Stark in Swedish means "strong."
Yuri Karlovich Stark was born in St. Petersburg, October 20, 1878, of Swedish/Finnish stock. His ancestors played an integral part in the development of the Russian Imperial Navy. Peter The Great's progressive movement included establishing a great naval force. Yuri Karlovich Stark followed his ancestral footsteps.
Upon completion of the Naval Cadet Training School in St Petersburg, he received his first commission on the cruiser "Aurora." His naval career took him to many places including the Far East waters. He survived the tragic "Siberian Ice" Campaign of 1920-1921. He was rescued and miraculously rehabilitated by the medical treatment he received in Harbin. In time, he chose to retire in Harbin.
In 1922, the Bolsheviks were making great strides to overcome the existing Russian government, causing great unrest. Civilians were fleeing the country. Admiral Yuri Stark came out of retirement to be in charge of the "Siberian Flotilla" to offer support to the thousands of fleeing civilians.
On October 23, 1922, with several thousand refugees aboard 23 less-than sea-worthy vessels, the Siberian Flotilla set sail out of the Golden Horn Bay, Vladivostok, to an unknown future. Admiral Stark and many of his passengers will never see Russia again.
Credit: Russian Historical Society of Australia
I'm so glad to have found your blog! My grandfather was one of the young Russian Navy sailors on this ship - he was a photographer as well - I have an old album with his pictures of life in the Russian Navy, living in Manila, and his time on the Merritt making his way to the US. Thank you for putting this resource together!
ReplyDeleteHi. Great to hear from you! Getting material for the blog has been challenging, the original passengers are gone, plus many of the progeny are not interested. I have a copy of the ship's manifest. Would you be willing to share your grand-father's name? For privacy, feel free to use my e-mail ... eugeniabailey(at)att.net Look forward to hearing from you. Eugenia Bailey
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