Pre-1905 Russia
It was the sailors and their history that would naturally place them at odds with the ruling government. The mutinies of the sailors, which were then numerous, were not due to bad food but to revolutionary agitation carried on for years in the navy. The Russian army was forced to become a political arm of the party that supported absolutism against the then popular will. Many in Russia believed the sailors’ movement would accomplish the most important part in the approaching struggle for liberty. While others, whose lot were cast in the Old Guard, classified the sailors as rebels and murderers. In the end, the sailors convictions should have ensured them a place in Russian history as men who were heroes willing to sacrifice their lives for their country not as “elements or fanatics”.
An alarming phenomenon was taking shape among the sailors of the Tsar's fleet.
The Sailors had been organizing. A revolutionary tone permeated throughout the Russian ships. This movement, known to her officers and intellectuals alike, posed great problems for the Tsar and his ruling classes. Russia was on the precipice of a new era; the end of the old world was near.
Fear, says Russian Captain Slovo, is the sole basis of discipline in the navy and it will prove as poor an instrument for keeping the rank and file loyal to the throne as it has in the suppression of discontent among the people.
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| Cruiser Minine 1905 |
Reval July 1905
Fearing a putsch...Authorities at Reval have ordered that the sailors of the cruisers Minine and Kreml be relieved of their arms.
Fearing a putsch...Authorities at Reval have ordered that the sailors of the cruisers Minine and Kreml be relieved of their arms.
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| Cruiser Kreml 1905 |
The Sailors of the Kniaz Potemkin have revolted!
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| Cruiser Kniaz Potemkin 1905 |
Kronshtadt, August 1905
The Sailors of Kronshtadt have revolted!
At night the people
of St. Petersburg could see the bright light
that radiated from Cotlin
Island.
"The heavens reflected the glare of smoldering fires”
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| Kronshtadt 1905 |
St. Petersburg September 1905
Sailors punished...sent to Far East
One Thousand Sailors who took part in the uprisings at Libau and Black Sea have been transferred to the army of occupation in the Far East
Sevastopal, November 1905
The Sailors of Sebastopal have revolted!
Sailors punished...sent to Far East
One Thousand Sailors who took part in the uprisings at Libau and Black Sea have been transferred to the army of occupation in the Far East
Sevastopal, November 1905
The Sailors of Sebastopal have revolted!
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| Lt. Schmidt and sailors of the Cruiser Ochakov |
A tragic uprising occurred at Camp Cape Choukin where an officer after having saber-ed a sailor for not saluting him...was chased by the sailors comrades to the officer's club...A melee ensued leaving four officers killed...
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| Vladivostok 1905 |
Death to Lt. Schmidt and rebellious confederates
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| Lt. Schmidt Memorial |
Reval August 1906
Sailors of the Memory of Azov revolt!
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| Cruiser Memory of Azov 1906 |
Sevastopol July 1906
Fleet Threatens Mutiny
Russian Sailors at Sevastopol Make Demands
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| Russian Sailors |
Reval August 1906
Execution for seventeen sailors of the uprising on the Memory of Azov and final resting place the waters off Nargen Island
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| Nargen Island |
Kronshtadt December 1906
Poem written by unknown sailors
Where are you, Tsar?!
The corpses are wandering in the depth of the sea,
The splashing green waves carrying them
Their arms are tight together behind their backs,
Their faces are covered with salty resin sacks,
The uniform is tarnished with black blood--
These are the sailors of Kronshtadt,
Their hearts are pierced with soldiers' bullets
And the commander ordered to throw them into the water,
In the gray fog you can see the line of the shores
Its outline illustrated against the dark sky
And there above the water rests a beautiful Tsar's palace
Petergorf!
Where are you, Tsar?
Come Out!
To us from behind the backs of your tough guards
Do you not see these blood stained wounds?
That appear on our chests!
Stop being scared; you are our 'father'
And we, 'your loyal children'
We have asked for bread
And instead you gave us lead
The parents caress for us was the lash.
Odessa August 1907
Tsar Nicholas II is outraged!
Fears More Mutiny!
An urgent inspection of the entire Russian navy and fortresses is decreed!
Vladivostok November 1907
Vladivostok Shelled!
Three Crews turned mutinous sailors are reported to have commandeered three torpedo boat destroyers and have bombarded the city.
A fierce battle ensued five boats and shore batteries pummeled the crews on the Skory, Serdity and Trevotshny...the Skory being battered to pieces!
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| Russian torpedo destroyer class |
St. Petersburg 1908
Lt-Col B-Rostom Bek
In 1908 Lt-Col Bek foretold of the approaching social change
and pending revolution as he wrote and witnessed that in “dealing with the life
of the Russian bluejackets, I stated positively that these sailors would
accomplish the most important part in the approaching struggle for liberty and
that they would be uncompromising revolutionists because they had endured real
slavery and knew better than anybody else in Russia what the rule of the
bourgeois class meant”!
It was on board the vessels where the worst degradation and torture occurred. Where the petty cruelty and despotism of the degenerated officers ruled. The names of these tyrants are well known to the sailors. Admiral Viren heads the list and there are others. Viren’s assistants, heads of the transitional prison in Kronshtadt; Mr.(s) Ponomarev, Nepenin, Rymin, and Fon-Osten are notorious as is the tyrant Admiral Rozhdestvenski
Signs at the entrances to parks in Kronshtadt read:
"Entrance prohibited for sailors, soldiers and dogs"
Papers Read:
In Odessa and St. Petersburg, August 1912
The Tsar orders hundreds of Secret police to immediately begin work throughout the empire investigating the scope of this odorous most daring plot ever aimed at the Tsar and his Government. The Tsar entrusts M. Chichegiovtoff, the Minister of Justice and Premier Kokosoff to personally direct the investigation Investigations and arrests in St. Petersburg, Yalta, and Sevastopal give the ministers an idea of the revolt's widespread ramifications.
Facts showed: commanders of nearly every important garrison in the empire were approached, detailed plans to overtake the Shtandart, and outlined the mutinous activities planned by the Baltic Fleet.
Another report was supplied to a Paris correspondent that stated Admiral Chagin's girl friend induced him to admit a revolutionist had gained access to the Shtandart, shot the Tsarevitch and in the chaos had escaped. Despite his precautions Admiral Chagin resigned himself to his fate...a revolutionary had gained access to the imperial yacht!
The Admiral fulfilled his pledge and blew out his brains.
As the result of an inquiry into revolt and the unrest among the sailors
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| Admiral Viren |
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| Admiral Nepenin |
It was on board the vessels where the worst degradation and torture occurred. Where the petty cruelty and despotism of the degenerated officers ruled. The names of these tyrants are well known to the sailors. Admiral Viren heads the list and there are others. Viren’s assistants, heads of the transitional prison in Kronshtadt; Mr.(s) Ponomarev, Nepenin, Rymin, and Fon-Osten are notorious as is the tyrant Admiral Rozhdestvenski
Signs at the entrances to parks in Kronshtadt read:
"Entrance prohibited for sailors, soldiers and dogs"
Pavel Dybenko wrote:
“The sailor’s life was one of a low creature without rights, whose duty it was to fulfill all orders without ever questioning them. The sailors always remained "gray cattle" without any rights on land as well as on the ship. Insulting was how one could describe how the officers hurried the sailors into a line up when meeting an officer on shore. Inevitably, an officer would, for the most insignificant slip, over exaggerate an issue and then unceremoniously throw the sailor to the dog’s box or a lock up. It wasn’t rare that screaming, demeaning, and disparaging language would be directed at the sailors.
An entry in the book One Life, One Kopek
Other experiences....
“An idiot...I say…you’re an idiot! You are a bastard…etc.” Of course the sailor had no choice but to reply to the officer ‘Yes, your highness’…as this drunken “highness” continued his tirade to a point of exhaustion whereupon the sailor would ultimately end up in the lock up”. One should note that all the officers' staff consisted from the "verified" and "trustworthy" people. Those who were endowed with hereditary aristocracy, the sons of rich landlords, and the so-called "white bone". The despotic leadership wasn’t unique to the navy, even when the sailors were greeting the army officers, instead of extending their hand, the officers would give the sailors only two fingers, definitely not a handshake.”
Still more....
An entry in the book One Life, One Kopek
Tales of such treatment by the officers were often shared
throughout the fleet. In one incident a
sailor slipped on a ladder and suffered a small cut to his head. It was only a scratch but some drops of blood
trickled down unto his collar and stained it.
Later in the day, the sailors were asked to line up and upon inspection
a lieutenant noticed the stain. “You
filthy ape! he screamed, “how dare you come here with a dirty collar!” The officer ripped off the collar and thumped
the nose of the sailor with it. The
sailor tried to offer explanation but the officer was disinterested in excuses.
Replying with a firm punch to the sailors’ stomach, the officer then told the
sailor to “get the hell out of here”, and ordered him down below.
After the review, the sailor was called up before the
officer of the watch; for insubordination.
The sailor’s punishment was going to be used as an example; the officers
had decided that discipline on the ship was relaxed. That evening, the Captain called for the
whole crew present and accounted for on deck.
The Captain then spoke to sailors in a speech that contained the usual discounts
of the sailors’ dignity and how discipline was waning. What happened next only confirmed how out of
hand the officers had become. The
Captain had ordered the sailor (who by the way was one of the largest and
strongest among all the sailors on board) to, with his tongue, lick the deck
of the ship from stem to stern on all fours like a dog. This they said was to teach the sailors the
difference between cleanliness and dirt.
As the whole crew watched; the sailor accepted the indignity and with a
Yes, Your Highness, went down on all fours and began his ordered task. This healthy strong sailor who could have
killed all of the officers with only his bare hands withheld his anger and
exhibited no signs of complaint.
Other experiences....
“An idiot...I say…you’re an idiot! You are a bastard…etc.” Of course the sailor had no choice but to reply to the officer ‘Yes, your highness’…as this drunken “highness” continued his tirade to a point of exhaustion whereupon the sailor would ultimately end up in the lock up”. One should note that all the officers' staff consisted from the "verified" and "trustworthy" people. Those who were endowed with hereditary aristocracy, the sons of rich landlords, and the so-called "white bone". The despotic leadership wasn’t unique to the navy, even when the sailors were greeting the army officers, instead of extending their hand, the officers would give the sailors only two fingers, definitely not a handshake.”
Still more....
On a cold day in early 1912 during the preparation of the
new recruits to meeting the Tsar, Admiral Ponomarev, who happened to be a
habitual drunkard with a hoarse voice would rehearse and stage the meeting of
"His majesty". Each time the
Admiral appeared the orchestra would start playing "God, save our Tsar!" And the "brave" admiral would shout at the whole square
"Hi, fine fellows!" and replying to him these "fine
fellows" would scream as loud as they could "Long live You Imperial
Highness!" "Hurray!" Sometimes they had to rehearse it for hours
on end and if the Admiral was still unsatisfied they had to run for 20-25
minutes at one spot as a punishment.
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| Admiral Ponomarev |
On February 18th, 1912, Dybenko witnessed a horrid incident as the Admiral once again took to his practices of the
expected meeting with the Tsar at Sobornaya
Square. As the moment came for the sailors to
scream “Long live…etc” the first squadron of the first company remained
silent. For a second Admiral Ponomarev
was taken aback but then he got really mad and with blood shot eyes he jumped
toward the sailor Alexander Gorbunov.
Ponomarev’s squeal echoed and sounded worse than that of any
animal: "Bastard! Rascal! Scoundrel! Execute him!" The big
figure of Gorbunov leaned forward squeezing tightly his rifle as if planning to
use it against the Admiral. The Admiral
grabbed the bayonet of the rifle with one hand and kicked the sailor in his
teeth with the fist of the other. A couple of minutes later, the bleeding
Gorbunov was escorted to the transit prison.
Upon this background;
Pavel Dybenko wrote...
“The training schools of the new specialists (electricians, radio operators, etc) were to become the schools of revolution. The recruits not only learn of the new technology but also are learning of the great efforts of the sailors and their revolutionary history. It is the veteran sailors who share the fleets’ history, and its continued struggle against the Tsar and his officers. Many of the sailors developed split sets of values: their traditional peasant worldview and theoretical ideas introduced to them from the knowledge and experiences of the veteran sailors.”
One of the most significant rebellions occurred in the year 1912...this revolt scantily mentioned in historical writings sees an attempt at kidnapping the Tsar and his family, revolutionists boarding the Imperial Yacht Shtandart, all fortresses and garrisons were said to have been involved in this putsch determined to force a Constitutional Monarchy upon Nicholas II....even Tsar Nicholas II head of security Admiral Chagin was said to have committed suicide for his failure to ward off the boarding of revolutionists.
“The training schools of the new specialists (electricians, radio operators, etc) were to become the schools of revolution. The recruits not only learn of the new technology but also are learning of the great efforts of the sailors and their revolutionary history. It is the veteran sailors who share the fleets’ history, and its continued struggle against the Tsar and his officers. Many of the sailors developed split sets of values: their traditional peasant worldview and theoretical ideas introduced to them from the knowledge and experiences of the veteran sailors.”
One of the most significant rebellions occurred in the year 1912...this revolt scantily mentioned in historical writings sees an attempt at kidnapping the Tsar and his family, revolutionists boarding the Imperial Yacht Shtandart, all fortresses and garrisons were said to have been involved in this putsch determined to force a Constitutional Monarchy upon Nicholas II....even Tsar Nicholas II head of security Admiral Chagin was said to have committed suicide for his failure to ward off the boarding of revolutionists.
In Odessa and St. Petersburg, August 1912
Plot to Kidnap Tsar and Family
Most Daring Plot Against Imperial Court Ever Attempted Unearthed
So far as the details have been learned the conspiracy not
only included plans for the seizure of Tsar Nicholas, the Tsarina, and the
royal family but a reorganization of the
government into a Constitutional Monarchy.
17 Suspects Put to Death
Arrests of naval officers on board the Russian battleship “Ioann Slatoust” at Odessa gave the public the first information of the cabal.
17 Suspects Put to Death
Plans of the Mutineers Were to Take Gunboats and Shell
Important Towers
Would establish a Constitutional Monarchy
Would establish a Constitutional Monarchy
Navy
Officers Arrested
Arrests of naval officers on board the Russian battleship “Ioann Slatoust” at Odessa gave the public the first information of the cabal.
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| Battleship Ioann Slatoust |
Further arrests at St.
Petersburg, Yalta,
and Sebastapol gave an idea of its widespread ramification.
Many army and navy officers are involved
The plotters conspired to seize the Tsar and imperial family
while they were en route from Yalta, Crimea to Sebastapol on board the yacht Shtandart
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| Tsar Nicholas II on board Shtandart 1912 |
The Tsar orders hundreds of Secret police to immediately begin work throughout the empire investigating the scope of this odorous most daring plot ever aimed at the Tsar and his Government. The Tsar entrusts M. Chichegiovtoff, the Minister of Justice and Premier Kokosoff to personally direct the investigation Investigations and arrests in St. Petersburg, Yalta, and Sevastopal give the ministers an idea of the revolt's widespread ramifications.
Facts showed: commanders of nearly every important garrison in the empire were approached, detailed plans to overtake the Shtandart, and outlined the mutinous activities planned by the Baltic Fleet.
 |
| Shtandart |
The Daily Mall prints a Paris dispatch in which it is stated
that an attempted assassination took place on the royal yacht Shtandart, and
that Rear Admiral Chagin, the Commander of the vessel, committed suicide
yesterday because he considered himself morally responsible for the injuries
received by the Prince.
Admiral
Pledged His Life
“It may be remembered,” says this dispatch, “that about five
years ago, while the Imperial family was cruising in Finnish waters the
Shtandart ran on a rock. The accident
caused dismay in court circles, and Tsar Nicholas summoned Capt. (later
Admiral) Chagin, who was in command, and in the presence of the Czarina said to
him:
“On your honor, Captain, can you affirm that the
revolutionaries had no hand in this accident”?
“Your Majesty’ was
the reply, ‘the day that such a thing happens I shall blow out my brains. I can vouch for every member of my crew, which
has been chosen with the greatest caution.
A revolutionary could never find a place among them.”
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| Admiral Chagin |
Another report was supplied to a Paris correspondent that stated Admiral Chagin's girl friend induced him to admit a revolutionist had gained access to the Shtandart, shot the Tsarevitch and in the chaos had escaped. Despite his precautions Admiral Chagin resigned himself to his fate...a revolutionary had gained access to the imperial yacht!
The Admiral fulfilled his pledge and blew out his brains.
As the result of an inquiry into revolt and the unrest among the sailors
The Tsar Declared:
"Odessa, Sebastopal and Kronshtadt all to be placed under siege"
"Odessa, Sebastopal and Kronshtadt all to be placed under siege"
One petty officer and 16 Seamen on the Ioann Slatoust have
already been arrested, condemned, and put to death for their part in the
conspiracy.
300 seamen have been sent ashore to be court-martialed
300 seamen have been sent ashore to be court-martialed
Allegedly, revolutionary propaganda was said to have been discovered
In one sense the conspiracy, had it had time to mature, had
a more amazingly daring object in view than that which led to the revolutionary
mutiny on the battleship Kniaz Potemkin in June of 1905.
The purpose of the naval plotters were to seize the imperial
yacht Shtandart, while the Tsar and imperial family were being conveyed from
Yalta to Sevastopol en route to Tsarskoe-Selo.
The Tsar was to have been compelled to abdicate or abrogate his
autocratic power and proclaim a limited
monarchy and a really constitutional regime.
The seizure of the imperial family was to have been the
signal to a mutinous Baltic squadron, the crews of which were to have murdered
or arrested all their officers and attacked Kronstadt and St. Petersburg simultaneously.
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| Tsar Nicholas II |
The Russian Minister of Marine reported that the Russian fleet is passing through a historical period, and that the Emperor was pained to learn that the seed of disorder had sprouted up in the navy....either Tsar Nicholas II was shielded from the sailors history of revolt and rebellion (which we know is incorrect by his declaration in 1907) or the statement was purely to censure the public from knowing.
That latter was more probable as the following decree came to pass....
A special order was issued to officers of all grades of the Black Sea fleet, forbidding them under pain of
degradation and dismissal to discuss the political unrest among themselves or
with civilians, of even with their own wives.
The whole commissioned personnel were compelled to sign a pledge to this
effect.
Next in the series...Pavel Dybenko enters the Navy and begins his ascension to its leadership
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