Red Star #922702 for an award officer

[Egorka]

Hello,
This is an interesting award, I think. One of those small phaleristic peculiarities. 
The veteran: Captain of army service corps KALIN Dmitry Aleksandrovich, 1897. 
His whole military career in the Navy was as a clerk in service corps.  
The order itself is just a long service one and not for an outstanding field action. All his 3 orders are long service ones: Red Star #922702, Red Banner #164245, Lenin order #120941. 
Nonetheless, there are a couple of interesting facts about the veteran. 

 

Firstly, it was bestowed upon an "award officer" of the White Sea flotilla officer corps personnel department. I think it is interesting to have an award for a Navy officer responsible for award process for other officers. 

Another interesting fact is that according to his service record, he participated in the "Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet" in March-April 1918. This was an operation in which Rissian/Soviet Baltic Navy escaped capture by German troops in the ports of Tallinn and Helsinki. 

The operation was conducted in the Spring, when the Baltic was still packed with ice, so an ice breaker had to lead the convoys. 

KALIN served on the ship "Krechet". It was a special ship - the floating HQ of the Baltic Fleet Commander. 
This means KALIN departed from Helsinki on 11 April on the HQ ship "Krechet" together with the Commander of the Baltic Navy Alexey Schastny. Commanders fate was tragic - he was arrested shortly after his arrival to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and sentenced to death for anti-reolutionary charges. 

"Krechet" (ex-"Polaris") was originally UK-built cargo-passenger ship (2280 brt, built in 1899). First was a civil passenger ship in Finland. Later floating HQ of Russian Baltic Navy. After the WWI was moved to Far East as cargo ship. The fate of the ship: it was sunk in December 1941 in the battle for Hong Kong (three other Soviet cargo ships damaged and captured by Japanese).

 

 

[Paul R]

Very interesting story.  This is why I love Soviet awards so much.  Regarding the award itself, any order to a naval member is rare and should be treasured as a rarity.