The Standart

[Mike]

I wouldn't call them aristocrats, although some of the officers were indeed such. But most of them were what in England would be classified as gentry - not necessarily rich and/or belonging to the "high society". Actually some of them possessed no land or other property and lived on their officer salaries, so that the emperor or empress privately aided them to meet the expensive social obligations expected of the Guards Equipage officers.

[blessOTMA]

Interesting and it's in keeping with the fact that officers were the wounded at the family's hospitals

[Vive_HIH_Aleksey]

That's very interesting Mike! So it wouldn't be unrealistic at all to have a young officer in his '20s, perhaps, on the Standart, who was not of noble birth, perhaps supported his parents and sister? Another officer I have in mind could definitely be an aristocrat, who was a hero in the Russo-Japanese War (I know it was a disaster but I have in mind that he saved the lives of several of his fellow sailors during a battle). What do you think, is this realistic at all? See, I asked questions like these in Writer's Circle and never got any answers, so I wasn't sure where else to ask.

[Mike]

You should learn more about Russian nobility in order to realize that it was indeed a privileged class, but most of its members were neither rich nor well-connected. It wasn't unusual for a young noble to serve as a petty official at some provincial office and to live on a miserable salary, or upon graduating from an officer school to be posted somewhere in the middle of nowhere and to count every penny. On the other hand, there were immensely wealthy nobles befriended by the members of the imperial family, owning grand palaces and luxirious yachts. But the official status of the former and the latter was exactly the same: hereditary nobility. 

[Vive_HIH_Aleksey]

Thanks Mike! What better place to find out such information than here, huh? That's very helpful and facinating! With that information, I can have my characters be from noble families and still be relatively poor compared to other families.

[blessOTMA]

Photos of activities on the Standart...the most interesting imo is the last one
showing the yacht lite up at night and out lined with electric lights

 

[Kalafrana]

Hello Aleksey

Bear in mind that in Russia, as in the rest of continental Europe, but unlike Britain, all the sons of say, a Count, were Counts, their sons were Counts, and so on. According to another thread, there were, for example, about 150 Princes Golitsyn. So you could quite easily have a young Count X, with title and splendid ancestry, but not much money, and distinctly worried about being posted to the Standart because of all the expense.

In Britain, by contrast, only the eldest son inherits. So, the 7th Duke of Marlborough had two sons. The elder became the 8th Duke, the second was Lord Randolph Churchill, whose elder son was simply Mr Winston Churchill (though he was, for a time, the 8th Duke's heir between the death of Lord Randolph and the birth of the future 9th Duke).

Ann

[Vive_HIH_Aleksey]

That works out very well, Ann! Thankfully since the bulk of my story takes place in 2007, I only need to mention such details in passing, if at all, but they are extremely helpful!

Now that NaNoWriMo is over I am FREE!!!!!!!!! (excute the caps and extra exclamation points!) I am free to clean up what I have done so far, rewrite, and most importantly, add to my novel so that I can actually finish this thing! I plan on letting it go until January, and then I will work on it. I'm looking forward to it turning out much better than it did.

[Douglas]

Photos of activities on the Standart...the most interesting imo is the last one
showing the yacht lite up at night and out lined with electric lights

 

I've never seen these before.   Thanks for posting....most appreciated.

[Douglas]

The Standart hit some rocks and was stranded.  All of the Imperial passengers had to be transferred to other nearby ships and yachts.  Here is a photo of the work to free the yacht from the rocks.....August 29, 1907

In 1907, an unfortunate incident took place that was later known as "the wreck of the Standart." The incident occurred on a fine day in the Finnish fjords when all of a sudden the Imperial yacht was shaken by a jolt at a moment when there was not the slightest reason for expecting anything of the sort. Immediately afterwards the yacht was heeled over. It was impossible to tell what might be coming next. The Empress rushed over to her children. She found them all expect the Tsarevich, who was nowhere to be seen. The anguish of the two parents may only be imagined; they were both beside themselves. It proved impossible to move the yacht. Motor-boats started off towards her from every direction.

The Emperor hurried up and down the yacht, and gave the order for everybody to go in search of the Tsarevich. It was only after some time that he was discovered safe and sound. At the first alarm his diadka, Derevenko, took him in his arms and very sensibly rushed to the "hawse-pipes," since they offered the best chance of saving the boy if the vessel should be a total loss.

The panic subsided, and all onboard descended into the boats. An inquiry followed. The whole responsibility fell on the pilot, an old Finnish sea-dog, who was in charge of the navigation of the vessel at the moment of the disaster. Charts were hurriedly consulted and showed beyond any possible question that the rock on which the yacht had grounded was entirely uncharted.

There remained His Majesty's Flag Captain, who was responsible in principle for the safety of the Imperial Family. At the time of the accident the post was held by Admiral Nilov, the only master, under God, of the fate of the yacht.

He was in such a state of mind after the accident that the Tsar felt bound to go to him in his cabin. Entering without knocking, the Tsar saw the Admiral bending over a chart, with a revolver in his hand. The Emperor tried to calm him. He reminded the Admiral that under naval regulations he would have to go before a court of inquiry, but, the Tsar added, there could be not a shadow of doubt that he would be acquitted, for the accident was entirely unforseeable. The Tsar carried away the Admiral's revolver.

[blessOTMA]

fascinating post Douglas, thanks!

nice size photos ....click on the photo to make it larger

Grand Duchess in the back ground. I wonder if that's Swedish naval officer?

http://samoderzhavnaya.ru/media/illustrations/virolahti/big/shvedskiy_korol.jpg


http://samoderzhavnaya.ru/media/illustrations/virolahti/big/gosudar_arsenyev.jpg

[nena]

According to the label, there is Swedish King in the photo. (?).

[blessOTMA]

nena, do they mean the 2nd photo? That seems quite a grand occasion, but military in nature....however the King could be the man boarding the first one. I have seen that white cap on Swedish people, so it could be him! Is Count Grabbe in the 2nd one? ( to the left)

[aleksandr pavlovich]

nena, do they mean the 2nd photo? That seems quite a grand occasion, but military in nature....however the King could be the man boarding the first one. I have seen that white cap on Swedish people, so it could be him! Is Count Grabbe in the 2nd one? ( to the left)

  IMO, the white-capped Swedish royal boarding is the future (became king December 8, 1907) Gustaf V of Sweden.  In the second photo, and I gladly stand to be corrected, the much-decorated older individual meeting the Emperor Nicholas II is the then currently reigning King Oscar II of Sweden (died December 8, 1907).      Regards,  AP.

[Mike]

On the first photo, Gustav V wears Russian naval uniform as a token of respect to his Russian hosts.