Battleship Potemkin

The Potemkin (Russian: Князь Потёмкин Таврический, Knyaz’ Potyomkin Tavricheski, ‘Prince Potyomkin of Tauris’) was a pre-dreadnought battleship (Bronenosets) of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. She was built at the Nikolayev shipyard from 1898 and commissioned in 1904. The name is in honour of Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, a military figure of the 18th century. Image File history File links Potemkin. ... Image File history File links Potemkin. ... Tauris is a peninsula on the Black Sea. ... USS Massachusetts, a pre-dreadnought battleship launched in 1893 The term pre-dreadnought refers to the last type of battleship before the British Royal Navys HMS Dreadnought (1906). ... The firepower of a battleship demonstrated by USS Iowa. ... Black Sea Fleet sleeve ensign The Black Sea Fleet (Russian: Черноморский флот) is a large sub-unit of the Russian (and formerly Soviet) Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the early 18th century. ... Mykolayiv (Ukrainian Миколаїв), also known by its Russian name Николаев (Nikolaev or Nikolayev) is a city in Southern Ukraine with the population of 514,000 (2001 estimation). ... Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... Prince Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin (Russian: Григорий Александрович Потемкин) (September 13, 1739 (NS: September 24) – October 5, 1791 (NS: October 16)) was a Russian... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

The ship was made famous by the Battleship Potemkin uprising, a rebellion of the crew against their oppressive officers in June of 1905 (during the Russian Revolution of 1905). It later came to be viewed as an initial step towards the Russian Revolution of 1917, and was the basis of Sergei Eisenstein's silent film The Battleship Potemkin. The Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide struggle of both anti-government and undirected violence. ... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (Russian: Сергей Михайлович Эйзенштейн, Latvian: Sergejs Eizenšteins) (January 23, 1898 – February 11, 1948) was a revolutionary Soviet film director and film theorist noted in particular for his silent films Strike, Battleship Potemkin and Oktober. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... The Battleship Potemkin (Russian: , ), sometimes rendered as The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. ...

General characteristics

• Displacement: 12,500 tons
• Length: 115.3 m
• Beam: 22.3 m
• Draught: 8.2 m
• Speed: 16 knots (29.6 km/h)
• Machinery: 2 shaft VTE, 22 Bellville coal fired boilers, 11,300 hp
• Armament:
  • 4 x 305 mm (12 in) guns in two turrets,
  • 16 x 152 mm (6 in) guns,
  • 14 x 75 mm (3 in) guns,
  • various small-calibre guns.
  • 5 x 380 mm torpedo tubes.
• Armour: Krupp armour
  • 6 to 9 inch belt, 2.5 to 3 inch deck,
  • 10 in (254 mm) turrets,
  • 5 to 6 in (127 to 152 mm) casemates,
  • 9 inch conning tower
• Crew: 730 officers and men

Corbelled corner turrets at Newark Castle, Port Glasgow. ... A modern torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... Krupp armour was a type of steel armour used in the construction of capital ships starting shortly before the end of the 19th century. ...

The Uprising

Origin of the uprising

Soviet propaganda poster portraying the 1905 revolution. The caption reads "Glory to the People's Heroes of the Potemkin!"

In 1905 The Central Committee of the Social Democratic Organization of the Black Sea Fleet started preparations for a simultaneous crew uprising on all of the ships of the fleet some time in the autumn of 1905. However, at the time of planning Potemkin was away for firing exercises at Tendra Island and the rebellion broke out on its own on June 14, spontaneously and prematurely. Image File history File links Poster15. ... Image File history File links Poster15. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Black Sea Fleet sleeve ensign The Black Sea Fleet (Russian: Черноморский флот) is a large sub-unit of the Russian (and formerly Soviet) Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the early 18th century. ... Uprising is another word for rebellion. ... June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ...

The uprising was sparked by the second in command of the battleship, who allegedly threatened reprisals against a number of the crew for their refusal to eat meat found to contain maggots when it was delivered to the warship. Reportedly he mustered the crew on the quarterdeck near where a tarpaulin was laid out and armed marines were drawn up. The sailors assumed that a group execution was pending and rushed the marines (themselves sailors) calling on them not to shoot. The actual events sparking off the mutiny remain uncertain and have been overshadowed by the version presented in the famous Sergei Eisenstein film "The Battleship Potemkin". Certainly discipline in the imperial navy was harsh and morale low following defeats in the Russo-Japanese War. The Battleship Potemkin (Russian: , ), sometimes rendered as The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm. ...

The mutineers killed seven of the Potemkin's eighteen officers, including Captain Evgeny Golikov, his second in command Ippolit Giliarovsky and the medical officer who had certified the meat as fit to eat. The surviving officers were placed under arrest, as were those of an accompanying torpedo-boat, the N267. One sailor Grigory Vakulenchuk was fatally wounded during the fight. The seamen organized a Ship’s Commission led by Afanasi Matushenko.

Arrival in Odessa

In the evening of that same day, the rebellious battleship came to Odessa flying a red flag. A general strike had been called in Odessa and there was some unrest, for which the arrival of the battleship provided a focus and incentive. However, the representatives of the contact commission of the Odessa Social Democratic parties were not able to convince the battleship crew to land armed sailors and help workers to get weapons and act together. There was division and confusion amongst both sailors and strikers. For other uses, see Odessa (disambiguation). ... Historically, and most generally, the red flag is an international symbol for the blood of angry workers. ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ...

On June 16, Vakulenchuk’s funeral turned into a political demonstration. Demonstrators crowded on the flight of steps leading from the port area to the centre of the city were reportedly fired on by dismounted cavalry, a scene that forms the dramatic highpoint of the film "Battleship Potemkin". There is some dispute as to whether the encounter on the Odessa Steps actually occurred but the London Times correspondent and the resident British Consul reported a number of clashes between demonstrators and troops throughout the city and heavy loss of life. The evening of the following day Potemkin fired two shells at the part of the city where the headquarters of the imperial military authorities was located. One civilian was killed and limited damage done. The Imperial military sent reinforcements to Odessa in order to suppress the civil disorder. The government issued an order to either force the Potemkin crew to give up or sink the battleship. Two squadrons of the Black Sea Fleet were sent for this purpose. They gathered at the Tendra Island on June 17. Potemkin faced the joint squadron and — refusing to give up — sailed through the centre of it. This “silent battle” ended victoriously for Potemkin: the crews of the joint squadron refused to fire at the battleship and one of the battleships — Georgiy Pobedonosets — joined Potemkin. The joint squadron went to Sevastopol. The three rebellious warships headed for Odessa. June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. ... A Squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, aircraft (including balloons), or naval vessels. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... Location Map of Ukraine with Sevastopol highlighted. ...

The Central Committee of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party tried to provide support for the Potemkin uprising. However, Mikhail Vasilyev-Yuzhin, who came to Odessa at the request of Vladimir Lenin to lead the uprising, found the battleship had left the port. The Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP (Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая Па́ртия = РСДРП), also known as the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party and the Russian Social-Democratic Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organizations into one party. ... Lenin redirects here. ...

Voyage to Romania

In the evening of June 18, the battleship sailed for Constanţa (Romania) together with the torpedo boat N267 for fuel and supplies (by that time, Georgiy Pobedonosets had surrendered to the authorities). On June 20, the Ship’s Commission issued appeals “To all civilized world” and “To all European powers”, proclaiming the crew’s firm decision to fight against the Tsarist regime. Romanian authorities refused to permit supplies to be sent to the battleship. The same happened in the Russian port of Theodosia on June 22 where a landing party from the warship was fired on by troops. On June 25, Potemkin returned to Constanţa and its crew handed the ship over to the Romanian authorities. June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... County ConstanÅ£a Mayor Radu Åžtefan Mazăre Area 124. ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... Росси́йская Импе́рия, (also Imperial Russia) covers the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great into the Russian Empire stretching from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to... Theodosia (Russian: Феодосия; Ukrainian: Феодосія; Greek: Θεοδωσία; Crimean Tatar/Turkish: Kefe) is a port and resort city in southern Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of Crimea at coordinates 45. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ...

Aftermath

After the uprising the ship was handed to Romanian authorities, which returned the battleship to the Russian government. In October of 1905 it was renamed to Panteleimon (Пантелеймон). In April of 1917 the ship was renamed to Potemkin-Tavricheski (Потёмкин-Таврический) once again, however, in May they changed it to Borets za svobodu (Борец за свободу - Freedom Fighter). In 1918 it had been captured by the Germans, then recaptured by the White Russians. In April of 1919, the interventionists blew it up in Sevastopol so it wouldn't fall into Bolshevik hands. After the Russian Civil War, the wreck of the Potemkin was raised from the bottom of the sea and dismantled because of irreparable damage. Year 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The White movement, whose military arm is known as the White Army (Белая Армия) or White Guard (Белая Гвардия, белогвардейц&#1099... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Britain, France, Canada and the United States, along with other World War I Allied countries, conducted a military intervention into the Russian Civil War during the period of 1918 through 1920. ... Bolshevik Party Meeting. ... Combatants Red Army (Bolsheviks) White Army (Monarchists, SRs, Anti-Communists) Green Army (Peasants and Nationalists) Black Army (Anarchists) Commanders Leon Trotsky Mikhail Tukhachevsky Semyon Budyonny Lavr Kornilov, Alexander Kolchak, Anton Denikin, Pyotr Wrangel Alexander Antonov, Nikifor Grigoriev Nestor Makhno Strength 5,427,273 (peak) +1,000,000 Casualties 939,755...

The majority of the mutineers chose to remain in Romania after 1905, at least until the revolution of February 1917. Of those who returned to Russia in the immediate aftermath of the mutiny, seven were executed as ringleaders while fifty-six were sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment. A number of petty officers from the Potemkin were able to successfully argue that they had acted only under duress, while the crew of the Viekha, a support vessel caught up in the mutiny when it encountered the Potemkin, were acquitted after it was established that they had successfully argued for the release of their own officers.

Amongst the six hundred former members of the Potemkin crew who remained in Romania in 1905 and generally merged into the local population, was the leader Afanasy Matushenko. Together with four colleagues Matushenko returned to Russia under promise of an amnesty in 1907. He was however arrested and hanged. Another leader, Joseph Dymtchenko, fled Romania in 1908 with thirty-one other sailors and settled in Argentina.

Lenin wrote that the Potemkin uprising had had a huge importance in terms of being the first attempt at creating the nucleus of a revolutionary army, especially since a part of the imperial armed forces had sided with the revolution. Lenin called Potemkin an "undefeated territory of the revolution." The Potemkin uprising had a significant influence on the revolutionizing process in the Russian army and fleet in 1917.

Trivia

• A Constitution-class starship in the original Star Trek science fiction series, and an Excelsior-class starship in Star Trek: The Next Generation were named after the Potemkin.
• The Pet Shop Boys together with the Dresdner Sinfoniker memorialized the uprising in their London concert (now on CD) in 2004.

One of the fictional ships called the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek, one of the most famous fictional starships. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction franchise. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The capitalization of song titles in this article may be disputed. ...

External links

• Battleship "Kniaz Potemkin Tavricheskiy". flot.sevastopol.info. Retrieved on 2006 July 30.
• Panteleimon. www.steelnavy.com. Retrieved on 2006 July 30. Aimed at model builders
• Potemkin. ship.bsu.by. Retrieved on 2006 July 30. (Russian)
• Potemkin sailor monument. 2odessa.com. Retrieved on 2006 August 22. Monument in Odessa, explanation of the mutiny
• Battleship "Kniaz Potemkin Tavricheskiy". flot.sevastopol.info. Retrieved on 2006 July 30.
• Biography of Afanasi Matiushenko (1879-1907). www.libcom.org. Retrieved on 2006 July 30. One of the leaders of the mutiny
• Potemkin sailor monument. 2odessa.com. Retrieved on 2006 August 22. Monument in Odessa, explanation of the mutiny
• The Latest News Report. www.marxists.org. Retrieved on 2006 July 30. A First Hand News Article on the Mutiny