''Aurora'' ( rus, Авро́ра, r=Avrora, p=ɐˈvrorə) is a Russian

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

, currently preserved as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. ''Aurora'' was one of three

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s, built in Saint Petersburg for service in the Pacific. All three ships of this class served during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. ''Aurora'' survived the

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known in Japan as the , was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 27–28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait. A devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy, the ...

and was interned under US protection in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, and eventually returned to the

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

. Aurora is most famous for her actions during the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

where she reportedly fired the shot, that signaled the beginning of the attack on the

Winter Palace The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...

Russo-Japanese War

Soon after completion, on 10 October 1903, ''Aurora'' departed

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

as part of Admiral Virenius's "reinforcing squadron" for Port Arthur. While in the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, still en route to Port Arthur, the squadron was recalled back to the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, 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 The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. 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 Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Oskar Enkvist's Cruiser Squadron whose

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

would be the protected cruiser ''

Oleg Oleg (), Oleh (), or Aleh () is an East Slavic given name. The name is very common in Russia, Ukraine, and Belаrus. Origins ''Oleg'' derives from the Old Norse ''Helgi'' ( Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "blessed". The feminine equival ...

'', an element of Admiral

Zinovy Rozhestvensky Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky (, tr. ; – January 14, 1909) was a Russian admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. He was in command of the Second Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima, during the Russo-Japanese War. Under Admiral Rozh ...

'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 The Dogger Bank incident (also known as the North Sea Incident, the Russian Outrage or the Incident of Hull) occurred on the night of 21/22 October 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, when the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy mistook ...

. During the

the Aurora was only lightly damaged but the ship's captain Evgeny Egoriev was killed. At nightfall the ''Aurora'' along with the ''Oleg'' were attacked by torpedo boats and at 22:00 they gave up trying to proceed north and headed southwest. Once dawn arrived it was found that Zhemchug had retreated with the other two ships. Enkvist decided transfer his command to the Aurora then take his ships to

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and American internment. On the way to Manila the ship's doctor managed to set up the ship's X-ray equipment and performed the first post battle X-rays in Russian naval history. Evgeny Egoriev was buried at sea June 3 1905.

World War I, Mutiny and Revolution

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

''Aurora'' operated in the Baltic Sea performing patrols and shore bombardment tasks. In 1915, her armament was changed to fourteen 152 mm (6 in) guns. In late 1916 she was moved to

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

for repairs. By late 1916, when ''Aurora'' arrived in Petrograd, conditions in the capital had deteriorated and the city was lawless and suffering from a cold winter and food shortages. Dissatisfaction with the Tsar was approaching a breaking point. During the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

a significant number of the enlisted men had become sympathetic with, or had outright joined the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

. This led to increasing tensions between the officer class - who were generally Tsarists - and the enlisted men. Tensions came to a head after officers fired their pistols at the enlisted men in an attempt to restore order. The crew captured the ship's captain, Mikhail Nikolsky, and ordered that he carry a red flag as a symbol of support for the Bolshevik cause. When he declined, he was shot and killed as were an unknown number of the ship's officers. A revolutionary committee was formed and a new captain was elected. The ship joined the Bolshevik cause and became the first major Russian warship to fly the red flag of the Bolshevik cause. On the eve of the

the ship was assigned to dislodge loyalist military cadets from the Nikolayevsky Bridge. After carrying out that assignment, the ship fired the famous blank shot that, according to Russian lore, was the signal to begin the assault on the Winter Palace. It is for this action that the ship is best known and most closely identified in Russian culture. In 1918 Aurora was relocated to the naval dockyard at Kronstadt and her new 6-inch guns were removed and installed on floating batteries to be used by the Bolsheviks during the civil war.

Second World War

In 1922, ''Aurora'' returned to service as a training ship. During the Second World War, her guns were taken from the ship and used in the land defence of

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. The ship herself was docked in Oranienbaum port, and was repeatedly shelled and bombed. On 30 September 1941, she was damaged and sunk in the harbour. She was later salvaged and repaired after the war.

Post World War II

The ship was opened as a museum ship in Leningrad in 1957, as a monument to the October Revolution. After having served as a museum ship for 27 years, from 1984 to 1987 the cruiser was once again placed in her construction yard, the Admiralty Shipyard, for capital restoration. During the overhaul, due to deterioration, the ship's hull below the waterline was replaced with a new welded hull according to the original drawings. The cut off lower hull section was towed into the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

to the decommissioned , and sunk near the shore. The restoration revealed that some of the ship's parts, including the armour plates, were originally made in Britain. In January 2013, Russian Defence Minister

Sergey Shoygu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, secretary of the Security Council of Russia, Security Council since 2024. He served ...

announced plans to recommission ''Aurora'' and make her the flagship of the

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

due to her historical and cultural importance. On 21 September 2014, the ship was towed to the

Admiralty Shipyard The JSC Admiralty Shipyards () (''formerly Soviet Shipyard No. 194'') is one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia, located in Saint Petersburg. The shipyard's building ways can accommodate ships of up to , in length and in width. Mili ...

to be overhauled, to return in 2016. On 16 July 2016, she returned to her home harbour in Saint Petersburg.

In popular culture

The 1965 Soviet film '' The Salvos of the Aurora Cruiser'' shows the ship's action in the October Revolution. In 1973, a short film about the ship, titled ''Aurora'', was released.

Gallery

Order of the October Revolution (550).jpg, ''Aurora'' is pictured on the

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

aurora 1903.jpg, ''Aurora'' in 1903 Aurora 2014-09 1411294651.tif, ''Aurora'' towed through drawbridge toward Kronstadt (2014) Транспортировка Авроры в Кронштадт (Дворцовый мост).jpg, Transport of ''Aurora'' to Kronstadt in September 2015 DJI 0001 Санкт-Петербург. Крейсер "Аврора". Фото с дрона. 21.02.2018.jpg, ''Aurora'' trapped in ice Sankt Petersburg. Kreuzer Aurora, Petrograder Damm.jpg, ''Aurora'' at night St. Petersburg (8372405504).jpg, Port side view of ''Aurora'' Aurora and Krasin in Kronstadt.JPG, ''Aurora'' and ''Krasin'' in Kronstadt St. Petersburg (8372405290).jpg, ''Aurora'' is docked near Nakhimov Naval School

Aurora Flags

Due to the honoring of the ship with high state awards, the flag flown at the stern is a special version of the main Naval Ensign. This tradition dates back to 1927, when the aurora was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

and lasted until the end of

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

and was then resumed after returning from a major overhaul in 2016.

References

Sources

*British Naval Attache Reports. (2003) ''The Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905.'' The Battery Press. Nashville, Tennessee * * *Corbett, Sir Julian. (2015) ''Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905.'' Vol. 1 originally published January 1914.

Naval Institute Press The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...

*Corbett, Sir Julian. (2015) ''Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905.'' Vol. 2 originally published October 1915. Naval Institute Press *Dowling, Timothy C. ''Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond''. ABC-CLIO, 2015. * * * *

External links

The History of the Russian Navy – Defeat at Port ArthurHNSA Web Page: Cruiser ''Aurora''''Aurora'' Cruiser Museum Ship (Saint Petersburg)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora 1900 ships Museum ships in Russia Russo-Japanese War cruisers of Russia World War I cruisers of Russia World War II cruisers of the Soviet Union Cruisers of the Imperial Russian Navy Ships of the Soviet Navy History of Saint Petersburg Naval mutinies Naval ships of Russia Maritime museums in Saint Petersburg Military and war museums in Saint Petersburg October Revolution Maritime incidents in September 1941 Cultural heritage monuments of federal significance in Saint Petersburg