Vladivostok Honours Memory of "Varyag" Seamen

Students of the Vladivostok Marine University have held a solemn ceremony to commemorate Russian seamen killed in the Russian-Japanese battle of 1904. At the end of January they went on a circumnavigation in a training sailing vessel, Nadezhda. When the ship entered the Tsushima strait, where on February 9th, 1904, the Russian Varyag cruiser outmanned by the Japanese squadron accepted an uneven battle, the students floated off a wreath with a lit candle. The captain rendered a ship's siren salute to the memory of the Tsushima heroes.

The feat of the seamen from the Varyag cruiser has gone down to the history of the Russian navy. As the cruiser crew was definitely outmanned by the enemy they decided not to surrender, but to sink the ship and die. This event happened at the beginning of the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905.

The training ship, Nadezhda, is currently heading for Singapore. Its circumnavigation is to last for over a year. During this time the Vladivostok students intend to visit about twenty ports.