The Aral Flotilla is a lake flotilla of the Russian Empire that existed in the Aral Sea from 1853 to 1883 . It served as one of the “tools” for the scientific study of Central Asia and the military operations for the accession of the Central Asian states .
| Aral flotilla of the Russian imperial fleet | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Russian Imperial Fleet | |
| Years of existence | 1853 - 1883 |
| A country |  Russian empire |
| Subordination | Ministry of the Sea of the Russian Empire |
| Included in | Russian imperial fleet |
| Type of | Naval forces |
| Participation in | Capture and annexation of Central Asia to the Russian Empire |
Creation of a Flotilla
After occupying the lower reaches of the Syr Darya river, the Perovsky steamer and the Obruchev steam boat were ordered to organize the movement on the river. They were delivered in 1853 to the Raim fortress in a disassembled form, where they were assembled and launched.
The flotilla was created in order to protect against Khiva raids, to avoid their crossings through the Syr Darya and possible robberies, as well as to assist ground forces in military operations. In addition, it was planned to use flotilla vessels to develop trade in the Aral Sea. The appearance on the waters of Central Asia of hitherto unseen armed steam vessels made a great impression on the locals.
In 1862, two more Aral and Syr Darya steamboats were ordered and launched, but the design of all these ships did not comply with local shipping conditions, and in 1869 a new Samarkand steamer was ordered in Belgium , specially designed taking into account local conditions. And in 1872 another ship “ Tashkent ” was delivered, which turned out to be less successful than the previous one. In addition to steamboats, the flotilla at different times included 9 barges with a lifting force of 55,800 pounds , several ferries and other small vessels for various purposes. For the repair of ships, a floating dock and a workshop were built. Initially, the flotilla was based in Raim , later it was transferred to Kazalinsk .
The flotilla ships were armed with 4 pound rifled guns , 6 pound copper carronades , 1/4 pound copper unicorns, and 10 pound mountain unicorns mounted on American machine tools. The total number of artillery weapons reached 22 guns .
The personnel of the flotilla on June 18, 1866 included 13 officers and class ranks and 344 lower ranks. With the increase in the number of ships of the flotilla, the personnel of the flotilla gradually increased. So in 1879, the flotilla already had 15 officers, 15 civilian drivers and foremen, and 597 lower ranks. And by January 26 ( February 7 ), 1880 , the number of personnel reached 24 officers and 548 lower ranks.
Flotilla History
In 1857, the ships of the flotilla under the command of Captain A. I. Butakov took part in an expedition to the Aral Sea and the mouth of the Amu Darya , to conduct surveys. In the spring of 1866, the Perovsky steamer supported the Russian troops at Irdzhar, delivering a 10-day supply of food to the entire detachment and part of its ammunition.
In 1873, during the Khiva campaign , part of the Aral flotilla was sent to the mouth of the Amu Darya. However, this expedition did not bring the expected benefits from it. This limited the role of the flotilla in hostilities in Central Asia. Another branch of the Aral Sea Flotilla was no more successful - the transportation of military goods and people. Due to the deep draft of steamboats and weak steam engines, shallow water and the volatility of the Syr Darya channel , the voyages of the steamers were random, time-consuming and expensive. These transportations were made between Kazalinsk and Chinaz, and since 1873 - between Kazalinsk and Petro-Alexandrovsk . The journey on a ship from Chinaz to Fort Perovsky took an average of 8-14 days, back about 12-20 days, while the movement took place only in the afternoon. From Fort Perovsky to Kazalinsk down - 4-6 days, and up - 6-12 days.
From 1865 to 1879, the flotilla vessels transported 1,724,414 poods of cargo and 29,146 passengers. The cost of maintaining the flotilla for 1866 cost 163,089 rubles, and by 1880 amounted to 261,366 rubles.
With the end of military expeditions in Central Asia and due to the small suitability of ships for trade, in 1883 a decision was made to abolish the Aral Flotilla. At the same time, part of the property was sold locally, and some barges and part of the vehicles were transported to Chardzhou and transferred to the Amu Darya flotilla.
Literature
- Aral Flotilla // Aral Flotilla - Mount Athos. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911. - S. 1. - ( Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 vol.] / edited by V. F. Novitsky [and others ]; 1911-1915, v. 3).
- I.I. Chernikov. Fleet on the rivers. Encyclopedia of the river fleet . - St. Petersburg: "Polygon", 2003. - 704 p. - ISBN 5-89173-247-5 .
- A. B. Shirokorad. 200 years of the sailing fleet of Russia / Ed. A. B. Vasiliev. - 2nd ed. - M .: "Veche", 2007.