''Rurik'' (Рюрик) was a steam-powered frigate 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 dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

. She was ordered by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

of the

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...

for the

Finnish naval equipage Between 1809 and 1917 Finland was an autonomous part of the Russian Empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. Between 1881 and 1901 the Grand Duchy had its own army. Before that several other military units had also been formed. The Grand Duchy in ...

''(Suomen Meriekipaasi)''. She was named in honour of Rurik, the semi-legendary founder of ancient Russia. ''Rurik'' was designed by

Johan Eberhard von Schantz Johan Eberhard von Schantz (russian: Иван Иванович фон Шанц; 29 October 1802 – 3 January 1880) was a Finnish-born admiral in the Russian Imperial Navy, ship designer and explorer. Life Schantz was born in the Western Fin ...

. She was built in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

at Gamla Warfsbolaget i Åbo and launched in October 1851. At the time of her construction she was the largest ship ever built in Finland. The Scottish engineer William Crichton was recruited to supervise construction of the steam engine.Keisarin messinkilelu oli antimagneettinen erikoisuus
(''

Turun Sanomat ''Turun Sanomat'' is the leading regional newspaper of the region of Southwest Finland. It is published in the region's capital, Turku and the third most widely read morning newspaper in Finland after ''Helsingin Sanomat'' and '' Aamulehti''. ...

'') Later he took over the engine builder Cowie & Ericsson and renamed it W:m Crichton & C:o. Although financed by Finns, the ship ended up serving as an escort vessel to the Russian

Imperial Yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

. She survived the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included t ...

, and later served in the Russian

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rurik Ships of the Imperial Russian Navy Naval ships of Finland Ships built in Turku Naval ships of Russia 1851 ships

See also

References