All-Russian Congress of the Navy

All-Russian Congress of the Navy 

held in Petrograd on Nov. 18-25 (Dec. 1-8), 1917. It was attended by 190 delegates: 82 from the Baltic Fleet, 65 from the Black Sea Fleet, 28 from the Arctic Ocean Flotilla, seven from the Caspian and Urmia-Van Flotillas, four from the Siberian Flotilla, three from the Amur Flotilla, and one from the Chudskoe (Peipus) Flotilla. Of the delegates 116 were members of the Bolshevik Party. V. I. Lenin was elected honorary chairman of the congress. On the agenda were questions of power and current developments, including a report by the Revolutionary Committee of the Navy on its work and on the activity of Tsentroflot (Central Executive Committee of the Navy under the Central Executive Committee [CEC] of the Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ Deputies), and a report by the Supreme Naval Collegium. The congress adopted a resolution which stated that “all the might of the navy will steadfastly and loyally support the power of the Soviets” (Pravda, Dec. 7, 1917, p. 2) and condemned the activity of Tsentroflot. On November 22 (December 5) Lenin addressed the congress. The congress adopted a resolution on a new administrative structure for the navy, thereby forming the Supreme Naval Collegium, whose members were P. E. Dybenko, M. V. Ivanov, F. F. Raskol’nikov, and V. V. Koval’skii. The congress elected 20 delegates to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, and these delegates formed the naval section of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. By a decision of the congress, the command of fleets and flotillas was entirely transferred into the hands of the central committees of fleets and flotillas.

REFERENCES

Lenin, V. I. “Rech’ na Pervom Vserossiiskom s”ezde voennogo flota 22 noiabria (5 dekabria) 1917 g.” Poln. sobr. soch., 5th ed., vol. 35.
Khesin, S. S. Matrosy revoliutsii. Moscow, 1958.

S. S. KHESIN