Peter the Great and the Navy

Along with the major reforms Peter the Great made to the standing army on land, he also created Russia’s first naval force.  Peter had always been fascinated by ships, and the ship building process, so as soon as St. Petersburg was a functioning city he built its first shipyards.  Since Russians had no experience with shipbuilding, Peter hired foreign experts from all over Europe and sent Russians to Europe for training.  Although the creation of the navy is what Peter is most famous for, the navy actually proved to be quite expensive and of little use to Peter’s campaigns.  However it would be an understatement to call the navy ineffective, because it allowed Russia to control the Baltic Sea, and attack the enemy’s maritime communications.  The ships would be captained by foreign officials, and Russian serfs would make up the crew.  Unfortunately, Russian serfs proved to be poor sailors and were difficult to train.  Peter not only created the navy, but he also oversaw the creation of Petersburg Civil Shipyard, the Admiralty Hospital, the Naval Academy, the Navy Office, the Navy archive and the Admiralties Board.