407 . The living quarters on the ship are divided into cabins and crew quarters (cockpits).

On those ships where all personnel cannot be accommodated in cockpits, decks, enclosures, etc. are adapted for housing, in which case all the provisions set out below for living quarters apply to them.

Ship spaces used for living purposes for other purposes are equipped with basic household items, just like living spaces.

On surface ships, it is not allowed to allocate engine and boiler rooms, workshops, navigation, hydroacoustic, radio and radar rooms, towers, steering gear rooms, diesel or turbo generator rooms, laundries, galleys, bakeries, storerooms and other similar rooms for housing.

The personnel of submarines and boats, when moored at the base near the berthing facilities, are located on a coastal or floating base. Separate premises are designated for persons on duty and watch duty on these ships.

408. Inventory for any living quarters must be accepted from the ship's supply service by the head of the premises or the person living in the cabin (if several people live in the cabin - the eldest). In the event of a change of managers (seniors) or the vacancy of a cabin by a person living in it, the inventory must be transferred through the supply service.

409. Personnel living in the premises must comply with ship rules, safety requirements and maintain cleanliness and order in them.

Team living quarters and the order maintained in them

410. All petty officers and sailors living in cabins and cockpits receive stationary berths and storage lockers according to a schedule drawn up by the commanders of combat units (chiefs of services) under the general supervision of the ship's assistant commander. This schedule should provide for the placement of sailors and petty officers in living quarters closest to their combat posts, at which they are scheduled for combat alert.

411. The team's living quarters must be suitable for living and equipped (have a sufficient number of beds, lockers, hangers, cans, tables and drinking water tanks for all residents). The beds of military personnel located in residential premises must consist of blankets, sheets, pillows with pillowcases, mattresses, and sheets. In addition, each room should have cabinets or lockers for storing dishes, items for cleaning shoes and uniforms, for storing threads, buttons, and equipment. The premises must have adequate lighting and ventilation.

412. In order to maintain order in living quarters and maintain the necessary hygiene conditions, rules must be established that are mandatory for all petty officers and sailors, uniform throughout the ship, for the storage of uniform items, personal and collective belongings and for the filling of berths, approved by the commander of the formation (ship).

413. An officer (midshipman) is appointed to manage each living quarters. In addition, the eldest of the persons living in it is appointed as the chief of the premises, whose duty is to monitor the compliance by all those living in the premises with the rules relating to ship life.

414. In residential premises it is not allowed to wear outerwear and hats, or to rest lying down (sleep) at unspecified times without the permission of the commander of the combat unit or the head of the service (the officer on duty at the combat unit or service must be notified of the permission received).

During the period from the raising of the flag until the end of the evening verification, personnel located in living quarters are required to wear the declared uniform.

415 . During ship work, alarms, exercises and classes, only those petty officers and sailors who are assigned to stay there according to the appropriate schedule, as well as those who are exempt due to illness, may be in the living quarters.

416 . In each room, an inventory of inventory, emergency equipment and the necessary instructions are posted on special boards or frames. Portraits, paintings, posters, etc. are hung only in residential and cultural and educational premises. Portraits and paintings should be framed, and posters and other visual aids should be on slats. It is prohibited to stick anything on sides, bulkheads, beams, room furniture, etc.

Cabins, their distribution and order of use

417. All officers, as well as midshipmen and foremen serving under contract, are distributed among cabins in order of seniority depending on their position, and in case of equal positions, taking into account military ranks. One of the occupants of the cabin is appointed senior.

Responsibility for the safety of equipment and property of the cabins rests with the persons living in them.

For the temporary accommodation of a large number of officers and other persons temporarily arriving on the ship, and if there is a lack of cabins, it is allowed to allocate places for them in the cockpits.

418. The cabin distribution plan is drawn up by the assistant commander and approved by the ship's commander.

On ships where the headquarters and command officers of the formation are located, the plan for the distribution of cabins is approved by the chief of staff of the formation.

Cabins with special technical equipment are not included in the total number of cabins to be distributed among temporarily arriving officers (other persons).

419. The premises occupied by officers and midshipmen are cleaned by foremen and sailors according to the tidy schedule.

420. When leaving the cabin, even for a short time, the serviceman occupying it must turn off the lights and electric heating devices. It is forbidden to lock the cabin with a key if the portholes in it are not battened down.

Before leaving the ship, the serviceman must batten down all the windows in the cabin and turn off the ship's radio broadcast loudspeaker. If a cabin is occupied by two or more military personnel, the last one to leave the ship is responsible for battening down the windows in the cabin.

421. During combat, alarms and inspections, cabins should not be locked. The right to enter the cabins is enjoyed by persons who need it to perform scheduled duties, as well as by persons inspecting the ship.

FOOD EATING PROCEDURE FOR CITTERS AND SAILORS

422. Petty officers and sailors eat in the personnel canteen. On ships that do not have a special room (dining room), food is taken in the living quarters.

If the situation allows, eating is allowed on the upper deck on external tables.

423. Petty officers and sailors sign for tables and bins for meals. Petty officers and sailors should be distributed among the tables of the premises in which they are accommodated, and so that the foremen and sailors of the same section receive food from the same tank.

424. At each table, one of the foremen is appointed as the head.

The leader at the table must:

a) before eating, make sure that the table is prepared and all necessary dishes and cutlery are in proper order and condition;

b) keep order while eating;

c) after eating, make sure that the dishes and utensils are washed and put back in place, and the table is cleaned and put away.

The head at the table assigns barrels to all those dining in the barrel in turn to collect the table, receive food in the galley, clean it and wash the dishes.

425. By the hour established by the daily routine, cooking should be completed.

Before distributing food, the doctor, together with the ship's duty officer, must check the quality of food, the sanitary condition of the dining room, dishes and equipment, and carry out control weighing of portions. Food, in addition, is tasted daily by the ship's commander or, on his instructions, by one of the ship's deputy commanders.

The results of taking a sample of cooked food are recorded in a book for monitoring the quality of its preparation.

At the appointed time, with the knowledge of the ship's commander, the ship's duty officer (while underway - the watch officer) gives permission to issue food.

For persons who do not appear at the time specified in the daily routine for lunch and dinner, food is not left, with the exception of persons who were expendable. Expendables receive food in designated places after a shift from work or upon returning from work.

Food left for consumption should be stored in a cold place for no more than two hours and subjected to thorough heat treatment (boiling, frying) before serving.

For those assigned to work outside the ship, food is delivered to the place of work. If delivery of cooked food is not possible, the team is given dry rations before leaving for work.

Persons of the ship's detachment of the incoming shift take food before distributing it to all personnel.

ABOUT THE ROOM COMPANY

426. The wardroom on a ship is a room for collective recreation, classes, meetings and a common table for officers. It should serve as a place for close communication between officers and a cultural center that promotes the education of officers in the spirit of loyalty to the Fatherland, the development of common views on issues of naval combat, combat training, education of personnel and the organization of ship service.

427 . The first person in the wardroom is the senior assistant to the ship's commander, and in his absence, the senior person present in it.

In cases where the commander of the ship or his direct superiors are in the wardroom, the primacy goes to them.

428. In each individual case, with the permission of the senior mate or commander of the ship, midshipmen, foremen and sailors can be invited to the wardroom during off-duty hours.

429. Officers are required to have a common table in the wardroom; they choose the head of the table from among themselves. Assistant ship commanders and persons senior to them in official position are not elected as heads of the table.

After three months after election, the head of the table has the right to resign from his duties. If the officers are dissatisfied with the head of the table, he can be re-elected at any time.

430. The head of the desk in his work is guided by the instructions of the senior assistant to the ship's commander. He is responsible for the condition of the wardroom equipment and supervises the work of the messengers.

In accordance with the decision of the meeting of officers to allocate funds to improve food in the wardroom (purchase of fruits, fresh vegetables, etc.), the head of the table organizes the purchase of food and cooking.

431. For cooking, officers on a ship are assigned a separate galley or part of the ship's galley.

Food is served to the table by sailors (messengers) appointed as the senior mate of the ship's commander.

432. Meal times in the wardroom are set by the ship's commander.

As a rule, the time of the common table is distributed as follows:

Morning tea (breakfast) must end 10 minutes before the flag is raised;

Lunch and dinner are scheduled during the crew's lunch and dinner hours.

An additional dinner is established at the general request of those dining in the wardroom at a time approved by the senior assistant to the ship's commander. Serving tables in the wardroom at other times is prohibited, with an exception being made for tea, which can be served during times free from work, classes and exercises, before and after shift shifts while underway.

433 . The commander of the ship, if he does not have a specially equipped salon, eats in the wardroom together with the officers.

434. The officers' places at the tables in the wardroom are determined by the senior assistant to the ship's commander. In the wardroom, officers must wear the prescribed uniform. It is not allowed to wear outerwear, work clothes or hats.

435. Cleaning of the wardroom is carried out according to the ship's schedule according to tidying, and between tidying by the messenger.

436 . For the wardroom of midshipmen and foremen of contract service (if the ship's specifications allow), a separate room is allocated on the ship. The senior officer in the midshipmen's wardroom is the chief boatswain. In relation to the wardroom of midshipmen, one should be guided by the provisions stated above regarding the wardroom of officers.

On submarines, midshipmen can eat in the same room with foremen and sailors.

PROCEDURE FOR ADMISSION TO THE SHIP

437 . Officers and midshipmen of their ship, direct superiors of the ship's commander, as well as officers of the headquarters of their formation are allowed onto the ship without checking documents, but only on the condition that all of these persons are well known to the ship's watch officer (on small ships - the commander of the watch post at the entrance ladder ), that is, they know the person who arrived, his position and his last name.

Petty officers and sailors of their ship when returning alone from shore leave, vacation, hospital, business trip, etc. are allowed on the ship only after checking the relevant documents.

438. Military personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation who do not belong to the ship's crew are allowed onto the ship after the purpose of their arrival is clarified. To do this, the watch officer (commander of the watch post) turns to the arrival with a question, for example: “Comrade captain 2nd rank, to whom and how should I report about you?” After checking the identity documents of the arrival and finding out the purpose of his arrival, the watch officer (commander of the watch post) makes a report to the ship's duty officer, who makes a decision on the visitor's admission to the ship. If necessary, the ship's duty officer directs the arrival to the person named by him, accompanied by a messenger.

439. Admission to the ship of civilians, including excursions and family members of the ship's military personnel, regardless of the purpose of their visit, is made only with special permits, passes or lists issued by the fleet headquarters or the headquarters of the formation (formation), after checking identification documents.

At production enterprises performing work on a ship, civilian personnel are allowed onto the ship using factory passes (with a photo card) after checking against the list of civilian personnel available on watch who are allowed to carry out repair work on the ships of the formation. This list must be adjusted in a timely manner and signed by the ship's commander.

Workers of production enterprises who arrived on the ship to carry out work are registered in a special log with the ship's duty officer or in combat units, and leave a pass to the ship's duty officer (the watchman at the central post of the submarine) until the completion of the work.

440. The duty officer of the ship reports all unauthorized persons, both military and civilian, who arrive on the ship to the senior mate (assistant) of the ship's commander and makes an entry in the logbook.

Visitors are permitted only in residential premises, wardrooms, cabins and clubs. The list of premises permitted for inspection by visitors is established by the ship's commander.

After all visitors have left the ship, the ship's duty officer reports this to the senior mate (assistant) of the ship's commander. The submarine duty officer inspects the ship's compartments.

441. The stay of foremen and sailors serving on conscription who are not part of the crew and who are admitted to the ship for personal matters is permitted only until 21:00. Officers, midshipmen, petty officers and sailors serving under contract are allowed to remain on the ship until 23 hours. The stay of outside military personnel on the ship beyond the specified time can only be extended with the permission of the ship's commander.

442. During the absence of command or at night, with the permission of the ship's duty officer, only crew members who have arrived to perform ship duty are allowed on the submarine. Officials of their formation are allowed onto the ship with the permission of the formation duty officer, in accordance with the instructions of the formation commander, chief of staff or deputy formation commander for the electromechanical part.

For urgent troubleshooting, repairs or in other emergency cases (accident, transfer to combat readiness, exercises, etc.) other crew members may be allowed onto the submarine with the permission of the submarine commander (the duty officer). Representatives of repair enterprises are admitted only in accordance with the relevant orders (lists), in the presence of passes valid at the formation where the submarine is stationed, accompanied by an officer of the corresponding combat unit (by order of the duty officer of the formation - accompanied by persons on duty and watch service).

The arrival and departure of persons not related to the duty and watch service of the submarine is recorded in the log of the central watch post.

443 . No one except the formation duty officer, his survivability assistant and the direct superiors of the submarine commander has the right to inspect the submarine and check its condition without obtaining permission from the submarine commander. Repair or inspection of weapons and technical equipment of a submarine in all cases must be carried out in the presence of weapons and technical equipment managers.

ABOUT THE PLACES AND PROCEDURES FOR STORING SMALL ARMS

444. On Navy ships, the organization, order and storage locations of small arms, ammunition, explosive ammunition and pyrotechnics are determined by instructions developed by the formation headquarters and approved by the formation commander. In this case, the features of the project, the structure of the ship and the tasks it solves must be taken into account.

445 . By order of the ship's commander, managers are appointed responsible for accounting, storage, conservation, and issuance of small arms and ammunition; the location, procedure for issuing and receiving them, the procedure for storing keys to arsenals, cellars, pyramids, places for loading weapons and their cleaning are determined.

446. Small arms and ammunition are stored separately in arsenals, cellars or special rooms guarded by the ship's daily duty personnel. The hatches and doors of these rooms are equipped with reliable locks and are equipped with electric sound and light alarms, located in the ship's duty officer's room.

The opening of the ship's arsenal and ammunition magazine is carried out by the manager in the presence of the ship's duty officer.

447. On submarines that do not have special premises for storing small arms and ammunition, pyramids with weapons and safes with ammunition can be installed in one of the compartments. Pyramids and safes must be securely fastened, locked and sealed by managers. They are equipped with reliable electric sound and light alarms, located in the central post of the submarine, and are handed over to the guard of daily duty personnel.

448. Small arms issued for duty and watch duty must be stored in pyramids, and ammunition for them - in metal boxes (safes) installed in the premises of the ship's duty officer (the central post of the submarine). Pyramids with weapons and boxes (safes) with ammunition are equipped with electric sound and light alarms, locked and sealed by the duty officer of the ship (submarine).

Russian fleet

Chapter VI.

Ship personnel.

I. Officers.

A. Commander.

At the head of the ship is the commander. As Art. 274 of the Naval Regulations to the Commander of the ship HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY entrusted with the protection of the honor of the Russian flag. All employees on the ship are completely subordinate to the commander, who in his actions and orders is guided by the law and orders of his superiors and demands the same from his subordinates, relentlessly maintaining strict military discipline on the ship. He is obliged to constantly maintain the ship and crew in perfect repair, making every effort to extend the service life of the ship and machinery and improve the crew in naval warfare. While the ship is underway, the commander determines the course (direction of movement) of the ship and is responsible for its safety; no one without his permission has the right to change the course assigned to him, except for the watch commander in the most exceptional cases (such as, for example, in the event of an inevitable collision).

The commander should leave the ship as rarely as possible; when he leaves, he transfers command to the senior officer and under no circumstances leaves the ship with him; if the ship is part of a squadron, the commander does not have the right to spend the night on shore without the permission of the flagship.

In order to more clearly highlight the power of the commander on the ship, he is completely isolated from the officers; namely, he has a table separate from the wardroom and can be in the wardroom only at the invitation of the officers; when the commander enters the quarterdeck, everyone there, except the senior officer and the watch commander, moves to the left side of the quarterdeck.

b. Senior officer.

The senior officer is the chief assistant to the commander in command of the ship. All employees on the ship are subordinate to him, and he is the chairman of the officers' wardroom.

The responsibilities of a senior officer are quite extensive; he is responsible for the appearance of the ship, monitors the cleanliness and order both inside and outside it, for the serviceability of weapons, boats, reliable strengthening of anchors, etc. He draws up and checks the team’s schedule, leads the squad of officers, commands all emergency (general) work; supervises the training of the crew, the precautions taken when loading gunpowder, artillery shells, coal, etc.

V. Officers.

The ship's officers are divided into naval officers and mechanical engineers. In terms of filling the positions of commander and senior officer in the event of their absence or illness (in battle in case of withdrawal), all naval officers have an advantage over mechanical engineers, regardless of rank, since the training of the latter is quite highly specialized.

1. Naval officers.

All naval officers on a ship bear a number of responsibilities in general ship service and in their specialty. Some officers are called specialist officers.

Specialist officers.

These include navigator, artillery, mine, diving and diving officers. Previously, navigator and artillery officers had special training, wore special uniforms and formed special corps.

At present, naval officers who have completed special classes are appointed to these positions. Specialist officers are appointed on an equal basis with other officers to perform general ship service and watch (duty), but it is up to the commander to deviate from this rule.

Shturmanskie officers are proficient in navigation and navigation. They determine compass deviations and keep meteorological and log books. They are in charge of maps, astronomical and physical instruments, books, spotting scopes, compasses, chronometers, magnets, etc. They monitor the proper condition of the rudder and other devices for controlling the progress of the ship. If there are several of them, then one of them is the senior and immediate assistant to the commander for navigation and route calculation; he must warn the commander about every danger located on the ship’s path and in its vicinity.

Artillery officers. Every naval officer must be familiar with the actions of artillery, since the main purpose of warships is to conduct artillery combat. To manage the artillery unit on the ship (guns and all their accessories), as well as anchor ropes, electrical and other devices for the operation of artillery, as well as the management of all artillery training and preparatory shooting practice, special artillery officers are appointed; if there are several of them, then the eldest of them is the closest assistant to the commander for artillery management, for combat training of artillery specialty personnel and for maintaining the artillery equipment in good working order. In battle, they direct the ship's fire.

Mine officers are in charge of the mine section on ships, i.e. all mine devices, mines and their accessories, as well as all electrical devices in general not under the control of other specialists, mainly ship lighting. They manage the knowledge of mines, and in battle, mine shooting.

Diving officer is in charge of the diving department on the ship.

Submarine officers are trained specifically for submarine navigation.

General duties of officers.

The remaining officers are the heads of the command (company commanders and junior officers) and commanders of gun platoons. In this last position, they are responsible assistants to the senior artillery officer for fire control, maintenance of artillery and combat training of the personnel of their plutong; the plutong commander must perfectly know the material part of his plutong, the shooting tables and be able to control the sight and the entirety in all battle conditions. In addition, officers have responsibilities for managing any part of the ship, boat, etc. and carry out other assignments assigned to them by the commander.

One of the naval officers is appointed auditor.

Auditor is called an officer who combines the positions of adjutant, head of the economic unit and treasurer of the ground forces.

He is in charge of: 1) all writing on the ship, both in combat and economic parts, 2) all parts of the ship's economy, 3) all monetary capital as a treasurer, 4) things and materials of the ship. The keepers are subordinate to him. The auditor is also assigned to watch and general ship duty on an equal basis with other officers, but at the discretion of the commander he can be released from the watch for the time necessary for his immediate duties.

2. Mechanical engineer.

One of the mechanical engineers is the ship's chief engineer.

The chief engineer is in charge of managing the ship's steam mechanisms and is responsible for the serviceability and safety of all its parts. He is also in charge of all mechanical devices on the ship. He takes measures to ensure that the work of preparing machines for action is completed at the appointed time; when distributing and stopping steam, during increased speed, and in general during all important work, he personally controls the machine, disposing of the entire machine team. The rest of the time, the next (watch) mechanic and the next watch of drivers and stokers remain in the engine room. During anchorage, mechanics are on daily duty; while the ship is under steam, they stand watch for a certain number of hours.

The remaining mechanics have the duties of a bilge mechanic, a diving mechanic and a mine mechanic. The bilge mechanic is appointed to assist the chief engineer to supervise the unsinkability system and drainage systems. The mine mechanic is technically subordinate to both the senior mechanic and specialist officers, but at the same time performs watch duty in the vehicle. Mechanical engineers are also assigned some duties for general ship service.

Service as officers.

Officers of the fleet and maritime department are divided into officers of the fleet and special corps.

1. Naval officers.

The composition of naval officers is made up of those who have graduated from the Naval Corps and from fleet cadets (volunteers) who have passed the officer exam. According to the current temporary regulations, before promotion to officers, both midshipmen of the Naval Corps and fleet cadets must serve for some time in the rank of naval midshipmen. During this time they perform officer duties under the supervision of officers, and also practice such duties as are performed by non-commissioned officers.

The first officer rank is the rank midshipman. It must be borne in mind that although midshipmen wear two stars on their shoulder straps, they belong to class X, i.e. have equal rights not with second lieutenants of the army, but with lieutenants of the army or second lieutenants of the guard.

The ranks of naval officers are as follows:

Admiral - admiral general, admiral, vice admiral and rear admiral (or general, as in the ground forces).

Staff officers - captain 1st rank (colonels) and captain 2nd rank (lieutenant colonel).

Chief officers - senior lieutenant (VIII class, shoulder straps like a captain), lieutenant (IX class, shoulder straps like a lieutenant) and midshipman (X class).

Navy officers are listed in the fleet (combat and shore) or by fleet. Among the first officers combat personnel are on duty on ships, A coastal composition on the shore . The total number of officers of every rank in the fleet is determined by the Admiralty Council. To be promoted to the following rank one is required to:

1) opening of a vacancy in the regular number of officers of the corresponding rank,

2) service for a specified number of years and fulfillment of the required conditions,

3) certificate of superiors. So, to promote from midshipman to lieutenant, at least 3 years of service in the rank of midshipman is required,

4) sailing for these 3 years on combat ships, performing in turn the duties of navigator, mine, artillery and mechanical units, as well as sailing on destroyers, 3) submitting an annual written report on their activities and passing the exam and 4) approval of the general meeting flagships and captains (the conditions set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 are not yet actually applied). But in addition, it is also required that there be vacancies in a certain number of lieutenants in the total number of lieutenants for the entire fleet.

Similar to the above, promotion to the rank of senior lieutenant is also underway, and this requires at least 5 years of service in the rank of lieutenant. Each further proceeding is preceded by the selection of candidates for a position associated with a well-known rank, and length of service does not matter.

In addition to the production of lieutenants and senior lieutenants, there is also production along the line for distinction. Those nominated for such production can be significantly ahead of their comrades and peers.

Officers coastal fleet personnel, i.e., performing permanent service on the shore, promoted to captain of the 1st rank for a certain number of years of service in each rank, but not earlier than their comrades who are on the ship. They are not promoted to the ranks of admiral, but those occupying the highest class positions can be promoted to the ranks of general.

By fleet the following are included: 1) staff officers included in the certification lists, but within 5 years not selected as candidates for the next highest position,

2) all naval ranks of coastal personnel who have not held positions in the maritime department for 3 years,

3) naval ranks dismissed for service in the Voluntary Fleet and outside departments.

They cannot be promoted to the next rank, but can receive a rank upon retirement.

Navy officers wear a gold device; the gaps on the shoulder straps: for the officers of the Guards crew - red, for the regular personnel of the Naval Corps - white, for the rest - black.

2. Special buildings.

The special corps of the Naval Department are as follows: 1) corps of naval engineers and naval mechanical engineers, 2) corps of naval navigators and naval artillery, 3) those registered with the Admiralty, 4) naval judicial department, 5) engineers and technicians of the naval construction unit, 6 ) medical and pharmaceutical officials.

Fleet mechanical engineers and ship engineers graduate primarily from the Marine Engineering School EMPEROR NICHOLAS I. They wear a silver device and caps with a band of black velvet; the clearance on the shoulder straps is red; naval engineers have red piping on their uniforms and frock coats, which mechanical engineers do not have. Sabers are not assigned to naval engineers.

It was decided to abolish the corps of naval navigators and naval artillery and they are no longer replenished with officers.

The Admiralty consists mostly of officers who transferred from the military-land department to the coastal positions of the naval department, as well as those promoted from the lower ranks. They wear a uniform similar to the naval one, but with a silver device; shoulder straps have a red gap. Those from the lower ranks have shoulder straps with black clearance.

Officers of the Naval Judicial Department wear a uniform similar to that of Admiralty officers, but with crimson piping.

In view of the fact that almost exclusively mechanical engineers sail on the ships of the officers listed above, let us dwell on them in more detail.

They have the same ranks as ground army officers. They are staffed by graduates of the Marine Engineering School EMPEROR NICHOLAS I and from the fleet cadets (volunteers) who passed the mechanical examinations. Like naval officers, they, according to the temporary regulations, begin service as naval midshipmen.

Promotion to the next rank of mechanical engineer is carried out in relation to the production of naval officers, i.e. required: 1) length of service and fulfillment of conditions, 2) certificates from superiors and 3) availability of vacancies. Second lieutenants can be promoted to lieutenant after serving in the rank for at least 2 years. Staff captains and captains are promoted based on length of service in each rank of at least 4 years. On ships, mechanical engineers can receive ranks no higher than colonel.

Age limit.

All admirals and officers may remain on active service until they reach the age limit established for each rank.

The age limit is as follows:

for a midshipman - 10 years of rank, for a lieutenant and senior lieutenant - 47 years old, for a captain of the 2nd rank - 51 years old, for a captain of the 1st rank - 55 years old, for a rear admiral - 60 years old, for a vice - admiral - 65 years, for admiral - 70 years.

There is also an age limit for mechanical engineers and officers of other corps.

Training of specialists.

Fleet officers can take at will: a course at the Nikolaev Maritime Academy, special classes: artillery, mine, at the diving training squad, diving school and navigator.

The Academy consists of 4 departments: naval, hydrographic, mechanical and shipbuilding. The duration of stay in each is 2 years 7 months.

The Naval Department has 3 grades: junior, senior and additional. The first two are intended to disseminate higher naval knowledge among naval officers, and the additional one is to prepare officers for serving on the naval General Staff.

Other departments consist of three courses. Admission to the naval department is carried out annually, and to the rest - every 3 years. Officers who have served at least 4 years in the officer ranks are allowed to take the entrance exam, and staff officers are admitted as volunteers.

Admission to classes is also based on an exam. The duration of classes is about a year. Completion of classes gives the right to occupy specialist positions on ships; graduating classes receive special badges (except for navigators).

Salary of officers.

1) salaries, 2) table money And 3) sea contentment.

Salaries and table money are paid during the entire period of the position, while sea allowances are paid only during voyages (or rather, during campaigns). The salary is divided into three categories: 1) for all ranks of the Baltic and Black Sea fleets and ports, 2) for all ranks of the Caspian flotilla and ports, as well as for ranks and students of the Nikolaev Maritime Academy, various kinds of schools, classes, etc.

2) for officials of the Siberian Flotilla and ports of the Eastern Ocean. During campaigns associated with receiving naval pay, salaries are reduced. While in armed reserve (at the end of the campaigns, if the officers and crew remain on the ships) officers receive half the naval allowance and a shore salary.

From the following tables you can see the amounts of monthly salary for the 1st category, table money and sea allowance, and the salaries are shown after deductions. Salaries for grades 2 and 3 have been increased. In the table salaries and sea allowances given, not all positions are indicated, but only some.

Life of officers on ships.

Officers receive cabins on the ship for one, and due to lack of them - for several. Accommodation of two officers in one cabin is quite common.

To connect officers in their free time from duty, each ship has an officer's room. wardroom (meeting). The first person in the wardroom is the senior officer, and in his absence the senior officer present. All officers and medical officials are required to eat in the wardroom. The priest also dines in the wardroom and blesses the meal. To manage the table, a keeper (the owner of the meeting) is selected from among the officers or a bartender is hired, whose actions are monitored by a commission of three officers.

All games for money and cards on ships are prohibited. Officers have the right to leave the ship only with the permission of the commander or senior officer and must return at the appointed time. For communication with the shore, regular boats are sent from the ship at a time determined by the schedule.

On Sundays and holidays, officers must be present in “ordinary” uniform at Divine Services on board the ship.

II. Lower ranks of conductor ranks.

Rank conductor The navy is to a certain extent similar to the rank of lieutenant ensign in the ground forces, although conductors have greater rights.

Lower ranks of non-commissioned officer ranks, awarded by their superiors, are promoted to conductorship if they express a desire to remain in long-term service. Each ship has a certain number of conductor vacancies. Promotion to fleet conductors is carried out by orders of the Minister of the Navy to withstand the relevant tests.

The conductor ranks are as follows: 1) senior boatswain, 2) conductors: artillery, mine, helmsman, signal, engine, mine-machine, bilge, stoker, telegraph, galvanizer and electrical technician, 3) senior keeper and 4) senior paramedic.

Senior boatswains and conductors: artillery, mine, helmsman and signal officers have a gold device, and the rest have a silver one.

Chief boatswain there is the highest of all ranks of conductor on the ship. He is the assistant chief officer in charge of supervising the cleanliness and order on the decks and the external cleanliness of the ship. All lower ranks of the ship are subordinate to him, as his immediate superior. He keeps a list of all the lower ranks of the ship, must know their names, abilities and knowledge and observe their behavior and performance of duty. He assigns lower ranks to work and monitors their execution; preparing the anchor for release; present when lower ranks leave the shore and return from shore, etc.

There is no position similar to the position of senior boatswain in the ground forces.

Conductors are assistant specialist officers, each in their own specialty.

Senior keepers the ranks of conductor ranks in charge of any part of the ship's economy are called. Senior holders are available:

1) food (commissariat) unit (senior battalion or commissar, if he is an official),

2) mine-artillery,

3) skipper (in charge of all the ship’s equipment, not related to specialties),

4) machine. The senior holder of medical property is the senior paramedic.

When posting conductors on a ship, they are assigned special cabins or rooms, separate from the lower ranks. On ships they have a special table and a separate wardroom (they are not entitled to government food). On the shore, they have the right to visit theaters (sitting in seats no closer than the 7th row), city and country entertainment establishments and gardens, ride in carriages and trams (of which) while sitting inside the carriages.

Conductors receive: 1) a salary, 2) additional allowance and 3) sea allowance for the voyage in the future.

To the specified content, conductors are added: for five years of service in this rank - 120 rubles per year, for 10 years of service - 240 rubles, and for 15 years of service - 360 rubles. In addition, 100 rubles are given at a time to acquire clothes, and 50 rubles to maintain them. per year (official clothing is not required). After 25 years of extended service, they receive a pension of 315 rubles per year, and after 20 years of service, half the amount. In cases of dismissal due to illness, pensions are given for 10 years. In addition, upon dismissal, after serving 10 years in the rank of conductor, they can receive the title of personal honorary citizen, and after serving 20 years - hereditary honorary citizen.

Team.

The team consists of the lower ranks of non-commissioned officers and sailors. Non-commissioned officers on a ship have ranks by group; the first group of ranks - boatswain, boatswain mother (senior non-commissioned officer) and non-commissioned officer (junior non-commissioned officer) and the second group of ranks - non-commissioned officer of the 1st article (3 stripes) and non-commissioned officer of the 2nd article ( 2 stripes).

The first group includes the so-called “combatant” non-commissioned officers and ranks of non-commissioned officers: helmsman, signal, top, diving and combat instructor-gunsmith and instructor, and the second non-commissioned officers: a) artillery, mine, galvaner, telegraph, b) electric machines, firemen and bilge workers; c) musicians, clerks, d) keepers, e) paramedics.

Non-commissioned officers of the first group, and those from the second mentioned in paragraph a) wear gold or yellow non-commissioned officer stripes on their shoulders (of which combatant and trumpet) and the rest - white stripes. “Gunsmiths” have the distinction of having two guns on their sleeves. To receive the non-commissioned rank of "combatant" non-commissioned officers, they undergo a five-month training course for young soldiers (reinforced), and then are distributed among the courts as "apprentices", where they undergo practical and theoretical training the following year, and after the exam they are assigned to ships in as candidates for non-commissioned officer; To obtain the rank of non-commissioned officer specialist, special courses are taken in artillery and mine training squads, in a machine school and a school for keepers and clerks. Lower ranks are enrolled in schools and classes upon completion of their initial training in companies of recruits; They sign for ships only after completing a course in schools. Keeper classes are assigned from ships. Combat gunsmith instructors undergo a “naval rifle training team” course, where they enter directly as recruits. Paramedics are trained in schools (not from among those called by lot, but exclusively from those who enter there from an early age). Boatswain there is a position rather than a title. In the ground forces there are no non-commissioned officers similar to this position and rank. The boatswain has seniority on the ship over all lower ranks of non-commissioned officer rank. Every boatswain is the immediate superior of all the lower ranks of the ship, although he is in charge of one watch (half of the crew), in which he is obliged to know all the lower ranks and where who is assigned according to different schedules. However, the use of his power, as a directly responsible boss, extends to lower ranks mainly only during emergency work. The boatswains take turns on duty all day long and on the day of their duty they supervise all the work of the next watch, extending responsible power not only to the lower ranks of their watch (two companies), but to all the lower ranks whom they will have to command. Boatswains wear gold sergeant major stripes. The immediate superiors of the lower

ranks are also sergeant major mouth. They must know all the lower ranks of the company and their duties, monitor their behavior, neatness, etc.

The main functions of sergeants are economic and administrative and conducts various types of reporting. “Sergeant major” on a ship is not a rank, but a position performed by boatswains and non-commissioned officers, while wearing a gold sergeant major badge on their shoulder.

The rank of immediate superior in the navy is understood differently than in the army. While in the army the immediate superior is the closest direct superior, and therefore, everyone can have only one immediate superior, on ships the immediate superiors of each sailor are four persons - the boatswain and the sergeant major of his company.

“Combat” non-commissioned officers perform general ship service, lead combat and naval ranks with the crew, supervise deck work and manage, as senior officers and masters, individual parts of the ship. Combat gunsmith instructors (the so-called “shooters”) are in charge of handguns and teach lower ranks how to use them.

Non-commissioned officer specialists are in charge of both the subjects of their specialty and the conduct of classes and duties in their specialty.

The number of non-commissioned officers on a ship is determined by the report cards of each ship.

Sailors.

All lower ranks of the fleet, regardless of what position they perform, are considered combatants. By law, the lower ranks of the lowest class (articles) are called sailors and privates. The second category includes drivers, stokers, craftsmen, etc. But so far such a division of the team has not yet been implemented, and all the lower ranks of the lowest class are called sailors.

The concept of “rank” in the navy is not sharply distinguished from the concept of “position” and in general they are mixed.

If a sailor does not have any specialty, then he is called

a sailor of the 2nd or 1st article. The rest of the sailors and privates are called by position; for example: gunner, miner, electrician, fireman of the 2nd article, driver of the 2nd article, etc.

The lowest article (rank class) is a sailor of the 2nd article. From the lowest class, sailors can be promoted to the next highest class, namely from sailors of the 2nd class to sailors of the 1st class, or renamed specialists (gunner, miner, etc.). Sailors of the 1st article can be promoted to top, helmsman and signal officer or directly to “combat” non-commissioned officers, and from specialists or in the old days specialists (for example, senior gunner, senior miner, etc.), or to specialists of the 1st articles (fireman 1st article, driver 1st article, etc.).

The next level is the non-commissioned officer rank: non-commissioned officer of the 2nd article or simply “non-commissioned officer” - combatant, helmsman, signal officer, etc.

The period of active service in the navy is 5 years.

Young soldiers are trained ashore in special companies attached to crews, with officers and non-commissioned officers teachers appointed from the ships and from the rifle team. From the very moment they enter the service, young sailors are assigned to one specialty or another, and upon completion of drill training in the spring, destined to become specialists, they are sent to training detachments (artillery and mines) and to engine school. Those who were not included in the detachments and schools sign up for the ships. Here sailors are selected for the engine crew, signalmen, divers, helmsmen, keepers, clerks and orderlies. They are prepared for these duties both on the ship and in special schools, and upon completion of training they are tested by commissions. The lower ranks, members of training detachments and schools, undergo a two-year course there; after which the best are left to undergo non-commissioned officer courses, and the rest are signed for ships.

Each sailor on the ship receives his own number according to his specialty:

From 1 to 28 - sergeant majors, combat non-commissioned officers, boatswains.

From 31 to 38 - topsailers, from 41 to 48 - divers, from 51 to 398 sailors of 1st and 2nd articles, from 401 to 598 - gunners and galvanists, from 601 to 698 - mine specialists, from 701 to 798 - buglers, helmsmen and signalmen.

From 801 to 898 - clerks, carpenters, painters, sailboats, cooks, bakers, messengers, cabin boys, orderlies, batallers, skipper, and keepers.

From 901 to 998 - bilge workers, from 1001 to 1198 machinists, from 1201 to 1398 - stokers, from 1400 and above - staff ranks and musicians.

Depending on the number, the sailor is assigned to the corresponding departments, watch and company. Companies, depending on the number of crew on the ship, are made up of one squad, one watch, or the entire crew. Each number, according to ship schedules, is entitled on the ship to:

a) Your own bunk and a place for it in the hanging net.

b) A place for food at the table or at the tank with the foreman in charge of the dishwashing line.

c) A locker or suitcases in which he keeps his things and which he keeps clean.

d) A tidying area, where a sailor cleans up under the supervision of a non-commissioned officer.

e) A rifle or revolver, which he must take care of and keep clean and in good repair.

Note: rifles and revolvers are not shared by the entire team.

f) Place on the boat.

g) A place during emergency situations: 1) for lifting from anchor, 2) for anchoring, 3) for transporting the landing party and for other emergency situations that may occur on the ship. 4) Place of alarm: a) combat, b) water and c) fire.

The sailor must firmly remember these places and what to do in each case. All first watch positions are on the starboard side of the ship. All second watch positions are on the left side. Any sailor can also be appointed

the owner (or “managers”) of some part of the ship and mechanism.

Long-term employees.

Anyone who expresses their desire can remain for long-term service, non-commissioned officers, as well as privates of special ranks, those who finish serving or those who finish it no later than 2 years. The number of super-urgents who can be abandoned is determined annually by a schedule approved by the Admiralty Council. The age limit for overtime is 51 years. Long-term soldiers are divided into three categories: 1) boatswains and stoker foremen (the best of the stoker non-commissioned officers awarded this rank at the end of their active service period), 2) non-commissioned officers, except those classified as 3rd category and 3) boatswains and non-commissioned officers from specialists, lower ranks awarded the non-commissioned officer rank upon transfer to the reserve and private special ranks. A distinctive feature of extra-urgent ones are the chevrons sewn on the left sleeve. Overtime receive the following additional salary in months. Third-class ranks may be admitted to examinations in schools for the rank of non-commissioned officer specialists and, upon graduation, are transferred to the second category. Long-term employees receive clothing allowance , as urgent, and in addition, annually 40 rubles in replacement of the second set of clothing allowances previously due to them. Upon dismissal from service of long-term servicemen who have served in long-term service for at least 10 years, they receive benefits of 1000 rubles, and those who have served 20 years also receive a pension of 96 rubles. in year; having served for 15 years instead of an allowance of 1000 rubles. can receive a pension of 96 rubles per year.

Cash maintenance of lower ranks.

The monetary maintenance of the lower ranks consists of: 1) salary, 2) sea allowance and 3) Additional maintenance (shore and sea). Salary is paid both on shore and at sea; naval allowance - only during campaigns, and additional allowance - for special ranks or for actual performance of duties. The types of salaries for sailors of different ranks and specialties are very different. We indicate some salaries for the Baltic and Black Sea fleets. For special titles, “self-driving” machinists who have completed a course in engine school while at sea receive 180 rubles per year (i.e. 15 rubles per month) and others (galvanizers, miners, divers, signalmen, etc.) from 10 rub. 80 kop. up to 1 rub. 80 kop. per year both at sea and on the shore. For the actual performance of positions they receive per year: holders of Article 1 63 rubles (at sea) or 18 rubles (on shore); contents 2 articles 27 rub. (at sea) or 18 rub. (on the shore); sergeant major 14 rub. 40 kopecks both at sea and on shore; others (miners, gunners, etc.) from 21 rubles. 60 kopecks up to 5 rub. 40 kopecks and only at sea. Divers receive 1 ruble for every hour they stay under water.

Team satisfaction.

During domestic and foreign voyages (campaigns), lower ranks are content with the so-called sea ​​provisions, the rest of the time, the lower ranks are given a set supply of provisions (flour and cereals) and welding money for the purchase of meat, salt, vegetables and other supplies. The number of marine provisions included in the portion of one person per day is determined by the normal report card attached to the book. XIII St. Naval Regulations. Supplies that constitute sea provisions during inland voyages are taken in kind from port shops, from port contractors, or are prepared by the ships themselves, using money given in lieu of provisions.

Marine provisions.

Food. According to the above-mentioned normal table, the following amount is released per day from local seafood products for each person: meat (fresh or salted) - 3/4 pound, cereals: buckwheat 22 spools (and twice a week 60 spools) and oatmeal 10 spools; cow butter 10 spools (and twice a week 19 spools); sauerkraut or fresh greens 40 spools, crackers 1 pound 87 spools (or bread 2 3/4 pounds), lard 5 1/7 spools, vinegar 1/4 cup, tea 3/4 spools and sugar 9 spools.

From this provision the following is prepared: breakfast (tea and crackers (or bread) with butter), dinner (fresh or sour cabbage soup, which can be replaced with peas once a week) and dinner (gruel or steep buckwheat porridge with butter, as well as tea). Crackers are divided into three parts: for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and at every opportunity they are replaced with baked bread. Tea is prepared in shared samovars. Deviations from the specified normal timesheet are allowed in the form of replacing one or another of the supplies, but so that the total cost of the portions does not come out more expensive than with the normal timesheet; cases of replacement, what one or another of the supplies can be replaced with, from whom permission should come, how reporting is carried out, etc. set out in the book. XIII St. Naval Regulations, section II, chapter three and other temporary provisions.

Wine. Each person is entitled to 1 glass of bread wine (vodka) per day; 2/3 glasses are given for lunch and 1/3 for dinner or breakfast. If the lower ranks refuse wine, then they are given money for undrinking wine in the amount of 8 kopecks. per glass for inland navigation and 9 kopecks. (6 kopecks in gold) in foreign. Bread wine can be replaced with rum, cognac or similar alcoholic drinks, diluted to vodka strength (40°).

Other types of allowances. Sea provisions also include soap and shag tobacco. Soap is issued per week for each person: engine crew - 28 spools in domestic navigation, 53 spools in foreign navigation; for other people in domestic navigation there are 14 spools, in foreign navigation 33 spools. Makhorka is entitled to 14 spools per person per week, but at present it is given not in kind, but in cash in the amount of 12 kopecks per month per person. in inland navigation and 20 kopecks. in foreign

Drillman, helmsman, signalman, etc.

It is impossible to distinguish a boatswain from a sergeant major by external signs. The ID of the boatswain, wearing three yellow stripes, is senior to the sergeant major with a gold stripe.

Remember, we haven't been around for long. Many expressed great regret that the fleet was losing such unique ships. However, there is also good news related to another measuring ship from the USSR era.

Pacific Fleet ship "Marshal Krylov" under the command of Captain 1st Rank Igor Shalyna, he went to sea to carry out tasks for its intended purpose.

This ship can be considered unique. After all, it is the only one in its class in the fleet that performs the tasks of ensuring flight design tests of new types of rocket and space technology (spacecraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, launch vehicles, etc.).

On July 24, 2012, the ship turned 25 years old. In order to maintain components and mechanisms in good condition, the ship was put into long-term dock repairs in Vladivostok, during which the entire range of work on support systems was completed. After this, “Marshal Krylov” successfully passed sea trials in the Amur Bay.

Let's find out more about the history of this ship.

The need for ships capable of carrying out all kinds of measurements of intercontinental missiles arises at the beginning of the space age. Missiles equipped with nuclear warheads have reached a level where test sites have become too small for them - the missile's range has become measured in thousands of kilometers. Previously, observations and measurements of parameters were carried out by measuring points installed at ground test sites. Now, when the launched rocket could fly halfway around the world, new means of monitoring and measuring them were required.

The ships owe their appearance to TsNII-4 and personally to the outstanding designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. It was with his proposal to create a marine command and measurement complex and move it to the vast Pacific Ocean to control the testing of strategic missile weapons that the story of these amazing auxiliary vessels begins - the history of the symbiosis of the space and naval fleets.

1958 The leadership of the Soviet Union decides to create and build a ship - a command and measurement complex. A huge number of people of different specialties and many military-industrial complex enterprises are involved in the creation of CIC. The first to be handed over are Project 1128 dry cargo ships, created in Poland for the Soviet Union as dry cargo carriers, for conversion to CIC. The design part of the KIK is the Leningrad Central Design Bureau and Baltsudoproekt. After receiving the ships, work began on equipping them with special equipment. It is worth noting that at that time there were practically no measuring equipment and equipment for using it on surface ships, and it was removed from ground stations and automobile chassis. Command and measuring equipment was installed in the holds of ships on special platforms. In addition to hardware and equipment, the ships received reinforced plating to enable them to make a voyage (expedition) through the northern sea route. All work on equipping the ships was completed by the summer of 1959, after which sea trials of the KIK immediately began.

All CICs were included in the so-called “TOGE” - the Pacific Hydrographic Expedition. TOGE's base is a bay on the Kamchatka Peninsula (later the city of Vilyuchinsk grew there).

The main tasks of TOGE:
- measuring and tracking the flight path of ICBMs;
- tracking the fall and determining the coordinates of the fall of the rocket head;
- control and monitoring of nuclear device mechanisms;
- removal, processing, transmission and control of all information from the object;
- control of the trajectory and information coming from the spacecraft;
- maintaining constant communication with the astronauts on board the spacecraft.

The first ships of Project 1128 - Sakhalin, Siberia, Suchan (Spassk) were combined into the first floating measuring complex (1PIK), code name - “Brigade S”. A little later they were joined by the Project 1129 ship Chukotka. All ships were put into service in 1959. Cover legend - Pacific Oceanographic Expedition (TOGE-4). In the same year, the ships made their first expedition to the area of ​​​​the Hawaiian Islands, which became known as the Aquatoria missile test site. These were the first ships that sailed to the center of the Pacific Ocean, whose autonomy reached 120 days.

Everything in this expedition was top secret; mentions of these ships threatened at that time with being sent to places not so distant for disclosing state secrets. The ships had an unusual silhouette and color - the ball-colored hull had white superstructures with various antennas. The main equipment was radar stations and direction finders, hydrophones and echo sounders, telemetry and classified communications stations. And although the flags of the Navy were hung on them, the absolute majority of the population of the Soviet Union, even the commanders of military units, surface and submarine ships, did not know who they obeyed, where they were and what they were doing. Officers who came to serve on such ships only learned when accepting the position that hydrography was only a cover for the real tasks of the ship.

The secrecy of the ships was in everything, for example, during the transition from Kronstadt to the base, all visible antennas were dismantled and put back only in Murmansk. There, the ships were equipped with Ka-15 deck helicopters. To ensure further progress, the ships are assigned icebreakers. On the way, the helicopters practiced various tasks of getting used to the ship and reconnaissance of ice conditions. And although the helicopters were tested in the North, and combat missions were carried out on the Equator, the Ka-15 helicopters proved themselves well and for a long time remained the main helicopters of these ships.

Subsequently, the following ships were commissioned:
- KIK-11 “Chumikan”, a Project 1130 ship, entered service on June 14, 1963;
- KIK-11 “Chazhma”, project 1130 ship entered service on July 27, 1963;
- “Marshal Nedelin”, a ship of Project 1914, entered service on December 31, 1983;
- “Marshal Krylov”, a ship of project 1914.1, entered service on February 28, 1990;

After the addition of Project 1130 ships, 2 PIKs were created, codenamed “Brigade Ch”. Cover legend - TOGE-5. In 1985, the ships became part of the 35th brigade of the KIC. During combat and everyday life, the brigade adhered to the orders of the commanders-in-chief of the Navy and Strategic Missile Forces of the Soviet Union. In addition to the measurement ships, the brigades included two raid messenger boats and one MB-260 tugboat

Combat work and KIK missions

The presence of TOGE ships was a prerequisite for the start of testing of all Soviet ICBMs; they supported all flights of spacecraft of the Soviet Union and studied the flights of enemy spacecraft. The ships' first combat mission was the end of October 1959. First tracking and measurement of an intercontinental missile flight - late January 1960. The first manned flight into space was also supported by the TOGE-4 ships, which were sent to a given area in the Pacific Ocean and the combat mission was kept secret from them until the very end. The ship "Chumikan" took part in 1973 in rescue operations for Apollo 13. In the early 80s, the ships supported the launch of the Soviet BOR. The end of the 80s - “Marshal Nedelin” supported the flight of the ISS “Buran”. "Marshal Krylov" completed its tasks in the Europe-America-500 mission. In the 1960s, TOGE-4 ships studied and collected information from American nuclear high-altitude explosions.

The ships ended their history very tragically:
- “Siberia” was cut into scrap metal;
- “Chutotka” was cut into scrap metal;
- “Spassk” was sold to the United States for 868 thousand dollars;
- Sakhalin was sold to China;
- “Chumikan” was sold for 1.5 million dollars;
- “Chamzha” was sold for 205 thousand dollars;
- “Marshal Nedelin” stood looted for a long time, money for restoration was never found, and was sold to India as scrap metal.
- they wanted to build another 3rd ship of the 1914 project, the ship “Marshal Biryuzov” was laid down and work began, but the collapse of the Soviet Union, like many other projects, put an end to its further completion, and it was eventually cut up to metal.

Project 1914.1 “Marshal Krylov”

Today, this is the last spacecraft of 8 ships capable of working with space and intercontinental objects. Based in the city of Vilyuchinsk, Kamchatka Peninsula.

The main developer is Balsudoproekt. The appearance of new measurement and control ships, completely built from “A” to “Z” in the Soviet Union, is a logical solution given the “arms race” that existed at that time. The ship embodied the experience of previously built ships, their modernization and equipping with new equipment. They planned to install the most modern equipment on the ship, expand the capabilities of deck helicopters and the entire functionality of the ship. The ship was laid down at the Leningrad shipbuilding facilities on June 22, 1982. The completed ship left the slipway on July 24, 1987. The ship arrived at its home base in mid-1990, having passed not like other ships along the Northern Route, but through the Suez Canal. In 1998, the ship changed its classification for the last time and became a communications ship.

The ships of projects 1914 and 1914.1 differed externally only in the presence of a second Fregat radar on the second hull with an improved antenna. Some changes affected the internal layout of the premises. Installed powerful monitoring tools allow you to perform additional tasks. The ship's hull received an anti-ice belt of class L1. The ship has:
- small foremast;
- mainmast with internal premises;
- mizzen mast with internal premises;
- two swimming pools, one on the superstructure deck, the other in the gym;
- helicopter deck and hangars for storing helicopters;
- TKB-12 installations with ammunition of 120 “Svet” lighting rounds;
- the ability to install 6 AK-630s, two in the bow and four in the stern of the ship;
- two propellers with adjustable pitch, diameter 4.9 meters;
- two propulsion and steering retractable columns with a propeller diameter of 1.5 meters;
- two steering devices with a propeller diameter of 1.5 meters;
- bulb with GAS resonator;
- car ZIL-131;
- watercraft - 4 closed lifeboats, work and command boats, 2 rowing yawls;
- a unique device for lifting space descent vehicles;
- automated landing complex “Privod-V”

Project 1914 and 1914.1 ships are some of the most comfortable naval ships. The ship is equipped with:
- the “Medblock” complex, consisting of an operating room, an X-ray room, a dental office, a treatment room and 2 cabins for astronauts;
- club room with stage and balcony;
- gym with showers;
- spacious bathhouse;
- library;
- family room;
- office;
- salon;
- ship's shop;
- dining room and two wardrooms;

Crew berth equipment:
- emergency service - 4-berth cabins with washbasin and wardrobes;
- midshipmen - 2-berth cabins with washbasin, wardrobes;
- officers, junior personnel - 2-bed cabins with shower;
- officers - single cabins;
- command - block cabins;
- ship commander - block cabin with a salon for celebrations.

The Project 1914.1 ship, even today, is one of the largest and most equipped ships of the Russian Navy. It represents the latest achievements of Soviet scientists and designers, of which we can highlight:
- two-way satellite communications complex “Storm”;
- Aurora space communications equipment, which provides telephone communication with the control center and astronauts in orbit;
- Zephyr-T equipment, one of the most important systems for working with antennas and objects;
- “Zefir-A” equipment, a unique measurement complex even today, the main advantage is the information processing algorithms used, a powerful complex of calculations;
- photo recording station “Woodpecker”. Although in terms of its parameters it works like an ordinary human eye, technologically it turned out to be a super complex complex - it has no analogues in the world;
- direction finder-radiometer “Kunitsa” - equipment of the last chance to collect information about the controlled object;
- navigation complex "Andromeda". Another representative of unique Soviet thought - carries out calculations of the coordinates of a given point and all related characteristics;

Main characteristics of "Marshal Krylov":
- type - steel with a 2-tier superstructure, an extended tank, has 14 compartments;
- displacement - 23.7 thousand tons;
- length - 211 meters;
- width 27.5 meters;
- draft - 8 meters;
- payload - 7 thousand tons;
- speed up to 22 knots;
- power - diesel DGZA-6U;
- two deck-based Ka-27 helicopters;
- reserves: fuel - 5300 tons, aviation fuel - 105 tons, water - more than 1000 tons, of which drinking water - more than 400 tons;
- autonomous navigation up to 3 months;
- ship crew - 339 people.

Here's another interesting boat

Back at the beginning of the 18th century. on the ships of the British fleet, in the stern part, above the stern hatch, where supplies of provisions and wine were always stored, there was a large room into which the doors of the officers' cabins opened. It was called "wardrobe", which translated from English means "wardrobe". Valuable trophies captured on prize ships were placed in the wardrobe. When there were no trophies, the room served as a mess for the officers. At the end of the 18th century, the mass seizure of prize ships stopped, and this room, renamed the “wardroom” (“wardroom”), became a place for general dining for officers. It remains in the Navy under this name today. One of the legislators of the ship's rules of the British Navy, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Jervis John, declared the wardrooms not just dining rooms, but a meeting place for officers.

On the ships of our navy, a wardroom with a common table appeared in the middle of the 18th century. Before this, the officers' servants, mostly from among their own serfs, prepared food for their master as best they could, pushing and quarreling in the cramped ship's galley, complaining about each other and quarreling their masters. In addition, the officers were richer and had better food, and this involuntarily irritated the less wealthy. To put an end to such negative phenomena, it was ordered to establish wardrooms on ships.

Unfortunately, we know very little about the dangerous service and life of our sailors in the era of the sailing fleet. This historical period was illuminated most vividly by the Russian writers K. M. Stanyukovich, the author of “Sea Stories” and the story “Around the World on the Kite,” and I. A. Goncharov, who created the cycle of travel essays “Frigate Pallada.” On this frigate there was a wardroom located, as the old maritime custom dictated, in the stern of the ship.

In the era of the sailing-steam fleet, on ships of all types - frigates, corvettes, clippers, and later on cruisers - these premises were essentially monotonous and were not much different from the wardroom of the sailing ship on which I. A. Goncharov traveled.

With the appearance in the second half of the 19th century. armored ships and the need that arose with particular rationality to save every meter of usable space, the wardroom premises largely lost their traditional elegant appearance, and in some places the location was changed - primarily on light cruisers and destroyers.

In the history of the Russian fleet, a community of sailor officers of one ship, who were united by common interests, maritime customs and traditions, was also called a wardroom. The wardroom, in essence, was a team of like-minded people who devoted themselves to a common goal - the defense of the Fatherland. This view of the wardroom is to some extent reflected in the current Naval Ship Regulations, which also consider it as an association of officers, and not just as a mess room. The wardroom on the ship is stated in our charter, “should serve as a place for close communication between officers and a cultural center that contributes to the education of officers, the development of common views on issues of naval combat, combat training and the organization of ship service”.

The great Russian naval commanders Admirals F. F. Ushakov, M. P. Lazarev, P. S. Nakhimov, S. O. Makarov, reflecting on the role of the ship's wardroom, adhered to a common view: the cohesion and unity of the wardroom is a clear expression discipline of the fleet as a whole, and traditions and customs are its foundation. A similar spirit always reigned in the wardrooms of our warships, where relationships were built on the deep respect of juniors for seniors, admiration for their experience and combat skill.

According to established naval custom, officers in the wardrooms were seated at the table strictly according to seniority. At the head of the table was a senior officer, to his right was the next-ranking officer, and to his left was a senior mechanical engineer. Then came senior specialists and then, also in order of seniority in military ranks, junior specialists, watch commanders, watch officers and mechanics. This placement created an atmosphere of respect and subordination, highlighting the “senior” and “junior” (as they used to say back then, “the tank”) ends of the table. All this allowed the senior officer to feel supported in table conversations by senior specialists. And now the places in the wardroom are just as strictly assigned by the senior assistant commander.

The special concern of the senior officer, who, according to naval law, was considered the owner of the ship's wardroom, was the creation of a special microclimate among the officers, the establishment there, as they once said, of Esprit de Corps (spirit of corporatism). According to famous Russian admirals, this cohesion largely ensured victory in any battle and the successful solution of the most difficult tasks assigned to the ship.

The life of the wardrooms in the era of the sailing fleet and right up to the revolution was basically based on the custom of seeing the boss as a boss only on duty, and in the wardroom and outside of service he was only a senior comrade. The senior officer on deck is always “Mr. Captain of the 2nd Rank” or “Mr. Senior Lieutenant”; below, “Ivan Ivanovich”, “Ivan Petrovich”, and it was considered completely impossible to address him differently. This happened because for a true sailor the ship was a home, but a home with two halves, strictly demarcated by maritime custom, namely the deck, where the sailor is always on duty, and the wardroom, where he is always at home. This distinction, inherent only in the fleet, also determined a number of unwritten rules for life in the wardroom. So, for example, it was considered bad manners to talk about service at the dinner table, it was considered tactless to give reprimands and, in general, everything that is not accepted in a good family. And only in cases of extreme necessity did a senior officer or even a senior officer do them in a form dictated by the circumstances. Most often - in the traditional way, such as: “Wouldn’t it be better for us to talk about gingerbread” or “Shut up the fountain of eloquence, midshipman,” etc., which usually caused smiles, and the offender was put in his place without offense. Obviously, in the wardrooms of modern ships of our navy, an atmosphere of democracy should be created without formal address by military rank or position and surname, respectful address by name and patronymic of seniors to yesterday's graduates and confidential address to young officers should be revived to your mentors. This awakens a heightened sense of equal responsibility for the ship, for the common cause of the team, an understanding of the necessity of your service for the crew, and the desire not to lose its honor. In this ship’s communication center, everyone should have the right to talk on any topic, express their opinion, hear the commander’s point of view, and the commander, in turn, will be able to find out how their subordinates live and think. Only in such conditions will the spirit of camaraderie be in the air on the ships of our fleet, which the leading admirals of the Russian fleet tirelessly cared about as the basis for victory in battle.

In today's environment, camaraderie is even more important. And in its formation, the main role is given to the senior assistant to the ship’s commander. It is not without reason that the naval charter has always declared the senior officer to be the chairman of the wardroom and its owner. "The first person in the wardroom, - says the current Navy Naval Charter, - is the senior assistant to the ship's commander...". Officers must be appointed to the position of senior assistant to the ship's commander, his first deputy, guardian and zealot of maritime traditions, with mandatory consideration of character traits and, if you like, special love and devotion to the ship's service and the fleet. A wise old naval saying: “Like the senior officer, so is the wardroom. Such is the wardroom, such is the ship.". It has not lost its deep meaning today. After all, an experienced eye can always see that warships, regardless of their belonging to the same class and type, are still somewhat different. There are truly exemplary ships, there are simply normal ones, and it happens, let’s be honest, that we meet those on which something is constantly going wrong, which are always listed as lagging behind. Most often - believe my considerable experience - these are ships on which the senior officers are random people who ended up in this high position due to a miscalculation by senior commanders.

In the old days, the crew commander sent out invitations to visit the ship, which always began with the words: “The wardroom of the cruiser Minin requests...” or “The commander and wardroom of the cruiser “Minin” ask...”.

And today, as in ancient years, the ship’s commander, inviting guests, repeats: “The cruiser’s wardroom... asks...”.

Considering the creation of a strong navy to be one of the main objectives of his state policy, Peter I invested a lot of effort in training competent and qualified sailors, making sure that they were well armed and equipped with everything necessary. But at the same time, Peter I paid great attention to ensuring that officers of the army and, especially, the navy were trained in “gallant manners.” A royal decree of 1720 (Peter I became emperor in 1721) ordered naval officers to “drink red wine from green cups, and white wine from light ones.” Long before the official appearance of the wardroom, ships of the 1st and 2nd ranks of the Russian fleet had sets of excellent tableware and wine utensils, “so as not to lose face if you have to receive foreign guests.”

An integral part of these sets, produced by numerous merchant manufactories, were, naturally, glass glasses - low-transparent, dark green bottle-colored, which were painted with enamel paints, and more expensive, transparent, colorless goblets, decorated with fine engraving, from the Imperial Crystal and Glass Factory. During storms, all this crockery broke in incredible quantities, because it was almost impossible to fix its smooth shapes on the table. True, Russian ingenuity helped: the sailors covered the tables with wet tablecloths during the seas (this is still used today), but round glasses and cups rolled off the table and broke even in this case. The treasury was saved from depressing expenses by one of the masters of the Imperial Glass Factory, who produced the first faceted glass in Russia. The Russian emperor personally tested the innovation by tasting wormwood vodka from it. He found that “the glass is dignified and fits the hand at the right time.” The first Russian faceted glass differed from its modern counterparts in its large capacity, thick walls and greenish tint. Perhaps this circumstance led to the fact that among the people, despite the constant updating of the spoken language, vodka retained the epic name green wine - no matter what you poured into such a glass, everything in it seemed green. But the main advantage of this glass was its high strength: even when falling from a table onto the deck, it very rarely broke.

Over the last four years of Peter's life, about 13 thousand faceted glasses were produced in Russia, approximately the same number as cannons were cast. However, this vessel came ashore from the ship and began its triumphal march across Russia only after the opening of the Gusev Crystal Factory in 1756, which specialized in the mass production of high-quality glassware, according to the ideas of that time. Since then, changing color, size, shape and number of sides (it ranged from 8 to 20, always remaining even), the faceted glass has become as integral a symbol of our life as its traditional contents. How naturally and harmoniously this vessel fit into our lives! He lives with us both in sorrow and in joy, helping to celebrate all the most important events of life - from the birth of a child to the last toast for the repose of the soul! But the main thing is that for a long time it remained an integral part of the wardroom dishes on ships (especially submarines) of the Soviet Navy.

The time of market reforms has written sad pages in the history of Russian cut glass. It has been discontinued. It can be seen less and less on a set table in the wardroom of a ship of the Russian fleet. It's a pity! Indeed, despite the large tonnage of modern surface combat ships and submarines, in a stormy sea, the rolling still mercilessly throws dishes off the wardroom table, and first of all, round thin-walled glasses. So, maybe it makes sense to rehabilitate the cut glass, approved by Peter I himself, and restore one of the good traditions directly related to the wardroom of a Russian ship?

Under St. Andrew's flag. Russian officers in the service of the Fatherland Manvelov Nikolai Vladimirovich

Chapter 12. Wardroom

Chapter 12. Wardroom

Modern dictionaries define the concept of “wardroom” as “a room on a ship (vessel) serving for collective recreation, meetings and a common table for officers.” However, for the Russian Imperial Navy such an explanation would not be entirely accurate. This is what Article 1113 of the Maritime Charter of 1899 says:

“The wardroom is a meeting place for officers in their free time from official duties. All those in it are obliged to maintain decency and order worthy of the noble society of officers.”

Historically, the wardroom on a ship was a cross between a coastal Naval Assembly (not quite an exact analogue of modern Officers' Houses) and a military council. All the friction that existed between the officers during service or on shore was forgotten when crossing the wardroom threshold. It was in the wardroom that the decision was made to resist the superior forces of the Turks by the officers of the brig Mercury in May 1829.

Like on the ship as a whole, the wardroom had its own rigid hierarchical system, which was not only not accepted, but even impossible to violate - we were talking about traditions that had been worked out over centuries. In this case, we can talk about a kind of analogue of the ship’s “parliament”, which, although it was not a legislative body, its consolidated opinion was very weighty and always played a big role.

The head of the wardroom was the senior officer. He resolved conflicts between community members and also presided over all cases where a collegial decision was required. Let us also add that the senior officer had two votes when voting, and not one, like everyone else. Therefore, if the votes were divided equally, the opinion of the senior officer was always decisive.

With the introduction of the post of assistant chief officer on 1st-rank ships after the Russo-Japanese War, an assistant appeared for the chairman of the wardroom. However, real power still remained with the “elder”.

The wardroom had its own unwritten laws. For example, here it was allowed to smoke without the sanction of the ship's commander, which was mandatory, for example, on deck (a smoking ban - permanent or temporary - could, however, be introduced by a senior officer). By the way, for wearing a headdress in the wardroom one could easily “get” a remark in the order - for example, Lieutenant of the Corps of Fleet Mechanical Engineers Wilhelm Dmitrievich Brod was punished in 1908 for appearing in a cap.

It was strictly forbidden to discuss Russian political problems (including criticism of the Russian Imperial House), as well as issues of religion and personal relationships. The senior officer closely followed all discussions, and if necessary, offered to shift the conversation to some neutral topic - for example, hydrographic studies of the Northwest Passage, or baking bagels and gingerbread. There was no way to disobey the chairman’s words.

As entertainment in the wardroom, dice and some other games (for example, backgammon) were allowed, the main thing - not for money.

It was not customary to be late for a meal - a senior officer who was late for disrespect for the community could easily be sent home. The punished person could return only after finishing the meal, and he would have to eat completely alone. The exception was cases when a late officer was in charge of some urgent work on the ship or was carrying out orders from the commander or flagship.

If guests were invited to the ship, the invitation was never made on behalf of the commander alone. On the contrary, the formula “commander and wardroom” or “wardroom” was used as the “name of the sender”. If the guest was exclusively a guest of the commander, then he could not cross the threshold of the wardroom (technically this was not difficult, since the commander’s quarters always had a separate entrance).

Not every stranger could become a guest in the wardroom. For example, access to gendarmerie officers was categorically denied (by the way, children of gendarmes were not included in the Guards crew). On the other hand, it was very rare for any other officer or engineer to not invite even a cup of tea.

If an officer came to the wardroom, and a senior officer was already in it, he should definitely ask permission to enter.

And one more, very important detail. All members of the wardroom, regardless of military rank, addressed each other by name and patronymic. Rank and titles remained on deck or for official calls for service. The pride of any wardroom was the refusal to use ranks and titles even in an official setting. And there were many ships where this rule worked. Mainly, we were talking about relatively small ships of the 2nd rank, as well as warships welded together by long campaigns and battles.

Order in the wardroom was maintained by specially selected messengers (“cleaners” in ship’s jargon). They performed the duties of waiters, washed dishes and kept the room clean. The cleanest (hence, apparently, the “cleanies”), honest and helpful sailors were usually appointed as messengers. Cleaners were usually only involved in servicing the wardroom, but on small ships, where every person counted, they were also assigned to the officers.

Harald Karlovich Graf recalls:

“To keep the cabin clean, as well as for minor services, one messenger was assigned to several officers. They were usually chosen from young sailors who were not specialists. Since each officer paid them a small salary, such an appointment was considered profitable, but at the same time hectic and responsible. Some village guy, who had never been to a manor house and did not know how everything was done there among the gentlemen, suddenly turned out to be an orderly. Although his duties were not too difficult, he still had to be able to tidy up the cabin, “arm” the jacket, frock coat or uniform, clean boots, etc. In addition, the messengers tidied up the wardroom, covered and removed the table and served at lunch and dinner. Initially, they were terribly embarrassed that they always had to be among the officers and their superiors. At the beginning of a young messenger's career, many misunderstandings inevitably arose, often very funny. The old messengers will teach the newcomer how and what is done, but he will get confused and do stupid things, and the master will be “angry.” And how can you not get angry if there is no shoulder strap on your tunic or shoulder straps instead of epaulettes on your frock coat, and this turns out to be the case at the last moment, when you need to be prepared. Many mistakes occurred when handing over the linen to the laundresses and when serving it to the table: the linen turned out to be mixed up; when serving food, the dishes were tilted too much, so that the sauce spilled, and when serving glasses, as a precaution not to break them, dirty fingers got into them.

I remember one very nice, but stupid messenger Ivanov. You ask him: “Ivanov, bring some tea,” - he drags a glass without a saucer. Without knocking, he enters the cabin. You call out to him: “What do you want?” - “So, your... wandering, I wanted to see if you were sleeping.” And then he flies into the cabin and reports:

“Your... brody, the watchman is asking for you.” - “How does the watchman demand me like that?” - it turns out that the commander sent a watchman and demands to come to him. You will say: “Ivanov, wake me up at such and such an hour.” - “I obey, your... wandering” - wakes you up an hour earlier. “So I forgot, your... wandering” But he wakes him up so energetically that he’ll be dragged out of his bed at the drop of a hat.

But such unsuccessful messengers were rather the exception. Most of them quickly got used to it and showed such exceptional skill and care in serving “their master” that they spoiled him. All of the master’s property ended up in the complete and uncontrolled control of the orderly, and he even often managed his money. When speaking with their officer, they always addressed themselves in the plural, that is, they completely associated themselves with the “master”: “we no longer have cigarettes,” “we need to give the linen to the laundresses,” etc. The “master” himself, in in the end, he didn’t know where and what he had and how much of it he had, and without his trusty “licharda” he absolutely could not find anything. Therefore, he found himself in a difficult situation if at the right moment he was on the shore “with the laundresses,” which usually served as an excuse for the messengers to go ashore on a weekday.

True, among them there were also clever guys who, while taking care of the “master,” did not forget themselves: they smoked his cigarettes, cheated on change, wore his underwear when they considered that what they had thrown into the dirty was enough for them to wear. In addition, they always placed their belongings in one of the cabin lockers.”

In addition to common traditions, each ship could have its own. Thus, Sergei Kolbasyev, describing the life of the destroyer “Dzhigit,” mentions that the officers of this ship had a very interesting habit - “when going out together, they strictly follow the commander’s uniform in all its smallest details.”

So, the wardroom lived by the rules, which today would probably be called the “code of corporate conduct.” After all, the naval officers were a real corporation, jealously guarding traditions from the time of Peter the Great, when some of the even more ancient customs “migrated” from foreign fleets.

If the commander of the ship could be compared to a constitutional monarch or president, then the senior officer in the wardroom, as we remember, was the chairman of parliament. It was he who presided over the ship's Naval Assembly and spoke on its behalf.

The members of the wardroom were all officers, officials, as well as naval doctors and a priest, who, with the rank of army captain, was equal to officers. In the wardroom, all the divisions into “white” and “black” bones were forgotten, even “jokes” towards officials were forgotten.

The commander was not a member of the community, and the reason for this was very simple. As we have already noted, the wardroom was an autonomous institution, and in the ship’s “social” life it was not subordinate to the commander - the wardroom and the commander’s salon rarely intersected in their interests.

In the days of the sailing fleet, several midshipmen and navigating conductors (senior cadets of the Navigation School in Kronstadt) could be assigned to voyages around the world, so they could often be offered to eat in the wardroom. But most often they lived in a large “midshipman” or “conductor” cabin, where they worked and ate. The food was usually wardroom, and the midshipman's cabin was served by wardroom messengers.

On the corvette “Korshun”, already familiar to us, eight senior students of the cadet corps lived in the midshipman’s cabin - cadet Ashanin was assigned to the ship shortly before going “to the distant”, so he had to be accommodated with the priest. As for the two navigator conductors, they apparently lived in a cabin similar to the one where their colleague from the Naval Corps lived with the priest.

In exceptional cases, the wardroom at its meeting could demand the decommissioning of a particular officer from the ship for actions that disgrace the Russian naval uniform.

Here is an example of midshipman Fyodor Aleksandrovich Bukha, who found himself “out of place” in the wardroom of the squadron battleship Sevastopol, which distinguished itself during the defense of Port Arthur.

Buche was promoted to midshipman in 1901 and before his appointment in 1903 as a watch officer of the Sevastopol, he managed to serve on the Baltic transports Sextan and Artelshchik. On a battleship he rose to the position of junior artillery officer, but then the Russo-Japanese War began, which put an end to his career.

Here is what his boss, commander of the squadron battleship “Sevastopol”, captain 1st rank Nikolai Ottovich von Essen, wrote about Bukh:

“...I was very dissatisfied with him, as a very unscrupulous performer and generally a useless officer on the ship. After the battle on July 28when a ship landing was required to repel the assault, Buche was sent as a half-company commander, but while in position, in difficult times he left the half-company and went to the hospital, although he was not wounded. After this incident, the wardroom of the battleship “Sevastopol” did not want to have midshipman Buche in its composition, and he never returned to the “Sevastopol.”

And here is the review of another officer, a participant in the defense of Port Arthur - Mikhail Vladimirovich Bubnov: “a cowardly and completely mediocre officer for naval service.” Let us add: in 1906, Buche was dismissed at the request of his former superiors in Port Arthur. However, he was nevertheless promoted to the next rank of lieutenant.

As we remember, according to the old tradition of the Russian Navy, members of the wardroom addressed each other by name and patronymic. Moreover, even an admiral could make a proposal to title himself this way. Naturally, such treatment was practiced only during off-duty hours, although there were exceptions to the rules. Addressing each other by rank was considered martinetry, inherent exclusively to ground forces.

This is how writer Konstantin Mikhailovich Stanyukovich describes the conversation on this subject between Rear Admiral Ivan Andreevich Korenev and midshipman Vladimir Ashanin:

“The admiral listened attentively, but after five minutes he shifted his shoulders impatiently and said:

- Do you know what I’ll tell you, dear friend?

- What, Your Excellency?

- Just call me by my first name and patronymic, otherwise you will all: Your Excellency.

Do you hear?

“I’m listening, sir.”

As we said above, according to tradition, the ship’s commander was not a member of the wardroom and could only enter its walls at the invitation of a senior officer, who spoke on behalf of all members of the community. If there were no such invitations, or they happened extremely rarely, the head of a detachment of ships could raise the issue of “removing” the commander from office due to lack of proper contact with subordinates. By tradition, the commander was always invited to Sunday lunch.

By his own free will, the commander stepped over the coaming of the wardroom only in exceptional cases - for example, to conduct a military council, which was held exclusively in this room. There was another option - to inform officers of some important news - for example, about the birth of an heir to the throne or to announce an order for the long-awaited return from a long voyage to a distant homeland.

What is the reason that the main person of the ship was not historically part of the wardroom?

The answer is quite simple.

The wardroom was a closed corporation within the ship, where access to “strangers” was practically closed. Officers had every right to criticize the commander (within the limits permitted by the charter and the senior officer), and no one could limit this right within these limits.

As for the commander, he was not an officer in the understanding of this corporation. He was the commander, and that said it all.

Let us add that the commander of the ship was not even “first among equals” - the same senior officer of the ship had such rights. But if the senior officer himself turned into a commander, then he himself was automatically deprived of the right to appear in the wardroom of his own free will. The traditions of the Russian Imperial Navy were unshakable.

The situation in the wardroom of the admiral and his staff was more difficult. On the one hand, the flagship was a guest on board and had every right to a place of honor in the wardroom. On the other hand, he was the owner of his own salon, and, therefore, could not be part of the wardroom and had no right to influence its activities. Therefore, when a flagship was on a ship, his relationship with the wardroom was usually built along the lines of a commander's - invitations to joint dinners with officers, and in return invitations to a meal in the admiral's salon. There was one exception - along with “ordinary” officers, the admiral could invite and very often invited the ship’s commander.

What did the wardroom look like on various ships? First, let's visit the corvette "Korshun" again:

“Volodya went down to the wardroom and approached the senior officer, who was sitting in a place of honor, on a sofa, at the end of a large table, on the sides of which all the corvette officers sat on screwed benches. On both sides of the wardroom were the cabins of the senior officer, doctor, senior navigator and five watch commanders. There was a piano against the wall, opposite the table. The hanging large lamp shone with a bright, cheerful light.”

On larger sailboats there were practically no differences in the atmosphere of the “officers' meeting”. Here, for example, is Goncharov’s description of the wardroom of the frigate Pallada:

"He led me into the mess room, a spacious room below, on the forecastle, without windows, but with a hatch at the top, through which abundant light falls. There were small officers' cabins all around, and a mizzen mast, camouflaged by a round sofa, ran right through the middle. In the wardroom there was a long table, the kind you find in classrooms, with benches. It is where officers dine and study. There was also a couch, and nothing more. No matter how massive this table is, when there was strong rocking, it was thrown from side to side, and once almost crushed our miniature, kind, helpful manager of the officer’s table, P. A. Tikhmenev».

However, at first the wardroom did not seem very cozy to Goncharov because of its neighbor below - the crew chamber, where artillery and gunpowder were stored. What was this terrible place like?

First of all, it was strictly isolated from other cabins due to the increased fire and explosion hazard. The room was separated from other parts of the ship by more than a five-inch (130 mm) frame, which was sheathed on both sides “in the groove” with 30 mm boards. Then the outer boards were thoroughly soaked in a saturated alum solution and covered with sheets of tin. The joints were carefully soldered.

The inside of the hook chamber was lined with lead sheets 1.6 mm thick; the joints were also soldered. The floor was protected with tin and lead sheets. On top of the lead was a thick layer of dense felt.

The powder magazine was connected to the rest of the ship's rooms by a vestibule and two doors, with a coarse curtain that prevented the penetration of air. A lantern with a candle inside was located outside the chamber, and the glass in the lantern was double. There was also a flood system in case of fire.

The wardroom of the squadron battleship "Eagle" consisted of four rooms.

The main one was, so to speak, the “dining room of the hall”, a significant part of which was occupied by a long dining table designed for 32 people. The 32nd was the ship's commander, who occupied a seat opposite the senior officer who sat at the head of the table. Most often this place was not occupied, because the commander appeared in the wardroom only at the invitation of the officers. In addition to the commander, a place of honor could be offered to any of the ship's guests, as well as to the admiral, if he was invited to visit the wardroom.

The part of the table located to the left of the senior officer was called the “stern” and was the most honorable. Here were places for the ship's senior specialists (senior mine officer, senior artillery officer, senior navigational officer, senior ship mechanic), auditor, as well as other lieutenants and the senior ship's doctor.

On the right sat the midshipman, the priest, the keepers, as well as wartime officers - warrant officers in the naval unit and warrant officers in the mechanical unit. This part was called the “tank”.

What are the reasons for such names for parts of the wardroom table? Here again we need to remember the tradition, according to which historically there were officer cabins in the stern, and sailors and non-commissioned officers lived in the bow of the ship - on the forecastle. Thus, the seating arrangement at the table essentially copied the ship’s hierarchy, but on the scale of the wardroom.

Let us also add that no one else and under any circumstances could take the positions of senior officer, senior engineer and senior navigational officer. Other seats were assigned to each of the ship's officers, but could also be provided to guests in the absence of the owner.

In addition to the table and chairs, in the “dining room” there were six armchairs, two sofas, a bookcase and the usual piano.

Behind the transverse bulkhead there was another room, divided almost in half by a longitudinal beam, intended for officers' rest. There were two coffee tables and several more armchairs. The interior of this compartment was complemented by two pairs of 75-mm “mine-resistant” guns, mounted on the side.

Much attention was paid to the furnishings of the wardrooms of ships of the 1st rank. Thus, horsehair was used to stuff upholstered furniture. Paintings and engravings hung on the walls; the floor could have been covered not with oilcloth (linoleum), but with parquet. The portholes were draped with heavy velvet curtains.

The wardroom of smaller ships had a more spartan atmosphere. For example, the floating Naval Assembly of Finn-class mine cruisers (destroyers) had a sofa, a table made of polished wood, two sideboards, chairs, mirrors and a clock. The ceilings were covered with linoleum, on top of which zinc white was applied.

Now let's move on to “spiritual food.”

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when phonographs and gramophones were still quite rare, there was only one outlet left for music lovers - the cabin piano. If for some reason it was impossible to play, they urgently looked for a way out of the situation. The ship's doctor of the armored cruiser "Aurora" Vladimir Kravchenko says:

“A few words about our wardroom musical instrument. Moving it to a new room - to the commander's dining room, after the previous wardroom had to be filled with coal, brought a lot of work and laughter. (This happened even before my arrival on the passage from Gabon to Great Fish Bay.) At first, when they piled up the coal, they came to the conclusion that the piano, due to its size, could not be carried through the winding and narrow corridor connecting the old wardroom with the new one. Therefore, it was decided to leave it in its old place and cover it with tarpaulins due to the proximity of coal. But a day later, our musicians got bored without it, opened the tarpaulins and found that the piano had already suffered: the sound, they say, had become duller. Then two energetic midshipmen decided to disassemble it and move it in this form. They made fun of them and laughed at them, but the disassembly proceeded with such haste that whole mountains of various screws, sticks, pieces of wood, etc. soon formed around them. In the end, the two prominent parts on which the keyboard was placed could not be disassembled, but turned out to be excellent glued. This episode disheartened everyone, and it was decided to dismantle the door jambs of the iron bulkhead. They knocked and broke for a long time; finally, with great difficulty, they managed to drag the piano into a narrow, crooked corridor, where again a lot of obstacles had to be removed. By 11 o'clock in the evening the piano had reached the entrance doors of the new cabin, which also turned out to be narrow and lined with iron, so that any expansion was impossible. The sweating initiators of the transfer were angry, the opponents gloated and laughed until they dropped; advice and witticisms poured in from all sides, circumstances became critical, and tragedy could easily emerge from the tragicomedy. Everyone had already retreated when the senior officer appeared and decided that a piece of the piano should be taken away. Ridicules poured in: what is it like to saw a piano? But, really, this was the only outcome. And then a ship's carpenter appeared with a saw and began sawing the piano. I think that no one had ever heard the sounds of sawing a piano, and therefore Homeric laughter was heard in one group of officers, and poorly concealed anger and annoyance was heard in the other. When a decent piece had been sawed off, the remains of the piano were brought into place, and through the efforts of the same two initiators it was reassembled by two o'clock in the morning. The carpenter skillfully attached the sawn-off part, and the officers began to make amusing sounds again.”

Let us add in this regard that in the wardroom of the Aurora there is still a piano today. But this is not the same famous tool that the ship's carpenter sawed under the guidance of the cruiser's officers. Now visitors to the museum ship can observe the piano from the imperial yacht Polar Star. As for the relic that passed through Tsushima, the author, alas, knows nothing about its fate.

Since the times of Peter the Great, it was established that the setting of the wardroom table should be at the proper level. For ceremonial occasions there were silver cutlery and crystal; even on long voyages, napkins and other accessories required in polite society were required. For example, Peter the Great's decree of 1720 required that ships have two types of glasses - green glass and clear glass. Of the former, white wine was to be drunk, and of the latter, red wine.

The adherents of maritime traditions strictly followed Peter's instructions. Thus, one of the comrades of midshipman Ashanin, invited to breakfast with the admiral, recommends that he pour white wine into a green glass, and red wine into a small glass. Otherwise, the flagship could become agitated.

Let us note that table settings for the wardroom tables were always supplied “from the treasury.” Therefore, the ship’s monogram was often applied to the silverware mentioned above, as well as dishes.

Meals took place in a special way during a storm.

A special string mesh (also called a “violin”) or a grid was rigidly fixed on the dining table, in the cells of which plates and cutlery were placed. Bottles, decanters and glasses were placed flat in the grate. As a contemporary wrote, “the orderlies wrote out monograms and made extraordinary acrobatic movements in order to deliver the dishes to their intended destination and not scatter the food on the floor. Diners also had to choose moments and skillfully use them in order to safely bring the fork to the mouth, without spilling the wine or getting burned by the hot tea, which was served in glasses wrapped in a napkin.”

Another option was also used. On the old sailing ships that have survived to this day (for example, on the British “tea” clipper Cutty Sark, which was badly burned out in 2007), one could see an extremely curious hanging table, which was precisely what was used during a storm.

A special hook was attached to the ceiling, to which a round thick wooden tabletop with a diameter of about a meter was attached on a long copper rod. There were “holes” of different depths and different radii made in it, into which glasses and bowls with food were supposed to be inserted.

Thus, with strong pitching, the table could take a position parallel to the clipper deck.

However, neither the “violin” nor other devices always saved people from breaking dishes. As one of the memoirists says, on long hikes it was often necessary to drink tea from “empty mustard pots” due to the lack of glasses.

A special person was responsible for the officer's table - the “keep of the wardroom.” Its budget was formed from the “canteen money” that officers were entitled to. He purchased products, which were later transferred to the officer's cook, and monitored the variety of the menu.

According to the charter, officers had to re-elect the wardroom keeper every three months, but in practice there were also “eternal keeper” who performed their duties throughout the entire period of service on a particular ship. Theoretically, the keeper could be replaced by a “free” bartender, but they were extremely reluctant to join the navy, since not everyone liked the “nomadic” sea life. In addition, the bartender had to be paid a salary, which increased the costs of the officers.

If several ships were under repair or simultaneously found themselves in port for some relatively long time, then very often the responsibilities of the “breadwinner” were assigned to one of the keepers. This is what Georgy Karlovich Stark, familiar to us, writes in his diary, having already been promoted to senior lieutenant and recently taking command of the destroyer “Silny” (May 1912, the ship is being repaired in Kronstadt):

“We all sit together on the barge near which we are standing. We are fed by the mechanic of the “Active”, an excellent host. In inland navigation, I didn’t pay less than 35 rubles a month, but here we pay no more than 25 rubles and eat impeccably, but he strictly demands that in case of absence they let him know. There are 18 of us at the table, and in the evening it often happens that there are only three left, and he bases his calculations on this.”

But very often the opposite happened - the wardroom keeper turned out to be completely unable to provide his colleagues with “tasty and healthy food”, as a result of which he was removed from his post. And this is not surprising - no one specially trained “keepers” in the Marine Corps or at the Marine Engineering School. And economic people have always been a great rarity and great value. The ship's doctor of the armored cruiser of the 2nd rank "Izumrud" Vladimir Kravchenko says:

“We have had a change of ministry. Canned food, Tangier Due to an oversight, the fruits rotted in the provision cellar and poisoned the air in the cabins. It was already impossible for us to eat, and now, in conclusion, there was an overspending. I had to choose a new head of the wardroom table, a more experienced one.”

Cold appetizers included herring, balyk, caviar, lampreys, and pickles; hot - meatballs in sour cream, sausages in tomato, buckwheat porridge with onions and eggs. Then they served kulebyaka with vizig and fresh fish, broth and fried wild goat. As a dessert there were straws with cream from the Libau confectionery Bonica. Strong drinks were not forgotten either - gentlemen officers tasted simple vodka, rowan and bison, Madeira and sherry. Cognac and whiskey appeared with coffee.

The inhabitants of the wardrooms were often animals. Sometimes this led to funny things. Harald Karlovich Graf says:

"Member of the wardroom There was also a gray parrot with a red head, which knew a lot of words and even uttered short phrases. Especially clearly, he said many times repeated phrases like: “messenger, have some tea”, “call the watchman”, “messengers, serve”, etc. Thanks to this, funny misunderstandings even resulted: either the orderly brought tea unnecessarily, or they began to serve food prematurely . The senior officer, when he was irritated with his messenger, would scold him for being a fool, and his name was Stepan. For some reason, Popka especially picked up on this and often, sitting on his perch, continuously repeated: “Stepan is a fool, Stepan is a fool.” This led to a very unpleasant incident in the future. When the Minister of Naval Affairs, Vice Admiral Stepan Arkadyevich Voevodsky, inspected the cruiser and, passing through the wardroom, stopped in front of the parrot’s perch, he began to persistently repeat: “Stepan is a fool, Stepan is a fool.” Everyone was surprised and didn’t know what to do, but the parrot kept repeating his words: “Stepan is a fool.” Fortunately, the minister pretended that he did not understand what he was saying and hurried away from the parrot. But it is unknown how he reacted to this. Didn’t he think it was a cruel joke, especially since the commander and senior officer praised the parrot very much.”