Galera "Tver" - the Empress's yacht. V. Dygalo, M. Averyanov. History of the ship Research to recreate the drawing of the hull of the Ingermanland
Scout Marseille
Balakhna, a Volga city in the Nizhny Novgorod province, became a shipbuilding center at the beginning of the 18th century. At its shipyards they built very durable seaworthy ships, which were intended for transporting fish products and other cargo on the Caspian Sea. The building material for the scouts was pine, spruce forest and partly Persian oak (temir-agach), or “iron wood”. Iron bolts and wooden dowels were used to fasten the ship's frame parts, and longitudinal beams more than 30 cm thick and 40 cm wide, which lined its flat bottom, were connected to each other with iron staples. This construction technology gave the scouts increased strength and durability: they served for 20-25 years. The ship was saddle-backed, clumsy and swaying in the waves. Its deck was covered with planks 6-7 cm thick. Under the poop there was a cabin for the pilot, and behind the mainmast there was a spacious kitchen with a Russian brick stove. The main dimensions of the topsail scoop: length 24.5-46 m, width 7 -11.3 m, hold depth - 3.7 -5.2 m, draft with cargo 3.6-4.9 m, load capacity 250-500 t Crew 12-18 people. There were two or three anchors on the rope, weighing from 400 kg to 1 ton, the length of the anchor hemp ropes was 200-250 m. The steering wheel was driven by a tiller using tiller handles. On these ships, as a rule, fore and main masts were installed, but when the hull length was more than 27.5 m, another one was installed - the rear, or cruising mast. The two-masted scoops had brig sailing rigs, and the three-masted ones had corvette rigging.
Cruising skit
Other fishing vessels that were built in the city of Balakhna for the Caspian Sea were cruising ships. Their design and construction method are similar to the design and construction technology of a topsail scoop. The difference was in dimensions and sailing equipment. The cruising scoop had a deck length of 17 - 24 m, a width of 5-6.7 m, a hold depth of 3.4-4.6 m and a cargo capacity of 120 - 250 tons. The first mast was called a large mast, and the rear one was called a cruising mast. It was much shorter than the front one. The masts were made of two trees, which were connected along the length by iron yokes. Both masts had gaffs. A trysail sail, called a mainsail, was attached to the gaff of the large mast. A mizzen sail was tied to the mizzen gaff. The bowsprit was solid, without a jib. The largest sail - the top - was tied to the top yard. On top of the sail of the masthead rose the top. The yard to which this sail was attached was called the top-yard. In front of the large mast there were slanting sails: a foresail and two jibs. The cruising mast had two yards: the lower one was the cruising yard and the upper one was the cruising yard. These yards were installed for decoration; they did not have sails. Two anchors weighing 250 and 750 kg with a hemp rope 200-250 m long provided reliable anchorage. The ship's crew is 10-14 people.
Frigate "Standard"
Already in the initial period, the Northern War convinced Peter I that it was impossible to achieve the conquest of the Baltic Sea coast with the help of one, even a well-trained army. It was decided to begin building a fleet. On March 24 (April 4), 1703, at the Olonets shipyard on the Svir River, the Amsterdam shipwright Vybe Goerens laid down the first Russian warship of the Baltic Fleet - a frigate. Its length is 27.5 m, width 7.3 m, average draft 2.7 m. Crew 120 people. On the closed deck, forecastle and poop the ship carried 28 guns: 8-, 6- and 3-pounders.
On May 1(12), 1703, Russian troops stormed the Swedish fortress of Nyenschanz, located near the mouth of the Neva. The path to the Baltic Sea was clear. In connection with this event, changes were made to the royal standard: the double-headed eagle now held in its paws and beaks not three, but four maps with the outlines of the White, Caspian, Azov and Baltic seas. Launched at the end of August 1703, the frigate received the name “Standart”, and on September 8 (19) of the same year, a new standard was raised on its main topmast. The ship under the command of Captain Peter Mikhailov (Peter I) crossed Lake Ladoga at the head of seven newly built ships and anchored in the roadstead of the Shlisselburg fortress. Subsequently, he took an active part in the Northern War. The frigate "Standard" was part of the Russian fleet for more than 25 years.
Half-gallera (scampavea)
The galley is a wooden rowing vessel created by the Venetians in the 7th century; it appeared in Russia under Peter I. During the capture of the Turkish fortress of Azov on June 19 (29), 1696, the Russian fleet included 23 two-masted galleys built “on the Dutch model.” The construction of galleys for the Baltic Fleet began at the Olonets shipyard founded in 1703, and from 1712 at the shipyard in St. Petersburg. Taking into account the specific features of the Baltic theater of military operations (skerries, shallow waters, unstable winds), Peter I created a skerry rowing fleet, the basis of which was half-galleys, or scampaways (Italian sampare - to disappear and via - away). They had a length of 36.6-39.6 m, a width of 4.8-5.5 m and a slight draft. These ships were one- and two-masted, with slanting sails, had up to 18 pairs of oars and could accommodate up to 200 people. Their armament consisted of three - six 12-pounder cannons and 16-20 basses (1-2-pounder falconets). Domestic galleys and scampaways were better suited for operations in coastal areas than large Swedish sailing ships. On July 27 (August 7), 1714, the Russian fleet consisting of 99 galleys and half-galleys under the command of Admiral General Count F. M. Apraksin (the vanguard was commanded by Peter 1) won the first major naval victory over the Swedes in the Battle of Gangut, and on July 27 (7 August) 1720, 66 rowing ships under the command of General M. M. Golitsyn won an equally glorious victory near Fr. Grengam.
Galley "Dvina"
The Dvina galley is the only 25-can (50-oar) three-masted ship in the Russian fleet. It was built according to the “Venetian style” by the ship’s apprentice I. Kalubnev under the supervision of the Venetian galley master Francesco Diponti, invited to Russia at the beginning of 1720. The ship received its name when launched on May 16 (27), 1721 in St. Petersburg at the Galernaya shipyard. The dimensions of the Dvina are not indicated in any of the documents, and its drawings have not been preserved. Judging by the dimensions of the model, the galley had a maximum length of 48.46 m and a maximum width with posts of 9.6 m. The artillery armament consisted of one 24-pounder cannon, two 12-pounders and twelve 3-pounders on the sides - a total of 15 guns.
Soldiers of the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments were assigned as rowers for the galley. Each oar was rowed by 5-6 soldiers, therefore, there were 250-300 rowers on the ship. Oar length 13.2 m, Weight 94 kg.
The Dvina did not take part in hostilities, but every year for several years it sailed into the Gulf of Finland for practical voyages.
A model of a galley, apparently made at the beginning of the 19th century, is in the Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg.
Battleship "Ingermanland"
The design and drawings of the two-deck, 64-gun battleship Ingermanland were developed by Peter I. Construction was carried out under the leadership of the talented craftsman R. Kozeits. On May 1(12), 1715, the ship was launched. It was named after the Swedish name for the Izhora land of Ingria. It was one of the best ships of its time. Its length was 46 m, width 12.8 m, average draft 5.5 m. It had improved sailing rigs; for the first time in domestic practice, third-tier sails - topsails - appeared on its high foremasts and mainmasts. The ship was distinguished by good seaworthiness and had powerful artillery weapons for those times. There were twenty-four 30-pound guns on the lower deck (gondeck), the same number of 16-pounders on the upper deck (oper deck), fourteen 14-pounders on the quarterdeck, and two 2-pounders on the forecastle (forecastle). For a number of years, Ingermanland remained the flagship of the Baltic Fleet. Participating in the campaigns of 1715, 1718, 1719 and 1721, he sailed under the flag of Vice Admiral Peter Mikhailov (Peter I), and in the campaign of 1716 under the standard of the sovereign, who commanded the united Anglo-Dutch-Danish-Russian fleet in the war with Sweden. “Ingermanland” was the favorite brainchild of Peter I. The Tsar ordered to “keep the ship for memory,” but in 1735, while permanently moored in Kronstadt harbor, “Ingermanland” sank during a severe flood.
Packet boat "St. Peter"
By the end of the summer of 1740, two packet boats were built in Okhotsk under the leadership of shipwrights Kozmin and Rogachev - “St. Peter" and "St. Pavel", which were intended for research of the northern part of the Pacific Ocean under the program of the Great Northern, or Second Kamchatka, expedition. These were fourteen-gun, single-deck, two-masted ships with brig sailing rigs and good seaworthiness. The length of the packet boat is 24.4 m, width 6.7 m, draft 2.9 m, displacement over 200 tons, crew 75 people.
At the beginning of September the ships set sail. On the flagship packet boat "St. Peter” was the leader of the expedition, Commander V. Bering. "St. Pavel” was commanded by an experienced sailor, Lieutenant A. Chirikov. In October, the expedition arrived in Avachinskaya Bay and stopped for the winter in the bay, which Bering named Petropavlovskaya in honor of the packet boats. Later, the city founded here was named Petropavlovsk.
In June 1741, ships headed southeast to search for the shores of America. During the storm they lost each other and then acted separately. A. Chirikov became the discoverer of the North-West coast of America and the Aleutian Islands. In October, his packet boat returned safely to Avacha Bay. "St. Peter" on the way back to Kamchatka approached an unknown island (now Bering Island). Here on December 8 (19), 1741, V. Bering died. When approaching the island, the packet boat received heavy damage and was dismantled. From its parts, the crew built a small ship, on which they reached Kamchatka in the summer of 1742.
Battleship "Eustathius"
The ship was built in 1762 at the shipyard of the Main Admiralty in St. Petersburg by shipwright Ulf. Its length was 47.5 m, width 14.5 m, hold depth 5.8 m, and it was armed with sixty-six 36- and 18-pounder guns.
In mid-July 1769, a Russian squadron under the command of Admiral G. A. Spiridov (1st Archipelago Expedition) set out from Kronstadt for the Mediterranean Sea. The admiral held his flag on the Eustathia. On June 24 (July 5), 1770, the squadron discovered the main forces of the Turkish fleet in the Chios Strait (in the Aegean Sea) and, on the move, in a wake column from a short distance (50-70 m), attacked its vanguard and part of the center. The Eustathius found itself in the hottest fire: during a desperate boarding battle, a fire started on the flagship Turkish ship Real Mustafa, and its burning mainmast fell on the Russian flagship. When Spiridov became convinced that it was impossible to save the Eustathius, he transferred his flag to the battleship Three Saints. Soon “Eustathius” exploded, and after it “Real-Mustafa” took off. The explosion of both ships and hurricane fire from Russian naval artillery caused panic on enemy ships. They retreated hastily and in disarray to Chesme Bay, where they were blocked by a Russian squadron. At the military council on June 25 (July 6), the commander-in-chief of the Russian naval and ground forces in the Archipelago (in the Ionian Sea), Count A. G. Orlov, adopted G. A. Spiridov’s plan to destroy Turkish ships with a combined strike of naval artillery and fire ships.
Battleship "Three Hierarchs"
The battleship “Three Hierarchs” was built in 1766 in St. Petersburg at the shipyard of the Main Admiralty according to the design of the experienced naval engineer Lambe Yames and was named in honor of the bishop-theologians of the first centuries of Christianity, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. The length of the vessel is 47.4 m, width 12.5 m, hold depth 5.5 m. The armament consisted of sixty-six guns. The perfect shape of the ship's hull was harmoniously combined with beautiful decor. The figurehead was a warrior in Roman robes. The stern was decorated with a composition of four figures of nymphs and caryatids, interconnected by curls of intricate ornamentation. The entire elegant high relief was gilded and looked good against the background of the blue lattice of the balcony. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774, the ship as part of the squadron of Admiral G. A. Spiridov took part in the Chios and then Chesme naval battles on June 24-26 (July 5-7), 1770. Under the command of Captain Brigadier S. K. Greig, he fought fearlessly at very close range from the enemy and inflicted considerable damage on him, although he himself received serious damage. On the ship “Three Hierarchs” the Kaiser flag was held by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian naval and ground forces in the Archipelago, Chief General Count A.G. Orlov, who received the title of Chesmensky for his unprecedented victory in the Battle of Chesme. S.K. Greig was awarded the rank of rear admiral.
To the begining
Continuation
The awareness of the need for a naval fleet for Russia found a clear exponent in the person of Peter I, whose energy, attraction to maritime affairs and the set political goals prompted an accelerated pace to set about creating a fleet. As a 17-year-old boy, with the assistance of foreign leaders and Dutch shipbuilders who remained in Moscow after building ships in Dedinovo, he built a flotilla on Lake Pereyaslav near Moscow. In 1692, two small frigates and three yachts were built at the Pereyaslavl shipyard, and Peter himself took personal part in the work, including carpentry. Not satisfied with this, Peter in 1693 went to Arkhangelsk to “see off foreign ships.” There he establishes a shipyard and builds two ships, and orders a third in Holland. The following year he again goes to Arkhangelsk to arm the built ship St. Paul and receive the 44-gun frigate St. Prophecy that came from Holland. With a fleet of three ships, he goes to the White Sea and sees off foreign ships.
These first attempts to create a navy could not satisfy Peter. Due to the short duration of navigation, the White Sea was difficult for his plans. Having left Arkhangelsk and turning the ships he built into trading ships, Peter embarked on a campaign against the Turks. Peter's first Azov campaign (1695) was unsuccessful; assaults on the fortress from land were repulsed, and the fortress itself freely received military supplies and provisions from the sea, since the Russians did not have a fleet.
The outcome of the first Azov campaign proved the need for a fleet, and serious construction of ships for the second Azov campaign began.
In 1694, Peter ordered a 32-oared galley from Holland, intended to be sent to the Caspian Sea; it was transported by ship in parts to Arkhangelsk. It was ordered to be hastily delivered to Moscow, and in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, at a sawmill, the production of individual parts for 22 galleys and 4 fire ships according to this model immediately began. Both local and Arkhangelsk and Vologda carpenters, foreigners and soldiers were involved in this work. A shipyard was founded in Voronezh, where parts of galleys were transported for assembly. Despite the new hard work and a number of problems, these ships were built in 3 months. The greatest length of these galleys is 38 m, length at the waterline
29 f, hull width 6 m, height from keel to deck 3.8 m, armament - from three to five copper 5- and 2-pound guns, crew of 130-170 people (Fig. 164). i
In addition, two 36-gun ships Ap were laid down in Voronezh. Peter 35 m long, 7.6 m wide and Ap. Paul length
30 m, width 9 m; both of them were similar in type to contemporary foreign ships of the 4th rank. To transport troops in Voronezh,
^■ At first, the Russians called galleys katorki and furkataii, 3 ships galleasses, but then they received ordinary names.
Kozlov and other surrounding towns were ordered to build 1,300 plows (flat-bottomed barges) and 100 rafts.
In May 1696, the first detachment of 8 galleys, led by the galley Principium, commanded by Peter himself, moved along the Don; then the rest of the ships departed, except for the ship Ap. Paul, who was not ready. Fig. 165 shows the ship Ap. Peter and the galleys in front of Azov.
After the capture of Azov on July 18, 1696, at meetings on military affairs, Peter expressed his opinion: “I think there is nothing better than to fight by sea, it is also very close and convenient many times more than by land, and for this we need a fleet.” It was decided “to make the ships with all readiness and with cannons and small guns,
Rice. 1C4. The first Russian galleys.
how should they prepare for war”; The entire people had to take part in the construction of the ships, because this required funds greater than those that the state had at its disposal.
“Kumpanstvos” were formed, i.e. companies. All landowners who had more than 100 peasant households had to join together and provide one fully equipped ship for every 10,000 households. Clergy - for every 8,000 households - one ship. Merchants and townspeople, having organized themselves, had to line up 12 ships. Owners with fewer than 100 households were subject to a monetary tax of half a ruble per yard. The deadline for everyone was given on April 1, 1698. The merchants, in order not to get involved in this matter, which was incomprehensible to them, thought to get rid of the duty by contributing money, but Peter, to stop such attempts, added 2 more ships to them. The owners of the estates consisted of 18 merchants, 17 clergy, and 14 merchants. Timber for the construction of ships was provided by the government, which also took care of hiring shipwrights who were called from Holland, Sweden, Denmark and Venice.
To conduct all matters related to the construction of ships, the number of which was determined at 52, 1, the Vladimir Court Order, a prototype of the admiralty of other countries, was formed.
The shipyard in Voronezh was expanded, warehouses for timber, stores for storing ship parts and weapons, workshops and workshops (warehouses) were built. In some places, closer to the Don, other shipyards were equipped. Some of the merchants began to work, others slacked and had to be threatened with strict decrees; the work was difficult, unprecedented before in Russia, and therefore met with misunderstanding and hostility. Not all foreign shipbuilders turned out to be knowledgeable, and therefore Peter decided to familiarize himself with the work at the best European shipyards, which were at that time in Holland and England, and invite the best specialists from there; in addition, it was decided to send 69 young people abroad to study ship and seamanship. The instructions given to them indicate: “to know drawings or maps, compasses and other signs of the sea, to control a ship both in battle and in a simple procession and to know all the gear or tools that belong to this - sails, ropes, and in hard labor oars and so on." Special royal mercy was granted to those who b)"knew how to do those trials at which they accepted their temptation."
In 1697, headed by Admiral Lefort, an embassy left Moscow abroad, which included the tsar himself under the name of Peter Mikhailov. The trip lasted a year and a half; During this time, Peter first worked as a simple carpenter to build a ship, from laying to launching, in Amsterdam at the East India Company shipyard. Dissatisfied with the fact that the Dutch “build ships simply by skill and experience without any cunning drawings,” Peter left for England, where he worked at the royal shipyard in Deptford, drawing up ship drawings under the guidance of experienced builders.
Before returning to Russia, he accepted the experienced Dutch admiral Cruys, five ship captains, into the Russian foreign land
1 The cost of the ship at the rate of that time was about 10,000 rubles.
and many sailors and sailors (about 600 people in total); some of them were English, and some were Dutch.
Meanwhile, ships continued to be built at Voronezh shipyards; the construction period was extended until the end of 1698, but the kumpanstvos were asked to build 19 more ships, and then 6 more, but in fact only 12 of them were laid down. By the appointed time, the ships were almost ready, although due to the haste of construction the work was carried out in a damp, unseasoned forest; Because of this, and also due to the unsatisfactory drawings, various alterations took place. The ships built consisted of those corresponding to the 4th rank of foreign ones (see § 10), ^ then of six bombardier ships and twelve galleys. The ships were up to 35 m long, 8-10 l wide, 2.0-2.5 l deep and armed with 26-44 cannons, the latter
Rice. 166. Construction of ships at the Voronezh shipyard,
There were 12-, 6-, 4-pounders and buckshot. The bomber ships, 25-2 cm long, 8.5 cm wide, were armed with two mortars and several 24- and 12-pound guns. The galleys were larger: the length of the smallest was 41 m, the largest 53 l<, ширина 7,3 м, вооружение состояло из одной 20-фунтовой пушки и нескольких 6- и 3-фунтовых и картечниц. Пушки частью приобретались заграницей, частью изготовлялись на тульских заводах. Кроме того, шведский король Карл XI подарил в 1697 г. Петру 300 пушек,которые были перевезены в Воронеж.
In Fig. 166 shows a general view of the construction of ships at the Voronezh shipyard (based on an old engraving). Upon returning from abroad, Peter, together with Cruys and the newly appointed Admiral Golovin, who was placed at the head of the fleet, arrived in Voronezh. There he set about putting in order and repairing poorly built ships, entrusting Cruys with overseeing this matter; the last one at the same time
^ According to the still unestablished Dutch-Venetian terminology, these ships were first called 6apEanoBa.4h (Barca longae) and barbarian ships, that is, built on the model of the Moorish ones.
It became necessary to establish a uniform terminology for hull parts and weapons, since incredible confusion occurred in this regard, especially when ordering individual products and monitoring work.
By the spring of 1700, the Kumpan ships were ready and accepted. * However, their construction was far from perfect; Having mostly wooden parts, they dried out and leaked, especially since they were poorly caulked and tarred. A review by the Dutch resident Gulst, who visited Voronezh, says that out of 30 ships, only 4-5 are serviceable, the rest are not worth much. Therefore, Peter, still from Holland, stopped building ships according to old models and decided to continue building with the help of the government, which already had a sufficient number of shipwrights, good drawings and had accumulated experience in this matter. The 58-gun ship Pre-Destination, 36 meters long and 9.4 meters wide, was laid down; it was built according to drawings brought from England, and was similar to the English ships of that time, as can be seen from a comparison of Fig. 167 from fig. 72 and 73. At first, Peter himself was the builder of this ship, but upon leaving he entrusted this work to the first two Russian naval engineers, Sklyaev and Vereshchagin, who studied in Venice. At the same time, the English shipbuilder Joseph Nye began building another 56-gun ship, the Turtle, and the Italian Jacob Moreau began building the “great galleas,” 50 m long and 9.4 m wide, a luxuriously decorated ship that Peter intended to have for ceremonial trips. 2
Rice. 167. Ship of Predestinia.
d All the work of building the ships cost them a total of 14 years, after the launch and the water stood for the same number of years, the ship was broken.
In total, 11 ships were built by the treasury. Management of shipbuilding and management of ship scaffolding was transferred from Vladimir to the “Moscow Admiralty Prikaz” with the appointment of steward F. Apraksin as “admiralty” - in the future admiral general of the fleet.
In order to conclude the most profitable peace with Turkey, Peter, whose demands included free navigation of Russian warships in the Azov and Black Seas, decided to demonstrate his fleet in front of Turkey. As part of a squadron of 11 ships (no more could be assembled due to lack of crew), several galleys and other small ships, he entered the Sea of Azov. The squadron included the admiral's 62-gun ship Scorpio, the vice-admiral's 34-gun Good Beginning, the 32-gun Color of War Shaut-Benakhta (rear admiral), the 42-gun Open Gate, commanded by the Tsar under the name of Peter Mikhailov; the remaining ships, under the command of foreign commanders, had from 22 to 46 guns. On the 46-gun ship Fortress, the Russian ambassador of the Ukrainians was sent to Constantinople, who was accompanied by a Russian squadron to Kerch. The unexpected appearance of Russian ships in the Black Sea made a strong impression on Turkey; A peace treaty was concluded for 30 years, according to which the Azov region and part of the coast of the Azov Sea went to Russia, but the question of free navigation of Russian ships in the Black Sea remained open.
In 1700, a war with the Swedes began, diverting Peter's attention to the north, to the Baltic Sea; this war lasted 21 years. New shipyards were founded on Lakes Onega and Ladoga, on Svir, in Olonets (Lodeynoye Pole), and then in the new capital of St. Petersburg. However, unstable relations with Turkey, incited by Sweden against Russia, forced the construction of ships to continue in Voronezh, as well as at new shipyards in Tavrov (near Voronezh) and Taganrog. Finished ships were transferred to Azov, some of the especially bad ones were turned into food warehouses, some old ships rotted, several large 80-gun ships could not be launched due to the shallowing of the Voronezh and Don rivers, and they were dismantled. When Turkey declared war on Russia in 1710, Cruys, sent to Azov, could only assemble a squadron of 4 battleships, instead of the planned 19, 3 ships, 2 brigantines and 2 galleys. The Turkish fleet, sent to the Sea of Azov, consisted of 18 ships and 14 galleys; however, there were no actions at sea on either side other than minor skirmishes. Further measures to strengthen the Azov fleet were stopped by the conclusion of peace with Turkey (after the unsuccessful Prut campaign), according to which the entire Azov region was returned back to Turkey. In 1712, Azov and Taganrog were destroyed by the Russians, the guns were sent inside the country, some of the ships were sold to Turkey, and the rest were burned. Voronezh construction ended, the craftsmen and workers were sent to St. Petersburg, where Kruys returned with the commanders and crews of the ships. Unfinished ships at the Voronezh shipyards stood on the stocks until 1727, until a fire destroyed them and the shipyard equipment.
Subsequently, all activities were aimed at creating a military fleet in the Baltic Sea. The beginning of the war with the Swedes was marked by the appearance of a Swedish squadron of 5 frigates and 2 galliots in the White Sea and their attack on Arkhangelsk, which ended in failure - one frigate ran aground and was taken, as well as both galliots, the rest left. Peter ordered to strengthen Arkhangelsk and begin the construction of two small frigates there, which were completed in 1702. In the same year, the Swedish fortress of Noteburg (present-day Shlisselburg) was taken at the exit of the Neva from Lake Ladoga, and in 1703 the Nyenschanz fortress on the Neva was founded new city - St. Petersburg; The path for the Russian fleet from Lake Ladoga to the sea was open and it was necessary to intensively create this fleet.
In addition to the above shipyards, a shipyard is being created on the Syasi River, which flows into Lake Ladoga, and six 18-gun frigates (with three-pound guns) and several small ships are laid down on it. To speed up the process, it was allowed to build them from unseasoned timber and from hewn, unsawn boards, since there were few saws, and Russian carpenters, although good with an ax, were not accustomed to using saws. Due to the slowness of construction, another shipyard was founded in Novgorod (on Volkhov) for the construction of six frigates 20-30 m long, five yachts and five other ships. In Olonets, the 24-gun frigate Standart was laid down, 24 m long, 7.3 m wide, 2.7 m draft, two shmak, one flute, one galliot and four boats. Small ships were built at shipyards in Staraya Ladoga, on the Luga and Izhora rivers; The galleys were built in Vyborg, which had been taken away from the Swedes. In addition, a grandiose job was carried out to transport the two frigates built there by land from Arkhangelsk to Lake Onega, and from there to Lake Ladoga and the Neva.
The first ships built at the Olonets shipyard corresponded to the 4th rank of English and Dutch ships; they had high sterns with cannons located in them and one or two battery decks. Since these ships were heavy on the move, the squadron had faster ships - shnyavs (Fig. 168), which had two masts with straight sails and 12-16 guns located on the open deck. Their length to width ratio was 4, while that of ships was about 3. Small vessels were called pgaaks, flutes, buers, galliots and bots. Shmaki - small brigs - had two masts with slanting sails and a jib; the flutes also had two masts, like shmak; the boats (Fig. 169) had one mast with a topsail and one small one in the stern with a mizzen; brigantines, boats, etc. had one mast with tender rigging (Fig. 170). Small ships could also sail under oars; their armament consisted of several small cannons, in addition to large galleys, the fleet also had small (up to 30 m long) high-speed galleys - scamnavei (from the Italian word vsatrag via - to run away); they had three masts with slanting sails and 20 oars.
In 1704, the Baltic Fleet consisted of ten frigates armed with 22-43 six-pounder guns and nineteen other ships.
The Kron-shlot fortress was built on the shallows near the island of Kotlina. The Swedish squadron that approached it was repulsed. Petersburg was protected from the sea, could receive merchant ships coming from abroad, and also build ships at home. At all shipyards, ships were intensively built and sent to St. Petersburg, and on November 5, 1704, the Admiralty was laid down there
shipyard and Fedosei Sklyaev, the best Russian shipbuilder of that time, was appointed builder.
After the defeat of the Swedes near Poltava, the capture of Vyborg, Revel, Riga and other cities, the construction of ships to strengthen Bal-
Rice. 170. Swedish boat Gedon, taken by the Russians in 1703.
The Thai fleet has received widespread development. The ships were built in Arkhangelsk (three frigates sailed to St. Petersburg), as well as at other shipyards. Large ships were mainly built in the St. Petersburg Admiralty (on the site of the current one); in Fig. 171
shows a general view of the construction of ships with warehouses for ship parts and patterns, shops and forges located at the ends of the Admiralty. At the mouth of the Neva on the “Galernaya Island” (now the Marty Factory) galleys were built, and on the seaside for their repair and parking, the “Galernaya Harbor” was built, which has retained its name to this day.
In 1712, the first 54-gun ship Poltava, built in St. Petersburg under the supervision of Peter himself, was launched (Fig. 172). All management of the fleet and shipbuilding was transferred from the Moscow Prikaz to St. Petersburg, declared in 1713 the capital of the state.
Rice. 172. 54-gun ship Poltava.
Before 1711, there were few battleships in the Baltic Fleet. The core of the fleet consisted of 20-26-gun frigates and shnyavis; they were joined by fireships, irams - small flat-bottomed ships, shallow-draft, with full contours, carrying 18-30 large-caliber (for that time) cannons, shmak, galliots, transports, etc. In addition, there was also a separate squadron - a galley squadron. Each galley had one 24-pound cannon and 14-16 small-caliber cannons; the galley squadron was joined by brigantines (armed with three-pound cannons) and provision ships; the latter were towed by galleys and brigantines. In the period from 1703 to 1711, 20 ships and frigates were launched from Russian shipyards, of which 11 at the Olonets shipyard (including one 50-gun ship Pernov), ^5 Shnav, 2 bombardment ships, 4 prams and 170 small ships . They were poorly built, so that of the indicated 20 ships and frigates in 1712, only 9 took part in the campaign, the rest were in timber, and some of the frigates and frigates were converted into fire ships, i.e., they were recognized as incapable of carrying artillery.
In St. Petersburg, under the personal supervision of Peter, things went better. Since 1712, large battleships have been built. In addition to Poltava, 60-gun ships Ekaterina, Narva, Revel, Shlisselburg, Ingermanland and Moscow were built. In Fig. 173shows the 64-gun ship Moscow. Peter took part in the construction of ships and personally approved their drawings. In Fig. 174a and 1746 show a drawing of a 100-gun ship approved by him. Since the draft of the said ships exceeded b.2 m, a harbor was built on the island for their wintering. Kotlin.
The most active shipbuilders of the Peter the Great era were Sklyaev and Brown, who built 11 ships each, then Kozents and Nye, who built 6 ships each. In Arkhangelsk, the builder Vybe-Hans built 9 ships. Great assistance in the construction of galleys and the organization of the galley fleet was provided by the Venetian Botsis, who transferred from the Venetian fleet to the Russian in 1703; As a Schoutbenacht, he successfully acted at the head of a galley fleet in the war with the Swedes.
In addition to building ships at home, Peter decided to increase the fleet by purchasing ships abroad. For this purpose, the ship master Saltykov was sent to Denmark and Holland; he acquired the 50-gun ship Antony (length 40 m, width 11 l) in Holland. In his report, Saltykov mentions that this ship, built of oak with iron fastenings, cost 35,000 guilders (about 19,000 rubles at the price of that time) without guns, which is only ^/d the cost of building ships in Russia from pine forest with wooden fastening. In addition, two more frigates were purchased - the 32-gun Samson and the 22-gun St. Yakov.
All shipyards were busy building ships; By 1712, ships purchased abroad also arrived, as well as those that made the journey by sea from Arkhangelsk.
The war with Sweden continued both on land and at sea; the Swedes had a strong fleet in the Gulf of Finland that impeded Russian maritime trade. In the spring of 1713 it was decided to oust
Rice. 173. 64-gun ship Moscow.
Swedes from the Gulf of Finland, taking possession of Finland. A fleet of 93 galleys, 60 brigantines and 50 various small ships was assembled; There were 16,000 people landing on the galleys. Under the overall command of Admiral Apraksin, the fleet sailed through the skerries to Helsingfors; A naval fleet of 7 ships, 4 frigates and 2 frigates under the command of Vice Admiral Kruys went by sea. The cities of Helsingfors, Abo and Borgo were occupied by the Russians, and then all of Finland was annexed to Russia.
Rice. 174a. The theoretical hull of a 100-gun ship, approved personally by Peter I.
The naval fleet failed: when meeting with the enemy fleet, three Russian ships, including the admiral's, ran aground and stopped the battle, losing the Swedish ships. According to the court, Kruys was exiled to Kazan, and Peter himself took command of the ship fleet.
To deliver a decisive blow to Sweden by entering the Gulf of Bothnia and threatening its shores, a fleet of 18 ships and frigates, under the command of Rear Admiral Pyotr Mikhailov, 99 galleys and scamps, as well as transport ships with troops, under the command of Apraksin, went to sea - Galerny The fleet reached the final point of the Gulf of Finland - the Gangut Peninsula. It was also joined by the naval fleet, which increased after entering Revel to 24 units: sixteen 42-5-72-gun ships, 8 frigates and a ship (18-32-gun). The further path was blocked by the Swedish fleet of 26 ships.
On July 27, 1714, the first major naval battle of the Russian fleet took place at Gangut. Peter decided to bypass the Swedish fleet, dragging the galleys across the narrow isthmus of the peninsula. The Swedes, having learned about this, divided their fleet: 1 frigate, 6 galleys and 3 skerries went to the place where the galleys were launched into the water, and the rest approached the remaining Russian ships.
Rice. 1746. Drawing of a 100-gun ship, personally approved
The crossing of the galleys was stopped, and Peter ordered 35 galleys, taking advantage of the calm, to bypass the Swedish fleet by sea, and the rest to pass along the coast in the fog, taking advantage of the fact that the Swedish fleet had pulled further from the coast to block the path of the Russian galleys. All the galleys, having circled the peninsula, blocked the separated Swedish ships and, despite the latter's superiority in artillery, boarded them. The winners received 10 Swedish ships along with the commander of the Schoutbenacht, Ehrenschild.
The Gangut victory opened the way for the Russian fleet to the shores of Sweden, which were subsequently attacked by the galley fleet. The naval fleet in the period 1714-1720. also had a number of successful battles and captures of Swedish ships. After the naval battle near the island. Grengam 35 Russian galleys with 14 Swedish ships, which ended with the Russian capture of 4 Swedish frigates, and the raid
With 60 galleys on the Swedish coast, the Treaty of Nystadt was concluded, 00 to which Livonia, Estland, Finland and the Prinevsky region were transferred to Russia.
The composition of the Baltic Fleet was very diverse; it included battleships up to and including 100 guns, frigates, galleys and many of the small ships mentioned above. By 1715, half of the entire command staff and all the sailors were Russian; foreign shipbuilders are also being replaced by Russians.
By the end of the reign of Peter I, the navy consisted of 48 battleships and frigates, 787 galleys and other vessels; the number of crew on all ships reached 28,000 people.
The uniqueness of the creation of the Russian navy was that it appeared everywhere after the development of sea trade communications, while in Russia its construction was caused by the need to secure seas, which the country did not have until then and without which its further development would have been impossible.
The Adventures of Peter's Galley
Yuri Kushchevsky. New business in Russia! Launching of the galley "Principium" at the Voronezh shipyard on April 3, 1696.
Yes, Russia will not even create a single legend about our galley, which was personally built by Pyotr Alekseevich,” thought the young Tsar’s orderly, Alexander Kikin, as he fell asleep after yet another inspection of the construction of the galleys. - I foresee great glory for the first Russian frigate...
The rich and noble Kikin family had its roots in the ancestral Russian lands. Alexander’s grandfather, Pyotr Mikhailovich, a former prisoner of the Turkish fortress of Azov, for his services to the state was granted at the beginning of the 16th century a solid estate and the small village of Shchurov, located on the banks of the Oka, on the border of the Ryazan region and Muscovy. Father, Vasily Petrovich, steward of the sovereign Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, glorified his name with a diplomatic mission in the Pereyaslav Rada and with the reunification of Ukraine with Russia. He, among other sovereign people, participated in a diplomatic mission that accepted Hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky and Ukrainian lands under the sovereign's hand, fought with the Poles near Smolensk in the troops of governor Vasily Petrovich Sheremetyev and was awarded a commendable sovereign's letter for his service. Having married noblewoman Maria Mikhailovna, a representative of the noble Golokhvastov family, Vasily Petrovich settled in Moscow. The family had four sons - Peter, Ivan, Bartholomew and Alexander.
The youngest, Alexander Vasilyevich, was only two years older than the future Tsar Peter Alekseevich and from childhood grew up as a smart tomboy with a sharp mind, ingenuity and hard work. Through his mother, nee Golokhvastova, Alexander from childhood became close to the Naryshkins, relatives of the mother of the future Tsar Peter I. Using the patronage of the royal family, Alexander was a member of the royal mansions from his youth and managed to find an approach to one of the two future contenders for the royal throne - young Peter. At the age of 23, Alexander, at the behest of Pyotr Alekseevich, becomes the bombardier of the young Tsar’s amusing regiment. From that time on, their friendship began and a year later Pyotr Alekseevich took him as his orderly. It was from this time that the stormy military, diplomatic and political life of Alexander began, or, as Pyotr Alekseevich personally called him, Leksashki.
Young Peter, at the age of eighteen, liked Lexashkina’s intelligence and education, ability to keep his mouth shut, his agility and diligence. And now, having made him his orderly, he was sure that Lexashka would not only be a faithful executor of his will, but also a true friend. Pyotr Alekseevich demanded that Lexashka be constantly near him and rarely let him take a break from official affairs. Thus began their joint activity, which eventually turned into a tragedy.
Waking up in the morning, Alexander, with his characteristic agility, quickly got out of bed, washed his face with cold water and thought about his plans for the coming new day. He was used to always being near Peter, who planned the day ahead for him. But today the young king gave Lexashka a free day; there was nowhere to rush. Alexander gave orders to the servants to clean the upper room, and then sat down at the oak table and became thoughtful. It was time to reflect on the past few days.
Alexander took out a blank sheet of paper, took out a pen and ink and looked out the open window of his mansion. A new day was dawning outside the window, the pink sky was visible above the high fence, and the last events of his friendship with Pyotr Alekseevich surfaced in Lexashka’s memory...
Once young Peter told his friend about his acquaintance with Franz Timmerman, an expert in maritime affairs and astrolabe. Some details of Pyotr Alekseevich’s story surfaced in Lexashka’s memory:
“We happened to visit the Linen Yard in Izmailovo,” Pyotr Alekseevich told Lexashka then. - Walking through the old barns, where the remains of things from the house of Nikita Ivanovich Romanov’s grandfather lay, I saw a strange small foreign ship. Amazed by what I saw, I asked Franz what kind of ship this was? He explained that the ship was old, an ordinary English boat. Where can I use it, I asked. The unperturbed Timmerman calmly explained that such boots are used on ships and are used for driving on shallow water and transporting small loads or people in small quantities. I was even more surprised,” Pyotr Alekseevich recalled then, “and asked again: what advantage does this boat have over our courts?” And Franz explained to me that he sails not only with the wind, but also against it. Such words brought me into great surprise, and I was not slow in asking Timmerman: is there such a person in our vicinity who could repair it and show the course of the sea? Hearing these words, he immediately ordered Franz to find that man. A couple of days later,” said Pyotr Alekseevich, “Franz found the Dutchman Karstein Brant, who was called up under my father in the company of sea people to build sea vessels on the Caspian Sea. So, Brant repaired this old boat in a week, made a mast and sails, dragged it with his comrades to the Yauza and pointed out the river tack. A couple of days later, after frequently going out along the river in this boat, I saw that the boat did not always toss and turn well, rested against the banks and did not give in to the oars. I ordered Karsten to answer: what is the reason for the clumsiness of our bot? He said that the water was narrow for a boat to navigate through river water with ten people on board. Then I moved him to Prosyannaya Pond, but even there he found a little excitement, and the desire for swimming became more and more by the hour. I began to visit the house-serfs, where more water could be found; The servants told me about Lake Pereslavl. But I had to go to the lake, and my mother wouldn’t let me go. I had to bypass the queen with my mind and beg her to make a prayer trip to the Trinity Monastery. So I asked for permission, but in fact, I delivered my boat to Lake Pereslavl and made the exit through the vast water myself with my comrades.
This is the story Lexashka remembered. He knew that it was then that a thirst for sea voyages arose in the soul of the young tsar, and a year later that tsar’s boat was called the “grandfather” of the Russian fleet.
Alexander Vasilyevich’s thoughts took him to the recent past, when he and Pyotr Alekseevich, who received permission from his mother, left for Arkhangelsk on July 4, 1693, where they arrived on the morning of July 30. This trip was also one of the reasons that prompted us to make a campaign against Azov and build the first Russian fleet. Lexashka recalled how during the trip he and young Peter witnessed the preparation of several Dutch and English merchant ships to go home from Arkhangelsk, and Peter then decided to take the opportunity and make his first sea voyage. On the Russian 12-gun yacht “St. Peter”, he and Pyotr Alekseevich joined the merchant caravan and escorted it quite far out to sea. Six days of sea travel lit a new “fire of maritime affairs” in Peter’s soul - he decides to stay in Arkhangelsk until the new trade fleet from Hamburg, expected by the beginning of autumn, arrives. Remaining in Arkhangelsk until the fall, Peter laid down the 24-gun ship “St. Apostle Paul” at the Solombala shipyard on September 18, 1693 and entrusted its construction to foreign shipbuilders - N. Vilim and J. Rance. In addition, Peter ordered the purchase of a 44-gun frigate from Holland called the Holy Prophecy.
Subsequent events in Alexander's memory lined up in a logical chain. After the death of his mother on January 28, 1694, the young heir seriously thought about the importance of the fleet for Russia. At the beginning of May, he again goes to Arkhangelsk, taking a friend with him, and makes a short but dangerous sea voyage on the yacht “St. Peter” to the Solovetsky Monastery. Having only three ships: two built in Arkhangelsk and one built by order of the young tsar in Holland and delivered to Arkhangelsk on the eve of Peter’s arrival, the tsar included them in the next foreign caravan, consisting of four Dutch and four English merchant ships and setting off for their homeland. Having escorted the foreigners to the exit from the White Sea, the three Russian ships returned to Arkhangelsk. The second serious trip to sea showed Peter that not only did he not have a fleet, but he also had no maritime specialists. Alexander himself witnessed that neither Vice Admiral Buturlin, commander of the ship “Apostle Pavel,” nor Admiral Prince Fyodor Romodanovsky, who commanded the frigate “Holy Prophecy,” nor Rear Admiral Patrick Gordon knew maritime affairs. It was necessary to first learn maritime affairs, and then only begin to build our own - the Russian navy. Before leaving Arkhangelsk for Moscow, Peter orders a 32 oared galley from Holland to deliver it piece by piece to Arkhangelsk, and from there to the Volga and the Caspian Sea. It is this galley that in the future will be destined to become the model for the construction of the first 22 Russian ships, the Peter the Great galley “Principium”, which led the first Russian fleet under the flag of Lefort in the assault on Azov.
The autumn of 1694 passed for Peter in thinking not only about the “naval matter”, but also about his intentions to recapture the fortress of Azov from the Turks and gain access to the Azov and Black Seas. This idea appealed to Alexander, since since childhood he had wanted to look at that mysterious Turkish fortress that his grandfather had visited in the distant past.
The New Year 1695 was marked by the first Azov campaign of Pyotr Alekseevich. The unsuccessful campaign finally convinced the young king to create his own fleet. It was decided to make Voronezh the base of the fleet. The king chose this city not by chance: having visited it for the first time in 1694, he was surprised by the abundance of centuries-old forests suitable for building ships; I was also convinced that Lipetsk iron ore lay near the city; The Voronezh River flowed into the Don and during the flood had sufficient navigability, and the local population and the Don Cossacks, thanks to the sending of “Don holidays,” had experience in the construction of river ships.
All these events became the reason for the start of Pyotr Alekseevich’s preparations for naval construction during the preparation for the second Azov campaign. At the end of July, in the midst of preparations for the assault on Azov, Pyotr Alekseevich receives news from Moscow that a dismantled Dutch galley has arrived in Arkhangelsk. Delivered by water first to the Volga, in November of the same year, on twenty specially arranged logs, the galley departs for Moscow, to Preobrazhenskoye. Its length was 38.1 meters, width 9.1 meters, draft 1.8 meters. Such a ship can be classified as a half-galley, but in documents of that time, due to the lack of a clear distinction, it was called a galley.
Alexander recalled how he witnessed Peter Alekseevich writing a letter to Arkhangelsk Governor Fyodor Apraksin on November 30, 1695. The letter mentioned the “consultation” - the first plans for the construction of a military fleet: “with the consultation of the gentlemen generals, I ordered to make galleys for the future war, for which it is convenient for me to be the ship-timermans of all of you here, since they will forward this winter time to tuna, and here at that time, in the meantime, they can do great good for the war, and the stern and for the labor will be sufficiently paid, and by the time the ships depart they will be returned without detention, and thus reassure them, and give them carts, and food for the road, as well as foreigners who from now on, besides the Timermans, they will write about them, also carts and food, namely: the cabin boy and the Stirman, and as soon as possible they came here.” The provisions of the “consultation” immediately began to be implemented. Preobrazhenskoye was transformed into a shipyard for the construction of the first Russian fleet...
A sudden fuss outside the door made Alexander wake up from his memories. The door opened with a creak, and the service man said in a quiet voice:
Alexander Vasilyevich, the sovereign orders you to arrive at the shipyard.
“Well, now you’ve had a rest,” Alexander thought, getting up from the table and heading to the closet with clothes. Two hours later, in a light cart, he drove up to the gates of the shipyard, quickly got out of it and hurried to the construction site.
Among dozens of soldiers and hundreds of workers, among the bulky wooden “goats” supporting the galleys under construction, it was difficult to find the young king dressed in an ordinary peasant caftan.
What, Lexashka? Didn't I let you sleep? Don't blame me, brother, I need you. Today ten cartloads of logs were delivered, but it seems to me that they are rotten. Look, my friend, am I judging these logs correctly?
The Tsar quickly walked tens of meters, dragging Alexander and two guard soldiers with him, stepping over logs, chips and pieces of metal.
Glad, brother, here’s some new firewood,” Peter said loudly, his eyes sparkling and pointing to several carts with timber.
Look, what news,” Lexashka answered calmly, “we have all this frozen and damp forest going to our galleys.” I was surprised, sir, not great news.
Don’t be insolent to the Tsar, if it’s fashionable to contradict the Tsar! If I don’t see that you’re my friend, I’ll grab you by the Chubass and lock you up for a couple of hours in the cold. You stroke it and you immediately calm down!
Forgive me, sir, foolish slave. But wasn’t it you who taught me from childhood to always tell you the truth? “Don’t be angry for my peasant’s directness,” Lexashka mumbled, embarrassed and lowering his head.
Okay, don't be embarrassed! It’s for your directness that I love you, my faithful friend,” Peter continued in a softer voice. “I can see for myself that they are delivering rotten stuff to us.” What should we do if you and I, brother, have absolutely no time: a great battle awaits us! Go, you won’t be of any use to me today, you’ll only ruin my mood. Go home, you will be needed at noon, we will hold a council, we will choose the commanders of our fleet.
Peter smiled cheerfully, patted his orderly on the shoulder and gently nudged him in the side. Lexashka bowed again and took a couple of steps back from Peter. The king turned sharply and, with the same fast step, hurried to his previous place, accompanied by soldiers. “Yeah, it’s easy to say, “Go.” As soon as you leave, he will send for me again. I'd rather stay at the shipyard; time flies quickly, look, the sun will set,” Lexashka thought and turned in the opposite direction. Slowly walking through the construction site, Alexander carefully examined the 22 galleys under construction based on the model delivered from Arkhangelsk, and 4 fire ships. The galleys reached a length of 38 and a width of 9 meters, had two masts and from 28 to 36 oars. Alexander knew that the first builders of the fleet in Preobrazhensky were soldiers of the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments, as well as the Dutch hired by the merchant Hartmann. An expert in the “convict” case, F. Timmerman, was appointed chief surveyor; Tikhon Sternev was responsible for the supply of timber and “getting” people, and A. Krevet, the interpreter of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, settled with the foreigners the supplies of sailing and rigging.
Watch out, master! We'll kill you!
The loud shout of a strong man, wrapped in a sheepskin coat and deftly managing a light firewood loaded with firewood, distracted Alexander from his thoughts. Stepping away from the road, Alexander again plunged into a continuous roar, in which the grinding of runners and the neighing of horses, the piercing creak of working saws, the dull knock of hundreds of axes and hammers, barely audible sad melodies of old Russian songs and soldiers' shouts were intertwined. The acrid black dust from the fires with warming resin, mixed with the December frost, completely sobered up the young man’s consciousness in a moment. Rarely did anyone call him master at the shipyard; More often, both soldiers and ordinary people affectionately called him “Lexander Vasilyevich,” knowing that Alexander had only recently become young Peter’s orderly. He walked through the crowds of working people and mountains of building material in the forests of several galleys and approached his own, recently named by Pyotr Alekseevich “Principium”. It was she, disassembled, that was the first to be delivered from abroad and became a model for the construction of other galleys. Among the forests enveloping the galley being assembled from many parts into a new ship unknown to Alexander, the Principium now seemed to him a terrible giant and a fabulous monster. "Mother of God! Blessed Virgin Mary! How is Pyotr Alekseevich going to carry this colossus across all of Mother Russia from Moscow to Voronezh? - thought the young man, raising his head high and examining the stern of the galley, as if he was seeing it for the first time. “Yes, no one has ever managed to do this before.”
He carefully made his way through the scaffolding to the side of the galley and ran his hand along the frozen boards. “How long can such a galley, built from frozen boards, withstand? They had to be dried well, but apparently our Galias was not destined to live long. Nothing, another fate is prepared for him by the Lord God,” Alexander finished his thought out loud.
Don't spoil me, Alexander Vasilyevich! Inadvertently crushed by a log! Give up karma,” came the loud voice of one of the soldiers guarding about two dozen workers.
Alexander stepped aside, carefully stepping over the logs and planks scattered around the galley. After standing for a while in oblivion at a distance, he suddenly turned sharply and quickly hurried to the exit of the shipyard, skirting all kinds of fires and mountains of planks and with difficulty making his way through crowds of working people and soldiers.
Two hours later, he was already sitting in the hallway of the palace of the sick Lefort and was waiting for Pyotr Alekseevich for a meeting. It was dusk on December 14, 1695. A few minutes later, Avtonom Golovin, Patrick Gordon and three other noble boyars close to the tsar entered the chambers. Peter was the last to enter. He greeted Alexander and, frowning, ordered:
Stay alert, Alexander. We are having a serious conversation, don’t let anyone into Lefort’s bedchamber. The purpose of our meeting is to choose a generalissimo and an admiral. So at any moment I will need you too.
The Tsar slammed the door behind him and in the ensuing silence of the hallway, Alexander heard a lively conversation behind the door. It was impossible to hear the entire conversation, but the smart royal orderly guessed that Peter appointed his favorite sick General Lefort as admiral of the future fleet, who until his death in 1699 then signed his new double rank - general and admiral. Colonel Lima became vice admiral; Schoutbenacht (rear admiral) - Colonel de Lozier. The famous military leader Alexei Semyonovich Shein was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian army, who for his successes in the Battle of Azov and the great victory over the Turks on June 28, 1696, would be personally declared generalissimo by Peter I.
The meeting ended after midnight. Pyotr Alekseevich asked Leksashka to personally conduct each of the meeting participants and handed over several sheets of paper covered in his own handwriting. Returning home late at night, Alexander realized from sheets of paper that Peter had already determined the list of captains of all 23 galleys. It was assumed that the command of the main galley "Principium" would be taken over by Peter, two galleys similar to it would be given to Admiral Lefort and Vice Admiral Lima, the captains of the remaining galleys would be appointed: Weide, Pristav, Bykovsky, F. Hotunskag, Grott, de Lozier , Y. Bruce, Inglis, Cuningham, Trubetskoy, Bulart, Gasenius, I. Khotunsky, Oleshev, Ushakov, Repnin, R. Bruce, Turlaville and Schmidt. From Peter's notes, Alexander guessed that it was supposed to install 6 guns on Schmidt's galleys, 5 on Trubetskoy's, 4 on Roman Bruce, Bykovsky, Kuningham, de Lima and Ivan Khotunsky's galleys, and three guns on the remaining galleys. It was supposed to appoint the princes of Cherkassky, Veliko-Gagin, Lobanov-Rostovsky and captain Leontyev as captains of the four branders.
February 1696 was approaching, and the time was approaching for the unfinished galleys and ships to be sent to Voronezh. After the death of his brother, Pyotr Alekseevich becomes the sole tsar of the Russian Empire and prepares for a trip to the Voronezh shipyard. Three days before the tsar’s arrival in Voronezh, by order of the tsar, Alexander sent Lukyan Vereshchagin from Moscow to Voronezh with the goal of quickly finding suitable housing for the sovereign and preparing the royal chambers. Later, Alexander learns that Lukyan picked up the yard of the clerk Matorin on the banks of the Voronezh River. This house, which served for several months as Peter’s home and the main center of maritime administration, would later receive the name “The Sovereign’s Tent on Voronezh.”
In mid-February, Pyotr Alekseevich with his orderly and a small military guard, almost light, set off in a small convoy to Voronezh, where he arrived on February 28. The tsar did not order a magnificent meeting to be held and came to the city under the name of Pyotr Alekseev, so as not to bring the “evil eye” upon himself. On the outskirts of the city, the royal convoy was met by steward Grigory Semenovich Titov, the chief manager for the procurement of building materials, and several construction workers, thereby emphasizing the importance of the royal mission. All together they proceeded to the new residence of the young king.
The farmstead consisted of two wooden upper rooms. The first featured a carved porch, then a spacious entryway and three rooms, one of which boasted an antique tiled stove. The second house was connected by a passageway to the first, and also featured a porch leading to three more small rooms of the second house. Before the arrival of the Tsar, the walls of the upper rooms were covered with inexpensive, but quite decent cloth, and ordinary wooden furniture was installed. The small yard contained a food cellar with a log floor, a hastily built bathhouse with a stove and two windows, and a small “cookhouse” for cooking. In front of the entrance to the courtyard, they set up a guardhouse and stationed two soldiers who guarded the courtyard around the clock in shifts from a detachment of ten armed soldiers. A small pier for small ships and plows was built very close to the courtyard.
Both Peter and Alexander liked these modest buildings. They were quite suitable for habitation, and the young tsar was not at all interested in the special amenities: he came to Voronezh to complete the construction of his fleet, and not to have fun. The main goal that the king remembered was the capture of Turkish Azov and, thereby, gaining access to the Sea of Azov.
The next morning, Pyotr Alekseevich, accompanied by three artisans and one soldier, went to the shipyard, leaving Alexander at home to attend to his business. It turns out that the construction of large plows had been going on here for more than a month by order of Peter. The bulk of the working people at the shipyard in Voronezh were dragoons, archers, Cossacks and soldiers from the cities of the Belgorod category. The total number of people was expected to be about 27,000. At the same time, in Voronezh, Kozlov, Dobroy and Sokolsk, local residents and Don Cossacks were ordered to produce 1300 plows from 12 to 17 fathoms in length and from 2 and a half to 3 and a half in width, 300 boats and 100 rafts.
In reality, by the time of Peter Alekseevich’s arrival, only 1,259 plows were being built at four shipyards. Due to the difficult ascent along the Don against the current, dozens of plows broke or leaked, but given that plowing was a common occupation for residents of the Belogorodsky category who were directly involved in construction, the presence of forests on the coast made it possible to quickly restore or build new plows. As Peter was informed, by the end of February about 26,000 people had already been involved in the construction of the plows, while from 17 to 28 people participated in the construction of one plow. In reality, the number of workers was much smaller. According to the secret stories of the masters to Alexander, in Dobroye alone there were 1,229 people who did not start work; 1,878 people fled from work and during the delivery of the plows in Voronezh, 127 were sick, 17 died. The same situation, according to reports, passing through the hands of the orderly Pyotr Alekseevich, was observed in Sokolsk and Kozlov.
In a short time, the young man met many local artisans, learned for the first time who the Don Cossacks were, and became convinced of their love of freedom, ingenuity and devotion to their land. Sometimes he visited the simple homes of ordinary people, saw their difficult living conditions and was amazed at how these builders of the first Russian fleet, about whom legends would be made in the future, managed to maintain humanity, love for others, compassion and mercy in the most difficult conditions. Thousands of people formed a single living anthill, in which there was a place for family relationships, and sorrow, and joy, and incendiary Russian, Ukrainian and Cossack dances, and melodic Don melodies. But, possessing philanthropy, kindness and a sharp mind, Alexander Vasilyevich knew many by name, and treated both noble persons and officers and ordinary builders and Cossacks with equal respect. This helped him survive in these harsh conditions of hasty construction of the fleet far from family and friends. It was here, communicating with craftsmen, rereading dozens of petitions, decrees and orders, reviewing foreign drawings of various ships, that he enriched himself with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills of shipbuilding, and acquired diplomacy skills that were useful in his further career.
Tsar Peter immersed himself in construction from the first days, practically leading the entire process of building ships. It seemed that he had forgotten about his galleys. But Alexander constantly remembered the unfinished ships near Moscow and was especially worried about his galley. He did not yet know anything about the great ship procession overland through all of Russia, but he could guess about its grave consequences. Indeed, in the early spring of 1696, a dramatic overland procession of 27 ships with a large amount of building material, boards and logs began from Preobrazhenskoye to Voronezh. At the beginning of the journey, the main draft force was horses and oxen in villages near Moscow. By order of the young king, along the entire route of the caravan of ships, it was ordered to drive away serfs from the nearest villages, as well as deliver fugitive serfs and convicts. The proverb “hard labor” appeared precisely from these times, but initially it meant hard work in the construction of hard labor - this is what foreign galleys, unfamiliar to Russian ears, were sometimes called. And during the difficult journey across all of Russia, the proverb acquired a new connotation: “hard labor” is backbreaking, inhuman, and sometimes deadly work. Each galley and ship was accompanied by their captains (except for the sick Lefort), the ship's crew and soldiers, who partially acted as "draft force". The main burden fell on the shoulders of the serfs, the peasants, hundreds of horses and bulls, and dozens of carts with provisions. In inhumane conditions, through snow, frozen ground, and in some places through mud, for about a month, the convoy with the unfinished first Russian fleet moved through the whole of Russia from the Moscow region to Voronezh.
Finally, the convoy with galleys and ships reached Voronezh. Pyotr Alekseevich and Lexashka personally met the ship captains. From constant lack of sleep, worries and thoughts about his galley, twenty-six-year-old Alexander Vasilyevich looked much older than his years, which prompted Pyotr Alekseevich to now jokingly call him “grandfather,” knowing that Lexashka was only two years older than him.
The unfinished ships were immediately placed in the scaffolding and their hasty assembly continued. But here it turned out that there was no ash suitable for galley oars in the vicinity of Voronezh. Alexander personally made sure that ash was among the logs that Peter ordered additionally from the Tula and Venev districts. Ash was delivered three weeks later, among three thousand logs of special tree species.
Pyotr Alekseevich remains in the city until the beginning of May. He personally worked on the construction of the ships, which arrived in mid-March, and was involved in their equipment and crewing. The construction of the royal galley “Principium” and which became the “mother” of the Russian navy was carried out by the Vologda carpenter Osip Shcheka with 24 assistants and the Nizhny Novgorod master Yakov Ivanov with 8 workers. Peter did not pay much attention to his galley, but Alexander Kikin personally supervised all the construction work on this galley in every free minute.
At the end of March, Voivode A.S. Shein, appointed commander-in-chief of the ground forces, arrived in Voronezh. In fact, Peter himself supervised the entire construction. His closest assistants were T.N. Streshnev, F. Timmerman with his assistant Andrei Krevet and, of course, A.S. Shein. During April, Russian troops gathered in Voronezh, foreigners arrived: shipbuilding engineers and officers.
And finally, the fleet was ready. It consisted of three caravans, led by three flagships under the general direction of Admiral General Lefort on a Dutch galley. For Vice Admiral Lim and Schoutbenacht Loeser, the flagship ships were the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul. Peter's galley was simply called "His Majesty" or "Kumandera". The 36-gun sailing-rowing frigate “Apostle Peter” was built according to the drawings and with the participation of a skilled master of galley buildings, the Dane Gustav Meyer, who later became the commander of the second similar 36-gun ship “Apostle Paul”. The length of the frigate is 34.4 meters, width - 7.6 meters. The ship was flat-bottomed; the sides in the upper part of the hull tumbled inward; The quarterdeck was open, and on the cut-off forecastle there were platforms for accommodating the boarding crew. It had three masts with topmasts and a bowsprit with a vertical jib. The fore and main sails were made up of lower sails and topsails. The mizzen mast had only the mizzen. In addition, there were 15 pairs of oars in case of calm and for maneuver. Watching the construction, Alexander proudly noted that these two frigates were the first Russian warships. But he immediately caught himself thinking that his galley “Principium” was still superior and it was to her that he gave the palm of the Russian fleet.
Observing Alexander's personal interest in the construction of the royal galley, Pyotr Alekseevich once stated:
Alexander Vasilyevich, I see your special zeal for our galley. Apparently the blood of your ancestors calls to your heart.
You understood correctly, my lord. Since childhood, I dreamed of recapturing Turkish Azov, which captured my grandfather and only with God’s mercy was he destined to escape from this fortress that was hated by our family.
Commendable, my friend. I remember the merits of your ancestors. You know what, I don’t really need your services these days; take the construction of our galley under your personal supervision. I see that it is she who is destined to capture this Turkish city. Yes, take special care of the selection of the team and the supply of provisions.
It pleases my heart to accept this decree from you, my lord. I will do everything I can, whatever my strength is enough for, as you command.
Okay, so we agreed.
Igor Radionov. Galley "Principium"
After this conversation, at the end of March, Alexander moved to the Principium and completely immersed himself in the work of personally inspecting the construction of the galley. In the first days of his stay on the galley, Alexander approved on behalf of Peter 27 sailors - Preobrazhensky, personally known to Peter Alekseevich and having shipboard experience. Gavrila Menshikov, a future famous Russian shipbuilder, is confirmed as boatswain, constable Gavrilo Kobylin, subconstable Ivan Werner. The selection of the team by the royal orderly was carried out so successfully that among the sailors who participated in the assault on Azov were Sklyaev and Sinyavin, well-known in future naval battles of the Russian fleet, the ship-timerman of the Preobrazhensky regiment Lukyan Vereshchagin, Danila Novitsky, who later rose to the rank of captain-lieutenant of the Russian fleet , Vasily Korchmin is a future artillery engineer and inventor of military missiles.
Observing the construction, Alexander paid special attention to the correct installation of the main cordel with a single halyard and the main cordel with a double halyard, behind the ropes with blocks and balls holding two oblique sails. There was not enough time, the construction had not yet been completed, but Alexander hurried the team to launch the galley into the water. Examining with his master's eye the cabins, the deck and the places for the oars, he perfectly understood that such a ship could not house the future Russian fleet: the cabin was divided into three parts, one of which was larger than the others and was intended for the captain: there was almost no possibility of moving around the deck , the cramped space for oars almost did not allow working at full capacity. But even such a ship was considered pride for Peter, because it was entirely made from domestic material and in his native land. “Even if everything is imperfect, our galley is the first Russian,” the royal orderly reassured himself.
On April 2, the first three galleys were launched - the Principium, St. Mark and St. Matthew. Over the next week, the rest were lowered, except for Lefort's galley, which was lowered a little later. Due to illness, Lefort arrived in Voronezh only on April 16. From the beginning of April, the plows began to be equipped with cannons, shells and provisions, and the ship's personnel were also selected. On April 20, General Gordon's large plow with the usual 11 plows departed from the shipyard, but stopped near Voronezh to wait for Shein. On April 21, Generalissimo Alexei Semyonovich Shein, recently proclaimed Peter, entered a specially built plow resembling a galley. Struga was so large that many actually considered it to be a galley: it had two sails, three cabins, a storage room and more than twenty oars.
On April 23, a transport flotilla with troops and cargo began to descend along the Don to Azov. On April 26, the ship “Apostle Peter” was launched; the frigate “Apostle Paul” went to sea only in early May 1696 at the height of the assault on Azov. Unfinished ships and galleys were completed during military operations.
Finally, all the preparatory work for the assault on Azov was ready. Foot troops approached the fortress, but Alexander was busy with the command of his galley and could not know how military operations were taking place near the walls of the fortress. On May 3, 1696, a detachment of eight galleys, led by Peter the Great's galley Principium, set out from Voronezh. On the same day, Peter, under the name of Peter Alekseev, asks Alexander to write down a dictation letter to clerk Andrei Vinnius in Moscow: “Today, with eight galleys, we set off on our way, where I was appointed commander by the Admiral.”
In the first days of the voyage, carried out mostly under sail and almost non-stop, Peter himself drew up rules of 15 articles, announced under the name of the decree on galleys on May 8. Alexander closely followed the actions of the sovereign. He was excited and in a special state of excitement. Watching the sailors and oarmen, constantly looking at the coastal area outside the galley, Pyotr Alekseevich either recited some chapters of the future historical document out loud, or quickly wrote something down in his travel diary. Alexander managed to hear and write down some paragraphs, just in case:
"§1. When the leader of the caravan wants to drop anchor on the day, then the cannon will be fired three times, one after the other, and then the other captains, having arrived at the first penal servitude, should drop the anchor at such a distance so as not to harm each other, but not far from each other do not stop being punished for any guilt by a ruble...
§2. If at night he also wants to drop anchor, then with the three shots described above, put a lantern on the main mast, and then other captains must commit against the first article under the same prohibition...
§5. Under great prohibition, we command you not to lag behind each other in the procession and to sail in your own places, both with sails and oars, since for the common benefit, the punishment for the crime is three rubles...
§15. And if in battle someone leaves his comrade or goes out of place, he will be punished with death, unless there is a legitimate reason that led him to this...”
The servant, devoted to his patron, listened attentively to the sovereign, who did not pay any attention to him. He understood that this was not disdain for his old friend, but special concentration before the upcoming battle. A couple of days later, news reaches the Principium that Lefort is leaving Voronezh on May 4 on a plow specially built for the sick admiral; a week later, Vice Admiral Lim's galley with 7 other galleys followed him, on May 17 - captain Prince Trubetskoy with 7 galleys, on May 24 - de Lazier's galley with 4 branders. Each of the ships flew tricolor Russian flags, first used back in 1693 on the White Sea.
The first detachment of galleys under the command of Peter passed Verkhny-Kurman-Yar on May 12, Nizhny-Kurman-Yar on May 13, passed Semikarokor and Razdora on May 14, Manych on May 15 and finally arrived in Cherkassk - the capital of the Don Army.
As the galley moved down the Don, the nature of the coast gradually changed from forest to hilly steppe, overgrown in places with dense tall bushes. Sometimes from the side of the galley one could see small villages and single buildings, herds grazing on the spring grass, horses or livestock. Near towns and large villages, wooden piers could be seen, with fishermen and ship people scurrying about. For the city young man, all this was a wonder, and he looked at the coast with curiosity, feeling how hard his heart was beating. “What a mysterious land of the Don Cossacks it is,” the young orderly thought with delight.
The Cossacks were already waiting for the royal galley. A motley and noisy crowd filled the entire coast. People joyfully greeted Peter's fleet with shouts and single shots. Having boarded the royal galley, military ataman Frol Minaev reported to the king that on May 3 he had sent village foreman Leonty Pozdnev with 250 Cossacks on light Cossack plows to the Sea of Azov “to fish over the enemy fleet.”
Well done, my faithful Cossacks! - Peter exclaimed. - There is no doubt about your loyalty to the king. We'll wait for news.
On May 17, Pozdnev’s Cossacks arrived back in Cherkasy, he was invited to the royal galley, where he immediately reported to Peter:
With our cunning and ingenuity, we, our Sovereign Father, decided to hang out in the coastal reeds and follow the Turk. After standing on the seaside for two days, on the third day we saw two Turkish ships heading towards Azov. Having attacked them, our Cossacks threw Turkish hand grenades onto the ships, shot from rifles and tried to cut through them with axes in order to get inside. But that was not the case, there was no way to climb them, due to the height of the sides. Repelled by cannon shots and then stones thrown from ships, we retreated with the loss of 4 wounded people, of whom one died. The ships remained in the same place.
You have done a great job! - Peter exclaimed. “We shouldn’t give them time to come to their senses, we need to hurry,” Pyotr Alekseevich continued excitedly. - Come on, Alexander Vasilyevich, run to General Gordon, and give him my order - to be at my galley in the morning ready to urgently sail to Novosergeevskaya.
Alexander quickly got ready, landed on one of the ships standing near the royal galley, and went to Patrick Gordon. In the evening of the same day, he conveyed the king's instructions personally to Patrick Gordon and returned to the Principium. Early in the morning the general was already with Peter and they decided that the royal galley, at the head of eight other galleys and galleys and a Turkish galley captured last 1695, wintering in Cherkassk, with a thousand Cossacks on their plows would go out to the Turkish ships, and Gordon was ordered to occupy island at the source of the Kalancha River. That's what they decided on. The general hurried to his galley, and Peter ordered Alexander to convey the decree to the ataman Frol Minaev for collection. Surprisingly, a noisy band of Cossacks, dressed in bright caftans and hung with sabers and blades, according to the instructions of their esauls, quickly loaded into 40 plows and sailed downstream. They were followed by a small caravan of ships, which by midday caught up with Gordon's boat. Peter had to go to the general’s ship, and Alexander hastened to shake hands with the sovereign.
Don't be afraid of me, Alexander Vasilyevich. Tea, I’m not our “grandfather”, but you. “But I still have a lot of agility left,” said Peter, smiling quickly, pushing away the orderly’s hand. - Wait for me on Galias.
Half an hour later, Pyotr Alekseevich returned to the galley and the Principium continued down the Don. By the morning of May 19, Alexander was awakened by loud cannonade. Frightened and hastily dressed, he rushed to the stern and realized that it was the ground forces of General Pyotr Ivanovich Gordon who were greeting the royal galley with a salute from the recently captured Turkish Kalanches, which had come under the rule of the Russian army. Pyotr Alekseevich gives the order to the crew to lower the sails and anchors.
Having gone down to the shore, the king hurried to his ships, leaving Alexander with a small number of sailors on the galley. The orderly spent the rest of the evening on the galley, not realizing that Pyotr Alekseevich, on one of the Cossack boats, went on reconnaissance to the Azov seaside and saw 13 Turkish ships anchored. Returning to the Principium, the tsar decides to take the galleys up the channels and the Don to Novosergievsk, a fortified base of Russian ships above Azov. The Cossacks who remained in the ambush continued to observe the actions of the Turks. Late in the evening, Ataman Minyaev, having discovered a Turkish landing force heading from ships to Azov, decided to attack 13 Turkish tanks with shells and food and 11 armed schools covering them. The sudden onslaught of the Cossacks took the Turks by surprise and almost all of the tumbas were captured in a boarding battle. The Don Cossacks loaded supplies and 27 captured Turks onto one of the Turkish ships, and burned nine others. The Turks fled in panic. During the retreat, three tumbas nevertheless broke through to Azov. By morning, the Turkish fleet began to hastily weigh anchor. Two ships did not have time to raise sails, and the Cossacks attacked them. The Turks sank one of the ships themselves, the second was captured and burned by the Cossacks. Others, taking advantage of the fresh wind, fled. This was the only naval battle in the Azov campaign.
On May 20, Cossack boats with captured equipment and prisoners sailed to Novosergeevsk and were greeted with fireworks. One morning a secret Cossack mission came to the Principium and presented the Tsar with an old chest filled with Turkish gold and gilded items as a gift. Peter realized that this was a gift from the Cossack chieftains and coldly greeted the secret mission. It was clear from everything that this gift was not to the liking of Pyotr Alekseevich.
Dispose of this good according to your intentions, Alexander Vasilyevich. “Don’t talk to the team - you can never bribe the Russian Tsar with anything,” Peter explained to his orderly in a comradely manner. The faithful servant did this: he put jewelry in several hiding places in Peter’s room and in his cabin and did not tell anyone about them. In the future, the sovereign forgot about the Turkish treasure, and Alexander kept this secret for the rest of his life.
A week later, the fireworks were repeated on the occasion of the arrival of Generalissimo Alexei Shein and Admiral General Franz Lefort to the troops. On May 27, Russian ships entered the Sea of Azov along the Kalancha and Kutyurma channels, bypassing Azov. On June 2, Vice Admiral George Lim's detachment with seven galleys joined the fleet. Ten days later, the galley of Schoutbenacht Karl Loeser and four fire ships appeared. Now the entire fleet located across the bay blocked the path from the sea to besieged Azov. On June 14, the Turkish fleet, consisting of six ships and seventeen galleys, anchored in sight of the Russian fleet. The confrontation lasted two weeks, but on June 28 the Turks risked landing troops to help surrounded Azov, but were stopped by Russian galleys. The Turks did not dare to engage in battle, hastily set sail and went to sea. In the following days, Alexander and Peter only watched the assault on Azov from telescopes. The young man’s heart beat wildly in his chest: his dream had finally come true - the Turkish fortress that he had hated since childhood fell under the onslaught of the Russian army. On July 19, the day the Turks surrendered the Azov fortress, the fleet entered the mouth of the Don and, with a cannon salute, anchored near the walls of the defeated fortress.
Andrey Tron. Capture of the Azov fortress
Vivat, Azov! Vivat, Russian fleet! - Peter shouted enthusiastically, standing on the karma of his galley. - Glory to our soldier, who achieved victory in this battle! Then he turned to Alexander and asked loudly:
What, brother, do you like to look at the walls of a Turkish fortress?
Yes, my lord, a great victory for Russian weapons,” the orderly answered embarrassedly, not expecting Peter to address him specifically at such a solemn moment.
Well, my dear friend, now you too will see your grandfather’s dungeon,” Peter continued in a quieter voice, tilting his head towards his old friend.
From these words, the heart fluttered in the young man’s chest with special force. “Here it is, the enemy Azov. To spite the arrogant Turk, we recaptured him. This is our city now, ours is Russian,” the orderly whispered and peered at the destroyed fortress walls. Approaching the shore, the Principium slowly moored to the pier. Crowds of soldiers, Great Russians and officers, and city merchants greeted the victorious Tsar with delight. Alexander lost sight of Peter for a while, but was not upset by this, knowing that the sovereign had no time for him now. Taking advantage of the moment, with a group of soldiers and sailors from the galley, they hurried to the ramparts of the defeated fortress. There were shell fragments, smoking firebrands, logs and some kind of boards, woven baskets, bricks and weapons lying everywhere. Dozens of corpses of Turkish and Russian soldiers could be seen on the ramparts. The depressing picture of a defeated and destroyed city was etched in Alexander’s memory for many years.
Pyotr Alekseevich did not stay long in Azov. Two days later, the Principium set off back up the Don to Voronezh. Arriving in Voronezh, the tsar and his generals hurried to Moscow for the celebrations organized in honor of the victories of Peter the Great in the second Azov campaign. Alexander Vasilyevich, carried away by new events, temporarily forgot about his galley. A dizzying political and official career awaited him, raising a simple royal orderly to the heights of the most famous personalities of the era of Peter I. On October 20, 1696, he took part in a Moscow meeting that decided to settle 3,000 families from the lower cities of the Don region and the Volga region in Azov. It was decided to keep the garrison in the city in the amount of 3,000 people from Moscow archers and city soldiers, as well as 400 cavalry people. In 1697, Kikin went to Holland as part of the Great Embassy, where he studied shipbuilding. Returning to Russia, in 1703 - 1704 he worked as a mast maker at the Voronezh and Olonets shipyards, in 1706 he commanded a small detachment, and then completely transferred to the sovereign service in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Russian fleet near Azov. 17th century engraving.
The further fate of the first Russian galley was completely different from that of its owners. A month later, the Principium was again lowered along the Don to Azov, where it became part of the first Azov flotilla. Prince Pyotr Grigorievich Lvov, appointed head of the Azov fortress on August 16, 1696, gave preference to the royal galley in the Azov fleet. Many sailors who participated in the second Azov campaign of Peter I remained in service for several more years, maintaining the galley in good condition. Alexei Grigorievich Prozorovsky, who replaced Lvov, allowed the gallery to go into the Don Arm, pursuing purely economic goals. When the city was governed from April 12, 1699 by Prince Stepan Bogdanovich Saltykov, they began to forget about the royal galley, and the crew of sailors gradually fled.
The former royal orderly, Alexander Vasilyevich Kikin, once again had a chance to meet his favorite galley. During this time, his brother, Landrichter Pyotr Vasilyevich, rose to the position of Tambov ruler and carried out a number of important functions in the Azov province with the help of his office. The fact is that the recaptured Turkish fortress from 1709 until its surrender to the Turks again at the end of 1710 was formally the center of the Azov province. In Azov in 1709 - 1711 there was only a governor, whose powers extended to the nearby set of towns of the Izyum regiment and the fortresses located near Azov. The administration of Azov was supported by the income of the Tambov province and it is no wonder that Pyotr Vasilyevich had influence in administrative Azov circles. At the request of his brother, in 1710, Alexander Vasilyevich, already as a famous shipbuilder and expert in maritime affairs, was invited to join a special commission to audit the Azov fleet. Hard times were coming again for both Azov and Russia. During this time, the Russian fleet was updated with dozens of new ships, Turkey again laid claim to Azov, and the maritime department urgently needed to audit the outdated Azov fleet.
That’s when Alexander Vasilyevich remembered the Turkish treasure that he had hidden with his own hands on the royal galley. Carrying out an inspection of the ships, the commission came to the conclusion that the legendary ships “Apostle Peter” and “Apostle Paul” of the Principium galley and Admiral Lefort, among many other galleys and plows, had become unusable due to complete rot in the stern and could not be repaired. It was decided to dismantle some of them and sell others to the Turks before the surrender of the city. No matter how much Alexander Vasilyevich searched for the Turkish treasure in the old royal galley, he failed. Only in one of his hiding places did he find several gold coins and ladles, which he hastened to hide in the pockets of his clothes. Apparently, the sailors themselves, anticipating the imminent death of the first Russian galley, carried out a secret search and partial destruction of it. But it was not possible to prove this and find the perpetrators.
What an inglorious end to Peter’s great ship,” he whispered, casting a farewell glance at the dilapidated galley. - And who would have thought that this galley, built by Peter himself, would so quickly disappear under the heavy weight of history.
Leaving Azov, Alexander Kikin took one last look at the old fortress walls, took a deep breath and thought. In Moscow, the glory of a future diplomat and politician and an equally inglorious tragic end awaited him. But that's a completely different story.
From the book by Dick N.F. Legends of the Quiet Don: stories and tales. /N.F. Dick. - Rostov n/d: Phoenix, 2012. - 349 p.).
Galleys - large rowing boats with one row of oars. The name "galley" comes from the Greek word for "swordfish".The length of the oars of the galleys ranged from 9 to 13.7 m, and the number of oars reached 5-7 people. The speed under the oars of the galleys reached 7 knots. The galley carried 2-3 masts (in some cases - 4 masts) with oblique or straight sails.
In the Russian fleet of the 18th century. large rowing ships were calledgalleys, half-galleys and scampaways.These ships had no fundamental differences. A number of authors believe that scampaways and half-galleys were smaller in size than galleys. In fact, the documents mention scampaways having b O larger than galleys. In various documents of Peter the Great’s time, the same ship was often called either a galley or a scampaway. That's whythe best historian of the Russian fleet F.F. Veselago in his reference book he combined them together.
The first 13 scampaways (according to other sources - half-galleys) were laid down on October 1, 1703. at the Olonets shipyard.
Since 1711, galleys have been built in Vyborg, since 1712 - in St. Petersburg, and since 1720 - in Abo. In total, over 200 galleys, half-galleys and scampaways were built during the war in the Baltic. Accurate records were not kept, and even the names of most of the galleys have not reached us, not to mention their tactical and technical characteristics.
Russian galleys (scampaveys, half-galleys) were built of three types - French, Venetian and Turkish "maniru".Most of the galleys were "Turkish maniru". Turkish galleys were distinguished by great speed and maneuverability, but worse seaworthiness, since they had low sides. In fresh weather in the Baltic, it was not recommended for Turkish manir galleys to sail. Only in the fall of 1714, 16 galleys (scampaways) of the “Turkish maniru” sank in a storm.
The “Turkish Maniru” galleys were keel ships with a long and narrow hull, which had a slight elevation above the water level. In front they had a slightly raised nasal protrusion, reminiscent of a ram. He called spiron. The front end of the yard (raine) was attached to it, holdingsail of the trinket (foremast) mast of a galley.Behind the spiron in the bow of the galleys there was platform , on which guns of the largest calibers were placed. The most powerful weapon stood in the center. In the middle of the galley, from bow to stern, there was another platform - the so-called Curonian , which served for the rapid movement of people along the galley and dragging cargo. It was covered with two tarred tarpaulins. From the bow to the stern superstructure to the left and right of the Curonian platform there were benches for rowers, called banks And. At the stern there was a superstructure-cabin, formed by wooden beams or arches, over which a tent was stretched - tendalet.
In 1710-1721 In Russia, 16-, 18- and 19-gauge galleys of Turkish proportions were built. Their length was 30-33.5 m, and their width was 5.3-5.6 m. The draft without load was 0.56-0.66 m, with load - 1.22-1.52 m.
The main engine of the galley was the oars.Their weight reached 90 kg, and their length was 13 m. From 3 to 5 rowers sat behind each oar, depending on the size of the galley. Experienced rowers made up to 25 strokes per minute, which allowed them to reach speeds of up to 6 knots.
The galleys also sailed relatively well. Usually they carried two masts with slanting sails.
Due to their design features, galleys could not have powerful artillery weapons. Only on the bow of the galley (on the platform) were one or three medium or large caliber cannons installed. The first Russian galleys had one 18-pounder or 24-pounder gun on the bow and two 12-pounder guns on either side, and half-galleys had one 12-pounder and two 6- or 8-pounder guns. By the end of the war, some large galleys had one 36-pounder and two 18-pounder guns mounted at the bow. In some cases, small mortars of 3-6 pound caliber were placed on the bow platform.
On the platform in the middle part of the hull, 2-pound and 3-pound guns were mounted on swivel mounts on the galleys. The two-pounder guns on galleys were often called bas.The cannons on the central platform were intended not only to fire at the enemy, but also to suppress rower riots.
In the first volume “History of domestic shipbuilding”states: "Thus, all eight galleys built according to the 1703 program were powerful warships and posed a serious threat to the Swedish fleet." There is no need to comment on such a passage. The weakest Swedish ship (50-gun) could smash a dozen of the largest galleys to smithereens.
Only small sailing ships could become prey for galleys, and with a large number of galleys - pram or frigate . When approaching an enemy ship, the attacking galleys fired a salvo from their bow guns. Then from the ends of the yards of both masts special "approachable anchors", with which the galley grappled with the enemy ship, and the galley crew landed on the enemy’s deck. However, as we will see, during the entire war with the Swedes, galleys were boarded in isolated cases. In our Baltic Fleet, galleys were mainly used as troop transports and landing craft.
In the Ottoman Empire, France, Venice, Sweden and other countries, rowers were usually convicts. By the way, and The word convict comes from the name of the rowing ship "Katorga". At first, this was the case on the first Russian galleys. So, in November 1704 Rear Admiral Botsiscompiled a list of all ranks required to staff galleys with teams. According to this list, each galley should contain 70 officers, constables, sailors and gunners, 150 boarding party soldiers and 250 slave rowers. But it soon became clear that hundreds of galleys would require tens of thousands of convicts. In battle, convicts pose a certain danger - at any moment they can start a riot or simply stop rowing. That's why Peter decided to replace convicts with soldiers of infantry regiments.
Slaves in the galleys spent the night between banks, as they say, at work places. Peter's soldiers spent the night like this only in exceptional cases. Russian galleys rarely went out to the open sea, but usually moved among the Finnish skerries, where they were inaccessible to the Swedish naval fleet. Therefore, in the evening the galleys moored to the shore, and most of the crew members spent the night on the shore.
In April 1714, the first three in Russia were launched at the Galernaya shipyard in St. Petersburghorse-drawn galleys (scampaways). Each such galley was intended to transport 25 horses. In the evenings or at daytime stops, horses were released to graze on the shore.
Thanks to Finland's rugged coastline, difficult terrain, and poor roads, galleys became the optimal means of transporting troops.
During the reign of Catherine II, on 25-can galleys there were 5-6 rowers per oar, on 22-can galleys - 5 rowers, on 20- and 16-can galleys - 4 rowers. On 20-can galleys there are only 160-200 oarsmen, on 16-can galleys - 128 rowers.
13 scampaways.
Length along the keel is 17.4 m, along the deck - 22 m. Width 3.1 m. Draft 0.76 m. According to other sources, these are half-galleys. 1 mast. 10-12 beams. Laid down on October 1, 1703 at the Olonets shipyard, launched in 1704. Builder Ya. Col.
Galleys of the "St. Peter" type (7 units). 16 cans. Length 35-39.2 m. Width 4.9-6.7 m. Draft 1.1 m. 2 masts. Built at the Olonets shipyard.
"St. Peter". 19 guns. Laid down on July 29, 1703, launched on May 21, 1704. Dismantled before 1710.
"Golden Eagle". 19 guns. Laid down on October 22, 1703, launched on June 10, 1704. Dismantled before 1710.
"Saint Theodore Stratilates." 19 guns. Laid down on September 21, 1703, launched on June 18, 1704. Dismantled in Vyborg in 1711.
"Alexander the Great". 19 guns. Laid down on September 21, 1703, launched on July 25, 1704. Dismantled in Vyborg in 1711.
"Hope". 18 guns. Laid down on December 3, 1703, launched on May 24, 1705. Dismantled in Vyborg in 1711.
"Love". 18 guns. Laid down on October 1, 1703, launched on May 29, 1705. Dismantled in Vyborg in 1711.
"Faith". 18 guns. Laid down on October 22, 1704, launched on July 17, 1705.
"Natalia". 21 banks. Length 53.64 m. Beam at the bottom 3.66 m, at the top - 7.62 m. Draft 2.59 m. Laid down on February 8, 1708 at the Olonets shipyard.
Builder N. Muts.
Armament: I-24-pound cannon, 2-12-pound cannon, 12 bass on swivels.
Galleys of the "St. Anna" type ("St. Anna", "St. Alexander", "St. Feodor Stratilates"). 20 cans. Founded in 1710 on Vyborgskaya
Shipyards, launched in 1711. BuilderYu.A. Rusinov.
Armament: 1 - 12-pound cannon, 2-6-pound cannon.
13 scampaways. Laid down in 1710 at the Vyborg shipyard, launched in 1711. Armament: 1-6-pound cannon, 2-3-pound cannon, 4 falconets. Builder Yu.A. Rusinov.
50 scampaways. Laid down in October1712 at the Galerny yard in St. Petersburg, lowered in April - May 1713. Builder Yu.A. Rusinov.
Innumber:“Anshtura”, “Bardun”, “Brongo”, “Gaui”, “Gorisha”, “Gota”, “Ap”, “Carp”, “Crabby”, “Lomi”, “Moklets”, “Ritsa”, “Rumba” ", "Desk", "Poust".
30 scampaways. Laid down in September1713 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in April 1714. Builder Yu.A. Rusinov.
30 Scampaway. Laid down on June 6, 1713 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in April 1714. Builder N. Muts.
1 large half-galley. Laid down on October 15, 1713 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in May 1714. Builder Yu.A. Rusinov.
"Walfish"("Whale" - Swiss). Former Swedish galley, captured during Battle of Gangut July 27, 1714 . Kept in memory of the Ganugt victory on the shore in Kronverkskaya harbor . By 1742, it had almost completely rotted and, by order of the Admiralty Board on August 27, 1742, it was dismantled.
"Geden"("Pike" - Swiss). A former Swedish galley, captured during the Battle of Gangut on July 27, 1714. It was kept in memory of the Gangut victory on the shore in Kronverk harbor. By 1742, it had almost completely rotted and, by order of the Admiralty Board of August 27, 1742, it was dismantled.
"Gripen"(“Griffin” - Swiss). A former Swedish galley, captured during the Battle of Gangut on July 27, 1714. It was kept in memory of the Gangut victory on the shore in Kronverk harbor. By 1742, it had almost completely rotted and, by order of the Admiralty Board of August 27, 1742, it was dismantled.
Armament: 2-6-pound and 10-3-pound cannons.
"Laxen"("Salmon" - Swiss). A former Swedish galley, captured during the Battle of Gangut on July 27, 1714. It was kept in memory of the Gangut victory on the shore in Kronverk harbor. By 1742 it had almost completely rotted and, by order,
Admiralty colleagues and on the 27th of Shust, 1742, it was dismantled.
Armament: 2-6-pound and 10-3-pound cannons.
"Trana"(“Grey Crane” -
Swiss).
A former Swedish galley, captured during the Battle of Gangut on July 27, 1714. It was kept in memory of the Gangut victory on the shore in Kronverk harbor. By 1742, it had almost completely rotted and, by order of the Admiralty Board of August 27, 1742, it was dismantled.
"Ern"("Eagle" - Swiss). A former Swedish galley, captured during the Battle of Gangut on July 27, 1714. It was kept in memory of the Gangut victory on the shore in Kronverk harbor. By 1742, it had almost completely rotted and, by order of the Admiralty Board of August 27, 1742, it was dismantled.
Armament: 2-36-lb and 14-3-lb cannons.
7 large half-galleys . Laid down in October 1714 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in April 1715. Builder Yu.A. Rusinov.
26small half-galleys. Laid down in October 1714 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in May 1715.
7large half-galleys. Laid down on October 11, 1715 in October 1714 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in May 1716.
14 small half-galleys. Laid down on October 11, 1715 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in April - May 1716.
The documents contain the names of 23 half-galleys built in 1716 G. In Petersburg:“Anguzhiguli”, “Bavulo”, “Bachan”, “Cut”, “Dungelo”, “Boar”, “Kaporotsul”, “Spoonbill”, “Lobra”, “Salmon”, “Loch”, “Minulo”, “Walrus” ", "Neva", "Sturgeon", "Gudgeon", "Raina", "Sevryuga", "Nightingale", "Sterlet", "Hornus", "Shereshper", "Ekht".
20 galleys. Laid down in 1716 at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in 1717.
Including:“Anstiza”, “Dolphin”, “Kolomar”, “Columba”, “Laust”, “Raza”, “Svoilo”, “Sepa”, “Skobra”, “Folno”, “Shubra”.
Galleys “Bagulya”, “Dove”, “Zuy”, “Canary”, “Langvila”, “Eagle”, “Cod”, “Ferix”. Laid down at the Galerny Yard in St. Petersburg, launched in 1719.
20 galleys. Laid down at the Galerny yard in St. Petersburg, launched in 1720 G.
Including: “Victoria”, “Harbora”, “Constance”, “Consistency”, “Salmon”, “Dff”.
10 horse galleys. Laid down in Abo, launched in 1720.
There are names in the documents11 horse-drawn galleys built 1720G.:“Crow”, “Coccyx”, “Laruzet”, “Mushula”, “Pasarim”, “Pitsa”, “Kestrel”, “Repolov”, “Jay”, “Pike-perch”, “Duck”.
Horse-drawn galleys were intended to transport horses.
"Dvina". 15 guns. 25 cans. Length 48.5 m. Width 9.6 m. 3 masts. Built in St. Petersburg in 1721 "Venetian style" . Armament: 1-24-pound cannon, 2-12-pound cannon, 12-3-pound falconets.
