Aurora is a Russian protected cruiser, currently preserved as a museum ship in Saint Petersburg. Aurora was one of three Pallada-class cruisers, built in Saint Petersburg for service in the Pacific. All three ships of this class served during the Russo-Japanese War. Aurora survived the Battle of Tsushima and was interned under US protection in the Philippines, and eventually returned to the Baltic Fleet.

One of the first incidents of the October Revolution in Russia took place on the cruiser Aurora, which reportedly fired the first shot, signalling the beginning of the attack on the Winter Palace.

Russo-Japanese War

Soon after completion, on 10 October 1903, Aurora departed Kronstadt as part of Admiral Virenius’s “reinforcing squadron” for Port Arthur. While in the Red Sea, still en route to Port Arthur, the squadron was recalled back to the Baltic Sea, under protest by Admiral Makarov, who specifically requested Admiral Virenius to continue his mission to Port Arthur. Only the seven destroyers of the reinforcing squadron were allowed to continue to the Far East.

After her detachment from the reinforcing squadron and her arrival back to home port she underwent new refitting. After refitting, Aurora was ordered back to Port Arthur as part of the Russian Baltic Fleet Aurora sailed as part of Admiral Oskar Enkvist’s Cruiser Squadron whose flagship would be the protected cruiser Oleg, an element of Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky’s Baltic Fleet. On the way to the Far East, Aurora received five hits, sustaining light damage from confused friendly fire, which killed the ship’s chaplain and a sailor, in the Dogger Bank incident.

On 27 and 28 May 1905 Aurora took part in the Battle of Tsushima, along with the rest of the Russian squadron. During the battle her captain, Captain 1st rank Evgeny Egoriev, and 14 crewmen were killed.

October Revolution mutiny

In 1906 Aurora returned to the Baltic and became a cadet training ship. In WWI she operated in the Baltic performing patrols and shore bombardments. In 1915 her armament was upgraded to fourteen 6-inch guns. The next year she was moved to Petrograd (renamed from St Petersburg) for a major refit.

At this time the city was brimming with revolutionary ferment and most of her crew, encouraged by socialist ideas, joined the Bolsheviks who were preparing for a socialist revolt. Relationships between the Tsarist officers and men became strained, and the officers resorted to the use of small arms to restore order. On 28 February 1917 during one of these altercations the Captain was killed and another senior officer wounded. The crew then formed a workers’ committee and voted on a replacement commanding officer, then with the red flag hoisted Aurora became the first capital ship to embrace the Revolution.

On the eve of the Revolution the Bolshevik command ordered Aurora to close the Nikolayevsky Bridge, held by military cadets loyal to the Provincial Government. The ship carried out this assignment and then anchored not far from the bridge. Later that night at 21:45 on the 25thof October 1917 at a pre-arranged signal a blank shot was fired from Aurora’sforward gun mount to begin the assault on the Winter Palace, then seat of the Provincial Government. This shot also signalled the momentous commencement of the October Revolution. In 1918 Aurora was relocated to the naval dockyard at Kronstadt and placed into reserve. Her 6-inch guns were removed and placed on floating batteries to be used by Red armies in the continuing civil war.

Order of the October

RevolutionIn 1922 Aurora returned to service as a proud training ship, visiting most neighbouring countries whilst cruising through the Baltic and into the North Sea. Many thousands of her young trainees were to serve in the Soviet Navy during the Second World War. During WWII her guns were again demounted and used for defence in the horrific three year Siege of Leningrad (ex Petrograd). The ship was docked at nearby Oranienbaum, which remained in Soviet hands, and was repeatedly shelled and bombed by surrounding German forces. On 30 September 1941 she was damaged and sank in the harbour but with her masts protruding above the waterline defiantly flying the Soviet ensign from her mainmast.

After extensive repairs from 1945 to 1947 Aurora was moored in the Neva River in Leningrad (from 1991 again known as St Petersburg) as a monument to the Great October Socialist Revolution. Here in the long winter months she was held fast by thick ice only to become alive again in spring. In 1957 she became a museum-ship and on 22 February 1968 was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, whose badge portrays Aurora herself. In September 2014 after many years off the embankment of the Neva River crowds cheered her as she was towed to dock at Kronstadt for a much needed refit enabling her to return to her usual berth in pristine condition in time for the centenary in 2017 of a Revolution which changed the political face of world.

RFS Aurora is a truly remarkable ship which served through three major wars and uniquely played an important part in a great period of revolution. Having rebelled against her Imperial masters she might be accurately described as the first ship of the Soviet Navy.

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