Ukrainian Flags on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet

On the 29th April 1918, the Black Sea Fleet, on the order of its commander, raised the Ukrainian flag. This event was the result of a long and complex struggle waged by Ukrainian seamen and officers.

In 1917, this Fleet was the most powerful naval force in the Black Sea – with the Russian Empire seeing it as its key tool to taking control of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, which is why significant sums of money were allocated to it. The core of the Fleet were to be four battleships, each armed with twelve large guns. The first two, the ‘Empress Maria’ and the ‘Empress Catherine the Great’ came into service during World War One (WWI). In 1917 the third battleship was completed – ‘Emperor Alexander the Third’. That battleship was built using an improved design and was the last to be so built in the Russian Empire. The fourth battleship never got built.

As well as battleships, there were also a number of the Ironclad class of ships built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The last three of which were the ‘Pantaleon’ (formerly named ‘Prince Potyomkin-Tavrichesky’) the ‘Eustace’ and the ‘John Chrysostom’. In the Summer of 1917 the following ships had their names changed: ‘Emperor Alexander the Third’ became ‘Volya’ (or ‘Freedom’) the ‘Empress Catherine the Great’ became ‘Free Russia’ and the ‘Pantaleon’ became ‘Freedom Fighter’.

There was, historically, among the seamen and officers of the Black Sea Fleet always a large contingent of Ukrainians. This was because the primary source of recruitment for the Fleet came from the areas nearest the Black Sea, which were predominantly populated by Ukrainians. An organised Ukrainian movement within the Black Sea Fleet, takes its beginnings from a clandestine theatre group called ‘Kobzar’ (the Minstrel) formed in 1905 and headed by Professor Vyacheslav Laschenko. Although the theatre group was small in size, a large proportion of its members would become the future leaders of the Ukrainian movement.

In March 1917 members of ‘Kobzar’ became the founders of the Ukrainian Black Sea Society. Active members of which were, namely, Vyacheslav Laschenko, Mykola Nekliyevich, Volodymyr Savchenko-Bisky, Vadym Bohomolets, Mykhailo Ostrohradsky-Apostol. The Society had, as its aim, the creation of a Ukrainian navy, in the not too distant future. The First All-Ukrainian Military conference, which took place on the 5th May 1917 in Kyiv, became a catalyst for the ‘Ukrainization’ of the Black Sea Fleet. At that time, in Sevastopol, there were several demonstrations held under the Ukrainian national flag. And on the 12th July 1917 the Destroyer ‘Zavednyj’ was the first naval ship to raise the Ukrainian flag, with many more following her example by November.

In tandem with which, the influence of the Bolsheviks was rising. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian flag was raised on the battleship ‘Volya’ the strongest naval ship of the former Russian Empire.

However, the path of history took a different turn and the Bolsheviks commenced a concerted campaign to neutralise the Ukrainian naval crews, affecting all ships by the end of December 1917. Having said that, it proved impossible to oust all of the Ukrainian seamen and officers, as they were far too many in number.

And then, in the Spring of 1918, the Ukrainian army entered the Crimea, commanded by Colonel Bolbochan. This revived the Ukrainian movement and under pressure from the Ukrainian seamen and officers, the commander of the fleet – Admiral Sablin, gave the order to raise the Ukrainian flag on the 29th April 1918.

Although the further fate of the Ukrainian navy was tragic, the endeavours of these Ukrainian seamen and officers proved exemplary, in their gallant attempt to serve Ukraine. As for the recently formed Ukrainian State, the newly formed Ukrainian navy, via Ukrainization, had not only a military but a political significance. As it would have given Ukraine a place at the naval club of notable maritime nations. For at the start of WWI, there were only eleven seafaring nations around the world, that had dreadnought class battleships. One hundred years’ ago, Ukraine became the twelfth.

The paintings shown on this site were made for 2018 Calendar "100 Years Since the Raising of the Ukrainian Flag by the Black Sea Fleet". It was printed with the support of the Ukrainian diaspora of London.

We express our gratitude to our consultant Igor Gritsenko.