Russia is a continental state, but the length of its borders, passing through the water surface, is 2/3 of their total length. From ancient times, Russians knew how to navigate the seas and knew how to fight at sea, but the real naval traditions of our country are about 300 years old.
Still arguing about a specific event or date, where the history of the Russian fleet originates from. One thing is clear to everyone - it happened in the era of Peter the Great.
First experiments
Use the waterways to move the armed forces in a country where the rivers were the main means of communication, the Russians have been for a very long time. Mentions of the legendary path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" go back centuries. Epics were composed about the campaign of Prince Oleg's "lods" to Tsargrad.
The wars of Alexander Nevsky with the Swedes and the German crusaders had one of the main goals of arranging Russian settlements near the mouth of the Neva in order to be able to freely navigate the B altic Sea.
In the south, the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks fought for access to the Black Sea with the Tatars and Turks. Their legendary "seagulls" successfully attacked and captured Ochakov in 1350.
The first Russian warship "Eagle" was built in 1668 on the Oka River, in the village of Dedinovo by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. But the Russian navy owes its real birth to the dream and will of his son, Peter the Great.
Main dream
At first, the young tsar simply enjoyed sailing on a small boat found in a barn in the village of Izmailovo. This 6-meter boat, given to his father, is now kept in the Naval Museum of St. Petersburg.
The future emperor said later that the Russian imperial fleet originates from him, and called him "the grandfather of the Russian fleet." Peter himself restored it, following the instructions of the masters from the German settlement, because there were no shipbuilders of his own in Moscow.
When the future emperor became a real ruler at the age of 17, he began to truly realize that Russia cannot develop without economic, scientific and cultural ties with Europe, and the best means of communication are by sea.
An energetic and curious person, Peter sought to acquire knowledge and skills in various fields. His greatest passion was the theory and practice of shipbuilding, which he studied with Dutch, German and English masters. He delved into the basics of cartography with interest, learned to use navigational instruments.
The first skills he began to invest in the creation of a "fun flotilla" on Lake Pleshcheyevo in Pereslavl-Zalessky near Yaroslavl. In June 1689, the boat "Fortune", 2 small frigates and yachts were assembled at the shipyards there.
Exitto the ocean
A huge land giant that occupied a sixth of the earth's land, Russia at the end of the 17th century could claim the title of sea power less than other countries. The history of the Russian fleet is also the history of the struggle for access to the oceans. There were two options for accessing the sea - two "bottlenecks": through the Gulf of Finland and the B altic Sea, where strong Sweden ruled, and through the Black Sea, through the narrow Strait of the Dardanelles, which was under the control of the Ottoman Empire.
The first attempt to stop the raids of the Crimean Tatars and Turks on the southern borders and lay the foundations for a future breakthrough to the Black Sea was made by Peter in 1695. The fortress of Azov, located at the mouth of the Don, withstood the attacks of the Russian military expedition, but there were not enough forces for a systematic siege, there were not enough funds to cut off the supply of supplies to the surrounded Turks by water. Therefore, in order to prepare for the next campaign, it was decided to build a flotilla.
Azov Fleet
Peter set about building ships with unprecedented energy. More than 25,000 peasants were rounded up to work at the shipyards in Preobrazhensky and on the Voronezh River. According to the model brought from abroad, under the supervision of foreign craftsmen, 23 rowing galleys (penal servitude), 2 large sailboats (one of which is the 36-gun Apostle Peter), more than 1300 small ships - baroques, plows, etc. d. This was the first attempt to create what is called the "regular Russian imperial fleet." He perfectly fulfilled his tasks of delivering troops to the walls of the fortress and blocking the encircled Azov fromwater. After a month and a half siege on July 19, 1696, the garrison of the fortress surrendered.
It's better for me to fight by sea…
This campaign showed the importance of the interaction of land and sea forces. It was of decisive importance for the decision of the Boyar Duma on the further construction of ships. "Ships to be!" - the royal decree on the allocation of funds for new ships was approved on October 20, 1696. From this date, the history of the Russian fleet has been counting down.
Grand Embassy
The war for the southern outlet to the ocean by the capture of Azov had just begun, and Peter went to Europe in search of support in the fight against Turkey and its allies. The Tsar took advantage of his year and a half diplomatic tour to improve his knowledge of shipbuilding and military affairs.
Under the name of Peter Mikhailov, he worked at shipyards in Holland. He gained experience along with a dozen Russian carpenters. In three months, with their participation, the frigate "Peter and Pavel" was built, which later sailed to Java under the flag of the East India Company.
In England, the Tsar also works in shipyards and machine shops. The English king arranges naval maneuvers especially for Peter. Seeing the coordinated interactions of 12 huge ships, Peter is delighted and says that he would like to be an English admiral than a Russian tsar. From that moment on, the dream of having a powerful Russian imperial fleet was finally strengthened in him.
Young Russia
Marine business is developing. In 1700, Peter the Great established the stern ensign of shipsRussian fleet. It was named in honor of the first Russian order - St. Andrew the First-Called. 300 years of the Russian fleet, and almost all this time the oblique blue cross of the St. Andrew's flag overshadows Russian sailors.
A year later, the first naval educational institution opens in Moscow - the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences. The Naval Order is established to guide the new industry. The Naval Charter is adopted, naval ranks are introduced.
But the most important thing is the admir alties, which manage the shipyards - new ships are being built there.
Peter Alekseevich's plans for further seizure of ports on the Black Sea and the establishment of shipyards there were prevented by a more formidable enemy from the North. Denmark and Sweden started a war over the disputed islands, and Peter entered it on the Danish side, with the goal of breaking through a "window to Europe" - access to the B altic Sea.
Battle of Gangut
Sweden, led by the young and cocky Charles XII, was the main military force of that time. The inexperienced Russian Imperial Navy faced a severe test. In the summer of 1714, the Russian squadron of rowing ships, led by Admiral Fedor Apraksin, met with powerful Swedish sailing ships at Cape Gangut. Yielding to the enemy in artillery, the admiral did not dare to engage directly and reported the situation to Peter.
The tsar made a distracting maneuver: he ordered to arrange a deck for crossing ships on dry land and show the intention to go through the isthmus to the rear of the enemy fleet. To stopThis, the Swedes divided the flotilla, sending a detachment of 10 ships around the peninsula to the place of transfer. At this time, a complete calm was established on the sea, which deprived the Swedes of the possibility of any maneuver. Massive stationary ships formed an arc for frontal combat, and the ships of the Russian fleet - fast rowing galleys - broke along the coast and attacked a group of 10 ships, locking it in the bay. The flagship frigate "Elephant" was boarded, Peter personally participated in the hand-to-hand attack, capturing the sailors by personal example.
The victory of the Russian fleet was complete. About a dozen ships were captured, more than a thousand Swedes were captured, over 350 were killed. Without losing a single ship, the Russians lost 120 people killed and 350 wounded.
The first victories at sea - at Gangut and, later, at Grengam, as well as the Poltava land victory - all this became the key to the signing of the Nishtad Peace Treaty by the Swedes (1721), according to which Russia began to prevail in the B altic. The goal - access to Western European ports - was achieved.
The Legacy of Peter the Great
The basis for the creation of the B altic Fleet was laid by Peter ten years before the Battle of Gangut, when St. Petersburg, the new capital of the Russian Empire, was founded at the mouth of the Neva, recaptured from the Swedes. Together with the military base located nearby - Kronstadt - they became a gate closed to enemies and open to trade.
For a quarter of a century, Russia has traveled a path that took several centuries for the leading maritime powers - the path from small ships to coastalsailing to huge ships capable of overcoming the world's expanses. The flag of the Russian fleet was known and respected on all the oceans of the earth.
History of victories and defeats
Peter's reforms and his favorite offspring - the first Russian fleet - had a difficult fate. Not all subsequent rulers of the country shared the ideas of Peter the Great or possessed his strength of character.
Over the next 300 years, the Russian fleet had a chance to win great victories of the times of Ushakov and Nakhimov and suffer severe defeats at Sevastopol and Tsushima. After the heaviest defeats, Russia was deprived of the status of a maritime power. Periods of revival after a complete decline are known in the history of the Russian fleet both in past centuries and in modern times.
Today the fleet is gaining strength after yet another destructive stagnation, and it is important to remember that everything began with the energy and will of Peter I, who believed in the maritime greatness of his country.
