Memories of Artūrs Ozols about the ship "Saratov"

"The government acknowledged the need for a floating vehicle in order for the government to have a ship to handle, perhaps to transfer troops to Ventspils. From a strategic point of view, the military considered it necessary and also from a moral point of view, so that if everything collapsed and our new army - unarmed, untrained, which retreated from Riga to Jelgava, from Jelgava through Kurzeme in the direction of Liepaja - at least provided. In the worst case scenario, we would be boarded and we would have the opportunity to retreat. As Brother Markus, who was at the front, later told me, this awareness gave new impetus to the fighters on the front. It was necessary to look for the ship, but when it looked, there was no ship. There was only one, "Saratov", who fell to the side. As a sailor myself, I wanted to orient myself in my specialty and went to "Saratov" to see what was really there. On the ship I met the firebox as the only person, the engine room was full of water, only one boiler with a little pressure. I asked why the water in the engine room is not pumped out.

"It's not my thing, I don't want to do anything positive for the Germans."

"We Latvians need a ship."

"Oh, that's another thing."

"Saratov" was the only ship that could be at the disposal of the Provisional Government, but it must be in the hands of the owner. It turns out that it belongs to the Russian evening shipping company, sails under the Russian flag, the captain is Remess, a Latvian who has been there all along. How do we get it at our disposal, where there is German power all around and we have no say?

I went to Zālītis and said that we could mobilize and alienate Saratov. This put the ship at the disposal of the Interim Government. I don't know why the Germans did not protest. It seems to me that, a few weeks later, that act would no longer have succeeded. The Germans had already organized themselves against the Provisional Government and would not have allowed her to do so. Well, the ship had to be put in order and repaired. I was in trouble: without the person in front of the ship, I couldn't get anyone to help me. The work was against the Provisional Government, as it had to fight not only against the Germans, but also against Latvian labor. I didn't get a helper for a long time until a Neighbor came. The two of us put the ship in order, but there was a lot of work to be done. Then I was called to headquarters.

"Mr. Oak, you have to go to sea in the morning."

"But I only have one pot."

"Make sure you can go to sea. There is an English squadron, from which you will take over 5,000 rifles, hundreds of thousands of projectiles, 50 self-propelled guns. The British do not want to enter here so that there is no conflict with the Germans; jurms has to go there. ''

At the end of January, we moved slowly with one boiler, but we got out very well. We boarded one of the English warships and the transhipment began in the dark. We also got things that had not been seen in Liepaja for a long time. The English were very kind, there was a lot of fraternity. I had to know about the boiler and at the same time go upstairs as an interpreter, because there was no one who knew English and could tell the guys the instructor taught me how to handle new self-propelled guns that we hadn't even seen. When everything was settled, we drove back to Liepaja with one boiler and an expensive charge. The rifles had to be assembled in order to shoot, people had to be hired, but there was no money. They must also be delivered to the front where they are needed. We must look for workers who will not harm our cause. That was the environment in Liepaja at that time. ”

Who was Artūrs Ozols

Artūrs Ozols had graduated from the Riga Polytechnic and as a naval officer (engineer) and engineer in the Russian Black Sea Fleet, he served on the warship Panteleimon.

He was elected to the Constituent Assembly and then to Edinburgh, Scotland, as an expert in overseeing the construction of our first icebreaker, Krišjānis Valdemārs. For many years he was director of the Maritime Department.