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Every year Our Country celebrates the Day of the Pacific Fleet. This is one of the oldest military units, which was created for defensive purposes back in tsarist times. How the holiday is celebrated in 2023, where it comes from and what are the traditions – says Healthy Food Near Me.
When is Pacific Fleet Day celebrated in 2023
It is a fixed-date holiday, like most other military-related holidays. It is celebrated annually in Our Country 21 May. Although the historical binding goes to May 10, according to the old style. But due to the translation of the calendar, the date has shifted.
History
In modern Our Country, the Day of the Pacific Fleet was established in 1996. The order was signed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy in July. By the way, other holidays of the Navy appear in the same document.
The date of the celebration is related to the events of 1731. Then, on May 10, the Senate ordered the creation of the Okhotsk military fleet and a military port in the Pacific Ocean. The thing is that these borders of the Empire then, and even now, are seriously removed from the center. However, the rulers saw them as a strategic interest.
Along with this, the peoples of Asia — the Japanese, the Chinese — got into the habit of attacking the Far East. To protect themselves from them, and at the same time to defend their trade interests, they created a fleet. Until the middle of the XNUMXth century, Okhotsk was not only the only naval bastion of the Empire, but also, in principle, our only port in those lands. Later it was relocated to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and only then to Nikolaevsk and further to Vladivostok.
Despite the year of foundation, the fleet took the first large-scale combat participation in the military conflict only in 1854, during the conflict with England and France. However, the subsequent history of the Pacific Fleet was not marked by brilliant victories. Remoteness spoke. The military suffered serious losses during the Russo-Japanese War at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. And then, by the beginning of the First World War, forces were transferred to more urgent fronts.
The fleet was revived in the Soviet years. In 1935, he received his current name – the Pacific Fleet.
Traditions
The ships of the Navy and the main base of the military unit – Vladivostok – become the center of the celebration of the Day of the Pacific Fleet. St. Andrew’s flags and flags of coloring are raised on ships – small colorful canvases. In military units and on ships, solemn formations of personnel are held. The best servicemen of the Pacific Fleet are celebrated and awarded.
One of the interesting traditions of the holiday is the yawl race. The winners receive the Pacific Fleet Commander’s Cup. Yal is, simply put, a boat with oars. Every sailor should be able to handle this. By the way, not only the crews of ships, but also submarines take part in the competition.
On the Day of the Pacific Fleet, servicemen put on full dress. At military events, an orchestra sounds. The culmination of the holiday is a solemn rally at the memorial of the Military Glory of the Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok. Flowers are laid at the Eternal Flame, and a service is held in the chapel nearby.
Interesting facts about the Pacific Fleet
- In military affairs, there is such a thing as a zone of responsibility. If we talk about the Navy, then these are those parts of the World Ocean that this or that fleet must patrol. So the ships of the Pacific Fleet are responsible for half of the oceans. This is equal to the sum of the areas of responsibility of other fleets.
- The forces of the fleet took part in the fight against Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and also participated in the military operation in Syria.
- In the modern history of Our Country, ships of the Pacific Fleet visited the ports of many countries, including India, China, the USA and a small state in Africa – Djibouti.
- Also, this military unit can be considered one of the most hospitable. The fleet base in Vladivostok was visited at different times by representatives of the naval forces of Peru, Korea, England, America and Australia.
- The flagship of this fleet is the Varyag missile cruiser, which was previously called the Chervona Ukraine. It was built in Ukrainian Nikolaev. In 2015, the ship received the honorary Order of Nakhimov – not only military personnel, but also ships can deserve the award.