The famous Russian Rear Admiral George Stark went through all the wars of the beginning of the XX century. He became the last naval officer who went sailing under the St. Andrew’s banner. He was forced to lower it only in 1923 - in the Philippines. It was there that he took away the remains of the legendary Siberian flotilla, not wanting to serve the country of the Soviets ...
Scottish clan
George Karlovich Stark was born in the middle of the autumn of 1878 in St. Petersburg. His ancestors came from Sweden, but the roots of the family go back to the ancient nobility of Scotland. The first Starks arrived on Russian territory at the beginning of the eighteenth century. After one century, they have already received the status of "Russian nobles." Many of them were naval officers. But the father of the future admiral was not connected with the fleet. He studied at the Military Law School, after which he opened his own notary office. In the 1880s, the Stark family left for North America, where there was a large Scottish diaspora. However, after a couple of years, the family returned to Europe. For six months they lived in Dresden, and then again came to Russia. Under Novorossiysk father managed to rent a whole farm. The family was already getting settled in a new place, but in the fall of 1883, Stark Sr. was killed. Robbers entered his house. The owner was here. Only a few gold coins became the prey of the killers ...
Admiral's patronage
After the death of his father, the question arose of how to continue to live. As a result, the family of George Stark decided to return to the northern capital.
A few years later, the future admiral became a cadet of the Marine Corps. Note that this institution traditionally took exclusively the sons of officers, and not notaries or farmers. However, George's uncle was a famous admiral. At one time, one of the bays and the strait in the Sea of Japan were named after him. So he was able to make an appropriate patronage to his beloved nephew.
George became a brilliant cadet. Best of all, he was given subjects such as mathematics and the exact marine sciences. In 1898, he successfully graduated from the corps, becoming an officer. After that, he went to serve in Kronstadt.
First warship
In 1904, Lieutenant Stark became a senior mine officer on the legendary cruiser Aurora. In the same year, a war broke out with Russia and Japan. He participated in the Tsushima battle. During the battle, Stark was wounded, but did not leave the battle. The stern flag of the cruiser was repeatedly shot down by fragments, but the sailors returned it to its place. In total, the cruiser received eighteen hits and miraculously did not sink.
After the battle, the Aurora arrived in Manila. When the Portsmouth Treaty was signed, the cruiser left Manila Harbor and headed for his homeland. For participation in the Tsushima battle, Stark was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the III degree. A few years later, the officer again served on the Aurora. Subsequently, his already native and battle cruiser, to whom he gave almost 10 years of service, became a symbol of the collapse of the Russian Empire ...
George Stark: awards, new appointment
In 1912, Stark became a captain of the second rank and received a prestigious order. Then he began to serve on the destroyer called "Strong" as the commander of the ship. When the First World War broke out, Stark was redirected to the destroyer "Terrible", which was part of the so-called Mine Division. He had to participate in a number of military operations. So, under Vindava he put minefields. In this battle, a number of German ships were destroyed. By the way, the battle itself was unique. The fact is that there were no dead.
In 1916, Stark rose to the rank of Captain I, and the following year he was appointed head of the entire Mine Division. It was he who in this position took part in the famous Moonsund battle. During the battle, Stark was once again injured. For courage he was promoted to rear admiral.
River battles
Admiral Stark completely rejected the October 1917 coup. He left his family in Petrograd and came to Kazan, volunteering for the White Army. Admiral Kolchak recognized a former colleague. They served together in the Baltic. He appointed him commander of the Volga-Kama fleet.
The battles were with varying success. So, once the Reds, leaving the city, threw colossal reserves, including airplanes and the royal gold reserve. The White Flotilla had to transport this priceless cargo.
By winter, the White Guards captured Perm. Several ships of the red fleet went to them. True, Stark no longer participated in this, for Kolchak gave him a new position.
Riflemen Battalion
Stark began to lead the brigade of naval shooters. She was based in Krasnoyarsk. Kolchak believed that this unit could become a real pillar when it was necessary to protect ports and ships.
Rear Admiral formed brigades with enviable vigor. And after a while he brought the first battalion, which began to fight with the Reds.
After the fall of the Kolchak regime, the remnants of the brigade took part in the famous "Ice Campaign" of General Kappel. Admiral Stark’s unit worthy passed the route, although by the end of February 1920 there were only about three hundred people left. After that, the unit was disbanded. Then Stark contracted typhus. Unconscious, he was brought to Primorye, and then to Harbin.
The revival of the Siberian flotilla
After recovering, Stark began to look for work. He worked as a foreman on one of the construction sites. It was here that he worked until 1921. Meanwhile, the White Army more and more rolled back to the Pacific coast, but just did not intend to surrender its positions.
In the spring of the 21st, the next Provisional Government was formed in Vladivostok, which was intended to revive the Siberian military flotilla - the last operating association of ships of the Russian fleet under the Andreevsky flag. Stark was offered to lead him.
Arriving in the capital of Primorye, Admiral Stark immediately set to work. He decided to restore the old-style fleet epaulettes and undertook to repair the flooded and old ships. He also managed to staff ship crews, driving out incompetent people. Thus, the Siberian flotilla began to turn into more than fighting force.
But the situation in the new capital of the Far East continued to heat up. The Red Army was rapidly advancing towards the city. The government decided to evacuate civilians and military personnel. This process completely fell on the shoulders of Rear Admiral.
Legendary trek
At the end of October 1922, the fleet, which consisted of 30 ships (more than 9,000 people were on them), left Vladivostok. At this time, red detachments were already entering the capital of Primorye.
This maritime passage on old ships was very difficult. Due to the storm, both ships and people became victims. After some time, the Stark flotilla made a stop, leaving all the cadets and civilians ashore. They say that at about the same time he intended to turn off course and go to Kamchatka. The peninsula was still not under the red ones. But Stark was forced to submit to harsh reality. For by this time, and Kamchatka was under the rule of the Soviets.
In Korean Fusan, a former colleague arrived at Admiral Stark, who at that time was already collaborating with the Soviet government. He tried to convince Stark to return to Vladivostok with ships and crews. He also promised him an amnesty and guaranteed reunion with the family. But the admiral was adamant. And the flotilla “stolen” by Stark meanwhile went to the Philippines. Only eleven ships and about a thousand refugees arrived there. These were mainly the military and their families. Most of the refugees went to the United States. Stark was also offered to serve there, but he rejected this offer.
Meanwhile, the admiral managed to sell the remains of his fleet. And he decided to divide the proceeds and a small gold reserve taken out during the evacuation evenly among the sailors and officers of the already non-existent flotilla.
In exile
After that, George Stark, whose biography was very difficult, went to Paris. He had his own reasons. When he was still in the Philippines, he found out that his beloved wife had died in Petrograd. The cause was tuberculosis. And the children - the son of Boris and daughter Tatyana - were managed to be taken to Finland and, most likely, they will soon be in France. In addition, there was the sister of the deceased spouse. She was the widow of his colleague, who at one time headed the entire Baltic Fleet.
Arriving in the French capital, the family reunited, and the eminent admiral got a job as a taxi driver. The family lived quite modestly, but at the same time he continued to financially support the Razvozov family.
When the Second World War broke out, the Germans invited him to cooperate. But Stark refused, because of which he lost his job. In order to somehow live, he laid his orders in the pawnshop. Then he took up the pen, beginning to write down his memoirs, which were formed in a book called "My Life". Half a century later it was published in Russia.
Instead of an epilogue
When the battles subsided, Admiral Stark headed the All-Diaspora Society of Russian Naval Officers. He carried out this public work until his death. The admiral died at the very beginning of the spring of 1950. He was 71.
In 1952, the son of Admiral Boris returned to the Soviet Union. He was a priest. My sister remained in Paris, having lived to a very old age.
Well, the last. In the early 2000s, a shrine - St. Andrew’s banner was brought to Vladivostok from the United States. That is the same one that once flew over one of the ships of the legendary Siberian Flotilla Rear Admiral George Stark ...