Wrangel's fleet


Wrangel's Fleet was the last remnant of the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy and existed from 1920 until 1924. This squadron was a "White" unit during the Russian Civil War. It was known also as the Russian Squadron.

History

In 1920 the last remnants of the former Denikin's forces were confined to the Crimean Peninsula and commanded by Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel. In November 1920 the Bolsheviks captured the White position and the White forces evacuated to Turkey. The fleet was re-organised under the command of Rear Admiral Mikhail Alexandrovich Kedrov and was granted asylum by the French. The fleet moved to Bizerte in Tunisia by February 1921 and was interned there under the command of Rear Admiral Mikhail Berens. As well as the crews of the ships, the Russian community included 4,500 civilian refugees.
The French government recognized the Soviet Union in 1924 and gave ownership of the ships to the Soviets. A technical commission directed by Alexei Krylov arrived in Bizerte in December and found the warships unrepairable. The ships were sold as scrap metal by the Soviet government in Bizerte. Many of the sailors of the fleet settled in France as White Emigres.

Composition of the Russian Squadron