The uprising in the Black Sea Fleet was part of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Schmidt was a lieutenant commander of the destroyer "Number 253" in the Imperial Russian Navy. On 1 October 1905, he made a speech during a meeting in Sebastopol, urging the citizens to stand up for their rights and demanding the authorities free political prisoners. Participants of the meeting headed towards the city prison, where they were met with machine gun fire. In the following days, Pyotr Schmidt gave a speech at the special session of the Sevastopol City Council and at the cemetery during the funeral ceremony, where he was arrested. He was conveyed to the battleship "Tri Sviatitelia", which provoked protests and the authorities were forced to release him. On 7 November 1905, Schmidt was retired with the rank of captain (капитан 2 ранга).