Mine division. Chapter II

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In the Baltic Fleet in 1908, the 1st mine division consisting of 37 destroyers and the 2nd Mine Division, consisting of 10 destroyers and 16 destroyers. In 1916, during the First World War, both of these divisions were combined into one. In 1922, the mine division of the Baltic Fleet was disbanded. On Cherno navy a mine division consisting of 1 cruiser, 17 destroyers and destroyers and 4 submarines was formed in 1911. In 1914, it was reorganized into a mine brigade. In 1920-1921, a mine division consisting of 10 destroyers and 5 destroyers existed as part of the Volga-Caspian military flotilla, then it was reorganized into a separate destroyer division of the Naval Forces of the Caspian Sea.

In the 1940s, destroyer divisions were created in the Navy of the Armed Forces of the USSR as formations of the light forces of the fleet.

Veselago 1st Mikhail Gerasimovich (11/07/1843-09/20/1929), retired admiral (08/28/1909).

Shafrov Alexander Alekseevich (01/29/1879 - until December 1945), mechanical engineer captain of the 2nd rank (04/14/1913).

Svetlik Pavel Aloizievich (11/20/1880-04/17/1966), captain of the 2nd rank "for excellent zealous service and special labors caused by the circumstances of the war" (01/01/1915).

Compass deviation, deviation of the compass moving system from the position that fixes the direction to the Earth's magnetic pole (for a magnetic compass) or to the geographic pole (for a gyrocompass). The deviation of the magnetic compass is eliminated with the help of auxiliary magnets that create a system of compensating magnetic fields.

Gerasimov Alexander Mikhailovich (11/14/1861-03/02/1931), vice admiral for distinction (04/29/1913).

Kurosh 1st Alexander Parfenovich (03/30/1862–1919?), Vice Admiral for Distinction (07/30/1916) retired (12/07/1917).

De Livron Alexander Karlovich (02/21/1886-07/18/1906), midshipman (05/21/1905).

Shchensnovich Eduard Nikolaevich (12/25/1852-12/20/1910), Vice Admiral (08/28/1909).

Von Schultz Max Konstantinovich (08/30/1870-01/17/1917), captain of the 1st rank for distinction (12/06/1911).

Yazykov Dmitry Mikhailovich (05/29/1857-?), captain of the 1st rank. He graduated from the Naval College (1879). He commanded the ship "Krasnovodsk" in the Caspian Sea (1901-1904). Dismissed from service with promotion to captain of the 1st rank (05/29/1908), in connection with the First World War he was again assigned to the service as a captain of the 1st rank (03/16/1915), served in the Black Sea Fleet.

A capstan is a special gate used on ships for selecting anchor chains and carrying out other heavy work on pulling cables and chains. Spiers have several classifications, including the nature of the force that sets them in motion. In this case, we are talking about a manual capstan.

Vymbovki - wooden levers that serve to rotate the spire manually.

Paner - such a position of the selected anchor when the anchor chain (or anchor rope) is already in a vertical position, but the anchor has not yet come off the ground.

Von Barleven Arvid Konstantinovich (06/07/1884-?), senior lieutenant (01/01/1915).

Romanov Alexander Mikhailovich, Grand Duke (04/01/1866-02/26/1933), admiral (12/06/1915).

Such an "exotic" ministry did not exist. After fleeing the fleet, the Grand Duke continued to preside over the Special Committee for the Strengthening of the Fleet with Voluntary Donations (since February 6, 1904), within which, since 1910, he had been organizing aviation.

Posokhov Sergey Andreevich (10/15/1866-02/02/1935), rear admiral for distinction (07/30/1916) retired (10/06/1917).

In connection with the revolutionary movement in the Baltic states and the lack of troops to protect the estates from pogroms, at the end of November 1905 it was decided to form battalions from the fleet crews. The 1st and 2nd battalions under the command of the captain of the 2nd rank O.O. Richter and Captain 1st Rank Baron V.N. Ferzena (who is also the head of the detachment of naval security battalions in Estonia) left Kronstadt on December 19 and 24, 1905. Divided into companies, and sometimes into smaller detachments, they began to catch the "instigators". The decisiveness of the actions of the sailors, who, by order of the military authorities, shot local residents often without trial or investigation, deserved the high praise of Emperor Nicholas II, who wrote in a letter to his mother on December 29 that they “... act perfectly; many gangs are destroyed, houses and their property are burned. Terror must be met with terror. Now Witte himself understood this. The lines of the report of the captain of the 2nd rank O.O. give an idea of ​​​​the style of action of the personnel. Richter: “It must be said that the execution also affects the team, and it becomes wild, bloodthirsty, and it has to be restrained. I was very pleased that the team realized that they were dealing with a brutal, vengeful people, and, of course, did not wait until they hit them, but shoot at anyone. It is significant that these battalions were mainly staffed by sailors of the 14th naval crew, which had almost rebelled a month before (recall that the former commander of the Varyag cruiser, Captain 1st Rank V.F. Rudnev, was fired for allowing unrest in the crew ). Fragments of the reports of the commanders of these battalions are published: From notebook archivist. Naval punitive battalions in the Baltic region / Publ. A. Drezena // Red archive. 1930. No. 1 (30). pp. 165–169.

The 3rd security battalion (actually a semi-battalion) under the command of the captain of the 2nd rank P.A. Green 1st in the last days of December, the icebreaker "Ermak" was delivered to about. Ezel. After the "pacification" (judging by the telegrams - almost bloodless) of the local residents, by February 3, the personnel were transferred to Riga to patrol the streets.

At the request of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the further formation of battalions continued, on January 7 and 8, the 4th and 5th battalions of Kronstadters (commanders - captains of the 2nd rank Protopopov and G.P. Pekarsky) set off from Oranienbaum. They were placed in Livonia on the railway line Riga - Dvinsk, where they were part of the Vilna flying squad. 6th battalion of captain of the 2nd rank V.I. Galanin did not complete the formation, the need for his parcel disappeared.

The 1st and 2nd battalions (the 2nd battalion was commanded by the captain of the 2nd rank V.F. Ponomarev from January 27) were withdrawn from the Estland province on March 12 and 15, the 4th and 5th from Livonia on April 7. In total, 1868 lower ranks operated in the Baltics as part of five battalions.

Reviews of the activities of the battalions were, of course, the most controversial. The civil authorities did not skimp on praise for their determination and discipline, some of the local residents wrote letters of thanks to the Minister of Marine, saying that they felt behind the sailors, "like behind a stone wall." On the other hand, even in the mean reports of battalion commanders we find information about the harshness of actions and the not always sober behavior of the lower ranks. And here is a fragment from the diary entry of Rear Admiral V.K. Pilkina dated November 1, 1918: “The dark people are terrible everywhere. Or rather, dark people, since cruelty, refined only in form, is performed, it would seem, by more intelligent, but in fact also dark gentlemen. I remember how Tipolt (midshipman N.A. Tipolt served in the 4th battalion. - Note. ed.) told me about the death sentences passed during the punitive expeditions in the Baltic [isky] region by dead drunk judges, which he had to carry out.

Nikonov Konstantin Petrovich (04/14/1844-?), admiral (10/13/1908) retired (10/01/1908).

The mentioned scandal in the Libau circus took place on October 13, 1905. About the former adventures of A.M. Veselago is presented by an encrypted telegram from the commander of the Vladivostok port, Rear Admiral N.R. Greve to the Minister of the Sea A.A. Birilev dated October 2, 1905: “Lieutenant Veselago in drunk, sitting in the theater in the stalls, urinated and, then leaving the theater, made a number of outrages. The court of mediators, having opened a case on this matter, recently ordered Lieutenant Veselago to resign, which he refused to do. The case should go to the court of flag officers and captains, which at the moment could not be convened due to the illness of Admiral Jessen and the absence of some commanders. I hope to do so next week.<…>Greve. At that time, the intercession of the father turned out to be effective, and on October 4, 1905, a response telegram was sent to Vladivostok, signed by acting. Chief of the Main Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.A. Virenius: “The Minister wants you to send Lieutenant Veselago to Petersburg without carrying out the sentence of the court” (RGAVMF. F. 417. Op. 4. D. 1305. L. 143, 143v). This story is indicative as an example of the disdainful attitude of the authorities to the opinion of the personnel of the fleet, expressed in the decision of the court of mediators.

Vecheslov 1st Vladimir Stepanovich (01/09/1876–1934), captain of the 1st rank for distinction (04/06/1914)

To avoid confusion, we will restore the chronology of the formation of mine forces in the Baltic after Russo-Japanese War.

Initially, in February 1906, the mine cruisers that came into operation, built on voluntary donations from the population, were included in the Practical Defense Detachment of the Baltic Sea coast under the command of the retinue of Rear Admiral Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. Shortly after the flight of the Grand Duke from the fleet, by order of the chief commander of the fleet and ports and the head of the naval defense of the Baltic Sea, Vice Admiral K.P. Nikonov dated September 28, 1906, all mine cruisers from the Practical Detachment were consolidated into a separate Detachment mine cruisers under the command of captain 1st rank N.O. von Essen. In October 1906, destroyers were attached to the detachment, and it became known as the 1st detachment of mine ships of the Baltic Sea, while being directly subordinate to the chief commander of the fleet.

Initially, it included mine cruisers: "Ukraine", "Kazanets", "Moskvityanin", "Volunteer", "Finn", "Hunter", "Emir of Bukhara", "Amurets", "Ussuriets", "Zabaikalets", " Border Guard", "Siberian Shooter", "General Kondratenko", "Horseman", "Gaydamak", "Guarding", "Terrible", "Don Cossack", "Trukhmenets"; destroyers Vidny, Gromyashchy, Combat, Mechanical Engineer Zverev, Mechanical Engineer Dmitriev, Stormy, Attentive, Impressive, Hardy, Vigilant; transport "Angara".

By order of the Maritime Department of December 8, 1907, the 1st detachment of mine ships from April 1, 1908 was renamed the Division destroyers. It consisted of four divisions of eight destroyers each (according to the 1907 classification, mine cruisers were also referred to as destroyers), three destroyers at the disposal of the division commander, as well as auxiliary vessels. Until November 24, 1908, the division was commanded by N.O. von Essen, then - captain of the 1st rank, His Serene Highness Prince A.A. Lieven.

On March 12, 1909, the Baltic Sea Destroyer Division was renamed the 1st Mine Division; until October 11, 1911, it was headed by A.A. Lieven.

The already mentioned order of the chief commander of the fleet and ports and the head of the naval defense of the Baltic Sea, Vice Admiral K.P. Nikonov dated September 28, 1906, part of the older destroyers was consolidated into a detachment of destroyers under the command of Captain 1st Rank M.V. Knyazev to protect the skerry area (since October 1906 - the 2nd detachment of mine ships of the Baltic Sea). From April 1, 1908, the detachment was called the Destroyer Division, which, in turn, was renamed the 2nd Mine Division on March 12, 1909.

In April 1915, the 1st and 2nd Mine Divisions were merged into the Mine Division.

The common name is like "Finn".

After the Russo-Japanese War, in order to improve the training of pupils of the Naval Corps, the intermediate rank of "ship midshipman" was introduced, which was assigned after passing exams for the corps science course; first officer rank- midshipman - from now on it was given to graduates only after overseas voyage and examination by a commission of naval officers. Provide quality shipboard practice and was supposed to Separate detachment ships assigned to sail with ship midshipmen, formed in May 1906. At the same time, other tasks were also solved - the practice of students from the school of combatant quartermasters, improving the combat training of the best warships of the fleet, as well as the "flag demonstration" in the ports of Europe and mediterranean sea. Initially, the squadron battleships (since 1907 - battleships) "Tsesarevich" and "Glory", as well as the cruiser of the 1st rank "Bogatyr" were part of the detachment. By order of the Naval Department of December 8, 1907, the detachment was renamed the "Baltic", it existed until the autumn of 1911. In addition to these ships, it included different time also included the cruisers "Oleg", "Admiral Makarov" and "Rurik".

The mine cruiser (since 09/27/1907 - a destroyer) "Volunteer" belonged to four ships of the "Finn" type, built on voluntary donations according to the project of the "Schihau" company (Germany) at the shipyard of the "Putilov Plants Society" in St. Petersburg. Laid down in 1904, launched on 05/29/1905, commissioned in June 1906. Participated in the First World War, died on a mine in the Irben Strait on 08/08/1916.

Displacement 570 tons, length - 72.49 m, width - 8.18 m, on tests it reached a speed of 25.9 knots. The initial armament consisted of 2 - 75 mm, 6 - 57 mm guns, 4 machine guns, and 3 - 450 mm torpedo tubes; winter 1909/1910 artillery was replaced by 2 - 102-mm guns.

Pokrovsky Andrey Georgievich (Egorovich) (08/14/1862–1944), vice admiral for distinction (04/10/1916).

Dombrovsky 1st Alexei Vladimirovich (01/07/1882-04/24/1954), captain of the 1st rank (07/28/1917).

Zaionchkovsky Leonid Brunovich (10/05/1883-?), senior lieutenant (seniority from 12/06/1915).

Khomentovsky Georgy Mikhailovich (04/08/1880-?), mechanical engineer captain of the 2nd rank (04/14/1913).

Other important negative sides the system indicated by the author were: 1) frequent change of personnel, since the crew commander could appoint completely different officers and sailors who were not familiar with the ship for the next summer voyage; 2) long stay personnel on the shore without engaging in their actual work had a negative effect on discipline.

Maksimov Andrei Semenovich (07/07/1866–1951), vice admiral for distinction (04/10/1916).

Here is an entry from the diary of Rear Admiral V.K. Pilkina (Helsingfors, April 3, 1919): “Then Lyatsky told how, on behalf of Kerensky, he had a meeting with Admiral Maximov, what a stunning impression this fleet commander, who could not speak Russian, made on him. (At the same time, I remembered how a Chukhonian porter approached the group at the table: “Who is Admiral Maksimov here?” - “I am Admiral Maksimov!” Was the answer of Andrei Semenovich.)”.

Butakov 1st Alexander Grigorievich (06/25/1861-03/01/1917), rear admiral for distinction (12/06/1913).

Butakov Grigory Ivanovich (09/27/1820-05/31/1882), admiral (1878), adjutant general (1869).

Banov Nikolai Nikolaevich (03/05/1859-?), Retired Rear Admiral (10/04/1910).

Shtorre Ivan Aleksandrovich (05/27/1862-?), Retired Vice Admiral (12/02/1915).

Teshe Lev Karlovich (06/17/1863-?), Retired Rear Admiral (06/08/1917).

Vinogradsky Ilya Alexandrovich (02/23/1867-01/23/1910), captain of the 1st rank for distinction (12/28/1909).

Maydel 1st Christian Gvidovich, baron (04/13/1869-?), captain of the 2nd rank (12/06/1905).

Kartsov Viktor Andreevich (01/31/1868-05/02/1936), Vice Admiral (12/06/1916).

Balkashin Nikolai Nikolaevich (09/30/1866-12/13/1907), captain of the 2nd rank for distinction (01/01/1904).

Chukhnin Grigory Pavlovich (01/23/1848 - 06/29/1906), Vice Admiral (04/06/1903).

The information does not correspond to reality, see the biography of A.G. Pokrovsky.

Issue with basing on the port of the Emperor Alexander III(Libau) was by no means unambiguous. On one side of the scale lay the possibility of training personnel in navigation in the Baltic during the cold stormy months, on the other, the fear of being trapped in the event of a war with Germany. So, in a report addressed to the Chief of the Main Naval Staff dated December 15, 1906, N.O. von Essen confirmed his own thoughts, expressed even earlier, on October 10 of the same year, in a letter to the naval minister. From his point of view, Libava could not serve as a support base for the mine fleet due to the fact that the fortress, located 70 miles from the border with Germany, had almost no protection from the rear, and therefore could be cut off already on the third day of hostilities. “The defense of the fortress from the sea is imperfect, both due to the location of naval batteries, and due to the insufficient number of strong guns<…>why, when an enemy squadron approaches Libava, mine ships must immediately leave the port so as not to be cut off from the sea, and then shot in an outport or a basin and a canal. I will say more strongly - with the outbreak of hostilities, the mine fleet will have to leave the port of Emperor Alexander III, so as not to return there later ”(RGAVMF. F. 417. Op. 1. D. 3564. L. 13).

Probably, the author had in mind the story of the steamer "John Grafton". This ship was hired by the Socialist-Revolutionaries at the expense of the Japanese and was heading to Finland with a load of weapons. On August 26, 1905, he landed on stones near Jakobstadt (Gulf of Bothnia) and was blown up by the crew.

The author's memory failed. "Volunteer" was cruising in Moonsund in October 1906. Sailing of mine cruisers to monitor smuggling was stopped by decision of the Ministry of the Interior in early December 1906 (RGAVMF. F. 417. Op. 1. D. 3539. L. 173).

In 1907, the "Volunteer" began the campaign on March 19, 1907, made a number of short training trips to the sea, after which he was again in the armed reserve from March 26 to May 10.

The stretch between the islands of Dago (Hiiumaa) and Ezel (Saaremaa).

The Baltic Customs Cruiser Flotilla was established in 1868. For information about its activities and the ships included in it, see: Ryagin S.K. Marine border guards of Russia // Gangut. Sat. articles. Issue. 4. St. Petersburg, 1992, pp. 70–80; Moshkov F. Marine Border Guard of Russia: from Peter I to the present day. SPb., 2003, pp. 13–39.

At that time, the captain of the 1st rank retired (10/17/1905) Vasily Gustavovich Vevel von Kruger (07/21/1854-?) was the head of the Vindava commercial port. He graduated from the Naval College (1875), from 1875 he served on commercial ships.

Although rare, warships still entered Vindava. So, "Volunteer" visited this port already on March 23-24, 1907 as part of a detachment of mine cruisers (RGAVMF. F. 870. Op. 1. D. 35691. L. 14 rev.).

Now Lieutenant Schmidt Bridge.

The presence of distillers on ships was necessary, since in the case of use in steam boilers sea ​​water salt scale quickly disabled them. In the case of using exclusively received from the shore fresh water significantly reduced the area of ​​the ship.

It should be noted that the detachment really managed to change the attitude towards the fleet of many residents of the capital.

Judging by the logbook, the Volunteer, along with other ships, moved to Kronstadt on May 28, and a day later returned to St. Petersburg, where it stayed from May 30 to June 5, after which it followed to Biorca, and from there to Moonzund (RGAVMF. F. 870. Inventory 1. D. 35691. L. 19v., 20).

Artillery weapons "Volunteer" at that time consisted of two 75-mm and six 57-mm guns. In the winter of 1909/10 on the former mine cruisers, instead of the indicated weapons, two 102-mm guns with a barrel length of 60 calibers were installed. 120-mm guns (albeit with a barrel length of 45 calibers) were available only on the Black Sea mine cruisers of the Lieutenant Shestakov type.

Treknays Voldemar Andreevich (26.02.1877-?), court councilor (25.11.1908).

Zort August Avgustovich (1861-?), State Councilor (06.12.1911).

We are talking about Lydia Khrisanfovna Zort, nee Mosolova, the daughter of a real state councilor.

Hungerburg, Hungerburg ("Hungry City" - German.) - a village at the mouth of the river. Narova. Known since the 16th century. AT late XIX- the beginning of the XX century. - summer cottage and resort for Petersburgers. In 1922 it was renamed Narva-Yyesuu (Ust-Narva). In the manuscript of G.K. The Count is erroneously called Gungenburg.

We are talking about the commander of the mine cruiser "Volunteer" Adam Vishkar, who drowned on June 30, 1907 (RGAVMF. F. 417. Op. 2. D. 966. L. 68).

The Whitehead self-propelled mine of 1904 was the first 450 mm torpedo adopted by the Russian fleet.

Balk Sergey Zakharovich (04/04/1866 - 02/27/1913), captain of the 1st rank (12/06/1910).

Smirnov 3rd Mikhail Ivanovich (06/18/1880–1940), Rear Admiral (11/20/1918).

The review, held on August 27, 1907, near Biorca, was attended by 20 mine cruisers and destroyers. Maneuvering at a speed of about 17 knots, they made 10 rebuilds within an hour.

The review had another positive effect, which was extremely important in the atmosphere of Essen's struggle for the money and coal necessary for the voyage of the detachment. Here is a telegram from the emperor to the Minister of the Sea, Adjutant General I.M. Dikov (the Shtandart yacht, August 28, 1907): “Today I reviewed nineteen mine ships of the detachment of Rear Admiral Essen and was present at evolutions and maneuvers and was quite pleased with the result of the diligent and friendly work of the detachment personnel. I wish the detachment to continue the campaign for two weeks to complete the entire training program. I am sending you a charitable order for a review through my flag-captain. Nicholas” (RGAVMF. F. 417. Op. 1. D. 3656. L. 393).

Interestingly, the next day the imperial yacht "Standard" flew out onto the rocks. N.O. was appointed chairman of the commission to investigate this incident. von Essen.

End of free trial.

In the Baltic Fleet in 1908, the 1st mine division was formed, consisting of 37 destroyers and the 2nd mine division, consisting of 10 destroyers and 16 destroyers. In 1916, during the First World War, both of these divisions were combined into one. In 1922, the mine division of the Baltic Fleet was disbanded. In the Black Sea Fleet, a mine division consisting of 1 cruiser, 17 destroyers and destroyers and 4 submarines was formed in 1911. In 1914, it was reorganized into a mine brigade. In 1920-1921, a mine division consisting of 10 destroyers and 5 destroyers existed as part of the Volga-Caspian military flotilla, then it was reorganized into a separate destroyer division of the Naval Forces of the Caspian Sea.

In the 1940s, destroyer divisions were created in the Navy of the Armed Forces of the USSR as formations of the light forces of the fleet.

Notes

1. // Military encyclopedia: [in 18 volumes] / ed. V. F. Novitsky [i dr.]. - St. Petersburg. ; [ M. ] : Type. t-va I. D. Sytin, 1911-1915.
2. Mine division // Military encyclopedia / I. D. Sergeev. - Moscow: Military Publishing House, 2001. - T. 5. - S. 139. - ISBN 5-203-1876-6.

As mentioned earlier, the plan future war was developed and prepared at the Naval General Staff based on the alleged actions of the enemy. The plan was based on a series of defensive measures designed to prevent the enemy from advancing deep into the Gulf of Finland east of the Revel-Porkala-Udd line during the first two weeks from the start of the war, in order to ensure the completion of the mobilization of troops guards corps and the Petersburg Military District and enable ground forces concentrate to repel the landing.

One of the most effective measures of that time consisted in creating a “Central mine position” at the indicated line and, in the event of an enemy attempt to force it, conducting battle with all available there maritime forces. Any deviation from this plan had to be agreed upon by the Conference under the chairmanship of the sovereign himself. The Chief of the Naval General Staff, Rusin, informed the Commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral von Essen, of this by telegram dated July 12, 1914.

Explaining the need for preventive laying of mines, Rusin pointed out: “... the setting of the main minefield should be carried out by special order of the sovereign. Now to have everything in full readiness and vigilantly watch the enemy. If we turn to the statistics of mine laying, then the fact that the ships of the Baltic Fleet laid 38,932 mines during the entire war attracts attention. 69 enemy ships were blown up by mines, including 48 sank.

Events in the world in the summer of 1914 developed at lightning speed. On July 13, 1914, Admiral Essen again received a telegram from St. Petersburg from Rusin, announcing that this day was being declared the first day of the "preparatory period for war." From that moment until the very beginning of the war, Essen's headquarters worked in emergency mode to carry out defensive measures. It became quite clear that war could break out any day, and until this happened, it was required in as soon as possible have time to regroup forces in the Baltic and eliminate the existing shortcomings. The commander of the Baltic Fleet was greatly alarmed by the delay by the Naval General Staff of the final decision on the issue of laying mines in the "Central Positions".

On the other hand, Essen was confident in Rusyn, who did everything possible to ensure that he was allowed to start mining even before the German fleet was in threatening proximity to the Russian shores. Accordingly, the mines had to be delivered before the official announcement of mobilization.

This work, although familiar to the Baltic Mine Division due to the previously conducted training mines, but, of course, did not belong to the category of easy ones. As you know, for greater efficiency, mines should have been laid out in eight lines with a recess of 4.9 m at mine intervals of 45.7–85.7 m.

On July 15, 1914, Admiral Essen's flag-captain, Captain 1st Rank Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak entered the cabin of Admiral Essen, who delivered a telegram from Admiral Rusin to the chief: "The Austrians declared war on Serbia and mobilized 8 corps of their army." Thinking for a moment, von Essen said anxiously: "Now soon" ...

The commander of the Baltic Fleet turned out to be right. On the morning of July 16, 1914 (old style), a new telegram arrived at his headquarters: “The Naval Minister ordered the training detachments to be disbanded. Probably, the mobilization of the fleet of the Kyiv, Odessa, Kazan and Moscow districts will be announced today.

At 2:50 pm the same day, von Essen telegraphed to St. Petersburg. “I consider it necessary to put up a barrier now. I'm afraid to be late." An hour later, the radio of the Naval General Staff reported that, according to Russian military agents, the German fleet was heading from Kiel to Danzig. It was no longer possible to delay. After reading this report, Admiral von Essen, addressing his officers, said:

Let me then be replaced, but I will put up a barrier, - and ordered to prepare his radio order to the fleet. Then he suddenly became thoughtful and canceled his order. A disciplined military man defeated an ardent patriot in him ... After all, the laying of mines should take place only at the behest of the sovereign. He could not disobey him at such a time. Instead of issuing an appropriate order, von Essen sent one of the flag officers to St. Petersburg, to the Naval General Staff, to clarify the situation, but immediately, in pursuit, sent a telegram to the Naval Minister Grigorovich: “Please report on the political situation. If I don't get an answer tonight, I'll put up barriers in the morning."

In the first hour of the night, a telegram from the commander of the Baltic Fleet was brought to the Chief of the Naval General Staff. Rusin read it fluently and ordered to urgently call his assistants to him - Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Konstantinovich Pilkin and Captain 2nd Rank Vasily Mikhailovich Altfatter. When both of them appeared on the threshold of Rusin's office, he immediately announced to them:

We all need to report to the Minister of the Navy. Perhaps he will be able to persuade the sovereign to allow him to put up a minefield. There is not a minute to lose!

Soon the officers arrived at the apartment of the Minister of the Navy, Admiral Ivan Konstantinovich Grigorovich. Then he got up, dressed, went out, but, having learned from the arrivals about the reason for the night visit, he hesitated, and then firmly refused to disturb the sovereign at such a late hour.

Do you understand, Ivan Alexandrovich, - said Grigorovich, turning to Rusin, - that laying mines can be considered by the Triple Alliance as a hostile act and an open aggressive action, unjustified by the political situation?

But we have confirmed data about the transition of the German fleet to Danzig, Rusin objected to him.

The Naval Minister remained adamant. The Chief of the Naval General Staff had no choice but to bow and retire with his flag officers. Walking with them along the sleeping street for only a few steps in thought, Rusin said:

There is, perhaps, another way to draw the attention of the sovereign to the urgency of our request ... That's what, gentlemen, you now go to Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, and I will go to my place and will wait for news from you, so that upon receipt of it, immediately send a telegram to the commander of the fleet . God knows, perhaps the Grand Duke will not refuse us to point out to the sovereign the whole complexity of the situation, or even take responsibility for ordering the laying of mines. One way or another, but he is the commander of the troops of the St. Petersburg Military District!

The admiral returned to headquarters, and Altfatter and Pilkin went to the Grand Duke's palace on Petrovskaya Embankment, recently rebuilt by architect A.S. Khrenov.

The long-absent flag officers brought disappointing news from the palace. The Grand Duke, raised from his bed, listened attentively to their report, but also categorically refused to disturb the sovereign and intervene in "marine affairs" himself. After listening to this news, Admiral Rusin thought about it.

Well, - he said after a long pause, - the war is undoubtedly on the threshold. And we will do the following. Go, gentlemen, now to the apartment of General Yanushkevich, for he, as chief of the land General Staff, according to the regulations on the field command of the troops, with the declaration of war, becomes the chief of staff of the Supreme Commander. Explain everything to him and return as soon as possible with an answer.

Pilkin and Altfatter departed, and Rusin, left alone, recalled that it had previously been agreed between him and Essen that upon receiving a command to lay mines, a telegram would be sent to the commander with one word - “Lightning”. Having received it, von Essen immediately gets down to business, and the minelayers go to sea. No one knows about this word, only the two of them ... “In that case, this is useful,” he remembered the words of von Essen, “if the enemy penetrates our ciphers ...” Time seemed to drag on incredibly slowly. The admiral looked at his watch. Four o'clock in the morning. In half an hour, von Essen will send his minelayers to the sea. By all means, it is necessary to cover up his actions, because for violating the order of the sovereign emperor, he will not escape removal from office. And the commander of the Baltic Fleet is not only a necessary person in the conditions of an impending war, but in terms of the totality of his qualities and skills, he is practically irreplaceable. Having torn off the letterhead of the Naval General Staff, Admiral Rusin wrote on it in large handwriting: “To the fleet - urgently. "Lightning"", and called the officer on duty.

Try to send urgently. Out of line. And quickly ... - and the transmitted text of the telegram rushed to Essen's headquarters.

Meanwhile, the flag officers sent to Yanushkevich had not yet appeared. The minutes of the night dragged on. The very stillness of the night was oppressive. But then there was a knock on the door, and the long-awaited messengers appeared on the threshold. Their faces shone.

Rusin rose from the table with relief.

I sincerely thank you, gentlemen, and I won’t detain you anymore, ”Rusin turned to the flag officers. A stone fell from my soul. The role of the coast is fulfilled. Now it's up to the fleet!

At four o'clock in the morning, the commander of the Baltic Fleet, von Essen, was awakened - at his own request. First of all, he inquired whether the telegram had come from the Naval General Staff. The flagship radiotelegraph officer replied in the negative. Without delaying more than a minute, von Essen gave the order to transmit over the radio to the head of the detachment of minelayers, Rear Admiral Vasily Alexandrovich Kanin and the head of the 4th destroyer division, captain 1st rank P.V. Viltken, just one conditional word: “Buki”. The Slavic name of the letter “B” in the code of naval signals meant: in case the cars were stopped, the order “Suddenly drop anchor for everyone” or “Set a move”, and if not, “Big move”. Kanin and Wiltken knew that in this case, the Buka's order meant the anchoring and leaving of the ships to lay mines.

At 04:18, a radiotelegraph officer again entered the admiral's cabin, reporting on an urgent radio with a strange code that had just been received from the Chief of the Naval General Staff, which could not be deciphered.

What a word? von Essen asked the officer.

- "Lightning", Your Excellency, - came the answer; The Admiral breathed a sigh of relief.

Soon, von Essen was brought an official radio telegram from the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, which read: "I allow you to put the main minefield." Meanwhile, the destroyers and minelayers had long been at sea.

At 6:54 am naval forces A telegram signed by von Essen was sent to the Baltic Fleet from the commander's headquarters: "I am starting to set up the main minefield." By this time, four minelayers in the formation of the front had already approached the place where this setting began.

At 6:55 a.m., the first mine rolled down the rails through the open “mine port” into the sea, flopping heavily into the water, raising a column of spray. Mine officers on minelayers stood with stopwatches in their hands, carefully watching the non-stop rotating arrows. At 10:30 a.m., the last mine was laid by the minelayers. In three and a half hours, two thousand one hundred and twenty-four mines were installed in eight lines! The mine-laying operation was covered by ships cruising on the Packerort meridian, with destroyers on patrol. At 11:30 a.m., von Essen sent a telegram to the Naval General Staff about the completion of the installation of barriers. The admiral reported that during the operation not a single mine surfaced, and 11 of those delivered exploded.

... A little later on the same day, at the highest reception, Admiral Grigorovich had the opportunity to report this to the sovereign. Smooth and calm as usual, the sovereign, having heard about the mines exposed in the Baltic, changed in a minute. He turned sharply to Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, who was present at the reception, and indignantly asked:

Is that what you ordered?

Grand Duke before he could open his mouth, the voice of General Yanushkevich rang out:

Your Majesty, it was I who gave the order.

Hearing this, the sovereign again assumed his usual expression and, without any hint of displeasure, almost indifferently said, addressing the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief:

Oh, it's you ... - the conversation ended there.

In the evening, at 20:00, a message was received at von Essen's headquarters that Germany had declared war on Russia.

... In total, in 1914, 3440 mines were exposed in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe "Central mine position" and in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bskerries. In October, after the death of the cruiser Pallada, mines from the engineering department were placed on wires in the Surop pass. After setting mines on August 4, 1914 by the German layer "Deutschland" at von Essen's headquarters, it was concluded that the enemy did not have an immediate goal to penetrate deep into the Gulf of Finland and land troops, as previously assumed. Nevertheless, the Commander of the Baltic Fleet ordered a transition to mine-blocking operations in the middle and mainly in the southern part of the Baltic Sea. The minefields placed in the southern part of the Baltic Sea turned out to be very effective, because they were located on the most important communication routes of the German fleet and on key fairways.

And already on November 17, 1914, the Friedrich Karl armored cruiser hit two minefields near Memel and sank. The Elbing steamer sent to help him from Memel also landed on a minefield and also sank.

Since the beginning of 1915 Baltic Fleet began laying mines in the northern part of the future "Forward Position" - a new defensive line, in the Dago - Ganges region. German cruisers repeatedly approached this area, which created the impression of preparation offensive operation. However, due to the lack of mines, more minefields were not placed at the "Forward Position".

In 1915, minefields were installed in the Gulf of Riga and Moonsund. Fully The New Frontier defense was equipped in 1916.

On January 25, 1915, near Arkona, the German cruiser Augsburg hit one barrier, and the cruiser Gazelle hit another. And although both cruisers were able to save, the Gazelle was so damaged that it was declared beyond repair.

In our story about the great mine war against the Germans, one cannot fail to mention the operation on August 27, 1915 to block the Irben Strait, which connects the Gulf of Riga and the Baltic Sea and is located between the Estonian island of Saaremaa and the Latvian mainland coast, called Irbenka by sailors.

Her command of the Baltic Fleet entrusted four destroyers of the Okhotnik type, four destroyers of the 1st division and the destroyer Novik. Special importance was attached to ensuring the operation, since the laying of mines was caused by the German offensive in Courland and their occupation of Libava and Vindava.

Under these conditions, the Gulf of Riga acquired the significance of the flank area of ​​the land front of the Russian troops. The entrance to this bay was virtually defenseless, and the only means that could at least to some extent delay the penetration of the ships of the German fleet into the Gulf of Riga was the setting of the Irben barrier.

To achieve this goal, the fleet command allocated the Sevastopol and Gangut battleships, as well as the Oleg and Bogatyr cruisers and 4 destroyers. This operation was the only mine laying in the Irben Strait, for which even battleships were used!

According to the plan of the operation, it was planned to simultaneously flood the steamships and life in the Gulf of Riga, but due to the increased wind, this part of the operation was postponed. But part of the operation to lay a minefield was completed by the ships in full. In total, the destroyers dropped 310 mines into the sea. The operation was successful, and the enemy never appeared here.

Later, the minefield was defended by the Slava battleship, gunboats and destroyers. In the summer of 1916, the German destroyer "149" was blown up on the barrier near Memel.

Based on the effective deployment of minefields, the command of the Baltic Fleet considered it necessary to ask the Headquarters for permission to mine the entire Abo-Oland region from Gange to the coast of Sweden ...

Russian fleet

Chapter III.

The current state of the Russian Navy.

The Supreme Command of the Russian Imperial Fleet belongs to the Sovereign Emperor as the Supreme Leader.

At the head of the Naval Ministry and all naval forces is the Naval Minister.

At the head of the naval forces of the Baltic and Black Seas are naval commanders, and at the head of the Siberian flotilla, the commander of this flotilla, equal in rights to the commanders of the naval forces.

The commander is the chief naval commander of the given sea and all squadrons, detachments and ships of the operating fleet, 1st and 2nd reserves, means of observation and communications, as well as chief commanders and port commanders in all, with the exception of economic and administrative, relations and management, are subordinate to him. port personnel. The commanders of the naval forces, in comparison with the military commanders of the land, correspond to the commanders of the troops of the military districts.

The regulation on the commanders of the naval forces THE HIGHEST was approved on May 9, 1911 and announced by order of the maritime department on May 27, 1911 No. 150.

Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea.

BUT. von Essen, participant in the war of 1904-1905, in Port Arthur, holder of the Order of St. George 4th class, former combat commander of the cruiser Novik and the battleship Sevastopol.

active fleet.

The current fleet consists of: brigade battleships, a brigade of cruisers, two mine divisions, a detachment of minelayers and a brigade of submarines.

Brigade of battleships: "Andrew the First-Called» (1906), "Emperor Paul I"(1907), "Tsesarevich".(1901) and "Glory"(1903); with the brigade - an armored cruiser " Rurik"(1906).

From a photo by A.D. Dalmatova.

The battleship "Andrew the First-Called".

The same type of "Emperor Paul I"; differs in that it has a red stripe on the pipe in the middle of it.

Cruiser Brigade: « Thunderous"(1899), "Admiral Makarov"(1907), "Pallada"(1906)

1st Mine Division consists of divisions: 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 8-9 destroyers each, and one division special purpose from 4 destroyers; in total, the division has 37 destroyers and three auxiliary transports.

Cruiser "Admiral Makarov".

(The cruiser had this type until the autumn of 1911; at present, it has two masts. The Pallada and Bayan are of the same type with it; these cruisers differ from each other in different arrangements of blue stripes on the pipes).

2nd Mine Division consists of three divisions: 5th, 6th and 7th, with 8-9 destroyers each, and two special-purpose destroyers; in total there are 10 squadrons in the division. destroyers, 17 destroyers and 7 auxiliary transports.

A detailed list of destroyers and surface boats is included in Appendix 1.

Retrieval Squad: "Amur", "Yenisei", "Volga", "Ladoga", "Onega" and "Narova".

Submarine brigade consists of two divisions. In total, the brigade has 11 submarines and two auxiliary vessels.

Auxiliary court operating fleet consist of two transports "Anadyr" and "Riga".

1st reserve.

Cruisers "Russia", "Aurora", "Oleg", "Bogatyr" and gunboat "Khivinets".

2nd reserve.

Vessels of the second reserve are part of the training detachments.

Artillery Training Detachment: battleship "Emperor Alexander II", training ship "Peter the Great" and two messenger ships.

Mine Training Detachment: training ship "Dvina" and transport "Nikolai".

Consolidated reserve detachment of destroyers from 2 squadrons. destroyers, 11 destroyers and 1 destroyer.

Training detachment of the Naval Corps: training ships "Warrior", "Loyal" and gunboat "Brave".

Diving training squad- from two submarines.

Special purpose ships: 5 gunboats and 2 training ships.

Naval Forces of the Black Sea.

The Commander of the Naval Forces is Vice Admiral A.A. Eberhard (former boss Naval General Staff).

active fleet.

Black Sea detachment.

Brigade of battleships: "St. Evstafiy"(1906), "John Chrysostom"(1906), "Panteleimon"(1900) and "Rostislav"(1896). With a cruiser brigade "Cahul"(1902).

Black Sea Mine Division consists of a cruiser "Memory of Mercury"(1903), 3 destroyer divisions and submarine divisions; a total of 13 squadrons in the division. destroyers, 4 destroyers and 4 submarines.

The barriers "Prut" and "Danube".

Auxiliary court- two transports: "Kronstadt" and "Dnieper".

1st reserve.

battleships "George the Victorious" and "Three Saints" .

Gunboats: "Donetsk", "Terez", "Ural", "Kuban" and "Zaporozhets".

2nd reserve.

Training Detachment of the Black Sea Fleet: battleship "Sinop", one transport and one messenger ship.

Black Sea Reserve Destroyer Division consists of 10 numbered destroyers.

Siberian Flotilla.

active fleet.

It consists of two cruisers, a mine brigade and a submarine division.

Cruisers: "Askold"(1900) and "Pearl"(1903).

mine brigade consists of two divisions: a total of 9 squadrons in the brigade. destroyers and 11 destroyers.

Submarine division consists of 12 submarines.

1st reserve.

Gunboat "Manjur", 7 numbered destroyers and 7 transports.

Caspian flotilla.

Operating fleet: gunboats Kars and "Ardagan".

Amur River Flotilla.

active fleet. It consists of 10 river gunboats (with two 75-mm guns and four machine guns each). They end with the construction of 5 river 4-turret armored gunboats (with 2 6-inch guns, 4 120-mm guns and 7 machine guns each) and 10 messenger ships.

In the summer of 1911, battleships of the Dreadnought type were launched: Sevastopol, Poltava, Petropavlovsk and Gangut. They will be finally ready for sailing in two years.

Destroyers are called destroyers with a displacement of 335 tons or more, and destroyers with less than 335 tons.