The squadron battleship Emperor Alexander II

On July 14 (26), 1887, a ship was launched into the water, which became the second battleship of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Empire. In June 1891, the ship, named the "Emperor Alexander II" entered into operation.
In 1895, the battleship participated in the celebrations for the opening of the Kil canal, and in the summer of 1896 the ship became part of the Mediterranean squadron of the Russian Imperial Fleet. Over the five years of being in the Mediterranean squadron, the battleship passed more than 30,000 miles, most of the time being the flagship of the squadron.
In 1909, the ship had been an examination and, in view of its hopeless obsolescence for 22 years, the deadline for the service of 1917 was established for him, but two revolutions made their adjustments. On May 7, 1917, by the decision of the Ship Committee, the ship changed the name to the “Dawn of Freedom”, and on October 25, the ship stood opposite the Ligovka railway station, having the task of not missing the junkers to Petrograd.
Built in the reign of Alexander III, this ship laid the foundation for a twenty -year -old shipbuilding program, so necessary for the fortified Russian Empire - it also became the last ship of this program that left the system. Having lived for more than 30 years, the ship became a witness and a direct participant in the cataclysms who had overcome the Russian Empire, which she could not survive