How 100 years ago Russian young ladies served in the navy, and What "riots on the ship" had to be suppressed by the authorities

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The formation, which consisted of patriotic young ladies, could hardly provide real assistance to the country. Nevertheless, 35 determined ladies had a different opinion - dressed in sailor uniforms, they learned the charter, went in the ranks, carried out orders and prepared to die for the Fatherland on the fronts of the First World War. However, fate decreed otherwise: the first attempt of the fair sex to serve in the navy failed literally a month after the official creation of the "Marine Women's Team".

How women swung at the holy of holies - the Russian fleet

The history of the organization of a naval team, consisting of patriotic young ladies, began with a petition received by BP Dudorov, the first assistant to the country's naval minister. On July 1, 1917, a letter from the organizers of a certain circle called "Russian women, unite!" Lay on his desk. True patriots, as the members of the group called themselves, demanded that the command create a female formation that could carry out naval service for the good of the Motherland.

The War Ministry has received letters of this content more than once. Either the young ladies were asked to support the idea of creating a "women's regiment of black hussars", then to engage in the formation of shock units "to fight against anarchy in the countryside." However, never before have ladies shown a desire to go to the navy, and now the day has come - it happened!

In peacetime, Boris Petrovich simply would not have paid attention to the strange paper. But after the February Revolution, when Kerensky spoke in defense of the "female factor", and the commanding officers of the highest ranks Polovtsev and Brusilov advocated the creation of female units, Dudorov could not ignore the request.

At the same time, he could hardly imagine the role of women in the naval service, not understanding what they would do there. Unlike the captain, the ladies did not have such thoughts: they strove for equality with the sailors and to be, if necessary, "even laundresses, even sailors."

How the Land of Flying Dogs became a base for women sailors

It took just a few days to make a decision on the formation of the Women's Marine Team after receiving the collective demand. Already in July 1917, following Kerensky's order, the leadership of the Main Naval Staff officially announced the readiness of its creation.

And then unexpected problems immediately arose: the main among them was the categorical reluctance of the navy to employ the female sex. To all inquiries to the naval crews, Dudorov received an invariable negative answer.

It is difficult to say how events would have developed further if the Kola Naval Base had not suddenly given a positive answer. Her boss agreed to include in the women's team, but only as laundresses, cleaners, typists and cooks. Going out to sea, as well as performing the usual duties of male sailors, was initially not allowed for women.

The second problem was the flight of the frustrated sailors from the team after they learned about the location of the upcoming service. The fact is that the Kola base, nicknamed "the land of flying dogs", was located in an area with very unfavorable climatic conditions. Few wanted to live permanently in a cold, windy area - most of the ladies took their applications, not even being seduced by the promised salary of 90 monthly rubles.

Because of this, instead of the planned 150 people, the team managed to recruit only 35 women. Despite the small number, in mid-August, the group began to be prepared for service - having put on the allowance of the Naval Training and Rifle Team, it was placed in a specially designated room in Oranienbaum. The official representative of the future sailors was Evdokia Merkuryevna Skvortsova, a hereditary noblewoman who was previously engaged in teaching.

"A woman in the sea - woe to the team!", Or why the "sea wolves" opposed the formation of women's teams

Even at the beginning of the preparation for the difficult seaman's share, the women received an angry message from the sailors of the Naval Training and Rifle Command. Future colleagues protested in a letter against the formation of such teams. They offered the ladies, instead of military naval associations and various death battalions, to form teams of mutual assistance and labor. An old saying sounded in the message: "A woman at sea - woe to the crew!"

After analyzing the written message, the outraged young ladies, having made a copy and leaving their comments, sent it to the main leadership of the naval headquarters. Dudorov had no choice but to summon and chastise the head of the Naval Training and Rifle Team. He, in turn, spoke to his subordinates in a language understandable to all, quickly calming down the raging passions of the protesting sailors.

Because of what the women's naval team was disbanded

Simultaneously with solving problems on the ground, the leadership of the Naval Headquarters and the head of the training and shooting team considered the question of in which direction to train future sailors. Would it be advisable, for example, to give them weapons, show them bayonet techniques and fire. In the end, the parties agreed on a military minimum, which consisted of training to walk in formation, salute and make turns under the appropriate commands.

From the first day of the creation of the naval team, the girls lived according to an almost sailor's schedule: at 7:30 am wake up, hygiene procedures, cleaning the premises, breakfast. At 9:00, after morning prayer, the main activities are physical exercises, walking in formation, lessons in Russian grammar. At 19:00 the team gathered for dinner, and two hours later, after reading the evening prayer, the women went to bed.

In this mode, preparations were carried out for a month, when, unexpectedly, in mid-September, an order came to disband the Naval Command. The reason for the disbandment of the group was the small number of members. True, women who have learned drill training were offered to replenish military ground units. And yet the most stubborn of the failed sailors in the number of six people managed to get sent to the "land of flying dogs" as a "baker". Until the October Revolution, they served at the Kola Naval Base and proudly called themselves the "Women's Marine Team".

Prior to this, the so-called milestones of tolerance had already been passed. The first black general, an Afro-village in the Caucasus, has already appeared in Russia. There were other equally interesting facts.