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Bolshevik Revolution warship Aurora returns to St. Petersburg

Published 1:30 am Saturday, July 16, 2016

Bolshevik Revolution warship Aurora returns to St. Petersburg
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Bolshevik Revolution warship Aurora returns to St. Petersburg
Tug boats tow the Aurora Cruiser past the Winter Palace along the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia, early Saturday, July 16, 2016. The cruiser Aurora, which fired the shot that announced the start of the Bolshevik Revolution, was pulled by tugboats up the Neva River early Saturday to return to its mooring in St. Petersburg after nearly two years of repair work. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — The cruiser Aurora, which fired the shot that announced the start of Russia’s 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, has returned to its mooring in St. Petersburg after nearly two years of repair work.

The 116-year-old ship was pulled by tugboats up the Neva River early Saturday, watched by thousands of people along the river’s embankments. It had been undergoing work at the Kronstadt naval yard in the Gulf of Finland.

The ship, now a museum, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in St. Petersburg.

A blank shot fired from one of the Aurora’s cannons on Nov. 7, 1917, signaled the start of the storming of the Winter Palace, which forced the Russian government to capitulate several hours later.

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