St. Petersburg Submariners' Club addressed an appeal to preserve status of cruiser Avrora

11.11.2010 Chairman of St. Petersburg Submariners' Club Capt 1 rank Igor Kurdin addressed a letter to Administration of St. Petersburg requesting to preserve status of Russian Navy No. 1 ship for cruiser Avrora.

According to Kurdin, cruiser Avrora is not only a museum but a warship living in accordance with Shipborne Chart, so the cruiser executes all functions related to this status. In particular, the ship hosts various delegations, she is a starting point for all naval parades in St. Petersburg and place of taking military oath by conscript seamen and naval cadets. Daily colors ceremonies of St. Andrew's flag and demonstrative activities of watch services must are also conducted on board Avrora.

There are some military units in Russian Armed Forces which have no any operational significance, although perform important role – preservation of military traditions, patriotic education, and maintaining prestige of Russia as a military power. For instance, Presidential Regiment, aerobatic squadrons Russian Knights and Swifts, reminded Kurdin. According to him, cruiser Avrora must remain among them as Russian Navy's No. 1 ship.

St. Petersburg Submariners' Club says that in case Avrora would not preserve her status, local company HSG Zander SPB is ready to perform the cruiser's maintenance functions, including guard, cleanup, technical service, moorage security, and mobile day-night emergency maintenance. The company comprises former naval officers, and its technical center is located right opposite the cruiser, notes Kurdin.

The chairman proposed to conduct a consultation headed by Valery Tikhonov, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg and representatives of Leningrad Naval Base, United Shipbuilding Corporation which is about to take the cruiser on balance, specialists of the Central Navy Museum and all concerned persons and organizations to discuss further fate of cruiser Avrora.

We recall that Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief ADM Vladimir Vysotsky signed a decree providing that since Dec 1, 2010 the crew of cruiser Avrora is to be disbanded. Only civilian employees will remain on board the ship. Avrora will be subordinated to the Central Navy Museum as a ship of battle glory. Members of St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, public organization "Nakhimov Marine Assembly", Russian Communist Party, representatives of armed forces, public figures of culture and media made numerous proposals how to keep the ship away from this lot.

Cruiser Avrora was launched in 1900. The ship took part in the Russo-Japanese War, the First World War, and the Great Patriotic War. Avrora is famous for her blank shot made from bow gun on Oct 25, 1917 at 09.45 pm which was the signal to assault Zimny Palace, the residence of provisional government.

Educatees of neighboring Nakhimov Naval School had been using the cruiser as a training base up to 60's. According to plans of defense ministry, Nakhimov Naval School will move to Kronshtadt till 2012 and known white-blue building at Petrograd Embankment will be discharged from defense ministry's books.