White fleet. Big white fleet. The Birth of the American Baton Prefix of ships and vessels

Naval formations of the White movement in the Civil War of 1917-22. in Russia, which included fleets, flotillas, detachments and other formations of ships and auxiliary vessels. The White Fleet included both specially built warships and mobilized and requisitioned ships.

The personnel were represented by naval officers and sailors of the Russian military and merchant fleet, as well as officers of the ground armies.

The naval units of the White Fleet were subordinate to the leadership of the White armies.

In the government of Admiral A.V. Kolchak, when he was the Supreme Ruler of Russia, there was a Navy Ministry headed by Rear Admiral M.I. Smirnov, who tried to manage the entire White Fleet. However, real control was significantly limited by the situation.

Black Sea Fleet

The White Black Sea Fleet was created in January 1919 in Novorossiysk as part of the Volunteer Army. In July 1919, the base of the Black Sea Fleet was transferred to Sevastopol.

The Black Sea Fleet was subordinated successively to the command of the Volunteer Army, the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (AFSR) and the Russian Army of General Baron P. N. Wrangel.

The fleet was commanded at different times by Vice Admiral V.A. Kanin; Rear Admiral, and later Vice Admiral M.P. Sablin; Vice Admiral D.V. Nenyukov; Vice Admiral A. M. Gerasimov, Rear Admiral, and later Vice Admiral M. A. Kedrov, Rear Admiral M. A. Behrens.

The first to be included in the fleet were the requisitioned icebreaker Polezny, the submarine Tyulen and the gunboat K-15. In April 1919, they were joined by the cruiser Cahul. By the summer of 1919, the fleet already had more than 10 warships and vessels for other purposes. The fleet became especially large in 1920: it consisted of more than 120 ships, which included the battleship General Alekseev, 1 cruiser, 3 auxiliary cruisers, 8 destroyers and 9 gunboats.

The Black Sea Fleet included a subordinate naval detachment for the defense of the Sea of Azov, which included 8 gunboats. Since May 1919, this detachment operated on the Sea of Azov; in July 1919, due to the changed situation, it was relocated to the Dnieper River. Since December 1919, a second detachment of ships of the Black Sea Fleet appeared on the Sea of Azov, which included the battleship Rostislav, 12 gunboats and a number of other ships. Depending on the situation, this detachment was periodically reinforced by two or three destroyers from Sevastopol.

The ships of the Black Sea Fleet participated in the landing operations of the Russian army of Baron Wrangel, transported troops, provided fire support to ground forces, laid minefields, fought with ships of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF), after the defeat of Wrangel's army, the ships of the fleet evacuated troops and refugees from Crimea .

In November 1920, the White Black Sea Fleet was transformed into the Russian Squadron and until 1924 was based in the port of Bizerte in Tunisia. In 1924, the Russian squadron was disbanded, and its ships were transferred to the USSR. However, the ships transferred to the USSR remained in Bizerte, and later they were sold to France for scrap.

Siberian military flotilla

The Siberian military flotilla went over to the side of the White movement after the performance of the Czechoslovak corps in July 1918, during which the flotilla's ships were captured: an auxiliary cruiser, a gunboat, five destroyers, nine destroyers, 13 transports, auxiliary and other ships.

The flotilla was commanded at different times by Rear Admiral S. N. Timirev, Rear Admiral M. I. Fedorovich, Rear Admiral M. A. Behrens, Rear Admiral G. K. Stark.

After the formation of the Far Eastern Republic in 1920-21, the flotilla became part of its People's Revolutionary Fleet, but after the coup in Vladivostok on May 26, 1921, it again became part of the White Fleet. During the hostilities, she conducted a number of landing operations.

In October 1922, after the defeat of the “Whites,” one detachment of ships of the flotilla evacuated 10 thousand refugees from Vladivostok. This detachment headed for the Philippines and arrived there only in January 1923. Along the way, some of the ships sank. The ships that arrived in the Philippines were then sold. The remaining ships remained in Vladivostok and eventually became part of the RKKF.

Arctic Ocean Flotilla

After being captured by Entente troops in August 1918, the Arctic Ocean flotilla was included in the armed forces of the Supreme Administration of the Northern Region, and then the Provisional Government of the Northern Region.

By the beginning of 1920, the flotilla included the battleship Chesma, four destroyers, one submarine, four minesweepers, seven hydrographic and a number of other auxiliary vessels.

The Arctic Ocean flotilla was subordinate to the hydrographic expeditions of the White Sea and the Arctic Ocean, as well as a number of river and lake flotillas (Pechora, North Dvina, Onega), as well as the ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk.

The Arctic Ocean flotilla was mainly engaged in escorting ships with cargo for Kolchak’s armies and providing hydrographic support for the flotilla.

The flotilla was commanded by Rear Admiral N. E. Vikorst, and then by Rear Admiral L. L. Ivanov; hydrographic support was led by Rear Admiral B.A. Vilkitsky.

After the capture of Arkhangelsk by the Red Army on February 21, 1920 and Murmansk on March 7, 1920, the ships of the flotilla were included in the RKKF.

Caspian flotilla

In the spring of 1919, the Caspian Flotilla was formed, which by the beginning of 1920 had 9 auxiliary cruisers, 7 gunboats and naval aviation, which included 10 seaplanes on two air transports, as well as a number of auxiliary vessels.

The flotilla was part of the AFSR, the flotilla was commanded by captain of the first rank, and then rear admiral A. I. Sergeev, then captain of the first rank B. M. Bushen.

The Caspian flotilla conducted active military operations against the “reds”: it fought with the ships of the Volga-Caspian flotilla of the RKKF in the Volga River delta area, placed a minefield of two hundred mines around Astrakhan, thereby ensuring a naval blockade of the city, and provided significant support to the “white” troops on the seaside flank.

In connection with the successful offensive of the Red Army, which captured the main bases of the Caspian Flotilla in Guryev and Krasnovodsk, it was forced to relocate to Baku in April 1920, and from Baku to the Iranian port of Anzali, which was under the control of the ally of Great Britain. At the same time, the auxiliary cruiser "Australia" and the messenger ship "Chasovoy" left the flotilla and went over to the side of the Bolsheviks.

In Anzali, the flotilla was actually interned by the British. On May 17-18, 1920, after the Anzel operation, which was successful for the Reds, 23 ships of the flotilla and 4 seaplanes were recaptured from the British, returned to Soviet Russia and included in the RKKF.

River and lake flotillas

River Combat Fleet of the Volga People's Army- had more than forty armed ships, auxiliary ships and boats. He acted during the summer and autumn of 1918, on August 1, 1918 he participated in the capture of Kazan.
North Dvina River Flotilla was formed in Arkhangelsk in the winter of 1918/1919. At first it acted as part of the British flotilla, then it separated from it and acted independently. The flotilla had two gunboats, three armed steamers, five floating batteries and some other auxiliary vessels. By 1920, 7 floating batteries, a gunboat and some other vessels remained in it. In March 1920, the flotilla was disbanded, and its ships became part of the RKKF.
Peipsi Lake Flotilla lasted from October to November 1918, after which the ships of the flotilla were captured by Estonia.
Onega lake flotilla operated from the summer of 1919 to the winter of 1920.
River combat flotilla on the Kama River, existed from March to June 1919, consisting of 15 armed steamships, two floating batteries, one barge with seaplanes and auxiliary vessels. Chief of Staff - D.N. Fedotov-White.
Pechora flotilla operated in 1919, consisting of 11 steamships and auxiliary vessels.
Don Flotilla was created in March 1918 and existed until August 1919.
Volga military flotilla operated during June-December 1919, consisting of four armored boats and a number of auxiliary vessels.
Middle Dnieper flotilla served with the Whites during May-December 1919. It consisted of four gunboats, eight armored boats and a number of auxiliary vessels. In September 1919, she conducted a successful raid on Chernigov along the Desna River and captured 9 steamships there.
Lower Dnieper flotilla of six gunboats and a number of auxiliary vessels, operated from May 1919 to January 1920.
Baikal flotilla created in August 1918.
Yenisei River Combat Flotilla operated in March-December 1919, consisting of three armed ships and auxiliary vessels.
Ob-Irtysh river combat flotilla had 15 armed steamships, two armored boats and a number of auxiliary vessels. It operated from August to October 1919, until the ships of the flotilla were captured by the Reds.

These white flotillas conducted combat operations on the listed rivers and lakes against similar red flotillas, participated in landings and in supporting the actions of ground forces.

White fleet

White fleet- naval formations of the White movement in the Civil War of 1917-22. in Russia, which included fleets, flotillas, detachments and other formations of ships and auxiliary vessels. The White Fleet included both specially built warships and mobilized and requisitioned ships.

The personnel were represented by naval officers and sailors of the Russian military and merchant fleet, as well as officers of the ground armies.

The naval units of the White Fleet were subordinate to the leadership of the White armies.

The Black Sea Fleet was subordinated successively to the command of the Volunteer Army, the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYUR) and the Russian Army of General Baron P. N. Wrangel.

The fleet was commanded at different times by Vice Admiral V. A. Kanin; Rear Admiral, and later Vice Admiral M.P. Sablin; Vice Admiral D.V. Nenyukov; Vice Admiral A. M. Gerasimov, Rear Admiral, and later Vice Admiral M. A. Kedrov, Rear Admiral M. A. Behrens.

In November 1920, the white Black Sea Fleet was transformed into the Russian Squadron and was based in the port of Bizerte in Tunisia until 1924. In 1924, the Russian squadron was disbanded, and its ships were transferred to the USSR. However, the ships transferred to the USSR remained in Bizerte, and later they were sold to France for scrap.

Siberian military flotilla

The Siberian military flotilla went over to the side of the White movement after the performance of the Czechoslovak Corps in July 1918, during which the flotilla's vessels were captured: an auxiliary cruiser, a gunboat, five destroyers, nine destroyers, 13 transports, auxiliary and other vessels.

The flotilla was commanded at different times by Rear Admiral S. N. Timirev, Rear Admiral M. I. Fedorovich, Rear Admiral M. A. Behrens, Rear Admiral G. K. Stark.

Arctic Ocean Flotilla

By the beginning of 1920, the flotilla included the battleship Chesma, four destroyers, one submarine, four minesweepers, seven hydrographic and a number of other auxiliary vessels.

The Arctic Ocean flotilla was mainly engaged in escorting ships with cargo for Kolchak’s armies and providing hydrographic support for the flotilla.

The flotilla was commanded by Rear Admiral N.E. Vikorst, and then by Rear Admiral L.L. Ivanov; hydrographic support was led by Rear Admiral B.A. Vilkitsky.

After the capture of Arkhangelsk by the Red Army on February 21, 1920 and Murmansk on March 7, 1920, the ships of the flotilla were included in the RKKF.

Caspian flotilla

The flotilla was part of the AFSR, the flotilla was commanded by captain of the first rank, and then rear admiral A. I. Sergeev, then captain of the first rank B. N. Bushen.

In connection with the successful offensive of the Red Army, which captured the main bases of the Caspian Flotilla in Guryev and Krasnovodsk, it was forced to relocate to Baku in April 1920, and from Baku to the Iranian port of Anzeli, which was under the control of the allied Great Britain. At the same time, the auxiliary cruiser "Australia" and the messenger ship "Chasovoy" left the flotilla and went over to the side of the Bolsheviks.

River and lake flotillas

River Combat Fleet of the Volga People's Army- had more than forty armed ships, auxiliary ships and boats. He acted during the summer and autumn of 1918, on August 1, 1918 he participated in the capture of Kazan. Commander - G.K. Stark
North Dvina River Flotilla was formed in Arkhangelsk in the winter of 1918/1919. At first it acted as part of the British flotilla, then it separated from it and acted independently. The flotilla had two gunboats, three armed steamers, five floating batteries and some other auxiliary vessels. By 1920, 7 floating batteries, a gunboat and some other vessels remained in it. In March 1920, the flotilla was disbanded, and its ships became part of the RKKF.
Peipus flotilla lasted from October to November 1918, after which the ships of the flotilla were captured by Estonia.
Onega lake flotilla operated from the summer of 1919 to the winter of 1920.
River combat flotilla on the Kama River, existed from March to June 1919, consisting of 15 armed steamships, two floating batteries, one barge with seaplanes and auxiliary vessels. Chief of Staff - D. N. Fedotov-White.
Pechora flotilla operated in 1919, consisting of 11 steamships and auxiliary vessels.
Don Flotilla was created in March 1918 and existed until August 1919.
Volga military flotilla operated during June-December 1919, consisting of four armored boats and a number of auxiliary vessels.
Middle Dnieper flotilla served with the Whites during May-December 1919. It consisted of four gunboats, eight armored boats and a number of auxiliary vessels. In September 1919, she conducted a successful raid on Chernigov along the Desna River and captured 9 steamships there.
Lower Dnieper flotilla of six gunboats and a number of auxiliary vessels, operated from May 1919 to January 1920.
Baikal flotilla created in August 1918.
Yenisei River Combat Flotilla operated in March-December 1919, consisting of three armed ships and auxiliary vessels.
Ob-Irtysh river combat flotilla had 15 armed steamships, two armored boats and a number of auxiliary vessels. It operated from August to October 1919, until the ships of the flotilla were captured by the Reds.

These white flotillas conducted combat operations on the listed rivers and lakes against similar red flotillas, participated in landings and in supporting the actions of ground forces.

Literature

Civil War: Fighting on the seas, river and lake systems. L., 1926. T. 2-3;
Sailors in the Civil War. M., 2000;
Civil War in Russia: Black Sea Fleet. M., 2002;
Fleet in the White Struggle. M., 2002. N. A. Kuznetsov.

Video on the topic

Siberian military flotilla

The flotilla was commanded at different times by Rear Admiral S. N. Timirev, Rear Admiral M. I. Fedorovich, Rear Admiral M. A. Behrens, Rear Admiral G. K. Stark.

Arctic Ocean Flotilla

By the beginning of 1920, the flotilla included the battleship Chesma, four destroyers, one submarine, four minesweepers, seven hydrographic and a number of other auxiliary vessels.

The Arctic Ocean flotilla was mainly engaged in escorting ships with cargo for Kolchak’s armies and providing hydrographic support for the flotilla.

The flotilla was commanded by Rear Admiral N.E. Vikorst, and then by Rear Admiral L.L. Ivanov; hydrographic support was led by Rear Admiral B.A. Vilkitsky.

After the capture of Arkhangelsk by the Red Army on February 21, 1920 and Murmansk on March 7, 1920, the ships of the flotilla were included in the naval forces of the Red Army.

Caspian flotilla

The flotilla was part of the AFSR, the flotilla was commanded by Rear Admiral A.I. Sergeev, then Captain 1st Rank B.N. Bushen.

In connection with the successful offensive of the Red Army, which captured the main bases of the Caspian Flotilla in Guryev and Krasnovodsk, it was forced to relocate to Baku in April 1920, and from Baku to the Iranian port of Anzeli, which was under the control of the allied Great Britain. At the same time, the auxiliary cruiser "Australia" and the messenger ship "Chasovoy" left the flotilla and went over to the side of the Bolsheviks.

River and lake flotillas

River Combat Fleet of the Volga People's Army- had more than forty armed ships, auxiliary ships and boats. He acted during the summer and autumn of 1918, on August 1, 1918 he participated in the capture of Kazan. Commander - G.K. Stark
North Dvina River Flotilla was formed in Kotlas in August 1918. At first it operated as part of the British flotilla, then separated from it and acted independently. The flotilla had two gunboats, three armed steamers, five floating batteries and some other auxiliary vessels. By 1920, 7 floating batteries, a gunboat and some other vessels remained in it. In March 1920, the flotilla was disbanded, and its ships became part of the RKKF.

The Great White Fleet passes through the Strait of Magellan.

Probably we can’t avoid talking about Tsushima :). I think in every person’s life there are events that you want to remember as rarely as possible. Something similar can be said about the lives of entire nations. If this is so, then for the nation of Tsushima this is exactly such an event. But they won’t let us forget about him. Tsushima, including me on the pages of this blog, is constantly blamed. What. We have a beautiful country behind us, with a great and amazing history. Lower your eyes and look away? Not for Russians! Tsushima, so Tsushima.

What do you think, if the fleet of one country, very authoritative in maritime affairs, suffers a crushing defeat from the fleet of another country, then what will the lessons learned from this battle indicate? Not even that. Who will the powers learn from when preparing for the next wars, whose actions will they try to repeat? Clearly the winner.

However, in relation to Tsushima this is not entirely true. I wouldn't even say that at all. The path that shipbuilding took after Tsushima is in many ways not a continuation of the path that the Japanese fleet came to it, but it was a fleet built in the leading shipbuilding powers - England (the vast majority of ships), Germany, France. And this was a fleet where advisors from the “Mistress of the Seas” fleet played a significant role. And this was largely the way the loser came to his tragedy, which is truly amazing. It would seem, what positive lessons can be drawn from such a terrible defeat? Today about one of them.

When the “father” of the theory of the “sea power” of a state, Admiral Mahan, in his famous book “The Influence of Sea Power on History” lists the factors that objectively influence the sea power of a state, the first of them is geographical location. And then everyone else. Unscrupulous critics of the fleet of the Russian Empire, in relation to its actions in the Russo-Japanese War, deliberately completely ignore this most important factor. Despite the fact that his enormous influence on the outcome of this war is simply striking.

In particular, if we are talking about Tsushima, it is impossible to ignore the epic transition of the Russian fleet from the Baltic to the Tsushima Strait itself, and in wartime conditions. Naturally, the event, which was ignored by biased domestic historians, did not escape the attention of interested parties - contemporaries of this, I’m not afraid to call it, a grandiose achievement. In this case we are talking about Americans.

The political situation after the Russo-Japanese War developed in such a way that Russia was temporarily excluded from the list of Pacific maritime powers. Thus, there was only one dominant force at sea left in the region - the alliance of England and Japan, with no counterbalance worthy of mention left. And at stake was such a jackpot as China. In relation to which the consortium of European powers, with all their local contradictions, adhered to the policy of its division, that is, a clear delimitation of zones of influence. While the United States stood for an open door policy, not without reason, hoping to extend its influence throughout China using purely economic methods, and thus completely take control of the most important Chinese market.

However, to give weight to their position, the Americans needed to counter something with the powerful Pacific fleets of Japan and England. While their fleet, focusing on Europe as the only center of power at that time, was mainly based on the Atlantic coast, and the Panama Canal was not yet completed.

However, the unprecedented transition of the Russian fleet suggested a way out for the Americans. The fleet, not as individual ships, but as a tactical combat unit, can be transferred from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast and back. Thus, the United States would retain its influence on European affairs and would gain additional weight in China.

No sooner said than done. On December 16, 1907, a fleet of 12 battleships set sail from the Hampton roadstead, the very place where the Monitor fought with the Merrimack. On May 6, 1908, having traveled 26,958 kilometers, the Great White Fleet arrived in San Francisco.

Grand review of the Great White Fleet in San Francisco.

We have a widespread opinion that Japan realized the inevitability of war with the United States after the negotiations that preceded the conclusion of the Portsmouth Peace. Allegedly, the United States deceived Japan by promising to put pressure on Russia if it persisted in its unwillingness to accept Japanese conditions. Indeed, the situation at the negotiations developed in such a way that the United States, and the reputation of President Theodore Roosevelt was at stake for them, was forced to put pressure on Japan to accept Russia’s conditions, otherwise the negotiations would have broken down, and the United States would have been thrown back in its foreign policy several decades ago. But the significance of this moment should not be exaggerated. The Japanese were in a desperate situation. They tried their best to hide it. That is, to deceive the world community and get better conditions than those for which they actually worked. The deception did not work.

By the way, the turning point in the negotiations, or rather in the US attitude towards them, was the phrase spoken by Nicholas II to the American ambassador. Here, many believe that Nikolai did not control anything, and the credit for the successful completion of the negotiations belongs entirely to Witte. Roosevelt thought differently. He was very afraid of the breakdown of negotiations; these days turned out to be some of the most difficult in his life. Therefore, Roosevelt considered it necessary to personally keep Nicholas II informed of all the nuances through his ambassador to Russia. At the beginning of the negotiations, Roosevelt believed that Russia had lost, and must admit this by accepting the Japanese terms in their main part. In this spirit he persistently instructed his ambassador. And the ambassador tried his best to convey this idea to Nicholas II. Nikolai Alexandrovich endured and nodded for a long time, but at one of the receptions, with metal in his voice, he said that Russia was not in the position of France after Sedan to consider itself defeated. Roosevelt realized that he would not achieve anything from Nikolai, and he had two alternatives. Or the negotiations will break down, and then there will be shame and open gloating of the British. Or we need to convince Japan to accept Russia's conditions. Naturally he chose the second option. Japan was not treated very well. Since the main disagreement remained the issue of indemnity, American, and after them world newspapers, which at the beginning of the negotiations were located in the land of the rising sun, began to write that Japan wanted to continue the war for the sake of money. What was left for the poor Japanese?

Hm, it turned out to be a big retreat. Therefore, a short summary of what has been said. The Japanese had reason to consider themselves deceived by Roosevelt. But they themselves wanted to deceive Roosevelt by passing off as a victory an overall draw campaign, which they were much less willing to continue than their opponent, Russia. Therefore, they did not have much resentment towards the Americans. Nikolai was really ready to fight further, but the Japanese were really not ready. Therefore, the result of the negotiations was fair.

The Japanese realized the inevitability of war only after the Great White Fleet arrived in San Francisco. It was then that they became convinced that the United States was ready to counter their plans for the forceful division of China with its own force. And this power is real. That's what happened in the end.

The beginning of the “big stick” policy. In the photo there is a baton ver 1.0 – Great White Fleet.

Well, Roosevelt, following one of his victories, the conclusion of the Portsmouth Peace, which brought the United States to the rank of leading powers in the field of politics, won another, no less large-scale victory. Now the United States has emerged as a leading naval power. This is exactly how contemporaries assessed the campaign of the White Fleet, and this is how they evaluate it now. And even higher. This hike, - writes the most authoritative nautical directory Conways, in conjunction with Jane’s, - finally established the United States as a first-ranking Great Power.. No more and no less.

However, the campaign did not end in San Francisco. Several ships were replaced and on July 7, 1908, the fleet set out on the return journey. After splitting up and visiting a number of major ports and traveling a total of 53,231 kilometers, the WBF returned to Hampton Roads on February 22, 1909.

Uncle Sam, George Washington and Theodore Roosevelt welcome the return of the Great White Fleet. The presence of one of the “founding fathers” emphasizes the scale of the event. However, what for the American fleet was the triumphant conclusion of the great campaign, for the Russian was only the beginning of the test.

As we see, the transition of the fleet from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast and back was an outstanding achievement in itself. And although in terms of the length of the route traveled, the passage of the 2nd (33 thousand kilometers) and 3rd Pacific squadrons was inferior to the route traveled by the Americans, the achievement of the Russian sailors was no less. And even bigger. Because it was done in wartime.

Let me explain the meaning of this factor. According to the laws of war, ships of belligerents do not have the right to violate the neutrality of non-belligerent states. In particular, entering their territorial waters, especially ports. During its first passage around South America, the Great White Fleet visited many ports. For example, they stayed in Rio de Janeiro for a week. In Bahia Magdalena it is a month. During this time, it was possible to release the sailors on leave, calmly repair the damage, and hire port workers to load coal. And just wait out the bad weather.

Russian sailors loaded coal themselves. The normal coal reserve of a Borodino-class battleship was 800 tons. But it was loaded with much more - two, two and a half thousand tons. The ship's crew is 867 people. Several tons per brother. They loaded it into the sea, from a coal miner. Sometimes it was not even possible to go to a roadstead protected from the waves - the entire coast belongs to someone. Russia's ally France, as a rule, turned a blind eye to the violation of its neutrality, but its possessions are not everywhere. The coal had to be stuffed into bags, lifted aboard the battleship using hoists, poured into narrow hatches, loaded onto wheelbarrows and transported to any suitable (and not so suitable) premises for storing coal. All this is done by the team. Since the ships were overloaded (with a design displacement of 13,513 tons, the Borodino loaded up to 17,000 tons), they consumed more coal during the transitions, and it had to be loaded quite often.

Needless to say, not only were the teams unable to go ashore, but the ships could not take shelter from the storm in any port. But the squadron had destroyers with a displacement of 300 tons. Finally, let's not forget - there was a war going on. The watch had to be kept according to the combat schedule. The Gull incident would not let this be forgotten.

Let’s not forget that the American squadron consisted of 12 battleships, the oldest of which, the Kearsarge, entered service on February 20, 1900. That is, he was just over seven years old. In addition there were six destroyers and several transports and support vessels.

The Russian squadron was not only much more numerous, but some of its ships were much older. For example, “Dmitry Donskoy” (the ship and not the person) turned 18 years old at the time of the trip. In total, the squadron had 29 warships, not counting auxiliary cruisers, and 8 support ships.

I hope what has been said is enough to show how difficult the transition of the 2nd Pacific Squadron was than the campaign of the “Great White Fleet”. However, in one case this is considered the greatest triumph, placing the United States among the great powers, and in the other, an inept spasm of rotten tsarism, which once again showed the world its rottenness. The backwardness of its fleet, the unpreparedness of its sailors, and the incompetence of its commanders.

The only difference was that the Americans, after the great transition of their great fleet, were waiting for a well-deserved rest, promotion in rank and gratitude from their compatriots, while the Russians were waiting for an enemy superior in strength.

OK. But in this case, is it possible to talk about Tsushima in the same way as they talk about ordinary naval battles? Measuring kilograms of a broadside, percentage of hits, millimeters of armor? Doing this is absolutely pointless. Because the opponents were in obviously unequal conditions. Do you want to compare the combat effectiveness of the Russian and Japanese fleets? Good luck. Do this using the example of the combat operations of the First Pacific Squadron. Which, of course, was not on an equal footing with the enemy. But it achieved better results in battles at sea than the enemy. Do you want to expose the vices of tsarism Well then, Tsushima is your topic. Just don’t expect us, the Russians, to understand.