Board of Admiralties (, ''Admiralteystv-kollegiya'') was a supreme body for the administration of the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

and admiralty shipyards in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, established by

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

on December 12, 1718, and headquartered in the

Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Trafa ...

. It included several other admiralties of the

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

among which is the Nikolaev Admiralty.

History

The responsibilities of the Admiralty Board had been changing throughout its history. It supervised the construction of military

ship A ship is a large watercraft, vessel that travels the world's oceans and other Waterway, navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally disti ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...

s, and

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...

s and administered

Admiralty Shipyard The JSC Admiralty Shipyards () (''formerly Soviet Shipyard No. 194'') is one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia, located in Saint Petersburg. The shipyard's building ways can accommodate ships of up to , in length and in width. Mili ...

. The Admiralty Board was also in charge of naval

armament A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law e ...

s and equipment, preparation of

naval officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

s etc. The first president of the Admiralty Board was

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Fyodor Apraksin Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin (also ''Apraxin''; ; , Moscow) was one of the first Russian admirals, governed Estonia and Karelia from 1712 to 1723, was made general admiral (1708), presided over the Russian Admiralty from 1717 to 1728''GR ...

. In 1720, the Admiralty Board published a collection of naval

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

s called ''Книга - устав морской о всем, что касается доброму управлению в бытность флота в море'' (A Naval Charter On Everything That Has To Do With Good Management Of A Fleet At Sea), authored by Peter the Great himself among other people. In 1777 the Admiralty Board founded the

Russian Hydrographic Service The Russian Hydrographic Service, full current official name Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, is Russia's hydrographic office, with responsibility to facilitate navigation, performing ...

, implementing a plan that marked the beginning of systematic drawing of nautical charts.С этой чертежной началось централизованное производство морских карт в России, а дата утверждения штата чертежной — 2 (13) ноября 1777 г. — является датой основания ныне существующего Центрального картографического производства Военно-Морского Флота. In 1802, the Board of Admiralties became a part of the Ministry of the Navy. Along with the Admiralty Board, there was also the Admiralty Department in 1805–1827 with the responsibilities of the Chief Office of the Ministry. In 1827, the Admiralty Board was turned into the Admiralty Council (Адмиралтейств-совет), which would exist until the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

of 1917. In new Russia (Russian Federation) the historic Admiralty Board has been reborn as the Maritime Board (Morskaya Kollegiya) having broad functions to coordinate Russia's maritime future.

List of the Imperial Russian admiralties

* Main (Saint-Petersburg) Admiralty (1704–1908), turned to

Admiralty Shipyards The JSC Admiralty Shipyards () (''formerly Soviet Shipyard No. 194'') is one of the oldest and largest shipyards in Russia, located in Saint Petersburg. The shipyard's building ways can accommodate ships of up to , in length and in width. Mili ...

* Okhta (Saint-Petersburg) Admiralty (1803–1896), turned to the Joint Stock Society B.Kreinton and Co., later Petrozavod * Voronezh Admiralty (1696–1711) **Tavrov Admiralty (1705–1769) **Stupino Shipyard (1697–1700) * Arkhangel Gorod Admiralty * Astrakhan Admiralty (1722–1867), moved to Baku * Irkutsk Admiralty (1803–1839) * Kazan Admiralty (1718–1830) ** Nizhniy Novgorod Shipyard (1722–1830) * Kronstadt Admiralty (planned transfer of the Main Admiralty to Kronstadt) * Nikolaev Admiralty (1788–1911), turned to the Russian Shipbuilding Joint Stock Society, later

Mykolayiv Shipyard Mykolaiv Shipyard () () was a major shipyard located in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Originally named the Nikolayev Admiralty, and constructed in 1788 for the purpose of supplying the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Mykolaiv Shipyard was famous for having b ...

* Kherson Admiralty (1778–1829), merged to Nikolaev Admiralty

References

External links

English site on the Admiralty
{{Government of Russian Empire Imperial Russian Navy Culture in Saint Petersburg 1718 establishments in Russia Military history of Saint Petersburg

History

List of the Imperial Russian admiralties

See also

References

External links