The Navy of the Ukrainian People's Republic (), was a marine military force of the

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

that was based on a free will of

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

sailors to pledge allegiance to Ukraine. The force was never fully operational as the country constantly fought for its survival with the neighboring

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. Eventually most of the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

of the former Imperial Russian Navy was either sunk by 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, ...

or become part of expeditionary force of the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

on evacuation.

History

During

1917 Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social change in Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government following two successive revolutions and a civil war. It ...

, several ships of the Russian Imperial Navy's

, commanded and crewed by ethnic Ukrainians, declared themselves the Navy of the newly autonomous

Black Sea Fleet commander

Mikhail Sablin Mikhail Pavlovich Sablin (, ) (June 17, 1869 – October 17, 1920), was an admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, the first independent Ukrainian Navy and a member of the White Russian Movement. Biography Sablin was born into a naval family in Se ...

raised the colours of the Ukrainian National Republic on 29 April 1918. However, few further steps on establishing a navy were made as the Ukrainian government lost control over coastal territories. Starting October 1917 the crews of the ships established military councils; the blue-yellow flags were flying from the masts. The ships and

Russian cruiser Pamiat Merkuria (1907) ''Komintern'' was a Soviet light cruiser originally named ''Pamiat' Merkuria'' (''Memory of Mercury''), a protected cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She saw service during World War I in the Black Sea and survived the Russian Civil W ...

were the first examples. The General Secretariat for Naval Affairs was established within the government of the

Central Rada The Central Rada of Ukraine, also called the Central Council (), was the All-Ukrainian council that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputies as well as few members of political, public, cultural and professional organizations o ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

(in January 1918 it was reformed in a Ministry). The head of it became D. Antonovich. The Main Navy Staff was led by Captain

Jerzy Świrski Jerzy Włodzimierz Świrski (5 April 1882, in Kalisz – 12 June 1959, in London) was a Polish rear admiral and officer in the Russian Imperial Navy and later the Polish Navy. As Chief of the Polish Naval Command (1925-1947), he was a member of an ...

. For the educational and agitational purposes of the seamen the Central Rada seconded the commissars to

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

, Nikolayev,

Kherson Kherson (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and , , ) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper, Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-bui ...

and Sevastopol. On 22 November 1917, the whole crew of the newest and most powerful warship of the Black Sea Fleet ''Volya'' swore fealty to the Central Rada, followed soon by several ships and submarines. On 29 April 1918, Rear-admiral M. Sablin was appointed commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Navy. A telegram to Kyiv was sent from the staff ship ''Georgiy Pobedonosets'' “Effective today the Sevastopol fortress and the Fleet in Sevastopol raised the Ukrainian flag. Admiral Sablin assumed the command of the Fleet”. Having no reply the admiral ordered to repeat the telegram beginning with the words “Comrades of Kyiv Central Rada...”. But Sablin was unaware that at that moment the Central Rada in Kyiv was already history. Ukraine had a navy for five months. From October 1917 till March 1918 the following came to be at the disposal of the Ukrainians: nine

battleships A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

, seven cruisers, 18

destroyers In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

, 14

submarines A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or info ...

, 16

patrol ships A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

and avisos, 11 military transports and mother ships. Additionally, the Fleet's Headquarters, all military institutions and plants, all coastal fortifications were in hands of the Ukrainians. But they were yet to face a disaster. The Kaiser's forces had been advancing on Sevastopol with a goal to capture the Black Sea Fleet. Having no support from the land forces, Admiral Sablin was forced enter negotiations regarding cessation of hostilities. The

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

however rejected the armistice proposals and the advance continued. In April 1918 German and Ukrainian troops invaded Crimea. On 29 April 1918, fleet-commanding Rear-admiral Sablin (Russian) gave an order to hoist Ukrainian national flags over all ships in Sevastopol (the medal to the right commemorates that event). But Germans started to occupy Sevastopol, because the bolsheviks began to lead away ships. Centroflot (the combined fleet revolutionary committee), in order to save the Fleet, took a decision to move it to

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk (, ; ) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities designated by the Soviet Union as a Hero City. The population was History In antiquity, the shores of the ...

. But on April 30, 1918, only the small part of the fleet under command of Admiral Sablin, which trusted the bolsheviks, headed for Novorossiysk and hoisted Russian St. Andrew (saltire) ensigns. The greater part of the Ukrainian fleet remained in Sevastopol - there were 30 destroyers and torpedo boats, 25 auxiliaries, 7 battleships and small craft as well as 15 submarines left in Sevastopol under Admiral Myhaylo Ostrogradskiy who in this situation assumed command. On 1 May 1918 Germans captured the ships remaining in Sevastopol, because the actions of Bolsheviks violated the peace agreement. On 17 June 1918, 1 dreadnought and 6 destroyers returned from Novorossiysk to Sevastopol, where they were also captured. The greater part of the ships remaining in Novorossiysk were destroyed by their own crews on

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

's command. In July–November 1918 Germans gradually transferred many ships to the command of Ukrainian government (

Hetman ''Hetman'' is a political title from Central and Eastern Europe, historically assigned to military commanders (comparable to a field marshal or imperial marshal in the Holy Roman Empire). First used by the Czechs in Bohemia in the 15th century, ...

Pavlo Skoropadskyi Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi (; – 26 April 1945) was a Ukrainian aristocrat, military and state leader, who served as the Hetman of all Ukraine, hetman of the Ukrainian State throughout 1918 following a 1918 Ukrainian coup d'état, coup d'éta ...

). The main Ukrainian sea power concentrated in Odessa and Nikolayev was more than 20 minesweepers, 7 small cruisers, 1 dreadnought and more than 30 auxiliaries. In Sevastopol there were only 2 old battleships under Ukrainian flags. On 18 July 1918 the Naval Ministry in

established new naval ensigns and some rank flags (e.g. flag of Naval Minister, flag of Deputy Minister). The old Russian jack remained as Ukrainian naval jack. It was regarded as symbol of glory of Black Sea Fleet, whose crews were in large part previously Ukrainian. On 17 September Germans gives Ukraine 17 U-boats. In December 1918, when naval forces of

the Entente ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

were approaching Sevastopol, Ukrainian Rear-admiral V. Klokhkovskyy (В'ячеслав Клочковський) commanded all ships to hoist Russian St. Andrew (saltire) ensigns. It was a demonstration of good intentions for the Entente. However, the Entente captured the Black Sea Fleet and subsequently transferred it to the Russian "White" forces. In Ukrainian hands remained only small in numbers subdivisions of marines. Ukrainian naval authorities existed until 1921. File:C.Шрамченко.jpg, File:Святослав Шрамченко и Сечевой Стрелец.jpg, File:Шрамченко и морской пехотинец УНР.jpg, File:Шрамченко и Бельский.jpg,

List of Ukrainian ships

{{unreferenced section, date=January 2025 On October 17, 1917, the 2nd rank Captain Ye .Akimov was appointed the representative of the

Central Council of Ukraine The Central Rada of Ukraine, also called the Central Council (), was the All-Ukrainian council that united deputies of soldiers, workers, and peasants deputies as well as few members of political, public, cultural and professional organizations o ...

at the command of the

. In November 1917 in

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

was established the Sahaidachny Sea Battalion (

kurin Kurin () has two definitions: a military and administrative unit of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, Black Sea Cossack Host, and others; and of a type of housing (see below). In the administrative definition, a kurin usually consisted of a few hundred ...

) which on November 24, 1917, was sent to

to extinguish Bolshevik uprisings and participated in the

Kyiv Arsenal January Uprising The Kiev Arsenal January Uprising (), sometimes simply called the January Uprising or the January Rebellion, was a Bolshevik-organized workers' armed revolt that started on 1918, at the Arsenal Factory in Kiev during the Ukrainian–Sovie ...

. In December 1917 the Black Seas Fleet squadron under Ukrainian flags led by the

Russian battleship Imperator Aleksandr III ''Imperator Aleksandr III'' (''Emperor Alexander III'') was the third and last ship of the dreadnoughts of the Imperial Russian Navy. She was begun before World War I, completed during the war and saw service with the Black Sea Fleet. She was r ...

and included another cruiser and three destroyers participated in the evacuation of the 127th Infantry Division from

Trebizond Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid Em ...

back to

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. On December 29, 1917, most of the Black Sea Fleet was taken over by Bolsheviks.

Black Sea Fleet

Russian battleship Georgii Pobedonosets ''Georgii Pobedonosets'' ( ) was a battleship built for the Imperial Russian Navy, the fourth and final ship of the . She was, however, only a sister ship, half-sister to the others as her armor scheme was different and she was built much later t ...

(November 9, 1917) *

(November 12, 1917) * Russian destroyer Zorkiy (November 12, 1917) * Russian destroyer Zvonkiy (November 12, 1917) * Russian Battleship Volya (previously Imperator Aleksandr III) (November 22, 1917) *

Russian battleship Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya ''Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya'' ( (''Empress Catherine the Great'')) was the second of three dreadnoughts built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. Completed in 1915, she was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. She engaged the ex- ...

Legacy

On 29 April 2018

Ukrainian President The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Volodymyr Groysman Volodymyr Borysovych Groysman (; born 20 January 1978) is a Ukrainian statesman, politician, and businessman. He served as the 16th Prime Minister of Ukraine from 14 April 2016, to 29 August 2019. From 2006 to 2014, he was the mayor of Vinny ...

greeted Ukrainian Navy personnel on the 100th anniversary since the foundation of Ukraine's Navy.Ukraine marks 100th anniversary of Ukraine's Navy

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

(29 April 2018) The Black Sea Fleet raised the colours of the Ukrainian National Republic on 29 April 1918.

References

External links