Navy is one of the most important foreign policy attributes of the state. It is designed for security and protection of interests Russian Federation in peacetime and wartime on the oceanic and sea frontiers.

The navy is capable of striking enemy ground targets, destroying enemy groupings in the sea and bases, disrupting enemy ocean and sea communications and protecting its maritime transportation, assisting ground forces in operations in continental theaters of military operations, landing amphibious assault forces, participating in repelling enemy landings and perform other tasks.

Today The navy consists of four fleets: Northern, Pacific, Black Sea, Baltic and Caspian flotilla. The priority task of the fleet is to prevent the outbreak of wars and armed conflicts, and in the event of aggression, repulse it, cover the country's facilities, forces and troops from oceanic and sea areas, inflict defeat on the enemy, create conditions for preventing hostilities at the earliest possible stage and concluding peace at conditions that meet the interests of the Russian Federation. In addition, the task of the Navy is to conduct peacekeeping operations by decision of the UN Security Council or in accordance with the international allied obligations of the Russian Federation.

To solve the priority task of the Armed Forces and the Navy - to prevent the outbreak of war, the Navy has naval strategic nuclear forces and general-purpose forces. In the event of aggression, they must repel enemy strikes, defeat strike groups of his fleet and prevent him from carrying out large-scale naval operations, as well as, in cooperation with other branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, ensure the creation of the necessary conditions for the effective conduct of defensive operations in continental theaters of military operations.

The Navy consists of the following branches of forces (Fig. 1): underwater, surface, naval aviation, marines and coastal defense troops. It also includes ships and vessels, parts special purpose, units and subunits of the rear.

submarine force- the strike force of the fleet, capable of controlling the expanses, covertly and quickly deploying in the right directions and delivering unexpected powerful strikes from the depths of the ocean against sea and continental targets. Depending on the main armament, submarines are divided into missile and torpedo, and according to the type of power plant, nuclear and diesel-electric.

Rice. 1. Structure of the Navy

The main striking force of the Navy is nuclear submarines armed with ballistic and cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. These ships are constantly in various areas of the World Ocean, ready for the immediate use of their strategic weapons.

Nuclear-powered submarines armed with ship-to-ship cruise missiles are mainly aimed at fighting large enemy surface ships.

Nuclear torpedo submarines are used to disrupt enemy submarine and surface communications and in the defense system against underwater threats, as well as to escort missile submarines and surface ships.

The use of diesel submarines (missile and torpedo) is associated mainly with the solution of typical tasks for them in limited areas of the sea.

Equipping submarines with nuclear power and nuclear missile weapons, powerful sonar systems and high-precision navigation weapons, along with comprehensive automation of control processes and the creation of optimal living conditions for the crew, has significantly expanded their tactical properties and forms of combat use. Surface forces in modern conditions remain the most important part of the Navy. The creation of ships - carriers of aircraft and helicopters, as well as the transition of a number of classes of ships, like submarines, to nuclear energy have greatly increased their combat capabilities. Equipping ships with helicopters and aircraft significantly expands their capabilities to detect and destroy enemy submarines. Helicopters create an opportunity to successfully solve the problems of relaying and communications, target designation, transfer of cargo at sea, landing troops on the coast and rescuing personnel.

surface ships are the main forces for ensuring the exit and deployment of submarines in the areas of hostilities and return to bases, transportation and cover of landing forces. They are assigned the main role in laying minefields, in combating the mine danger and protecting their communications.

The traditional task of surface ships is to strike at enemy targets on his territory and to cover their coast from the sea from the enemy's naval forces.

Thus, a complex of responsible combat missions is assigned to surface ships. They solve these tasks in groups, formations, associations both independently and in cooperation with other branches of the fleet forces (submarines, aviation, marines).

Naval aviation- branch of the Navy. It consists of strategic, tactical, deck and coastal.

Strategic and tactical aviation Designed for confrontation with groups of surface ships in the ocean, submarines and transports, as well as for bombing and missile strikes against enemy coastal targets.

carrier-based aviation is the main striking force of the aircraft carrier formations of the Navy. Its main combat missions in the armed struggle on the sea are the destruction of enemy aircraft in the air, the starting positions of anti-aircraft guided missiles and other enemy air defense systems, the conduct of tactical reconnaissance, etc. When performing combat missions, carrier-based aviation actively interacts with tactical aviation.

Naval aviation helicopters are an effective means of targeting a ship's missile weapons when destroying submarines and repelling attacks by enemy low-flying aircraft and anti-ship missiles. Carrying air-to-surface missiles and other weapons, they are a powerful means of fire support for marines and the destruction of enemy missile and artillery boats.

Marines- a branch of the Navy, designed to conduct combat operations as part of amphibious assault forces (independently or jointly with the Ground Forces), as well as to defend the coast (naval bases, ports).

The combat operations of the marines are carried out, as a rule, with the support of aviation and artillery fire from ships. In turn, the marines use in combat operations all types of weapons characteristic of motorized rifle troops, while using landing tactics specific to it.

Coastal Defense Troops, As a branch of the Navy forces, they are designed to protect the bases of the Navy forces, ports, important sections of the coast, islands, straits and narrownesses from the attack of ships and amphibious landings of the enemy. The basis of their armament is coastal missile systems and artillery, anti-aircraft missile systems, mine and torpedo weapons, as well as special coastal defense ships (protection of the water area). Coastal fortifications are being set up on the coast to ensure defense by troops.

Units and divisions of the rear are intended for logistic support of the forces and military operations of the Navy. They ensure the satisfaction of the material, transport, household and other needs of formations and formations of the Navy in order to maintain them in combat readiness for the performance of assigned tasks.

The Navy has an aircraft carrier (Fig. 2), nuclear submarines armed with ballistic and cruise missiles with nuclear charges (Fig. 3), nuclear missile cruisers (Fig. 4), large anti-submarine ships, destroyers (Fig. 5), patrol ships, small anti-submarine ships, minesweeping ships, landing ships, aircraft (Su-33 - Fig. 6, A-40, MiG-29, Tu-22M, Su-24, MiG-23/27, 142, Be-12, Il-38), helicopters (Mi-14, Ka-25, Ka-27, Ka-29), tanks (T-80, T-72, PT-76), BRDM, BTR, self-propelled artillery guns (self-propelled guns of 122 and 152 mm caliber), self-propelled anti-aircraft installations, portable and self-propelled anti-aircraft missile systems.

Rice. 2. Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov": standard (full) displacement - 45,900 (58,500) tons; length (but waterline) - 304.5 (270) m; width (at the waterline) - 72.3 (35.4) m; draft - 10.5 m; maximum travel speed - 30 knots; cruising range (at speed) - 3850 miles (29 knots) or 8500 miles (18 knots); autonomy - 45 days; crew (officers) - I960 (200) + headquarters 40 people; flight crew - 626 people; fleet - 22 SU-33, 17 KA-27/31; maximum aircraft capacity - 36 SU-33, 14 helicopters; runway area - 14800 m 2; hangar capacity - 18 SU-33; means of support - 2 aircraft lifts, springboard, corner landing deck, 3 runways; weapons - shock, anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, radio-electronic

Rice. 3. Heavy nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles of project 941 "Typhoon": surface displacement (underwater) - 28500 (49800) tons; length - 171.5 m; width - 24.6 m; draft - 13 m; underwater speed - 27 knots; crew (officers) - 163 (55) people; autonomy - 120 days; immersion depth - 500 m; armament - 20 ICBMs, torpedo tubes, PLUR, missiles, torpedoes, hydroacoustic stations, electronic countermeasures

Rice. 4. Heavy nuclear missile cruiser project 1144 "Peter the Great": standard (full) displacement - 19,000 (24,300) tons; length - 252 m; width - 28.5 m; draft - 9.1 m; maximum travel speed - 30 knots; cruising range (at speed) - 14,000 miles (30 knots); crew (officers) - 744 (82) people: weapons - shock (PU anti-ship missiles), anti-aircraft, artillery, anti-torpedo, anti-submarine, aviation (3 Ka-27), electronic

Rice. 5. Destroyer "Admiral Chabanenko": standard (full) displacement - 7700 (8900) tons; length - 163.5 m; width - 19.3 m; draft - 7.5 m; maximum travel speed - 30 knots; cruising range (at speed) - 4000 miles (18 knots); crew (officers) - 296 (32) people; weapons - shock (PU anti-ship missiles), anti-aircraft, artillery, anti-submarine, aviation (2 Ka-27), radio-electronic

Rice. 6. Ship-based fighter Su-33: wingspan - 14.7 m; length 21.19 m; height - 5.63 m; maximum takeoff weight - 32,000 kg; maximum speed at high altitude -2300 km / h; ceiling - 17,000 m; range - 3000 km; armament - 30-mm cannon (250 rounds), UR; crew - 1 person

Peter I, when deciding to start a war against Sweden, was well aware that he would have to deal with a very strong enemy, so his main task was to create a modern regular army and a strong, well-armed navy. Particular attention was paid to the construction of the Baltic Fleet, which began in 1702. Peter I tried to coordinate the actions of the armed forces of the allies of Poland and Denmark. Denmark was given the task of capturing Holstein and then shifting its operations to the south of Sweden. With the help of the fleet, Denmark was supposed to conduct military operations in order to disrupt Swedish communications in the Baltic Sea. Poland was ordered to take possession of Riga. The Russian army was supposed to conduct offensive operations in Ingermanland and Estonia in order to occupy the Swedish fortress of Narva (the ancient Russian fortress of Kolyvan) in order to reach the coast of the Gulf of Finland, without yet having a navy. The Swedes counted on the defeat of opponents one by one in a short time.

The idea of ​​creating a navy of our country is a necessary condition for Russia to emerge from foreign policy isolation and economic backwardness and to win for access to the Baltic Sea with Sweden and its allies. Starting to create a fleet, Peter I used the experience of domestic shipbuilding and all the best from foreign shipbuilding.

On October 20 (November 2, NS) the Boyar Duma met in Moscow to decide on a question of great national importance: whether or not to have a fleet. The Duma decided: "There will be sea vessels." From this date begins the official chronology of the regular navy of our country. After the first unsuccessful Azov campaign, shipyards in Voronezh were laid down in a short time. The first ships were built here: "Apostle Peter" and "Apostle Paul", each of them was armed with 36 guns. Hundreds of plows and sea boats were built in Voronezh for the second Azov campaign. In 1698, the 58 cannon ship "Goto Predestantia", designed by Peter I, was launched from the stocks of this shipyard.

In order to study the advanced experience of shipbuilding, in early 1697 the Russian government ruled in Western Europe Great naval embassy. When choosing the route, the wish of the Russian Tsar himself to visit Holland and England and study the experience of these countries in the field of shipbuilding and navigation was taken into account. In Holland, in the city of Saardam, where there were 50 shipyards, the Russian Tsar became an ordinary carpenter at a private shipyard. Studying shipbuilding in Holland, Peter I understood the imperfection of the Dutch shipbuilding system, which did not have a unified engineering theory. The leading country in this important issue at that time was England. In England, the Russian Tsar mastered the theory of building a ship, the technology of building ships and mastered the graphic image of a ship's hull (drafting), which he then successfully used in the construction of the domestic regular fleet, the construction of ships, the construction of naval bases for the fleet and the training of personnel.

The talent of Peter I as a shipbuilder manifested itself most fully during the creation of the Baltic Fleet. Deep knowledge of shipbuilding, extensive practical experience allowed him to design and build excellent battleships: 54 - gun ship "Poltava", 64 - gun ship "Ingermanland". This ship was distinguished by great artillery power, high strength, strict proportions of the hull, and excellent seaworthiness. Then Peter I designed a 90-gun ship of the line, and in 1723 a 100-gun ship of the line, which had no equal in Western Europe at that time.

By decree of Peter I, the great embassy hired 672 naval specialists to work in Russia. Including the captain (the future Russian vice-admiral K. Kruys). Based on Dutch and English terms Peter I created marine and shipbuilding technology, some of them (keel, sternpost, frame, galley, etc.) are still used in our fleet.

The merit of Peter I should be considered the creation of the Baltic Navy, without which it was impossible to defeat such a strong and powerful enemy as Sweden. When creating this fleet, it was necessary to decide how the Baltic Fleet should be in order to provide effective assistance to the ground forces. In the European maritime space, sailing ships (ships of the line and frigates) played the most important role, because they had the most powerful artillery structure. To deal with such ships, Russia needed to have a sufficient number of the same ships. During the reign of Peter I, 105 battleships, 13 bomber ships, 9 fire ships, 16 yachts, 109 brigantines, 305 galleys and 220 other small ships were built. In 1704, the Admiralty Shipyard was founded in St. Petersburg for the construction of ships, which employed 10,000 workers. The talented engineer Fyodor Sklyaev supervised the construction of the ships.

Peter I had broad strategic thinking, he presciently provided for a harmonious combination in the composition of the fleet of various classes and types of ships, taking into account the military geographical features of the maritime theater and the goals of armed struggle. So, during the Northern War, a large rowing fleet was created, without which it was impossible to conduct joint operations of ground and naval forces in skerries. The basis of the rowing fleet of Russia were scampavees - multi-purpose sailing and rowing ships. These were indispensable ships in joint operations of the army and navy in coastal areas: for carrying out sentinel service, reconnaissance, transporting troops and military equipment, landing troops and artillery support, for bombarding fortresses and coastal fortifications. The rowing fleet was independent organization naval forces in the Baltic Sea.

The composition of the rowing fleet, in addition to rowing vessels, included marines. It was a landing corps numbering about 16,000. The first regiment of marines was formed by decree of Peter I on November 16, 1705. He laid the foundation for a new kind of naval forces. Without a rowing fleet, Russia could hardly have regained the vast territories of the Baltic coast.

Ships cannot successfully solve their tasks without a reliable basing system in the theater of naval operations, therefore Peter I paid much attention to the construction and strengthening of naval bases. As soon as the Russian troops entrenched themselves on the coast of the Sea of ​​Azov, in 1698, by decree of Peter I, the sea fortress of Taganrog was founded, which became the first base of the regular navy in this theater of operations. The first naval base on the Baltic Sea was St. Petersburg, for the protection of which from the sea in 1704 the fort Kronshlot was built on the island of Kotlin, the laying of which became the beginning of the construction of the Kronstadt sea fortress. From 1724, Kronstadt became the main base of the Baltic Fleet and a reliable shield covering St. Petersburg from the sea.

During the Northern War, the system of basing the fleet on the Baltic Sea expanded: since 1710, Revel (Tallinn) became the advanced base of the Russian sailing fleet, and Vyborg - for the rowing fleet. Then the following naval bases were founded: Helsingfors (Helsinki), Abo (Turku), Lembland (Alan Islands), Rogervik (Paldiski). Thus, during the Northern War, Peter I created an extensive system of basing the sailing and rowing fleet on the coast of the Baltic Sea to a total depth of up to 300 miles. This allowed the navy to reliably secure the defense of the new northern capital from an enemy attack from the sea and to conduct active offensive operations against Sweden.

When creating the Russian navy, Peter I introduced a system of recruitment and training of fleet personnel. Crews of vessels of uniform composition were created, which possessed high moral qualities and cohesion. The training of privates and officers took place according to the newly created domestic system. For this purpose, their own naval educational establishments. By decree of Peter the Great of November 4, 1701, the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences was opened in Moscow, and in 1715, the Academy of the Marine Guard was opened in St. Petersburg. Since that time, the Academy has become a center for training officers for the navy. Then navigational schools were opened in Novgorod, Narva and Tallinn. Those Russian specialists who studied abroad, when returning to their homeland, had to take exams according to the curriculum of the Navigation School and the Academy. Much attention in the training of enlisted personnel was paid to the sail control system, ship maneuvering and target shooting. Considerable time was spent training the rowers, who, after such training, developed a scampaway speed of up to 8 knots. Only those who successfully passed the exams were enrolled on the ships. A systematic program to create domestic personnel for the navy led to the fact that by 1720 the main core of the officer corps consisted of Russians.

The construction of the fleet took place simultaneously with the development of its management bodies. In the first years of the war, the Ship Order was engaged in supplying the fleet and building ships, and then the Admiralty Department. The management of the fleet was in charge of the Order of the Navy, which was established in 1668. This order was headed by F. A. Golovin. Since 1708, all the affairs of the Admiralty Department were managed by the Admiralty Order. By decree of Peter I of December 23, 1717, the Admiralty was created - a collegium, which became supreme body maritime management. Admiral F. M. Apraksin, the closest associate of Peter the Great in the affairs of the Navy, became the first president of this collegium, and vice-president - vice admiral K. I. Kruys. The most important issues were decided by the Council of Admiralties - boards with the participation of Peter I.

The creation of the Russian regular navy ended with the creation of the Naval Charter, published in 1720, which was called "The Book of the Naval Charter on everything related to good governance when the fleet was at sea." This document regulated the rights and duties of the captain and other chiefs of the ship's people, the organization and actions of the crew at the anchorage, in battle and on the move. The development of the provisions of the Maritime Charter took place from 1715 under the leadership and with the participation of Peter I. The main text of the Maritime Charter began with an oath of allegiance to the autocracy and Russia. The maritime charter has become the most important legislative document Russian state. In terms of completeness of content and depth of presentation, the Maritime Charter was the most perfect charter for the sailing fleet of the first half of XVIII century.

Developing an offensive plan, Peter I coordinated the actions of the allies, which Russia had Poland and Denmark. Poland was to capture Riga, and Denmark - Holstein (Northern German Duchy between the modern Eider, Elbe, Prave, German and Baltic Seas) and go on to military operations in southern Sweden. The Russian army was to conduct an offensive in Ingria and Estonia in order to occupy Narva and Kolyvan (ancient - Russian name Tallinn).

The Swedish king Charles XII in the summer of 1700 forced Denmark to sign a peace treaty with Sweden, and the Polish army to retreat from Riga. It happened as follows: 15 thousandth Swedish army landed near Copenhagen and began to threaten the capital of Denmark. After Denmark was withdrawn from the war, Charles XII landed with troops in Pernov (the modern city of Pärnu) and launched an offensive towards Riga. After that, the Polish king August II withdrew his troops from Riga and put the Russian army, which was besieging Narva, under attack.

On November 19, 1700, a battle took place between the Russian and Swedish armies near Narva. It ended with the defeat of the Russian troops. Near Narva came 25 Russian infantry regiments and cavalry, a total of 34 thousand people with 181 guns. The front line of the Russian troops was stretched for 7 kilometers. The number of Swedish troops was 23 thousand people with 38 guns. The enemy took advantage of the bad weather, came close to the positions of the Russian troops and attacked the central positions. More than 40 generals and officers who served in the Russian army went over to the side of the enemy. The cavalry under the command of B.P. Sheremetyev began to retreat from the left flank. The Swedes pursued the retreating Russian troops. On the right flank, the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments bravely fought, several times repulsed the attacks of the advancing Swedes. But the Russian generals, who stood on the right flank, did not know about what was happening on other sectors of the front and about the plight of the Swedish troops, so they decided to surrender. Many generals of the Russian army were captured. The Swedes captured all Russian artillery, their losses amounted to 3 thousand people. The total losses of the Russians amounted to 7 thousand people (Northern War, p. 21).

Charles XII claimed that the Russian army did not exist after this defeat, but this was not so. Most of the Russian troops left the encirclement and were able to cross to the right bank of the Narva River. About 25 thousand Russian soldiers withdrew to Novgorod. Peter I had a hard time with the Narva "embarrassment", but did not lose heart. Charles XII considered the Northern War to be over, while Peter I was just beginning it. The defeat at Narva in 1700 taught the Russians how to defeat a strong and treacherous enemy. The Russian fleet did not participate in this battle, which was one of the main reasons for the defeat.

Battle of Arkhangelsk.

The first naval battle during the Northern War took place near Arkhangelsk. The goal of the enemy was to capture the Russian northern port and destroy it. With the fall of this city Russian state would forever remain land-based (with the exception of the Taganrog fortress on the Sea of ​​Azov), access to the sea for the Russian state would be closed.

On June 7, 1701, a Swedish squadron was sent from the Swedish city of Gothenburg to the White Sea, led by Commander Leve, consisting of 7 ships with 126 guns. The purpose of this expedition was to capture and destroy Arkhangelsk. On June 25, 1701, the Swedish squadron approached the White Sea and split up: two ships (a frigate and a yacht) headed for the village of Kustovo, and the rest went to the Birch Mouth at the confluence of the Malaya Dvina River into the White Sea. This part of the squadron was supposed to fire and capture Arkhangelsk, burn ships, shipyards, the city and food supplies.

At the narrowest point of the Malaya Dvina River on the island, 15 kilometers from Arkhangelsk, Russian units created a new fortress Novodvinsk. The garrison of the fortress was made up of working people, their number was about 400 people. The task of the Russian garrison was to protect the fortress and Arkhangelsk.

English and Dutch merchants who traded in Arkhangelsk reported a large squadron of the Swedish fleet that was advancing towards the White Sea. Not far from the mouth of the Dvina, the enemy spent the night. The Swedes hung the flags of England and Holland on the masts of their ships, and the enemy soldiers changed into merchants' caftans. The head of the customs guard, Captain N. T. Krykov, went to the enemy ships along with 16 soldiers and 2 translators for inspection, but they were all taken prisoner.

On one of the ships were two Russian prisoners Ivan Ryabov, assigned to the Nikolaev Karelian Monastery, and translator Dmitry Borisov. By order of the Swedish commander, the Russian prisoners were to lead the enemy troops along the fairway. But D. Borisov and I. Ryabov led the Swedish ships to the fire of the Novodvinsk fortress and two of them were grounded. The enemy was under fire from Russian artillery. The battle with the enemy lasted 13 hours, two enemy ships were pierced by cannonballs and began to sink, both enemy crews abandoned ships and sailed into the sea. Russian flags were hoisted on the captured ships. 15 cannons, hundreds of cannonballs and hand grenades were captured. The Swedes shot the translator D. Borisov, I. Ryabov managed to escape.

With the coming to power of Peter I (1682), the main task in foreign policy was to reach the Baltic Sea, without which Russia could not develop. Access to the Black or Caspian Seas did not solve this state task, since neither the Azov, nor the Black, nor Caspian Sea could not open Russia a direct outlet to Europe. Only the mastery of the Baltic made it possible to establish ties with the West without Polish-Swedish intermediaries and to strengthen the political position of Russia in this part of Europe.

Access to the Baltic was associated with the need for an armed struggle with Sweden. But for a war with such a formidable enemy as Sweden, which was well developed industrially, which at that time dominated the north of Europe and possessed a good army and navy, it was necessary to have a strong, well-organized army, standing at the level modern requirements. Also, the further struggle for access to Europe was not possible without a decent navy. This forced Peter I to speed up the military reform.

The need for military reforms was fully realized after the Azov campaigns, which showed the weakness of our army and navy.

The construction of the fleet was a matter of national importance, and therefore private matters faded into the background. When ships were needed for operations near Azov in 1696, Russia banned "any carpentry work" - the fleet needed timber. Repairing the hut, heating are secondary issues, and a huge army of officials controlled the safety of forest resources. It is difficult even to imagine the scope of local abuses and the omnipotence of government agents. In one of the complaints to the monarch, the Valui residents, driven to despair, wrote: "... your serfs without firewood, without drowning their huts, we freeze with icy death."

Preservation of ship scaffolding is the object of constant concern of the authorities. In the areas of the Voronezh shipyards, an inventory was carried out for all forests since 1700 and watchmen were appointed. The fine for cutting down a tree suitable for shipbuilding was 5 rubles. From the Admiralty along the Neva and along the shores of the Gulf of Finland (to Sestroretsk and Peterhof), gallows with hanged men were installed every 5 versts - this is how they executed those caught while cutting down the forest. After cutting down trees in the area of ​​today's Gostiny Dvor, residents of all nearby settlements were suspected of committing a crime, every tenth was executed, and the rest were beaten with a whip. The state shipbuilding program subordinated everything and everything to itself. In 1696, for example, all the iron parts for the fleet were ordered to blacksmiths, who, until the end of this work, did not have the right to "forge according to their need." At the same time, payment for the work was made in installments over several years. It is significant that the state never paid the money, and in the end Peter I forced the monasteries to pay.

The first line of Russia was taken in the struggle for access to the southern seas, during the mastery of which the first regular formation of naval forces arose. Construction began after the failure of the I Azov campaign, which inspired the young tsar with a fantastic idea “to build a significant fleet in one winter 1200 miles from the sea, having neither funds nor knowledgeable people available for this, then lead this fleet along shallow rivers ... equip and withdraw him at sea in such a formidable state that a more experienced enemy fled from him.

After the capture of Azov in 1696, Peter I returned to Moscow with new state plans. Two ideas captured the tsar: the construction of a fleet for the Sea of ​​Azov and the upcoming trip to Europe. Both of them were implemented by Peter quickly, boldly and in an original way.

The first idea, directly related to Voronezh, was an important part of the plan for securing Russia on the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov. Under Azov, Peter I decided to build several fortresses, populate Azov and these fortresses with Russian people, and build a fairly large navy to protect the region and operate at sea against the Turks and Tatars. According to Peter, the fleet should be large not only in number, but also in size of ships. Small sailing and rowing galleys, built in 1696, were to be replaced by large multi-gun ships. At least forty such ships had to be built.

The young tsar submitted his idea for approval by the Boyar Duma. Duma meetings, where the proposals of the king on the settlement of the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov and the construction of the fleet, were considered, were held on October 20 and November 4, 1696. For the meetings, Peter I personally composed a note entitled "Convenient articles that belong to the captured fortress or fartsyi from the Turks of Azov."

Already at the first meeting on October 20, the Boyar Duma approved Peter's "articles" in principle, making an important decision: "There will be sea vessels, and how many, about how to inquire about the number of peasant households." At the second meeting, on November 4, a number of resolutions were adopted on individual details in accordance with the proposals of the king and the statistical data obtained from the Local Order. Secular landowners, in particular, had to build one ship with 10,000 peasant households, spiritual ones - with 8,000.

Shipbuilding work began immediately after the decision to build.

The financial problems of building ships, one of the most difficult in any major business, were resolved by Peter I very energetically and in a peculiar way, using the power of the autocratic tsar. It was not the state, not the treasury, but the landowners and the church that were supposed to build the ships! They were invited to unite in the "kumpanstvo" and hire shipwrights themselves.

Having formalized his will with the verdicts of the Boyar Duma of October 20 and November 4, 1696, Peter I, in fact, began an era of reforms and transformations in Russia. In the spring of 1696, Russia needed ships to solve a specific military task: the capture of Azov. Now it was about building a fleet that would constantly operate at sea, threatening enemies. Russia was to become a maritime power.

The question of where to build ships, raised among others by Peter I before the Boyar Duma, apparently, was not considered. Everything was clear here: in Voronezh and its environs. The successful experience of building ships for the Azov campaign of 1696 spoke for itself, and Peter undoubtedly fell in love with Voronezh.

Thirteen times the foot of the Russian Tsar set foot on this land. In total, he lived here for more than 400 days. These days were truly historical not only for our region, but also for Russia. Through the sweat of his brow, hard work, struggle with doubters and unbelievers, he achieved the realization of his plans and fulfilled many of them with honor. In fact, from 1696 to 1703 (before the construction of St. Petersburg on the banks of the Neva), remote Voronezh was unofficially considered the capital of Russia.

The decisions of the Boyar Duma on the construction of the fleet were supplemented by several royal decrees, which Peter I no longer carried through the Duma. By a decree of December 4, 1696, large landowners and patrimonials were ordered to personally appear in Moscow at the Local Order for the “ship fold” - the creation of kumpanstvo. In case of non-appearance, the king threatened to confiscate estates and estates. On December 11, a decree was issued on the involvement in the construction of ships of "trading townsmen" - representatives of the Russian merchant class. On the same days, namely on December 6, an important royal decree was issued on the equipment of the "Great Embassy" to European countries; in its composition, the king himself was going to go to Europe to study in practice the intricacies of shipbuilding. Along the way, young nobles were sent to Italy, Holland and England “to learn maritime affairs”; the list of 61 people includes representatives of the most prominent Russian families - Golitsyn, Dolgoruky, Sheremetev, Buturlin, Volkonsky, Rzhevsky, Khilkov, Urusov.

It was about setting up the first admiralty in the history of Russia in Voronezh. At first, in accordance with the decree of the tsar, the Admiralty in Voronezh was created precisely as an “admiralty court”, management functions came to it later.

The construction of the first Russian Admiralty took place in 1697-1698 under the supervision of the steward Grigory Fedorovich Griboyedov.

The Admiralty was located on a vast island formed by the channels of the river near the right, "city" bank. It included two large structures: in the southern part - the citadel, in the northern part - a brick storehouse (a warehouse for storing military and naval supplies), as well as a number of ancillary buildings. To the east of the citadel a wooden house was built for Peter. Next to the Admiralty was the state shipyard. There was also a “sailing yard”, where the production of canvas for ship sails soon began. Further along the river, a "saw mill" (sawmill) was built.

Two buildings of the former Admiralty stood in Voronezh until the first half of the 20th century. One more detail should be taken into account. In the second half of the 18th century, due to a change in the course of the Voronezh River, the southern half of the former Admiralty Court, including the citadel, was no longer on an island, but on the right bank of the river. This situation persisted for two centuries until the creation of the Voronezh reservoir in 1972. Now all the places of the former Admiralty are hidden under the waves of the man-made "Voronezh Sea".

July 26, 1698 should be considered the official completion date for the construction of the Admiralty in Voronezh. On this day, the steward Griboedov "gave" the admiralty court to the Voronezh governor Polonsky. The transfer of buildings and structures took place according to the "description books". It is possible that some work in the Admiralty continued even after the official completion of construction. So, one of the documents reports that “carved wooden craftsmen”, foreigners Franz Tetuly and Franz Shulet were sent to the Admiralty Court.

On March 9, 1697, as part of the famous "Great Embassy", Peter I went abroad, where he stayed for a whole year and a half. Despite the huge workload of various affairs, he continued to be interested in Voronezh shipbuilding in Europe.

From Europe, Peter I returned to Moscow on August 25, 1698. Less than two months the tsar lived in the capital, where he had accumulated enough business. During this time, he managed to personally cut the beards of many boyars and conduct an exceptionally cruel investigation into the uprising of the Moscow archers. The sovereign was drawn to Voronezh, where he wanted to find out what had been done to implement his plan, to put into practice his knowledge in shipbuilding, acquired at the shipyards of Holland and England during a trip to Europe.

Peter I was in such a hurry to Voronezh that he left Moscow on the evening of October 23 right from the farewell feast that General and Admiral Franz Lefort gave the Tsar. The autumn thaw unexpectedly delayed the sovereign on his way for more than a week. On October 31, he appeared in Voronezh, where he had not been for two years.

Voronezh pleased Peter I. Near the city on the river, the tsar saw several ready-made ships. The admiralty yard, built by the tsar's decree, auxiliary enterprises and premises necessary for the fleet, appeared.

The first thing the sovereign undertook upon arriving in Voronezh was to organize the protection of standing and already built ships. Russo-Turkish War officially did not end, there was a real threat of an attack on the shipyards of the Crimean Tatars. On November 13, on behalf of the tsar, an order was sent to Belgorod to Prince Ya. The demand of the king was fulfilled on time.

On November 19, 1698, at the state-owned Voronezh shipyard under the Admiralty, Peter I personally laid down a 58-gun warship with a special keel shape. He gave the ship the name "Goto Predestination" and began to personally supervise the construction. In Russian, as Peter wrote, the name of the ship meant "God's foresight." The drawings and dimensions of the ship were made by the king himself - it was not in vain that Peter studied shipbuilding in Holland and England and even received a diploma as a shipbuilder.

Realizing that he would not be able to lead the construction of the Predestination for a long time, Peter I called his assistants to Voronezh, Fedosey Sklyaev and Lukyan Vereshchagin, even earlier. They both studied shipbuilding, first with the king in Holland, then in Italy.

The construction of many "Kumpan" ships meanwhile ended. They were built by foreign masters - August Meyer and Peter Goor. In addition to Voronezh, the construction of ships was carried out in the suburban settlement of Chizhovka, the villages of Stupino and Chertovitsky, on the Don - in Korotoyak, in the Cossack town of Panshin, at the mouth of the Khopra. In Voronezh, in 1698, the multi-gun ships “Open Gates”, “Strength”, “Color of War” were basically ready; "Hercules". A state-owned (not "Kumpan") 62-gun ship called "Voronezh" was also built. It was laid under the guidance of the Dutch shipbuilder W. Gerens at the end of 1697.

From Voronezh, the tsar went to Belgorod to inspect the army, from there he went south to Azov, where he supervised the progress of construction. I was dissatisfied with the quality of work in the fortress. From Azov he returned to Voronezh. Here on the Voronezh land, in the winter of 1698, he met with the Hetman of Ukraine Ivan Stepanovich Mazepa. He had a long conversation with him. Returning home, the hetman sent 3,000 Cossacks to the capital of shipbuilding to guard the finished ships.

After the lighting of the ships and a prayer service on a spring day on April 27, a solemn departure of five multi-gun sailing combat ships took place - “Open Gates”, “Mercury”, “Strength”, “Color of War”, “Peacemaker”. Together with them, 28 light rowing galleys, brigantines, galeas and 117 plows went on the "Kerch" campaign. The sailors on them were soldiers of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments, numbering 2684 people. Vice Admiral Cornelius Kruys commanded the fleet. The flotilla spent two days at the mouth of the Voronezh River and two days in Kostensk.

In Azov, several more warships joined the flotilla. On July 19, 1699, having learned that unknown people settled on empty lands on the Bityug River, the tsar ordered them to be evicted from those places, and the huts to be burned. A military team was sent to Bityug. The liberated lands were settled by palace peasants from Yaroslavl, Kostroma and other places. In 1701, new settlers arrived here - about 5 thousand serfs (1021 families) from Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kostroma and Poshekhonsky counties. They created a vast Bityutskaya palace volost there, the center of which was the fortress of Bobrovsk.

The "Kerch campaign" of the Voronezh ships in the Azov and Black Seas demonstrated the combat power of Russia and contributed to the conclusion of a peace treaty with Turkey for several years. This helped Peter in 1700 to start a war with Sweden for access to the shores of the Baltic.

Before leaving Voronezh, Peter I was able to return to his beloved Predestination for several days. In a letter to Admiral Lefort, he described in detail the ship being built according to his own calculations. The plan to build a large number of multi-gun ships near Voronezh was successfully implemented.

However, other affairs of state demanded Peter's attention. On December 16, 1698, the tsar left Voronezh, on December 20 he returned to Moscow, on December 22 and 23 in the village of Preobrazhensky near Moscow he held regular meetings of the Boyar Duma. But even these days Peter was thinking about the fleet, about the Voronezh ships. As the friend of the tsar, General Patrick Gordon, testifies, having arrived in Moscow, Peter I told him: “Whether peace takes place or not, I will take my fleet to sea.” These words turned out to be prophetic.

In total, 28 ships, 23 galleys and many small ships were built at the Voronezh shipyards until 1702. The construction of ships continued later, until the return of Azov and Taganrog to the Turks in 1712, when part of the ships of the Azov fleet was destroyed, and part was sold to the Turks. But by this time the Azov Fleet was not the only Russian fleet. For ten years, ships have been actively built on the banks of the rivers of the Baltic basin.

As in Voronezh, whose experience was, of course, taken into account, the construction of the fleet in the Baltic was carried out at an accelerated pace. It started in 1702 with the founding of a shipyard on the Syas River. In 1703, the famous Olonets shipyard appeared on the Svir, one of the largest, with which only the St. Petersburg shipyard, founded a little later, successfully competed. In total, at least 1104 ships and other vessels were built during the Petrine period, with the lion's share - at the St. Petersburg and Olonets shipyards - 386 ships, of which 45 were battleships. These figures reflect the colossal advances in shipbuilding over a little over twenty years.

According to shipbuilding historians in Russia, Peter himself was an outstanding shipbuilder who proposed many new technical solutions, from the design to the use of ships. In an effort to achieve continuous operation of the shipyards throughout the year, Peter proposed to lower the ships even in winter - into an ice hole specially prepared for this. Over the years, the experience of the king-shipbuilder grew. Starting with the design and construction of yachts and ships, Peter ended up with the design and laying of a 100-gun ship. The 64-gun ship Ingermanland, designed by him, built by R. Kozitz in 1715, became exemplary.

Simultaneously with the construction of ships in St. Petersburg and Kronstadt, powerful naval bases were created, supplemented by a base in Estonia. A unique system of canals and locks was built in Kronstadt, which made it possible to repair, arm and even store huge ships on the shore without hindrance.

Peter was not limited to the construction of ships. They were also bought abroad and distilled to St. Petersburg. So, in 1711-1714, 16 battleships were purchased and transferred to Russia.

Peter's time was the heyday of the galley fleet, known since ancient times. The experience of shipbuilding, the prospects for military operations in the expanses of the Baltic directly off the coast of Sweden - a consequence of the displacement of the Swedes from the Gulf of Finland - as well as the general naval ambitions of Peter - all this led to the adoption in about 1714 - 1715 of a holistic program for increasing and qualitatively updating the fleet . And this program was not only fulfilled, but also overfulfilled by the end of Peter's reign: from 1715 to 1724, the number of ships increased from 27 to 34, and frigates - from 7 to 15. instead of 1250 guns, there were 2226 guns. The increase in firepower was associated with the advent of a new generation of ships, among which stood out the 96-gun Friedrichstadt, the 90-gun Lesnoye and Gangut, as well as three ships with 88 guns each.



The Russian Navy originates more than three hundred years ago and is inextricably linked with the name of Peter the Great. Even in his youth, having discovered in 1688 in his barn a boat presented to their family, later called the “Grandfather of the Russian Fleet”, the future head of state forever connected his life with ships. In the same year, he founded a shipyard on Lake Pleshcheyevo, where, thanks to the efforts of local craftsmen, the “amusing” fleet of the sovereign was built. By the summer of 1692, the flotilla numbered several dozen ships, of which the handsome frigate Mars with thirty guns stood out.

In fairness, I note that the first domestic ship was built before the birth of Peter in 1667. Dutch craftsmen, together with local artisans on the Oka River, managed to build a two-deck Eagle with three masts and the ability to travel by sea. At the same time, a couple of boats and one yacht were created. The wise politician Ordin-Nashchokin from the Moscow boyars supervised these works. The name, as you might guess, went to the ship in honor of the coat of arms. Peter the Great believed that this event marked the beginning of maritime affairs in Russia and was "worthy of glorification through the ages." However, in history, the birthday of the navy of our country is associated with a completely different date ...

The year was 1695. The need to create favorable conditions for the emergence of trade relations with other European states led our sovereign to a military conflict with the Ottoman Empire at the mouth of the Don and the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Peter the Great, who saw irresistible strength in his newly minted regiments (Semenovsky, Prebrazhensky, Butyrsky and Lefortovsky), decides to march near Azov. He writes to a close friend in Arkhangelsk: "We joked about Kozhukhov, and now we'll joke about Azov." The results of this journey, despite the valor and courage shown in the battles by Russian soldiers, turned into terrible losses. It was then that Peter realized that war is not at all child's play. In preparing the next campaign, he takes into account all his past mistakes and decides to create a completely new military force in the country. Peter was truly a genius, thanks to his will and mind, he managed to create a whole fleet in just one winter. And he spared no expense for this. First, he asked for help from his Western allies - the King of Poland and the Emperor of Austria. They sent him knowledgeable engineers, shipwrights and gunners. After arriving in Moscow, Peter organized a meeting of his generals to discuss the second campaign to seize Azov. At the meetings, it was decided to build a fleet that would fit 23 galleys, 4 fireships and 2 galleass ships. Franz Lefort was appointed Admiral of the Fleet. Generalissimo Aleksey Semenovich Shein became the commander of the entire Azov army. For the two main directions of the operation - on the Don and on the Dnieper - two armies of Shein and Sheremetev were organized. Fireships and galleys were hastily built near Moscow, in Voronezh, for the first time in Russia, two huge thirty-six-gun ships were created, which received the names "Apostle Paul" and "Apostle Peter". In addition, the prudent sovereign ordered the construction of more than a thousand plows, several hundred sea boats and ordinary rafts prepared in support of the land army. They were built in Kozlov, Sokolsk, Voronezh. In early spring, ship parts were brought to Voronezh for assembly, and by the end of April the ships were afloat. On April 26, the first galleass, the Apostle Peter, was launched into the water.

The main task of the fleet was to block the fortress that did not surrender from the sea, depriving it of support in manpower and provisions. Sheremetev's army was supposed to head to the Dnieper estuary and carry out diversionary maneuvers. At the beginning of the summer, all the ships of the Russian fleet reunited near Azov, and its siege began. On June 14, a Turkish fleet of 17 galleys and 6 ships arrived, but it remained undecided until the end of the month. On June 28, the Turks plucked up the courage to bring up the landing force. Rowing boats headed for the shore. Then, on the orders of Peter, our fleet immediately weighed anchor. As soon as they saw this, the Turkish captains unanimously turned their ships around and went to sea. Having never received reinforcements, the fortress was forced to surrender on 18 July. The first exit of Peter's military fleet was crowned with complete success. A week later, the flotilla went to sea to inspect the conquered territory. The sovereign with his generals chose a place on the coast for the construction of a new naval port. Later, near the Miussky Estuary, the Pavlovskaya and Cherepakhinskaya fortresses were founded. Azov winners were also waiting for a solemn reception in Moscow.

To resolve issues related to the defense of the occupied territories, Peter the Great decides to convene the Boyar Duma in the village of Preobrazhensky. There he asks to build a "sea caravan or fleet." On October 20, at the next meeting, the Duma decides: “There will be sea vessels!” To the ensuing question: “And how many?”, It was decided “to inquire at the peasant households, for the spiritual and various ranks of people, to impose courts in the courtyards, to write out from the merchants from the customs books.” And so the Russian Imperial Navy began its existence. It was immediately decided to start building 52 ships and launch them in Voronezh before the beginning of April 1698. Moreover, the decision to build ships was made as follows: the clergy gave one ship from every eight thousand households, the nobility - from ten thousand. Merchants, townspeople and foreign merchants pledged to set sail 12 ships. On taxes from the population, the rest of the ships were built by the state. The case was a serious one. Carpenters were searched all over the country, soldiers were allocated to help them. More than fifty foreign specialists worked at the shipyards, and a hundred talented young people went abroad to learn the basics of shipbuilding. Among them, Peter was also in the position of an ordinary officer. In addition to Voronezh, shipyards were built in Stupino, Tavrov, Chizhovka, Bryansk and Pavlovsk. Those who wished to take accelerated training courses for shipbuilders and henchmen. In Voronezh in 1697 the Admiralty was created. The first in the history of the naval document of the Russian state was the "Charter on galleys", written by Peter I during the second Azov campaign on the command galley "Principium".

On April 27, 1700, the Goto Predestination, the first Russian battleship, was completed at the Voronezh shipyard. According to the European classification of ships of the early 17th century, it earned rank IV. Russia could rightfully be proud of its offspring, since the construction took place without the participation of specialists from abroad. By 1700, the Azov fleet already had more than forty sailing ships, and by 1711 - about 215 (including rowing ships), of which forty-four ships were armed with 58 guns. Thanks to this formidable argument, it was possible to sign a peace treaty with Turkey and start a war with the Swedes. The invaluable experience gained in the construction of new ships allowed later success in the Baltic Sea and played an important (if not decisive) role in the great northern war. The Baltic Fleet was built at the shipyards of St. Petersburg, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod, Uglich and Tver. In 1712, the St. Andrew's flag was established - a white cloth with a blue cross diagonally. Many generations of sailors of the Russian fleet fought, won and died under it, glorifying our Motherland with their exploits.

In just thirty years (from 1696 to 1725), a regular Azov, Baltic and Caspian fleet appeared in Russia. During this time, 111 battleships and 38 frigates, six dozen brigantines and even more large galleys, scampaways and bombardment ships, shmak and fireships, more than three hundred transport ships and a huge number of small boats were built. And, what is especially remarkable, in terms of their military and seaworthy qualities, Russian ships were not at all inferior to the ships of the great maritime powers, like France or England. However, since there was an urgent need to protect the conquered coastal territories and simultaneously conduct military operations, and the country did not have time to build and repair ships, they were often bought abroad.

Of course, all the main orders and decrees came from Peter I, but in matters of shipbuilding he was assisted by such prominent historical figures as F. A. Golovin, K. I. Kruys, F. M. Apraksin, Franz Timmerman and S. I. Yazykov. The shipmasters Richard Cosenz and Sklyaev, Saltykov and Vasily Shipilov glorified their names in the centuries. By 1725, naval officers and shipbuilders were trained in special schools and naval academies. By this time, the shipbuilding and training center for the domestic fleet had moved from Voronezh to St. Petersburg. Our sailors won brilliant and convincing first victories in the battles of Kotlin Island, the Gangut Peninsula, the Ezel and Grengam Islands, and took the lead in the Baltic and Caspian Seas. Also, Russian sailors made many significant geographical discoveries. Chirikov and Bering founded Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in 1740. A year later, a new strait was discovered, which made it possible to reach the western coast of North America. Sea voyages were carried out by V.M. Golovnin, F.F. Bellingshausen, E.V. Putyatin, M.P. Lazarev.

By 1745, for the most part, naval officers came from a noble family, and the sailors were recruits from the common people. Their term of service was for life. Often hired for naval service foreign citizens. An example was the commander of the Kronstadt port - Thomas Gordon.

Admiral Spiridov in 1770, during the Battle of Chesme, defeated the Turkish fleet and established Russian dominance in the Aegean Sea. Also, the Russian Empire won the war with the Turks in 1768-1774. In 1778 the port of Kherson was founded, and in 1783 the first ship of the Black Sea Fleet was launched. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, our country ranked third in the world after France and Great Britain in terms of the number and quality of ships.

In 1802, the Ministry of Naval Forces began its existence. For the first time in 1826, a military steamship was built, equipped with eight guns, which was called the Izhora. And 10 years later they built a steam frigate, nicknamed "Bogatyr". This vessel had a steam engine and paddle wheels for movement. From 1805 to 1855, Russian navigators mastered Far East. During these years, brave sailors made forty round-the-world and long-distance voyages.

In 1856, Russia was forced to sign the Paris Peace Treaty and as a result lost the Black Sea Fleet. In 1860, the steam fleet finally took the place of the sailing fleet, which had lost its former importance. After Crimean War Russia actively built steam warships. These were slow-moving ships, on which it was impossible to make long-range military campaigns. In 1861, the first gunboat called "Experience" was launched into the water. The warship was equipped with armor protection and served until 1922, having been a testing ground for the first experiments of A.S. Popov by radio communication on the water.

The end of the 19th century was marked by the expansion of the fleet. In those days, Tsar Nicholas II was in power. Industry developed at a high pace, but even it could not keep up with the ever-increasing needs of the fleet. Therefore, there was a tendency to order ships in Germany, the USA, France and Denmark. The Russo-Japanese War was characterized by the humiliating defeat of the Russian Navy. Almost all warships were scuttled, some surrendered, only a few managed to escape. After the failure in the war in the east, the Russian Imperial Navy lost its third place among the countries that own the largest fleets in the world, immediately finding itself in sixth.

1906 is characterized by the revival of the naval forces. A decision is made to have submarines in service. On March 19, by decree of Emperor Nicholas II, 10 submarines were commissioned. Therefore, this day in the country is a holiday, the Submariner's Day. From 1906 to 1913, the Russian Empire spent 519 million dollars on the needs of the navy. But this was clearly not enough, as the navies of other leading powers were developing rapidly.

During the First World War, the German fleet was significantly ahead of the Russian one in all respects. In 1918, the entire Baltic Sea was under the absolute control of Germany. The German fleet transported troops to support an independent Finland. Their troops controlled the occupied Ukraine, Poland and western part Russia.

The main opponent of the Russians on the Black Sea has long been the Ottoman Empire. The main base of the Black Sea Fleet was in Sevastopol. The commander of all naval forces in this region was Andrey Avgustovich Ebergard. But in 1916 the tsar removed him from his post and replaced him with Admiral Kolchak. Despite the successful military operations of the Black Sea sailors, in October 1916 the battleship Empress Maria exploded in the parking lot. It was the largest loss of the Black Sea Fleet. He served only a year. To this day, the cause of the explosion is unknown. But there is an opinion that this is the result of a successful sabotage.

The revolution and Civil War. In 1918, the ships of the Black Sea Fleet were partially captured by the Germans, partially withdrawn and scuttled in Novorossiysk. The Germans later handed over some ships to Ukraine. In December, the Entente seized the ships in Sevastopol, which were given to the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (Gen. Denikin's group of white troops). They participated in the war against the Bolsheviks. After the destruction of the white armies, the rest of the fleet was seen in Tunisia. The sailors of the Baltic Fleet rebelled against the Soviet government in 1921. At the end of all the above events, Soviet power there are very few ships left. These ships formed the Navy of the USSR.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet fleet underwent a severe test, protecting the flanks of the fronts. The flotilla helped the rest of the military branches to smash the Nazis. Russian sailors showed hitherto unprecedented heroism, despite the significant numerical and technical superiority of Germany. During these years, the fleet was skillfully commanded by admirals A.G. Golovko, I.S. Isakov, V.F. Tributs, L.A. Vladimirsky.

In 1896, in parallel with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Petersburg, the day of the founding of the fleet was also celebrated. He is 200 years old. But the largest celebration took place in 1996, when the 300th anniversary was celebrated. Navy was and is the pride of many generations. The Russian fleet is the hard work and heroism of Russians for the glory of the country. This is the military power of Russia, which guarantees the safety of the inhabitants of a great country. But first of all, these are inflexible people, strong in spirit and body. Russia will always be proud of Ushakov, Nakhimov, Kornilov and many, many other naval commanders who faithfully served their homeland. And, of course, Peter I - a truly great sovereign who managed to create a strong empire with a powerful and invincible fleet.

Peter I pays great attention to the fleet. In 1689 Peter builds on Lake Pleshcheyevo, near Pereslavl-Zalessky, several small ships under the guidance of Dutch masters. The treasury did not have the necessary funds, and the construction of the fleet was entrusted to the so-called "kumpans" (companies) - associations of secular and spiritual landowners. Already in May 1692, his first “amusing” ship, built with the participation of the tsar himself, was launched on Lake Pereslavl. In 1694, during a real sea voyage organized by the tsar, the Russian red-blue-white flag was raised for the first time. Behind Peter's "military amusements" was a far-reaching goal: the struggle for Russia's access to the sea.

The fleet was built both in the south and in the north of the country. The main efforts were focused on the creation of the Baltic Fleet. As early as 1701, Peter I dreamed that he would have 80 large ships here, a crew was hastily recruited, and in 1703 the Lodeynopol shipyard launched 6 frigates: this was the first Russian squadron that appeared on the Baltic Sea. And in 1705, the Admiralty shipyard in St. Petersburg itself began building ships. In 1708 the first 28-gun frigate was launched in the Baltic.

At that time, Russia had a navy, but it did not consist of those ships that could carry out offensive operations on the high seas. For this, battleships were needed, armed with many dozens of guns of various calibers. There were only a few such ships in the Russian fleet, although there were plenty of small ships intended for coastal navigation and defensive operations. The only shipyard in the country that produced ships of large sizes, the Admiralteyskaya, could not replenish the Baltic Fleet with the necessary number of ships in the coming years.

There was another way to equip the fleet with new warships - to purchase them abroad. For the sake of the accelerated creation of the fleet, Peter did not neglect this method either.

The Russian fleet, as well as the army, was recruited from drafted recruits. At the same time, the Marine Corps was created. To manage, recruit, train, maintain and equip this regular army, a complex military-administrative mechanism was created with the collegiums of the Military, Admiralty, Artillery Chancellery headed by the Feldzeugmeister General, with the Provisional Office under the command of the Provisional Master General, with the Chief Commissariat under the control of General -krieg commissar to receive recruits and place them on the regiments, to distribute salaries to the army and supply them with weapons, uniforms and horses. To this we must also add the general staff headed by the generals. For training in maritime affairs, instructions were drawn up: “Ship article”, “Military instructions and articles for the Russian fleet”, etc. In 1715, the Naval Academy was opened in St. Petersburg, which trained naval officers. In 1716, the training of officers through the midshipman company began. The cost of maintaining the army accounted for 2/3 of the entire budget of that time.

All residents of the Moscow state had to participate in the construction of ships. Votchinniks, both spiritual and secular, landowners, guests and merchants were obliged to build the ships themselves in a certain number, and small estates to help with a contribution of money. To this end, it was supposed that the spiritual owners from 8,000 peasant households, and the secular ones from 10,000 households, built one ship each, and guests and merchants, instead of the tenth of the money that was collected from them, would build 12 ships; small estates, who had less than a hundred households, had to contribute half a ruble from the yard. The number of ships equipped in this way was also determined. They were ordered to build 80, and the state planned to build another 80 at its shipyards. Their uniforms and weapons were also accurately marked. The construction of ships was to be carried out in Voronezh and in neighboring marinas.

The shipbuilding business was quite successful. In 1698, the required ships were built. The Azov victory led to many changes in Russia.

The creation of a powerful Russian fleet was the beginning of the mastery of the entire sea. In 1710, with the participation of naval forces, Vyborg, Riga, about. Ezel, Revel. In 1713, with the capture of Helsingfors, the Swedes were finally driven out of the Gulf of Finland.

The Baltic Fleet was gaining strength. The tsar paid exceptional attention to his offspring; he is a frequent guest of the main base of the Russian fleet, located on the island of Kotlin. There he spent whole weeks, saw reviews, training battles, exercised officers and sailors in the execution of naval commands.

By the summer campaign of 1714, the Baltic Fleet was so strong that it armed Peter with confidence in his ability to face off against the Swedes at sea. The fleet consisted of 15 battleships armed with 42-74 guns each, 5 frigates with 18-32 guns and 99 galleys. By decree of Peter 1 of November 16, 1705, regiments of marines were organized on ships for the first time.

In July 1720, the Russian rowing fleet under the command of M. Golitsyn lured Swedish ships into skerries off Grengam Island. In the course of a decisive boarding attack, the Russians scored a second brilliant naval victory over the Swedish fleet. During the battle, 4 Swedish frigates with 104 guns and 400 sailors were captured. This victory hastened the signing of the Treaty of Nystad in 1721, which ended the Northern War.

By the end of the first quarter of the 18th century, Russia had become one of the strongest maritime powers. On January 13, 1720, Peter the Great issued the first maritime charter.

The publication in Russia of the Maritime Charter, as it were, summed up a certain result maritime history countries: in the shortest possible time a strong navy was created in the Baltic. Peter used all the best that was in Western shipbuilding. But first of all, he took into account the peculiarities of the Russian theater of war and navigation off the coast of the Fatherland. Peter's fleet differed from the European fleets primarily in that at first it consisted mainly of rowing ships, various in size and armament. Peter proceeded from the fact that such ships are easy to build, relatively easy to manage, well used to support the land army. Only after the victory at Poltava in Russia did intensive construction of battleships begin. Only they could ensure Russia's dominance in the Baltic Sea.

With the conquest of the Baltic states, the fleet received convenient ice-free ports. For defense new capital- Petersburg on the island of Kotlin built a powerful fortress - Krondstadt.

By 1725, the Russian fleet in the Baltic was one of the strongest fleets. He had 48 battleships and frigates, 787 galleys and other ships. The total number of teams reached 28 thousand people. Since 1716, midshipmen appeared in the fleet - graduates of the "School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences" opened in 1700.

The land country, which three decades ago did not have a single warship, has turned into a mighty maritime power, which had the most powerful fleet in the Baltic Sea. The fleet reliably defended the sea borders of Russia, including the capital of the empire - St. Petersburg.