Standart | Romanov Family Photo Albums | No 4

The Standart was an Imperial Russian yacht serving Emperor Nicholas II and his family, being in her time -late 19th/early 20th century- the largest Imperial Yacht afloat. The correct pronunciation of the yacht is Shtandart (Штандарт) and it was built by order of Emperor Alexander III of Russia, and constructed at the Danish shipyard of “Burmeister & Wain”, beginning in 1893. She was launched on 21 March 1895 and came into service early September 1896. The yacht was manned and operated by a crew from the Russian Imperial Navy. During the reign of Nicholas II, Standart was commanded by a naval Captain, although the official commander was a Rear Admiral. Her commander in 1914 was Nikolai Pavlovich Sablin. In 1907, Standart ran aground on an uncharted rock off the Finnish coast. Although damaged, the yacht did not sink and was repaired and soon returned to service. The Russian Imperial Family was vacationing on the Standart during the summer of 1914, when they received the news of the assassination of