On May 18, Russia celebrates the Day of the Baltic Fleet, one of the four fleets in the Russian Navy and the oldest among all existing ones. The history of the Baltic Fleet is inextricably linked with the history of our country, the foundation of St. Petersburg, the development of lands around the Gulf of Finland and at the mouth of the Neva, with the era and the name of the first Russian emperor Peter I and his transformations that changed the country. For many years, the Baltic Fleet became the shield that reliably defended the new capital of Russia and the country's borders in the Baltic.
Historians accepted May 18, 1703 as the date of foundation of the Baltic Fleet, although the first ships of the future fleet were laid down at the end of 1702, and at the very beginning of winter 1703 it was decided to lay a powerful fleet in the Baltic, at the same time an approximate list of ships of the future fleet was drawn up. the first of which were built at the Novgorod and Pskov shipyards. Despite this, the date of birth of the fleet was May 18, the date is tied to the first victory that was won on the water. On the night of May 18, 30 boats with soldiers of the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments under the leadership of Peter I personally and his closest associate Alexander Menshikov, attacked two Swedish warships, which stopped at the mouth of the Neva.
The Swedes did not know that the Nyenskans fortress, near which they anchored, had previously been captured by Russian soldiers. Peter I skillfully took advantage of this negligence of the enemy. Thanks to a swift and sudden night attack, the bot "Gedan" and the shnyava "Astrild" from the squadron of the Swedish admiral Nummers were captured. On board the ships were 18 guns and 77 crew members, of which 58 were killed during the assault, and 19 were taken prisoner. The glorious victory of Russian weapons was the first military clash in the Baltic, the war moved from land to sea. The victory was symbolic and was of great importance for the formation of the entire Baltic Fleet.
L. D. Blinov. Taking the boat "Gedan" and the shnava "Astrild" at the mouth of the Neva. May 7, 1703
Formation and development of the Baltic Fleet
In 1703, Peter I founded the new capital of Russia, which is now known as St. Petersburg, in the same year, on the island of Kotlin, in the immediate vicinity of the city, the first fortifications began to be erected, which in the future will turn into the main base of the Baltic Fleet - Kronstadt. In the same 1703, the first sailing warship, which was built by Russian shipbuilders, entered the structure of the emerging fleet. It was a three-masted frigate "Standart", on board of which 28 guns were placed. In 1704, in St. Petersburg under construction, the Admiralty shipyard was laid, which for many years will become the most significant center of shipbuilding in our country. The initial and most important task of the Baltic Fleet was the defense of the new capital of the Russian state from the sea.
Already at the beginning of the 18th century, the Baltic Fleet was created as a large combat-ready formation that met all the requirements of its era. The main warships in those years were large battleships with a displacement of up to 1-2 thousand tons with two or three gun decks and double-deck frigates. The former could accommodate up to 90 guns of various calibers, and the frigates carried up to 45 guns. A distinctive feature of the Baltic Fleet in those years was the presence of a large number of galleys and other rowing ships. The main rowing vessel of the fleet of the era of Peter I was the scampway, which differs from the traditional galleys of Western Europe in better maneuverability and lightness of construction. Such ships were especially important, given the theater of operations in the Baltic, especially in the skerry areas of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.
By the end of the Northern War of 1700-1721, Russia had almost twice as many battleships in the Baltic than Sweden. By 1724, it was a formidable force, equipped with modern warships. The fleet included several hundred rowing ships and 141 sailing warships. Many victories of the Northern War were won with direct support and assistance from the fleet, with the assistance of the Baltic Fleet, Vyborg, Revel and Riga were taken. At the same time, the fleet inscribed in its history glorious naval victories - the Battle of Gangut (1714) and the Battle of Grengam (1720).
The frigate "Standart". Modern replica. Created from original drawings
Throughout the 18th and first quarter of the 19th century, the Baltic Fleet took part in military operations during the Russian-Swedish wars. The forces of the fleet took part in the 1st and 2nd Archipelago Expeditions, when the ships moved from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea, while the main hostilities were fought in the Aegean Sea, which in those years was often called the Greek Archipelago, which gave the name to the expeditions. As part of these campaigns, the Baltic sailors won major naval victories in the Battle of Chesme (1770), Athos (1807) and Navarino (1827).
During the Crimean War of 1853-1856, the Baltic Fleet coped with the task of repelling the attempts of the combined squadron of Great Britain and France to capture Kronstadt, as well as blockade St. Petersburg from the sea. It was during the Crimean War that Russian sailors first used minefields, the invention of which the scientist Boris Semenovich Yakobi had a hand in. The world's first underwater minefield was erected as early as 1854 between a chain of forts covering the Russian capital from the sea. The length of the first mine position was 555 meters.
The most tragic episode in the history of the Baltic Fleet is associated with the period of the Russo-Japanese War. To strengthen the naval grouping in the Far East in the Baltic, the Second Pacific Squadron was formed, which was later joined by Nebogatov's detachment. Unfortunately, the squadron was formed partly from new, and partly from old, outdated by the beginning of hostilities, warships, some of them were not intended at all for operations far from the coast. At the same time, the new ships were not well mastered by sailors and officers. Despite all the difficulties, the squadron honorably made the transition from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, having overcome more than 30 thousand kilometers and reached the Sea of Japan, without losing combat ships along the way. However, here the squadron was completely defeated by the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Tsushima, 21 Russian warships went to one, the squadron alone lost more than five thousand people, more than six thousand sailors were captured by the Japanese.
Dreadnought "Sevastopol" at the quay wall of the Baltic Shipyard
It was already possible to restore the combat capability of the fleet by the beginning of the First World War as part of a large-scale shipbuilding program being implemented in the country; by 1914, the Baltic Fleet was again a formidable force and one of the most powerful fleets in the world. The fleet included the latest steam-turbine dreadnoughts of the "Sevastopol" type, these battleships have seriously increased the power of the fleet. During the war years, the seamen of the Baltic Fleet carried out a large number of mine-protection operations, deploying more than 35 thousand mines. In addition, the Baltic sailors actively operated on the communications of the German fleet, provided the defense of the water area of the Gulf of Finland and Petrograd, and supported the operations of the ground forces. The fleet will have to solve these combat missions during the Second World War.
Baltic Fleet during the Great Patriotic War
During the Great Patriotic War, sailors and submariners of the Baltic Fleet, working closely with the ground forces, conducted a number of significant defensive and offensive operations, participating in hostilities on water, land and air from the first day of the war on June 22, 1941. In cooperation with the land armies, the Baltic Fleet carried out defensive operations on the Moonzund Islands, the Hanko Peninsula, defended Tallinn, and in 1941-1943 took a direct part in the defense of Leningrad. In 1944-1945, the forces of the fleet took a direct part in offensive operations and the defeat of the opposing German troops in the Leningrad region, as well as in the Baltic states, on the territory of East Prussia and Eastern Pomerania.
During the most terrible period of the war, in the summer and autumn of 1941, the stubbornness of the Baltic sailors and land units in the defense of the naval bases of Liepaja, Tallinn, the Hanko Peninsula delayed the advance of enemy units and contributed to the weakening of the offensive of the Germans and their allies to Leningrad. It is worth noting that it was from the airfields located on Ezel Island (the largest island in the Mondzun archipelago) that long-range bombers from the Baltic Fleet Air Force launched the first bombing strikes on the German capital in August 1941. These bombings of Berlin were of great political, diplomatic and propaganda significance, proving to the whole world that the USSR is ready and will continue to fight. At the same time, only in 1941, surface ships, submarines and aircraft of the Baltic Fleet were able to deploy more than 12 thousand mines.
During the war, a huge number of sailors disembarked from ships and fought against the Nazi invaders as part of ground units and subunits. It is believed that more than 110 thousand sailors from the Baltic Fleet fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. More than 90 thousand Baltic sailors were mobilized only for the land defense sectors of Leningrad in the most difficult time for the city. At the same time, the Baltic Fleet did not stop the landing operations on the flanks and rear of the advancing troops, and ensured the regrouping of the front units. In the most difficult months, the aviation of the fleet supported the ground forces, delivering bomb and assault strikes against enemy troops near Leningrad. The advancing infantry and enemy tanks and their artillery batteries were attacked by naval artillery of the fleet and coastal batteries. In total, during the war years, more than 100 thousand Baltic sailors were nominated for various government medals and orders, 137 people were awarded the highest degree of distinction of the USSR - they became Heroes of the Soviet Union.
Russian Baltic Fleet today
In modern realities, the Baltic Fleet has not lost its importance, continuing to protect the areas of production activity and economic zones of the Russian Federation. As at the very beginning of its appearance, one of the main bases of the Baltic Fleet remains Kronstadt on Kotlin Island in the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg. At the same time, the anchorage of ships and the base of the fleet are located within the boundaries of the modern city, therefore the warships of the Baltic Fleet standing at the city's berths are one of the attractions of Kronstadt and a point of attraction for tourists. The second main base of the Baltic Fleet is the city of Baltiysk, located in the Kaliningrad region.
As of May 2019, the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy includes 52 surface ships and one diesel submarine of project 877EKM - B-807 Dmitrov. At the same time, the personnel of the Baltic Fleet is estimated at about 25 thousand people. The flagship of the fleet is the destroyer Nastoichivy, a rank I ship, a Project 956 destroyer Sarych. Also in recent years, the fleet has been replenished with the latest patrol ships of the near sea zone. These are patrol ships of the II rank of project 20380 "Guarding", these warships can be classified as corvettes. In total, the Baltic Fleet includes 4 such ships: "Guarding" (entered service in 2007), "Smart" (2011), "Boyky" (2013), "Stoic" (2014).
Ships of the Baltic Fleet in St. Petersburg. In the foreground - the Corvette "Stoyky" of project 20380
In the last few years, the fleet has been replenished with Project 21631 small missile ships Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov. These ships, despite their small size and displacement, are equipped with modern high-precision missile systems "Caliber". The fleet also included a tactical group of high-speed landing boats of projects 21820 and 11770 and a modern sea minesweeper of project 12700, a feature of which is a hull made of composite materials. Due to the implementation of the State Defense Order program, the Baltic Fleet aviation is re-equipping with heavy multipurpose Su-30SM fighters. Also, modern S-400 Triumph air defense systems and Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and cannon systems were put into service, and the coastal troops were replenished with modern Bal and Bastion missile systems.
