A Russian officer in his memoirs described his service in the navy on the eve of the First World War

Russian naval officer Nestor Monastyrev in his memoirs described the processes that led to the actual death of the Tsar fleet during the First World War. Monastyrev's years of service on the ships of the Russian Imperial Navy occurred at the beginning of the war.

After completing his training and the subsequent two-week vacation, Monastyrev was assigned as a midshipman to the battleship Rurik, which was setting off on a short sea voyage with a call at Copenhagen. Despite the fact that the First World War had not yet begun, the officer recalls that the German warships encountered during the campaign were already perceived as the most likely opponents.

After completing a training cruise on the Rurik and successfully passing the final exams required to become an officer, Monastyrev tried to get assigned to a submarine, but at fleet headquarters he was taken aback by the fact that, according to the instructions, it is forbidden to assign officers to submarines whose service life less than a year.

After the young officers returned to the Naval Corps, graduates were distributed among the fleets. At the same time, only excellent students were given the right to choose. Newly minted naval officers could be assigned to ships in the Baltic, Black Sea, Caspian, Pacific or Amur. At the same time, most of yesterday's midshipmen sought to get to the Baltic Fleet - closer to the capital and large naval bases.

The author of the memoirs was assigned by lot to the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol. At that time, the war was raging between Bulgaria and Turkey. Russia, whose sympathies were on the side of Bulgaria, had to keep its combat forces in the south in a state of heightened combat readiness.

When appointing officers to the ship, the authorities expectedly did not take into account the wishes of the officers, relying only on their own plans. Monastyrsky was assigned to the battleship "Eustathius", which was stationed at that time in the roadstead of Sevastopol.

Against the backdrop of growing revolutionary sentiment in society at that time, there was growing rejection of army and navy officers, who were considered the main support of the tsarist regime. However, most officers were not at all interested in politics and enjoyed only minor privileges.

Comments

[Smoked]

And the German sailors treated the English sailors well and vice versa. We visited each other regularly, drank, played football, etc. True, they both had a toast that there would be a “day” and they would show their adversary. Well, the day came and the sailors cheerfully, after all the fraternization, began to kill their colleagues in maritime affairs, reaching the epic Battle of Jutland.

[lukash66]

Eee? Very informative article. Where is the service description? Where is the blockhead captain, the bastard first mate, the drunken sailor girl, the worms in the meat?)))

[Boniface]

Lure! To watch the video on YouTube

[Andrei from Chelyabinsk]

Monastyrev received assignment as a midshipman on the battleship "Rurik"

Generally speaking, there has never been such a battleship in the RIF. There was the armored cruiser "Rurik II", colloquially referred to as "Rurik", only in the photo it is the first "Rurik", which Monastyrev could not get to, because he died in the Korean Strait during the Russian-Japanese War...

[Sergey Valov]

Rurik was in Copenhagen in September 1912, not quite before the World War.

[alexandr_vd]

Blatant incompetence! The cruiser Rurik died in 1904 in a battle with the Yap in the Tsushima Strait. It’s HIM in the photo in the article! Moreover, it was transferred to the Far East in the 90s of the 19th century! That is, the “author” of the memoirs could not have served on it before World War I!
However, the cruiser Rurik II was built before this war. By the way, it’s three-pipe, unlike the LINDEN photo. Perhaps this is exactly what we are talking about!
It’s a shame that fake incompetence is flooding the public internet. You can’t help but remember Soviet censorship. Yes, it was mainly political. BUT, on the other hand, I didn’t miss any such CRASH!!

[DenVB]

Quote: alexandr_vd

That is, the “author” of the memoirs could not have served on it before World War I!

He didn't even apply.

I am assigned to the cruiser "Rurik", currently located in Kronstadt. After some time, the old paddle steamer “Kotlin” is already taking me to my destination. At the mouth of the Neva, the boathouses of factories, the huge hulls of the new battleships Gangut and Poltava, which are being completed, and the cruiser Oleg, a veteran of Tsushima, being repaired, float past.

When I see the old cruiser, I remember the story of one sailor who happened to serve on the Rurik - not on the new Rurik, which I am heading to, but on the old Rurik, which perished in the Russo-Japanese War. The old sailor told me in amazingly figurative terms about the death of that "Rurik", when the cruiser, having lost control, was shot at point-blank range by the entire Japanese fleet, blazing in a whirlwind of exploding shells, heroically continued the battle. All the officers have already been killed and wounded, the decks and batteries are littered with corpses, but the only surviving gun continues to fire at the enemy. In vain “Russia” and “Gromoboy” try to help “Rurik”, diverting the Japanese fire to themselves - the iron ring around the dying ship is shrinking more and more. He lists, falls on board and disappears forever into the abyss of the ocean.
...
Meanwhile, "Kotlin" approached the pier and we went ashore. Walking past the warehouses, passing the building of the Nicholas I Engineering School, the driver's school and the monument to Peter in the city park, we finally reached the docks, one of which was completely occupied by a huge warship with three wide, low pipes. This was “Rurik”. It was clear from its freshly painted hull that the cruiser would soon leave the dock.

[Serg65]

Quote: DenVB

Having passed by warehouses, passing the building of the Nicholas I Engineering School, the school of machinists and the monument to Peter in the city park, we finally reached the docks

What kind of strange route does this midshipman take? Arriving passengers were always dropped off at the Middle Harbor near the Arsenal, so why did it end up at the Italian Pond? Passenger ships did not enter Merchant Harbor!

[DenVB]

Quote: Serg65

What kind of strange route does this midshipman take?

Possibly a spy.

[Serg65]

Quote: DenVB

Possibly a spy.

Good joke, I appreciated it!

[kig]

Quote: alexandr_vd

Blatant incompetence!

Have you read the book? Apparently not. Blatant carelessness!

At the mouth of the Neva, the boathouses of factories, the huge hulls of the new battleships Gangut and Poltava, which are being completed, and the cruiser Oleg, a veteran of Tsushima, being repaired, float past.
When I see the old cruiser, I remember the story of one sailor who happened to serve on the Rurik - not on the new Rurik, which I am heading to, but on the old Rurik, which perished in the Russo-Japanese War.

[Yun Klob]

Naval service 1907-1912 (photo by Spiridonov VV).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js4rtTrvKM0&t=2s

[Russian Patriot]

So, what has changed in 100 years?

[Serg65]

What should change?

[Chersky]

The text needs to be written more carefully. And then in one place Monastyrev, in another Monastyrsky.

[kig]

In fact, there are only a few pages about the service “on the eve of the war”, the rest is service during the war. And since Monastyrev, it turns out, was a mine officer on the underwater minelayer "Crab", you can learn about many interesting points.