Day Black Sea Fleet, created by Catherine II 233 years ago, is celebrated in Russia on May 13. This time it will be celebrated for the twentieth time: it was established by the decree of the Commander of the Navy, Admiral Felix Gromov, in 1996. Prior to that, Russia lived without an official holiday of the Black Sea sailors for more than 200 years.
In honor of the holiday date, a solemn rally is held in Sevastopol, a prayer service is held in the Church of the Archangel Michael, a flower laying ceremony in Catherine's Square in honor of the founding Empress and a sailing regatta "Sailing to the Admiral's shoulder straps" under the auspices of the Black Sea naval school named after Nakhimov.
“Continuous work is underway to improve the quality parameters of the planned combat training of ships at sea, combat service, including as part of a permanent operational formation of the Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. All this is subordinated to one very important goal, the essence of which is stability and security.
Chernomortsy at all times reliably stood in defense of peace. They will continue to carry out this task in the future, ”said Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, in his congratulations.
In 2016, the Black Sea Fleet expects large-scale deliveries - the Black Sea Fleet will receive more ships and submarines than other fleets. Six Project 636.3 submarines (Varshavyanka) will appear in the Black Sea, as well as three patrol ship"Admiral" series. The Admiral Grigorovich will be the first to arrive in Sevastopol at the end of May.
Today, the Black Sea Fleet is "responsible" not only for Russian control over the Black Sea, but also for the presence Russian ships in the Mediterranean - the ships of the Black Sea Fleet make up the main part of the Mediterranean group, which is also led by the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. The connection is also involved in the fight against militants of the Islamic State banned in Russia in Syria.
From Potemkin to Potemkin
The Black Sea Fleet was created in 1783 after the first annexation of Crimea to Russia. The corresponding manifesto (“On the acceptance of the Crimean peninsula, the island of Taman and the entire Kuban side under the Russian state”) was signed by Empress Catherine II. At the same time, the city of Sevastopol was founded, which became the main base for the ships of the fleet.
For Russia, access to the Black Sea was not only a geopolitical task, but also a matter of ensuring the safety of the population from raids. Crimean Tatars. This question was so important that the Orthodox Moscow kingdom in 1686 entered into an alliance with the Catholic Commonwealth and the Venetian Republic.
Two Crimean campaigns of Prince Golitsyn were unsuccessful, but the young Tsar Peter in 1696 took Azov and even secured the right to keep a flotilla there. According to the converter, Voronezh was to become the southern sea gate of Russia. However, the defeat on the Prut River in 1711 delayed the implementation of the Peter's project of the southern fleet by 70 years.
The ship of the Azov Fleet, the frigate Cautious, under the command of a captain of the second rank, chose a harbor in which the port of Sevastopol was eventually built. The alleged favorite of the Empress, Grigory Potemkin-Tauride, became the actual creator and first leader of the fleet.
"The Black Sea Fleet is obliged to elevate the glory of Russia!" Potemkin wrote to Catherine II.
The first large-scale conflict in which the ships of the Black Sea Fleet participated was the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791, during which Russia won several decisive victories under the command of the legendary Admiral Fyodor Ushakov.
In the period before the First World War, the Black Sea Fleet participated in four more Russian-Turkish wars, in which, as a rule, it had an advantage over the Ottoman enemy. However, like the whole country in the second quarter of the 19th century, the fleet was technically lagging behind the fleets of Europe. The battle of Sinop in 1853, in which Pyotr Nakhimov commanded the Russian fleet, was the last major battle sailing ships.
In the southern direction, Russia did not always fight against Turkey: for example, in 1798-1800, a joint Russian-Turkish military campaign against the French, during which the Mediterranean campaign of Ushakov was carried out. In Istanbul, the admiral took command of the combined fleet, which occupied a number of Greek islands, including Corfu occupied by the French.
The sea wolves of Great Britain bowed to the skill of the Black Sea sailors, and the admiral envied the courage and desperation of the maneuvers that Ushakov offered to the allied fleets of the Second Anti-French Coalition.
In the same region, about 30 years later, in 1827, the Black Sea Fleet again fought against the Turks, this time in alliance with the French. It was the fateful Battle of Navarino, which made a significant contribution to the creation of an independent Greece, the first president of which was the ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, John Kapodistrias.
One of the most legendary episodes in the history of the fleet was the formally unsuccessful - the defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855. The sailors defending the city were able to break the attacking power of the allies, and although in the end Sevastopol was occupied by the enemy, this battle was long years became a symbol of valor and self-sacrifice.
“On the bastions of Sevastopol, we did not forget maritime affairs, but only strengthened the enthusiasm and discipline that always adorned the Black Sea sailors,” Admiral Nakhimov wrote about the battle.
As a result of the signed after Crimean War Russia was forbidden to have a military fleet on the Black Sea for 15 years after the peace treaty, after which it had to be practically created from scratch.
One of the most famous pages in the history of the Black Sea Fleet is associated with the first Russian revolution - it was the legendary uprising of sailors on the battleship "Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky" in 1905. The sailors revolted because of the stale meat discovered by the sailors, which was used to prepare borscht. They killed a number of officers on board and took control of the ship. After that, they expected to expand the uprising along with other ships, but were eventually forced to surrender to the Romanian authorities. Twenty years later, he made the film Battleship Potemkin, which became one of the most famous films of the silent era.
Upheavals of the 20th century
During the First World War, the Black Sea Fleet had an advantage over the Turkish sailors opposing it. At the end of 1916, Admiral Kolchak, who headed the Black Sea Fleet, gained all-Russian popularity, and later became one of the leaders of the White movement.
Kolchak became one of many Russian officers who did not obey the order of the Petrosoviet No. 1, issued immediately after the February Revolution. The document obliged to give all weapons at the disposal of the elected authorities, in response to this demand, Kolchak threw his award weapon into the sea. They apologized to the admiral a little later, and to search for his St. George saber, a special diver would be lowered to the bottom of the bay, who returned the weapon to the owner.
After the February and especially October Revolution the ships of the fleet practically ceased to resist enemy attacks.
AT civil war on its basis, the White Black Sea Fleet was created, which, after the defeat, was engaged in the evacuation of troops and refugees from the Crimea. The remaining 126 ships at the disposal of the whites were transformed into the Russian squadron, which was based in the French port of Bizerte in Tunisia. These ships experienced a severe shortage of funds, as a result of which, in 1922, the personnel were completely decommissioned ashore.
After the recognition of Soviet power by Paris in 1924, France was supposed to transfer the ships to the USSR, but due to anti-Soviet protests, the authorities refused to implement the agreements. In 90 years, France, for political reasons, will refuse to supply Russia with Mistral helicopter carriers, which, however, were supposed to be part of the Pacific Fleet.
At the end of the Civil Soviet government formed from the ships it inherited Maritime forces Black and Azov seas. In the late 1920s, active construction of new warships began, and in 1935 the name of the Black Sea was returned to the fleet.
By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Black Sea Fleet had five cruisers, 16 destroyers, 47 submarines and several dozen other ships. At the first stage of the war, the Black Sea Fleet played important role in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol.
In the first half of 1942, the Kerch-Feodosiya landing operation took place, during which the ships of the Black Sea Fleet transferred hundreds of thousands of soldiers to the Crimea. Unfortunately, this operation ended in complete defeat. Soviet troops, as a result of which about 300 thousand soldiers died, about 170 thousand more were captured. The reasons for these huge losses were the repressions of the 30s, as well as the position of the military doctrine of the USSR: to smash the enemy on his territory.
After a turning point in the course of hostilities, the Black Sea operations were much more successful: in September 1943, the landing force liberated Novorossiysk, and in 1944, with the support of the fleet, Crimea and Moldova were recaptured. The Danube flotilla crossed the river from the lower reaches to Vienna, where it made a decisive contribution to the liberation of the Austrian capital.
After the collapse of the empire
Since World War II, the Black Sea Fleet no longer participated in full-fledged military conflicts, but became the object of political conflicts between Russia and Ukraine.
After the collapse of the USSR Autonomous Republic Crimea became part of Ukraine. In the declaration of independence of the country, Kyiv subordinated all military formations stationed on the territory of the country.
The initial arrangements for the creation of the CIS implied that the strategic military forces were to be under common command, but the first president of Ukraine, by his decree, subordinated the Black Sea Fleet to Kyiv; signed a similar decree the next day.
As a result, in August 1992, following negotiations between the two presidents, an agreement was signed according to which the Black Sea Fleet was recognized as the United Fleet of Russia and Ukraine. In fact, this meant extremely conflicting relations between the Russian and Ukrainian part of the authorities, which ultimately led to the decline of the fleet.
In 1994-1997, the leaders of the two countries signed a number of agreements, as a result of which the Black Sea Fleet was divided between Moscow and Kyiv. On the ships of the recreated Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Soviet symbols were replaced with the St. Andrew's flag, and Ukrainian warships began to be based separately. Note that in 1996, when the Black Sea Fleet Day was established, the most important of these measures had not yet been approved.
Most of the ships and naval facilities went to Russia: 338 from Moscow against 30 from Kyiv. At the same time, the vast majority of objects on earth came under the control of Ukraine.
In addition, Russia had to compensate Ukraine for more than $500 million from the ships it inherited, as well as annually reduce the amount of Ukraine's public debt by about $98 million as compensation for renting the port and other military facilities.
In 2010, the Kharkiv agreements were approved, which were supposed to regulate the position of the fleet after the expiration of previous agreements. Should have come into effect in 2017 new order, according to which Russia had to start paying Ukraine $100 million annually.
On December 8, 2015, the Black Sea Fleet returned to serious combat use. From the Rostov-on-Don submarine, Caliber cruise missiles were launched at the positions of the Islamic State (the group is banned in Russia and other countries. - Gazeta.Ru) in Syria. As then Minister of Defense, the launches were successful: damage was done to ammunition depots, a mine factory, and the terrorists' oil infrastructure.
The submarine returned to service in Sevastopol just a few days later, and after the official completion of the operation, the submarine commander Andrei Adamsky received a medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland. Several other ships of the Black Sea Fleet continue to cover the Russian grouping of troops off the coast of Syria.
“At all times of history, defending the interests of Russia, Black Sea sailors won significant victories over the enemy. The military activity of the Black Sea people formed the Russian school of naval art. And today, the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet are successfully solving the tasks of combating international terrorism and restoring peace on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic,” emphasizes Admiral Vladimir Korolev, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy.
(1729 - 1796) - Russian Empress, daughter of Prince Christian August of Zerbst-Dornburg and Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorb (cousin of the emperor Peter III). According to one version, her real father was Prince Ivan Betskoy, the illegitimate son of Peter I.
At birth, the future empress received the name Sophia Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbskaya. When Elizaveta Petrovna began to look for a bride for Peter III (her successor), the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm II advised her to pay attention to Sophia Frederica. In 1743, Sophia Frederica went, accompanied by her mother, to St. Petersburg. The bride made a favorable impression on the empress. Sophia Frederica was baptized under the name Ekaterina Alekseevna, and in 1745 her wedding took place with the heir to the throne, Peter III.
Soon, the relationship between Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine became more than strained, since Catherine more than once took part in palace intrigues. In 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son, Pavel, and this saved her from disgrace, since the empress did not dare to punish the mother of the future emperor.
After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna and the accession to the throne of Peter III, Catherine's position became threatening. In 1761, she gave birth to a boy from Grigory Orlov, and Peter III decided to imprison the unfaithful wife in a monastery. This forced Catherine to go on a coup. June 28, 1762 Peter III was deposed and killed.
The age of "enlightened absolutism" of Catherine II has come. It is characterized by distribution in the upper layers Russian society ideas of the French Enlightenment - Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu and Rousseau. Based on their ideas, Catherine II destroyed the church-patriarchal structure and gave society a secular ideology, under the banner of which Russia existed until the revolution of 1917.
Catherine II began her reign with internal transformations. The Secret Expedition was established - the highest body of political supervision and investigation, the Senate was reorganized, the hetmanship in Ukraine was abolished, the monastic lands were alienated and transferred to the state. In 1763, the first banknotes (paper money) were put into circulation in Russia, and new credit institutions appeared - the State Bank and the Loan Treasury. In the same year, Catherine II created a medical commission and orders of public charity, which for the first time began to deal with public health issues.
The foreign policy of Russia under Catherine II was particularly active and very effective. In 1768 Russia went to war with Turkey, its main rival in the Black Sea. During this war ground troops Russian Empire under the command of Field Marshal Rumyantsev defeated the Turks in the battles of Largi and Cahul (1770). Simultaneously Navy Russia under the command of Admiral Spiridov destroyed Turkish fleet in the battle of Chesme. In 1774, Turkey recognized itself as defeated. According to the peace treaty, the Crimean Khanate became independent (in practice, this meant the establishment of a protectorate of Russia).
The peace agreements of 1774 did not suit both conflicting parties. In 1787 the second Russian-Turkish war. During this war, Russian troops under the command of the outstanding commander A.V. Suvorov won a number of brilliant victories: at Kinburn, Focsany, Rymnik, the fortresses of Izmail and Ochakov were taken. The Russian squadron under the command of Admiral Ushakov sank the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Kerch and at Kaliakria. According to the new peace treaty (1791), Crimea and Kuban were ceded to Russia, land border between Russia and Turkey was established along the Dniester River.
The war with Sweden (1788 - 1790) was also victorious). The Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Greig inflicted a crushing defeat on the Swedish fleet in the battle of Hogland.
Territory Russian Empire expanded significantly. As a result of the division of Poland between Russia, Austria and Prussia, the Right-Bank Ukraine, Western Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia became part of Russia. In the east, the development and settlement of Alaska and California by Russians began. The Aleutian Islands went to Russia. In the south, the cities of Derbent and Baku were conquered and became part of Russia.
A feature of the reign of Catherine II is demonstrative favoritism. Almost all of Catherine's favorites interfered in politics to one degree or another, but only Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin did so openly. Most Serene Prince Potemkin until his death in 1791 remained right hand empresses. According to the widespread version, Potemkin and Catherine II were secretly married in Moscow in 1775.
All the years of her reign, Catherine II felt the precariousness of her rights to the throne. She dealt with her opponents ruthlessly. On her instructions, Ivan Antonovich was put to death, deposed and imprisoned in the Shlisselburg fortress by Elizaveta Petrovna. Tragic was the fate of a certain Princess Elizabeth Tarakanova, who decided to take advantage of the illegal accession to the throne of Catherine II. Abroad, she declared herself the daughter of Elizabeth Petrovna. Catherine II instructed Alexei Orlov to lure the impostor to Russia, and Orlov succeeded in fulfilling this order. Tarakanova was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Three versions are known about her further fate: she died of consumption in 1775; drowned in a chamber during the flood of 1777; she was tonsured into a monastery under the name of Dosithea and died in 1810.
The most serious shock to the throne was the peasant war led by Emelyan Pugachev (1773 - 1774), who pretended to be Peter III, who had miraculously escaped. The peasant war captured a huge territory: the Urals, Middle and Lower Volga. Only at the cost of enormous efforts did the government troops succeed in defeating the rebels. Pugachev was brought to Moscow and on January 10, 1775 he was publicly executed.
Catherine II of France greeted with great anxiety bourgeois revolution. Russia joined the anti-French coalition, but did not take direct part in hostilities.
Empress Catherine II died on November 6, 1796. There is a version that she was either poisoned or stabbed to death for banning Masonic lodges. From Peter III, the Empress had a son Pavel (heir to the throne) and a daughter Anna (died in infancy). From Grigory Orlov - the son of Count Alexei Bobrinsky, from Grigory Potemkin - the daughter of Elizaveta Temkina. Other names of several unloved and forgotten by their mother children from the favorites of Lansky and Zubov are also known.
On May 13, 1783, 11 ships of the Azov flotilla under the command of Admiral Fedot Klokachev entered the Akhtiar Bay of the Black Sea. This happened two months after the annexation of Crimea to Russia. On the shores of the bay, the construction of a city and a port soon began, which became the main base Russian fleet and called Sevastopol. May 13 is annually celebrated as the birthday of the Black Sea Fleet.
However, another date can also be considered the founding day: on January 11, 1783, Catherine II signed a rescript on the introduction of the post of commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Thus, this day - January 11, according to the old style, or January 22, according to the new style - was the birthday of the Black Sea Fleet.
Glory to the Black Sea. Fleet and Sevastopol at the end of XVIII - early XIX centuries
Having received bases for the fleet in the Sea of Azov, Russia hastened to strengthen its military presence in the Black Sea region. Empress Catherine II ordered to send a cruising detachment of warships disguised as commercial ones from the Azov Sea to the Black Sea. In addition, the Empress ordered a detachment of six frigates under the command of Captain 2nd Rank T.G. to be sent to the Black Sea from the Baltic. Kozlyannikov, but the Turks did not let military ships through the straits. It remained to build ships on the spot. But the construction of the fleet in the south was hampered by the shallow waters of the Don and its tributaries, where the shipyards were located, as well as the Taganrog Bay. Only the Dnieper-Bug estuary was more or less suitable for the construction of ships, and in December 1775 Catherine II issued a corresponding decree of the Admiralty Board, ordering at the same time to reduce the construction of ships on the Sea of Azov. On May 31, 1778, by Catherine's rescript, the new shipbuilding and naval base was placed in the care of the Governor-General of Novorossiysk, His Serene Highness Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin. On June 18, 1778, the Empress ordered that the new naval base be called Kherson. On July 7, 1780, the first two ships were laid down in Kherson. Catherine understood the dangerous fragility of the Russian-Turkish treaty and in every possible way hurried the construction of the Kherson shipyard and ships. In 1782, Prince Potemkin even had to resort to the free employment of 1,150 carpenters "for the production of a ship structure" ;. In August 1783, the captain of the 2nd rank, the future admiral, Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov, arrived in Kherson along with 700 sailors and 3 thousand artisans.
At the end of 1782, Potemkin reported to Catherine his plan to annex the Crimea to Russia. A significant place in the plan was given to the actions of the fleet, and the general command of the fleet and army in the south, the most serene prince proposed to take over. The empress agreed with all the points of the plan, without even asking for the opinion of the Admiralty College that controlled the fleet. January 11, 1783 Catherine II signed a rescript on the introduction of the post of commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Thus, this day - January 11, according to the old style, or January 22, according to the new style - was the birthday of the Black Sea Fleet. The rescript said: "For the command of Our fleet being launched on the Black and Azov Seas, we command to immediately send our Vice-Admiral Klokachev, who, in order to receive the necessary instructions, should appear at Our Novorossiysk and Azov Governor-General Prince Potemkin." In honor of the founding of the Black Sea Fleet, Catherine ordered the medal "Glory to Russia" to be cast.
The first commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice-Admiral Fedot Alekseevich Klokachev, proved himself in the Battle of Chesma on June 24-25, 1770, commanding the Evropa battleship with the rank of captain of the 1st rank, from 1776 he headed the Azov flotilla. He was distinguished by personal courage and was not only an experienced sailor, but also a good business executive, so Catherine's choice turned out to be unmistakable.
Meanwhile, Turkey was preparing for a new war with Russia, she could not come to terms with the loss of Crimea. In 1776, the Turkish government demanded the return of Kinburn and the Crimea. Then, in the autumn of 1776, Russia brought the troops of A.V. Suvorov and placed on the Crimean throne Khan Shagin Giray, who pleased her. Fearing for his power, the Khan asked Russia to leave troops in the Crimea. Turkey withdrew its troops, but soon its emissaries raised a rebellion there against Shahin Giray. Turkey sent troops, but they did not land in the Crimea, fearing Suvorov and a Russian strike from the sea. In the spring of 1779, Turkey signed a convention that confirmed the treaty of 1774. However, on April 8, 1783, Catherine II, due to Turkey's constant violations of the terms of the treaty, included Crimea in Russia and renamed it Tauris. The empress instructed Potemkin to manage the Taurida province. The dream of many generations of Russians came true, their blood was not shed in vain - Russia annexed Crimea, and with it acquired a strong position in the Black Sea region and very profitable Black Sea trade routes, the economy of the Russian south received new opportunities for development. But only the navy could fully ensure Russia's strategic positions in the south. The creation of the Black Sea Fleet needed to be accelerated in every possible way.
In early May 1783, Potemkin sent an order to Klokachev with an order to take command not only of the fleet, but also of the Kherson shipyards, which were in a state of disrepair. Captain over the port of Kherson captain 1st rank I.T. Potemkin dismissed Ovtsyn, temporarily appointing Captain 1st Rank Marko Ivanovich Voinovich, known for his courage and honesty, as the commander of the Slava Ekaterina ship under construction, instead of him. At the end of July, Voinovich was replaced by Captain 1st Rank A.P. Muromtsev. Voinovich returned to his previous position and took part in the hasty completion of his ship - the first battleship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. September 16, 1783 66-gun "Glory to Catherine" was launched. In May 1788, Potemkin ordered the ship to be renamed the Transfiguration of the Lord. Under this name, the ship participated in many battles of the F.F. squadron. Ushakov.
The newborn Black Sea Fleet needed a good, convenient base in all respects. Such a base was the Akhtiar Bay in the southern tip of the Crimea. Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov was the first of the major Russian military leaders to pay attention to the Akhtiar Bay. As already mentioned, Lieutenant General A.V. Suvorov commanded the troops that Russia brought to the Crimea at the end of 1776. Suvorov immediately appreciated the strategic and operational-tactical significance of the Akhtiar Bay. “Such a harbor,” he wrote, “not only near the local peninsula, but throughout the entire Black Sea, there is no other, where the fleet is better preserved and employees on it could be more conveniently and calmly placed.” On June 15, 1778, Suvorov deployed 6 battalions of infantry, cavalry and artillery along the banks of the Akhtiar Bay. He ordered to urgently cover the bay with batteries, and ordered to work secretly, at night, so that the Turkish ships stationed in the bay would not notice anything. On the morning of June 16, watchmen on Turkish ships suddenly saw themselves under the muzzles of Russian coastal batteries. The Turkish squadron consisted of more than 10 ships, and there were only three Russian batteries, and yet the Turks did not dare to be more in the bay, on the night of June 17 they left its water area. The headwind interfered with the movement, the Turks had to tow the ships by boats, and they did not move far from the bay. As Suvorov wrote to the Russian resident at the court of the Crimean Khan, Andrei Dmitrievich Konstantinov: “The nasty weather prevented the people of Istanbul from leaving the Akht[iar] har[ani]. ] to Ochakov; 1/2 hour could not move away, one frigate more than others tried to do it, but did not overcome it, but the boat left. At this distance they stand ... ". The departure of the Turkish fleet strengthened the regime of the Russian protege Shagin Giray. The empress highly appreciated Suvorov's demonstrative action - "for the ousting of the Turkish fleet from the Akhtiar harbor and from the Crimean coast" she granted the commander a gold snuffbox decorated with diamonds with her portrait.
In the same year, 1778, the crew of the frigate "Cautious" under the command of Captain 2nd Rank Bersenev examined the Akhtiar Bay for the first time from a marine point of view. In 1780 a Russian ship visited the bay again. According to the description of that time, the shores were deserted, "the whole place was wild and covered with small wood forest and bushes." Only on the northern coast there was a Tatar village of 7-9 huts called Ak-Yar (White Cliff), after his name the bay was also called for a long time. Russian maps Akhtiarskaya.
On November 17, 1782, the Russian frigates "Brave" and "Cautious" entered the bay under the general command of Captain 1st Rank I.M. Odintsov. They were the first of the Russian ships to stay at Ak-Yar for the winter. The sailors built a small barracks for themselves in the beam, later called Sukharna, dug four wells. Frigates were keeled in a neighboring beam - they were tilted aboard to clean the bottom and keel from overgrown shells and algae. The place where the keeling took place was later called "kilen-balka". During the winter, the crews of the ships measured the depths of the Northern and Southern bays, compiled their descriptions and maps. Many springs and wells were found along the banks of the bays. Now, after the surveys, it was possible to relocate the entire combat core of the Black Sea Fleet to the Akhtiar Bay. But first they took care of the coastal and antiamphibious defense - in mid-April 1783, a grenadier battalion arrived on the shores of the bay, and at the end of April - the Kaporsky and Dnieper regiments and field artillery. The troops built barracks and warehouses ("Akhtiar store"), began to strengthen the shores of the harbor.
On May 2, 1783, 11 ships of the Azov and then 17 ships of the Dnieper flotilla entered the Akhtiar Bay. The Black Sea Fleet concentrated for the first time in its new main base. The ships settled in the South Bay, which was recognized as the safest.
On May 6, Fleet Commander Vice Admiral F.A. Klokachev, having personally examined the Akhtiar Bay, was completely delighted. Here is what he wrote to the vice-president of the Admiralty Board, Count Ivan Grigoryevich Chernyshev, a member of the Academy of Sciences, a disinterested scientist and a smart leader: having entered and looked around, I can say that in all of Europe there is no similar harbor - position, size, depth.
It is possible to have a fleet of up to 100 ships of the line in it, in addition, nature has arranged estuaries, which are themselves divided into different harbors, that is, military and merchant. Without one's own review, one cannot believe that this harbor was so good. Now I have begun to carefully describe this harbor and the position of its place, and as soon as I finish, I will immediately send a map. If it pleases Her Imperial Majesty to have a fleet in the local harbor, then on a similar basis it will be necessary to establish a port here, as in Kronstadt.
In the meantime, plans for the city were being prepared in St. Petersburg, on June 3, 1783, on the western shore of the South Bay, the sailors laid the first three stone houses: a chapel, a smithy for the Admiralty and a house for Rear Admiral F.F. Mekenzi (since May 8, 1783, he headed the Black Sea squadron instead of F.A. Klokachev, who had departed for Kherson). In the southern part of the harbor, on Cape Nikolaevsky, they began to build a wooden boat pier and stairs - the future Ekaterininsky, then Grafskaya, pier. This day - June 3 (June 14, according to the new style) - became the day of the foundation of the city. In honor of this event in 1783 the medal "Benefit of Russia" was cast. Initially, the city was called Akhtiar, after the coastal Tatar village of Ak-Yar. On February 10, 1784, the decree of Catherine II legitimized the birth of a new city and ordered to continue to call it Sevastopol, which means "City of Glory" in Greek. After the death of Catherine II (November 6, 1796), the new Emperor Paul I in 1797 ordered the city to return its first name - Akhtiar. For four years the city was again called Akhtiar, until Alexander I in 1801 finally renamed it Sevastopol.
Notes
1 domestic shipbuilding. Ed. I.D. Spassky, - T. I. - St. Petersburg, 1994. - S. 188-190.
2 Veselago F. Short story Russian fleet (from the beginning of the development of navigation until 1825). - Ed. 2nd. - M.-L., 1939. S. 66, 67.
3 History of domestic shipbuilding. - S. 242-243.
4 Veselago F. Decree. op. - S. 102-104.
5 History of domestic shipbuilding. - S. 248-255.
6 Black Sea Fleet: Historical essay. - M., 1967. - S. 11.
7 History of domestic shipbuilding. - S. 256.
8 Ibid., pp. 257-258.
9 Cit. Quoted from: History of the Hero City of Sevastopol: 1783-1917. - Ed. S.F. Find. - Kyiv, 1960. - S. 27.
10 A.V. Suvorov. Letters. - M., 1987. - S. 42-43, 506.
11 Ibid., p. 515.
12 Black Sea Fleet. S. 11.
13 Op. Quoted from: History of the Hero City of Sevastopol. - S. 27.
14 Ibid., pp. 28-29
15 Black Sea Fleet. - S. 12; Sevastopol 200 years: 1783-1983 // Collection of documents and materials. - Kyiv, 1983. - S. 29.
16 Zverev B.I. Pages of the Russian maritime chronicle. - M., 1960. - S.124.
On November 17, 1796, Catherine II died. The 34-year reign of the empress was marked by both failures and notable successes. In particular, 144 cities were built and 78 military victories were won. During her reign, medicine, education and science were actively developed. We decided to talk about the five glorious deeds of Catherine II.
Education and science
Catherine enthusiastically perceived the ideas of the Enlightenment and gave great importance education. In 1768, a network of city schools was created, based on the class-lesson system. Schools began to open.
In addition, under Catherine, it was given Special attention development of women's education. In 1764, the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens and the Educational Society for Noble Maidens were opened. The Academy of Sciences has become one of the leading scientific bases in Europe. An observatory, a physics office, an anatomical theater, a botanical garden, instrumental workshops, a printing house, a library, and an archive were founded. On October 11, 1783, the Russian Academy was founded.
However, historians also note the negative aspects of Catherine's initiatives in the field of education and science. In particular, they point out that the work of the academy was based mainly not on the cultivation of its own personnel, but on the invitation of eminent foreign scientists.
Medicine and social policy
Under Catherine, new areas of medicine developed in Russia: hospitals were opened for the treatment of syphilis, psychiatric hospitals and shelters. A number of fundamental works on questions of medicine have been published.
Orders of public charity were opened in the provinces. In Moscow and St. Petersburg - Orphanages for homeless children, where they received education and upbringing. To help widows, the Widow's Treasury was created.
Under the queen, compulsory smallpox vaccination was introduced. The fight against epidemics in Russia began to take on the character of state events that were directly within the responsibilities of the Imperial Council, the Senate.
Land Gathering and Population Growth
During the reign of Catherine, lands with a population of up to 7 million people were conquered from Poland and Turkey. Catherine the Great established herself on the shores of the Black Sea, pushing the borders to the south and including the Crimean Peninsula in the empire.
In the Catherine era, the talent of the commander Alexander Suvorov flourished. In July 1789 he defeated the Turks at Focsany, and in August 1789 on the Rymnik River. In the early morning of December 11, 1790, Russian troops launched an assault on the fortress of Izmail. After 6 hours, Ishmael was taken. The way to Istanbul was opened to Russian troops.
Brilliant victories were also won at sea. The commander of the young Black Sea Fleet, Ushakov, in 1791, defeated the Turkish fleet at Cape Kaliakria. After that, the Turks hurried to sit down at the negotiating table. According to the peace treaty, Ottoman Empire recognized Crimea as a possession of Russia; Russia included the territories between the Bug and Dniester rivers, as well as Taman and Kuban; Turkey recognized Russian patronage of Georgia.
During the reign of Catherine, the total population of the empire increased from 19 million people (1762) to 36 million (1796).
Strengthening the army and navy
Military success could not have been achieved without strengthening the army and navy, which is also Catherine's merit. During her reign, the army from 162 thousand people was strengthened to 312 thousand. The fleet, which in 1757 consisted of 21 ships of the line and 6 frigates, in 1790 consisted of 67 battleships, 40 frigates and 300 rowboats. Expenses for the army increased under Catherine by 2.6 times.
City building
It is believed that thanks to Catherine the Great, 144 cities were built. In 1794, Catherine II issued a decree, thanks to which the construction of Odessa, a new port city, began on the Black Sea coast. The empress entrusted the construction of the city to the talented military engineer Franz de Vollan. The city was named Odessa, in honor of the ancient Greek settlement Odessos, once located in this area. The Empress patronized him in every possible way and allocated huge funds for the construction of the port, schools, gymnasiums and other institutions.
On May 13, 1783, 11 ships of the Azov flotilla under the command of Vice Admiral Klokachev entered the Akhtiar Bay of the Black Sea. Later they were joined by 17 ships of the Dnieper flotilla. These events marked the beginning of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. 28 ships became the combat core of the new fleet, the power of which grew every day.
“In the North, you have multiplied the fleet, but here you created from nothing,” Prince Potemkin wrote to Catherine II. - The Black Sea Fleet is obliged to elevate the glory of Russia!
Fleet of 11 ships
In April 1783, Empress Catherine II signed a manifesto on the annexation of Crimea to Russia: the Crimean Khanate was abolished. On May 13 of the same year, under volleys of cannons, the flotilla of Vice Admiral Klokachev entered the Akhtiar Bay: 1806 people were on 11 ships. They were joined by the Dnieper squadron of 17 ships. These ships founded the new Black Sea Fleet, the base of which was the Akhtiar Bay.
“There is no other harbor like this not only near the local peninsula, but throughout the entire Black Sea,” commander Alexander Suvorov wrote about this place, “wherever the fleet is better preserved and employees on it could be more conveniently and calmly placed.”
Klokachev's squadron laid the foundation for the Black Sea Fleet. Photo: Museum of Printing and Publishing
The Black Sea Fleet grew and developed very quickly. Two years after its foundation, it included 20 frigates, 5 schooners, 12 battleships, 23 transport ships and 13.5 thousand people. personnel. Catherine II was so pleased with the created fleet that she issued a decree renaming the point of its base, and the city of Akhtiar became Sevastopol, which means “majestic” in Greek. At present, the Akhtiar Bay is called the Sevastopol Bay. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the Empress was proud of the Black Sea Fleet and said: "The Black Sea Fleet is our own institution, therefore, close to the heart."
One of the best in Europe
For several years after the founding of the Black Sea Fleet, the sailors settled into the new terrain: they explored the coastal area and studied the depth of the bottom. In 1787, they had to go through a baptism of fire: Turkey, which wanted to regain the Crimea, declared war on Russia. “At that time, the Black Sea Fleet had not yet gained strong combat power, and the Turkish fleet was much larger,” says historian Alexei Doronin. “Despite the fact, the Black Sea Fleet not only survived, but also inflicted heavy damage on the enemy.”
The city of Sevastopol was founded at the base of the fleet. Photo: Museum of Printing and Publishing
According to experts, the Black Sea Fleet would not have brought such glory to Russia if it were not for the great commanders: the flotilla was controlled by Grigory Potemkin, Fedor Ushakov, Mikhail Lazarev, Pavel Nakhimov. So, under the command of Ushakov, the entire Black Sea Fleet did not lose a single ship in 2.5 years and won a number of important victories, as a result of which Russia gained naval base in the Mediterranean, and in the 19th century the Black Sea Fleet became one of the best in Europe. At the same time, the name of the empress-creator of the fleet was immortalized in its history: one of the steam battleships was named "Catherine II".
Black Sea power
The saying of Prince Potemkin that the Black Sea Fleet should bring glory to Russia turned out to be prophetic. The squadron of the fleet won a number of brilliant victories in the Crimean and First World Wars, and played a huge role in the Great Patriotic War: as a result of hostilities, 835 enemy ships were sunk and another 539 were damaged.
In 1996, a new holiday was established in Russia - the Day of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, which is celebrated annually on May 13, the day the flotilla is located in the Sevastopol Bay. On this day, solemn and mourning events are held in the country, prayers in memory of sailors and the laying of flowers at the monuments to the fleet.
Initially, the ship composition of the Black Sea Fleet was small. Photo: Museum of Printing and Publishing
Currently, the Black Sea Fleet includes 2,741 ships: these are linear, sailing, large missile, patrol and landing ships, destroyers, submarines, cruisers, battleships and others. The fleet, based in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk, provides Russia's military security in the south, and its strength includes over 25 thousand people. Very soon, the Black Sea Fleet's fleet will increase: in May, the St. Petersburg plant "Admiralty Shipyards" will launch the diesel-electric submarine "Kolpino".