Over a rather long history, the Russian fleet totaled ten ships with the name "Azov" (or "Memory of Azov"). In general, the name itself refers us to the Azov campaigns of Peter the Great, which were undertaken at the end of the seventeenth century. By the way, during these campaigns, small vessels were actively used - both for the blockade of enemy fortifications, and for the transportation of provisions and soldiers.
And according to the results of the Azov campaigns, Peter the Great said that there should be a "fleet," and therefore this historical moment can be considered a reporting point for the Russian fleet. Almost at the same time, the history of the Azov ship begins, which has not ended so far.
The first "Azov"
This ship was laid down in Kronstadt in 1736. He was a three-masted linear vessel, which carried fifty-four guns. When the Russo-Swedish War was going on (1741-1743), the ship was in the squadron of Golovin. He was also a participant in the battle at Cape Gangut. In 1757 the ship was dismantled.
Where was the second ship built
They laid it at the shipyard in 1825, in the month of October, in the city of Arkhangelsk. It was designed by one of the most experienced Russian shipbuilding specialists A.M. Kurochkin. He is known for designing several dozen ships for the Russian fleet, which were later built. The observer at the construction of Azov was the captain of the second rank M. P. Lazarev. This is a great Russian geographer and traveler, who had already made a trip around the world by that time, and had discovered Antarctica as the captain of one of the expedition ships - Mirny sloop. Together, Lazarev and Kurochkin were able to create one of the most advanced military courts at that time in the whole world.
Launching and going to sea
In May 1826 the ship was launched, and it underwent trial tests near Arkhangelsk. A few months later, in August, the battleship went to Kronstadt, where the team was fully staffed, and the last tests passed. In the course of them small flaws were identified and immediately corrected, and the observers commission expressed the general assessment as follows: "The ship is more than convenient and will serve Russia a lot, thereby bringing great benefit to the Fatherland." Lazarev was especially noted, whose experience was simply necessary for the construction of a ship of this scale.
One of the chairmen of the selection committee reported in his report addressed to the Admiralty: "Lazarev did a lot of useful things for the ship. Bearing in mind his experience, which included adventure, both large and small, I propose to make Lazarev the commander of the vessel, for only under his strict guidance, the team will zealously serve the tsar and the Fatherland. And the sailors of Lazarev love and favor him with affectionate names, which shows that our choice will be joyfully accepted by all. " Captain of the first rank Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev was indeed appointed the first captain of the ship. In the review in honor of the replenishment of the fleet of the Russian Empire (that year several ships were launched at once), he launched the ship himself.
Ship "Azov": technical specifications
"Azov" is a three-masted ship. It had two enclosed battery decks. Despite the fact that officially this ship of this type carried seventy-four guns, eighty guns were on board the Azov. The ship was fifty-four meters long and fourteen and a half wide. Draft - six meters.
Such ships were generally not uncommon for open spaces. Both England and France had them in their fleets, and Turkey was their almost constant adversary. Therefore, one of the most important factors (if not the most important) was the courage of ordinary Russian sailors and officers, manifested in bloody naval battles, which made the Azov ship legendary.
In terms of jewelry, the ship was also from the category of "outlandish". The entire board was decorated with carved ornaments that depicted birds, and animals, and ancient Greek heroes. The stern was decorated with a huge eagle - the coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Along the perimeter of the entire ship were cut flowers and geometric shapes of various sizes. The nasal figure was a soldier in full vestment. Its upper part was larger so that when looking at the figure from below, the warrior seemed proportionally the same. The ship was considered one of the most beautiful at that time among the ships of the Russian Navy.
Russian-Turkish war (a bit of history)
The onset of conflicts dates back to the sixteenth century, when the Russian kingdom of Ivan the Terrible included the Astrakhan and Kazan Khanates. The Ottoman Empire saw this as a threat to its influence in the Crimea and the Caucasus and tried to oust the Russians from Astrakhan, but to no avail. The year 1568 is the beginning of long wars with Turkey, which will last until the beginning of the twentieth century.
Throughout the seventeenth century, the Russian Empire will fight with Turkey for the right to own Crimea and influence in the Caucasus region. The eighteenth century is, first of all, marked by a great national upsurge: Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia - many states will start bloody uprisings one after another with the goal of throwing off the Ottoman yoke. The uprisings will pass into the liberation wars, which will end successfully for the rebels, naturally, not without the help of Russia. Actually, it is against the backdrop of this liberation movement in the Balkans that several more small Russian-Turkish wars will take place.
Probably, the so-called Eastern war should stand apart from this, where the legendary city of Sevastopol became the protagonist. At the beginning of the twentieth century, with the outbreak of the First World War, the Russian government reflected on the global idea of ​​conquering Constantinople as a symbol of the Orthodox faith. Due to failures at the front, and then in connection with the revolution, the idea did not materialize. After the end of the civil war in Russia, the new government signed a peace treaty with Turkey, which finally divided the spheres of political and military influence of Turkey and the newly created state of the RSFSR.
The war, in the context of which the ship "Azov" became famous, lasted only two years - from 1828 to 1829. This conflict merged into one with the Greek War of Independence, during which Greece gained complete independence from Turkey. As later Bulgaria and a number of other Slavic states, Russia here rendered very great support to the Greek people - both financially and military power.
The ship "Azov" in the battle of Navarino
The national liberation war of the Greek people began in 1821. Turkish punishers were unable to destroy the main armed forces of Greece, but they completely amused themselves with the civilian population, cutting out, as calculations later showed, almost a fifth of the country's inhabitants. In 1827, Great Britain, Russia and France signed the London Convention, which called on the Ottoman government to give independence to the Greek people. Turkey refused, and in response to her refusal, the ships of the three leading European states moved towards the Greek shores.
Allied ships converged on the island of Zante on October 13th. The forces of the British Royal Navy were the most numerous, numbering more than a dozen ships. They were commanded by Vice Admiral Edward Codrington, who took over the leadership of the combined squadron. Russia had eight ships under the command of Rear Admiral Login Petrovich Heyden. The French brought seven ships. In all, there were 1298 guns of various calibers on all ships.
Their adversary, the Egyptian-Turkish fleet, was located in the Bay of Navarino, under the cover of powerful coastal batteries. To approach the shore, and even engage in battle with the enemy, when heavy fire was pouring from the shore of the Allies, is an almost impossible task. But, as subsequent events have shown, anything is possible. The fleet and ground forces were led by the Egyptian commander Ibrahim Pasha.
The ships of the three countries approached Navarin on October 16 and put forward the condition to stop any military operations against the Greek rebels. The Turkish-Egyptian command refused. Then, after discussing joint actions, the admirals of the three Allied fleets decided to enter the ships into the bay and, standing in front of the enemy, repeatedly put forward an ultimatum, threatening to open fire if the conditions were not accepted. But this plan could not be completed.
On October 20, the Allied flotillas began to enter the bay, dividing into two columns. One of them was headed by the Azov ship. The vessels had not yet had time to take up positions that corresponded to their plan, as they were fired by both the Turkish fleet and the coastal battery. Worst of all was those who went ahead - it was the English ship Asia and the Russian ship Azov.
According to the recollections of the participants in this battle, the heat on the lower decks was such that sea water had to be delivered continuously to cool the guns. The ship "Azov" in the Navarino battle fought with five enemy ships. Each of his crew showed himself, for only by joint efforts was it possible to endure such hell. On the first of five Turkish ships, the Azov team interrupted the main mast. The Turkish ship lost maneuverability and was taken out of the battle. Almost immediately, the battleship of the Turkish fleet was destroyed - Russian sailors directly hit the powder cellar, which led to an explosion and a fire. Already two enemy ships were destroyed by the Azov. But the Russian ship was damaged: a foremast was shot down, several guns flew overboard, and many were wounded among the crew. Two ships came to the rescue: the French battleship and the English Asia. The battle was only gaining strength.
The birth of a legend
In the four hours of the battle, in addition to the two above, the team destroyed three more enemy ships. The ship "Azov" in the Battle of Navarino received one hundred and fifty-three holes, of which seven are below the waterline. Almost all the masts were shot down, the casing was broken in the place where the powder cellar was located (only by a miracle of an explosion did not follow). Twenty-four people were killed, sixty-seven wounded.
As a result of the battle, this is almost a complete defeat of the Turkish-Egyptian squadron. The Turks lost about sixty ships and over four thousand dead and wounded, which is two-thirds of the total. The Allied flotilla of three states has not lost a single ship. As noted by all participants in this battle, the battleship Azov took the main blow. In the battle of Navarino, he received such severe damage that he simply miraculously stayed on the water and required major repairs. Or maybe not by a miracle, but by the strength of the Russian spirit? The feat of the ship "Azov", the battle with which not one of the five "rivals" could withstand, is forever inscribed in the history of glorious victories of the Russian army and navy.
Throughout the battle on the "Azov" was the commander of the Russian fleet, Rear Admiral Count L. P. Geiden. A pennant was raised on the ship, indicating the presence of the commander on board, which was not lowered until the end of the battle. Usually, they always try to save the flagship so as not to put the commander under attack, so the battle that the Azov ship gave the enemy is also the heroism of Rear Admiral, who did not consider it necessary to protect himself from possible death at the very epicenter of the Navarino battle.
Hero Award
For the feat accomplished by the Azov team in the Navarino battle, Captain Lazarev was granted the Rear Admirals. Also, in addition to awards from the Russian government, he was awarded his orders by England (Order of the Bath), France (Order of St. Louis), and later, in 1835 - Greece, having granted the Order of the Holy Savior. So many representatives of the western states were impressed by the battle of the Azov ship with five enemy ships. The future hero of the defense of Sevastopol, then Lieutenant Nakhimov, was awarded the next rank and order of St. George fourth degree. Medals and orders received all crew members, but, unfortunately, twenty-four of them - posthumously.
Well, perhaps, the St. George’s Admiral flag, which was hoisted on the battleship Azov, can be called the most important award. Tsar Nikolai the First himself signed a decree: "To present this flag to the ship for eternal use and storage for a feat where the strength and power of Russian weapons was manifested." In the history of the Russian fleet, only two ships were awarded the following honor: Azov and Mercury in 1829. None of the Russian emperors ever gave banners to ships, because these two events are so unique. The flags were inherited by the ships that were named after the heroes: "Memory of Azov" and "Memory of Mercury".
After the battle, leaving the bay, the ship followed to Malta, where he got up for repairs. With such holes that the ship had, there was a danger just not to reach the house. There, the team was awarded the St. George flag, which was delivered from Russia by courier. The banner was raised under the salutes of the festive salute from the guns of all the ships that stood on the roads near Malta.
Last Stand
Oddly enough this sounds, but the Azov ship was lost not in battle, but from decay and rot. Perhaps the main problem of the Russian fleet was a bad tree: the wood rotted, the ships simply crumbled over the years. This cup did not pass the legendary “Azov” - in 1831, after examining the hull of the vessel by a special commission, it was concluded that the ship could not be launched, the rigging should be removed, and the ship should be dismantled.
Too much damage was sustained by the ship in Navarino Bay. Yes, and after all, the ship did not return home right away, but continued to cruise off the coast of Greece after repairs in Malta, block Turkish ships and carry out military service until the signing of the armistice. Then there was the hard way home, when I had to make my way even through the ice. All this, of course, affected the condition of the ship. But in the history the feat of Russian sailors will forever remain. The St. George flag of the Azov ship is kept in St. Petersburg at the Naval Museum. Everyone can now see this symbol of valor and heroism. Such was the battleship Azov, whose history is the standard of courage.
Memory of Azov
Ships with this name were several in the Russian fleet. Two ships in the nineteenth century in their "content" did not differ much from the predecessor-hero. These were linear sailboats with the number of guns on board from sixty to eighty-five. And here is one more story to tell in more detail, because this ship was already an armored frigate.
It was laid in 1886 at the Baltic factory. Two years later he was launched and passed the tests. At the same time, the St. George flag was hoisted on the ship, which passed "by inheritance" as a tribute to the memory of hero sailors, as well as the name of the vessel. On board the Memory of Azov ship, Tsarevich Nikolai, who later became Tsar Nikolai the Second, traveled to the Far East. The ship survived the First World War and the October Revolution. The Soviet government did not use the ship for a short time as a teaching aid, but in 1919 the ship was handed over for metal. The flag of the Azov ship was placed in the museum and was no longer handed down.
"Azov" - a new story
This name had a large anti-submarine ship, sailing in the ranks of the Soviet Navy. After it began to be written off, the name took the landing ship "Azov", which is still used by the Russian Navy. The anti-submarine ship was laid down at a factory in Nikolaev in 1972. A year later, he was launched and passed the tests. The Azov ship was enlisted on February 19, 1976 in the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet, which is based in the hero city of Sevastopol.
The ship participated in military campaigns in Cuba, France, Greece and Romania. Below is his photo. The Azov ship, by the way, was the only one on which it was planned to install Fort anti-aircraft missile systems. To do this, they even modernized the deck. As a result, by 1977, the large anti-submarine ship "Azov" became the only one in the world that carried anti-aircraft missile systems for short, medium and long-range action. In 2000, the ship was withdrawn from the Black Sea Fleet, and two years later it was taken away for metal.
The history of the large landing ship "Azov", which received this name only in 1998, begins in Poland. It was there that in 1988 a ship of this type was laid at the shipyard. It was launched in 1999, and a year later it became part of the Black Sea Fleet, whose base is in the city of Sevastopol. The ship "Azov" takes part in campaigns, exercises, maneuvers and various operations for which the vessels of the Russian Navy are involved.
Its technical characteristics look like this:
- 4080 tons - ship displacement;
- ship length - 112 m, width - 15 m; draft at the ship - 3.5 m;
- maximum ship speed - 18 knots;
- holds the ship in 500 tons of cargo and 225 soldiers; there is a tank hold;
- the crew of the ship is 87 people;
- On board are: gun mounts AK-176 and AK-630, UMS-73 Grad system and MANPADS.
The flag of the battleship "Azov" now belongs to history and is not taken out of the museum, where it is now. Ships that have been worn, are worn and, of course, will bear the proud name of the ship-hero, and without the St. George flag do an excellent job with a very difficult task - to preserve and increase the power and glory of Russian weapons.
Or maybe it’s not at all a feat of a single ship, individual sailors and officers? Maybe the ship’s “Azov” ship’s propulsion is an abstract example of how Russia is able to fight (and fight), regardless of age, enemy and balance of power? The history of the ship that went to help Greece is the history of all of Russia, which has always been distinguished by the fact that the interests of its friends were higher than their own. Even if later the “friends” did not reciprocate. Or maybe a feat is just a feat, and the flag of the Azov ship is just a symbol of distinction, no more? The main thing is to know your story, for we have no other and never will be.