Board of Admiralties (, ''Admiralteystv-kollegiya'') was a supreme body for the administration of the
Imperial Russian Navy 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 ...
s,
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 ...
s,
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
armaments 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. 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, 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
* Kherson Admiralty (1778–1829), merged to Nikolaev Admiralty
See also
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
List of Russian Admirals
*
Peter von Sivers
*
Russian Hydrographic Service
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