100th anniversary of first Russian submarine's wreck marked in St. Petersburg

The crew of the first Russian submarine Delfin (Dolphin) will be commemorated in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

Wreaths will be laid, a mourning service will be held, and guards of honor and an orchestra will march at the Smolenskoye Orthodox cemetery in St. Petersburg, said the press service of the St. Petersburg Submariners Club of the Russian Navy.

Delfin was the first battle submarine built at the Baltic shipyard in St. Petersburg in 1903. The submarine was used to train officers and sailors.

On June 29, 1904 the submarine sank during the test diving by the wall of the Baltic shipyard. The captain and 24 crewmen were killed. Twelve men were rescued. It was the first submarine catastrophe in Russia.

Later the Delfin submarine was lifted and reconstructed. It was included in the Siberian flotilla and took part in the Russian-Japanese War (1904-1905). The submarine served the Russian Navy until 1917.