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 were able to walk on the seas and were able to fight at sea, but the true naval traditions of our country are about 300 years old.
They still argue about a specific event or date, where the history of the Russian fleet originates from. One thing is clear to everyone - this happened in the era of Peter the Great.
First experiences
The Russians began to use waterways to move armed forces in a country where rivers were the main routes of communication a long time ago. Mention of the legendary path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" goes back centuries. On the campaign of the "lodges" of Prince Oleg to Constantinople, epics were composed.
The wars of Alexander Nevsky with the Swedes and German crusaders had one of the main goals to equip Russian settlements near the mouth of the Neva in order to be able to freely navigate the Baltic Sea.
In the south, the Zaporizhzhya and Don Cossacks fought for access to the Black Sea with the Tatars and Turks. Their legendary "gulls" in 1350 successfully attacked and captured Ochakov.
The first Russian warship “Orel” was built in 1668 on the Oka River, in the village of Dedinovo, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. But the Russian navy owes its true birth to the dream and will of his son, Peter the Great.
Main dream
At first, the young tsar simply liked sailing in a small boat found in a barn in the village of Izmailovo. This 6-meter boot, donated to his father, is now stored in the Naval Museum of St. Petersburg.
The future emperor later said that the Russian imperial fleet originated 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 his shipbuilders were not in Moscow.
When the future emperor at the age of 17 became a real ruler, he began to realize for real that Russia cannot develop without economic, scientific and cultural ties with Europe, and the best routes of communication are by sea.
An energetic and curious person, Peter strove to acquire knowledge and skills in various fields. His biggest hobbies were the theory and practice of shipbuilding, which he studied with Dutch, German and English masters. He with interest delved into the basics of cartography, learned to use navigation instruments.
He began to invest his first skills in creating a "funny flotilla" on Lake Pleshcheyev in Pereslavl-Zalessky near Yaroslavl. In June 1689, the Fortuna bot, 2 small frigates and yachts were assembled there at the shipyards.
Ocean access
A huge land giant, occupying a sixth of the earth's land, Russia at the end of the 17th century was less likely than other countries to claim the title of a sea power. The history of the Russian fleet is also the history of the struggle for access to the oceans. There were two options for access to the open sea - two “bottlenecks”: through the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, where the strong Sweden dominated, and through the Black Sea, through the narrow Dardanelles, controlled by 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, and there was not enough strength for a planned siege, there was not enough money to cut off the supply of supplies to the surrounded Turks by water. Therefore, in preparation for the next campaign, it was decided to build a flotilla.
Azov fleet
Peter with unprecedented energy took up the construction of ships. More than 25 thousand peasants were driven to work at the shipyards in Preobrazhensky and on the Voronezh River. According to the model brought from abroad, under the supervision of foreign masters, 23 rowing galleys (hard labor), 2 large sailboats (one of which was the 36-gun Apostle Peter), more than 1300 small ships - baroque, plow, etc. were made. 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 surrounded Azov from the water. After a month and a half siege on July 19, 1696, the garrison of the fortress surrendered.
"Luchshie to me to fight by the sea ..."
This campaign showed the importance of the interaction of land and sea forces. It was crucial for the decision of the Boyars 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 its own time frame.
Great embassy
The war for the southern exit to the ocean by the capture of Azov had just begun, and Peter went to Europe in search of support in the struggle against Turkey and its allies. The king took advantage of his diplomatic tour, which lasted a year and a half, to replenish his knowledge in shipbuilding and military affairs.
Under the name of Peter Mikhailov, he worked at the shipyards of Holland. He gained experience with a dozen Russian carpenters. For three months, with their participation, the frigate Peter and Paul was built, which later went to Java under the flag of the East India Company.
In England, the king also works in shipyards and in mechanical workshops. The English king specially for Peter arranges naval maneuvers. 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 consolidated in it.
Russia is young
Marine business is developing. In 1700, Peter the Great establishes the stern flag of the ships of the Russian Navy. 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 Russian sailors overshadow the oblique blue cross of the St. Andrew’s flag.
A year later, the first naval educational institution was opened in Moscow - the school of mathematical and navigational sciences. A naval order is being established to lead the new industry. A naval charter is adopted, naval ranks are introduced.
But the most important thing is the admiralty, which is in charge of the shipyards - new ships are being built there.
Pyotr Alekseevich’s plans for further seizure of ports on the Black Sea and the foundation there of the shipyards were prevented by a more formidable enemy from the North. Denmark and Sweden started the war over the disputed islands, and Peter entered it on the Danish side, with the goal of breaking through the "window to Europe" - access to the Baltic Sea.
Battle of Gangut
Sweden, led by the young and arrogant Charles XII, was the main military force of the time. An inexperienced Russian imperial fleet was facing a severe test. In the summer of 1714, a Russian squadron of rowing ships, led by Admiral Fedor Apraksin, met powerful Swedish sailboats at Cape Gangut. Yielding to the enemy in artillery, the admiral did not dare to a direct collision and reported the situation to Peter.
The tsar made a distracting maneuver: he ordered a deck to be transported to dry land and to show his intention to enter the rear of the enemy fleet through the isthmus. To stop this, the Swedes divided the flotilla, sending a detachment of 10 ships to bypass the peninsula to the place of the redeployment. At this time, the sea was completely calm, which deprived the Swedes of the possibility of any maneuver. Massive motionless vessels lined up for frontal combat, and the ships of the Russian fleet - fast rowing galleys - broke along the coast and attacked a group of 10 vessels, locking it in the bay. The flagship frigate "Elephant" was boarded, Peter personally participated in a melee attack, captivating the sailors with a personal example.
The victory of the Russian fleet was complete. About a dozen ships were hijacked, 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 land victory of Poltava - all this became the key to the signing by the Swedes of the Nishtad peace (1721), according to which Russia began to prevail in the Baltic. The goal - access to Western European ports - was achieved.
The legacy of Peter the Great
The foundation for the creation of the Baltic Fleet was laid by Peter even 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 River recaptured from the Swedes. Together with a military base located nearby - Kronstadt - they became gates closed to enemies and wide open for trade.
For a quarter century, Russia has gone the way that leading sea powers took several centuries - the way from small ships for coastal navigation to huge ships that can overcome the vastness of the world. 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 beloved brainchild - the first Russian fleet - awaited 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 was able to win the great victories of the times of Ushakov and Nakhimov and suffer brutal defeats at Sevastopol and Tsushima. After the most severe defeats, Russia lost the status of a sea power. The revival periods after a complete decline knows the history of the Russian fleet and past centuries, and modern times.
Today, the fleet is gaining strength after another devastating timelessness, and it is important to remember that everything began with the energy and will of Peter I, who believed in the sea greatness of his country.