Kalevala, a.k.a. "Calevala" (Russian: Калевала), was a propeller-operated

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

of the

Finnish navy The Finnish Navy ( , ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but ...

. The construction of it was completed in 1858 at Turku Old Shipyard,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. From 1860 to 1865, the corvette served in the Pacific Fleet of Russia. At the time, Finland was an autonomous grand duchy (1809-1917) within 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 ...

Construction and launching of Kalevala

The corvette was designed by the ship designer Jörgensen, under the auspices of the Finnish Vice Admiral

Johan Eberhard von Schantz Johan Eberhard von Schantz (; 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 Finnish coastal town of Pori, which at the time was a p ...

(1802-1880), who was promoted to admiral in 1866. The construction of the vessel was funded by the

Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland (; ) combined the functions of Cabinet (government), cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would become the Senate was establis ...

. The total cost of the ship's construction was 342'804 Russian silver rubles (the

Finnish Markka The markka (; ; currency symbol, sign: mk; ISO 4217, ISO code: FIM), also known as the Finnish mark, was the currency of Finland from 1860 until 28 February 2002, when it ceased to be legal tender. The markka was divided into 100 penny, pennies ...

became the currency of Finland from 1860 onward). The corvette had 15 cannons.ф.1304. "Калевала", винтовой корвет балтийского флота (1858–1872).
Аннотированный реестр описей фондов (1696-1917). The displacement of the vessel was 1500 tons. The ship was set afloat on July 2, 1858. In December, 1858, the Military Commissary of Finland hired machinists and boiler-men to work on the ship. In March, 1859, offers of food supplies for the crew were solicited. In the early summer of 1859, the steam engines of the vessel were tested at the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

waters near

Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...

. From the start, Finnish Baron Otto Carpelan operated as the captain of the ship. Finnish Paul Karl Toppelius (later promoted to rear admiral) became the head of the officers serving on the ship. Still during the springtime of 1860, machinists were hired for the ship's sailing season of 1860.

Kalevala in the Pacific Fleet of Russia

Kalevala in the Russian Far East

With the 1858 Peace Treaty of Aigun and the 1860 Peace Treaty of Peking, Russia extended its territories in the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

. Unexpectedly, in 1860 Kalevala was pointed in the service of the Pacific Fleet of Russia, with new home port in

Nikolayevsk-on-Amur Nikolayevsk-on-Amur () is a town in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia located on the Amur River close to its liman in the Pacific Ocean. Population: 17,815 (2024); History Medieval and early-modern history In the late Middle Ages, the people living al ...

in the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. Baron Otto Carpelan remained the captain of Kalevala on the sail of the vessel from

at the

to the vessel's new home port on the Russian coast of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The long journey started from Kronstadt on October 18, 1860.Нa краю Восточной Руси – (К.М. Станюкович во Владивостоке)
(a fragment, "K. M. Stanyukovich in Vladivostok") In addition to Kalevala, the squadron heading to the

consisted of two other corvettes, ''Bogatyr'' and ''Rynda'', as well as two clippers, Finnish-built ''Abrek'' (built in

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

in 1860) and its model vessel ''Gaidamak'', which had been obtained from England. The voyage was headed by Rear Admiral Andrei Alexandrovitš Popov. According to at least one Russian source, Otto Carpelan continued as the captain of Kalevala beyond this voyage, in the duties assigned for the vessel in the service of the

Russian Pacific Fleet The Pacific Fleet () is the Russian Navy fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1731 as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the fleet was known as the Okhotsk Military Flotilla (1731–1856) and Siberian Military Flotilla (1856–1918), for ...

. According to another source, also Vladimir Davydov skippered Kalevala, and from 1863 also Fedor Želtuhin (Федор Николаевич Желтухин). In June, 1861, a year after the first Russian military camp had been established in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

, on the Pacific coast of the

, the crew of Kalevala erected the first church of the future city. The construction of the church was completed together with local soldiers from Vladivostok. In 1863, the crew of Kalevala mapped the islands around

. At that time, a bay in the area was named after Kalevala. It is located in the Posjet Bay, which is a part of the

Peter the Great Gulf The Peter the Great Gulf (Russian: Залив Петра Великого) is a gulf on the southern coast of Primorsky Krai, Russia, and the largest gulf of the Sea of Japan. The gulf extends for from the Russian–North Korean border, at the ...

Finnish seamen and vessels in Russian America

Russian America Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

was the name of Russian colonial possessions in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

from 1733 to 1867, that today is the

U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and settlements in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(1) and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

(3 - starting in 1817) (distant from the North American landmass in the Pacific Ocean and therefore more commonly associated with the other territories of

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

). Formal incorporation of the possessions by Russia did not take place until the establishment of the

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the c ...

(RAC) in 1799. Finnish Chief Managers ("governors") of

included

Arvid Adolf Etholén Arvid Adolf Etholén, or Adolf Karlovich Etolin (; 9 January 1799 – 29 March 1876) was a naval officer, explorer and administrator in the Russian Empire who was employed by the Russian-American Company from July 1818. He was a Swedish-speaking ...

(a.k.a. Etolin) in 1840-1845 and

Johan Hampus Furuhjelm Johan Hampus Furuhjelm, (; 11 March 1821 – 21 September 1909) was a Russian Finnish vice-admiral and explorer, commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, Governor of the Russian Far East, Taganrog and Russian America. Early years Johan Hampus ...

in 1859-1864.Etholén, Arvid Adolf (1798 - 1876)
Chief Manager of

in 1840-1845, rear admiral, explorer (in Finnish).Johan Hampus Furuhjelm
Chief Manager of Russian America in 1859-1864, admiral, explorer (in Finnish). A third Finn, Johan Joachim von Bartram, declined the offer for the five-year term between 1850 and 1855. All three were high ranking Imperial naval officers. Researcher Maria J. Enckell states the following about the Finns in the

: :''"Russia relied heavily on Finnish seamen. These seamen manned Russian naval ships as well as its deep-sea-going vessels. Company records show that in the early 1800s these ships were crewed predominantly by merchant seamen from Finland. From 1840 onward the Company’s around-the-world ships were manned entirely by Finnish merchant skippers and crews. Most Company ships stationed in Sitka and the Northern Pacific were likewise manned by Finnish skippers and Finnish crews."''''Scandinavian Immigration to Russian Alaska, 1800-1867.''
Author: Maria Jarlsdotter Enckell. Page 108. :''"Significant too is that from the early 1800s the Finnish seamen sailing these ships had journeyed up and down the North and South American coasts. Salt, used by the Company in preserving pelts, was obtained on islands in Baja California. Fort Ross in Bodega Bay, just north of San Francisco, was a stop on that route until 1841 when the fort was sold to the “swindler” Johann Sutter, on whose land the first California Gold was found. Thus, all Finnish seamen plying these waters knew every nook and cranny on these shores. Similarly they knew equally well the coast on the Asiatic side. Returning to Finland on their mandatory around-the-world journeys, they spread the news of the riches they had seen."'' :''"San Francisco’s harbor records and the Russian Consular records display the names of many Finnish and Baltic Russian Alaska skippers busily plying the waters between San Francisco, Petropavlovsk, Nikolajefsk and Vladivostok." ... "Long before the turn of the century 11% of San Francisco’s seaman community were Finns. The commercial activities of these former Finnish Russian-American Company skippers and their men were impressive. At least two are known to have become multimillionaires: Gustaf Nybom (later Niebaum), the founder of Inglenook wineries, and Otto Wilhelm Lindholm of Vladivostok. Their business ventures had interests spread across the Northern Pacific. This activity continued until 1922 and the Soviet terror, when Vladivostok's numerous Finns and Manchurians were rounded up, marched to the central square and shot."''''"Long before the turn of the century 11% of San Francisco’s seaman community were Finns."''
Scandinavian Immigration to Russian Alaska, 1800-1867. M.J. Enckell. Page 112. In 1817-1818,

skippered the Russian frigate Kamchatka from

to the

n port of Sitka, the capital of

, known as ''Novoarkhangelsk'' ("New

Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...

") under Russian rule. As a captain of several ships, Etholén then sailed from Sitka to

Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Formerly ca ...

and other areas, and in 1821-1823 he explored and mapped the utmost northwestern edges of the

Pacific Rim The Pacific Rim comprises the lands around the rim of the Pacific Ocean. The '' Pacific Basin'' includes the Pacific Rim and the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim roughly overlaps with the geological Pacific Ring of Fire. List ...

, between

and the

Bering Strait The Bering Strait ( , ; ) is a strait between the Pacific and Arctic oceans, separating the Chukchi Peninsula of the Russian Far East from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska. The present Russia–United States maritime boundary is at 168° 58' ...

. In 1824, Etholén skippered the Finnish-built''The brig ”Baikal” was built in Helsinki (1847) and the corvette ”Varjag” in Oulu.''
Journal by Maria Enckell at Migration Institute. brig ''Baikal'' from Sitka to

, and the following year the frigate ''Kreiser'' from Sitka to

. After having been pointed the Chief Manager ("governor") of

, Etholén skippered the Finnish-built''In 1836–1839, the ships ”Nicolai I” and ”Naslednik Aleksandr” were built in Turku for the Russian American Company.''
. vessel ''Nikolai I'' ("Nicolai") from

to Sitka in 1939-1940. On the same day with ''Nikolai I'', also the Russian ship ''Konstantin'' arrived in Sitka, under the command of Finnish Johan Joachim von Bartram (who later declined the opportunity to govern the

from 1850 to 1855). In 1839,

Sitka Lutheran Church Sitka Lutheran Church () is an Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sitka, Alaska. Its first building was constructed in 1843 on what is now 224 Lincoln Street and was the first Protestant church in Alaska. The original church was built and its congreg ...

, the first

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

congregation on the west coast of the Americas and the first

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

congregation on the entire

was founded in

Sitka, Alaska Sitka (; ) is a municipal home rule, unified Consolidated city-county, city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian America, Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Ba ...

Finns Finns or Finnish people (, ) are a Baltic Finns, Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these cou ...

, and other Lutherans who worked for

. From the start, in 1840-1865, three consecutive Finnish pastors served this pastorate: ''

Uno Cygnaeus Uno Cygnaeus (12 October 1810 in Hämeenlinna – 2 January 1888 in Helsinki) was a Finnish people, Finnish clergyman, educator, and chief inspector of the country's school system. He is considered the father of the Finnish public school system. ...

'' (1840-1845), ''Gabriel Plathán'' (1845-1852) and ''Georg Gustaf Winter'' (1852-1865). The Finns ''Aaron Sjöstrom'' and ''Otto Reinhold Rehn'' served as the parish organists/sextons during the same period.''Scandinavian Immigration to Russian Alaska, 1800-1867.''
Author: Maria Jarlsdotter Enckell. In 1841, under the governorship of Russian America by Finnish

(1840-1845) (promoted to rear admiral in 1847), the

Russian-American Russian Americans are Americans of full or partial Russian ancestry. The term can apply to recent Russian immigrants to the United States, as well as to those that settled in the 19th-century Russian possessions in what is now Alaska. Russia ...

area of

Fort Ross Fort Ross (, , Kashaya: ) is a former Russian establishment on the west coast of North America in what is now Sonoma County, California. Owned and operated by the Russian-American Company, it was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlemen ...

Bodega Bay Bodega Bay () is a shallow, rocky inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the coast of northern California in the United States. It is approximately across and is located approximately northwest of San Francisco and west of Santa Rosa, California, S ...

, was sold to Johann Sutter. On January 24, 1848, the first California gold was discovered on Sutter's land in

Coloma, California Coloma (Nisenan language, Nisenan: ''Cullumah'', meaning "beautiful") is a census-designated place in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is approximately northeast of Sacramento, California. Coloma is most noted for being the site ...

, leading to the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

, after news of this were spread abroad, mainly by the seamen serving for the Russian-American Company. In 1850 and 1852,

sailed to the

U.S. West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of Cali ...

. After he became the Chief Manager of

(1858-1864), he put an end to the hostilities with the natives in Alaska. He also succeeded in abolishing the Alaskan ''Ice Treaty'' with

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. According to a contract which had been signed,

had to deliver a certain amount of ice to

at a fixed price. A problem was caused by the product melting down on the way to the warmer climates. The ice contract became a very awkward deal for the Finnish-Russian colony. Furuhjelm arranged for a new contract to sell ice to San Francisco: 3'000 tons at $25.00 a ton. The Finnish Chief Managers of Russian America Etholén and Furuhjelm helped pave way for the American Alaska purchase, and the Finnish Sea Captain

Gustave Niebaum Gustave Ferdinand Niebaum (born Gustaf Ferdinand Nybom; 31 August 1842 – 5 August 1908) was a Finnish-American sea captain and winemaker. Niebaum acquired his maritime schooling in Helsinki, Finland. By the end of 1860s, he had become one of th ...

as the Consul of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in San Francisco played a critical role in the final striking of the deal that made

a part of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1867. As a legacy of their accomplishment, their names can still today be found on the map in several places on the

. Etolin Island was named after Etholén (a.k.a. Etolin) by the United States in the wake of the

Alaska Purchase The Alaska Purchase was the purchase of Russian colonization of North America, Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867 (equivalent to $ million in ). On May 15 of that year, the United St ...

of 1867. There is also

Etolin Strait Etolin Strait is a strait of the Pacific Ocean in western Alaska, the United States. It is located inside the Nunivak Island, Etolin Strait, and Kuskokwim Bay Habitat Conservation Area, an 8.2 million acre essential fish habitat established in 200 ...

, as well as a cape, a point and a mountain named after Etholén.''The Finns in America''
Taru Spiegel, Reference Librarian. The Library of Congress.

Kalevala in San Francisco in 1861 - during the U.S. Civil War

During the

and in its aftermath, a substantial Finnish population had settled in

. In addition to Etholén, Furuhjelm and Niebaum, a number of Finns had become household names in the social circles of San Francisco by the time when the Finnish corvette ''Kalevala'' anchored in San Francisco on November 14, 1861.''The Finnish migration to and from Russian Alaska and the Pacific Siberian Rim 1800–1900''
M. J. Enckell. Article published in 'Siirtolaisuus - Migration', 4/2002. Pages 16-22. Turku, 2002. Accordingly, Kalevala's visit in the city received a very warm welcome and created much attention. Kalevala stayed in San Francisco over the Christmas holidays. On Christmas Day, the City of San Francisco presented the officers of Kalevala a

Flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

as a present.San Francisco History – Events of 1861
The day after Boxing Day, a festive dinner party was arranged in honor of the officers of Kalevala at the concert hall of the newly opened Platt's Hall, located at the northeastern corner of Bush and Montgomery Streets.Platt's Hall at the northeastern corner of Bush and Montgomery Streets
The Bancroft Library. University of California, Berkeley.
The website of the California State Military Museum provides the following quote, which describes the event: :''"A military and civic subscription ball was given at Platt's Hall, on the evening of Friday, December 27, 1861, complimentary to the officers of the Russian steam corvette Calevala, by the citizens of San Francisco, as a token of the public appreciation of the friendly spirit manifested by the Emperor of all the Russia toward our federal government. All arrangements for this ball were confided to the members of the "City Guard" by a committee of the most prominent people. Lieutenant Wm. C. Little was the floor manager, assisted by four non-commissioned officers of the company. Captain Clark, chairman of the reception committee, was assisted by all the other members of the company, every one being in the full fancy uniform of the corps. The "press", in describing the affair, spoke thus of the "City Guard": "One of the most spirited and efficient of our local uniform militia companies, whose proverbial good taste was fully sustained in the admirable manner in which the ball was conducted."''

Kalevala in San Francisco in 1863-1864 - during the U.S. Civil War

A festive dinner party arranged in honor of Admiral Popoff and the naval officers of the Russian Pacific Fleet visiting San Francisco in 1863. In 1863, a six-vessel Russian Imperial Navy squadron, a part of the

, sailed via

to the West Coast of the United States, to help defend the waters there against a possible attack by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

(April 12, 1861 – May 10, 1865).1863-1864 Russian Fleet Expedition to North America
In addition to the Finnish-built corvette ''Kalevala'' now returning to the

, this squadron included three other corvettes, ''Bogatyr'', ''Rynda'' and ''Novik'' (Russian: "Новик"), and two Finnish-built clippers, the sister-ships ''Abrek'' (Russian: "Абрек") and ''Vsadnik'' (Russian: "Всадник"), both built in the southwestern Finnish town of

and launched in 1860. Finnish officers serving in the squadron included ''Theodor Kristian Avellan'', who later became the Minister of Naval Affairs of the

(similar role to Great Britain's

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

). Among Finnish officers participating in the expedition were also Mr. ''Enqvist'' and Mr. ''Etholén'' (not Governor Etholén of

). Commanded by Rear Admiral A. A. Popov, the six vessels anchored in

starting on October 12, 1863.San Francisco History – Events of 1863
/ref> While the Russian fleet was visiting San Francisco, a large fire burst out in the city, destroying fully a block of buildings between California and Sacramento Streets in downtown San Francisco, in the area today referred to as the Financial District. The fire caused damages worth c. $300'000. 400 sailors of the Russian fleet participated in the firefight, together with the local firefighters. When the firefight was over, lives of six of the sailors had been lost. The San Francisco Fire Department came out of the fight without any casualties. The residents of San Francisco decorated with gold medals the sailors who had been wounded. Special thanks was given e.g. to Lieutenant Etholén (not same as Governor Etholén). On October 17, 1863, a dinner reception was organized in honor of the 35 officers of the Russian fleet. The San Francisco residents willing to attend the event were charged a $100 attendance fee, which at the time was considered highly expensive. Still 50 years after the event, the local San Francisco newspaper ''The San Francisco Chronicle'' marveled the fabulous service of the reception. The squadron departed San Francisco in August, 1864. It returned to

at the

in 1865. ''Kalevala'' was removed from active service and from the Russian Navy Registry in 1872.

Russian Baltic Fleet in the U.S. East Coast in 1863-1864 - during the U.S. Civil War

Another Russian six-vessel squadron, a part of the

Russian Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet was inherited ...

, arrived in the

U.S. East Coast The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always played a m ...

only days before the Pacific Fleet anchored at the

. The Baltic Fleet arrived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

starting on September 24, 1863. The squadron was commanded by Rear Admiral Stepan Lesovski. The occasion gave the Union Army a much needed lift from the very somber mood caused by the Union Army defeat in the great

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

, fought in September 19–20, 1863, only four days before the arrival of the Russian fleet. The

stayed in the American waters for seven months, paying side visits to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

and

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The two Russian navy expeditions to

during the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded fr ...

, one to the West Coast and another to the East Coast, and the ''Kalevala'' expedition in 1861-1862 were the only concrete foreign military support received by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and the Union Army during the course of the entire war, fought in 1861-1865. As the navy of the Union was a one ocean navy, concentrated in the Atlantic waters, the help of the Russian Imperial Navy was of critical importance to the Union forces, which had no war ships to defend the

during the time when there was a great fear of the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

naval vessels attacking

. ''The only concrete foreign military support received by the Union Army during the course of the U.S. Civil War.''
A lecture by Webster Griffin Tarpley on the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Russian Baltic Fleet in New York City and San Francisco in the fall of 1863. C-SPAN3 - published on October 30, 2013.

External links

''When San Franciscans paid $100 Each for Ball Tickets''
San Francisco Chronicle. April 18, 1914. Page 1.

Sitka Lutheran Church - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
''The Finnish migration to and from Russian Alaska and the Pacific Siberian Rim 1800–1900''
, M. J. Enckell. Article published in 'Siirtolaisuus - Migration', 4/2002. Pages 16–22. Turku, 2002.
''The only foreign military assistance received during the course of the U.S. Civil War''
- a lecture by Webster Griffin Tarpley on the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Russian Baltic Fleet in New York City and San Francisco in the fall of 1863. C-SPAN3 - published on October 30, 2013.

Bibliography

* Baedeker, Karl: ''Russland nebst Teheran, Port Arthur, Peking. In Handbuch Für Reisende''. (Leipzig: Karl Baedeker, 1912). * Benjamin F. Gilbert: ''Welcome To The Czar's Fleet, An Incident of Civil War Days in San Francisco''. The California History magazine, 1948, No. 26. Pages 13–19. San Francisco: The California Historical Society. * Dorch, Elisabeth, and Dorch, John: ''Index to Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths in the Archives of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska, 1816-1866''. (Washington D.C.: Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 1964). * Enckell, Maria Jarlsdotter: ''Documenting the Legacy of the Alaska Finns: from the Russian Period''. (S.l.: Finnish- American Historical Society of the West, 1996). * Gibson, James R.: ''Imperial Russia in Frontier Alaska: the Changing Geography of Supply and Demand''. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976). * Gordon Roadarmel (compiled by): ''Some Dates of 1861''. The California History magazine, 1960, No. 39, pages 289–308. San Francisco: The California Historical Society. * Golovin, Pavel N.: ''The End of Russian Alaska, Captain P. N. Golovin’s Last Report, 1862.'' (Portland: Oregon Historical Society, 1979). * Grand, Johannes G.: ''Sex År i Sibirien''. (Helsingfors: Welin & Göös, 1893). * Grand, Johannes G.: ''Siperian Suomalaiset Siirtolaiset'' ("Finnish Immigrants of Siberia"). FENNIA: Bulletin de la So & de Geographie de Finland no. 22 (1904-1905). * Ilmonen, Salomon, Samuli: ''Amerikan Suomalaisten Historia - Vol. 1'' ("The History of the Finnish-Americans - Vol. 1"). Publisher: Suomalais-luterilaisten kustannusiiikkeen Kirjapainos. 1919. Hancock, Michigan. * Khisamutdinov, Amir A.: ''The Russian Far East: Historical Essays''. University of Hawaii. 1993. Honolulu. * Lamb, Harold: ''The City and the Tsar: Peter the Great and the Move to the West, 1648-1762.'' (Garden City:

Doubleday (publisher) Doubleday is an American publishing company. It was founded as the Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897. By 1947, it was the largest book publisher in the United States. It published the work of mostly U.S. authors under a number of imprints and ...

, 1957). * Lauridsen, Peter: ''Vitus Bering: the Discoverer of the Bering Strait''. (Freeport, New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1969). * Pierce, Richard A.: ''Alaska Shipping 1867-1878: Arrivals and Departures at the Port of Sitka.'' (Kingston, Ontario: Limestone Press, 1972). * Pierce, Richard A.: ''Russian-Alaska: a Biographical Dictionary.'' (Kingston, Ontario: Limestone Press, 1990). * Pikoff, E.: ''Landsmän i Ryska Marinen, 1808-1918 - Vol. 14''. (Helsinfors: Genealogiska Samfundet i Finland, 1938). * Stenius, Carl Evert: ''Handbok för Sjöfarande: Sammanfattade Efter Nyaste In- Och Utrikes Källor''. Bo: Frenckeliska Boktryckerier, 1872.

References

{{reflist Finnish-American culture in California Ships built in Turku Ships built in the Russian Empire Ships of Finland Naval ships of Finland Corvettes of Finland Corvettes of Russia Victorian-era corvettes Victorian-era ships 19th-century naval ships Naval ships of Russia Ships of the Imperial Russian Navy 1858 ships