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

To be fair, I note that the first domestic ship was built before the birth of Peter in 1667. Dutch craftsmen, together with local artisans on the Oka River, managed to build a two-deck “Eagle” with three masts and the ability to travel by sea. At the same time, a pair of boats and one yacht were created. These works were supervised by the wise politician Ordin-Nashchokin from the Moscow boyars. The name, as you might guess, was given to the ship in honor of the coat of arms. Peter the Great believed that this event marked the beginning of maritime affairs in Rus' and was “worthy of glorification for centuries.” However, in history, the birthday of our country’s navy is associated with a completely different date...

The year was 1695. The need to create favorable conditions for the emergence of trade relations with other European states led our sovereign to a military conflict with the Ottoman Empire at the mouth of the Don and the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Peter the Great, who saw an irresistible force in his newly formed regiments (Semyonovsky, Prebrazhensky, Butyrsky and Lefortovo) decides to march to Azov. He writes to a close friend in Arkhangelsk: “We joked around Kozhukhov, and now we’ll joke around Azov.” The results of this journey, despite the valor and courage shown in battle by Russian soldiers, turned into terrible losses. It was then that Peter realized that war was not child’s play at all. When preparing the next campaign, he takes into account all his past mistakes and decides to create a completely new one in the country. military force. Peter was truly a genius; thanks to his will and intelligence, he was able to create an entire fleet in just one winter. And he spared no expense for this. First, he asked for help from his Western allies - the King of Poland and the Emperor of Austria. They sent him knowledgeable engineers, shipwrights and artillerymen. After arriving in Moscow, Peter organized a meeting of his generals to discuss the second campaign to capture Azov. At the meetings, it was decided to build a fleet that could accommodate 23 galleys, 4 fire ships and 2 galleasses. Franz Lefort was appointed admiral of the fleet. Generalissimo Alexey Semenovich Shein became the commander of the entire Azov Army. For the two main directions of the operation - on the Don and the Dnieper - two armies of Shein and Sheremetev were organized. Fire ships and galleys were hastily built near Moscow; in Voronezh, for the first time in Rus', two huge thirty-six-gun ships were created, which received the names “Apostle Paul” and “Apostle Peter.” In addition, the prudent sovereign ordered the construction of more than a thousand plows, several hundred sea ​​boats and ordinary rafts prepared to support ground army. Their construction began in Kozlov, Sokolsk, Voronezh. At the beginning of spring, ship parts were brought to Voronezh for assembly, and by the end of April the ships were afloat. On April 26, the first galleas, the Apostle Peter, was launched.

The main task of the fleet was to block the non-surrender fortress from the sea, depriving it of support in manpower and provisions. Sheremetev's army was supposed to head to the Dnieper estuary and conduct diversionary maneuvers. At the beginning of summer, all the ships of the Russian fleet were reunited near Azov, and its siege began. Arrived June 14 Turkish fleet of 17 galleys and 6 ships, but he remained indecision until the end of the month. On June 28, the Turks plucked up the courage to bring in troops. The rowing ships headed towards the shore. Then, by order of Peter, our fleet immediately weighed anchor. As soon as they saw this, the Turkish captains turned their ships around and went to sea. Having never received reinforcements, the fortress was forced to announce capitulation on July 18. The first outing of Peter's navy was a complete success. A week later, the flotilla went to sea to inspect the conquered territory. The sovereign and his generals were choosing a place on the coast for the construction of a new naval port. Later, the fortresses of Pavlovskaya and Cherepakhinskaya were founded near the Miussky estuary. The Azov winners also received a gala reception in Moscow.

To resolve issues related to the defense of the occupied territories, Peter the Great decides to convene the Boyar Duma in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. There he asks to build a “sea caravan or fleet.” On October 20, at the next meeting, the Duma decides: “There will be sea vessels!” In response to the subsequent question: “How many?”, it was decided to “inquire at peasant households, for spiritual and different ranks people, impose courts on households, write out merchants from customs books.” This is how the Russian Imperial Navy began its existence. It was immediately decided to start building 52 ships and launch them in Voronezh before the beginning of April 1698. Moreover, the decision to build ships was made as follows: the clergy provided one ship from every eight thousand households, the nobility - from every ten thousand. The merchants, townspeople and foreign merchants pledged to launch 12 ships. The state built the rest of the ships using taxes from the population. This was a serious matter. They were looking for carpenters all over the country, and soldiers were assigned to help them. More than fifty foreign specialists worked at the shipyards, and a hundred talented young people went abroad to learn the basics of shipbuilding. Among them, in the position of an ordinary police officer, was Peter. In addition to Voronezh, shipyards were built in Stupino, Tavrov, Chizhovka, Bryansk and Pavlovsk. Those interested took accelerated training courses to become shipwrights and assistant workers. The Admiralty was created in Voronezh in 1697. The first naval document in the history of the Russian state was the “Charter on Galleys”, written by Peter I during the second Azov campaign on the command galley “Principium”.

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

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

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

By 1745, the bulk of naval officers came from noble families, and sailors were recruits from the common people. Their service life was lifelong. Often hired for naval service foreign citizens. An example was the commander of the Kronstadt port, Thomas Gordon.

Admiral Spiridov in 1770, during the Battle of Chesme, defeated the Turkish fleet and established Russian dominance in the Aegean Sea. Also, the Russian Empire won the war with the Turks in 1768-1774. The port of Kherson was founded in 1778, and in 1783 the first ship Cherno was launched navy. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, our country took third place in the world after France and Great Britain in terms of the quantity and quality of ships.

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

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

The end of the 19th century was marked by the expansion of the fleet. At that time, Tsar Nicholas II was in power. Industry developed at a rapid pace, but even it could not keep up with the ever-increasing needs of the fleet. Therefore, there was a tendency to order ships from Germany, the USA, France and Denmark. Russo-Japanese War characterized by a humiliating defeat navy Russia. Almost all the warships were sunk, some surrendered, and only a few managed to escape. After failure in the war in the east, Russian imperial fleet lost third place among the countries with the largest fleets in the world, immediately ending up in sixth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

On October 20, 1696, the Boyar Duma decided: THERE WILL BE SEA VESSELS!
This date is the birthday of the RUSSIAN MILITARY FLEET.

First Russian ship was designed and built under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and bore the proud name “Eagle”. The ship was armed with 22 cannons. The crew consisted of 22 sailors and 35 archers. The combat vessel received its name in honor of the state emblem. But the creation of the navy is the merit of Tsar Peter 1, who in 1696 laid the foundation for its creation with his decree.

At numerous shipyards scattered throughout Russia, ships of the Russian Navy of various classes were built. By the spring of 1700, 40 sailing and 113 rowing ships were launched. The Azov fleet was constantly replenished. Having successfully solved the southern problem, Peter I set himself the task of achieving access to the Baltic Sea coast at all costs, as a result of which the Russian state became a great maritime power.

Thanks to surface sailors, many geographical discoveries were made. This is the foundation of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and round the world travel to the shores of North America, and many geographical discoveries that received the names of their discoverers.

In the second half of the XVIII - early XIX centuries, the Russian Navy took third place in the world in terms of the number of warships, and the strategy and tactics of combat operations at sea were constantly improved. This allowed Russian sailors to win a number of brilliant victories. The exploits of admirals G.A. became bright pages in the history of the Russian Navy. Spiridova, F.F. Ushakova, D.N. Senyavina, G.I. Butakova, V.I. Istomina, V.A. Kornilova, P.S. Nakhimova, S.O. Makarova.

The navy became one of the main forces that repelled the enemy attack during the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War. In 1941-1945, admirals N.G. skillfully led combat operations in naval theaters of war. Kuznetsov, I.S. Isakov, A.G. Golovko, V.F. Tributs, F.S. Oktyabrsky, L.A. Vladimirsky, S.G. Gorshkov, I.S. Yumashev.

Currently 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;

The Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy with headquarters in the Ukrainian Sevastopol.

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

The modern Russian Navy has reliable military equipment: powerful aviation missile cruisers, nuclear submarines and missile carriers, anti-submarine ships, landing craft and naval aircraft. It is constant improvement and the pursuit of better that allows us today to have what we have - a well-organized and numerous fleet with more than 300 years of history.

« Marine vessels to be” - these words of Peter I predetermined the appearance of the birthday of the Russian Navy. At the insistence of the emperor, the Boyar Duma on October 20, 1696 decided to create a regular fleet in the state.

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

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

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 Azov fortress was conquered, and subsequently 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 contributed. A year later, they discovered a strait through which they reached the western coast of the continent of North America.

From 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 E.V. Putyatin, F.F. Bellingshausen, M.P. Lazarev, V.M. Golovnin.

Already in the second half of the 18th century, the Russian Navy became so strong and expanded that it occupied third place 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. Istomina, G.I. Butakova, S.O. Markov and V.A. Kornilov went down in the history of the navy as the 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, through 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 formed. And in 1773, the Azov flotilla proudly entered the Black Sea.

In 1774, the Russian-Turkish war, which lasted for six years, ended. The victory remained Russian Empire, and according to its terms, part of it went to Russia coastline The Black Sea between the Dniester and Southern Bug rivers, and most importantly - the entire coast of the Azov Sea. Crimea was declared an independent state under 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 Fleet, White Sea, Caspian and Okhotsk flotillas. Great Britain and France were ahead in size.

In 1802, the Ministry of Naval Forces was created for management, which a little later was renamed the Naval Ministry.

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

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

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 took place, Pacific region, as well as the development of the Far East.

The fleet also showed its heroic roots during 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.

Soldiers of the marine infantry units, naval pilots, and submariners also distinguished themselves.

During the Great Patriotic War, combat operations at sea 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 just over 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;
  • The Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy with headquarters in the Ukrainian 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 centrally subordinate units, as well as rear units and units.

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.

Not only the birthday of the Navy is celebrated on October 20th. This day is also celebrated professional holiday surface sailors.

Lilia Yurkanis
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“There will be sea vessels” - this was the decree issued by Peter the Great on October 20, 1696 on the formation of the Russian navy.

On October 20, 1696, the Boyar Duma, at the insistence of Peter I, decided to create a regular Russian navy. This day is considered to be the birthday of the Russian Navy.

The creation of a regular military fleet in Russia was due to the country’s urgent need to overcome territorial, political and cultural isolation, which at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries became the main obstacle to economic and social development Russian state.


At this time, military shipbuilding began in Russia, ships were built in Voronezh and St. Petersburg, on Ladoga and in Arkhangelsk. The Azov and Baltic fleets were created, and later the Pacific and Northern fleets.


In the first half of the 18th century, Russian sailors made many important geographical discoveries. In 1740, V. Bering and A. Chirikov founded Petropavlovsk-on-Kamchatka, in 1741 they opened the strait and reached the western coast of North America. Subsequently, significant geographical discoveries and trips around the world were made by the remarkable Russian navigators F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev, who discovered Antarctica, V.M. Golovnin and E.V. Putyatin.





In the second half of the 18th - early 19th centuries, the Russian Navy took third place in the world in terms of the number of warships, and the strategy and tactics of combat operations at sea were constantly improved. This allowed Russian sailors to win a number of brilliant victories. The exploits of admirals G.A. became bright pages in the history of the Russian Navy. Spiridova, F.F. Ushakova, D.N. Senyavina, G.I. Butakova, V.I. Istomina, V.A. Kornilova, P.S. Nakhimova, S.O. Makarova.





F.F. Ushakov



During the Great Patriotic War, our fleet withstood severe tests and reliably covered the flanks of the fronts, crushing the enemy at sea, in the sky and on land. Submariners and naval pilots wrote new pages in the history of the maritime glory of the Fatherland. In 1941-1945, admirals N.G. skillfully led combat operations in naval theaters of war. Kuznetsov, I.S. Isakov, A.G. Golovko, V.F. Tributs, F.S. Oktyabrsky, L.A. Vladimirsky, S.G. Gorshkov, I.S. Yumashev.


The modern Russian Navy has reliable military equipment: powerful aviation missile cruisers, nuclear submarines and missile carriers, anti-submarine ships, landing craft and naval aircraft. This technique is in in capable hands our naval specialists. Russian sailors continue and develop the glorious traditions of the Russian Navy, whose history already exceeds 300 years.