Participation of steamships of the Solovetsky monastery in the defense of the Russian North in 1914–1917

Abstract

The history of the Solovetsky Monastery is full of bright events, which are covered in detail in historiography. However, the participation of the monastery in the First World War practically did not attract the attention of researchers. The monastery, being far from the fighting on the front line, found itself in the thick of events unfolding in the Arctic Ocean. Caravans of foreign ships with military cargo went to Arkhangelsk, and the German command sought to disrupt these transportations. Since the Russian Navy in the Russian North were limited to the small vessel Bakan, the mobilization of steamships of private owners began, one of which was the Solovetsky Monastery. As a result, the attracted merchant ships managed to form the Arctic Ocean Flotilla. The Solovetsky ships Vera, Solovetsky and Mikhail Archangel and their crew were not prepared to solve military problems, but they carried out a dangerous and routine service, without which the functioning of sea lanes in such a difficult time would have been impossible. The ship Vera played a special role in the organization of convoys, as it became the flagship of the Minesweepers party of the White Sea. This article is devoted to the fate of this vessel, as well as the contribution of the monastery to the defense of the Russian North.