May 18 - Baltic Fleet Day
History Of the Baltic fleet It began on May 18, 1703, when 30 boats with the Petrine Transfiguration and Semenovites on board won the first naval victory in Russian history, capturing two Swedish warships at the very mouth of the Neva. Each sailor who participated in that operation received a personal medal with the inscription "Unprecedented happens."The beginning of the fleet was the construction of full-fledged warships. The frigate "Standart", armed with 28 guns, became the first battle ship of the Baltic Fleet.
During the Northern War (1700-1721) the ships of the fleet won a series of brilliant victories over the enemy, which allowed Russia to become a full-fledged sea power.
In the 18th-19th centuries, Kronstadt became the main base of the Baltic Fleet, then this role was performed by Helsingfors and Revel. Fleet ships participated in a variety of expeditions and military conflicts.
During the Crimean War (1853-1856) the ships of the Baltic Fleet successfully covered all the strategic centers of the Baltic and did not allow to block the capital, St. Petersburg.
The second half of the XIX century was marked by a total re-equipment of the Baltic Fleet. Modern armored ships entered the fleet, many of which fought heroically in the Pacific during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).
During the First World War, the fleet received a new impetus to development, which allowed it to conduct effective operations against the German fleet, hindering its entry into the Gulf of Riga and Finland, and actively promoting land forces.
At the beginning of 1918, the main forces of the Baltic Fleet made the famous Ice Trip on the route Revel-Helsingfors-Kronstadt, which allowed them to save the fleet and prevent the Germans from entering the territorial waters of Russia.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Baltic Fleet was decisively involved in the defense of the Moonsund Islands, the city of Tallinn and the Hanko Peninsula, made a significant contribution to the defense of Leningrad (1941-1943), supported the Soviet offensive in the Baltic States, East Prussia and Eastern Pomerania.
During the war years, the ships of the Baltic Fleet sank 1205 German ships, the forces of the fleet shot down more than 2500 enemy aircraft. On the land fronts, about 110 thousands of Baltic sailors fought with the enemy.
In the postwar years, the Baltic Fleet has undergone a qualitative change. It was Baltika that became the center of the largest-scale operation in the history of the USSR Armed Forces, the landing operation “Zapad-81”, during which the newest ships and methods of their combat use were mastered.
Today, the oldest domestic fleet is a varied operational-strategic association capable of effectively solving assigned tasks at sea, in air and on land. Now the Baltic Fleet includes more than a hundred warships supported by the forces of numerous aircraft and naval helicopters aviation.
On the day of the celebration of the Day of the Baltic Fleet, solemn constructions of personnel will be held on ships and in formations and St. Andrew’s flags will be raised. We congratulate all the Balts on the Day of the Fleet and sincerely wish all the life benefits, and to the fleet - a worthy continuation of the glorious history in the name of strengthening the country's defense capability!
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