| Name: |
Cruiser Aurora |
| |
 |
| Address: |
A branch of the Naval Museum
Petrovskaya naberezhnaya (metro station: Gorkovskaya) |
| Phone: |
+7 (812) -8440, +7 (812) 232-6370 |
| Open: |
Open: 10.30am - 4pm
Closed: Mondays and Fridays |
| Description: |
The ironclad cruiser Aurora
is a monument to Russian shipbuilding and the history of the
Russian Navy, a veritable relic of the 1917 revolution. In
1957 it was converted into a museum.
Designed by K.M.Tokarevsky, the cruiser was built at the New
Admiralty yards in 1897-1900. During the Russo-Japanese War
of 1904-05 it took part in the Battle of Tsushima. In the
First World War it operated in the Baltic. In February 1917
the crew of the Aurora hoisted a red flag to express its support
for the revolution. On 25 October 1917 the cruiser fired a
blank shot from its bow to signal the storming of the Winter
Palace. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 the ship
was anchored in the vicinity of Oranienbaum, near Leningrad,
though its guns were still utilized in land operations. In
1948 the Aurora was moored permanently alongside Petrovskaya
naberezhnaya. Following a major overhaul in 1984-87 the ship
resumed its original form.
In terms of equipment and armament, the cruiser was a model
of early 20th-century naval machinery. One can see the engine-room,
boiler compartment and radio room. Rare photographs and documents
relating to the ship's history are on display along with the
personal belongings of its crew. |
