The St. Petersburg Naval Cadets hold the flag of the Russian Imperial Navy in the Grand Ducal Mausoleum of the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg.
On Wednesday, May 11/24 in St. Petersburg, HIH the Grand Duke and Tsesarevich George Mikhailovich of Russia commemorated the name day of his august Great-Grandfather, Emperor-in-Exile Kirill I Wladmirovich of Russia. The Grand Duke was in Russia on an official visit, and was on his way to Moscow to celebrate the Feast of the Ascension at the invitation of Patriarch Kirill,
Grand Duke and Emperor in Exile Krill was born 13 October, 1876 at Tsarskoye Selo, the oldest son of Grand Duke Wladimir Alexandovich and his wife, the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. His happy childhood came to an end in 1892, when, at the age of 16, he finished his education, and went to sea as a member of the Russian Imperial Navy. After graduating from the Corps of the Sea Cadets and the Nikolaevsky Naval Academy, on 1 January 1904, Kirill was promoted to Chief of Staff of the Russian Imperial Fleet. With the start of the Russo-Japanese war, he was assigned to serve as First Officer on the battleship Petropavlovsk, but the ship was blown up at Port Arthur in 1904. The Grand Duke was given a hero's discharge and the date of his miraculous survival was added to the list of commemorations on the Court Calendar.
Because of the naval connections of the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, a Naval Escort was present at the pannikhida (memorial service), and the Tsesarevich and Grand Duke presented several awards on behalf of his mother, the Head of the Russian Imperial House, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna. The Grand Duke Awarded the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (established by Grand Duke Krill in exile) to several young naval cadets.
