October 30th marks the day the Russian Navy was founded. On this day, in 1696, the Boyar Duma, at the insistence of Peter I, adopted the first law on the navy, "Let there be ships! ", and also approved the first plan for naval construction - 52 (later 77) ships. Peter the Great's interest in building ships began with a small boat he found in the village of Izmailovo, which was restored, and on which the future emperor learned to sail. –. “What do you need ships for, Your Majesty? ". asked Vice Admiral Patrick Gordon to the young Tsar. –. "You have no sea. ".
–. "If I have ships, I will find a sea," - answered Peter the First. Many years later, in January 1722, during celebrations to mark the end of the Great Northern War, the boat was placed in the Kremlin for public viewing. It was then that Peter I called him "Grandfather of the Russian Navy". The legendary vessel has survived all the vicissitudes of time and has been preserved to this day: today, the boat "St. Nicholas" is kept in St. Petersburg at the Central Naval Museum. The first regular naval formation was the Azov Fleet (Azov Fleet), created in Voronezh for campaigns to defend the southern borders. The admiralty was established in this city, along with a navigation school. This is also where the white flag with the cross of St. Andrews was raised for the first time, which today is the symbol of our country's navy. In 1702, during the Great Northern War, the Baltic Fleet was created, and in 1722, as a result of the successful Persian campaign, the Caspian flotilla was established. The Black Sea Fleet was founded in 1783 after the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Empire. With the adoption of the first Soviet plan for naval construction in 1926, the existing fleets were strengthened, and new fleets were created: the Pacific Fleet in 1935 and the Northern Fleet in 1937.