For the Soviet people, the cruiser Aurora was a kind of symbol. After all, this legendary ship in one gulp heralded the beginning of a new era. Therefore, he was often called the messenger of the October Revolution.
But the cruiser Aurora, in addition to these high-flying epithets, has a certain history. At the end of the year before last, the Russian fleet was constantly replenished. Speaking by the classification of that time, this legendary ship belonged to a subclass of armored. It was laid in May 1897, and Petersburg was his birthplace. The cruiser Aurora was built for six years and immediately after launching it was part of the Northern Fleet.
This ship was not distinguished by the special uniqueness of its combat qualities. Its speed was only nineteen knots, on board were eight main six-inch guns.
However, the cruiser Aurora corresponded quite well with its direct mission - conducting reconnaissance and destruction of enemy ships, as well as sentinel service. In addition, he had a solid displacement at that time - about seven thousand tons, and, therefore, good seaworthiness and autonomy. When fully charged with coal, the ship could sail without bunkering from Vladivostok to Port Arthur and vice versa.
The cruiser Aurora was intended for the Pacific Ocean, in which a conflict was brewing with Japan. There were already several ships there, when the legendary battleship embarked on a course to the Far East.
A month later, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, the ship joined the detachment of several destroyers and battleships, but was late to the destination. In the port of Djibouti, the squadron commander was informed that the Japanese had already attacked the Pacific Fleet. The war has begun. Sailing on was dangerous because Port Arthur was blocked, and meeting a powerful adversary was very risky. In the end, the command ordered to go to the port of Vladivostok.
After the war, the cruiser Aurora was modernized. He took on board mine weapons and anti-aircraft guns.
In the civil war, the cruiser Aurora did not take part. Many of us saw him only in the photo. The cruiser Aurora for our great-grandfathers and grandfathers was a symbol of the revolution, because it was his volley that became the signal for the storming of the Winter Palace.
Lack of fuel led to the reduction of the Baltic Fleet to the size of the "active detachment", at the disposal of which remained only a few combat units. The legendary ship was put into reserve, and in 1918 part of its guns were dismantled from it for installation on gunboats, as well as river and lake flotillas.
In 1922, the Aurora, the only ship left from the imperial fleet, was decided to be restored and used as a training ship. The ship was repaired by installing anti-aircraft guns and machine guns on it. For ten years, the cruiser took on board cadets to practice. However, the years did their job. And after the next repair, it became clear that the cruiser turned into a non-self-propelled craft.
During the Great Patriotic War, the legendary cruiser was moored in Oranienbaum. And today he stands on Petrograd embankment in St. Petersburg and takes tours on board.