# Russian Volunteer Fleet



## fishjay (Jun 11, 2008)

Is there someone on the board who can shed some light on this for me? While browsing "Ships of Our Ancestors" I came across two passenger ship photos (Vladamir and Smolensk) that were owned/operated by the *Russian Volunteer **Fleet*. I have never heard of this fleet. Did they operate passenger ships only? Did they also operate cargo ships? What size was the fleet? Any enlightenment greatly appreciated!

Are there photos of ships other than the two mentioned above in existence?

Lester (Fishjay)


----------



## benjidog (Oct 27, 2005)

Check out TheShipsList which has a brief history here: http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/russianv.html

Also do a Google search on Russian Volunteer Fleet and you will get a lot of hits


----------



## Bruce Carson (Jun 14, 2005)

Both ships were built on the Clyde, the 'Vladimir' (5,621GT, 432' x 49', twin screw, 3exp, 12 1/2 knots) by Wm. Denny & Bros. at Dumbarton and the 'Smolensk' (7,270GT, 487' x 58', twin screw, 3exp, 16 knots, 50 1st, 36 2nd and about 1,500 steerage passengers on the Liepaja-New York service) by J & G Thomson at Clydebank.
The company's transatlantic service was short lived as a parallel route had been inaugurated about the same time by the Russian East Asiatic Steamship Company (The Russian American Line) and there was not enough business for both to survive.


----------



## fishjay (Jun 11, 2008)

Bruce,

Were all of the Volunteer Fleet ships British built?

Lester (Fishjay)


----------



## Bruce Carson (Jun 14, 2005)

No, they came from a variety of sources.
The 'Moskva', which I think was their largest liner at 8.400GT, was the former HAPAG 'Furst Bismarck', built in 1890 by Vulkan at Stettin.

Bruce


----------



## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

The Russian Volunteer Fleet Association was founded in St Petersburg in 1878. The initial working capital of the organisation was subscribed on a “volunteer” basis by the Russian people as a patriotic gesture to enable a fleet of passenger ships to be acquired that would be capable of being converted into auxiliary cruisers to augment the Russian Navy in times of war. Sufficient money was raised to buy three steamers from Hamburg America Line, with a fourth being purchased a year later. From 1880 the vessels were employed on a service from Odessa in the Black Sea to Vladivostok in the Far East. Despite a large Russian Government subsidy per voyage the service was unable to pay its way and in a major reorganisation in 1886 RVF was placed under the supervision of the Minister of Marine.

Between 1890 and 1902, 15 newly built ships were added to the fleet, including six fast passenger ships, five of which were built by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn-on-Tyne. The RVF went through difficult times during the Russian-Japanese War and World War I, but after the October Revolution in 1917 and the signing of the treaty of Brest Litovsk by the Bolshevik Government and the Central Powers many of the RVF ships were seized by the Allies. Britain took over 11 ships and placed them under the management of Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. The ships were painted in RMSP colours and operated by a separate organisation called The Government Ship Management Department. In 1923 the USSR petitioned the British Courts for the return of the vessels and won their claim, but writs for unpaid bills were served on all of the ships and they were arrested. Most of the vessels never returned to Russia.

Fred(Thumb)


----------



## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

Bruce Carson said:


> Both ships were built on the Clyde, the 'Vladimir' (5,621GT, 432' x 49', twin screw, 3exp, 12 1/2 knots) by Wm. Denny & Bros. at Dumbarton and the 'Smolensk' (7,270GT, 487' x 58', twin screw, 3exp, 16 knots, 50 1st, 36 2nd and about 1,500 steerage passengers on the Liepaja-New York service) by J & G Thomson at Clydebank.
> The company's transatlantic service was short lived as a parallel route had been inaugurated about the same time by the Russian East Asiatic Steamship Company (The Russian American Line) and there was not enough business for both to survive.


Bruce

Smolensk was built on the Tyne by my old company Hawthorn Leslie in 1901 as their Ship Number 374. A little before my time in the shipyard!(Jester) 

Fred(Thumb)


----------



## Bruce Carson (Jun 14, 2005)

OOOOOOOOps
Passenger Ships of the World (Eugene Smith) credits the 'Smolensk' to Thomson, but Bonsor names Hawthorne Leslie as the builder.
Thanks for the correction, Fred.

Bruce


----------



## Chouan (Apr 20, 2006)

Some of their ships acheived notoriety during the Russo-Japanese War for stopping Bitish ships at sea and attempting arrest them.


----------



## JacquesL (Jul 8, 2013)

Hello. I'm French, my name is Jacques and I'm new in this forum. I'm researching the life of my grand-father, Leonid Vassilieff, born in Saint-Petersburg in 1906. As a White Russian refugee and even if he was only 13, he was admitted to work on one of the Russian Volunteer Fleet's ships in 1919-1920. He was then rescued by the British authorities and sent with the Russian (Don) Cadet Corps in Egypt (Ismailia) and Constantinople (Turkey). He eventually emigrated to France in 1923. He died in 1960. Would anybody know where I could get information about the Russian Volunteer Fleet or Russian sailors rescued by the Royal Navy at that time in (I presume) the Black Sea? 
Have a nice evening.
Jacques


----------

