Siberian Military Flotilla

Siberian Military Flotilla 

(in the 18th and part of the 19th century the Okhotsh Flotilla; also, in the 19th century the Petropavlovsk Flotilla), a Russian military flotilla in the Far East from 1731 to 1918.

The flotilla was created on May 10 (21), 1731, with its chief base at Okhotsk, then Petropavlovsk-na-Kamchatke from 1849, Nikolaevsk-na-Amure from 1855, and Vladivostok from February 1871. The flotilla was set up to protect the coast and the islands of the Pacific Ocean discovered by Russian explorers and navigators. Ships of the flotilla fought in the Petropavlovsk defense of 1854 during the Crimean War of 1853–56. In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05 the ships were part of the Pacific 1st Squadron in Port Arthur and the Vladivostok Squadron and were used in combat.

In 1914 the Siberian Military Flotilla had two cruisers, nine destroyers, ten torpedo boats, eight submarines, and other vessels. In World War I most of the ships of the flotilla were transferred to other fleets, while the remaining ones escorted transport ships going from the USA to Vladivostok. In December 1917 the Siberian Military Flotilla went over to the side of the Soviet government, but its ships were captured by the interventionists in Vladivostok in July 1918. Some of the sailors left the ships and fought for Soviet power on land.