And it so happened that, discussing one of the articles here on VO, some readers in the comments expressed the idea that, they say, sailors like to believe in omens. Superstitious, they say, they are the people. It is, of course, impossible to say unequivocally neither "yes" nor "no", but here is what material I found in my archive on this topic:
“As you know, in the pre-revolutionary common people in Russia, people used to believe in all sorts of nonsense. They perceived the fatal influence of the weather on historical events: “It was not for good, it was so purring and circling, so the testicles went up in price!" Well, and even about the evil influence of black cats crossing the road, or about the misfortune from spilled salt, you can not even remember. It was not good to cut a finger, to see a tooth that had fallen out with blood in a dream, to meet a journalist on its way (!), Well, and even then it was believed that whatever you name the ship, it will float. That is why it has become fashionable in our country to give the ships the names of saints (what if they intercede? The ships were also named in honor of the reigning persons. In particular, the battleship launched in anticipation of the deterioration of Russian-Japanese relations was named in honor of Tsar Alexander III - the 13th All-Russian Emperor - “Emperor Alexander III (launched - August 3, 1901). It is interesting that his sister-thorns, built according to the same project, were the battleships "Prince Suvorov" (September 25, 1902), "Borodino" (September 8, 1901), "Eagle" (July 6, 1902) and "Glory" (August 29, 1903), so that the entire series included five modern battleships of that time with the location of all the guns in the towers, both the main caliber and the auxiliary.
Squadron battleship "Emperor Alexander III": photograph on a postcard.
The Russian magazine "Niva" for 1901 reported that the strengthening of the imperial military fleet is an urgent need so that it can equal the forces with the fleets of other great powers, and therefore should be welcomed in every possible way. As always, when they talked about money in Russia, it was said that they were not enough, but nevertheless, the required amount of 80 million rubles was found "for shipbuilding", and the business began to move forward quickly, and the ships descended annually, and even two at once! And now, they say, the battleship named after Emperor Alexander III, who died in the Bose, is preparing to descend on the water, and this is very good news for everyone and everyone.
Then it was also noted there that already on July 2 of the next year, 1902, the battleship was ready to be launched. At 12:30 in the presence of their majesties, as well as generals and admirals, a celebration began in the shed of the Baltic plant, and in this regard he himself was all decorated with flags and pine garlands. The pavilion for the august family, from where she watched what was happening, was also most luxuriously decorated with greenery and flowers.
Battleship "Emperor Alexander III": main battery guns.
The magazine reported that this battleship is a "real sea giant" with a bright red underwater part and a dark gray top. The displacement of the vessel is about 14 thousand tons; and its speed reaches 18 knots. The number of guns reaches 62, including four main calibers, 12 inches each. In general, the journalists painted the ship in the most impressive way possible, so, reading the material about it, it became really obvious that the sea power of the state is growing by leaps and bounds.
Battleship "Borodino".
It was not for nothing that textbooks for cadet corps of that time wrote that Russia was an unusual state: it was not a commercial state, and not even an industrial one, but … a military one, and fate itself had prepared for it the role of being a threat to the peoples! Yes, that's exactly what it was written there, and the cadets had to harden this maxim by heart! And, of course, other messages about ships of this series - of the same type as "Prince Suvorov" - who have not heard of his military glory and victories, "Borodino" - "the field of Russian glory, where the lucky star has sunk," could not but rejoice the Russian inhabitants. Napoleon "," Eagle "-" the royal bird "and" Glory "- one name of which speaks for itself.
The battleship "Prince Suvorov".
Singing the hymn "God Save the Tsar!" Reign on fear of enemies, Orthodox Tsar! God save the Tsar! " The battleship was freed from its chains, and it shuddered and began to move slowly along the slipway greased with lard. The crowd roared, drums beat, the sailors on the deck of the descent ship also sang the anthem, and state flags hoisted on all flagpoles: admiralty, of course - imperial, admiral-general and various others. The sun played on the gold of epaulets and diamonds on the ladies' outfits, and meanwhile Fate had already celebrated this celebration and was preparing to turn it into its direct opposite.
Squadron battleship "Prince Suvorov" at the time of launching, September 12, 1902.
In fact, it is possible, not without reason, to assert that the last emperor of Russia was pursued by an evil fate. Start at least with the death of his father, because of which evil tongues later said that the young queen "came for the grave"; then the well-known "Khodynska", and now this catastrophe has also been added to them … And after all, it had to happen that at the most crucial moment of launching the ship, a strong squall flew into the city, it started pouring rain and a very strong gusty wind blew …
And he was so strong that he tore off a huge flag on top of a crane that stood on a pontoon right here on the Neva, and threw it along with the flagpole towards the people on the embankment! Its length was 2.5 fathoms - that is, about five meters, and the weight was appropriate. And so he struck a blow to the heads of many of those who stood there!
Battleship "Eagle" at the time of launching (photo from "Niva" magazine).
The magazine reported that the gendarme colonel V. P. Pyramidov, “having painted the flag with his blood,” immediately died without regaining consciousness. Young pupils of the Naval Engineering School named after Emperor Nicholas I, who were brought here for a festive ceremony, were also fatally injured. The pupil Gustomesov was also punctured by the flagpole with a flagstaff, and he, like Colonel Pyramidov, died on the spot. Another pupil, Van der Beerden, died half an hour later, already on the way to the hospital. Other pupils also suffered: someone received a concussion, someone a crack in the skull.
Now imagine what impression did the incident make on the smartly dressed audience on the embankment ?! The people silently dispersed, discussing that “it’s a bad omen,” and all this is very “not good”.
Squadron battleship "Prince Suvorov" at the outfitting pier of the Baltic shipyard, 1903.
The victims of the disaster were buried on 24 July. Young pupils were buried in the church of the naval hospital, and were buried in a mass grave at the Semenovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg. The cross over the grave was also put on a common cross, and the inscription on it said that those who died during the launching of the battleship "Emperor Alexander III" are buried here.
Squadron battleship "Prince Suvorov" in Kronstadt, early August 1904.
Well, so how can you not believe in omens after that? The sailors themselves believed that something happened to the ships with which something happened when they were launched into the water, in the future something will certainly happen, and here it is not that misfortune, but the most real murder happened, the blood of innocents was shed, and even flooded flag - a sign worse than ever! However, just thinking like that is one thing, but serving on a ship, with which all sorts of various troubles occur, is quite another! For example, in 1903, during sea trials, the battleship began to draw water from the open gun ports of the onboard battery of 75-mm guns, and only by shifting the rudder and stopping the course, the ship was saved from turning upside down by the keel!
The question that both the sailors and the officers of the ships of this entire series began to ask themselves in those years could only be one: will the spread of the influence of this omen be limited to only one ship, or will the curse fall on the entire series, because the ships are of the same type, similar as if twins, and "Alexander" in the construction was the head … And what about "Suvorov" … Will his name "overpower" the evil fate of the name of the thirteenth monarch? However, no one could give an answer to this question then. But many, undoubtedly, remembered this bad omen on May 14, 1905, when during the Tsushima battle the battleship "Emperor Alexander III" together with "Borodino", "Prince Suvorov" and "Eagle" entered the battle with the Japanese. And all … suffered severely and died one after another. "Prince Suvorov" was the flagship and was the first to fire a shot at the Japanese ships. However, the name of the famous commander did not help him. Soon he was bombarded with shells, a fire broke out on it, after which he soon died, and after him all the other ships of this ill-fated series. Only the battleship Eagle, which surrendered to the Japanese, and the Slava, which remained in the Baltic, were saved. Of the entire crew of the battleship, which included 867 officers and lower ranks, only one fireman Simon Kobets, born in 1870, survived, who was picked up by a Japanese ship. Only the sailor Semyon Yushchin escaped from the "Borodino", who did not lose his head under the water in the casemate, groped the gun port, opened it, and managed to emerge to the surface, where he was picked up. But from the "Prince Suvorov" they rescued both the wounded admiral and the staff members, but almost the entire crew of the flagship - 38 officers and most of the sailors on it were killed!
Officers of the battleship "Prince Suvorov". They gave the most precious thing for their country …
Of course, reasoning materialistically, some objective circumstances were the cause of the death of all these ships. But whoever wants to believe the opposite, can always say that the misfortune to "Emperor Alexander III" was "written in the family." But the name "Suvorov" … Well Suvorov, although he was a renowned commander, but still not a tsar, so his "happy" name could not change the unfortunate fate!"
