| Types of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation | Navy

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Types of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

Navy

From the history of creation

In 1695, the young Tsar Peter I attempted to capture the Azov fortress occupied by the Turks. The siege ended in failure, since the fortress garrison received great assistance and support from the Turkish fleet that dominated the Sea of ​​Azov.

After analyzing the reasons for the unsuccessful siege in Russia, the Admiralty was established, and on the river. Shipbuilding shipyards were founded in Voronezh. As a result of energetic measures taken in 1696. managed to create the first connection of combat and transport ships in the history of Russia, the so-called naval military caravan. It consisted of 2 frigates, 23 galleys, 4 fire ships and about 1000 small rowing vessels. In May 1696, a ground army (about 75 thousand people) and a naval military caravan reached Azov and blocked it from land and sea, and on May 20, a detachment of 40 Cossack boats attacked the Turkish squadron. The Turks lost 2 ships and 10 cargo ships. At the same time, the main part of the military caravan took up a position at the mouth of the river. The Don did not allow the Turkish fleet, which arrived to help the Azov garrison, to approach the shore and land reinforcements for the besieged.

As a result of these actions, on July 19, 1696, Azov surrendered. In connection with these events, 1696 is rightfully considered the year of the founding of the Russian Navy.

Organizational structure of the Navy

• Main Command of the Navy
• Surface forces
• Submarine forces
• Naval aviation
• Coastal troops:
  • Coastal Missile and Artillery Troops
  • Marines

Navy- a branch of the Armed Forces designed to strike industrial and economic regions (centers), important military installations of the enemy and defeat his naval forces. The Navy is capable of delivering nuclear strikes on enemy ground targets, destroying its ships at sea and in bases, disrupting its ocean and sea communications and protecting its own, assisting ground forces in conducting operations, landing amphibious assault forces and repelling enemy amphibious landings, transporting troops, material tools and perform other tasks.

Part Navy includes several types of forces: submarine, surface, naval aviation, coastal forces. It also includes ships and vessels of the auxiliary fleet, special-purpose units and various services. The main types of forces are submarine forces and naval aviation.

Navy is one of the most important foreign policy attributes of the state. It is designed to ensure security and protect the interests of the Russian Federation in peacetime and wartime on ocean and sea borders.

The Navy is capable of delivering nuclear strikes on enemy ground targets, destroying enemy fleet groups at sea and bases, disrupting the enemy’s ocean and sea communications and protecting its maritime transportation, assisting ground forces in operations in continental theaters of war, landing amphibious assault forces, and participating in in repelling enemy landings and performing other tasks.

Today the Navy consists of four fleets: the Northern, Pacific, Black Sea, Baltic and Caspian flotilla. The priority task of the fleet is to prevent the outbreak of wars and armed conflicts, and in the event of aggression, to repulse it, cover the country's facilities, forces and troops from ocean and sea directions, defeat the enemy, create conditions for preventing military actions at the earliest possible stage and concluding peace in conditions that meet the interests of the Russian Federation. In addition, the task of the Navy is to conduct peacekeeping operations by decision of the UN Security Council or in accordance with the international allied obligations of the Russian Federation.

To solve the priority task of the Armed Forces and the Navy - preventing the outbreak of war, the Navy has naval strategic nuclear forces and general purpose forces. In the event of aggression, they must repel the enemy’s attacks, defeat the strike groups of his fleet and prevent him from conducting large-scale naval operations, as well as, in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, ensure the creation of the necessary conditions for the effective conduct of defensive operations in continental theaters of military operations.

Navy consists of the following types of forces (Fig. 1):
• underwater
• surface
• naval aviation
• Marine Corps and Coastal Defense Forces.
• It includes:
  • ships and ships,
  • special purpose units
  • rear units and units.

The main striking force of the Navy is nuclear submarines armed with ballistic and cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. These ships are constantly in various areas of the World Ocean, ready for the immediate use of their strategic weapons.

Nuclear-powered submarines, armed with ship-to-ship cruise missiles, are aimed primarily at combating large enemy surface ships.

Torpedo nuclear submarines are used to disrupt enemy underwater and surface communications and in the defense system against underwater threats, as well as to escort missile submarines and surface ships.

The use of diesel submarines (missile and torpedo submarines) is mainly associated with solving typical tasks for them in limited areas of the sea.

Equipping submarines with nuclear power and nuclear missile weapons, powerful hydroacoustic systems and high-precision navigation weapons, along with comprehensive automation of control processes and the creation of optimal living conditions for the crew, has significantly expanded their tactical properties and forms of combat use. In modern conditions, surface forces remain the most important part of the Navy. The creation of ships that carry aircraft and helicopters, as well as the transition of a number of classes of ships, as well as submarines, to nuclear power have greatly increased their combat capabilities. Equipping ships with helicopters and airplanes significantly expands their capabilities to detect and destroy enemy submarines. Helicopters create the opportunity to successfully solve the problems of relay and communications, target designation, transfer of cargo at sea, landing troops on the coast and rescuing personnel.

Surface ships are the main forces for ensuring the exit and deployment of submarines to combat areas and returning to bases, transporting and covering landing forces. They are assigned the main role in laying minefields, combating mine danger and protecting their communications.

The traditional task of surface ships is to strike enemy targets on its territory and cover their coast from the sea from enemy naval forces.

Thus, surface ships are entrusted with a complex of responsible combat missions. They solve these problems in groups, formations, associations, both independently and in cooperation with other branches of the naval forces (submarines, aviation, marines).

Naval aviation- branch of the Navy. It consists of strategic, tactical, deck and coastal.

Strategic and tactical aviation designed to combat groups of surface ships in the ocean, submarines and transports, as well as to carry out bombing and missile attacks on enemy coastal targets.

Carrier-based aircraft is the main striking force of the Navy's aircraft carrier formations. Its main combat missions in armed warfare at sea are the destruction of enemy aircraft in the air, launch positions of anti-aircraft guided missiles and other enemy air defense systems, conducting tactical reconnaissance, etc. When performing combat missions, carrier-based aircraft actively interact with tactical ones.

Naval aviation helicopters are an effective means of targeting a ship's missile weapons when destroying submarines and repelling attacks from low-flying enemy aircraft and anti-ship missiles. Carrying air-to-surface missiles and other weapons, they are a powerful means of fire support for Marine landings and destruction of enemy missile and artillery boats.

Marines- a branch of the Navy forces designed to conduct combat operations as part of amphibious assault forces (independently or jointly with the Ground Forces), as well as for the defense of the coast (naval bases, ports).

Marine combat operations are carried out, as a rule, with the support of aviation and artillery fire from ships. In turn, the Marine Corps uses in combat all types of weapons characteristic of motorized rifle troops, while using landing tactics specific to it.

Coastal Defense Troops, as a branch of the naval forces, they are designed to protect naval force bases, ports, important sections of the coast, islands, straits and narrows from attacks by enemy ships and amphibious assault forces. The basis of their weapons are coastal missile systems and artillery, anti-aircraft missile systems, mine and torpedo weapons, as well as special coastal defense ships (protection of the water area). To ensure defense by troops on the coast, coastal fortifications are created.

Rear units and units designed for logistical support of forces and combat operations of the Navy. They ensure the satisfaction of material, transport, household and other needs of formations and associations of the Navy in order to maintain them in combat readiness to carry out assigned tasks.

Modern historiography connects the creation of the Russian fleet with the name of Peter the Great. At the same time, if you carefully study the chronicles, it turns out that the military fleet appeared in Rus' much earlier than the beginning of the 18th century.

Pre-Petrine fleet

According to modern historians, the Russian fleet began with the phrase: “There will be a Russian fleet!”, uttered by Peter I in the Boyar Duma on October 30, 1696. However, this statement is nothing more than a myth.

Russian military history has preserved to us a description of many glorious feats performed by Russian sailors in pre-Petrine times. The most amazing thing is that even the British, who cannot be suspected of loving the Russian fleet, claimed that it was older than their own. The historian of the British naval forces, Admiral Fred Thomas Jane, repeatedly noted in his works: “The Russian fleet, which is considered a relatively late institution founded by Peter the Great, actually has a greater right to antiquity than the British fleet.”

Oddly enough, the admiral was absolutely right. The first written evidence of the existence of the British fleet dates back to 870-901. By this time, Russian navigators had been defending their interests in the Black and Baltic Seas for many years.

Ivan groznyj

One can list for a long time the successes of Russian sailors in the pre-Petrine era, among which there were truly impressive victories. One of them dates back to 1559. At this time, Ivan the Terrible took Kazan and defeated the Astrakhan Khanate. It was the turn of Crimea, which was under the patronage of the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

In the middle of the 16th century, his army and navy were considered the undisputed masters of the Black Sea. However, the Russian Tsar had a different opinion on this matter. On his orders, steward Danila Adashev built shipyards at the mouth of the Dnieper. Using them, experienced carpenters quickly built a flotilla of warships that outwardly resembled European frigates.

Each ship could move both under sail and with oars, accommodating up to fifty crew members on board. Having gone to sea, the Russian ships gave battle to the Turkish squadron and won it. About ten Turkish ships were sunk and two were captured.

For three weeks, the Russian landing force ruled the Crimea, freeing Russian hostages taken into slavery by the Tatars. It seemed that the Crimean Khanate would be finished once and for all, but Ivan the Terrible recalled Adashev’s eight-thousand-strong corps, transferring it to the Baltic Sea.

Alexey "The Quietest"

History has not preserved to this day the description of the naval victories of the steward of Ivan the Terrible on the Baltic Sea. Nevertheless, a hundred years later, after the appearance of Russian ships in the waters of the Northern Sea, they remained its undisputed masters.

In the spring of 1656, Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov gave the order to liberate part of the Baltic coast from the mouth of the Neva to Riga from the Swedes. Russian sailors could fulfill this order only if they had warships in no way inferior to the Swedish fleet, considered the best in the world. It is noteworthy that when giving farewell to the Russian sailors, Patriarch Nikon had no doubts about their absolute victory. In a conversation with the naval commander Pyotr Potemkin, he noted: “Go beyond the Sveisky (Swedish) line, to the Varangian Sea, to Stekolna (Stockholm) and beyond.”

With these words, Nikon actually invited Potemkin to storm the capital of one of the most militarily powerful states of those years. Obviously, he had every reason to believe that the Russian fleet would be able to cope with the task. This is practically what happened. On July 22, 1656, Peter Potemkin's thousandth corps entered the Gulf of Finland.

Luck was with the Russian sailors. After a short battle, having sunk a Swedish galley, Russian troops captured the island of Kotlin. Reporting on the completion of the combat mission, Potemkin wrote to the Tsar: “They took the half-ship (galley) and beat the Svei people, and captain Irek Dalsfir, and the outfit (guns), and the banners, and on Kotlin Island the Latvian villages were carved out and burned.”

Russian Imperial Fleet (RIF)- the official name of the Russian Navy from 1721 to 1917.

Story

Understanding the importance of the fleet for Russia, the last emperor from the Romanov dynasty also paid due attention to it. However, it was during his reign that this fleet ceased to exist...

Cruiser I rank "Oleg" after the Battle of Tsushima

Nicholas II shared the doctrine of the American naval theorist Admiral Alfred Mahan. New ships were built not only in Russian shipyards, but also in France, Denmark, Germany and the United States. The accelerated overcoming of the technical gap with Europe turned out to be very timely. On the night of February 8, 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began. And the domestic fleet seemed to have every chance of victory. But in this war, the excellent training of Russian officers and sailors always suffered, although they all fought heroically. After the infamous Battle of Tsushima, the Second Pacific Squadron was defeated, and the authority of the Russian Empire and the Tsar fell. And if by the end of the 18th century the Russian Imperial Navy was the third largest in the world, now it is in sixth position.

Shocked, Nicholas II, under some public pressure, began to reform and restore the fleet. On March 19, 1906, a submarine fleet was created as part of the RIF (now this day is considered Submariner's Day, in June of the same year the Naval General Staff was organized. The Russian Empire spent 519 million dollars on naval needs from 1906 to 1913 - this is the fifth largest budget size after Great Britain, Germany, USA, and France.

However, the bad thing about this restoration was that a lot of things for the needs of the fleet (the combat units themselves, the parts, and the support base) were supplied from abroad, as a result of which the domestic school suffered. Another result of this policy was that until the middle of the 20th century, boats of the first generation were in service in Russia, when more than one generation had changed abroad.

This is how Russia and its fleet met the beginning of the First World War, which broke out in 1914. The main theaters of military operations were the Baltic and Black Seas, and actions were carried out against Germany and Turkey, respectively.

In the Baltic theater, the RIF conducted mainly defensive tactics, actively using sea mines. However, during Operation Albion, German troops were able to achieve a turning point by capturing the Moonsund Islands. By March 1918, thanks largely to internal turmoil in Russia, which had already become a republic, the German fleet completely dominated the Baltic Sea.

Submarine RIF "Crab"

As for the Black Sea theater, the greatest danger there was posed by a squadron of two German cruisers, Goeben and Breslau, commanded by Admiral Wilhelm Souchon. However, they did not greatly influence the outcome of the hostilities with Turkey, and by 1915 the Russian Imperial Navy was in complete control of the Black Sea.

However, by the end of the First World War, the Russian Imperial Navy no longer existed, and neither did the Russian Empire. On April 16, 1917 it was abolished, although the fleet itself actually continued to exist. However, the state of affairs in the fleet was more than deplorable. Some of the ships were captured by the Germans, some were sunk on Lenin's orders. During the Civil War, Russian sailors had to fight on the side of the Reds, the Whites and the Ukrainian state, which received part of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet captured by the Germans. After the Bolshevik victory, the remaining ships became part of the future USSR Navy.

Ship classification

The first ship classification of the Russian Imperial Navy was compiled 171 years after its creation. By the time the first such classification was written, the fleet included sailing, sailing-armored and armored ships, which were distributed into the sailing and armored fleets.

1892 classification

The first classification of steam and armored ships of the Russian fleet was developed at the end of 1891 and announced by order of the Maritime Department on February 1 (Julian calendar) 1892. It established the following classes of warships:

• Armadillos
  • Squadron battleships
  • Coastal defense battleships
• Cruisers
  • Cruisers of rank I
  • Cruisers of rank II
• Gunboats
  • Seaworthy gunboats
  • Coastal defense gunboats

This classification, unofficially supplemented before the Russo-Japanese War by the classes “mine transport”, “hospital ship”, “destroyer”, and in March 1906 also by the classes “submarine” (before that, submarines were listed in the class of destroyers) and “ messenger ship" existed until October 1907. It was not strictly observed even by the official bodies of the Maritime Department. Cruisers of the 1st rank were divided into armored cruisers and armored cruisers; large destroyers for some time constituted the class of mine cruisers, counter-destroyers, and then destroyers, while continuing to be called simply destroyers in official correspondence.

1907 classification

By order of October 10 (Gregorian calendar) 1907, a new classification of ships of the Russian fleet was introduced:

• Port ships, blockers

1915 classification

The new classification, developed by the Naval General Staff, was approved in June 1915. It included the following ships:

In July 1916, the classification was supplemented with sea and port icebreakers, and in December of the same year - with net minelayers. In early October 1917, the classification was again expanded to include patrol ships, patrol boats, and minesweeper boats. Some ships that entered the fleet in 1914-1918 did not receive an official “class”: for example, underwater minelayers and air transports.

The Russian Navy originates more than three hundred years ago and is inextricably linked with the name of Peter the Great. Even in his youth, having discovered in his barn in 1688 a boat donated to their family, later called the “Grandfather of the Russian Fleet,” the future head of state forever connected his life with ships. In the same year, he founded a shipyard on Lake Pleshcheyevo, where, thanks to the efforts of local craftsmen, the sovereign’s “amusing” fleet was built. By the summer of 1692, the flotilla numbered several dozen ships, of which the beautiful frigate Mars with thirty guns stood out.

To be fair, I note that the first domestic ship was built before the birth of Peter in 1667. Dutch craftsmen, together with local artisans on the Oka River, managed to build a two-deck “Eagle” with three masts and the ability to travel by sea. At the same time, a pair of boats and one yacht were created. These works were supervised by the wise politician Ordin-Nashchokin from the Moscow boyars. The name, as you might guess, was given to the ship in honor of the coat of arms. Peter the Great believed that this event marked the beginning of maritime affairs in Rus' and was “worthy of glorification for centuries.” However, in history, the birthday of our country’s navy is associated with a completely different date...

The year was 1695. The need to create favorable conditions for the emergence of trade relations with other European states led our sovereign to a military conflict with the Ottoman Empire at the mouth of the Don and the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Peter the Great, who saw an irresistible force in his newly formed regiments (Semyonovsky, Prebrazhensky, Butyrsky and Lefortovo) decides to march to Azov. He writes to a close friend in Arkhangelsk: “We joked around Kozhukhov, and now we’ll joke around Azov.” The results of this journey, despite the valor and courage shown in battle by Russian soldiers, turned into terrible losses. It was then that Peter realized that war was not child’s play at all. When preparing the next campaign, he takes into account all his past mistakes and decides to create a completely new military force in the country. Peter was truly a genius; thanks to his will and intelligence, he was able to create an entire fleet in just one winter. And he spared no expense for this. First, he asked for help from his Western allies - the King of Poland and the Emperor of Austria. They sent him knowledgeable engineers, shipwrights and artillerymen. After arriving in Moscow, Peter organized a meeting of his generals to discuss the second campaign to capture Azov. At the meetings, it was decided to build a fleet that could accommodate 23 galleys, 4 fire ships and 2 galleasses. Franz Lefort was appointed admiral of the fleet. Generalissimo Alexey Semenovich Shein became the commander of the entire Azov Army. For the two main directions of the operation - on the Don and the Dnieper - two armies of Shein and Sheremetev were organized. Fire ships and galleys were hastily built near Moscow; in Voronezh, for the first time in Rus', two huge thirty-six-gun ships were created, which received the names “Apostle Paul” and “Apostle Peter.” In addition, the prudent sovereign ordered the construction of more than a thousand plows, several hundred sea boats and ordinary rafts prepared in support of the land army. Their construction began in Kozlov, Sokolsk, Voronezh. At the beginning of spring, ship parts were brought to Voronezh for assembly, and by the end of April the ships were afloat. On April 26, the first galleas, the Apostle Peter, was launched.

The main task of the fleet was to block the non-surrender fortress from the sea, depriving it of support in manpower and provisions. Sheremetev's army was supposed to head to the Dnieper estuary and conduct diversionary maneuvers. At the beginning of summer, all the ships of the Russian fleet were reunited near Azov, and its siege began. On June 14, a Turkish fleet of 17 galleys and 6 ships arrived, but it remained indecisive until the end of the month. On June 28, the Turks plucked up the courage to bring in troops. The rowing ships headed towards the shore. Then, by order of Peter, our fleet immediately weighed anchor. As soon as they saw this, the Turkish captains turned their ships around and went to sea. Having never received reinforcements, the fortress was forced to announce capitulation on July 18. The first outing of Peter's navy was a complete success. A week later, the flotilla went to sea to inspect the conquered territory. The Emperor and his generals were choosing a place on the coast for the construction of a new naval port. Later, the fortresses of Pavlovskaya and Cherepakhinskaya were founded near the Miussky estuary. The Azov winners also received a gala reception in Moscow.

To resolve issues related to the defense of the occupied territories, Peter the Great decides to convene the Boyar Duma in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. There he asks to build a “sea caravan or fleet.” On October 20, at the next meeting, the Duma decides: “There will be sea vessels!” In response to the ensuing question: “How many?”, it was decided to “inquire at peasant households, for spiritual and various ranks of people, to impose courts on households, to write out merchant people from customs books.” This is how the Russian Imperial Navy began its existence. It was immediately decided to start building 52 ships and launch them in Voronezh before the beginning of April 1698. Moreover, the decision to build ships was made as follows: the clergy provided one ship from every eight thousand households, the nobility - from every ten thousand. The merchants, townspeople and foreign merchants pledged to launch 12 ships. The state built the rest of the ships using taxes from the population. This was a serious matter. They were looking for carpenters all over the country, and soldiers were assigned to help them. More than fifty foreign specialists worked at the shipyards, and a hundred talented young people went abroad to learn the basics of shipbuilding. Among them, in the position of an ordinary police officer, was Peter. In addition to Voronezh, shipyards were built in Stupino, Tavrov, Chizhovka, Bryansk and Pavlovsk. Those interested took accelerated training courses to become shipwrights and assistant workers. The Admiralty was created in Voronezh in 1697. The first naval document in the history of the Russian state was the “Charter on Galleys”, written by Peter I during the second Azov campaign on the command galley “Principium”.

On April 27, 1700, the Goto Predestination, the first battleship of Russia, was completed at the Voronezh shipyard. According to the European classification of ships of the early 17th century, it earned rank IV. Russia could rightfully be proud of its brainchild, since construction took place without the participation of specialists from abroad. By 1700, the Azov fleet already consisted of more than forty sailing ships, and by 1711 - about 215 (including rowing ships), of which forty-four ships were armed with 58 guns. Thanks to this formidable argument, it was possible to sign a peace treaty with Turkey and start a war with the Swedes. The invaluable experience gained during the construction of new ships made it possible to later achieve success in the Baltic Sea and played an important (if not decisive) role in the great Northern War. The Baltic Fleet was built at the shipyards of St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Uglich and Tver. In 1712, the St. Andrew's flag was established - a white cloth with a blue cross diagonally. Many generations of sailors of the Russian Navy fought, won and died under it, glorifying our Motherland with their exploits.

In just thirty years (from 1696 to 1725), a regular Azov, Baltic and Caspian fleet appeared in Russia. During this time, 111 battleships and 38 frigates, six dozen brigantines and even more large galleys, scamps and bombardment ships, shmucks and fireships, more than three hundred transport ships and a huge number of small boats were built. And, what is especially remarkable, in terms of their military and seaworthiness, Russian ships were not at all inferior to the ships of great maritime powers, such as France or England. However, since there was an urgent need to defend the conquered coastal territories and at the same time conduct military operations, and the country did not have time to build and repair ships, they were often bought abroad.

Of course, all the main orders and decrees came from Peter I, but in shipbuilding matters he was helped by such prominent historical figures as F.A. Golovin, K.I. Kruys, F.M. Apraksin, Franz Timmerman and S.I. Yazykov. The shipwrights Richard Kozents and Sklyaev, Saltykov and Vasily Shipilov have glorified their names throughout the centuries. By 1725, naval officers and shipbuilders were being trained in special schools and maritime academies. By this time, the center for shipbuilding and training specialists for the domestic fleet moved from Voronezh to St. Petersburg. Our sailors won brilliant and convincing first victories in the battles of Kotlin Island, the Gangut Peninsula, the islands of Ezel and Grengam, and took primacy in the Baltic and Caspian Seas. Also, Russian navigators made many significant geographical discoveries. Chirikov and Bering founded Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 1740. A year later, a new strait was discovered, which made it possible to reach the western coast of North America. Sea travels were carried out by V.M. Golovnin, F.F. Bellingshausen, E.V. Putyatin, M.P. Lazarev.

By 1745, the bulk of naval officers came from noble families, and sailors were recruits from the common people. Their service life was lifelong. Foreign citizens were often hired to perform naval service. An example was the commander of the Kronstadt port, Thomas Gordon.

Admiral Spiridov in 1770, during the Battle of Chesme, defeated the Turkish fleet and established Russian dominance in the Aegean Sea. Also, the Russian Empire won the war with the Turks in 1768-1774. In 1778, the port of Kherson was founded, and in 1783, the first ship of the Black Sea Fleet was launched. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, our country took third place in the world after France and Great Britain in terms of the quantity and quality of ships.

In 1802, the Ministry of Naval Forces began to exist. For the first time in 1826, a military steamship equipped with eight cannons was built, which was named Izhora. And 10 years later they built a steam frigate, nicknamed “Bogatyr”. This vessel had a steam engine and paddle wheels for movement. From 1805 to 1855, Russian sailors explored the Far East. Over these years, brave sailors completed forty round-the-world and long-distance voyages.

In 1856, Russia was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris and eventually lost its Black Sea fleet. In 1860, the steam fleet finally took the place of the outdated sailing fleet, which had lost its former importance. After the Crimean War, Russia actively built steam warships. These were slow-moving ships on which it was impossible to carry out long-distance military campaigns. In 1861, the first gunboat called “Experience” was launched. The warship was equipped with armor protection and served until 1922, having been a testing ground for the first experiments of A.S. Popov via radio communication on the water.

The end of the 19th century was marked by the expansion of the fleet. At that time, Tsar Nicholas II was in power. Industry developed at a rapid pace, but even it could not keep up with the ever-increasing needs of the fleet. Therefore, there was a tendency to order ships from Germany, the USA, France and Denmark. The Russo-Japanese War was characterized by the humiliating defeat of the Russian navy. Almost all the warships were sunk, some surrendered, and only a few managed to escape. After failure in the war in the east, the Russian Imperial Navy lost its third place among the countries with the largest flotillas in the world, immediately finding itself in sixth.

The year 1906 is characterized by the revival of the naval forces. A decision is made to have submarines in service. On March 19, by decree of Emperor Nicholas II, 10 submarines were put into operation. Therefore, this day is a holiday in the country, Submariner's Day. From 1906 to 1913, the Russian Empire spent $519 million on naval needs. But this was clearly not enough, since the navies of other leading powers were rapidly developing.

During the First World War, the German fleet was significantly ahead of the Russian fleet in all respects. In 1918, the entire Baltic Sea was under absolute German control. The German fleet transported troops to support independent Finland. Their troops controlled occupied Ukraine, Poland and western Russia.

The main enemy of the Russians on the Black Sea has long been the Ottoman Empire. The main base of the Black Sea Fleet was in Sevastopol. The commander of all naval forces in this region was Andrei Avgustovich Eberhard. But in 1916, the Tsar removed him from his post and replaced him with Admiral Kolchak. Despite the successful military operations of the Black Sea sailors, in October 1916 the battleship Empress Maria exploded in the parking lot. This was the largest loss of the Black Sea Fleet. He only served for a year. To this day, the cause of the explosion is unknown. But there is an opinion that this is the result of successful sabotage.

The revolution and civil war became a complete collapse and disaster for the entire Russian fleet. In 1918, the ships of the Black Sea Fleet were partially captured by the Germans, partially withdrawn and scuttled in Novorossiysk. The Germans later transferred some of the ships to Ukraine. In December, the Entente captured ships in Sevastopol, which were given to the Armed Forces of Southern Russia (the group of white troops of General Denikin). They took part in the war against the Bolsheviks. After the destruction of the white armies, the remainder of the fleet was seen in Tunisia. Sailors of the Baltic Fleet rebelled against the Soviet government in 1921. At the end of all the above events, the Soviet government had very few ships left. These ships formed the USSR Navy.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet fleet underwent a severe test, protecting the flanks of the fronts. The flotilla helped other branches of the army defeat the Nazis. Russian sailors showed unprecedented heroism, despite the significant numerical and technical superiority of Germany. During these years, the fleet was skillfully commanded by admirals A.G. Golovko, I.S. Isakov, V.F. Tributs, L.A. Vladimirsky.

In 1896, in parallel with the celebration of the 200th birthday of St. Petersburg, the founding day of the fleet was also celebrated. He turned 200 years old. But the largest celebration took place in 1996, when the 300th anniversary was celebrated. The Navy has been and is a source of pride for many generations. The Russian Navy is the hard work and heroism of Russians for the glory of the country. This is the combat power of Russia, which guarantees the security of the inhabitants of a great country. But first of all, these are unbending people, strong in spirit and body. Russia will always be proud of Ushakov, Nakhimov, Kornilov and many, many other naval commanders who faithfully served their homeland. And, of course, Peter I - a truly great sovereign who managed to create a strong empire with a powerful and invincible fleet.