On the official formation of the AOF began and by September was largely complete. By the end of 1917 the AOF comprised the
battleship Chesme, the
cruisers Askold and
Varyag, 6
destroyers, 3
submarines and other ships. The AOF's operational zone included the
Barents Sea - from the Norwegian border to the
Kara Gates - including the
White Sea. Its mission was to secure uninterrupted the sea lines of communications connecting
Russia with its
Entente allies. After Bolshevik
Russia's
withdrawal from
World War I in March 1918, the flotilla comprised approximately 90
combatant and
auxiliary ships. In August 1918
Allied interventionist forces and the
White Army captured the best ships of the AOF. The rest of the ships were intentionally put out of commission or destroyed. ==See also==