Aurora, The

a Baltic fleet cruiser which became famous for its participation in the Great October Socialist Revolution. Entered service, 1903; displacement, 6,731 tons; speed, 20 knots; armaments, 8–152 mm, 24–75 mm, and 8–37 mm guns; crew, 578.

During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05, the Aurora participated in the Battle of Tsushima (1905). The Aurora was in Petrograd during the February Revolution; on Feb. 28 (Mar. 13), 1917, the crew rebelled and seized control of the ship. During the October armed uprising, on the night of Oct. 24 (Nov. 6), 1917, the Aurora moved up to the Nikolaevskii (now, the Lieutenant Shmidt) Bridge on orders of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee. A party from the Aurora, led by Commissar A. V. Belyshev, seized the bridge, thereby ensuring the passage of Red Guard detachments from Vasil’evskii Island to the center of the city. At 9:45 P.M. on Oct. 25 (Nov. 7), the Aurora gave the signal for the storming of the Winter Palace by firing’ a blank; a landing party from the Aurora participated directly in the armed uprising.

On Nov. 2, 1927, the Aurora was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for its revolutionary services, and on Nov. 17, 1948, it was permanently moored on the Neva as a monument to the Great October Socialist Revolution. It also serves as a training ship for the Leningrad Nakhimo Naval School. In 1957 a branch of the Central Naval Museum was created on the Aurora. On Feb. 22, 1968, the cruiser was awarded the Order of the October Revolution.