The Northern Flotilla was formed on August 5, 1933, by transferring patrol boats "Smerch" and "Uragan", D-class submarines "Dekabrist" (D-1) and "Narodovolyets" (D-2) and two destroyers from the Baltic Fleet to Northern Russia. These ships departed from Kronstadt on 18 May 1933 and arrived at Murmansk on 5 August. Another destroyer, another patrol boat, another submarine, and two minesweepers joined the flotilla at Soroka in September 1933. Polyarny became the flotilla's main base; and a flight of MBR-2 flying boats joined the unit at Murmansk in September 1935.