the Naval Commission.
In 1771, the Naval Corps building was badly damaged by fire. The students were transferred from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt. In 1798, the building moved to a complex of buildings built by the decision of Paul I on the Vasilevsky Island of St. Petersburg.
At the initiative of Rear Admiral I.F. Kruzenshtern on January 28, 1827, by decree of Nicholas I, an officer class was organized at the corps "for the improvement of a number of excellent officers from cadets in the higher parts of the sciences, required for naval service." Latest release midshipmen in the Naval Corps took place on May 27, 1917, and in March 1918 the corps was disbanded.
On December 15, 1752, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree, according to which the Naval Academy was transformed into the “Naval Noble Cadet Corps”, modeled on the land cadet corps. In the same year, the Admiralty Board decided to close the Moscow navigation school, disband the midshipman company and the naval artillery school. The children of the nobles of the above institutions were transferred to the cadet corps, and the children of the raznochintsy were assigned to study in port workshops and to recruit a navigational company.
The Naval Cadet Corps was staffed by pupils of noble origin. The staff strength was set at 360 people, in combat terms distributed into three companies, and in training - into three classes. Pupils of the senior class studied the highest maritime disciplines and were called midshipmen. Pupils of the second class studied navigation and other disciplines and were called cadets. Pupils of the third grade passed trigonometry and other disciplines and were also called cadets. The composition of the mouth was mixed. Each company consisted of a cadet class, 2nd and 3rd cadet classes. The company consisted of 40 midshipmen, 40 cadets of the second and 40 of the third class. The transition from class to class was carried out on the basis of academic performance and if there were vacancies in the corresponding classes. All midshipmen and cadets had guns and ammunition. Of the well-performing midshipmen, the following were appointed: captain, ensign, furier, four sergeants, four corporals and eight corporals, the company commander was a captain of the 3rd rank. The company also had a lieutenant commander, a non-commissioned lieutenant and an ensign.
Upon admission to the corps, entrance exams were held, however, children of the ranks of the maritime department had the priority right for admission. The bulk of the pupils were preparing for military officer service, 30 people trained as naval gunners and surveyors. The corps was headed by the director and his assistant for the combat unit. In 1762, pupils for the first time received uniform uniforms, small arms and cold weapons (cleavers). At the same time, the training of surveyors was stopped, and the number of pupils - artillerymen was doubled.
The training program included 28 academic disciplines, including mathematics with its various sections, mechanics, navigation, geography, artillery, fortification, genealogy, history, politics, rhetoric, one of the main European languages at the choice of the pupil, maritime evolution (tactical maneuvering), maritime practice, rigging , "architecture of boats and drawings of ship and galley proportions", fencing, dancing. The number of full-time teachers increased to 40 people, each of whom had an assistant. The general management of teaching activities was carried out by the professor. Company and class officers were invariably involved in conducting classes, including in foreign languages. AT summer campaign cadets and midshipmen were trained on the Baltic ships.
Vasilyevsky Island, Minich's house, was chosen as the location of the building in St. Petersburg, which had to be significantly expanded. All the worries of organizing a new military educational institution fell on the shoulders of a graduate of the Navigation School, Captain 1st Rank Alexei Ivanovich Nagaev, who commanded the Naval Academy for six years, and then commanded the Cadet Corps for eight years. A.I. Nagaev was engaged in the selection of teachers, procurement of furniture, clothes, dishes and provisions for the building. Despite all the efforts made by Nagaev to establish the Naval Corps, his activities did not always receive approval from the Admiralty Board, which interfered in almost every order of A.I. Nagaev on the economic and educational side. Friction between Nagaev and the Admiralty Board made it difficult to finance the activities planned by Nagaev, and generally held back the development of the corps.
In April 1762, Emperor Pyotr Fedorovich, by his decree, ordered the establishment of a military educational institution that united the land and naval cadet corps and the Joint Artillery and Engineering School and entrusted the organization and command of the new military educational institution to Chief Chamberlain Lieutenant General Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov. However, already on August 8, 1762, thanks to the personal intervention of Empress Catherine II, who ascended the throne as a result of the coup, the Naval Cadet Corps retained its independence and received further development. From 1753 to 1763 the corps released 340 warrant officers to the fleet and 7 constapels to naval artillery. Over 10 graduates of this time reached the rank of admiral. Many received the highest award for bravery in battle and were awarded the Order of St. George.
Significant changes in the life of the Naval Cadet Corps occurred with the appointment of Captain 2nd Rank Ivan Loginovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov to the post of director, who had been in this position for almost forty years, from 1764 to 1802. I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov had a rich maritime practice, had broad knowledge in the field of maritime affairs, a firm and resolute character. Golenishchev-Kutuzov was well aware of the difficulties maritime service, saw shortcomings in the theoretical and practical training of graduates of the Maritime Academy. He used his solid technical knowledge to prepare and publish a large number of books on the history and tactics of the navy. More than 2,000 Russian naval officers passed through his hands, and in the last years of his life, all officers of the Russian fleet, from rear admiral and below, were pupils of the Naval Cadet Corps at the time when the corps was commanded by I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov. By the end of his service career, Golenishchev-Kutuzov reached the rank of admiral and vice-president of the Admiralty College, he invariably enjoyed the trust of Catherine II and the location of the heir to the throne, Admiral General of the Fleet Pavel Petrovich, to whom he taught marine sciences.
I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov managed to achieve the expansion of his powers and independence from the Admiralty College in making decisions regarding the Naval Cadet Corps. It preserved the division into three companies, each of them was given banners: the first company - white, the second and third - yellow. The director attached great importance to the training of cadets in the practice of seamanship, the art of navigation and sea evolution, the study of French, English and German, since a naval officer on duty often had to come into contact with foreigners and, in addition, it was necessary to get acquainted with books about navigation, which were practically not published in Russian. I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov managed to open a printing house in the building for printing books and nautical charts, and even restore the geodetic class necessary for the inventory of coasts and lands, the removal of plans, and the inventory of forests.
Since 1764, the position of the chief inspector of classes was established in the corps, who was responsible for organizing the educational process. Grigory Andreevich Poletika, one of the most educated people of his time, was appointed the first inspector, who carried out important changes aimed at streamlining educational process and regulation of the volume of disciplines taught. It was clearly established which subjects and to what extent should be studied in a particular class, textbooks and teaching aids were identified that should be used during the educational process. Semi-annual exams and independent preparation for lessons were introduced. In 1769, the building's library was founded, which became one of the most complete in the country in terms of original and translated literature. More attention was paid to the education of young sailors on the basis of historical experience, the so-called. "math classes" for teacher training. To work in the corps were widely involved the best specialists fleet, scientists of the Academy of Sciences. The system of education introduced by Poletika was largely preserved in the Naval Corps for many years.
Of the class inspectors who served under Golenishchev-Kutuzov, it should be noted the graduate of the Naval Academy Nikolai Gavrilovich Kurganov and the graduate of the Naval Corps Platon Yakovlevich Gamaley, who had extensive knowledge in their time, pedagogical tact and energy. N.G. Kurganov became the author of a large number of textbooks and manuals that were used in the training of cadets. P.Ya. scientific research participating in significant expeditions.
On May 23, 1771, a strong fire broke out on Vasilyevsky Island, as a result of which the building that housed the Naval Corps burned down. The corps was transferred from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt and housed in the Italian Palace.
During the years of I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov’s command of the corps, many traditions associated with the rudeness of the cadets, promiscuity, antics that caused outrage among the population of St. Petersburg began to become a thing of the past. Exorbitant corporal punishment has practically been abandoned in the corps. In the orders on the punishment of pupils, the main place was occupied by the wording: leave without lunch, do not dismiss "for the corps", put in "empty", i.e. in a punishment cell, dressed in a gray jacket, demoted from midshipmen to cadets. For serious misconduct, there were corporal punishments, but not as severe as before, and expulsion from the corps.
Order in the companies was mainly maintained by the senior midshipmen, who sought to arrogate to themselves the right to command not only the cadets, but also the junior midshipmen. The solution of many issues ended in brawls, and sometimes serious fights that took place in the backyard of the building. Corps poets tried to capture these battles in their epoch-making poems. The harsh conditions of corps life brought up extreme solidarity among the cadets. Corps officer N. Bestuzhev gave advice to his brother, midshipman: “Do not let yourself be offended if you can beat yourself, but do not dare to complain to me about the offenders. Most of all, beware of dirty linen in public, otherwise you will be called fiscals and then your fate will be bitter. In the corps, it was considered daring to endure the most cruel punishment in silence. Such pupils were called "cast iron" and "old men". The last nickname was especially honorary.
For naval practice, midshipmen and artillery cadets went on ships and frigates of the Baltic Fleet. During the years of the existence of the Corps of Foreign Co-religionists, the pupils of this corps, mainly Greeks, were sent to the Naval Cadet Corps for an internship.
In 1783, in connection with the needs of the fleet in officer cadres, the regular number of the Naval gentry cadet corps doubled and reached 600 people. 5 companies were formed in the corps. During all the years of her reign, Catherine II treated the Naval Corps with special respect, "keeping in mind the merits rendered to Her and the fatherland by the pupils of the Naval Cadet Corps, who everywhere served with praise." In this regard, the palace in Oranienbaum was presented to the corps by the empress. However, for a number of reasons, the move there from Kronstadt did not take place.
In the reign of Catherine II, 2063 people were released from the Naval Corps, of which 1960 people were sent to the fleet. During the war years with Sweden, several accelerated issues were produced in the corps. Of the pupils released in the reign of Catherine II, 16 people rose to the rank of admiral, 26 vice admiral, 14 lieutenant general, 16 rear admiral, 20 major general. The graduates of the corps of this period, Admirals F.F. .Ushakov, D.N. Senyavin, I.F. Kruzenshtern, V.M. Golovnin, who circumnavigated the world on the sloops "Diana" and "Kamchatka", Yu.F. Lisyansky, who circumnavigated the world and discovered several new islands in pacific ocean, the first naval minister of Russia N.S. Mordvinov, his successor G.A. Sarychev, President of the Academy of Sciences, famous poet and philologist A.S. Shishkov.
On the fourth day after his accession to the throne, Emperor Paul I announced by decree that he retained the rank of Admiral General of the Fleet, and informed the director of the corps I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov about his decision to transfer the corps from Kronstadt to St. Petersburg, on Vasilyevsky Island , into a complex of buildings built by the architect F.I. Volkov. Pavel I constantly showed signs of attention to the corps, often visited it, attended lectures, and talked with the cadets. Sometimes, for good teaching, right in the classroom, he could assign the next rank to the teacher, and promote a cadet to non-commissioned officer for a good answer. The emperor repeatedly tried to find at least some kind of disorder in the corps, but he could not manage to do this, despite the unexpected appearance in the corps at various times of the day. And then he asked the empress to unexpectedly inspect the building. To the delight of the director, officers and teachers, she was satisfied with the order.
According to historians, the time of Emperor Paul I's tenure on the throne was one of the most favorable for the Naval Corps. Under him, it was approved new form: green double-breasted uniforms and trousers, one-color with a uniform in winter, white in summer; over the knee boots, triangular hat, dagger. After the reconstruction of the buildings of the corps, at the direction of the emperor, 600 pupils transferred from Kronstadt were comfortably accommodated in new buildings. Historians assess the tenure of Paul I in different ways, but everyone agrees that the emperor constantly treated the fleet with favor. In the reign of Paul I, 468 people were released from the Naval Corps: 243 - midshipmen in the fleet, 42 - in naval artillery, 181 - in ground troops. Among the graduates of the corps of this period, the most famous were Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen (1797), who sailed to the South Pole; Admiral L.F.Bogdanovich, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Navarino, M.F.Garkovenko, the future class inspector under 6 directors of the corps, who served in the Naval Corps for 50 years.
Under Paul I, a corps holiday was established - November 6th. In 1797, a corpus church was built in the name of St. Paul the Confessor, whose memory was celebrated on November 6 on the day of the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul I.
Since 1802, the educational institution received a new name - Naval Cadet Corps(the word gentry was removed from the name), and a veteran of the battles with the Turks, Swedes and French, a graduate of the Naval Corps, Rear Admiral P.K. Kartsov. P.Ya. Gamaleya, appointed back in 1795, remained the inspector of classes. At the same time, it began to be practiced to send the best midshipmen to practice as volunteers in the fleets of England and France. Petr Kondratievich Kartsov was director for 24 years. During this period, more than two thousand pupils were released from the corps.
P.K. Kartsov was one of the closest associates of Admiral F.F. Ushakov and a battle-tested sailor, in the corps he turned out to be an energetic and enlightened educator and administrator. With the help of corps inspectors P. Ya. Witnesses of that era recalled the zeal with which pupils studied at that time. The best students were deeply respected by their comrades, who called them by name and patronymic. The honorary cadet nickname "Zeiman" (from the English seaman-sailor), which was given to the first pupils, was more honorable for ambitious teenagers than any diploma. From these "Zeymans" came the famous scientific hydrographs, navigators who circumnavigated the world, military admirals.
In 1812, during Patriotic War, pupils of all cadet corps were evacuated to the city of Sveaborg in Finland, where they stayed for four months. In 1817, the staff of the Marine Corps was increased to 700 people, distributed over 5 companies. In 1825, vice-admiral P.M. Rozhnov, who was considered one of the most experienced and combat sailors, was appointed director of the corps. At that time, fencing, gorodki, and skating flourished in the corps. At the end of the school year, midshipmen were required to go on a training voyage. While at sea, the midshipmen performed all the sailor's work, tried to show recklessness in order to gain authority among their comrades.
During the reign of Alexander I, 2019 people were released from the corps. Of the 1783 midshipman graduates, 35 people graduated from the service as admirals, 33 as vice admirals, 40 as rear admirals, 3 as full generals, 21 as lieutenant generals, 54 as major generals, etc. Among the graduates of this period were outstanding admirals and naval commanders: Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1805), Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (1818), Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov (1823). P.S. Nakhimov and V.A. Kornilov were mortally wounded during the heroic defense of Sevastopol during Crimean War 1853-1856 Admiral F.M. Novosilsky (1823), holder of the Order of St. George 3rd degree for the Battle of Sinop, awarded the order St. Vladimir 1st degree for the defense of Sevastopol; Admiral E.V. Putyatin (1822) showed great diplomatic skills to establish diplomatic relations with Japan; Baron F.P. Wrangel (1815) described the northern coasts of Siberia (one of the islands in the Northern Arctic Ocean). Graduates of this period were awarded: the orders of St. Andrew the First-Called - 3 people, Alexander Nevsky - 12, Vladimir 1st degree - 3, White Eagle - 20, Vladimir 2nd degree - 28, Anna 1st degree - 44, Stanislav 1st degree - 54. 96 people circumnavigated the world, 12 people sailed twice. The graduates of the Corps F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev have the honor of discovering Antarctica. Count F.P. Tolstoy (1802) became a famous Russian artist, was president of the Academy of Arts, M.F. Reinecke (1818) became a famous Russian hydrographer who did a lot to map the White and Baltic Seas; Vladimir Ivanovich Dal (1819) became the author of the Explanatory Russian Dictionary.
Strict innovations in the organization of service and disciplinary practice, implemented by Emperor Nicholas I, did not bypass the Naval Corps either. In organizational and combat terms, since 1826, the corps was equated with the naval crew of the battalion, which had a midshipman, three cadet and a newly established reserve, or juvenile, company (for the first time accepted pupils 10-12 years old). The staff of each company was 101 people. In accordance with the new instructions, pupils were transferred from class to class not one at a time, but in whole classes. Much attention was paid to drill training, "company front-line exercises", and corporal punishment was introduced. To get acquainted with the order of service in the land corps, three junior officers of the Naval Corps were seconded to the 2nd Cadet Corps.
On October 14, 1827, Rear Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern was appointed director of the Naval Corps. Appointment of the outstanding navigator, researcher and naval commander Admiral I.F. Kruzenshtern (class inspector of the Naval Corps in 1811-1827, director in 1828-1842) to the post of director contributed to the humanization of training and education in the corps. Possessing in the highest degree delicate character, Kruzenshtern did not forget about the rude morals that prevailed in the corps during his stay there and demanded that the officers and teachers have a moral attitude towards the cadets. He reserved the right to corporal punishment.
AT training course new subjects were introduced and the intensity of training increased. Military justice, chemistry, descriptive geometry, artillery, and fortification were introduced into the corps. The best specialists from various fields of science were involved in lectures and seminars. Kruzenshtern regularly attended classes and attended exams. In the Dining Hall, a half-life-size model of the heroic brig Navarin was installed, which allowed even winter time conduct naval training for cadets. At the same time, a collapsible model of the President frigate was built. For practical training, a special detachment of ships was formed from training frigates. For the first time, promotion to officers began to be held annually by the entire graduate after passing the autumn exam.
On January 28, 1827, officer classes were organized at the Naval Corps to train officers from the "most excellent cadets." Stay in the officer class was designed for two years. During this time, the cadets were invited to study higher mathematics, astronomy, and the theory of shipbuilding. Well-known scientists and academicians of that time were invited to give lectures in officer classes. Two classes were established - the lowest and the highest, the transfer from the lowest to the highest was carried out according to the results of studies and behavior. In the event that a midshipman could not move from a lower class to a higher one, he remained for another year. After the second year of training, graduates of the officer class were awarded the rank of lieutenant. Class officers were required to sail on admiral ships. The future admirals G.I. Nevelskoy, A.I. Butakov, K.N. Posyet graduated from officer classes.
On December 15, 1852, the Naval Cadet Corps solemnly celebrated the centenary of the corps. Emperor Nicholas I granted the corps a banner, which was nailed to the staff on December 14 in the Winter Palace. The emperor drove in the first copper nail from the top of the shaft, the second nail was driven in by the empress, and the rest of the nails by other members of the imperial family and representatives of the Naval Corps, after which the new banner was handed over to the corps.
During the reign of Nicholas I, 1883 people were released from the Naval Cadet Corps. Of those released, they completed their service in the fleet: admirals - 23 people, vice admirals - 73, rear admirals - 208, full generals - 2, lieutenant generals - 20, major generals - 65. The corps was glorified by admirals G.I. Butakov (1837), I.I. Butakov (1839), B.A. Glazenap (1826), A.A. Popov (1838), an outstanding shipbuilder. Admiral G.I. Nevelsky is credited with joining the Amur Territory to Russia. Dozens of graduates of the corps distinguished themselves during the Crimean War.
With the beginning of the reign of Alexander II, certain changes took place in the life of the corps. The established commission found that the number of pupils of the corps exceeds the actual need, pupils are admitted to the corps at too early age, general education should be separated from specialized, practical maritime education is given too little time. Already in 1856, changes in the life of the corps became noticeable: the best midshipmen in terms of success began to be assigned to ships that went on a long voyage. In 1860, the midshipman company was liquidated, the production from midshipmen to lieutenants was canceled at the end of the course of officer classes. The rank of midshipman was now assigned to pupils graduating from the corps at the end of the course. To instill practical skills in future naval officers, there was a screw frigate "Dmitry Donskoy", on which each midshipman was obliged to sail for two years.
Since 1861, new rules for admission to the corps have been put into effect - competitive examinations in seven subjects and trial swimming. Trial sailing was introduced with the aim of giving young men who wanted to become sailors an opportunity to test their capabilities for service at sea and get acquainted with maritime affairs. The corps began to accept young men aged 14-17 not only of noble origin, but also the children of "hereditary honorary citizens", honored officers, officials of civil departments. For admission, you need to be in good health. No more than 50 people were admitted to the corps annually. The strengthening of discipline was facilitated by the abolition of corporal punishment and a certain democratization of the internal life of the educational institution.
MARINE SCHOOL
As part of military reform and in accordance with the new Charter, the Naval Corps from June 2, 1867 became known as Maritime School, referred to the category of higher educational institutions of a special profile. The term of study was reduced to 4 years, the staffing was set at 240 people. The training course included a one-year general class and three special classes. Cadets began to additionally study steamship mechanics, physical geography, meteorology, naval history and tactics, and law. In May-August, they underwent maritime practice on the ships of the training detachment. Graduates were awarded the rank of midshipman, and after a two-year voyage they were promoted to the first officer rank of midshipman. The new director, Rear Admiral V.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, carried out a number of measures to strengthen democratic principles in educational work and the internal routine of the school. To bring studies closer to the practical activities of future ship officers, a rotating platform was built in a special hall (the deviation of magnetic compasses was studied here), and the training battery received new rifled artillery systems.
The famous Russian writer K.M. Stanyukovich, a graduate of the Naval Corps, who devoted most of his works to the marine theme, wrote about the time when Rear Admiral V.A. Rimsky-Korsakov commanded the Naval Corps: an excellent captain, educated, with broad views, a man of extraordinary truthfulness and imbued with a truly marine spirit and not infected with prejudices. He renewed the staff of teachers and corps officers, abolished corporal punishment, was not afraid to give the cadets certain rights to independence, and started cadet artels with elected artels who were on duty in the kitchen. He invariably taught the cadets not to be afraid of the truth, not to curry favor with their superiors, not to compromise their convictions. Cadets could always come to him with explanations and statements. He listened seriously and attentively to the cadet and communicated his decision clearly, precisely and briefly.
The successor of V.A. Rimsky-Korsakov was A.P. Yepanchin, who served in the corps from the day he was promoted to midshipman (1841). According to the recollections of graduates, he was loved and considered fair. However, the cadet muse did not forgive him for his absence in his track record real voyages, except on ships belonging to the corps. The Cadets gave him the nickname "Daddy" and in a playful poem "Farewell to the Yellow House" dedicated the following lines to him:
"Farewell, Daddy Admiral,
Decorated with two eagles
Although you have not seen the sea,
But still you commanded us ... "
On November 6, 1873, on the Neva embankment, opposite the building of the Naval School, in a solemn ceremony in the presence of representatives of the Naval Department, a bronze monument was unveiled to the famous navigator and former director of the Naval Corps, Admiral I.F. Kruzenshtern. Soon, the graduates of the Naval Corps had a tradition, according to which, on one of the last days of their stay in the corps, they sewed a special huge vest and put it on a bronze monument.
In 1875, the term of study in the corps was increased to 5 years, the age of those entering the junior preparatory class was reduced from 16 to 12 years. In 1882, a midshipman company was again formed from senior cadets, the graduates of which were promoted directly to midshipmen. With the advent of steam armored ships, mine weapons and the improvement of rifled artillery, the curriculum of the school was supplemented with technical subjects, navigational training and the study of weapons, incl. obligatory training in the offices and shooting. At the Naval School, preparatory classes were introduced: junior and senior. The age of those admitted to the preparatory classes was set: for the younger one - 12-14 years old, for the older one - 13-15 years old. Each class consisted of 40 people. Both preparatory classes made up the 5th company of the school.
More attention was paid to special naval training, in-depth study of general scientific disciplines, and summer voyages. The release of midshipmen was carried out according to the results of examinations taken by a commission of naval officers appointed by order of the manager of the Naval Ministry. The final exams included: maritime practice, astronomy, navigation, naval artillery, minecraft, shipbuilding theory, steamship mechanics and law. Since 1893 midshipmen began to study a new, more complex and close to the real conditions of combat course of naval tactics, developed by a graduate of the corps N.L. Klado.
At the end of the XIX century. School life starts at 6:30. The cadets rose at the signal of the bugler or drummer, who alternately played or sounded the wake-up call. Until 8.00, time was spent on the toilet, morning exercises and tea. In the 80s. The lessons were one and a half hours long. From 11.00 drill training, extracurricular activities were carried out. At 13.00 - lunch, from 15.00 to 18.00 - lessons, then dinner, preparation of lessons, at 21.00 - tea. Since the beginning of the 90s. lessons became hourly. Twice a week during lunch, an orchestra played in the choirs of the dining room. According to established rules, dinner ended when the midshipman on duty in the kitchen reported that all the silver cutlery had been handed over and counted. On each table stood two silver jugs with kvass. According to graduates, the food in the corps was good, but not too plentiful, so the cadets sent servants to the corps shop during lunch for Philippian pies, rolls, sausage, cheese, and candies in iron boxes. All purchases were made in a pool. On Saturday, the lessons were only until 11.00, after which a battalion exercise was held on the embankment.
As historians of the fleet note, they taught well in the corps, especially in subjects related to navigation: astronomy, navigation, sailing directions, marine photography. To conduct classes, the cadets were divided into groups of 25 people, the teachers explained their subject to this group, being in constant communication with the cadets and calling each cadet to answer several times. During these years, world-famous professors A.N. Krylov and Yu.M. Shokalsky taught in the building. Among the teachers, N.L. Klado also stood out, to whom the corps owes the preparation of naval history and the development of naval tactics.
The academic year began in mid-September. In the Dining Hall, after a solemn prayer service, the director greeted the companies and separately greeted the newcomers, who were in the ranks in their home clothes. Beginners did not receive their uniforms until November 6th after they acquired the proper bearing. Shortly after the start of classes, a graduation ceremony took place for midshipmen who were promoted to midshipmen.
On the day of the Corps Day, a solemn breakfast, a parade, a ball, which was loved by the St. Petersburg public, took place in the building. Examinations in the building were held in April. Final exams were held with special solemnity in the conference hall and in the auditorium of the Nikolaev Maritime Academy. Midshipmen went to exams in full dress uniforms. After the exams, the pupils of the 5th company were allowed to go home for the whole summer, and the rest of the cadets went sailing from May 10 to August 10. The midshipmen were at sea until 10 September.
The 4th company went sailing on the steamer-frigate "Rurik", and most of the time the pupils studied rowing, sailing, rigging, marine terms, semaphore, got acquainted with the compass, signaling flags. The 2nd and 3rd companies - on the armored frigate "Prince Pozharsky", the flagship of the detachment, or on the "Svetlana". The 1st company was first engaged in astronomical observations, and then went on a voyage on the Bayan corvette. Most of the pupils had the best memories of swimming. They were given the right, at their discretion, to be divided into departments, each department to choose a foreman responsible for order in the premises and monitoring the outfits for watch and work. The cadets themselves made up the crews of the boats.
YEARS OF TRANSFORMATION AND CLOSURE OF THE MARINE HULL
The Naval School in 1891 was again renamed into Naval Cadet Corps with a six-year term of study (three general and three special classes, in combat terms - companies). On June 19, 1894, a new Corps Charter was approved. The age for admission was determined - from 12 to 14 years. The right to enter based on the results of the exams was granted: "in the first category to the sons of naval officers and in the second - to the sons of hereditary nobles." Eight scholarships have been established. Six who successfully completed the course of science were given a prize (up to 300 rubles) named after Admirals Nakhimov, Crabbe, Rikord, Nazimov, Lieutenant General Meshcheryakov and Privy Councilor Mende. The charter confirmed that the Naval Corps belongs to the category of higher educational institutions. It was established to have white marble plaques in the building with the names of former pupils who were awarded the Order of St. George. From 1881 to 1894 783 pupils were released into the fleet.
By the end of the 19th century, a certain system of punishments had developed in the corps. Corporal punishment was completely abolished. For minor misconduct and violation of discipline in the two junior companies, “setting the table” was used for half an hour, for an hour. This punishment could also be imposed by a non-commissioned officer. In this case, the cadet came to the officer on duty and reported who and how much he put him. Sometimes a whole rank lined up at the duty officer's desk. This punishment was not recorded anywhere and had no consequences. If the non-commissioned officer "filed a note", then the name of the offender was entered in the "penalty journal". A copy of the note was sent to the company commander and sometimes entailed a punishment cell or deprivation of dismissal to the city on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the results for the week were summed up both in studies and in behavior. For unsatisfactory behavior (below 6 points), the cadet was deprived of dismissal on Saturday, for one or zero, bad behavior in the class, expulsion from the class - on Saturday and Sunday. A cadet, expelled from the class during the lesson, had to go to a small round hall in the middle of the class corridor, the floor of which depicted a compass card, and stand "on the rhumb" until the end of the lesson. For very serious offenses, on the orders of the director, the cadets were stripped of their epaulettes, and the midshipmen had their anchors removed. As long as the epaulettes or anchors were not returned by order, the perpetrator remained without dismissal.
During the voyages, there were punishments. One of the most serious punishments was "saling". Almost at the top of the mast was a small platform - saling. For sleeping under the table in the drawing room during the service, for any delay - "for saling". There were also collective punishments. During one of the voyages, midshipmen during the Sunday afternoon stay in the port were released ashore, where they got tipsy and scandalized. During the entire voyage, the midshipmen were left without a shore. Mass punishments were also used in the case when the Cadets staged collective riots - "benefits" for teachers or duty officers.
There was a strict rule among the cadets in the corps - under no circumstances should you extradite a comrade who committed a serious offense for which he could be severely punished. Before the final exams, two midshipmen returned late at night to the corps. One of them was absolutely sober, and the second was drunk and could not move without the help of a friend. On the way, they met a guards lieutenant who reprimanded the drunken cadet. In response, he was rude to the second lieutenant. The next day, the second lieutenant filed a report on command, demanding that the midshipman who had been rude to him be held accountable. The misconduct was so serious that the perpetrator was threatened with suspension from the final exams and "resignation from production" to midshipmen. In the corps, all traces of the incident were swept up, the cadets were silent as one. The director of the corps, Rear Admiral D.S. Arsenyev, tried to persuade the cadets to extradite the culprit, but nothing helped. Nevertheless, one of the officers, nicknamed "detective", managed to find a cadet who brought a comrade to the corps. Conversations with this midshipman, persuasion did not lead to anything. The director summoned the sergeant major of the midshipman company and tried to prove to him that the refusal of the guilty cadet to confess was soiling the honor of the corps. He replied that the midshipmen were aware of the gravity of the situation, but, realizing that confession would break their comrade's life, they forbade him to confess. Then the director promised to reprimand the guilty person, remove the anchors and allow him to take the exams. The director gave his word, the guilty confessed, there was a loud order for the corps to deprive the anchors and arrest. The regimental commander was satisfied, the culprit passed the exams and was promoted along with his comrades. Moreover, the midshipmen begged Fr. John of Kronstadt to intercede for their anchorless comrade, and Rear Admiral D.S. Arseniev could not resist such a petition. Before sailing, the midshipman was returned the anchors.
By 1898, the staff strength of the corps had increased to 600 pupils. The director of the corps with the rank of rear admiral or vice admiral had two assistants (class inspector and assistant for combat and economic affairs), the permanent staff included 6 company commanders, 20 squad commanders, 14 teachers and other officers - a total of 43 people, and 8 civilian teachers, as well as doctors, paramedics, musicians and other military and civilian employees. In connection with the growth of the fleet and the shortage of officers in 1898, a spring reception of 50 people was made in the corps.
Appointed in the spring of 1903 to the post of director of the corps, Vice-Admiral G.P. Chukhnin, upon acquaintance with the corps, said: “I have heard a lot about your promiscuity, but I will be able to insist on my own and make everyone do their duty. I have served in the Navy for over 30 years and no one has yet dared to disobey my orders. I do not allow the thought that any of the pupils will dare to disobey me. G.P. Chukhnin set about restoring order in the corps. He did not spare anyone - neither pupils nor officers. From morning till night he could be seen in various places of the corps. Every Saturday, a long line of students from all companies lined up in the Picture Gallery who had received unsatisfactory points for the week or had committed a misdemeanor. The director silently walked around the line, listened to the guilty and, if necessary, increased the punishment. He did not hesitate to reprimand the midshipmen, who were accustomed to a privileged position. This "parade" continued for quite a long time in heavy and oppressive silence.
According to graduates, there was a case when, during the final exam, the director noticed that one of the midshipmen, who had already grown out of his uniform, had the top hook of his collar unbuttoned. When leaving for the answer, the midshipman buttoned his collar. The director was pleased with the answer, but before releasing the midshipman, he gave him a note with an order to give it to the officer on duty. The officer on duty, laughing, read the contents of the note: "Midshipman H. to be put under arrest for a day for sitting with his collar unbuttoned in the presence of the director." In the second year of Admiral Chukhnin's tenure as director, his influence on the corps began to show. On Saturdays, the line in the Art Gallery became much shorter, the cadets practically ceased to annoy the townspeople with their behavior, academic performance improved. Chukhnin managed to make the pupils understand the need for a more serious attitude to studies, service and discipline.
On the second day after the start Russo-Japanese War, January 28, 1904, Nicholas II visited the Naval Cadet Corps. On this day, graduates were promoted to officers, the emperor congratulated them and wished them to be worthy officers. The issue became known as the "First Tsar's". The first 10 midshipmen to graduate received the consent of Nicholas II to send them to Port Arthur, three of them were killed. The midshipmen and cadets closely followed the course of hostilities, many midshipmen were ready to go to the Far East at any moment. In the spring of 1905, there were 300 candidates for 50 vacancies in the junior special class. By special order, 70 people were accepted.
The graduates of the corps bravely and skillfully fought during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. However, the unfortunate outcome of this war showed significant shortcomings in the organization of the training of officers in the fleet, and required certain adjustments to be made to the activities of naval educational institutions. In the spring of 1905, a revision of the curriculum in the corps began. Particular attention began to be paid to courses in tactics and strategy, the theory of ships and ship architecture, artillery, minecraft, radio, jurisprudence, and marine hygiene. The teaching staff was significantly updated, young teachers came to all departments. The dissatisfaction of the pupils of the corps caused an increase in hours for drill training. Sailors began to wean from walking "in the waddle."
Since 1906, the Naval Cadet Corps has become known as Sea hull. Three senior companies were named midshipmen, the junior special class received anchors for shoulder straps. The corps underwent transformations towards a greater study of combat means and fleet tactics. On November 6, the midshipmen were sworn in for the first time and began to be considered valid military service. This innovation made such an impression on the pupils that some of them left the corps, having received certificates of secondary education.
At the beginning of May 1908, a new issue of naval midshipmen arrived in a detachment of ships stationed in the roadstead of the island of Sicily. On May 28, having learned that the capital of Sicily, Messina, was destroyed by an earthquake, the squadron commander, Rear Admiral V.I. Litvinov, decided to provide assistance to the inhabitants of Messina. Russian sailors provided the city and its inhabitants with invaluable assistance in sorting out the rubble, in rescuing people who found themselves under the rubble of houses. Subsequently, the issue of midshipmen in 1908 was called the "Messinian". In 1910, a sign was approved for graduates of the Naval Corps. At the same time, under the director Rear Admiral A.I. Rusin, the Marine Corps was named the “Old Guard” by the highest resolution, and the Corps Orchestra received special flutes. The corps was returned all the banners stored in the maritime museum.
The new admission rules determined that young men aged 14-16 were allowed to enter the junior general class, incl. sons of civil ranks not lower than class VIII of the Table of Ranks, clergymen, army officers, persons with higher education. The staff of pupils was increased to 750 people. In combat terms, the corps was divided into six companies (three general education cadet classes and three special cadet classes), united in a battalion.
The cadet classes studied navigation, electrical engineering, shipbuilding, marine photography, chemistry, physics, physical geography, steamship mechanics, electrical engineering, radiotelegraphy, maritime affairs (marine practice), minecraft, compass deviation, naval administration, jurisprudence , artillery, ship theory, fortification, history of naval art, nautical astronomy, naval tactics, fundamentals of naval strategy, hygiene, French, English and Russian languages, the Law of God, analytical geometry, theoretical mechanics, principles of differential and integral calculus. Practical training was carried out in classrooms and laboratories: physics, electrical engineering, mine engineering, chemistry, compass deviation, in a training artillery battery and a training radio station, and a museum of models. Samples of modern weapons and ship technical equipment were installed here.
Much attention was paid to physical training, in 1912 the first Spartakiad of pupils was held. A rich art gallery that displayed the glorious pages of the Russian fleet, numerous models of ships, marble plaques with the names of their pupils - the Knights of St. George and those who fell in battles for their homeland - had a great educational and emotional impact on the cadets. Pupils of cadet general education classes annually sailed on training sailing and steam ships, performed the duties of sailors. The midshipmen practiced on the ships of the Corps Training Detachment (cruisers "Aurora", "Diana", gunboats "Terrible", "Brave", three destroyers), where they were allowed to work as watch officers, carried out firing practice and mine setting, studied machines and mechanisms, navigation, astronomy, plotting, etc.
After the 3rd a special class of midshipmen passed final exams and were promoted to ship midshipmen. In this capacity, they were sent on a year-long foreign voyage around Europe to the Mediterranean Sea on modern battleships and cruisers of the Baltic detachment. Upon returning to Libava, a special naval commission took an exam, after which the ship's midshipmen were promoted to midshipmen.
The extensive shipbuilding program for strengthening the fleet adopted by the tsarist government in 1909, which included the construction of 7 battleships, 4 battlecruisers, 10 cruisers, 85 destroyers and 24 submarines, forced the War Ministry to reorganize the system for training and replenishing the fleet with officers. The Marine Corps alone could not cope with this task.
In 1911, a special commission chaired by Rear Admiral Lieven made a decision to reorganize naval military schools. The Naval Corps, in accordance with Liven's proposals, was divided into two independent educational institutions: the Naval Corps in St. Petersburg with three special classes and the Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol with four junior classes, corresponding to the four senior classes of the cadet corps.
In 1913, for young people who received a secondary education and chose a naval career, the Naval Junker Classes were created, which were transformed in 1914 into Separate Midshipmen's Classes, a special naval educational institution for the training of combat officers of the fleet. The duration of training was 32 months, including practical swimming.
Midshipmen by legal status equated with the junkers of military schools. Drill training was conducted by instructors from among the officers and non-commissioned officers of the guards units. Classes were completed by students of higher educational institutions, persons of all classes were accepted for study. The training period was three years, the training was carried out according to the program of special classes of the Marine Corps. The pupils were given the uniform of the midshipmen of the Naval Corps, with the exception of black shoulder straps, which served as the basis for calling the students of the OGK "black midshipmen".
The classes were subordinated to the director of the Naval Corps, but the captain of the 1st rank S.I. Frolov was directly in charge of them. Classes were conducted mainly by teachers of the Marine Corps. Every year, midshipmen were sent for summer sailing to the ships of the Siberian flotilla. Separate midshipmen's courses produced the only issue of officers in March 1917, which received the official name "The first issue of midshipmen of free Russia." Among the graduates of the OGK, it should be noted the Admiral of the Fleet Soviet Union I.S. Isakov, commander in the years civil war Volga military flotilla, the future diplomat F.F. Raskolnikov, famous Soviet writer Leonid Sobolev. The courses were abolished on March 7, 1918.
For those who received higher education and wished to serve in the Navy, companies of "junkers of the fleet" were created, later renamed the "midshipman of the fleet." By the name of the organizer and director of the courses, Major General P.N. Wagner, the companies were called "Wagner Courses". The courses had departments: maritime, mechanical, shipbuilding and later hydrographic.
For 1907-1913. 765 ship midshipmen were released from the Naval Corps. In January 1914, 756 cadets and midshipmen were trained in the corps, including Grand Dukes Andrei Alexandrovich and Fedor Alexandrovich. In connection with the outbreak of the First World War in the summer and autumn of 1914, two early graduations of 259 people were made with conferring the rank of midshipman. On November 6, 1914, Nicholas II personally hosted the parade in the Naval Corps on the occasion of the corps holiday and appointed the Tsarevich's heir as chief of the corps. The white epaulettes of the pupils were decorated with a monogram, and the corps began to be called "Naval Corps of His Imperial Majesty the Heir to the Tsesarevich". The time spent in the corps was reduced to five years; officers were promoted after graduating from the secondary special class. In 1915-1917. Corps graduated 500 officers.
In 1916, transformations began in the Naval Corps. The corps was divided into two parts - cadet companies and the Naval Corps proper. General education cadet companies were transferred to Sevastopol, where the Naval Cadet Corps was created. The non-freezing sea was supposed to allow cadets to practice on training and combat ships during the academic year, to study maritime affairs more productively.
The Naval Corps proper, in connection with the opening of the Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol, was renamed Naval School of His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsarevich, consisting of special classes. Since 1917, admission to the cadet companies in St. Petersburg had to be stopped. Only three midshipmen's companies remained in special classes at the Naval School.
The cadets of the Naval School did not accept the February Revolution. They did not believe in the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne and for a long time hid the monograms on shoulder straps under their hoods. On February 28, soldiers of the reserve battalion of the Life Guards of the Finnish Regiment and workers tried to enter the territory of the school and seize machine guns, rifles and cartridges there, which were allegedly stored in large quantities on the territory of the school. The midshipmen and cadets did not allow anyone into the building. Guards were posted at the doors and gates of the building. On the night of March 1, the cadets were ordered to go home until a written notice was received. Those who had no relatives in St. Petersburg were left in the corps and brought into special groups. Parents of the cadets were sent letters in which they were informed about changes in the training and education of the cadets, they were asked to resolve the issue of the further stay of their sons in the corps.
The directors of the Marine Corps at various times were:
- 1. Captain 1st rank A.I. Nagaev (1752-1760);
- 2. Captain 1st rank F.F. Miloslavsky (1760-1762);
- 3. Admiral I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (1762-1802);
- 4. Rear Admiral P.K. Kartsov (1802-1825);
- 5. Vice Admiral P.M. Rozhnov (1825-1826);
- 6. Admiral I.F. Kruzenshtern (1826-1842);
- 7. Vice Admiral N.P. Rimsky-Korsakov (1842-1848);
- 8. Vice Admiral N.G. Kazin (1848-1851);
- 9. Rear Admiral B.A. Glazenap (1851-1855);
10. Vice Admiral A. K. Davydov (1855-1857);
11. Rear Admiral S.S. Nakhimov (1857-1861);
12. Rear Admiral V.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (1861-1871);
13. Rear Admiral A.P. Yepanchin (1871-1882);
14. Vice Admiral D.S. Arseniev (1882-1896);
15. Rear Admiral A.Kh. Krieger (1896-1901);
16. Rear Admiral A.I. Damozhirov (1901-1902);
17. Rear Admiral G.P. Chukhnin (1902-1905);
18. Rear Admiral N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (1905-1906);
19. Captain 1st rank S.A. Voevodsky (1906-1908);
20. Rear Admiral A. I. Rusin (1908-1913);
21. Rear Admiral V.A. Kartsev (1913-1917);
22. Lieutenant General A.M. Briger (1917-1918).
Under the Provisional Government, the educational institution became known as the Naval School. On April 2, 1917, classes at the school were continued. On May 27, 147 senior midshipmen were released to midshipmen. Midshipmen and cadets were assigned to various ships of all fleets to sail. The junior midshipman company of the school, together with the junior midshipman company of the Separate Midshipmen classes (“black midshipmen”), was sent in September 1917 for practical sailing to the Far East. When in 1919, on the orders of Admiral Kolchak, the Naval School was opened in Vladivostok, all former pupils of naval educational institutions who ended up in the Far East were sent to it.
After many ups and downs and in a reduced composition, a few days before the evacuation of the cadet corps from the Crimea in 1920, a part of these two companies arrived on the Yakut messenger ship in Sevastopol. The midshipmen who completed the course of the Naval Corps in Singapore in April 1920 were promoted to ship midshipmen in Sevastopol, and in November of the same year, already abroad, to midshipmen. Cadets admitted to the Naval School in Vladivostok subsequently formed the 1st company of the Naval Corps in Bizerte. In this company there were several former cadets of the Naval School from Petrograd.
In the summer of 1917, the Provisional Government, on the initiative of Lieutenant General Klado, decided to close the Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol and the Naval School in Petrograd, and instead open midshipmen's classes in the buildings of the Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol on new democratic principles. In 1917, there was no admission to the Naval Cadet Corps, the cadets from Sevastopol were transferred to the Naval School in Petrograd. The naval school functioned normally until Christmas 1918. On February 24, 1918, by order of the naval commissar of the new government, L.D. Trotsky, it was closed and its pupils (3 cadet companies and the eldest - graduation) were disbanded.
The last graduation from the Naval School, consisting of 208 people, received certificates of graduation from the school and the title of "military sailors". Senior pupils of the Naval School, who did not want to serve the new government, small groups five or seven people began to make their way south, to Novorossiysk, Odessa and Sevastopol. At the beginning of 1920, many former students of the Naval School, who continued to serve on ships, were promoted to officers.
Since November 1917, students of the Naval School began to take a direct part in the fight against the new government. On November 27, the first midshipmen died near Nakhichevan. During the defense of Ekaterinodar in January-February 1918, in the formed river flotilla on the Kuban River, there were 5 people from the Naval School. There were 45 cadets of the "Company of His Highness" in the Volunteer Army, 43 from the 5th company. 12 people were killed, the same number were injured and 4 were missing. Pupils of the Naval School fought against the Soviet authorities in the ranks of the Northern and Northwestern armies, in Siberia near Kolchak.
According to historians who have studied the life and traditions of the Naval Corps, the main qualities that distinguished the pupils of the corps were discipline, military bearing, camaraderie, respect and reverence for elders, accuracy and neatness, conscientious attitude to the service. The senior midshipman company was the bearer and guardian of the traditions and customs of the corps. Her authority was indisputable. There was never a "zuk" in the case. The younger ones treated the elders with exceptionally great respect. Senior midshipmen, in the words of some graduates, were earthly gods for everyone. The sergeant major of the senior company, as well as his own, in the ranks, when the company was without an officer, the command "Attention" was necessarily given. Senior cadets could enter the junior company, junior cadets into the senior company only with permission. When meeting outside the corps, the younger always saluted the elder. Outside the building, all the pupils shook hands. The eldest always offered his hand first. When paying for a treat, the eldest of those present paid for everyone. All company affairs, if necessary, were decided by the company meeting. Particularly important issues were transferred to the senior company for consideration.
In the picture gallery hung wooden aft bas-reliefs of decorations of old sailing ships. Among them was a bas-relief of a buffalo almost life-size and hung quite high. There was a custom, in order not to get an unsatisfactory score when answering, passing by a bison, it was necessary to jump up and touch its "balls". Undersized cadets had to be seated.
Midshipmen, in order to have a lucky look, sewed their own boots, ordered from fashionable shoemakers. A dime was lowered into a steel scabbard for broadswords so that it strummed when walking. The hair, instead of the prescribed one inch, was two inches long, styled with brilliantine. In their midst, midshipmen were divided into "tonyags" and "koryavtsy". The first, with the most relaxed gait, trousers “flared”, “cap without a frame”, managed to show the necessary bearing much better than the diligent ones - trousers with a pipe, law-abiding in everything - “sloppy”.
HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS HEIR TSESAREVICH'S MARINE CADET CORPS (SEVASTOPOL, SEPTEMBER 1916 - OCTOBER 1920)
On August 3, 1914, Captain 1st Rank S.N. Vorozheykin was appointed Chairman of the Commission for the Construction of Buildings of the Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol. Construction began in 1915 in the North Bay. Because of the war, it dragged on and could not be completed by 1916. On February 18, 1916, S.N. Vorozheykin was appointed director of the Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol. On July 30 of the same year, he was promoted to Rear Admiral.
In order to avoid a break during graduation, in 1916 in St. Petersburg it was decided to equip the junior cadet company with pupils of the 5th grade, and in Sevastopol - another company with cadets of the 4th grade. In August-September 1916, admission to the Naval Corps in Sevastopol was opened. On September 15, 1916, by order of Corps No. 39, a telegram from the Main Naval Staff was announced: “It was pleasing to the Sovereign Emperor to appoint His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsarevich as Chief of the Corps entrusted to you.” Corps in Sevastopol began to be called "Naval His Imperial Highness the Heir Tsesarevich Cadet Corps". The white epaulettes of the cadets were decorated with overlaid gold cyphers of the August Chief. From October 10, 1916, by order of the corps, the formed company became known as the "Company of His Highness." In the senior cadet company (7th grade) and midshipmen, the white shoulder strap was trimmed with gold galloon. Broadswords were worn by both midshipmen and all companies of the corps.
October 1, 1916 was the last day of appearance in the corps of accepted pupils. The first set of pupils in the amount of 120 people in the 7th company (4th grade) was placed in two outbuildings intended for corps officers. On October 5, the official opening of the Naval Cadet Corps took place in the presence of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Kolchak, the director of the corps, officers, teachers, pupils and their relatives. On October 7, the pupils of the corps witnessed the death of the battleship Empress Maria. The admission to the corps was his last. Because of the revolution, there were no other methods.
The Naval Cadet Corps in Sevastopol lasted only one year, and it was conceived as an educational institution that was supposed to help train officers for the Russian fleet. In May 1917, the cadets of the Sevastopol Naval Corps were dismissed for the holidays, and during this time, by order of the Provisional Government, the corps was closed, its pupils were transferred to Petrograd to the Naval School.
Among the pupils of the Sevastopol Naval Cadet Corps, who studied for a year in the corps, I would like to mention Dmitry Aleksandrovich Bystroletov, an outstanding illegal intelligence officer of the Service foreign intelligence Russian Federation. D.Bystroletov lived a bright and stormy life. In 1925, after meeting with the head of foreign intelligence, Artuzov, he became a staff member of the GPU. From 1930 to 1937 D. Bystroletov works as an illegal intelligence agent in many countries of the world, performing complex and responsible tasks of the leadership of the foreign intelligence of the Soviet Union. In 1938 D.Bystroletov was arrested and spent many years in exile and in camps. In 1956 he was rehabilitated. After his release, he wrote over 16 books. According to his script, the film "The Man in Plaincloths" was shot. D. Bystroletov died in 1975.
On October 20, 1919, the Sevastopol Naval Cadet Corps was reopened in Sevastopol, the idea of revival of which was supported by the Chief Commander of the ports and ships of the Black and Azov Seas, Rear Admiral Sablin. Senior Lieutenant N.N. Mashukov was appointed director of the corps, who was the first to propose the idea of reviving the Naval Corps in Sevastopol. Captains of the 1st and 2nd ranks, experienced teachers who ended up in Sevastopol, were ready to go under the command of a senior lieutenant. From the warehouses under the control of the white army, equipment and property necessary for the military educational institution were received. The cruiser "Memory of Mercury" became the training ship of the Naval Corps.
At the same time, the procedure for admission to the corps and its functioning caused great criticism among the old sailors. Many believed that the Marine Corps was being restored to continue the education of their former pupils, who at that time were in the ranks of the White Army. The naval authorities of the Caspian Flotilla, having learned about the opening of the Naval Corps in Sevastopol, seconded all the former pupils of the Naval School and Separate cadet classes there. However, all the old pupils were surprised to learn that the Naval Corps was resuming its activities not for them, but for those newly accepted from the outside.
The main core of the new recruitment was made up of cadets of the land cadet corps. Former cadets and midshipmen of the Naval School and the Naval Cadet Corps, for the most part, served on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and no one approached the fleet command with a proposal to send cadets to study in the corps. In Sevastopol, pupils of the revived Naval Cadet Corps occupied the building, which since 1916 had been built for His Imperial Highness the Heir to the Tsarevich of the Naval Cadet Corps.
On September 6, 1919, in the newspapers published in the territories occupied by the White Army, an announcement appeared about admission to the Naval Corps according to the competition of certificates, without distinction of estates. The corps accepted 130 people aged 16 to 18 with a secondary education in the midshipman company and 130 people aged 12 to 14 in the junior cadet company.
Most of the former cadets of the Petrograd Naval School did not apply for admission to the corps. They believed that they had every right to be the first invited to study in the newly opened building. The cadets of the Sevastopol Naval Cadet Corps also believed that they should be returned to their building in the first place. But they did not yet have a secondary education, which was mentioned in the recruitment announcement for the corps. In early October, future midshipmen and cadets began to gather in the corps. Rear Admiral S.N. Vorozheikin was appointed director of the corps. N.N. Mashukov, for his vigorous activity in restoring the Naval Cadet Corps, was promoted to captain of the 2nd rank, but he did not agree with the appointment of a new director and left for the post of ship commander. On October 21, 1919, classes began in the corps. At the gala dinner on the occasion of the opening of the building, N.N. Mashukov received an ovation.
The midshipmen were dressed in English infantry uniforms provided to the corps by the British, who were at that time in Sevastopol. In addition to Russian cockades, there were no insignia on the caps. According to former graduates of the Naval Corps, the new midshipmen were not at all like the old ones. But gradually the educators and teachers did their job, and the company of midshipmen turned into real sailors. In Sevastopol at that time there were no problems with teachers. In many subjects, teachers had to be recruited on a competitive basis. All workshops carried out directly on warships.
Since January 1920, in connection with the approach of the front, the Naval Corps was declared in a state of siege. The midshipman company served to protect the Naval Assembly and the area adjacent to the corps. In May, the midshipmen passed their annual exams, and in June they were given a rest before swimming. In July-August, midshipmen and cadets received practice in sea voyages. By autumn, the situation in Sevastopol began to deteriorate, first of all it affected the nutrition of the cadets, when cooking they switched to canned food and barley porridge. On October 28, at 4 o'clock in the morning, an order was received to evacuate Crimea. Having learned about the evacuation, all the pupils who were on vacation returned to the building. For several days, the hull property was loaded onto the Tilly barge and the General Alekseev battleship. A herd of cows, pigs, and sheep were loaded onto the barge. Part of the cadets boarded the auxiliary cruiser Almaz. On the night of October 31 to November 1, the ships on which the cadets were loaded weighed anchor and headed for the port of Bizerte in Tunisia. About 150,000 people went on a long voyage into the unknown on 126 ships of the Black Sea Fleet squadron.
During the transition, midshipmen carried guard duty on ships, performed the role of signalmen and other duties assigned to them by ship officers. The Cadets ate canned food, which was provided by the Allies to the Russian army, there was no bread, but boiled potatoes were given out. The room allocated on the battleship for a cadet company of 115 people was very cramped and the cadets themselves had to be smart in order to find a place to sleep. After a long stay in Constantinople and replenishment of food and fuel supplies and a long passage at the end of December 1920, the battleship General Alekseev arrived in the port of Bizerte, Tunisia. Along the way, the sailors of the battleship paid tribute to the heroes of the Battle of Navarino in the Aegean Sea. A company of cadets moved ashore and held a solemn prayer service for the Russian sailors who died near Navarino.
Upon arrival in Bizerte, on all ships, at the direction of the French authorities, the quarantine flag was raised, and communication with the shore was strictly prohibited. Around the squadron went French patrol boats. However, an agreement was soon reached on lifting the quarantine and placing Russian sailors in the forts of Jebel Kebir and Sfayat. In connection with the transition of the corps to the shore, a new organization of midshipmen's companies was made. The midshipman company of the Vladivostok Naval School was named the 1st company, the Sevastopol company remained the 2nd, part of the consolidated company, replenished from the cadets of the land cadet corps that were on the squadron, became the 3rd company. January 13, 1921 began the congress ashore. The 1st company, to the sound of a drum, was the first to set off in slender platoon columns to the place of a new deployment in Fort Sfayat. The rest of the companies were located in the Jebel Kebir fort. The 3rd company soon went to sea, where the cadets, after exams, were promoted to junior midshipmen. General management of the corps was carried out by Vice Admiral A.M. Gerasimov. Soon, a “special platoon” was formed from 15-year-old cadets, which was supposed to be engaged in an accelerated program. Gradually, relations between unfamiliar midshipmen and cadets acquired a normal character.
The main concern in Bizerte was the food of 500 people. The French allocated a minimum amount of money for the food of the cadets and corps personnel. The wives of the officers who were in Bizerte sewed summer clothes for the cadets, hats in the manner of those worn by American sailors, made canvas shoes. Training sessions have begun in the building. In the casemates of the fort, special classes were arranged for teaching French French teachers were invited. Due to the lack of textbooks, each teacher wrote his own course. In the senior classes, to the detriment of artillery and minecraft, the course of higher mathematics was strengthened and the course "History of Russian culture" was introduced. On hot summer days, the number of training hours was reduced from 8 to 3. All household work on cleaning the premises, servicing the camp kitchen, peeling vegetables, and washing clothes were carried out by the cadets themselves. There were no uncles in Bizerte. The level of education in Bizerte turned out to be so high that many cadets subsequently successfully passed the entrance exams in technical universities France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia.
In turn, the cadets and midshipmen went sailing on the training ship "Sailor". At the beginning of the summer of 1921, after passing the exams, 17 external midshipmen received certificates of completion of the course of the Naval Cadet Corps. Gradually improved financial situation corps. The mood of the cadets became more optimistic, they sought to successfully complete their studies in the corps. However, during 1922, the French authorities were instructed to reduce personnel squadrons and liquidate midshipmen companies.
In March 1922, a significant part of the senior and ship midshipmen left Bizerte and went to Prague to continue their studies in Czech higher educational institutions. On June 30, the last exam in astronomy took place in the former 2nd company, and on the same night the Nautical Almanac was solemnly buried. 65 pupils who graduated from this company were promoted to ship midshipmen.
The tradition of the funeral of the Almanac has been preserved since the stay of the Naval Corps in Russia. Usually the Almanac's illness began two days before the end of the examinations in nautical astronomy. Bulletins about his health were posted on English language. At the premises of the senior company, a “myslete” (“quiet move”) flag was hung out, and all companies marched in formation on their toes, despite the orders of the officers “Strong your foot!”. Singing and loud conversations ceased, the commands of sergeants and non-commissioned officers were given in an undertone. The life of all companies proceeded as if there was a seriously ill person in the house who should not be disturbed. Sheets with the temperature of the patient appeared in the most unusual places.
On the day of the exam in astronomy, the patient's health deteriorated sharply, and when the exam ended, the patient died, about which the corps was immediately notified by a mourning announcement. The almanac was placed in a paper coffin, where he stayed until the funeral. The funeral was held in secret, so that no outsider could see them. The deceased Almanac had a widow, whose role was played by the midshipman, who was the last to answer in astronomy. The widow sobbed inconsolably, she was reassured by the “corps adjutant”. The whole ceremony was led by Neptune, surrounded by a retinue. The ceremony was attended by a choir of mourners, all in white, a guard of honor, representatives from Greenwich, Pulkovo and from the Shpaks, two artillery batteries with strong voices, dressed as Adam, with a small bandage around their hips. All the "corps authorities" were present. Three representatives from each company were invited. There was a funeral service for the deceased. Neptune delivered a lofty speech in praise of the Almanac, using astronomical and mathematical terms. At the end of the service, an anathema was pronounced to everyone whom the Cadets did not like. The priest solemnly set fire to the Almanac, which burned under the volleys of guns. The whole ceremony ended with a parade. The next day, no one said a word about the celebration, as if it had never happened. The midshipmen in a similar way held the funeral of a “shpak” (a civilian who did not understand anything in maritime affairs).
After the departure of the 2nd company from Jebel-Kebir, the dining room was abolished there, the cadets of the 3rd company went in formation to eat at the Sfayat fort. The course of study in this company was reduced, and on November 6, 57 midshipmen of this company were promoted to "shipbuilders". Thanks to the support of Russian emigrants, almost all those who graduated from the cadet corps in Bizerte were granted scholarships to continue their studies at the universities of France and Czechoslovakia. From the beginning of 1923, the corps was officially renamed the "Orphan's House", but for all pupils, teachers and officers it continued to be the Marine Corps.
In June 1923, they received a secondary education and were promoted to midshipmen of 33 cadets of the 4th company. Most of them started their studies in the building back in Sevastopol. On the training ship "Sailor" they received good maritime training. At the end of the voyage on this ship in September 1922, at the direction of the hull command, all weapons were removed from the ship and all valuable equipment was washed ashore. It was the last ship of the Black Sea Fleet sailing under the Andreevsky flag. In October 1924, 58 pupils who entered the corps back in Sevastopol were promoted to midshipmen. In 1925, the last two cadet companies graduated from the Naval Corps. May 1st was the last day of training for the Naval Corps. In Bizerte, 300 people graduated from the cadet corps.
By order of the Naval Corps No. 51 of May 25, 1925, the corps was liquidated. The last order of the Director of the Naval Cadet Corps, Vice-Admiral A.M. On May 5, almost all of our cadets were sent to their relatives or guardians. I consider May 25 the day of the final liquidation of the Naval Corps, which existed in Bizerte for 4 and a half years. I can wish all my former employees of the Corps who are leaving the best arrangements for their personal destiny. As a reward for their service and work in the corps, let there be an honest consciousness of the fulfilled duty in relation to the fatherland and that grateful memory of the cadets that the latter will retain about all those who put their work and care for their benefit.
In 1951, the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Navigation School was celebrated abroad. On November 19 (November 6, according to the old style), on the feast day of the Naval Corps, every year, in all places of their dispersion, the surviving gray-haired “imperial navigators” gathered and, after a prayer service to St. wine”, in a friendly conversation they recalled the affairs of bygone days. A graduate of the Marine Corps, Leonid Pavlov, in his memoirs, cites the traditional toast that the veterans of the corps said during these meetings:
Silently we remember all the dead,
The second toast is for those who taught us,
Who told us about duty,
Discipline, honor developed.
And for the others we will drink together,
To not be sick
So that they have success in business,
To not grow old for a long time,
To love the Motherland
She was ready to serve.
So that the Lord sends the “sixth”,
In the hall of the native Corps,
Meet the holiday again behind the goose
And to the anthem - "hurray" to answer!
The naval corps, which has undergone numerous transformations over the years of its existence and has repeatedly changed its name depending on the requirements of the time, from the first years began to give the fleet valiant, educated officers. In addition to serving in the Navy, the pupils of the corps brought considerable benefits to Russia in other areas of state activity. The above lists of people who glorified the Naval Corps and the Russian Navy could be significantly extended by those graduates who made a huge contribution to shipbuilding, Russian artillery, and the development of engineering. Almost all outstanding sailors of the Russian fleet received their education in the Naval Corps. Unless Admiral S.O. Makarov graduated from the Naval School in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. The combat exploits of the fleet have always prompted the students of the Naval Corps to improve their training, to strive to strengthen the glory of the fleet with their deeds. Within the walls of the corps, more than one generation of sailors have been trained, who glorified Russia with their exploits on the seas and oceans. Let's not forget that the Naval Corps is the elder brother in the family of Russian cadet corps. After all, he led his genealogy from the Navigation school, from the father of the Russian fleet - Peter the Great.
Brief bibliography:
- "Cradle of the Navy, Navigational School - Naval Corps". To the 250th anniversary of the founding of the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences (1701-1951), Publication of the All-Diaspora Association maritime organizations, Paris, 1951, 328 p.
- Berezovsky N.Yu., Dotsenko V.D., Tyurin B.P., "Russian Imperial Fleet", 1696-1917, military-historical reference book, M., "Russian World", 1993, 272 p.
- Plekhanov A.M., Popov A.A. "Heirs of Suvorov", M., "Rusich", 280 p.
- Krylov V.M., "Cadet corps and Russian cadets", St. Petersburg, 1998, 672 p.
- Veselago F.F. "Essay on the history of the Naval Cadet Corps", with a list of pupils for 10 years. With portraits and drawings of uniforms, St. Petersburg, 1897., 208.143 p.
- Korbuev N. "Review of the transformations of the Naval Cadet Corps since 1852", with a list of graduate students 1753-1896. - SPb., 1897., 90. 431 p.
- Korotkov A.S. "Naval Cadet Corps", a brief historical essay, St. Petersburg, 1901, 227 p., ill.
- Pavlinov A. “List of those who graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps from 1897 to 1905, St. Petersburg, 1905, 47 p.
- Schildknekht E.N. "Naval Corps", Military Encyclopedia, St. Petersburg, 1914, v.16, ss. 431-434, bibliography, ill.;
- "Military true story", Publication of the general cadet association, Nos. 17, 23, 24, 27, 63, 75, 94, 107, 113, 116, 117;
Encyclopedic YouTube
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In the middle of the 18th century, there were three educational institutions in Russia that trained specialists for the fleet: the Moscow Navigation School, the Naval Academy and the Midshipmen's Company. Vice-Admiral V. Ya. Rimsky-Korsakov proposed to leave one educational institution with an expanded program following the example of the Land Cadet Corps, but with the preservation of elements of higher education. After discussing his note by decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on December 15 (26), at the base Maritime Academy was created Naval Cadet Gentry Corps for 360 students; navigation school and Midshipman company were abolished. The name indicated that the educational institution was intended for persons of noble origin.
46,561 rubles were allocated annually for the maintenance of the corps. For the premises, a house, the former Minikha, on Vasilyevsky Island, on the corner of the Bolshaya Neva embankment and the 12th line, was allotted.
In combat terms, students were divided into three companies, in training - into three classes. Pupils of the first graduating class were called midshipmen, the second and third - cadets.
In 1762, the Naval Cadet Noble Corps was renamed the Naval Cadet Corps. In 1771, all the buildings of the corps burned down, and he was transferred to Kronstadt. The Naval Cadet Corps was located in the building of the Italian Palace, where it remained until December 1796, after which it was returned to St. Petersburg.
19th century
20th century
November 1, 1998 as a result of the unification of the Supreme naval school named after M.V. Frunze and the Higher Naval Diving School named after Leninsky Komsomol was created.
XXI Century
The history of the Naval Cadet Corps is now continuing in three educational institutions: the Naval Corps of Peter the Great - St. Petersburg Naval Institute, the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps and the Military Marine Academy named after Admiral Fleet Soviet Union N. G. Kuznetsov.
Director of the Naval Cadet Corps
Notable pupils
Notes
Literature
- Belyavsky K.V. To the centenary of the Church of the Naval Cadet Corps. - St. Petersburg. , 1897.
- Belyavsky K.V. Essay history church Naval cadet corps. - St. Petersburg. , 1900.
- Veselago F. F. Essay on the history of the Naval Cadet Corps. - St. Petersburg. , 1852.
- Golenishchev-Kutuzov L.I. About the naval cadet corps. Additions to the article placed in Otechestvennye zapiski about military schools in the reign of Paul I. - St. Petersburg. , 1840.
- Korguev N. A. Overview of the transformations of the Naval Cadet Corps in 1852, with a list of graduate students 1753-1896 - St. Petersburg. , 1897.
- Krotkov A. S.
Story
The first mention of the Corps
The school was run by the armory; she recruited students “voluntarily willing, others even more so with coercion.” The first teacher was the Englishman Henry Farvarson, who entered the Russian service in 1698. Since 1713, it was supposed to allocate 22,456 rubles a year for the maintenance of the school.
18th century
February 17, 1732 is considered to be the birthday of the cadet corps (the first lesson was held on this day). There were only 56 people in the first set of cadets.
The first director was a Frenchman, Baron P.-A. de Saint-Hilaire. With the establishment of the academy, only 5,600 rubles were left for the maintenance of the Moscow navigation school, and the rest of the amount was turned to the maintenance of the academy.
The academy and the school existed until December 15, 1752, when the Naval Noble Cadet Corps for 360 students was founded by decree on the model of the land.
Pupils of the senior class were called midshipmen, and the two younger ones were called cadets. 46,561 rubles were allocated annually for the maintenance of the corps. A house, the former Minikha, on Vasilevsky Island, at the corner of the Bolshaya Neva embankment and line 12, has been allocated for the premises.
19th century
20th century
In 1918 the Cadet Corps was closed. In the same year, courses for officers were opened in the building of the former Naval Corps, reorganized in 1919 into the School for Commanders. For a long time the school was the only one in the USSR, becoming the ancestor of all other naval educational institutions. From 1998 to 1998, the school bore the name of the Higher Naval School named after M. V. Frunze.
On November 1, 1998, as a result of the merger of the Higher Naval School named after M.V. Frunze and the Higher Naval School of Diving named after Lenin Komsomol, was created. On January 25, 2001, in connection with the 300th anniversary of military education in Russia, the institute was given the name "Naval Corps of Peter the Great - St. Petersburg Naval Institute".
Notes
Literature
- Veselago F.F. Essay on the history of the Naval Cadet Corps. - St. Petersburg, 1852.
- Belyavsky K.V. To the centenary of the Church of the Naval Cadet Corps. - St. Petersburg, 1897.
- Golenishchev-Kutuzov L.I. About the naval cadet corps. Additions to the article placed in Otechestvennye zapiski about military schools in the reign of Paul I. - St. Petersburg, 1840.
- Korguev N. A. Overview of the transformations of the Naval Cadet Corps in 1852, with a list of graduate students 1753-1896 - St. Petersburg, 1897.
- Krotkov A. S. Naval Cadet Corps. Brief historical outline. - St. Petersburg, 1901. (Naval Cadet Corps: A Brief Historical Essay with Illustrations / Compiled by A. Krotkov. - Reprinted Edition 1901 - St. Petersburg: Alfaret, 2006. - 228 p.)
- Maksimov G.S. Naval Cadet Corps and the Nikolaev Naval Academy in St. Petersburg. - St. Petersburg, 1908.
- Naval Cadet Corps: 1701-1901. - St. Petersburg, 1901. (Naval Cadet Corps: 1701-1901: Album. - Reprint edition of 1901 - St. Petersburg: Alfaret, 2006. - 6 p.; 35 sheets. ill.)
- Pavlinov Ya. I. Description of the celebration of the bicentennial anniversary of the founding on January 14, 1701 by Emperor Peter I the Great of the Navigation School, later renamed the Naval Cadet Corps. - St. Petersburg, 1901.
- Pavlinov Ya. I. List of those who completed the course in the Naval Cadet Corps from 1897 to 1905. - St. Petersburg, 1905.
- List of pupils of the Naval Cadet Corps from 1762 to 1843. - St. Petersburg, 1843.
Links
- About the building of the Marine Corps. Peter the Great in St. Petersburg
- Miturich P.V. Naval Cadet Corps in 1823-1828. (From the memoirs of Major General Pyotr Vasilyevich Miturich) // Historical Bulletin, 1888. - T. 33. - No. 9. - P. 507-543.
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