June 20 - Day specialist miner-torpedo service of the Russian Navy
According to historians, during the Crimean War, the combined Anglo-French squadron entered the Gulf of Finland in order to attack the ports and bases of the Russian fleet, and if the operation was successful, Kronstadt was to be attacked. For the first time in history, Russian sailors used mine weapons against the aggressor to defend their Baltic frontiers. Having lost four warships and fearing even more serious losses, the command of the Anglo-French coalition, some of whose generals were on one of the sunk ships, was forced to abandon plans for an attack on Kronstadt. This significant event happened that seriously changed the course of the entire Crimean War and, possibly, saved Russia from opening a second front in the Baltic, 20 June 1855.
As for torpedoes, the first combat use of torpedoes by Russian sailors took place during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877 — 1878. On the night of January 14 1878, the Russian torpedo was flooded by the Turkish Intibah watchdog, who was in the Batumi roadstead.
Today, mines and torpedoes are used by the domestic fleet primarily to protect the naval bases, ports and other strategic sections of the coastline. In addition, the torpedo weapon is included in the arsenal of submarines carrying out combat support of strategic submarine missile carriers and surface ships.
Information