HISTORY: 300 YEARS OF THE ENTERPRISE

300 years in the service of the Motherland and the Navy

Construction of the main shipyard of Russia began on 5 November 1704 and as early as April 1705 the first vessel was launched. Initially the Main Admiralty built small vessels, such as galleys, ice yachts, prams, brigantines and snows, but as early as in September 1709 the first ship of open sea was keel-laid, which marked a new stage of development of the Russian Navy,. “ Poltava ” of 54 guns. 23 ships and more than two hundred galleys were built at Admiralty shipyards during Peter the Great's time.

It is here that the first submarine – a “secret vessel” designed by a peasant Efim Nikonov – was built in 1725.

The first half of XIX century was marked by commencement of the use of steam and construction of metal ships. In August 1815 the first steamship in Russia was built at the shipyard, which traveled between Saint Petersburg and Kronshtadt.

Engineers and shipwrights of Admiralty Shipyards created ships that have become milestones in the history of the navy of Russia and world engineering progress. These include an armored battery “Don't Touch Me” (1865) with the first in the world marine threaded artillery pieces; the first in the world sea-going torpedo boat “Vzryv” (Explosion) (1877); “Peter the Great” (1877) – a prototype armored ship, which was the most powerful ship of her time. A legendary cruiser “Aurora” is also among the ships built at our shipyard.

Since the day of the foundation to 1917 more than 1000 vessels and ships had been built at the shipyard. These include 137 big sailing men-of-war, about 700 medium and small sailing and rowing vessels, more than 100 ships made of steel including 25 armored ships, 8 cruisers.

During the Great Patriotic War soviet sailors fought on all the four fleets on ships built at Admiralty Shipyards.

In the postwar years the comp[any built submarines and surface men-of-war of various purposes. In 1959 the first ship of peaceful nuclear fleet icebreaker “Lenin” was commissioned which sailed in the Arctic ice for more than 30 years and passed as many as about 1 million miles.

Note of History

Admiralty Warf was founded by Peter the Great on 5 November 1704, a little more than one year after foundation of the city. More than 2000 ships and vessels have been launched from Admiralty slips for three centuries. And during these centuries history of our company has been continuously linked to the history of the city.

It is at Admiralty Shipyards that many state orders have been carried out for the city. Erection of the Alexander Column is a special even in the history of Admiralty Shipyards. All bas-reliefs on the pedestal and decorations of the column were cast at the Admiralty as well as the figure of an angel topping the column. The bas-relief facing the Winter Palace shows an old water-carrier and a woman leaning on an urn – symbolizing the Niemen and the Vistula , rivers forced by the Russians during the routing of Napoleon's troops. The bas-relief facing the Admiralty shows Peace and Justice, and the other two bas-reliefs carry allegorical representation of Wisdom and Plenty and Victory and Peace. The Alexander Column has become a monument to the craftsmanship of the shipyard's workers. Bronze bas-reliefs, colossal figures, the main and the side cupolas of St. Isaac's Cathedral were created at our company. During construction of the Cathedral Admiralty workers cast 4 bas-reliefs of 182 tons weight, 9 out of 12 figures of apostles, 16 out of 24 figures of angels, big and small cupolas of the Cathedral. Copper plates for the roof, unique stoves for heating the rooms, lifting gear (capstans) for lifting columns of the Cathedral were made at our shipyard. Suspension parts of St. Petersburg bridges, hundreds of meters of cast iron grilles along the Neva banks, squares and parks of the city were also made at Admiralty Shipyards.

Admiralty workers made 5 steel frames of five-point ruby stars for towers of the Kremlin, quite a few steel structures for Moscow metro, tubing for Leningrad metro. Carrying structures of platforms of Moskovsky railway station, the top of obelisk “To City-Hero Leningrad“ were also made here. The company provided financing for construction of “Nike” monument dedicated to 300 years of the Russian Navy.

Major Milestones of the History of FSUE «Admiralty Shipyards»