Baltic Fleet The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet – ( Дважды Краснознамённый Балтийский флот ) is the Russian Navy ' s presence in the Baltic Sea . In previous historical periods , it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union . The Fleet gained the ' Twice Red Banner ' appellation during the Soviet period , indicating two awards of the Order of the Red Banner . It is headquartered in Kaliningrad , with its main base in Baltiysk and another base at Kronshtadt , in the Gulf of Finland . Established 18 May 1703 , the Fleet is the oldest Russian Navy formation . Imperial Russia . The Imperial Russian Baltic Fleet was created during the Great Northern War at the initiative of Peter the Great , who ordered the first ships for the Baltic Fleet to be constructed at Lodeynoye Pole in 1702 and 1703 . The first commander was a Dutch admiral , Cornelius Cruys , who in 1723 was succeeded by Count Fyodor Apraksin . In 1703 , the main base of the fleet was established in Kronshtadt . One of the fleet ' s first actions was the taking of Shlisselburg . In 1701 Peter the Great established a special school , the School of Mathematics and Navigation ( Russian : Школа математических и навигацких наук ) , situated in the Sukharev Tower in Moscow . As St . Petersburg was built it was moved to St . Petersburg and in 1752 its was renamed the Naval Cadet Corps . Today it is the St . Petersburg Naval Institute – Peter the Great Naval Corps . The Baltic fleet began to receive new vessels in 1703 , the first vessel 24 - gun three - master frigate " Shtandart " is considered to be the leader of the fleet . By 1724 , the fleet boasted 141 sail warships and hundreds of oar - propelled ships . During the Great Northern War , the Baltic Fleet assisted in taking Viborg , Tallinn , Riga , the West Estonian archipelago ( Moonsund archipelago ) , Helsinki , and Turku . The first claimed victories of the Russian Navy were the Gangut ( Swedish : Hangöudd ) in 1714 and , arguably , the Grengam ( Swedish : Ledsund ) in 1720 . From 1715 , the Royal Navy intervened in the Baltic Sea on behalf of Hanover and more or less in a tacit alliance with Russia . During the concluding stages of the war , the Russian fleet would land troops along the Swedish coast to devastate coastal settlements . However , after the death of Charles XII , the Royal Navy would rather protect Swedish interests after a rapprochement between Sweden and George I . A Russian attempt to reach Stockholm was checked at the Battle of Stäket in 1719 . The losses suffered by the Russian Navy at the Grengam in 1720 , as well as the arrival of a Royal Navy squadron under admiral John Norris , also prevented further operations of any greater scale before the war ended in 1721 . During the Seven Years ' War , the Russian Baltic Sea fleet was active on the Pomeranian coast , helping the infantry to take Memel in 1757 and Kolberg in 1761 . The Oresund was blockaded in order to prevent the British Navy from entering the Baltic sea . During Catherine II ' s Swedish War the fleet , commanded by Samuel Greig , checked the Swedes at Hogland ( 1788 ) and the Viborg ( 1790 ) . An impetuous Russian attack on the Swedish galley flotilla on 9 July 1790 at the Second Battle of Svensksund resulted in a disaster for the Russian Navy who lost some 9 , 500 out of 14 , 000 men and about one third of their flotilla . The Russian defeat in this battle effectively ended the war . During the Russo - Turkish Wars the fleet sailed into the Mediterranean and destroyed the Ottoman Navy at Chesma ( 1770 ) , the Dardanelles ( 1807 ) , the Athos ( 1807 ) , and the Navarino ( 1827 ) . At about the same time , Ivan Krusenstern circumnavigated the globe , while another Baltic Fleet officer — Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen — discovered Antarctica . In the Crimean War , the fleet – although stymied in its operations by the absence of steamships – prevented the Allies from occupying Hangö , Sveaborg , and Saint Petersburg . Despite being greatly outnumbered by the technologically superior Allies , it was the Russian Fleet that introduced into naval warfare such novelties as torpedo mines , invented by Boris Yakobi . Other outstanding inventors who served in the Baltic Fleet were Alexander Stepanovich Popov ( who was the first to demonstrate the practical application of electromagnetic ( radio ) waves ) , Stepan Makarov ( the first to launch torpedo es from a boat ) , Alexei Krylov ( author of the modern ship floodability theory ) , and Alexander Mozhaiski ( co - inventor of aircraft ) . Age of iron . As early as 1861 , first armor - clad ships were built for the Baltic Fleet . In 1863 , during the American Civil War , most of the fleet ' s ocean - going ships , including the flagship " Alexander Nevsky " were sent to New York . At the same time ten " Uragan " - class monitor s based on an American design were launched . In 1869 the fleet commissioned the first turret battleship in the world – " Petr Veliky " . Furthermore , in the second half of the 19th and early 20th century a strong network of coastal artillery batteries was created to cover the approaches to St . Petersburg , Riga , and other important bases . The Baltic Fleet took a prominent part in the Russo - Japanese War . In September 1904 , a squadron under the command of Admiral Zinovy Rozhestvensky was sent around Africa – stopping in French , German and Portuguese colonial ports Tangier , Dakar , Gabon , Baía dos Tigres , Angra Pequeña , and Nossi Be ( Madagascar ) , then across the Indian Ocean to Cam Ranh Bay in French Indochina and then northward to its doomed encounter with the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Tsushima . The German Hamburg - Amerika Line provided 60 colliers to supply the Baltic Fleet on its epic journey . During its passage through the North Sea the fleet mistook a fleet of British fishing boats for Japanese torpedo boats and opened fire , killing three sailors in what is known as the Dogger Bank incident . The decision to send the fleet to the Pacific was made after Russia had suffered a string of defeats at the hands of the Japanese Army in Manchuria . This historic naval battle broke Russian strength in East Asia and set the stage for the unsuccessful Russian Revolution of 1905 , which began the decline that would see the monarchy brought down in 1917 . World War I . Following the catastrophic losses in battleships during the Russo - Japanese war , Russia embarked on a new naval building program which was to incorporate a number of the most modern dreadnought - type battleship s into the fleet . In late 1914 , four dreadnoughts of the " Gangut " class entered service with the fleet : ; ; ; and . Four more powerful battlecruisers of the " Borodino " class were under construction , but were never completed . The Fleet ' s main operation during World War I was the Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet ( 1918 ) , led by Alexander Zelenoy . However , on the whole the heavy units of the fleet remained in port during the war , as the German superiority in battleships was overwhelming . The Imperial Russian Navy ' s Baltic fleet included a submarine division that had about 30 subs of several classes and various auxiliary vessels , the largest of which were the transport and mother ships " Europa " , " Tosno " , " Khabarovsk " , " Oland " and " Svjatitel Nikolai " . Some of the Fleet ' s 355 - ton submarines were made by Electric Boat Co . of the United States . Five of these AG ( Holland ) class submarines were prefabricated by British Pacific Engineering & Construction Company at Barnet ( near Vancouver ) , British Columbia , under contract to the Electric Boat Company . These Canadian built subs were shipped to Russia in December 1915 . , Four of these submarines , AG 11 , AG 12 , AG 15 and AG 16 were scuttled in the harbour of Hanko on 3 April 1918 , just before the 10 , 000 - strong German Baltic Sea Division landed in support of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War . During the war the fleet was aided by a detachment of British submarines . These subs were scuttled by their crews near the Harmaja lighthouse outside Helsinki on 4 April 1918 . Soviet era . During the October Revolution the sailors of the Baltic Fleet ( renamed " Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea " in March 1918 ) were among the most ardent supporters of Bolsheviks , and formed an elite among Red military forces . Some ships of the fleet took part in the Russian Civil War , notably by clashing with the British navy operating in the Baltic as part of intervention forces . Over the years , however , the relations of the Baltic Fleet sailors with the Bolshevik regime soured , and they eventually rebelled against the Soviet government in the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921 , but were defeated . The Fleet , renamed the Red - Banner Baltic Fleet on 11 January 1935 , was developed further during the Soviet years , initially relying on tsarist warships , but adding modern units built in Soviet yards from 1930s onwards . Among the Fleet ' s Soviet commanders were Gordey Levchenko in 1938 – 39 and Arseniy Golovko in 1952 – 56 . Ships and submarines commissioned to the fleet included Soviet submarine " M - 256 " , a Project 615 short - range attack diesel submarine of the Soviet Navy . The fleet also acquired a large number of ground - based aircraft to form a strong naval aviation force . In September 1939 , the fleet threatened the Baltic states as part of a series of military actions staged to encourage the Baltics to accept Soviet offers of " mutual assistance . " Subsequently , in June 1940 , the fleet blockaded the Baltics in support of the Soviet invasion . Winter War . Finland , which had refused to sign a " pact of mutual assistance " , was attacked by the USSR . The fleet played a limited role in the Winter War with Finland in 1939 – 1940 , mostly through conducting artillery bombardments of Finnish coastal fortifications . Many fleet aircraft were involved in operations against Finland , however . Its operations came to a close with the freezing of the Gulf of Finland during the exceptionally cold winter of that year . World War II . In the beginning of the German invasion the Baltic Fleet had 2 battleship s , 2 cruiser s , 2 flotilla leader s , 19 destroyer s , 48 MTB s , 65 submarine s and other ships , and 656 aircraft . During the war the Fleet , commanded by the Vice - Admiral Vladimir Tributz , defended the Hanko Peninsula , Tallinn , several islands in Estonian SSR , participated in the break through breach of the Siege of Leningrad , etc . 137 sailors of the Baltic Fleet were awarded a title of the Hero of the Soviet Union . However , for most of the war the fleet was trapped by German and Finnish minefields in Leningrad and nearby Kronstadt , the only bases left in Soviet hands on the Baltic coast . Another key factor was that the Finns had recaptured outer islands of the Gulf of Finland , Suursaari being the most important of them . Many of the fleet sailors fought on land as infantry during the siege . Only submarines could risk the passage into the open sea to strike at German shipping . They were particularly successful towards the end of the war , sinking ships like Wilhelm Gustloff , Steuben and Goya , causing great loss of life . The Fleet carried out the Soviet evacuation of Tallinn in late August 1941 . See also Baltic Sea Campaigns ( 1939 - 1945 ) for more details . Cold War . During the Immediate post - war period the importance of the Red - Banner Baltic Fleet increased despite the Baltic being a shallow sea with the exits easily becoming choke points by other countries . The Baltic Fleet was increased to two Fleets , the 4th Red - Banner Baltic Fleet and the 8th Red - Banner Baltic Fleet on 15 February 1946 . However during the post - Stalinist period and general reforms and downsizing in the Soviet Armed Forces the two fleets of the Baltic were again reduced , with many vessels , some built before the Revolution , were scrapped , and the Fleet was again renamed Red - Banner Baltic Fleet on 24 December 1955 . In Liepāja the Baltic Fleet ' s 14th submarine squadron , call sign " Kompleks " ( " Комплекс " ) was stationed with 16 submarines ( 613 , 629a , 651 ) ; as was the 6th group of rear supply of Baltic Fleet , and the 81st design bureau and reserve command center of the same force . Far from being reduced in importance , operations of the Red - Banner Baltic Fleet during the early - Cold War period earned it a great amount of prestige and profile , with the second awarding of the Order of Red Banner being presented on 7 May 1965 when the Fleet was again renamed to Twice Red - Banner Baltic Fleet . Although the Soviet Union poured resources into building up the Northern Fleet and the Pacific Fleet , both of which had easy access to the open ocean , the Twice Red - Banner Baltic Fleet assumed the very important position of supporting the northern flank of the European Theatre in case of a confrontation with NATO . This role was under - rated from the blue water navies perspective , but was seen as a highly valuable one from the strategic perspective of the Soviet General Staff planning . The Twice Red - Banner Baltic Fleet remained a powerful force , which in the event of war was tasked with conducting amphibious assaults against the coast of Denmark and Germany , in cooperation with allied Polish and East German naval forces . A notable incident involving the fleet occurred in 1975 when a mutiny broke out on the frigate " Storozhevoy " . There were also numerous allegations by Sweden of Baltic Fleet submarines illegally penetrating its territorial waters . In October , 1981 the Soviet Whiskey - class submarine " U 137 " ran aground in Swedish territorial waters , near the important naval base of Karlskrona , causing a serious diplomatic incident . Swedish naval vessels pulled the submarine into deeper water and permitted it to return to the Soviet fleet in early November . Under the Russian Federation . The breakup of the Soviet Union deprived the Fleet of key bases in Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania , leaving Kaliningrad Oblast as the Fleet ' s only ice - free naval outlet to the Baltic Sea . However , the Kaliningrad Oblast between Poland and Lithuania is not contiguous with the rest of the national territory of the Russian Federation . In the late 1990s the 336th Independent Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and the remnant of the 11th Guards Army of the Baltic Military District were subordinated to a single command named the Ground and Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet under a deputy fleet commander . The 11th Guards Army remnant included the 7th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade and 18th Guards Motor Rifle Division , plus several Bases for Storage of Weapons and Equipment , holding enough vehicles and weaponry for a division but only having a few hundred men assigned to maintain the equipment and guard the bases . warfare . be listings in 2013 report that the staff of the Ground and Coastal Defence Forces of the Fleet may have been disbanded in November 2007 . The fleet ' s aviation units were equipped with a total of 23 Su - 27 , 26 Su - 24 , 14 An - 12 / 24 / 26 , 2 An - 12 Cub ( MR / EW ) , 11 Mi - 24 Hind , 19 Ka - 28 Helix , 8 Ka - 29 Helix assault helicopters , and 17 Mi - 8 Hip transport helicopters in 2007 , according to the IISS . As of 2008 the Baltic Fleet included about 75 combat ships of various types . The main bases is in Baltiysk and a second operational base is in Kronstadt . The Leningrad Naval Base is an administrative entity that is not a discrete geographic location but comprises all of the naval institutions and facilities in the St . Petersburg area . It should be noted that the assignment of the 106th Small Missile Ship Battalion is disputed ; warfare . be places it under the 64th Naval Region Protection Brigade , while Holm , probably working from older sources , places it under the 36th Missile Ship Brigade . Operational forces include : 12th Surface ship Division Leningrad Naval Base Baltyysk Naval Base Ships whose unit allocation is not precisely known Naval Aviation ( 2007 ) : Ground and Coastal Forces of the Baltic Fleet