164. The Cruiser Aurora
The Cruiser Aurora is perhaps the most famous ship in the Russian Navy. She was launched in 1900, was in active service from 1903-1957, and saw action in three wars: against Japan in the Battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) and against Germany in both World Wars. During the Great Patriotic War, the Aurora was docked at Oranienbaum, although most of her guns were removed and taken closer to the front lines. The ship was sunk by Nazi artillery and bombs, but raised and repaired shortly after the war's end.
The Aurora is more famous, however, for firing a shot (a blank, as it turned out) at the Winter Palace from the Neva River to start the October Revolution in 1917. The crew (mostly comprised of Bolsheviks) executed their commanding officer and gained control of the ship. They sailed toward the Winter Palace, where the provisional government had set up their headquarters when they took control of Russia after the February Revolution earlier in the year. The shot signaled the other 10 ships in the Neva River to get ready for action (none of them were really needed), and for the Bolsheviks assembled in Palace Square to storm the Winter Palace and overthrow the government. Thus began 74 years of Communist rule.
The Aurora has been used as a floating museum - with exhibits about her own history - for decades, not including when she was moved for renovations from 2014-2016. The Aurora is among the most popular tourist destinations in St. Petersburg, although she is not visible from most vantage points in the city center. Her permanent berth is on the east side of Petrogradsky Island in the Bolshaya Nevka River, and her nose points across the Neva to the Kutuzov Embankment well to the east of where most tourists would typically be out for a stroll. Most of the exhibits inside the ship do not include any English text, but several dioramas, maps, and a variety of artifacts tell a clear enough story of the ship's history. I enjoyed looking through the guns' sights on deck to see which landmarks on the Neva's south bank were in the cross-hairs.
My visit here was well-timed, as I boarded the Aurora during the 100th anniversary week of the shot that started a revolution. The Aurora was crowded with visitors and it seemed that many Russian tourists had the same idea as I did about the excellent timing for a visit.
The Aurora is more famous, however, for firing a shot (a blank, as it turned out) at the Winter Palace from the Neva River to start the October Revolution in 1917. The crew (mostly comprised of Bolsheviks) executed their commanding officer and gained control of the ship. They sailed toward the Winter Palace, where the provisional government had set up their headquarters when they took control of Russia after the February Revolution earlier in the year. The shot signaled the other 10 ships in the Neva River to get ready for action (none of them were really needed), and for the Bolsheviks assembled in Palace Square to storm the Winter Palace and overthrow the government. Thus began 74 years of Communist rule.
The Aurora has been used as a floating museum - with exhibits about her own history - for decades, not including when she was moved for renovations from 2014-2016. The Aurora is among the most popular tourist destinations in St. Petersburg, although she is not visible from most vantage points in the city center. Her permanent berth is on the east side of Petrogradsky Island in the Bolshaya Nevka River, and her nose points across the Neva to the Kutuzov Embankment well to the east of where most tourists would typically be out for a stroll. Most of the exhibits inside the ship do not include any English text, but several dioramas, maps, and a variety of artifacts tell a clear enough story of the ship's history. I enjoyed looking through the guns' sights on deck to see which landmarks on the Neva's south bank were in the cross-hairs.
My visit here was well-timed, as I boarded the Aurora during the 100th anniversary week of the shot that started a revolution. The Aurora was crowded with visitors and it seemed that many Russian tourists had the same idea as I did about the excellent timing for a visit.
Comments
Post a Comment