Combat composition of the Black Sea Fleet in 1914. Russian naval forces on the eve of the First World War

During the First World War (1914-1918), the enemy of the Russian Empire on the Black Sea was the German-Turkish fleet. And although the Young Turk government for a long time doubted who to fight with and who to be friends with, it adhered to neutrality. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and intelligence closely monitored internal political events in Turkey: Minister of War Enver Pasha and Minister of Internal Affairs Talaat Pasha advocated an alliance with the German Empire, and Minister of the Navy, head of the Istanbul garrison Jemal Pasha, advocated cooperation with France. They informed the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, A. A. Eberhard, about the state of the Turkish fleet and army, their preparations, so that he could correctly respond to the actions of a potential enemy.

With the outbreak of war (Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914), the government instructed Admiral A. A. Eberhard to avoid aggressive actions that could trigger a war with the Ottoman Empire, strengthening the arguments of the Turkish “war party.” The Black Sea Fleet had the right to begin hostilities only by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (he was Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (Junior) from July 20, 1914 to August 23, 1915), or according to the Russian ambassador in Istanbul. Although the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) showed the fallacy of this position, when the Japanese fleet suddenly attacked the Russian Port Arthur squadron and temporarily paralyzed its activities, which allowed the Japanese to carry out an unhindered landing of ground armies. The imperial government, 10 years later, “stepped on the same rake,” the fleet commander was bound by the government directive, the instructions of the high military command, and was unable to implement all measures to increase the combat readiness of the fleet, including the possibility of a preemptive strike. As a result, the Black Sea Fleet, although significantly stronger than the Turkish naval forces, was forced to passively wait for an enemy attack.

Balance of forces: Russian Black Sea Fleet and German-Turkish Fleet

Before the war, the Black Sea Fleet, in all respects, had complete superiority over the enemy: in the number of pennants, in firepower, in combat training, and in the training of officers and sailors. It consisted of: 6 battleships of the old type (the so-called battleships, or pre-dreadnoughts) - the flagship of the fleet "Eustathius", "John Chrysostom" (built 1904-1911), "Panteleimon" (formerly the notorious "Prince Potemkin" -Tauride", built in 1898-1905), "Rostislav" (built in 1894-1900), "Three Saints" (built in 1891-1895), "Sinop" (built in 1883-1889); 2 Bogatyr-class cruisers, 17 destroyers, 12 destroyers, 4 submarines. The main base was Sevastopol, the fleet had its own shipyards in Sevastopol and Nikolaev. Another 4 powerful modern battleships (dreadnoughts) were built: “Empress Maria” (1911-July 1915), “Empress Catherine the Great” (1911-October 1915), “Emperor Alexander III” (1911-June 1917) .), “Emperor Nicholas I” (since 1914, unfinished due to the sharp deterioration of the political, financial and economic situation after the February Revolution of 1917). Also, during the war, the Black Sea Fleet received 9 destroyers, 2 aircraft (prototypes of aircraft carriers), 10 submarines.

At the beginning of 1914, the emergence of the Turkish fleet from the Bosphorus Strait to fight the Russian fleet seemed fantastic. The Ottoman Empire had been in decline for almost two centuries, and by the 20th century the processes of decomposition only intensified. Turkey lost three wars to Russia in the 19th century (1806-1812, 1828-1829, 1877-1878), and was victorious in the Crimean War (1853-1856), but only due to an alliance with England and France ; already in the 20th century it was defeated by Italy in the war for Tripolitania (1911-1912), and in the Balkan War (1912-1913). Russia was one of the five world leaders (Great Britain, Germany, USA, France, Russia). By the beginning of the century, the Turkish naval forces were a pitiful sight - a collection of morally and technically outdated ships. One of the main reasons for this was the complete bankruptcy of Turkey; there was no money in the treasury. The Turks had only a few more or less combat-ready ships: 2 armored cruisers "Mecidiye" (built in the USA 1903) and "Gamidiye" (England 1904), 2 squadron battleships "Torgut Reis" and "Hayreddin Barbarossa" (battleships type "Brandenburg", purchased from Germany in 1910), 4 destroyers built in France (1907 type "Durendal"), 4 destroyers of German construction (purchased from Germany in 1910, type "S 165"). A distinctive feature of the Turkish naval forces was the almost complete lack of combat training.

It cannot be said that the Turkish government did not try to change the situation in its favor: in 1908, a grandiose fleet renewal program was adopted, it was decided to purchase 6 battleships of the latest design, 12 destroyers, 12 destroyers, 6 submarines and a number of auxiliary vessels. But the war with Italy and two Balkan wars devastated the treasury, orders were disrupted. Turkey ordered more ships from France and England (interestingly, Russia’s allies in the Entente, but they were building ships for Turkey, Russia’s potential enemy on the Black Sea), so a battleship, 4 destroyers and 2 submarines were built in England. This replenishment could seriously change the balance of power in favor of the Ottoman Empire, but as soon as the war began, England confiscated the ships in favor of its fleet. Only the arrival from the Mediterranean Sea on August 10, 1914 of two newest German cruisers: the heavy Goeben (called Sultan Selim) and the light Breslau (Midilli), they became part of the Turkish fleet along with their crews, allowed Turkey to conduct fighting in the Black Sea basin. The commander of the German Mediterranean Division, Rear Admiral V. Souchon, led the combined German-Turkish forces. "Goeben" was more powerful than any Russian battleship of the old type, but together the Russian battleships would have destroyed it, therefore, in a collision with the entire squadron, "Goeben" escaped, taking advantage of its high speed.

Reference: Souchon Wilhelm (1864-1946), led the German-Turkish fleet in 1914-1917. At the age of 17 he became an officer, served on various ships, commanded the gunboat Adler, took part in Germany's annexation of the Samoan Islands, commander of the battleship Wettin, chief of staff of the German Baltic Fleet, from 1911 rear admiral, from October 1913 commander of the Mediterranean division . With the beginning of the war, he was able to make a breakthrough into the Dardanelles, with the complete superiority of the English fleet, before which he fired at the French ports in North Africa, delaying the arrival of the expeditionary force for three days, which was important during the attack of the German armies on Paris. Through his actions (“Sevastopol Reveille”) he dragged the Ottoman Empire into the war. He acted quite successfully against the superior forces of the Entente, pinned down the Russian Black Sea Fleet with his actions, in September 1917 he was transferred to the Baltic, and headed the 4th squadron of the fleet. He took part in the capture of the Gulf of Riga and the Moonsund Archipelago. In March 1919, he resigned, did not return to service, and quietly lived out his days, seeing the revival and repeated destruction of the German fleet.

Plans of the parties

The main goal of the Black Sea Fleet was complete dominance in the Black Sea in order to reliably protect strategically important objects near the sea, cover the flank of the Caucasian Army, and ensure the transfer of troops and supplies by sea. At the same time, disrupt Turkish shipping along its Black Sea coast. When the Turkish fleet appeared near Sevastopol, the Russian fleet was supposed to destroy it. In addition, if necessary, the Black Sea Fleet was preparing to conduct the Bosphorus operation - to capture the Bosphorus Strait, by the forces of the Black Sea Fleet and landing units. But the appearance of German cruisers in Turkey, the plans of the Russian command were confused, Admiral Souchon was not going to engage in battle with the main forces of the Russian fleet, but, using his speed, carried out targeted strikes and left before the main forces of the Black Sea Fleet arrived.
In 1915, when the newest battleships of the Empress Maria type entered the fleet, the fleet was tasked with using all its might to disrupt the supply of coal and other supplies to the Bosporus area and provide assistance to the troops of the Caucasian Front. For this purpose, 3 ship groups were created, each of which was more powerful than the German cruiser Goeben. They were supposed to, changing each other, constantly be near the Turkish coast and thereby fulfill the main task of the fleet.

The strategic intent of the commander of the combined German-Turkish fleet, Rear Admiral Souchon, was to launch a surprise attack almost simultaneously on the main base of the Russian fleet of Sevastopol, the ports of Odessa, Feodosia and Novorossiysk. Sink or seriously damage the warships and merchant ships located there, as well as the most significant military and industrial facilities on the shore and, thereby weakening the Russian Black Sea Fleet, achieve the possibility of complete superiority at sea. Thus, the German admiral planned to repeat the experience of the Japanese in 1904. But despite the success of the operation, the Russian fleet did not suffer serious losses; Souchon simply did not have enough firepower. If the Turkish fleet had been more powerful, the Black Sea Fleet could have received a severe blow, which sharply worsened the position of the Russian Caucasian Army and disrupted the Black Sea communications.

Beginning of hostilities: “Sevastopol wake-up call”

Vice Admiral A. A. Ebergard received news of the departure of the German-Turkish squadron from the Bosphorus on October 27, he took the Black Sea Fleet out to sea, and waited all day on the approaches to Sevastopol in the hope of meeting the enemy. But on the 28th, the fleet headquarters received an order from the Supreme Command “not to seek a meeting with the Turkish fleet and to engage in battle with it only in case of emergency.” The Black Sea Fleet returned to base and no longer took active action. Although Admiral A.A. Eberhard acted on orders from above, this does not relieve him of the guilt for passivity; I think Admiral S.O. Makarov would not have taken rank into account if the honor of the Russian Fleet was at issue.

Of course, the fleet command took action to prevent a surprise attack by the Turkish fleet. Reconnaissance was carried out, three destroyers were on patrol on the approaches to Sevastopol (which missed the German cruiser), the main forces of the fleet were in the base in full readiness. But all this turned out to be not enough. The command did not make any orders to prepare the fleet forces, including the Sevastopol fortress, to repel an enemy attack. The head of the raid security wanted to turn on the minefield, but A.A. Ebergard forbade this, as he was expecting the approach of the Prut minefield. But the raid commander nevertheless warned the fortress artillery commander about the possible arrival of an enemy squadron. And the coastal artillery more or less completed its task.

As a result, the Black Sea Fleet did not fulfill its main task - it was unable to protect the Russian coast, it missed the enemy fleet, which calmly went to the Bosphorus. On October 29-30, the German-Turkish fleet launched an artillery strike on Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia, and Novorossiysk. This event was called “Sevastopol Reveille”. In Odessa, the destroyers “Muavenet-i Millet” and “Gayret-i-Vataniye” sank the gunboat “Donets” and shelled the city and port. The battle cruiser "Goeben" approached Sevastopol and for 15 minutes walked freely through our minefield, without opposition, firing at the city, port and ships stationed in the outer roadstead. The minefield's electrical circuit was turned off, and no one turned it on without orders. The Konstantinovskaya battery was silent, waiting for the German cruiser to enter the targeted square, but opening fire, it immediately hit the target three times. "Goeben" immediately gave full speed and retreated to the sea. On the way back, he met the Prut minelayer, which was expected in Sevastopol with a full load of mines. Trying to save the Prut, three old destroyers that were on patrol (Lieutenant Pushchin, Zharkiy and Zhivochiy) launched an attack on the Goeben. They did not have a single chance of success, but “Goeben” could not drown them, “they parted in peace.” The Goeben's gunners easily repulsed this attack. The commander of the minelayer, Captain 2nd Rank G. A. Bykov, sank the ship, which is interesting: “Goeben” fired at it - 1 hour 5 minutes, on a practically unarmed ship. But it was a success, because the Prut carried most of the naval sea mines. The cruiser Breslau laid mines in the Kerch Strait, on which the ships Yalta and Kazbek were blown up and sank. This is the great fault of the commander and his staff, especially the Supreme Commander, who with his instructions tied up the initiative of A. A. Eberhard. But in the end, the German-Turkish plan still did not work: the forces of the first strike were too dispersed, and there was not enough firepower.

This is how Türkiye entered the first world war and the last war with Russia. On the same day, Russian ships began voyages to the enemy’s shores. The fire from the cruiser "Kahul" destroyed huge coal storage facilities in Zonguldak, and the battleship "Panteleimon" and destroyers sank three loaded troop transports. The Turks were amazed by such activity of the Russian fleet, they miscalculated, imagining that they had gained time, the Black Sea Fleet was alive and operating.

With the outbreak of war (Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914), the government gave Admiral A.A. Eberhard is instructed to avoid aggressive actions that could trigger a war with the Ottoman Empire, strengthening the case of the Turkish "war party". The Black Sea Fleet had the right to begin hostilities only by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (he was Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (Junior) from July 20, 1914 to August 23, 1915), or according to the Russian ambassador in Istanbul. Although the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) showed the fallacy of this position, when the Japanese fleet suddenly attacked the Russian Port Arthur squadron and temporarily paralyzed its activities, which allowed the Japanese to carry out an unhindered landing of ground armies. The imperial government, 10 years later, “stepped on the same rake,” the fleet commander was bound by the government directive, the instructions of the high military command, and was unable to implement all measures to increase the combat readiness of the fleet, including the possibility of a preemptive strike. As a result, the Black Sea Fleet, although significantly stronger than the Turkish naval forces, was forced to passively wait for an enemy attack.

Balance of forces: Russian Black Sea Fleet and German-Turkish Fleet

It cannot be said that the Turkish government did not try to change the situation in its favor: in 1908, a grandiose fleet renewal program was adopted, it was decided to purchase 6 battleships of the latest design, 12 destroyers, 12 destroyers, 6 submarines and a number of auxiliary vessels. But the war with Italy and two Balkan wars devastated the treasury, orders were disrupted. Turkey ordered more ships from France and England (interestingly, Russia’s allies in the Entente, but they were building ships for Turkey, Russia’s potential enemy on the Black Sea), so a battleship, 4 destroyers and 2 submarines were built in England. This replenishment could have seriously changed the balance of power in favor of the Ottoman Empire, but as soon as the war began, England confiscated the ships in favor of its fleet. Only the arrival from the Mediterranean Sea on August 10, 1914 of two newest German cruisers: the heavy Goeben (called Sultan Selim) and the light Breslau (Midilli), they became part of the Turkish fleet along with their crews, allowed Turkey to conduct combat actions in the Black Sea basin. The commander of the German Mediterranean Division, Rear Admiral V. Souchon, led the combined German-Turkish forces. "Goeben" was more powerful than any Russian battleship of the old type, but together the Russian battleships would have destroyed it, therefore, in a collision with the entire squadron, "Goeben" escaped, taking advantage of its high speed.

Reference: Souchon Wilhelm (1864-1946), headed the German-Turkish fleet in 1914-1917. At the age of 17 he became an officer, served on various ships, commanded the gunboat Adler, took part in Germany's annexation of the Samoan Islands, commander of the battleship Wettin, chief of staff of the German Baltic Fleet, from 1911 rear admiral, from October 1913 commander of the Mediterranean division . With the beginning of the war, he was able to make a breakthrough into the Dardanelles, with the complete superiority of the English fleet, before which he fired at French ports in North Africa, delaying the arrival of the expeditionary force for three days, which was important during the attack of the German armies on Paris. Through his actions (“Sevastopol Reveille”) he dragged the Ottoman Empire into the war. He acted quite successfully against the superior forces of the Entente, pinned down the Russian Black Sea Fleet with his actions, in September 1917 he was transferred to the Baltic, and headed the 4th squadron of the fleet. He took part in the capture of the Gulf of Riga and the Moonsund Archipelago. In March 1919, he resigned, did not return to service, and quietly lived out his days, seeing the revival and repeated destruction of the German fleet.

Plans of the parties

In 1915, when the newest battleships of the Empress Maria type entered the fleet, the fleet was tasked with using all its might to disrupt the supply of coal and other supplies to the Bosporus area and provide assistance to the troops of the Caucasian Front. For this purpose, 3 ship groups were created, each of which was more powerful than the German cruiser Goeben. They were supposed to, changing each other, constantly be near the Turkish coast and thereby fulfill the main task of the fleet.

Beginning of hostilities: “Sevastopol wake-up call”

Vice Admiral A.A. Eberhard received news of the departure of the German-Turkish squadron from the Bosphorus on October 27, he took the Black Sea Fleet out to sea, and waited all day on the approaches to Sevastopol in the hope of meeting the enemy. But on the 28th, the fleet headquarters received an order from the Supreme Command “not to seek a meeting with the Turkish fleet and to engage in battle with it only in case of emergency.” The Black Sea Fleet returned to base and no longer took active action. Admiral A.A. Although Eberhard acted on orders from above, this does not relieve him of the guilt for passivity; I think Admiral S. O. Makarov would not have taken rank into account if the honor of the Russian Fleet was at issue.

Of course, the fleet command took action to prevent a surprise attack by the Turkish fleet. Reconnaissance was carried out, three destroyers were on patrol on the approaches to Sevastopol (which missed the German cruiser), the main forces of the fleet were in the base in full readiness. But all this turned out to be not enough. The command did not make any orders to prepare the fleet forces, including the Sevastopol fortress, to repel an enemy attack. The head of the raid security wanted to turn on the minefield, but A.A. Eberhard forbade doing this, as he was expecting the approach of the Prut minesag. But the raid commander nevertheless warned the fortress artillery commander about the possible arrival of an enemy squadron. And the coastal artillery more or less completed its task.

As a result, the Black Sea Fleet did not fulfill its main task - it was unable to protect the Russian coast, it missed the enemy fleet, which calmly went to the Bosphorus. On October 29-30, the German-Turkish fleet launched an artillery strike on Sevastopol, Odessa, Feodosia, and Novorossiysk. This event was called “Sevastopol Reveille”. In Odessa, the destroyers Muavenet-i-Millet and Gayret-i-Vataniye sank the gunboat Donets and shelled the city and port. The battle cruiser Goeben approached Sevastopol and for 15 minutes walked freely through our minefield, without opposition, firing at the city, port and ships stationed in the outer roadstead. The minefield's electrical circuit was turned off, and no one turned it on without orders. The Konstantinovskaya battery was silent, waiting for the German cruiser to enter the targeted square, but opening fire, it immediately hit the target three times. "Goeben" immediately gave full speed and retreated to the sea. On the way back, he met the Prut minelayer, which was expected in Sevastopol with a full load of mines. Trying to save the Prut, three old destroyers that were on patrol (“Lieutenant Pushchin”, “Zharkiy” and “Zhivochiy”) launched an attack on the “Goeben”. They did not have a single chance of success, but “Goeben” could not drown them, “they parted in peace.” The Goeben gunners easily repulsed this attack. The commander of the minelayer, Captain 2nd Rank G. A. Bykov, sank the ship, interestingly, the Goeben fired at it - 1 hour 5 minutes, on a practically unarmed ship. But it was a success, because... "Prut" carried most of the naval sea mines. The cruiser Breslau laid mines in the Kerch Strait, on which the ships Yalta and Kazbek were blown up and sank. This is the great fault of the commander and his staff, especially the Supreme Commander, who with his instructions linked the initiative of A.A. Eberhard. But in the end, the German-Turkish plan still did not work: the forces of the first strike were too dispersed, and there was not enough firepower.

Losses of the Black Sea Fleet in the First World War

Table 1

Ship class and name(~1)

Displacement (t)

Death time(~2)

Place of death

Causes of death

Battleship "Empress Maria"

Sevastopol

Internal explosion

Gunboat "Donets"

Port of Odessa

From a torpedo from a Turkish destroyer

Minelayer "Prut"

On the approaches to Sevastopol (Cape Fiolent area)

From shells

Destroyer "Lieutenant Pushchin"

In the Varna area

Minesweeper T-250

In the Black Sea basin

The cause of death has not been established

Minesweeper T-63

Off the coast of Lazistan

After a battle with the Turkish cruiser "Midilli" washed ashore

Destroyer "Zhivuchy"

Kamyshovaya Bay

Minesweeper TSCH-252

Arsen-Iskelessi area

The cause of death has not been established

Destroyer "Lieutenant Zatsarenny"

In the area of Fidonisi Island

Submarine "Walrus"

In the Bosphorus area

Destroyer No. 272

At the Khersones lighthouse

Collision with the messenger ship "Success"

The steamship "Oleg" converted into a minelayer

In the Zunguldak area

Sunk after a battle with the Turkish cruiser Midilli

(~1)In addition, 34 auxiliary vessels and 29 commercial vessels were lost in the Black Sea basin.

(~2) All dates of death are given in the new style.

Losses of foreign fleets in the Black Sea basin during the period of foreign military intervention

table 2

Waterism. (T)

Time of death

Place of death

Causes of death

Notes

Tug "Pervansh"

Late 1918

In the Sevastopol

In 1925, raised and commissioned by the Black Sea Naval Forces

Battleship Mirabeau

Sevastopol area

Navigation accident

After removing part of the armor and weapons, it was towed to France and turned into a target ship.

Submarine hunter S-40

Port Odessa

Sunk after internal explosion

Raised in 1920, it was in service with the Black Sea Naval Forces until 1933.

Gunboat "Skarn"

In the Ochakov area

Captured by Soviet non-self-propelled PB No. 1 "Red Dawn"

Returned to France

Destroyer "Carlo Alberto Racchia"

In the Odessa area

Entered a minefield while escorting transports with repatriates

Destroyer "Tobago"

Summer 1920

Black Sea

Towed to Malta, never restored, scrapped in 1922.

Combat losses of the White Fleet in the Black and Azov Seas in 1920

Table 3

Waterism. (T)

Date of death

Place of death

Notes

VP "Nikolai"

Lower Dnieper

Tug boat with one 47 mm gun, captured

CL "Salgir"

Sea of Azov

Sunk by artillery fire

EM "Live"

Sea of Azov

Struck by mines, sank a month later while being towed to Constantinople

TSH "Dmitry Hero"

At the entrance to Taganrog Bay

Hit mines and sank

TSH "Success"

At the entrance to Taganrog Bay

Was blown up by mines and sank (?)

TSC "Count Ignatiev"

At the entrance to Taganrog Bay

Hit mines and sank

TR "Batum"

In the Mariupol area

Was blown up by mines and sank 7 miles from the coast

TR "Smolensk"

Between Mariupol and Belosarayskaya Spit

Hit mines and sank

2nd brigade of battleships:

"John Chrysostom"

"Eustathius"

"Three Saints"

"Rostislav"

"Freedom fighter"

Cruiser brigade:

"Memory of Mercury"

Mine brigade (destroyers):

"Wrathful" (broke)

"Happy"

"Fast"

"Captain Saken"

"Creepy"

"Zorky"

"Cherished"

"Voiced"

"Enviable"

"Scary"

"Ferocious"

"Strict"

Submarine brigade:

"Loon"

"Seal"

"Sperm whale"

"Petrel"

"Narwhal"

"Bubot" (educational)

"Scat" (educational)

"Pike perch" (educational)

"Salmon" (educational)

Floating bases:

"Berezan"

"Kronstadt" (workshop)

Romanian auxiliary cruisers:

"Princess Mary"

"Romania"

From Sevastopol to Novorossiysk

Battleships:

“Free Russia” (“Catherine the Great”) “Will” (“Alexander III”)

1st Destroyer Division:

"Bold"

"Restless"

"Piercing"

2nd Destroyer Division:

"Ardent"

"Loud"

"Hasty"

3rd Destroyer Division:

"Gadzhibey"

"Fidonisi"

5th Destroyer Division:

"Lieutenant Shestakov"

"Captain-Lieutenant Baranov"

6th Destroyer Division:

"Hot"

7th destroyer division:

"Swift."

Auxiliary cruiser:

"Emperor Trajan"

List of ships of the Black Sea Fleet sunk in Sevastopol, Novorossiysk and Tuapse (in April-June 1918)

Battleship:

"Free Russia" ("Empress Catherine the Great").

Destroyers:

"Gadzhibey"

"Loud"

"Angry"

"Kaliakria"(84)

"Fidopisi"

"Lieutenant Shestakov"

"Piercing"

"Captain-Lieutenant Baranov"

Destroyers:

"Cherished"

"Pilot" ("Kotka")

"Sharp-witted"

"Swift"

List of ships and vessels that left Novorossiysk for Sevastopol in June 1921.

Battleship:

Destroyers:

"Ardent"

"Hasty";

"Bold"

"Restless"

"Hot"

"Creepy"

Transport:

Russian (Bizerte) squadron

After most of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet left for Bizerte, by order of Vice Admiral M.A. Kedrov No. 11 of November 21, 1920, the so-called Russian squadron was created on their basis, the composition and organization of which is given below.

1st detachment (junior flagship - Rear Admiral P. P. Osteletsky):

battleship "General Alekseev" (commander - captain 1st rank I.K. Fedyaevsky);

cruiser "General Kornilov" (commander - captain 1st rank V. A. Potapev);

auxiliary cruiser "Almaz" (commander - captain 1st rank V. A. Grigorkov);

Submarine division (senior - one of the boat commanders):

submarine "Burevestnik" (commander - Senior Lieutenant Offenberg);

submarine “Duck” (commander - captain 2nd rank N. A. Monastyrev);

submarine "Seal" (commander - captain 2nd rank M.V. Kopyev);

submarine AG-22 (commander - senior lieutenant K. L. Matyevich-Matsievich);

submarine transport base "Dobycha" (commander - captain 2nd rank Krasnopolsky).

2nd detachment (junior flagship - Rear Admiral M.A. Behrens):

destroyer "Pylky" (commander - captain 2nd rank A.I. Kublitsky);

destroyer "Daring" (commander - captain 1st rank N.R. Gutan 2nd);

destroyer "Captain Saken" (commander - Captain A. A. Ostolopov);

destroyer "Zharkiy" (commander - senior lieutenant A.S. Manstein);

destroyer "Zvonky" (commander - M. M. Maksimovich);

destroyer "Zorkiy" (commander - captain 2nd rank V. A. Zilov);

destroyer "Gnevny"

destroyer "Pospeshny"

destroyer "Tserigo"

3rd detachment (junior flagship - Rear Admiral A.M. Klykov):

gunboat "Guardian" (commander - captain 2nd rank K. G. Lyubi);

gunboat "Grozny" (commander - senior lieutenant R. E. von Wiren);

gunboat "Yakut" (commander - captain 1st rank M. A. Kititsyn);

yacht "Lukullus" (commander - senior lieutenant B. N. Stepanov);

minesweepers "Albatross", "Cormorant", "Whale" (commander - Lieutenant O. O. Fersman);

patrol boat "Captain 2nd Rank Medvedev";

hydrographic vessels “Kazbek”, “Vekha” (commander - staff captain E. A. Polyakov);

tugboats "Chernomor" (commander - captain 2nd rank V. A. Birilev); "Holland" (commander - Lieutenant I.V. Ivanenk; "Belbek", "Sevastopol".

4th detachment (junior flagship - mechanical engineer, Lieutenant General M.P. Ermakov):

icebreaker “Ilya Muromets” (commander - captain 2nd rank I. S. Rykov);

icebreaker "Vsadnik" (commander - senior lieutenant F. E. Vikberg);

icebreakers "Gaydamak" (commander - captain 1st rank V.V. Vilken); "Dzhigit";

transports "Don" (commander - captain 1st rank S.I. Zeleny); “Crimea” (commander - staff captain Ya. S. Androsov); "Dalland" (commander - captain 1st rank Ya. I. Podgorny); “Shilka” (commander - captain 2nd rank D.K. Nelidov); "Samara" (commander - Rear Admiral A. N. Zaev); "Ekaterinodar" (commander - captain 2nd rank P. A. Ivanovsky); “Rion”, “Inkerman”, “Poti”, “Yalta”, “Sarych”, “Caution”, “Turkestan”, “Olga” (renamed from the transport “Sukhum”), “Zarya”, “Psezuape”, No. 410 (renamed from the Vera transport), No. 412, No. 413.

In addition, the squadron from the Volunteer Fleet included the transports “Vladimir”, “Saratov”, “Kolyma”, “Irtysh”, “Kherson”, “Vitim”, “Omsk”, “Volunteer”; from the Danube Shipping Company - “Alexander Nevsky”, “Rus”, “Sailor”, “Admiral Kasherininov”; from the Russian port of Constantinople - “Joy”, “Trebizond”, “Nadezhda”, “Dnepr”, “Pochin” and tugs - “Dneprovets”, “Ippokay”, “Skif”, “Churubash”.

The commander of the Bizerte squadron had at his disposal:

battleship "George the Victorious" (commander - captain 2nd rank P. P. Savich);

transport workshop “Kronstadt” (commander - captain 1st rank K.V. Mordvinov);

training ship "Svoboda" (commander - senior lieutenant A. G. Rybin).

Squadron Command:

squadron commander and senior flagship - Vice Admiral M. A. Kedrov;

Chief of Staff - Rear Admiral N. N. Mashukov;

commander of the naval base - Rear Admiral A.I. Tikhmenev.

Composition of the Black Sea Fleet in the First World War

By the beginning of the First World War, the Black Sea Fleet included five battleships, but all of them were already outdated, not so much physically as morally. The fact is that these were squadron battleships, which, according to the new classification of 1907, began to be called battleships, but the new name did not add either speed or firepower to them. Nevertheless, it was these ships that bore the brunt of the battles with the German-Turkish battle cruiser Geben. We will talk about this fierce struggle for dominance in the Black Sea today.

As the slipway work on the Potemkin and two cruisers was completed, the question arose about the further workload of the shipyards in Nikolaev and Sevastopol. The military leadership decided to continue building battleships. The Borodino project was initially considered as a prototype, but management wanted to rework it to suit the conditions of the Black Sea. Then they decided that it would be better to build an improved copy of Potemkin. They planned to strengthen its armament and improve its armor, but in the end the original design went into construction without any changes. It was decided to build two ships. In the Nikolaev Admiralty, work began on the construction of the “Eustathius” (sometimes in the literature it is called “St. Eustathius”), the Lazarevsky Admiralty of the Sevastopol port was instructed to build the “John Chrysostom”. It was planned that the ships would be tested in the spring of 1906.

Preparations for the construction of ships began in the summer of 1903; work began on the “John Chrysostom” in November, and on the “Eustathia” in March 1904. Their official laying took place on October 31 and November 10, 1904, respectively. Initially, work proceeded at a rapid pace, but in 1905-1906. they, for a number of reasons, were actually suspended. During mass strikes and strikes in 1905-1906. work was stalled. Taking into account the experience of the Russo-Japanese War, the military leadership ordered to rework the project, strengthen the armament and armor as much as possible: 4x203 mm and 12x152 mm were placed on the ships (there was even a version of the project with 6x203 mm and 20x75 mm) and removed all 47 mm guns , the reservation system has become more thoughtful (the total weight of the armor has increased by 173.7 tons compared to the original version). To compensate for the overload, masts with combat tops, bulky cranes for lifting boats, and even net barriers were removed from the battleships. The issue of the number of masts (one or two) was repeatedly resolved at the highest level in the Maritime Ministry. In turn, the designers tried to rid the battleships of anachronisms - useless mine boats, a bow torpedo tube and a full supply of barrage mines (45 ball mines). In the process of making changes to the project, the ships began to gradually grow in size, but their hulls were already formed on the stocks and the designers had to look for a compromise.

The main weapons of the newest battleships were four 40-caliber 305-mm guns in turrets manufactured according to the Metal Plant design. Now they received new ammunition - the shells “grew” to 965.2 mm in length and became heavier due to an increase in the amount of explosive. Because of this, it was necessary to redo the cellars and turret compartments of the towers. The rate of fire of the 305 mm gun was one shot per minute, and the magazines could hold 240 (later 308) twelve-inch shells and charges. The firing range of the main caliber was 110 cables due to the elevation angle of the guns in the new turrets increasing to 35 degrees.

The debate about medium-caliber guns for new ships continued for a long time. Only in October 1906 was the final decision made to install four 50-caliber 203 mm guns. Their rate of fire is 4 rounds/min, their ammunition capacity is 440 rounds, and their firing range is 86 cable. The ships' armament was supplemented by 12x152 mm guns (rate of fire 6 rounds/min, ammunition capacity 2160 rounds, firing range 61 cables) and 14x75 mm guns (rate of fire 12 rounds/min, ammunition capacity 4200 shells, firing range 43 cables). These metamorphoses with weapons were reflected in the construction time frame; the battleships became yet another long-term Russian construction project. On April 30, 1906, “John Chrysostom” was launched, on October 21, “Eustathius”. Construction began, which dragged on for several years. Traditionally, delivery deadlines for machinery, equipment and weapons were constantly missed, their installation on ships was behind schedule, and sometimes work had to be suspended. In May 1910, “Eustathius” was transferred to Sevastopol to complete work. In July, both ships entered sea trials for the first time. The first tests were unsuccessful, but then they were “satisfactory in all respects.” On January 26, 1911, the act of “acceptance into the treasury” of the “John Chrysostom” mechanisms was signed, and on July 20, “Eustathius”. The cost of building the battleships was 13,784,760 and 14,118,210 rubles, respectively.

The newest battleships (as squadron battleships began to be called according to the new classification in October 1907) significantly strengthened the Black Sea Fleet. They became part of the active fleet in 1911 - on March 19, “John Chrysostom” and on May 15, “Eustathius”. On July 29, a brigade of battleships of the Black Sea Fleet was formed. It included two new battleships, Panteleimon and Rostislav, i.e. three practically identical battleships and a relatively weak (due to 254 mm guns) battleship. It was this formation that became the forefront in the Russian fleet in combat training and fully realized the invaluable experience of the Russian-Japanese War, which was paid for in great blood.

Experiments began on the Black Sea in the fall of 1906. A separate practical detachment was created under the flag of Rear Admiral G.F. Tsyvinsky. It included “Panteleimon”, “Rostislav”, “Three Saints” and “Sinop”. At the Tendra training ground, a special place was equipped for artillery firing. The detachment's ships began to develop new methods for centralized fire control of the squadron at long distances. In June 1907, the first results of these experiments were demonstrated to a commission from St. Petersburg. They were demonstrated five types of long-range shooting. In October, Panteleimon was the first in the Russian fleet to fire the main caliber at 80 cables. In 1908, research continued - now shooting was carried out at a distance of 110 cables. In addition to shooting, the detachment’s ships maneuvered together at different speeds, practiced sailing in any weather and constantly conducted various experiments with communications, etc. In 1909, one of the campaigns ended in tragedy - on the night of May 30, the Rostislav, when the detachment was returning to Sevastopol, sank the submarine Kambala with a ram. The ships continued to engage in experimental shooting at distances of up to 100 cables. At the same time, they “tested” new 305-mm armor-piercing shells weighing 380 kg (the previous ones weighed 332 kg). Their combat capabilities proved to be excellent and they performed well during the war.

After the commissioning of two battleships, the fleet command again faced the question of the future fate of the veteran ships. It was planned to rearm the Chesmu with the latest 305 mm guns, but these plans remained on paper. And new turrets for rearmament of the Chesma were transferred for installation on the John Chrysostom. Three old battleships were written off, two more were converted into auxiliary vessels. Now the fate of the “Three Saints” and “Rostislav” was being decided by the military leadership. These ships were quite new, but they needed modernization and rearmament. It was planned to change the masts, bridges, and redo the superstructures. This made the ships lighter and reduced overload, which deteriorated their combat performance. They refused to undertake major work at Rostislav because... the necessary re-equipment to 305-mm guns was extremely costly and was not supported by the military budget of the country, where every ruble counted.

The only battleship that underwent an almost complete modernization was the Three Saints, the first classic “capital ship” of the Black Sea Fleet. Several projects were developed, and there were fierce debates around them. Two projects became “finalists”; the Sevastopol port version won. Its development was completed in August 1909; it was planned to allocate more than 600 thousand rubles for the work. But then there were no funds in the budget, and work began only in November 1911. They continued until the summer of 1912. The masts and bridges on the “Three Saints” were changed, new deckhouses were installed, the superstructure was changed and the spardeck was dismantled, the casemate was redone and installed in it 10x152 mm guns. The composition of the armament was changed: the surface torpedo tubes were removed, the number of 152 mm guns was increased from 8 to 14 (ammunition capacity of 190 shells per gun), and all 120 mm, 47 mm and 37 mm guns were removed. The main caliber turrets were repaired and their design flaws were corrected. Thanks to this, the firing range increased to 80 cables. Unfortunately, no funds were allocated (105 thousand rubles were required) to modernize the turrets and increase the elevation angle of the 305 mm guns from 15 to 25 degrees. This would allow increasing the firing range to 100 cables. On July 19, 1912, the updated battleship entered sea trials, and by August 23, artillery tests were completed. Soon after the full completion of the test program (September 21, 1912), the modernized battleship Three Saints replaced the Rostislav battleship brigade.

The new ships were actively engaged in combat training and made voyages in the Black Sea. One of them ended in a scandalous episode, which led to a change in the fleet commander. When leaving the Romanian port of Constanta on September 19, 1912, Vice Admiral I.F. Boström decided to “booze” and performed a risky maneuver. As a result, two battleships ran aground on the outer roadstead of the port. “Eustathius” was soon able to disembark on its own, and the work to refloat the “Panteleimon” took 8 hours. Both ships received damage to the hull and, after returning to Sevastopol, were forced to dock. In August 1913, “John Chrysostom” took part in the most secret experiment in the entire history of the Russian Imperial Navy - experimental shooting at the “Excluded Vessel І°4” (former battleship “Chesma”). Its results were immediately classified. The brigade's combat training continued and every year it became more and more intense due to the worsening situation in the Balkans. The brigade's firing at the Tendra training ground continued, and the ships continued their voyages in the Black Sea. For the first time in the winter of 1913-14. battleships were not put into the armed reserve.

Combat training became even more intense and intense in 1914. In April, “Rostislav” and “Sinop” were reduced to a reserve brigade of battleships, and in September it became the 2nd brigade of battleships. It also included the “Three Saints” (the result of savings on the modernization of the towers). The last firing of the battleships took place on October 7 in the area of Cape Feolent. On this day, battleships, cruisers and the 2nd destroyer division carried out live artillery and torpedo firing. Their target was “Excluded Ship No. 3” (former battleship “Ekaterina II”). Shooting battleships from a distance of 90 cables showed a high level of training of gunners and became a “dress rehearsal” for the upcoming battles. And they finished off the target with a torpedo from the destroyer “Strict”. The hull of the veteran ship sank at a depth of 183 m.

By this time, the Black Sea battleships had a formidable enemy. Thanks to the “insufficiently energetic” opposition from the British fleet, two German ships were able to pass the Mediterranean Sea and enter the Dardanelles on July 28, 1914. We are talking about the battle cruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau. On August 3, Turkish flags were raised on them and they were renamed “Yavuz Sultan Selim” and “Midilli” respectively. The crews on them remained German, but the ships became the property of the Ottoman Empire. The Goeben was a dangerous adversary: its speed reached 28 knots (instead of the 16 knots of Russian battleships), powerful weapons (10x280 mm and 12x150 mm guns) and excellent optics, fairly advanced armor, and an experienced and capable crew. He became the main opponent of Russian battleships. Our officers continued, despite the renaming, to call it “Goeben”, and soon the cruisers received the nicknames “Goeben” became “uncle”, and “Breslau” became “nephew”.

The situation on the Black Sea after Turkey’s purchase of the Geben became a stalemate: the “German” could sink any of the battleships of the Black Sea Fleet, but when meeting them as part of a brigade, our battleships posed a serious threat to it. Then the “uncle” willingly used his advantage in speed and quickly left the battlefield. Both our leadership and the enemy command had to take these facts into account: “Goeben” tried to catch our battleships one by one, and our command was forced to go to sea only with all its might.

For the Black Sea Fleet, the war began on October 16, 1914 with an attack by the German-Turkish fleet on the Black Sea ports. In Odessa, Turkish ships sank a gunboat. Sevastopol was fired upon by the Goeben, which fired 47x280mm and 12x150mm shells. Not a single ship in the port was damaged by his salvos. The enemy battle cruiser walked along the fortress minefield (300 galvanic mines), but its chain was not closed. The order to close the circuit was not received in time. This accident saved the best ship of the German-Turkish fleet from destruction. Our battleships, standing on their barrels, did not open fire in the Sevastopol Bay. With the exception of "St. George the Victorious", which fired three shots from 152 mm guns. Coastal batteries fired, and naval aviation was scrambled into the air. Departing from Sevastopol, the Goeben damaged the destroyer Lieutenant Pushchin with fire and forced the crew of the minelayer Prut to scuttle their ship due to the danger of a mine explosion. On the same day, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral A.A. Eberhard took the fleet to sea (5 battleships, 3 cruisers, 13 destroyers), but did not find the enemy. The first meeting of the fleet with the Goeben took place on November 5, 1914 and went down in history as the battle at Cape Sarych. Russian ships were returning from a three-day voyage after shelling Trebizond and at 12.05, 40 miles from Cape Khersones, they discovered “big smoke” on the horizon. The battleships began to rebuild. At 12.20, with a salvo from the Eustathius, our battleships opened fire on the enemy. The fight lasted

14 min. “Goeben” answered, he concentrated his fire on the flagship. The first two salvoes of 280-mm guns overshot and undershot, shrapnel covered our flagship, damaged the radio antenna and pierced the middle chimney. The German gunners demonstrated an excellent rate of fire and soon the attacks began. Three volleys of the “uncle” resulted in hits: two 280-mm shells hit the right bow 152-mm casemate (5 officers and 29 lower ranks were killed, 24 lower ranks were wounded), another hit the casemate of a 152-mm battery in the ship’s superstructure, and another one exploded on the starboard side of the bow and riddled it with fragments. Two German “gifts” lay next to the side of the Rostislav. Soon the Goeben increased its speed and left the battlefield. The question of the number of hits on the Goeben still remains unclear - Russian officers observed at least 1 hit, our historians wrote about 14 hits, 115 killed and 59 wounded, while the Germans generally deny hits and damage to the Yavuz. Due to various reasons, our battleships were unable to act together in this battle, and in fact it came down to an unequal, fleeting duel between Goebe and Eustathius. Our flagship was damaged, but managed to fire 12x305mm shells. “John Chrysostom” fired 6 shots, “Panteleimon” did not open fire, “Three Saints” fired 12 shots, “Rostislav” managed to fire 2x254 mm and 6x152 mm shots.

On November 6, those killed in the battle at Cape Sarych were buried in Sevastopol. On November 16, Eustathius underwent repairs, repaired the damage and returned to service. The fleet continued combat operations off the Turkish coast. On the evening of December 24, our ships were met by the cruisers Midilli and Hamidiye. “Eustathius” managed to fire 5x305-mm, 4x203-mm, 17x152-mm and 1x75-mm, “John Chrysostom” 1x203-mm and 7x152-mm shells, but they fell short. During a short firefight, the Eustathius again suffered no direct hits, but shells from the Midilli damaged the railings and made five gouges on the barrel of the right bow 305-mm gun. The bombardment of the Turkish coast by battleships continued, but the Goeben did not appear, because it was repaired after being blown up by 2 Russian mines.

On April 27, a second meeting of the battleships with the Goeben took place near the Bosporus. Admiral A.A. Ebergard took the entire fleet to sea - 5 battleships, 2 cruisers, 2 seaplane transports, 15 destroyers and 6 minesweepers. In the morning, the Russians divided their forces - “Panteleimon” and “Three Saints” went to shell Turkish fortifications in the Bosphorus area. The enemy decided to take advantage of this, and “Goeben” moved towards rapprochement with half the Russian forces. In such a situation, his chances increased sharply. At 6.50 our patrol ships discovered the Goeben. At 7.20 a combat alarm was sounded on the battleships. Eberhard sought to connect with 2 battleships as soon as possible, because "Rostislav" posed no danger to "Goeben". At 7.51 two Russian battleships opened fire, and the enemy responded. Our shots undershot, German salvoes began to cover the Eustathia. The flagship was “taken into a fork”, it was surrounded by huge columns of water, it was flooded with water, the ship’s hull was shaken by dynamic impacts, but there was not a single direct hit on the Eustathius. This is a huge credit to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, who controlled the ship’s maneuvers. A few more volleys from the “uncle” and hits could no longer be avoided. Now “Goeben” a new enemy appeared - “Panteleimon”, speeding up the vehicles (it reached a speed of 17.5 knots) approached the battlefield. At 8.05 his guns fired the first shot at the Goeben. With the second salvo from a distance of 100 cables, he managed to hit the middle part of the left side of the “uncle”. This was followed by two more hits from Panteleimon, and at 8.16 the Goeben left the battle. He fired 160 shots, but did not achieve a single hit. “Eustathius” fired 60x305 mm and 32x203 mm, “John Chrysostom” 75x305 mm and 4x203 mm, “Panteleimon” fired 16x305 mm shots,
"Three Saints" fired 13x305-mm shells. Russian battleships continued operations off the Turkish coast.

On July 1, 1915, the battleship Empress Maria, the first dreadnought of the Black Sea Fleet, arrived in Sevastopol. This huge ship was armed with 12x305 mm guns and alone could deal with both the “uncle” and the “nephew”. He had not yet completed the test program and on the passage from Nikolaev he was accompanied by veteran battleships. They were moving south of the dreadnought and were ready to repel the Goeben's attack. Soon the main caliber of the dreadnought was tested and it went out on its first combat campaign. In November, the second dreadnought Empress Catherine the Great joined the fleet. This changed the strategic situation in the Black Sea and now the Goeben had only one advantage: speed.

The old battleships were repaired and slightly modernized, with anti-aircraft guns and fore-trawls installed. They began to go to sea less often, but still continued to make trips to the Turkish shores. They shelled Zunguldak, Kilimli, Kozlu and other places on the coast. The veteran ships had no new encounters with the Goeben. Instead, a new dangerous enemy appeared - submarines. In October 1915, Bulgaria entered the war
side of Germany, and the port of Varna became a base for German submarines. The old battleships “Eustathius”, “John Chrysostom” and “Panteleimon” were sent against him, which were supposed to deliver an artillery strike on the port. On October 22, they carried out the first shelling, but due to a lack of data, they fired “in areas.” He gave no results. The second shelling on October 27 was combined with an air raid, but it did not produce any special results. At the same time, Panteleimon was attacked by the submarine UB 7, which fired a 450-mm torpedo from 5 cables. It was discovered in a timely manner by signalmen and an evasive maneuver was carried out in a timely manner. The torpedo passed by. At the same time, fire was opened with diving shells on the periscope.

The Russian army successfully operated in the Caucasus and captured a number of cities and fortresses. The old battleships Rostislav and Panteleimon were brought in to support the offensive of our troops. In 1915, the Batumi detachment was formed. In 1916, it was headed by “Rostislav”, who suppressed batteries with fire from 254 mm and 152 mm guns and fired at the positions of the Turkish army. The old battleship covered landing operations, accompanied huge convoys with troops and cargo for the army, and with its presence gave “solidity” to the guard of destroyers, minesweepers and fast boats. After the occupation of Trebizond, which became the main supply base of the Caucasian army, veteran battleships came to Batum to protect sea communications from a possible attack by the Goeben. But “uncle” never showed up. In the fall they returned to Sevastopol.

In August-October 1916, "Rostislav" operated near Constanta. He led a special forces detachment consisting of 10 destroyers, 10 fast boats, 9 minesweepers, 4 messenger ships and 2 transports. It covered communications off the coast of Romania and operated off the coast of Bulgaria and in the Bosphorus region. Here, “Rostislav”, while carrying out command tasks (supporting Romanian troops with fire, suppressing enemy batteries), had to face another danger from enemy aircraft. On August 20, 25 bombs were dropped on the battleship. One of them hit the edge of the vertical armor of the battleship's main battery turret. 16 sailors were wounded.

In February 1917, a revolution occurred in Russia and the Romanov dynasty was overthrown. Democratic transformations began in the country. Anarchy set in in the Baltic and in the Black Sea, thanks to the authority of Commander A.F. Kolchak, it was possible to maintain relative order: ship committees were formed on the ships of the fleet, but there were no murders of officers, the ships still went to sea for military operations on the shores of Turkey. In March, “Panteleimon” was given back the name “Prince Potemkin-Tavrichesky”, which he had during the uprising. But its crew did not want such a renaming and on April 28 the ship received a new name “Freedom Fighter”. In the summer, the discipline of the Black Sea people began to weaken due to the influence of envoys from the Baltic. Numerous rallies began. In the fall, power in the country passed into the hands of the Bolsheviks, and anarchy began on the Black Sea: officers were killed, sailors began to desert, ships stopped going to sea, and crews did not follow the orders of the command. The old battleships also stopped going on cruises; they were placed at the berths of the South Bay of Sevastopol. Soon they were empty, and the sailors left them.

In May 1918, German troops entered Sevastopol. They captured old battleships, but did not do anything with them, because... they were more interested in the contents of naval warehouses. Although during the occupation a number of valuable equipment and materials disappeared from veteran ships. In November they were replaced by English and French invaders. They also had little interest in armadillos. In April 1919, while leaving Sevastopol, they blew up the cylinders of the main engines of all the old battleships. Soon the whites recaptured Crimea. They decided to use the Rostislav as a floating battery. It was towed to Kerch and then installed in the Kerch Strait. He guarded the approaches from the north to the strait and fired at Red units on the Taman Peninsula. His team consisted of former officers, high school students, students, cadets and cadets. In November 1920, the Whites, leaving Sevastopol and Crimea, sank the Rostislav on the fairway. And “Freedom Fighter”, “Eustathius”, “John Chrysostom” and “Three Saints” became trophies of the Red Army.

After the end of the Civil War, various authoritative commissions examined the veteran ships several times, which still stood in the South Bay of Sevastopol, which had become a “ship graveyard.” There had been no crews on them for a long time and traces of desolation and plunder were visible everywhere. The condition of the hulls was not bad, no one was monitoring the artillery, and the blown cylinders of the main engines required replacement. There was nowhere and no one to do this. As a result, they were declared unsuitable for restoration and decided to be sent “on pins and needles.” In the 1920s all of them were dismantled in Sevastopol. The artillery was put into storage. Several guns from battleships in the 20-30s. was installed on coastal batteries near Sevastopol.

The First World War ended 84 years ago. However, the events associated with it have not yet received proper consideration in Soviet and then Ukrainian historiography. The war at sea was no exception. The vast majority of works on this topic were published in the 30-40s. twentieth century and were mainly translations of foreign authors. There are very few monographs and works concerning the activities and role of the Russian Imperial Navy in the First World War. Only in recent decades has the hunger for information on military-historical topics subsided somewhat, and new books on the history of the First World War began to appear and old books were republished.

On May 19, 1911, Tsar Nicholas II signed a program to build ships for the Black Sea. In 1911-1913 Russia has begun construction of three dreadnought battleships, two light cruisers, nine destroyers and six submarines. The vast majority of these ships were built at shipyards located in Nikolaev. In 1914-1915 an additional one dreadnought battleship, two light cruisers, eight destroyers and twelve submarines were ordered. Of this total number of ships, three battleships, thirteen destroyers, and nine submarines entered service before the end of hostilities. But the modernization of the Black Sea Fleet began too late, time was lost. The fleet entered the war without a single modern battleship, light cruiser and with a meager number of turbine destroyers and seaworthy submarines. In 1914, the Russian Black Sea Fleet consisted of seven battleships of an outdated design (2 of them served as guard ships for the Sevastopol Bay, or as headquarters ships), two armored cruisers, twenty-one destroyers (of which only 4 were the newest), nine destroyers, five submarines boats, three gunboats and a number of auxiliary vessels. The vast majority of the crew was built at the Nikolaev shipyards.

By the summer of 1914, the naval forces of the Ottoman Empire had even more limited forces, consisting of 3 old battleships, 2 armored cruisers, 10 destroyers (of which only 4 were new), 10 destroyers, 18 gunboats and another 20 ships for various purposes. The condition of the crew was terrible, many ships needed repairs. The training of the crews did not stand up to criticism.

The situation changed dramatically when, on August 10, 1914, the German Mediterranean detachment under the command of Rear Admiral W. Souchon, consisting of the battle cruiser Goeben and the light cruiser Breslau, entered the Sea of Marmara. The German government, seeking to involve Turkey in the war on the side of the Central Powers, and, skillfully using the pro-German lobby in Istanbul, sold German ships for a symbolic fee of 1000 marks to Turkey. On the Goeben and Breslau, Turkish flags were raised and the sailors put on frescoes. Souchon became the de facto commander-in-chief of the Turkish fleet. Istanbul refused to respond to the allies’ demands to disarm the Goeben and Breslau, or force them to leave Turkish territorial waters.

On October 29, 1914, the offensive operation of the Turkish Navy against Russia began. At 3 a.m., two Turkish destroyers attacked the port of Odessa, sinking 1 gunboat and damaging several ships and port facilities, after which they withdrew unhindered. On the morning of the same day, the Goeben and two destroyers fired at Sevastopol, but the fire of the Russian coastal batteries forced them to retreat, and the minelayer Prut was sunk by its own crew. Simultaneously with the Goeben, the Breslau also operated, shelling the port of Novorossiysk and causing a severe fire. On the same day, two ships sank on mines laid by a German cruiser. Finally, the Turkish cruiser Hamidiye fired at Feodosia, where it caused serious damage to port warehouses. The German government achieved its goal - Türkiye entered the war. Russia declared it on October 31, and then, on November 5, Istanbul declared war on the Entente.

Fearing an amphibious landing, the Russian command hastily began to mine the coastal zones, laying down a total of 4,200 mines. Having completed the mine laying, the Russian fleet began sabotage raids on enemy communications, disturbing him along the entire Caucasian coast. The core of the Black Sea Fleet, consisting of 5 of the most combat-ready old battleships, went to sea along with security forces.

On November 18, near Cape Sarych, 45 miles from Sevastopol, a sudden meeting of the Russian squadron with the Goeben and Breslau took place. As a result of the fleeting battle, which lasted 14 minutes, the Goeben received significant damage and, taking advantage of its speed advantage, disappeared. Of the Russian ships, Admiral Eberhard's flagship, the battleship Eustathius, was damaged.

After the battle at Cape Sarych, Russian ships went to sea several times until the end of 1914, carrying out, for example, maneuvering the Bosporus. Another major action was an attempt to block the port of Zonguldak, through which coal was transported to the Turkish capital. Unfortunately, this operation was not successful. Nevertheless, the Russian efforts bore some fruit - on December 26, the Goeben was blown up by a mine at the entrance to the Bosphorus and received serious damage, which put it out of action for a long time. Taking advantage of this, Russian light forces actively operated near the Turkish port of Trebizond, ensuring the transportation of troops by sea. The Black Sea Fleet continued its raids, and at the beginning of 1915, each time almost in full force, reaching the Caucasian coast. As a result of the operation off the coast of Anatolia, which took place on February 12-17, a number of small enemy ships were sunk. In total, from the beginning of the year until the end of March, 4 Turkish steamships and about 120 small sailing ships were sunk, which dealt a serious blow to Turkish coal transportation.

The directives of the Russian high command to Vice Admiral Eberhard, in connection with the Anglo-French operation to capture the Dardanelles, obliged him to take offensive actions. Preparations have begun for the landing operation of the Black Sea Fleet on the Bosporus. A 37,000-strong expeditionary force was preparing for the landing, however, due to the large-scale German offensive on the Eastern Front, the operation did not take place.

But the Black Sea Fleet was very active. In addition to the usual raids on the eastern Anatolian coast, the Bosphorus fortifications were bombed on March 28 and 29. The fire of the Russian ships was adjusted from seaplanes, which were launched from the seaplane cruisers Nikolai I and Almaz. This action was more psychological than military in nature and did not bring much success. On the way back, Russian ships once again attacked coal ports on the Turkish coast.

The German-Turkish forces acted less actively, limiting themselves to a number of sabotage attacks by light forces to the Russian shores. During one of these campaigns, the light cruiser Mecidiye was lost by the Turkish Navy. It hit a mine and sank near Odessa on April 1. Later it will be raised by the Russians, repaired and put into operation in 1916 under the name “Prut”. In April, the Black Sea Fleet repeatedly went to sea to operate in the southern part of the Black Sea, including to shell the Bosphorus fortifications. Since April, regular independent rounds of turbine destroyers against Turkish shipping began. May 10 during another bombing of the Bosfoor. There was a battle between the Russian squadron and the Goeben, which received a number of damage, and only its advantage in speed allowed it to escape. In the summer of 1915, the Russian command learned of the arrival of German submarines in Constantinople, so they temporarily stopped shelling the Bosporus, putting all large ships for scheduled repairs. Only destroyers and submarines continued operations against Turkish shipping. Moreover, the Black Sea Fleet had been replenished by this time with 5 new destroyers, 2 air transports and 2 submarines, one of which, “Crab,” was an underwater minelayer.

In the second half of the year, the most powerful ships came into operation - the newest dreadnoughts "Empress Maria" and "Empress Catherine the Great", which were superior to the "Goeben" in armament and armor, inferior only in speed. The situation changed radically in favor of the Russians. They became masters of the sea. Moreover, on July 18, 1915, the Breslau was blown up by mines laid by the underwater minelayer Crab and was out of action for seven months. Meanwhile, Russian destroyers and submarines terrorized enemy communications. The situation with coal in the Turkish capital has become threatening. From May to August alone, 17 steamships, 3 tugboats and 195 small sailing ships were destroyed in the Bosporus area.

As noted above, in the summer of 1915, German submarines began to arrive in Istanbul; only one submarine, S-13, was sunk.

Throughout the second half of 1915, the Russian Black Sea Fleet actively acted against the Turkish coalfields, shelling the coast, in which the newest battleships already took part. In October 1915, Bulgaria entered the war on the side of the German bloc. Therefore, the Russian command allocated part of its forces to shell the port of Varna. The Bulgarian fleet was tiny in composition and did not pose a serious threat. But the Bulgarian ports were actively used by the enemy for transporting troops. In total, in 1915, the ships of the Black Sea Fleet sank over 40 cargo ships and several hundred sailing ships. The Turkish fleet lost 1 light cruiser, the Germans - 1 submarine. During all this time, the Russians lost only 7 small auxiliary ships. The Black Sea Fleet achieved a decisive advantage over the enemy, but its successes were negated by the defeat of the Anglo-French troops on the Helliopolis Peninsula and the failure of the Dardanelles operation.

With the onset of 1916, the tasks of the Black Sea Fleet changed somewhat. After the evacuation of the Allied expeditionary force from the Heliopoli Peninsula, the situation allowed the Turks to free up their troops for other fronts, primarily the Caucasus. To identify the Turks, on January 10, 1916, Russian troops launched an offensive, pushing them back 70-100 km. The Batumi detachment of the light forces of the fleet provided every possible support to the advancing troops from the coastal flank. At the same time, for the landing of tactical landings, cargo landing lighters of the Elpidifor type were used, the construction of which was organized in Nikolaev. In addition to destroyers and gunboats, the battleship Empress Maria was also involved in supporting the Primorsky flank of the Caucasian Army.

In May-June, with the support of the main forces of the fleet, two infantry divisions were transferred to the Trebizond area. “On August 8, 1916, Romania took the side of the Entente. But the Romanian front was extremely weak, the army was incapable. The Russian command had to allocate part of the already small forces to support the coastal flank of the Romanian Front. Weak Romania could not withstand the enemy's onslaught, and by the end of the year most of its territory was occupied by the enemy.

As in previous years of the war, at the beginning of 1916 the blockade of the Turkish coal basin remained the most important task of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. While part of the forces operated off the Caucasian coast. The other almost constantly attacked Turkish ports. The only serious obstacle to this task was the German submarines, which distracted the Russian destroyers. Therefore, the situation with the delivery of coal to Istanbul, for example. In March it improved somewhat. The Russians were now paying the price for insufficient attention to the development of the Black Sea Fleet before the war. There were few combat-ready ships, new ones were built slowly, and the fleet had more and more tasks. The command of the Black Sea Fleet, believing that the initiative belonged entirely to it, somewhat lost its vigilance, which the enemy did not fail to take advantage of. On July 4, 1916, Goeben and Breslau launched a daring raid on the shores of the Caucasus, firing at the positions of Russian troops and sinking several transports. It was not possible to intercept the German squadron. The success of the German sabotage operation and the increased activity of their submarines gave rise to the removal of Vice Admiral Eberhard from his post as fleet commander. Instead, on July 16, Vice Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (1873-1920) was appointed. The new commander, using mines, decided to completely block the Bosphorus and the coal port of Zonguldak. The Turks tried to trawl the Russian barriers, but new ones arose in place of the ones that had been trawled.

This tactic of Kolchak quickly began to bear fruit - the action of enemy ships was sharply limited. The coal crisis reached its climax in August. The blockade of the Bosphorus was also carried out by submarines. In total, in the second half of 1916, Russian submarines made 33 military campaigns.

Large warships covered convoys with troops and shelled the enemy coast, and also ensured the laying of mines near the Bosphorus. Just in the Bosphorus area. A total of 2,187 mines were laid in the Bosphorus area in 1916.

The enemy's shipping was almost completely realized. In addition to the Bosphorus, the Russians carried out intensive mining of the city of Varna, the main base of German submarines was repeatedly attacked by Russian seaplanes raised from seaplanes. In October-November, three enemy submarines were killed by mines laid by the Russians, and another one sank, presumably from air strikes.

Thus, Kolchak’s plan was carried out, and the Russian fleet achieved complete dominance in the Black Sea by the end of autumn. Its losses were minimal: two old destroyers and three minesweepers were blown up by mines and sank. In addition to them, 13 transports and auxiliary ships were lost.

The largest loss was the death on October 20, 1916 from the explosion of the ammunition magazines of the dreadnought Empress Maria. Hundreds of its crew members were killed or wounded. This was the heaviest loss of the Russian fleet in all years on all seas.

The first half of 1917 was marked by the complete dominance of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. The Bosporus was blocked, shipping was paralyzed, and cooperation with the ground army was established. The entire Turkish coast was blocked by light forces, primarily destroyers. The outbreak of the February Revolution and the subsequent decomposition of the Baltic Fleet almost did not affect the Black Sea, since Admiral Kolchak made every effort to prevent a decline in discipline and maintained combat effectiveness at the proper level. He succeeded in this by intensifying military operations, primarily off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. The operations there were carried out according to the usual scenario and boiled down to shelling coastal structures and destroying small enemy ships, since larger ones did not dare to go to sea. The German-Turkish fleet did not show any activity in the first months of 1917 and all its actions were limited to sweeping Russian minefields, which were very quickly updated.

Meanwhile, revolutionary sentiments continued to develop on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and so-called revolutionary committees were created. On June 19, 1917, at their request, Vice Admiral Kolchak resigned. His place was taken by Rear Admiral V. Lukin, who was replaced by Rear Admiral A.V. Nemitz in August.

After a long break, German ships, in particular submarines, reappeared in the Black Sea in June. The cruiser Breslau raided the island of Fidonisi (Snake) at the end of June. By destroying the Russian lighthouse. On the way back, he had a skirmish with the dreadnought Free Russia (Former Catherine the Great), but the German cruiser managed to escape. This was the last battle between German and Russian ships in the Black Sea during the First World War.

Meanwhile, the economic situation of the empire was deteriorating, which was fully felt by the Black Sea Fleet. The shipyards could not operate productively in the looming chaos. There was a shortage of the most necessary materials, and the supply of imported ones was delayed.

Since the summer, the blockade of the Bosphorus has weakened every day. Mining that had started so successfully turned out to be abandoned. The last mine laying took place on the night of July 19-20, 1917. The Turks took advantage of the weakening of the enemy and began to increase coal transportation. Attempts by Russian destroyers to restore their dominant position in September - October were unsuccessful - the combat effectiveness of the Russian fleet fell to a threatening level, beyond which there was chaos. On November 1, two squadrons of Russian ships set out to intercept the Breslau, but the crew of the dreadnought Free Russia refused to follow orders and the ship returned to Sevastopol. The German cruiser, having spent some time at sea, returned to base. The entry into service of the dreadnought Volya (formerly Emperor Alexander III) did not save the situation. On November 8, Sevastopol learned of the victory of the Bolshevik revolution in Petrograd. In connection with this message, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Rear Admiral Nemitz, ordered all ships and parts of the fleet to obey only the Central Fleet, where the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks dominated, with whom Nemitz found a common language. By the end of November, all the ships of the Black Sea Fleet were at their bases, and hostilities had virtually ceased. Soon a truce was signed, and negotiations began in Brest-Litovsk between the Russian and German delegations.

Literature

1. History of domestic shipbuilding. - St. Petersburg, 1996 - part III.
2. First World War at sea. - M., 1999.
3. Patients A. Naval battles of the First World War. - M., 2001. -t. eleven.
4. First World War at sea. - M., 1999.
5. Ibid.
6. Patients A. Naval battles of the First World War. - Vol. III.
7. First World War at sea. - M., 1999.
8. Gibson. Penderthurst. German submarine war 1914 - 1918 - M., 2002.
9. Ibid.
10. Patients A. The tragedy of mistakes. - M., 2001.
11. Ibid.