Creation of a fleet under Peter 1. Creation of a regular navy

Russian Academy of Entrepreneurship

Faculty of Management

ESSAY

on the topic: “The military reform of Peter I and the creation of the Russian fleet”

in the discipline "History of the Fatherland"

Performed:

2nd year student Kadzhaya I.I.

Checked:

INTRODUCTION

The beginning of the reform of the armed forces dates back to the second half of the 17th century. Even then, the first Reiter and soldier regiments of the new system were created from subordinate and “eager” people (i.e. volunteers). But there were still relatively few of them, and the basis of the armed forces was still the noble cavalry cavalry and archery regiments. Although the archers wore a uniform uniform and weapons, the monetary salary they received was negligible. Basically, they served for the benefits provided to them in trade and craft, therefore they were tied to permanent places of residence. Streltsy regiments, neither in their social composition nor in their organization, could be a reliable support for the noble government. They also could not seriously resist the regular troops of Western countries, and, consequently, be a fairly reliable tool for solving foreign policy problems.

Therefore, Peter 1, having come to power in 1689, was faced with the need for a radical military reform and the formation of a mass regular army.

1. Reform of the armed forces.

The core of the military reform was two guards (former "amusing") regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. These regiments, staffed mainly by young nobles, became at the same time a school for officer cadres for the new army. Initially, a bet was made on the invitation to the Russian service of foreign officers. However, the behavior of foreigners in the battle of Narva in 1700, when they, led by the commander-in-chief von Krui, went over to the side of the Swedes, forced this practice to be abandoned. Officer positions began to be filled mainly by Russian nobles. In addition to training officer cadres from soldiers and sergeants of the guards regiments, personnel were also trained at the bombardment school (1698), artillery schools (1701 and 1712), navigational (1698) classes and engineering schools (1709) and Naval Academy (1715). It was also practiced to send young nobles to study abroad. The rank and file was originally recruited from the number of "hunters" (volunteers) and subordinate people (serfs, who were taken from the landowners). By 1705, the order of recruitment had finally taken shape. They were recruited one by one from every 20 peasant and township households every 5 years or every year - one from 100 households. Thus, a new duty was established - recruitment for the peasantry and townspeople. Although the top tenants, merchants, breeders, manufacturers, as well as children of the clergy, were exempted from recruitment duty. After the introduction of the poll tax and the census of the male population of taxable estates in 1723, the order of recruitment was changed. Recruits began to be recruited not from the number of households, but from the number of male taxable souls. The armed forces were divided into a field army, which consisted of 52 infantry (including 5 grenadier) and 33 cavalry regiments, and garrison troops. Artillery was included in the infantry and cavalry regiments.

The regular army was maintained entirely at the expense of the state, was dressed in a uniform state-owned uniform, armed with standard state-owned weapons (before Peter 1, the noblemen-militias had weapons and horses, and the archers had their own). Artillery guns were of the same standard caliber, which greatly facilitated the supply of ammunition. Indeed, earlier, in the 16th - 17th centuries, cannons were cast individually by cannon makers, who served them. The army was trained according to uniform military regulations and instructions.

The total number of the field army by 1725 was 130 thousand people, in the garrison troops, designed to ensure order within the country, there were 68 thousand people. In addition, to protect the southern borders, the landmilitia was formed as part of several irregular cavalry regiments with a total strength of 30 thousand people. Finally, there were also irregular Ukrainian and Don Cossack regiments and national formations (Bashkir and Tatar) totaling 105-107 thousand people.

The system of military administration has changed radically. Instead of numerous orders, between which military administration had previously been fragmented, Peter 1 established a military collegium and an admiralty collegium to lead the army and navy. Thus, military administration was strictly centralized. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. under Empress Catherine II, the Military Council was created, which carried out the overall leadership of the war. In 1763, the General Staff was formed as an agency for planning military operations. Direct control of the troops in peacetime was carried out by division commanders. In the second half of the XVIII century. in the Russian army there were 8 divisions and 2 border districts. The total number of troops by the end of the XVIII century. increased to half a million people and they were fully provided with weapons, equipment and ammunition at the expense of domestic industry (it produced 25-30 thousand guns and several hundred artillery pieces per month).

In the second half of the XVIII century. the army moved to the barracks content, i.e. barracks began to be built on a massive scale, in which the troops settled. Indeed, at the beginning of this century, only the guards regiments had barracks, and the bulk of the troops were located in the houses of the townsfolk. The fixed duty was one of the most difficult for the tax-paying estates. The army, which was completed by recruiting, reflected the social structure of society. Soldiers, emerging from serfdom from the landowner, became serfs of the state, obliged to lifelong service, later reduced to 25 years. The officer corps was noble. Although the Russian army was of a feudal nature, it was still a national army, which differed sharply from the armies of a number of Western states (Prussia, France, Austria), where the armies were recruited from mercenaries interested only in receiving pay and robbery. It is no coincidence that in the Battle of Poltava, the Swedish king Charles XII, addressing the soldiers, said that glory, robbery, wine and women await them ahead. Peter 1, before the same battle, told his soldiers that they were fighting "not for Peter, but for the Fatherland, handed over to Peter."

In the second half of the XVIII century. the artillery in the Russian army was significantly strengthened, re-equipped with Shuvalov's long howitzers.

2. Creation of a regular navy.

On November 4, 1696, a meeting of the Boyar Duma was scheduled, for which Peter prepared a note with the title: “Convenient articles that belong to the captured fortress or farm of the Turks of Azov.” The Duma, assembled in Preobrazhensky, listened to the historic proposal of Peter 1: “... to fight by sea, it’s very close and convenient many times more than by land. In addition, it is necessary to have a fleet or a sea caravan, consisting of forty or more ships, about which

it is necessary to lay down without wasting time: how many ships and how many yards and trades, and where to do it? The Duma passed the following verdict: "Sea courts to be ...".

All residents of the Moscow state must 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 equipped in this way

courts have also been identified. 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.

In addition, Peter sent 35 young people abroad, 23 of whom had a princely title, to study maritime affairs. Later, in December 1696, the idea came to Peter to equip an embassy abroad, entrusting him with the care of organizing a coalition of European powers to continue the fight against the Ottoman Empire. The embassy, in addition, had to hire specialists abroad for the Russian service, purchase weapons, and also attach a new batch of nobles for training.

Having entrusted the administration of the country to Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky and the boyar Tikhon Stershnev, the embassy left Moscow on March 2, 1697. The embassy was called "great" because of its large number. It was headed by three ambassadors: Lefort, Golovin and Voznitsyn. Among the volunteers was Peter Mikhailov - under such a name was the king.

The embassy was accompanied by numerous attendants: priests, healers, translators, bakers. In a place with guard soldiers, the total number was 250 people, and the convoy consisted of 1000 sledges.

Even with a cursory glance at the map of Russia, it is easy to see that most of its borders (almost 63%) fall on the seas and oceans. Therefore, it is not surprising that our ancestors have long been sailors, but the true history of the Russian fleet has a little more than three centuries and is associated with the name of Peter I.

At the origins of Russian navigation

In fairness, it should be noted that the beginning of the history of the emergence of the Russian fleet dates back to the time of the founder of the Romanov dynasty ─ sovereign Mikhail Fedorovich. Under him, the first large three-masted ship "Frederick", created according to the Western model, appeared in the country. However, during a trip to Persia, it ran aground in the coastal waters of the Caspian Sea, and then was pulled ashore and died, plundered by local residents. After such an inglorious debut, Russian sailors conducted several very successful military operations, but they won solely due to personal courage, since they had to go to sea on their grandfather's galleys.

The construction of ships that met the requirements of that ancient era is associated with the name of Peter the Great. In the history of the Russian fleet, he is rightfully considered one of the key figures. Immediately after the Second Azov campaign, in which the Russian ground forces were supported by two battleships, four fireships (a ship designed to set fire to enemy ships), as well as a large number of galleys and plows, the sovereign began to create a regular fleet.

It is generally accepted that the history of the Russian fleet begins on October 20 (30), 1696, when the boyar duma, having discussed the report filed by Peter I, decided to start building ships at the Voronezh shipyard. This date became his official birthday.

War for access to the Baltic Sea

Russia's participation in the Northern War (1700-1721) with Sweden became a powerful incentive for the creation of domestic military courts. During this period, the Baltic Fleet began to actively develop. At the beginning of the war, ships were built mainly at shipyards created at the mouths of the Luga, Olonka and Syasi rivers. But then the center of Russian shipbuilding moved to St. Petersburg. The main naval base of the Baltic Fleet was also created there. A little later, ships began to be placed at the berths of Kronstadt, Vyborg, Gelsinfors, Abo and Revel.

During the years of the Northern War, the history of the Russian navy is associated with the creation of various types of sailing ships. They were intended both to protect the coasts recaptured from the Swedes, and to make long voyages associated with attacks on enemy sea routes.

However, to carry out such a wide range of combat missions, there were not enough domestic-made ships, and they had to be bought abroad. To solve the problem, new shipyards were created by the state decree, the work at which was carried out under the guidance of foreign specialists specially sent to Russia for this purpose.

The results of the activities of Peter I to create a fleet

In the last year of the reign of Peter I (1725), the Russian fleet was already a formidable force. Suffice it to say that it included 130 combat sailing ships of various types, as well as 77 auxiliary ships. Such a powerful potential put Russia on a par with the leading maritime powers of the world.

In the same period, a new and in many ways advanced layer of Russian nobles, who became naval officers, was created and finally took shape. These were very literate people, many of whom were trained abroad, from where they returned as qualified specialists. The disciplines they studied included: navigation, navigation, mathematics, physics, astronomy, as well as the theory and practice of naval battles.

The decline and new rise of the Russian fleet

However, such a successful period in the history of the Russian navy ended with the death of Peter I. If in 1726, thanks to the previous inertia, one more vessel was laid down, then in the next 4 years no work was carried out. The ships built earlier fell into disrepair and became unusable. As a result, by 1730, when Anna Ioannovna ascended the Russian throne, the once powerful domestic fleet consisted of only 50 ships, of which only a third was able to go to sea.

With all the negative aspects of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, researchers note her significant contribution to the history of the creation of the Russian fleet. Barely accustomed to the role of the ruler of one of the largest states in the world, she attended to the revival of his naval forces. In 1732, by her decree, a Commission was created to develop and implement a naval reform. It included the best naval commanders of that time.

In parallel with this, work was carried out on the reconstruction of old and the creation of new shipyards. As a result, during the ten-year period of the reign of Anna Ioannovna, about 150 ships were launched, of which almost a hundred were built in Arkhangelsk, a city that received the status of a leading center of domestic shipbuilding.

The formation of the Black Sea Fleet

A new page in the history of the Russian fleet opened in the second half of the 18th century, and the impetus for this was the policy of Catherine II, whose goal was to establish dominance in the Black Sea. During the years of her reign, Russia became a participant in two Russian-Turkish wars (1768-1774 and 1787-1791), during which a significant burden fell on military sailors. The first victory of the Russian fleet in Russian history, won far from its native shores, belongs to the same period.

In June 1770, the squadron under the command of Admiral Spiridonov defeated the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesme, which secured priority in the Aegean Sea. As a result of the joint actions of the ships of the Azov and Black Sea squadrons, Russia won a number of victories over the fleet of the Ottoman Empire, and gained control over the coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov and a significant section of the Black Sea coastal strip. Their consequence was the annexation of Crimea to Russia, carried out in 1783 by the troops of Prince Potemkin with the support of the forces of the navy.

At the turn of the century

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Russian navy occupied the third place in the world in terms of size and power, only slightly inferior to the naval forces of Great Britain and France. During this period, it included: the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, as well as three independent flotillas ─ the Caspian, Okhotsk and White Sea. An important event in the history of the Russian fleet was the creation in 1802 of the Ministry of Naval Forces, which took over its centralized management.

Naval problems in the first half of the 19th century

A negative role in the further development of the Russian fleet was played by its significant economic lag behind Western European countries, which was observed in the first half of the 19th century. This was clearly manifested during the Crimean War (1853-1856).

Despite the large number of personnel - 91 thousand people, which at that time was a very high figure - the Russian naval forces could not ensure the security of the coast of the Motherland, since the entire material and technical base of the fleet required modernization. World progress inexorably moved forward, and in the open sea the sailing fleet was forced out by ships equipped with steam engines ─ armadillos, monitors and floating batteries.

However, even with all the negative factors, Russian sailors won a number of brilliant victories during the Crimean War. This is, first of all, the Battle of Sinop in November 1853, as well as numerous military operations to repel enemy forces in the defense of Sevastopol.

Measures to modernize the Russian fleet

Sovereign Alexander II, who ascended the Russian throne in 1855, realizing the need for a radical restructuring of the domestic fleet, made every effort to modernize it and bring it in line with the requirements of the time. In the history of the Russian navy, his reign was marked by the creation of a large number of first-class warships, technically not inferior to the best foreign models.

This was a whole series of ships designed both to perform tasks in coastal waters and in remote parts of the world's oceans. Most of them were equipped with thick armor and powerful artillery weapons. The most famous of them was the battleship "Peter the Great", the crew of which covered itself with glory in many naval battles.

Tragedy of the Russo-Japanese War

The sadly memorable Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) became a tragic page in the history of the fleet. Despite the heroism of the Russian sailors, shown during the defense of Port Arthur and attempts to break through its blockade, a significant preponderance of forces was on the side of the enemy. The Tsushima naval battle also ended in a major failure, in which the squadron of the Pacific Fleet under the command of Admiral Rozhdestvensky was defeated and almost completely destroyed by the naval forces of Japan.

After the inglorious end of the Russo-Japanese War, the domestic fleet largely lost its former power, and in subsequent years there was a process of its revival, which, despite all the efforts of the military department, was not completed by the beginning of the First World War.

The Russian fleet during the First World War

After Russia began active hostilities as part of the Entente, Germany became its main adversary in the Baltic, whose fleet was more powerful both in terms of numbers and technical equipment. In view of this, Russian sailors were forced to limit their actions to the defense of the coastline and individual operations to intercept enemy transport ships.

On the Black Sea during the First World War, Russia again met with its long-standing enemy - the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. When planning military operations, the Turkish Admiral Souchon made the main bet on his two most advanced German-made cruisers ─ Breslau and Goeben. However, both of them, having received serious damage during a collision with the Russian squadron, were forced to retreat to the Bosphorus. As a result, by December 1915, Russia controlled the entire Black Sea.

The period of the Civil War was marked by the legendary Ice Campaign of the ships of the Baltic Fleet from Finland, where they were blocked after the signing of the Treaty of Brest, shameful for Russia, to Kronstadt. It was carried out in March ─ April 1918, when the Gulf of Finland was still covered with ice, and made it possible to save 235 ships for the country, as well as a large amount of military equipment.

The history of the great victories of the Russian army and navy during the Great Patriotic War was widely covered in the Soviet press and is the subject of close public attention today. And this is no coincidence. Suffice it to say that only among the sailors of the Baltic Fleet, over 100 thousand people were awarded orders and medals, and 138 were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, many of them posthumously. That is why one of the most popular holidays today is the Day of the Russian Fleet. The history of the country's naval forces continues with the advent of the era of democratic reforms in it and reaches a new level.

The Russian Imperial Fleet is one of the very first and official names of the Russian Navy. The name existed until 1917 - I think it’s not worth specifying why it was in this year that the word “imperial” was “cut out” from the official name. Nevertheless, let's turn to more important things - to the history of the creation of Russia's naval power.

Today, the era of the reign of Peter the Great is condemned in the most natural and familiar way. Many of his reforms are controversial even centuries later, and all of them are based on a Europeanized version of Russia. After all, it was he, the Russian Emperor Peter, who took the European model of Russia's development as a basis.

It would be absurd and stupid of me to talk about whether the great emperor was right or wrong in his decision. For me, it's not a bad idea to learn from those who are more and better at some things. And in this context, it would be right to ask the most important questions - under Peter, was Russia built and developed, or did it degrade for all political and economic reasons?

It is unequivocal that Peter I developed the country, strengthened and made it more powerful, even taking into account the fact that European touches and the borrowed experience of neighboring countries were very frankly looming. I repeat, the main thing is the development of the state, and it would be absurd to reproach Peter for the opposite. The most important argument in support of the above is creation of the Imperial Navy- the pride of Peter the Great!

October 30, 1696 is considered the official date, when the Boyar Duma, at the insistence of Peter I, decided to create a regular Russian navy: "Sea ships to be."

Azov Fleet of Peter I

Azov Fleet. Engraving from Johann Georg Korb's book "Diary of a Journey to Muscovy" (Russian translation, 1867)

The emperor’s military failures served as prerequisites for the creation, in particular, the first Azov campaign * clearly showed Tsar Peter that the seaside fortress could not be taken without a strong fleet.

The very idea of Peter I to build a fleet on land, in Voronezh, 1,200 miles from the sea, was considered ambitious by all standards, but not for Peter. The task was completed in one winter.

Azov campaigns of 1695 and 1696 - Russian military campaigns against the Ottoman Empire; were a continuation of the war started by the government of Princess Sophia with the Ottoman Empire and the Crimea; taken by Peter I at the beginning of his reign and ended with the capture of the Turkish fortress of Azov. They can be considered the first significant accomplishment of the young king.

This gigantic enterprise alone could have been the glory of man, and only later, even more glorious deeds somehow obscured in our memories this famous emergence of the navy on land.

When Peter I was pointed out the almost impossible difficulties of keeping the fleet on a completely alien sea, where there was not a single harbor of its own, he replied that "a strong fleet will find a harbor for itself." One can think that Peter, having mastered Azov and decided to build large ships in Taganrog, expected to talk with the Turks about the world not on the Prut (constrained by their hordes), but on the Bosphorus, where his ships would threaten the Sultan's palace with their guns.

True, foreign envoys reported to their governments that most of the ships of the Azov fleet were good only for firewood. The ships of the first construction, cut down in the middle of winter, from a frozen forest, in most cases by inexperienced and poor shipbuilders, were really not important, but Peter I did everything so that the Azov fleet was a real sea power, and, admittedly, he achieved this.

The king himself worked tirelessly. “His Majesty,” wrote Kruys, “was vigilant in this work, so with an ax, an adze, a caulk, a hammer and anointing ships, he was much more diligent and working more than an old and highly trained carpenter.”

Almost immediately at that time, military shipbuilding began in Russia, ships were built in Voronezh and St. Petersburg, on Ladoga and in Arkhangelsk. In the second Azov campaign against Turkey in 1696, 2 battleships, 4 fireships, 23 galleys and 1300 plows built in Voronezh on the river participated. Voronezh.

In order to gain a foothold on the Sea of Azov, in 1698 Peter began the construction of Taganrog as a naval base. During the period from 1695 to 1710, the Azov fleet was replenished with many battleships and frigates, galleys and bombardment ships, fire ships and small ships. But he did not last long. In 1711, after an unsuccessful war with Turkey, according to the Prut peace treaty, Russia was forced to give the Turks the shores of the Sea of Azov and pledged to destroy the Azov fleet.

The creation of the Azov Fleet was an extremely important event for Russia. First of all, it revealed the role of the navy in the armed struggle for the liberation of coastal lands. Secondly, the much-needed experience in the mass construction of military ships was acquired, which made it possible to quickly create a strong Baltic Fleet in the future. Thirdly, Europe was shown Russia's enormous potential to become a powerful maritime power.

Baltic Fleet of Peter I

The Baltic Fleet is one of the oldest Russian navies.

The Baltic Sea washed the shores of Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Russia. It makes no sense to dwell on the strategic importance in controlling the Baltic Sea itself - it is large and you need to know this. Peter the Great also knew this. Should he not know about the Livonian War, launched in 1558 by Ivan the Terrible, who already at that time was striving in every possible way to provide Russia with a reliable outlet to the Baltic Sea. What did it mean for Russia? I will give just one example - in 1558, having captured Narva, the Russian tsar made it the main trading gate to Russia. The turnover of Narva grew rapidly, the number of ships entering the port reached 170 per year. You need to understand that such a combination of circumstances cut off a significant part of other states - Sweden, Poland ...

To gain a foothold in the Baltic Sea has always been one of the fundamentally important tasks of Russia. Attempts were made by Ivan the Terrible, and very successful, but the final success was secured by Peter the Great.

After the war with Turkey for the possession of the Sea of Azov, the aspirations of Peter I were directed to the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea, the success of which was predetermined by the presence of military force at sea. Knowing this very well, Peter I set about building the Baltic Fleet. At the shipyards of the Syaz, Svir and Volkhov rivers, river and sea warships are being laid down, seven 52-gun ships and three 32-gun frigates are being built at the Arkhangelsk shipyards. New shipyards are being created, and the number of iron and copper foundries in the Urals is growing. In Voronezh, the casting of ship cannons and cores for them is being established.

In a fairly short period of time, a flotilla was created, which consisted of battleships with a displacement of up to 700 tons, a length of up to 50 m. Up to 80 guns and 600-800 crew members were placed on their two or three decks.

For a confident exit to the Gulf of Finland, Peter I concentrated his main efforts on mastering the lands adjacent to Ladoga and the Neva. After a 10-day siege and a fierce assault, with the assistance of a rowing flotilla of 50 boats, the Noteburg (Nutlet) fortress was the first to fall, soon renamed Shlisselburg (Key City). In the words of Peter I, this fortress "opened the gates to the sea." Then the Nyenschanz fortress was taken, located at the confluence of the Neva river. Oh you.

In order to finally block the entrance to the Neva for the Swedes, on May 16 (27), 1703, at its mouth, on Hare Island, Peter I laid the foundation for a fortress called Peter and Paul, and the port city of St. Petersburg. On Kotlin Island, 30 versts from the mouth of the Neva, Peter I ordered the construction of the Kronstadt fort to protect the future Russian capital.

In 1704, on the left bank of the Neva, the construction of the Admiralty shipyard began, which was destined to soon become the main domestic shipyard, and St. Petersburg - the shipbuilding center of Russia.

In August 1704, Russian troops, continuing to liberate the Baltic coast, stormed Narva. In the future, the main events of the Northern War took place on land.

On June 27, 1709, the Swedes suffered a serious defeat in the battle of Poltava. However, for the final victory over Sweden, it was necessary to crush its naval forces and establish itself in the Baltic. It took another 12 years of stubborn struggle, primarily at sea.

In the period 1710-1714. By building ships at domestic shipyards and buying them abroad, a fairly strong galley and sailing Baltic Fleet was created. The first of the battleships laid down in the fall of 1709 was named Poltava in honor of the outstanding victory over the Swedes.

The high quality of Russian ships was recognized by many foreign shipbuilders and sailors. So, one of his contemporaries, the English Admiral Porris wrote:

“Russian ships are in all respects equal to the best ships of this type that are available in our country, and, moreover, are more fairly finished”.

The successes of domestic shipbuilders were very significant: by 1714, the Baltic Fleet included 27 linear 42-74-gun ships, 9 frigates with 18-32 guns, 177 scampaways and brigantines, 22 auxiliary ships. The total number of guns on the ships reached 1060.

The increased power of the Baltic Fleet allowed its forces on July 27 (August 7), 1714 to win a brilliant victory against the Swedish fleet at Cape Gangut. In a naval battle, a detachment of 10 units was captured along with Rear Admiral N. Erenskiold, who commanded them. In the battle of Gangut, Peter I fully used the advantage of the galley and rowing fleet over the enemy's linear fleet in the skerry region of the sea. The sovereign personally led the advance detachment of 23 scampaways in battle.

The Gangut victory provided the Russian fleet with freedom of action in the Gulf of Finland and Bothnia. She, like the Poltava victory, became a turning point in the course of the entire Northern War, which allowed Peter I to begin preparations for an invasion directly into the territory of Sweden. This was the only way to force Sweden to make peace.

The authority of the Russian fleet, Peter I as a naval commander became recognized by the fleets of the Baltic states. In 1716, in the Sound, at a meeting of the Russian, English, Dutch and Danish squadrons for joint cruising in the Bornholm area against the Swedish fleet and privateers, Peter I was unanimously elected commander of the united Allied squadron.

This event was later commemorated by the issuance of a medal with the inscription "Reigns over four, at Bornholm". In 1717 troops from northern Finland invaded Swedish territory. Their actions were supported by large amphibious assault forces landed in the Stockholm area.

On August 30, 1721, Sweden finally agreed to sign the Treaty of Nystad. The eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, its southern coast with the Gulf of Riga and the islands adjacent to the conquered shores departed to Russia. The composition of Russia included the cities of Vyborg, Narva, Revel, Riga. Emphasizing the importance of the fleet in the Great Northern War, Peter I ordered that the medal, approved in honor of the victory over Sweden, be engraved with the words: “The end of this war by such a world was received by nothing else than the fleet, because it was impossible to achieve it by land.” The tsar himself, who had the rank of vice admiral, "as a sign of the labors incurred in this war," was promoted to admiral.

The victory in the Northern War strengthened the international prestige of Russia, promoted it to the ranks of the largest European powers and served as the basis for being called the Russian Empire since 1721.

Having achieved the approval of Russia on the Baltic Sea, Peter I again turns his gaze to the south of the state. As a result of the Persian campaign, Russian troops, supported by the ships of the flotilla, occupied the cities of Derbent and Baku with adjacent lands, which went to Russia under a treaty concluded with the Shah of Iran on September 12 (23), 1723. For the permanent deployment of the Russian flotilla on the Caspian Sea, Peter founded a military port and the Admiralty in Astrakhan.

To imagine the enormity of the accomplishments of Peter the Great, it is enough to note that during his reign, more than 1,000 ships were built at Russian shipyards, not counting small ships. The number of teams on all ships reached 26 thousand people.

It is interesting to note that there is archival evidence dating back to the reign of Peter I, about the construction by a peasant Efim Nikonov of a “hidden vessel” - a prototype of a submarine. In general, about 1 million 200 thousand rubles were spent on shipbuilding and maintenance of the fleet by Peter I. So, by the will of Peter I in the first two decades of the eighteenth century. Russia has become one of the great maritime powers of the world.

Peter I came up with the idea of creating "two fleets": a galley fleet for operating jointly with the army in coastal areas and a ship fleet for predominantly independent operations at sea.

In this regard, military science considers Peter I an expert in the interaction between the army and the navy, unsurpassed for his time.

At the dawn of the domestic state shipbuilding for operations in the Baltic and Azov Seas, Peter had to solve the problem of creating ships of mixed navigation, i.e. those that could operate both on rivers and at sea. Other maritime powers did not need such military vessels.

The complexity of the task lay in the fact that navigation along shallow rivers required a small draft of the vessel with its relatively large width. Such dimensions of ships when sailing at sea led to a sharp pitching, which reduced the effectiveness of the use of weapons, worsened the physical condition of the crew and the landing force. In addition, for wooden ships, the problem of ensuring the longitudinal strength of the hull was difficult. In general, it was necessary to find a "good proportion" between the desire to obtain good driving performance by increasing the length of the vessel, and to have sufficient longitudinal strength. Peter chose the ratio of length to width equal to 3:1, which guaranteed the strength and stability of the ships with a slight decrease in speed.

In the 2nd half of the 18th - early 19th centuries. The Russian Navy in terms of the number of warships came out on the 3rd place in the world, the tactics of military operations at sea were constantly improved. This allowed the Russian sailors to win a number of brilliant victories. The life and exploits of admirals G.A. Spiridova, F.F. Ushakova, D.N. Senyavina, G.I. Butakova, V.I. Istomina, V.A. Kornilov, P.S. Nakhimova, S.O. Makarov.

During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet fleet withstood severe tests and reliably covered the flanks of the fronts, crushing the Nazis at sea, in the sky and on land.

The modern Russian navy has reliable military equipment: powerful missile cruisers, nuclear submarines, anti-submarine ships, landing craft and naval aircraft. This technique works effectively in the capable hands of our naval specialists. Russian sailors continue and develop the glorious traditions of the Russian Navy, which has more than 300 years of history.

Russian Navy TODAY

The Russian Navy (Russian Navy) includes five operational-strategic formations:

The Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy, the headquarters of Kaliningrad, is part of the Western Military District
The Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, headquartered in Severomorsk, is part of the Western Military District
The Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy, headquartered in Sevastopol, is part of the Southern Military District
The Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy, headquartered in Astrakhan, is part of the Southern Military District
The Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy, headquartered in Vladivostok, is part of the Eastern Military District

Goals and objectives

Deterrence from the use of military force or the threat of its use against Russia;

Protection by military means of the sovereignty of the country, extending beyond its land territory to internal sea waters and the territorial sea, sovereign rights in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf, as well as freedom of the high seas;

Creation and maintenance of conditions for ensuring the safety of maritime economic activity in the World Ocean;

Ensuring the naval presence of Russia in the World Ocean, demonstration of the flag and military force, visits of ships and vessels of the Navy;

Ensuring participation in military, peacekeeping and humanitarian actions carried out by the world community that meet the interests of the state.

The Russian Navy consists of the following forces:

surface forces
submarine force
Naval aviation
Coastal
deck
strategic
Tactical
Fleet Coastal Troops
Marines
Coastal Defense Troops

Navy today is one of the most important foreign policy attributes of the state. It is designed to ensure the security and protection of the interests of the Russian Federation in peacetime and wartime at the ocean and sea frontiers.

It is very important to remember and know about such an important event in the history of Russia as the creation of the Russian Navy on October 30, 1696, as well as to feel a sense of pride in the achievements and successes of the Russian Navy in the light of today's events in the world.

Caspian Fleet in Syria

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.

Until now, they are arguing about a specific event or date from which the history of the Russian fleet originates. One thing is clear to everyone - it happened in the era of Peter the Great.

First experiences

The use of waterways to move the armed forces in a country where rivers were the main means of communication, the Russians began a very long time ago. 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 Constantinople.

The wars of Alexander Nevsky with the Swedes and 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 Baltic Sea.

In the south, the struggle for access to the Black Sea with the Tatars and Turks was fought by the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks. Their legendary "seagulls" in 1350 successfully attacked and captured Ochakov.

The first Russian warship "Eagle" was built in 1668 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.

Home dream

At first, the young tsar simply liked to sail 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 later said 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 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.

He began to invest his first skills 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.

Access to the ocean

A huge land giant, which occupied a sixth of the earth's land, Russia at the end of the 17th century, less than other countries, could claim the title of maritime power. 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 where strong Sweden was in charge, and through the Black Sea, through the narrow one, 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. located at the mouth of the Don, withstood the attacks of the Russian military expedition, but for a systematic siege there were not enough forces, 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, with unprecedented energy, took up the construction of ships. 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 a "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.

“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 deciding 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 diplomatic tour, which lasted a year and a half, to supplement his knowledge in 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 from that moment the dream of having a powerful Russian imperial fleet was finally strengthened in him.

Russia is young

Maritime business is developing. In 1700, Peter the Great established the stern ensign of the ships of the Russian 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 the Russian military 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 admiralties, which are in charge of the shipyards - new ships are being built there.

Pyotr Alekseevich's plans for further seizures 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 Baltic Sea.

Battle of Gangut

Sweden, led by the young and cocky Charles XII, was the main military force of the time. The inexperienced Russian Imperial Navy faced a severe test. In the summer of 1714, a Russian squadron of rowing ships led by Admiral Fedor Apraksin met with powerful Swedish sailboats at Cape Gangut. Yielding to the enemy in artillery, the admiral did not dare to make a direct collision and reported the situation to Peter.

The tsar made a distracting maneuver: he ordered to arrange a platform for crossing ships on land and show the intention to go across the isthmus to the rear of the enemy fleet. To stop this, 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 motionless ships lined up in 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 men 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 Baltic. The goal - access to Western European ports - was achieved.

Legacy of Peter the Great

The basis for the creation of the Baltic 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 for coastal navigation 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 and past centuries, and

Today, the fleet is gaining strength after 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.

The regular Russian navy was born in 1696, when Peter was building his galleys and galleasses in Voronezh. But Peter's attempt to create a large fleet of ships on the Black Sea in a short time was not crowned with success at that time.

Forced to make peace with Turkey, Peter I began the Northern War for the shores of the Baltic. A large Baltic Fleet began to be created there. The experience of building a fleet for the Black Sea was used on the shores of the Gulf of Finland.

The creation of a navy in the Baltic Sea can be divided into four periods:

1. The struggle for access to the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the creation of lake fleets on Lake Ladoga and Lake Peipus and their assistance to the land army (1700-1703).

2. Consolidation of positions in the Gulf of Finland, the creation of a ship and rowing fleet, its assistance to the army in the struggle for the coast of the Gulf of Finland, in the capture of Vyborg, Revel and Moosund (1703 - 1711).

3. The struggle for Finland and for access to the Baltic Sea; the creation of a large rowing fleet and the strengthening of the ship fleet; combined operations off the coast of Finland (1711-1714).

4. The conquest by the Russian fleet of dominance in the Baltic Sea; the creation of a large ship fleet; actions off the coast of Sweden (1714 - 1721).

The Russian fleet, as well as the land army, grew and strengthened during the war with the Swedish invaders. Its development proceeded consistently and was strictly linked to the expansion of bases.

Once upon a time, during the construction of a large fleet by the "kumpanstvo", in Voronezh, one sailor noticed to Peter that there was no base for the fleet under construction; Peter replied to this remark of the sailor that the built fleet would find a base for itself. The unsuccessful experience of the first construction of the fleet in the south was fully taken into account by Peter. By now, he was already correctly assessing the importance of creating a fleet base.

By the beginning of the Northern War, the Russians did not even have lake fleets on Lake Ladoga and Peipsi, and the Swedes completely dominated there.

Only during the Great Northern War, after the failure at Narva, in 1701 did Peter I start building 600 plows on the Volkhov and Luga rivers. In addition, all suitable private vessels on lakes Ladoga and Peipsi and on the rivers flowing into these lakes were taken into the treasury.

In 1701 - 1702. the struggle of the Russian flotilla, made up of plows, with the Swedish lake flotilla on Lake Ladoga began, ending in a complete victory for the Russians.

On Lake Peipus, the struggle dragged on until 1704, when part of the Swedish lake flotilla was destroyed, and the rest of the ships were taken by the Russians.

In the autumn of 1702, the city of Noteburg (renamed Shlisselburg) was taken with the help of a lake flotilla. In the spring of 1708, by taking Nyenschantz, access to the sea was won and at the same time the entire course of the river. The Neva was in the hands of Peter.

Back in 1702, Peter, foreseeing the possibility of an early exit to the shores of the Baltic, laid the shipyard at the mouth of the river. Sias on Lake Ladoga for the construction of small seaworthy vessels - frigates, shmak, etc.

In 1703, the Olonets shipyard was founded, as well as small shipyards on the Volkhov and Luga rivers and in the city of Novaya Ladoga.

In 1704, small ships began to be built in St. Petersburg. However, large ships were not built in St. Petersburg until the Poltava victory, when Russia finally gained a foothold in the Gulf of Finland. Petersburg was the operational base of the fleet.

The newly built Kronshlot sea fortress near Kotlin Island protected the approaches to the mouth of the Neva.

In 1704, Peter captured Narva, as a result of which the base of the fleet was expanded.

The Russian Baltic Fleet was gradually strengthened. At first, he, significantly inferior in strength to the Swedish fleet, performed the tasks of protecting his bases from attacks by the Swedish fleet, protecting the Baltic coast and assisting the land army from the sea in the fight for Vyborg and Revel. At the same time, Peter I creates new naval bases in Revel and Vyborg.

With the transition to a decisive offensive of the Russian armed forces in the Baltic states, Peter sets before the Baltic Fleet the task of more actively assisting the advancing army. A powerful galley fleet is being created, which could interact more closely with the land army in terms of navigation in skerry areas along the coast of Finland. The combined offensive of the land army, galley and ship fleets ends with the victory at Gangut, which predetermined the success of the Russian army's struggle for Finland and provided the Russian fleet with access to the open Baltic Sea.

The last period of the Northern War is characterized by a significant strengthening of the naval fleet and its dominance in the Baltic. This allowed Peter I to organize a number of large landings on the coast of Sweden, threatening even its capital, Stockholm.

Thus, at first, Peter I created a large galley rowing fleet. Features of the maritime theater of operations, mainly off the coast of Finland, limited the capabilities of the ship fleet. The skerry areas, stretching almost along the entire southern and southwestern coast of Finland, with their narrow, winding passages and numerous pitfalls, almost excluded the possibility of maneuvering on the sails of the ship fleet. For him, it was possible to swim only along the wide studied passages in the skerries.

In the skerry areas, the rowing fleet had a decisive advantage.

It is characteristic that the Swedes did not take into account these features of the theater of operations and did not create a galley rowing fleet. The strong Swedish naval fleet was helpless off the coast of Finland against the Russian galley fleet.

Peter I laid the foundation for the rowing fleet during the struggle for Lake Ladoga and Lake Peipus. With the entry of the Russian army to the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the construction of the rowing fleet did not stop.

The Russian galley fleet has already shown its advantage in the capture of Vyborg, operating in skerry and shallow areas. But the importance of the galley fleet was especially great during its operations in Finland, when it played a decisive role.

In 1713, the galley fleet consisted of 2 prams, 2 galliots, 3 semi-galleys, 60 scampaways, 30 brigantines, 60 karbasses and 50 large boats, with a landing force of 16,000 people.

In 1714, the galley fleet already consisted of 99 scampaways and galleys with a landing force of 24,000 people.

In 1719 - 132 galleys, over 100 large boats with a landing force of 25,000 people, and in 1721 - 171 galleys and 4 brigantines.

The main type of vessels in the rowing fleet were galleys and scampaveys (the same galleys, but smaller). The ships were armed with a small number of small-caliber guns and had a crew of up to 260 troops. They could sail, but the main means of transportation were oars. Brigantines and karbas were sailing and rowing ships, but much smaller than galleys and scampaways. They had a crew of only up to 70 people and were used mainly to transport troops and cargo.

The ship fleet developed and grew more slowly than the galley fleet. The construction of the ship fleet was a much more difficult task. In addition, for navigation and combat use of ships of the ship fleet, a lot of training was required. Peter I did not immediately achieve the high quality of shipbuilding. At first, there was not enough dry wood for the construction of the fleet and it was necessary to build ships from raw material. There were also design flaws in the design of ships.

The ships had low seaworthiness. In a fresh wind, they did not maneuver well and had to batten down the lower porticos, which significantly reduced the possibility of artillery fire.

Gradually, with the accumulation of experience in shipbuilding, design flaws were eliminated, and the ships of the Baltic Fleet were not inferior either in design or in quality of construction to the best ships of the maritime powers of Western Europe.

The base of shipbuilding was also constantly expanding. By 1725, 25 shipyards were already operating in Russia. Simultaneously with the numerical growth of the fleet, the number of bases is also growing. In addition to the main base - Petersburg, there was also an operational base for the ship fleet in Reval and a number of bases for the galley fleet on the berets of Finland.

The development of the Baltic ship fleet can be traced from the table on p. 267, which shows only ships armed for navigation. The growth of artillery armament in the naval fleet is visible from the following table.

It should be emphasized that with the increase in the number of guns on ships, their caliber and quality also increased.

While building ships, Peter I also formed their crews. It was a difficult task. Not only officers, but also sailors, there were almost no personnel. Naturally, at first, Peter had to resort to hiring not only foreign officers in the fleet, but even non-commissioned officers and sailors. Moreover, as we have already said, it was mainly Russians and Ukrainians who were hired abroad, who somehow got abroad, and southern Slavs - Dalmatians, Serbs, Bulgarians.

Peter considered the hiring of foreigners as a temporary measure. Immediately after the capture of Azov, he began training Russian naval officers.

At first, Peter sent Russian nobles to study abroad. In 1701, the Navigation School was founded in Moscow, where up to 500 future naval officers studied.

In 1716, the senior classes of this school were transferred to St. Petersburg, becoming the backbone of the Naval Academy founded there.

By 1715, the sailors and non-commissioned officers of the fleet already consisted entirely of Russians.

The completion of the fleet was carried out, as well as the army, by recruiting.

The rowers of the crews of the galley fleet were initially recruited from convicts and prisoners, but soon Peter abandoned this system and began to put the soldiers of the infantry regiments as rowers.

This gave the Russians the advantage that when boarding, the rowers could participate in the battle. As a result of this, Russian rowing ships were much stronger than Swedish ones.

With the formation of the Russian fleet, its charter was also created. The beginnings of the maritime charter were 15 articles drawn up by Peter I during his galley voyage to Azov in 1696.

The number of these articles in 1698 was increased to 64. In 1710, Peter personally drew up the first maritime charter "Instructions and articles for the Russian military fleet."

In 1715, Peter I began to draw up a more complete maritime charter, which was published in 1720 - "The book of the maritime charter, about everything related to good management when the fleet was at sea."

Building ships (engraving from the time of Peter)

This charter set out the internal regulations in the fleet, the rights and obligations of all military personnel, the procedure for sailing both individual ships and entire squadrons. The naval charter of Peter I was distinguished by originality and was the result of his many years of combat experience.

Peter paid special attention to the education of officers and sailors of courage, ingenuity and initiative.

One English officer who served in the Russian fleet under Peter described him as follows: “If any ships in the world can harm us (i.e., the British), then the Russian ships built in St. Petersburg are especially worthy in such conditions, which without a doubt , once they are provided with sufficient teams, they have excellent qualities, like sailing ships, and are incomparably better equipped than ours with masts, sails, anchors, cables and other gear (all real Russian work, from which all the most selective for the imperial fleet is selected). ("The History of the Russian Fleet in the Reign of Peter the Great", by an unknown English author; translated and edited by Putyatin.)

Through the labors of Peter I, a powerful navy was created. Peter described the importance of the navy as follows: "Every potentate who has a single land army has one hand, and who also has a fleet has both hands."

Fleet of Peter 1

The best that history gives us is the enthusiasm it arouses.

The fleet of Peter 1 is the pride of the country, something the tsar worked on every minute of his life. At least, this is how many historians present us with the activities of the future emperor of Russia. Is everything clear on this issue? By the end of the article, you will see for yourself that the answer is no. Of course, Peter was the first to create a fleet, but what, for what and instead of what - we will answer these questions a little lower.

Creation of the fleet by Peter 1 in a new way

History textbooks tell us that Russia did not have a fleet, and only due to the fact that such a king appeared in the country, Russia began to build its own ships. Is it so? Of course not. The fleet before Peter the Great in Russia was and it was quite large and modern. It should be recalled that by the time the new Romanov came to power in Russia there was actually one large port - in the north, in Arkhangelsk. Port with ships: military and commercial.

If you try to build the correct chain of those distant events, then the fleet of Peter 1 was built only after the tsar himself destroyed all the old ships! In fairness, it should be noted that among the destroyed ships, there were practically no military ones, but other ships (merchant and fishing) were of very good quality and perfectly suited for sailing in northern waters. Many of them sailed to the shores of England and Persia, which once again testifies to their quality.

Western style building

Shipbuilding in the west, primarily in Holland and England, was an order of magnitude higher than in Russia. But their ships were built according to a special technology that had been developed over the centuries, and they were intended for sailing in neutral and southern waters. In addition, the difference was that the ships, for example, Holland were more maneuverable and fast. It would seem that Peter 1 did everything right, whose fleet was built according to Western models. Not everything is so clear. Beads (these are the main Russian ships, which were more pot-bellied, but also more easily caught even a light wind) in Asia completely conquered the Indian Ocean and were in service until the end of the 18th century.

Peter 1 completely destroyed such ships. Everything that had been built by his predecessors for centuries, he destroyed in one moment. This behavior is very typical for Peter, and we will talk about its reasons in another article. Now it should be noted that having destroyed the fleet, the Russian ruler began to rebuild it, in the Dutch and English manners. Here we come to the crux of the story. The fleet of Peter 1 was not as magnificent as it is customary to write about it. Many historians even say that the king built “a kind of flotilla”. Why? The answer lies in technology. In England, for example, the process of building a ship is very meticulous and is as follows:

Choosing the right type of wood and drying it thoroughly.
Impregnation of wood with a special resin that protects the ship from damage as a result of being constantly in the water.

These 2 rules are very simple, but they contain the secret of why Western countries build such good ships. The Russian tsar comprehended the basics of these rules as a result of the great embassy, but, of course, no one devoted him to the subtleties of the technological process! As a result, the hasty construction of a new Russian fleet led to a clear violation of all technology. The wood was not dried properly (there was no time, the fleet was needed in the shortest possible time), and its impregnation was carried out with a completely different composition that was used for this in Western countries.

The fate of Peter's fleet

Speaking about the greatness of the Russian flotilla during the reign of Peter Romanov, for some reason many historians forget to clarify - where are these ships now? How long did they serve the state? For example, some English ships of that era are still afloat! What about our ships?

The fate of the Black Sea Fleet is known to all - it was burned. The reason for such events was the year 1711 and the events in Russian-Turkish relations. You can read about it in the corresponding article of this section. So far, we state that the entire fleet of Peter the Great was destroyed without even 10 years of existence. But it is difficult to blame the Russian Tsar, after all, it was a political factor, which we do not consider now.

We can trace the fate of the Baltic Fleet! Nobody destroyed it. It lasted until the end of the emperor's life. So, let's look at the events of that time. By 1708, the country had only a rowing fleet. The construction of large ships was not carried out at all! In 1714 alone, 7 large ships with 52 guns were built in Arkhangelsk. But as a result of exorbitant work, the fleet was no longer built in Arkhangelsk during the reign of Peter the Great. Where did the large Russian ships come from?

They were bought. For example, from 1712 to 1714. 16 copies were purchased. All of them were eventually destroyed in battles.

The Baltic fleet of Peter 1 at the time of his death consisted of:

Battleships - 36
Frigates - 12
Shnyavy - 2

Quite a good arsenal, which was at the level of any European power. But let's see what happened to these ships next. By 1731, only 8 of these ships (no new ones were being built at that time) could access the ocean! Moreover, in 1742, none of these ships could go to sea when a conflict with Sweden arose and a small enemy fleet tried to block the Baltic Sea.

So it turns out that the life of those famous "miracle ships" that Peter 1 built was only 5-10 years. After this time, due to the wrong technological process at the time of construction, the fleet simply rotted. So it turns out that the image of the creator of the fleet is not suitable for Peter, because he took the country with strong and functioning ships, and left behind no more than 10 full-fledged ships, none of which survived even until the end of the 18th century.

Summing up the above, I would like to return to where this article began - Peter 1 should rightly be called in historical textbooks the destroyer of the fleet, but not its creator. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that the tsar himself tried to make Russia a great maritime power, but this was beyond his power. The fleet of Peter 1 was weak and, apart from one victory over a rather weak Sweden, achieved nothing. The tsar thought that during the year of the western embassy he had comprehended all the intricacies of shipbuilding, but this was not so. As a result, after Peter the Great, Russia was completely left without a fleet, and only 100 years later a new construction of ships began, which were built according to the correct technology and really served the interests of the state.

Russian Academy of Entrepreneurship

Faculty of Management

ESSAY

on the topic: “The military reform of Peter I and the creation of the Russian fleet”

in the discipline "History of the Fatherland"

Performed:

2nd year student Kadzhaya I.I.

Checked:

Moscow, 2002

INTRODUCTION

Therefore, Peter 1, having come to power in 1689, was faced with the need for a radical military reform and the formation of a mass regular army.

1. Reform of the armed forces.

The regular army was maintained entirely at the expense of the state, was dressed in a uniform state-owned uniform, armed with standard state-owned weapons (before Peter 1, the noblemen-militias had weapons and horses, and the archers had their own). Artillery guns were of the same standard caliber, which greatly facilitated the supply of ammunition. Indeed, earlier, in the 16th-17th centuries, cannons were cast individually by cannon makers, who served them. The army was trained according to uniform military regulations and instructions.

The total number of troops by the end of the XVIII century. increased to half a million people and they were fully provided with weapons, equipment and ammunition at the expense of domestic industry (it produced 25-30 thousand guns and several hundred artillery pieces per month).

In the second half of the XVIII century. the artillery in the Russian army was significantly strengthened, re-equipped with Shuvalov's long howitzers.

2. Creation of a regular navy.

it is necessary to lay down without wasting time: how many ships and how many yards and trades, and where to do it? The Duma passed the following verdict: "Sea courts to be ...".

The shipbuilding business was quite successful. In 1698, the required ships were built.

The Azov victory led to many changes in Russia.

The embassy was accompanied by numerous attendants: priests, healers, translators, bakers. In a place with guard soldiers, the total number was 250 people, and the convoy consisted of 1000 sledges.

Birth of the Russian Navy

In Russia, Navy Day is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of July. The need for a fleet appeared in Russia in the 17th century. To avoid total cultural and political isolation, the empire needed the development of sea routes. The absence of a fleet hindered the development of the country.

“There will be sea vessels” - these words of Peter I predetermined the appearance of the birthday of the Russian Navy. On October 20, 1696, at the insistence of the emperor, the Boyar Duma decided to create a regular fleet in the state.

Peter's perseverance could be understood - just a year earlier, the siege of the Russian army on the Turkish fortress of Azov ended in failure. And all because of the lack of a fleet among the Russians, because the Turkish fleet freely supplied the besieged from the sea with ammunition and food.

Military shipbuilding developed in Voronezh, then in St. Petersburg, in Arkhangelsk and on Ladoga. The Baltic and Azov fleets were quickly created, followed by the Pacific and Northern ones.

At the shipyards of the Voronezh Admiralty in 1696-1711, about 215 ships were built for the first Russian regular navy. As a result, the fortress of Azov was conquered, and later a peace treaty necessary for Russia was signed with Turkey.

A Brief History of the Russian Navy

Thanks to the presence of the fleet, Russian sailors also made a significant contribution to geographical discoveries. So, in 1740, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky was founded, to which V. Bering and A. Chirikov made efforts. A year later, they also discovered the strait through which they reached the western coast of the continent of North America.

Among the navigators Bering and Chirikov, the baton of geographical discoveries, which are of great importance for the country, science and economy, was picked up by such Russian navigators as Putyatin E.V., Bellingshausen F.F., Lazarev M.P., Golovnin V.M.

Already in the second half of the 18th century, the Russian navy became so strong and increased that it ranked 3rd in the world in terms of the number of warships. The skill and tactics of combat behavior at sea were constantly improved, and thanks to this, Russian sailors won victories in naval battles. The exploits of admirals F.F. Ushakova, P.S. Nakhimova, G.A. Spiridova, D.N. Senyavina, V.I. Istomin, G.I. Butakova, S.O.

Markov and V.A. Kornilov went down in the history of the navy as bright, brilliant actions of talented naval commanders.

Russia's foreign policy has become more active. In 1770, the Russian navy achieved dominance in the Aegean Sea, thanks to the efforts of the squadron of Admiral Spiridov, who defeated the Turkish flotilla.

The following year, the coast of the Kerch Strait and the fortresses of Kerch and Yeni-Kale were conquered.

Soon the Danube military flotilla was also formed. And in 1773, the Azov flotilla proudly entered the Black Sea.

In 1774, the Russian-Turkish war, which had lasted for six years, ended. The victory remained with the Russian Empire, and under its terms, part of the Black Sea coastline between the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers, and most importantly, the entire coast of the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, went to Russia. Crimea was declared an independent state under the Russian protectorate. And in 1783 it became part of Russia.

In 1783, the first ship of the Black Sea Fleet was launched from the port of Kherson, specially founded five years earlier.

By the beginning of the 19th century, the Russian Navy was the third largest in the world. It consisted of the Baltic, Black Sea fleets, White Sea, Caspian and Okhotsk flotillas. Great Britain and France were ahead in size.

In 1802, the Ministry of Naval Forces was created to manage it, which was later renamed the Naval Ministry.

The first military steamship was built in 1826. It was called Izhora, and was armed with eight guns, with a capacity of 100 horsepower.

The first frigate was built in 1836. He was already armed with 28 guns. Its power was 240 horsepower, displacement - 1320 tons, and this steamboat-frigate Bogatyr was called.

Between 1803 and 1855, more than forty long-distance voyages, including around the world, were made by Russian navigators. Thanks to their resilience, the development of the oceans, the Pacific region, as well as the development of the Far East took place.

The fleet also showed its heroic roots in the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War. Soviet warships beat the Nazis at sea, as well as on land and in the sky, reliably covering the front flanks.

The soldiers of the marine infantry units, and naval pilots, and submariners distinguished themselves.

During the Great Patriotic War, military operations on the seas were led by admirals A.G. Golovko, S.G. Gorshkov, I.S. Isakov, F.S. Oktyabrsky, I.S. Isakov, I.S. Yumashev, L.A. Vladimirsky and N.G. Kuznetsov.

Russian navy today

The Russian Navy has a history of more than three hundred years, and at the moment it consists of the following operational-strategic formations:

Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy with headquarters in Vladivostok;
Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy with headquarters in Severomorsk;
Caspian flotilla of the Russian Navy with headquarters in Astrakhan;
Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy with headquarters in Kaliningrad;
Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy with headquarters in Sevastopol.

The structure of the Russian Navy consists of surface and submarine forces, naval aviation (tactical, strategic, deck and coastal), coast guard troops, marines and units of central subordination, as well as units and subunits of the rear.

The modern Russian Navy has reliable military equipment - nuclear submarines, powerful missile cruisers, anti-submarine ships, naval aircraft and landing craft.

Sailors are not an easy profession, but they are always respected.

Ships AdmiralsBattle
The founder of the Russian military fleet is Tsar Peter the Great. The creation of such a fleet was a historical necessity for Russia, and Peter, having understood this need with his brilliant mind, went to meet it.

While still a boy, in 1688, Peter found a sailing boat in the sheds of the village of Izmailovsky, brought from England by his great-grandfather boyar Nikita Romanov. Peter practiced on this boat on the Yauza River and on Lake Pereyaslovskoye. Then in Solombol, on the White Sea, he started building the 24-gun ship "Apostle Paul", the 12-gun yacht "Saint Peter" and ordered the 41-gun ship "Holy Prophets" in Holland. These were the first three warships of the fleet of Peter. His closest assistant was voivode Apraksin, later the first general - admiral of the Russian fleet.

Soon, Peter decided to start a war with Turkey, which was powerful at that time, for Russia to enter the Black Sea. Peter's first campaign against the fortress of Azov in 1693 was unsuccessful due to the lack of a fleet. The tsar understood this and set about building ships in Voronezh. His assistants - shipbuilders were the Dutch, led by Timerman, and the Swiss Lefort was the first admiral. The participation of foreigners was necessary, since the Russian people of that time did not have sufficient technical knowledge. Subsequently, Peter prepared a galaxy of Russian sailors.

At the beginning of 1696, a squadron built in Voronezh, consisting of 2 ships, 23 galleys and 4 fireships, went down the Don River to Azov. The vanguard of 8 galleys was commanded by the Tsar himself, under the name of Peter Mikhailov. As a result of the military operations that took place, the Azov fortress was taken by the Russians, and part of the Turkish fleet was defeated.

Shipbuilding in Voronezh continued. To study maritime affairs, Peter sent young people to Holland, England and Venice, and also sent an emergency embassy to Europe to look for allies in the fight against Turkey. Allies were not found, but Peter acquired great knowledge in shipbuilding and maritime affairs, personally worked at shipyards in Holland and England. Returning from a trip, he set about shipbuilding in Voronezh with new knowledge. In May 1699, the Tsar entered the Sea of Azov with a squadron of 12 new ships and was engaged in her training at sea.

Peter did not have any fleet on the Baltic Sea. In 1702, the Swedish flotilla of Admiral Numers was on Lake Ladoga. The Russian colonels Ostrovsky, Tyrtov and Tolbukhin, putting the soldiers on small boats, attacked the Swedish flotilla, captured several ships and scattered the rest. In 1702, the Tsar occupied the Swedish fortress of Noteburg (Shlisselburg), and in 1703, the Nyenschanz fortress at the mouth of the Neva River and founded the city of St. Petersburg there. The way to the sea was open. On May 7, 1703, at the mouth of the Neva River, soldiers boarded rowboats, under the personal leadership of the Tsar, boarded and captured two Swedish warships. In the fall, Kotlin Island was occupied and the construction of the fortress and port of Kronstadt began on it. In the same year, Peter built a shipyard in Olonetsk on Lake Ladoga, and in 1704 he founded the Admiralty in St. Petersburg and began building the Baltic Fleet.

Over the next few years, the Swedes from the sea and from land unsuccessfully tried to take away the Russian conquests on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. Meanwhile, Peter's new army was winning one victory after another and preparing the final success for the fleet. In 1704, Narva was occupied, in 1705 - Mitava, and after the Poltava victory (June 27, 1709), when the Swedish army, led by Charles XII, was defeated, in 1710 the seaside cities of Elbing, Riga, Revel were occupied and Vyborg.

In 1713 the main part of the fleet was ready. The galley (skerry) fleet, consisting of more than 200 ships, entered the Finnish skerries.

Peter decided to occupy Finland in order to finally gain a foothold in the Gulf of Finland, and then deliver a decisive blow to Sweden. The ship (sailing) fleet was also preparing to sail. At the mouth of the Gulf of Finland was the Swedish naval fleet in superior forces.

In 1714, the Russian naval fleet, consisting of 18 ships, under the personal command of the tsar, concentrated in Reval, and the galley fleet, having a landing detachment of 24,000 people on board, went west in order to occupy the Aland Islands. The galley fleet was commanded by General-Admiral Count Apraksin. On June 29, the galleys reached the city of Tvermine (Lyapvik Bay) and found out that the main forces of the Swedish naval fleet of 28 ships were blocking their further path to the west on the stretch of the Gangut Peninsula open from the sea. Apraksin summoned the king to a meeting. Peter saw that it was possible to drag the galleys across the narrow isthmus of the Gangut Peninsula two versts wide and thus avoid meeting with the superior forces of the Swedish naval fleet. For this purpose, Peter ordered to cut a clearing in the forest on the isthmus. Noticing this, the Swedes concentrated their galley fleet on a fortified position on the northern side of the isthmus. Peter's plan became unworkable. Taking advantage of the calm that had come, on July 26 and 27, Peter decided to send his galley (rowing) fleet around the Swedish ship fleet around the Gangut Peninsula and then attack the Swedish galley fleet.

The plan worked out quite well. Our galley fleet under oars went around the peninsula in front of the calm Swedish naval fleet and utterly defeated their galley fleet, and its leader, the Swedish admiral Erenskiold, was taken prisoner (July 27, 1714). the Russian galley fleet was commanded by Count Apraksin, the columns were led by Zmaevich and Prince Galitsin, and Peter himself commanded the vanguard. This was the first naval victory of the Russian fleet. Peter I equated this victory with the victory over the Swedes near Poltava and established a medal in her honor.

A source of information

Portal for the student. Self-training

Creation of a fleet under Peter 1. Creation of a regular navy

At the origins of Russian navigation

War for access to the Baltic Sea

The results of the activities of Peter I to create a fleet

The decline and new rise of the Russian fleet

The formation of the Black Sea Fleet

At the turn of the century

Naval problems in the first half of the 19th century

Measures to modernize the Russian fleet

Tragedy of the Russo-Japanese War

The Russian fleet during the First World War

Azov Fleet of Peter I

The king himself worked tirelessly. “His Majesty,” wrote Kruys, “was vigilant in this work, so with an ax, an adze, a caulk, a hammer and anointing ships, he was much more diligent and working more than an old and highly trained carpenter.”

Baltic Fleet of Peter I

“Russian ships are in all respects equal to the best ships of this type that are available in our country, and, moreover, are more fairly finished”.

Peter I came up with the idea of creating "two fleets": a galley fleet for operating jointly with the army in coastal areas and a ship fleet for predominantly independent operations at sea.

Russian Navy TODAY

Goals and objectives

The Russian Navy consists of the following forces:

Navy today is one of the most important foreign policy attributes of the state. It is designed to ensure the security and protection of the interests of the Russian Federation in peacetime and wartime at the ocean and sea frontiers.

First experiences

Home dream

Access to the ocean

Azov fleet

“It’s better for me to fight by sea…”

Grand Embassy

Russia is young

Battle of Gangut

Legacy of Peter the Great

History of victories and defeats

Fleet of Peter 1

Creation of the fleet by Peter 1 in a new way

Western style building

The fate of Peter's fleet

Birth of the Russian Navy

A Brief History of the Russian Navy

Russian navy today

Portal for the student. Self-training

At the origins of Russian navigation

War for access to the Baltic Sea

The results of the activities of Peter I to create a fleet

The decline and new rise of the Russian fleet

The formation of the Black Sea Fleet

At the turn of the century

Naval problems in the first half of the 19th century

Measures to modernize the Russian fleet

Tragedy of the Russo-Japanese War

The Russian fleet during the First World War

Azov Fleet of Peter I

The king himself worked tirelessly. “His Majesty,” wrote Kruys, “was vigilant in this work, so with an ax, an adze, a caulk, a hammer and anointing ships, he was much more diligent and working more than an old and highly trained carpenter.”

Baltic Fleet of Peter I

“Russian ships are in all respects equal to the best ships of this type that are available in our country, and, moreover, are more fairly finished”.

Peter I came up with the idea of ​​creating "two fleets": a galley fleet for operating jointly with the army in coastal areas and a ship fleet for predominantly independent operations at sea.

Russian Navy TODAY

Goals and objectives

The Russian Navy consists of the following forces:

Navy today is one of the most important foreign policy attributes of the state. It is designed to ensure the security and protection of the interests of the Russian Federation in peacetime and wartime at the ocean and sea frontiers.

First experiences

Home dream

Access to the ocean

Azov fleet

“It’s better for me to fight by sea…”

Grand Embassy

Russia is young

Battle of Gangut

Legacy of Peter the Great

History of victories and defeats

Fleet of Peter 1

Creation of the fleet by Peter 1 in a new way

Western style building

The fate of Peter's fleet

Birth of the Russian Navy

A Brief History of the Russian Navy

Russian navy today

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Peter I came up with the idea of creating "two fleets": a galley fleet for operating jointly with the army in coastal areas and a ship fleet for predominantly independent operations at sea.