Rion rowing flotilla of 1854-1856: Pages of history

The article deals with the development and combat use of the Rion rowing flotilla created by dividing the Azov cossack flotilla during the Crimean War. The attention is paid to the circumstances of the creation of the flotilla, its combat experience and attempts to modernize the rowing vessels during the war. There were used as materials the published documents from the “Acts of the Caucasian Archeographic Commission”. Documents of the Russian state archive of the navy (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation) and the state archive of the Krasnodar Krai (Krasnodar, Russian Federation) were also attracted. In conclusion, the authors state that the Rion flotilla created during the Crimean War took part in the hostilities. The ships of the flotilla were engaged not only in the search and seizure of small coastal turkish vessels, but also helped in organizing the crossings across the r. Rion. With the deterioration of the situation in the autumn of 1855, the longboats of the Rion rowing flotilla were destroyed due to the impossibility of their withdrawal upstream. After the improvement of the military situation, the Rion rowing flotilla began to rebuild again, and the armament of the rowing ships was further strengthened. Copyright © 2018 by Academic Publishing House Researcher s.r.o.