ROCHESTER, N.Y. – On April 29, 1918, ships of the Black Sea Fleet raised the Ukrainian flag at 1600 hours, marking a victory of the Ukrainian movement towards independence as the fleet came under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian National Republic. The effort to unify all Ukrainian lands the following year (1919) was short-lived, but the raising of the flag on the Black Sea Fleet in 1918 was a significant event and is celebrated annually to this day. It is considered the birthdate of the Ukrainian naval fleet.