The History of Shipbuilding of the Baltic Fleet during the Peter the Great era in Russian Historiography: Geography and Activities of Admiralty and Shipyards

Alekseev Timofei Vladimirovich ORCID: 0000-0002-0809-2400 Doctor of History Professor, Department of History and Philosophy, A. F. Mozhaysky's Military-Space Academy is a Military Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation 197198, Russia, Saint Petersburg, Saint Petersburg, Zhdanovskaya str., 13 timofey1967@mail.ru Other publications by this author

            Introduction. The problem of building the Baltic Fleet and creating a production shipbuilding infrastructure for this purpose has long attracted the attention of researchers. Suffice it to note that for the first time this topic was touched upon by Peter I himself in the preface to the "Book of the Charter of the Sea", published in 1720. With the accumulation of knowledge about the problem, a picture of a grandiose event in its scale and complex in its essence was formed. However, the diversity of views and assessments of researchers who have been dealing with this problem for three centuries now creates a certain difficulty in perceiving the picture of events that took place. The need to compare and summarize the available data actualizes the topic of this article.

            Taking into account the complex nature of the problem of Baltic shipbuilding, we will take only one of its aspects as the subject of research, namely, the formation and functioning of shipbuilding infrastructure facilities, which included the Main Admiralty and numerous shipyards. In the course of the study, it will be shown how the idea of the number of these objects gradually expanded in Russian historiography, how information about their creation, activity and its results accumulated.

Methodology. In the course of the research, methods of scientific cognition of various levels have been used. The approach to the Baltic shipbuilding as a systemic concept required the use of a general philosophical method of analysis, which allows us to dissect this integrity into constituent elements in the form of separate objects of shipbuilding infrastructure and to investigate the course of their study in historiography separately. Based on the results obtained using the synthesis method, it was possible to formulate some final judgments about the main directions of government policy in the field of shipbuilding industry development in the interests of the creation and development of the Baltic Fleet.

The limited information about a number of objects of the shipbuilding infrastructure of the studied region required the use of a general scientific modeling method, which makes it possible to present their poorly studied sides with the help of a formed model of a shipbuilding enterprise of the era of the sailing fleet.

Of the special historical methods, the problem-chronological and the method of perspective analysis were used in the study. The first of them defined the very structure of the work, which is a consistent review of all admiralties and shipyards directly engaged in the construction of ships for the Baltic Fleet. Using the method of perspective analysis, the course of studying the history of shipbuilding facilities by domestic researchers of various periods is shown.

The shipyards located in Arkhangelsk, Voronezh and Kazan were taken out of the scope of this study. They had their own rich history, requiring separate consideration, and in relation to the Baltic Fleet, each of them performed its very specific function.

The initial stage of studying the history of Baltic shipbuilding. As already noted, for the first time the topic of creating a shipbuilding infrastructure for the Baltic Fleet was touched upon by Peter I. However, the reigning author limited his description of the "structure" to only mentioning the construction in St. Petersburg of "many great ships, and galleys, and all kinds of regular vessels..." ^{[1, p. 30]}. More detailed information about the shipbuilding base appeared in the "Histories of the Army War" published in 1770-1772 by Prince M. M. Shcherbatov. At least two of the most important shipyards where the construction of warships of the Baltic Fleet was carried out were noted here: the Olonets shipyard, the construction of which at the beginning of 1703 was carried out by A. D. Menshikov ^{[2, p. 61]}, as well as the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg, the foundation of which the authors of "Historia" attributed to October 5, 1704. ^{[2, p. 97]} (for some time this date was established in Russian historiography). Further references to the progress of shipbuilding work were rather fragmentary in the work and concerned mainly reports on the launching of large vessels in the Admiralty ^{[2, p. 234],[3, p. 153]}.

The author of one of the early descriptions of the new Russian capital, A. Bogdanov, not only mentioned the shipyards that exist here, but also for the first time presented a fairly detailed general picture of the shipbuilding base in St. Petersburg itself. He mentioned the presence of a shipyard in Kronwerk "for repairing small naval vessels and some new work" ^{[4, p. 49]}, about the Smolny Yard, "in which resin was prepared for the entire ship fleet" ^{[4, p. 61]}, gave quite detailed information about the shipbuilding infrastructure in St. Petersburg, which included The Admiralty itself with slipways, stone shops, drawing barns and stone workshops ^{[4, p. 67]}, smolny for tarring ropes, spinning mills for making ropes, warehouses for storing timber, as well as shipyards – Galley, Particulary ^{[4, p. 69]} and Kronstadt ^{[4, p. 70]}. A. Bogdanov also noted the Sestroretsk iron and powder factories under the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Board ^{[4, p. 132]}, as well as the fact of the construction of brigantines on the Izhora River ^{[4, p. 199]}. In addition to his work, published, however, only in 1903, the author very vaguely reported on the construction of six 24-gun frigates, which began immediately after the capture of Noteburg by Russian troops in 1702 "at Ladoga on Lake Ladoga" ^{[5, p. 76]}. It is noteworthy that a very similar picture of the shipbuilding base in St. Petersburg and its immediate surroundings was described in his work, compiled as far back as 1726-1727, and published in 1831, by the famous Chief Secretary of the Senate I. K. Kirillov ^{[6, pp. 14, 21, 23]}.

The biographer of Peter the Great I. I. Golikov made his contribution to the study of the history of the shipbuilding base. According to him, the very foundation of a new city by the tsar at the mouth of the Neva was caused by the need "... for the establishment of the great fleet he was planning" ^{[7, p. 107]}. The author covered in sufficient detail the activities of the Admiralty Shipyard, starting with its laying in the autumn of 1704 ^{[7, p. 153]}, and then in the course of his narrative reported on all the facts of the laying and launching of ships in which Peter I took part ^{[7, p. 368, 370],[8, p. 148],[9, p. 86]}. Following the authors of the "History of the Army War", Peter's biographer mentioned the Olonets shipyard, the head of which he called A. D. Menshikov, and where the first naval vessels were laid in early 1703 ^{[7, p. 98]}, and in the autumn of the same year, with the personal participation of the tsar, construction of six frigates and nine ships began ^{[7, p. 98]}. 112]. Another place for the construction of ships for the Baltic Fleet, I. I. Golikov called the shipyard in Novgorod County on the Polye River, founded, judging by its dating, also in 1703, headed by Tatishchev and engaged in the construction of ships of the Shmak type ^{[10, p. 203]}.

A. S. Shishkov significantly expanded his understanding of the geography of the shipbuilding base of the Baltic Fleet in Peter's time. In his work, in addition to the Olonets Shipyard and the Admiralty in St. Petersburg, he pointed to the construction in 1710 of 50-gun battleships in Novaya Ladoga ^{[11, p. 31]}, noted the active construction of various vessels in 1712 "on the berths of Nerl and Dubenskaya, on the rivers Izhora and Luga" ^{[11, p. 31]}. p. 46].  

A new step in highlighting the history of the formation of the shipbuilding base was the work of the official historiographer of the Russian Navy N. A. Bestuzhev, on which he worked in 1822-1825. The author noted that already in 1701 rowing vessels were being built in Pskov, Lodeynoye Pole and Volkhov to participate in military operations on Lake Ladoga and Lake Peipsi ^{[12, p. 88]}. The author clearly localized the Olonets shipyard in Lodeynoye Pole, indicating that its construction was led by F. Saltykov ^{[12, p. 93]}, and that she specialized in the construction of ploughs, yachts, transport vessels, shnyavs, packet boats, scampways and brigantines. N.A. Bestuzhev first noted the presence of a shipyard at the mouth of the Syasi River, where I. Tatishchev led shipbuilding. This official was also in charge of the shipyard on the Polye River, which the author called Novgorod, where at the beginning of 1703 there was an active construction of transport ships and barges intended for operations against Nienshants ^{[12, p. 94]}. It is also interesting that N. A. Bestuzhev mentioned the construction of ships in Polotsk for actions against Riga in early 1710 ^{[12, p. 124]} In 1711, the construction of brigantines in Riga, Pernov, on the Luga River, on the Nerl and Dubenskaya piers, as well as half-galleys in Vyborg was noted ^{[12, p. 138]}.

Thus, by the end of the first quarter of the XIX century, domestic authors identified the main objects of the shipbuilding infrastructure of the Baltic Fleet. Later, the problem was further resolved, including through the use of documents from the "Materials for the History of the Russian Fleet", the publication of which began with S. I. Elagin in 1865. Let us now focus separately on each of the objects of the shipbuilding base or the areas of their concentration.

Syasskoe Estuary. Following N. A. Bestuzhev, V. N. Berkh pointed to the palace village of Syasskoye Estuary as a place for the construction of ships for the Baltic Fleet ^{[13, p. 89]}. Most researchers had no doubts about the location of this shipbuilding center at the confluence of the Syas River with Lake Ladoga. The exception was made by two Soviet authors who clearly mistakenly tried to localize it in the area of Tikhvin ^{[14, p. 58],[15, p. 88]}.

Initially, there was no consensus among researchers regarding the time of the beginning of the shipyard's operation, and regarding its "primogeniture" in a number of other centers of Baltic shipbuilding. A. P. Bashutsky believed that it was founded in 1703, later than in Lodeynoye Pole, and the shipwright G. Menshikov was indicated as the head of the actual shipbuilding works ^{[16, p. 26]}. N. G. Ustryalov outlined the chronology of events related to the foundation of the shipyard as follows: by decree of January 23, 1702, the carpenter I. Tatishchev was ordered to build six 18-gun ships on the Syasi River or the Pasha River for the defense of Lake Ladoga, taking carpenters from the Olonets district, and kuznetsov from Ustyuzhna-Zheleznopolskaya from calculation of 120 people per ship. And on February 4, 1703, this task was duplicated, but now the place of construction was indicated by the Syas river [17. p. 246].

Meanwhile, according to S. I. Elagin, the laying of the first ships at the shipyard at the mouth of the Syasi River took place in May 1702 ^{[18, p. 3]}. F. F. Veselago also attributed this event to 1702, and called the palace village of Syasi Mouth "the most convenient place for shipbuilding at first." Moreover, among the ships laid down this year, he named four frigates, of which at least two were of the 28-gun rank ^{[19, p. 152]}.

G. I. Timchenko-Ruban wrote about the beginning of shipbuilding as follows: "Already on January 22, 1702, a decree was issued on shipbuilding on the Syasi, which flows into Lake Ladoga 30 versts from Ladoga… Tatishchev lays flutes, shmaks, buoys and small vessels on the Xiasi" ^{[20, p. 42]}. V. Megorsky also pointed out that according to the results of I. Tatishchev's survey, the construction of the shipyard began in early May 1702 ^{[21, p. 3]}. It was this date that was fixed in Russian historiography in the future ^{[22, p. 89],[23, p. 432],[24, p. 61],[25, p. 37],[26, p. 87]}.

The researchers have thoroughly studied the features of the administrative and technical management of the Syas shipyard ^{[19, p. 152],[27, p. 47],[28, p. 50],[29, p. 118]}, the sources of its material and technical ^{[19, p. 152],[26, p. 86]} and personnel security ^{[30, p. 11],[19, p. 152],[26, p. 86],[25, p. 37],[27, p. 47],[31, p. 68]}. The production infrastructure of the Syas shipyard was studied by M. R. Fedorov, who noted the presence here of four slipways for the construction of frigates, sheds for storing ship and military supplies, a forge, workshops for the manufacture of rigging, sails and other ship equipment ^{[28, p. 50]}.

There were certain disagreements among researchers regarding the progress of shipbuilding works at the shipyard and their results. As noted above, F. F. Veselago pointed to the laying of four frigates here in 1702 ^{[19, p. 152]}. According to K. G. Zhitkov, despite this, Tsar Peter did not really hope for their readiness to launch an operation against Noteburg, so he went on his next trip to Arkhangelsk ^{[22, p. 90]}. Apparently, the fears were not in vain: although the first two frigates, which P. A. Krotov classified as small ^{[26, p. 87]}, were launched in the autumn of 1702 ^{[19, p. 152]}, but they had low seaworthiness and insufficient tightness, as a result of which they were later converted into fire-ships ^{[31, p. 68]}. The laying of two more frigates, now of a seaworthy type ^{[26, p. 92]}, was carried out in November of the same 1702 ^{[32, p. 74, 76]}. Regarding the Xiax frigates, there were certain discrepancies among researchers both regarding their number and the timing of commissioning. The majority, including the authors of authoritative reference publications, called the figure four units ^{[18, p. 3],[32, p. 74, 76],[33, p. 66]}, [34. p. 11], ^{[35, p. 184, 186, 228]}. And only A. P. Shershov claimed that six frigates were laid at the Syas shipyard ^{[36, p. 209]}. In addition, M. R. Fedorov, unlike other authors, believed that the date of launching of the first two ships was April 18, 1703 ^{[28, p. 50]}, which, apparently, could be facilitated by the information of S.I. Elagin ^{[18, p. 3]}.

In addition to frigates, auxiliary types of vessels were built on the Xiasi. F.F. Veselago named among them flutes, five shmaks and other small vessels ^{[19, p. 152]}, the author of the anniversary article in the Shipbuilding magazine – shmaks, flutes, buoys, etc. ^{[31, p. 68]}, and Yu.N. Bespyatykh wrote generically about the construction of about 40 cargo ships ^{[25, p. 38]}. M.R. Fedorov, speaking about the existence of cooperative ties between the Syas and Olonets shipyards, mentioned the sending of brigantines and scampavia as prototypes from the Lodeynoye Field ^{[28, p. 50]}. I.V. Bogatyrev, analyzing the progress of work at the shipyard in 1703-1705, he came to the conclusion that shipbuilding here had a much larger scale than the researchers who preceded him believed. According to his estimates, in addition to four frigates, at least two flutes, 12 schmaks, three buoys, ten katas, a penal servitude, two budars, several brigantines were built here ^{[27, pp. 47-48]}. 

There was no particular disagreement among researchers regarding the termination of the activities of the Xias shipyard. After launching the fourth frigate in 1705, according to I. V. Bogatyrev, Peter I ordered to transfer all the ship supplies accumulated at the shipyard to the Lodeynoye Pole ^{[27, p. 48]}. The completion of auxiliary vessels was continued, however, at the end of 1706, a decree was issued on the abolition of the Syas shipyard and the transfer of all work to Olonetskaya ^{[37, p. 29],[28, p. 50],[27, p. 48]}. Among the reasons for this decision, the researchers called: depletion of forest resources near the shipyard ^{[37, 29]}, the inconvenience of its location "... in connection with the advance of military operations directly to the Neva, and then to the Gulf of Finland" ^{[38, p. 142]}, as well as the fact that "... the practice of building the first four frigates, as well as launching them into the water revealed that the place for the equipment of the Xias shipyard was chosen unsuccessfully" ^{[31, p. 68]}.

V. N. Berkh in his biography of "Admiral Pyotr Mikhailov" clearly considered the Olonets shipyard to be the first center of Baltic shipbuilding, but somewhat vaguely called it simply "Olonets". In his opinion, it was here that the vessels involved in the capture of the Neva estuary and participated in the famous battle with Swedish ships on the night of May 7, 1703 were built. According to the author, in November 1703, 18 shipwrights worked at the shipyard in Olonets, who were simultaneously building 13 brigantines, 13 scampways, a packet boat, eight galleys, one ship, eight shnyav, two shmaks and six transports ^{[13, p. 85]}. A similar position was held by the anonymous author of an article in the "Notes of the Scientific Committee of the Naval Staff", who directly wrote that "Peter the Great laid the beginning of shipbuilding for the Baltic Fleet at the Olonets shipyard" ^{[39, p. 245]}.

N. G. Ustryalov brought greater clarity to the sequence of events in his work. According to him, simultaneously with the solution of the task by stolnik I. Tatishchev for the construction of a shipyard at the Syassky Estuary in February 1703, A. D. Menshikov examined the banks of the Sviri River and found forests there suitable for the construction of even 50-gun ships. As a result, a shipyard named Olonetskaya was laid at Lodeynoye Pole, and already in May 1703, logging began under the leadership of A. Kikin ^{[17, p. 246]}. In the summer of 1703, Peter visited the shipyard and personally laid the schnava. On August 1, 1703, the launching of ships began. Soon the frigate "Shtandart" was launched and equipped, on which Peter I went to St. Petersburg on September 8, 1703 ^{[17, p. 248]}. S. I. Elagin dated the laying of the first ships in Lodeynoye Pole in March 1703 ^{[18, p. 3]}.

However, the date of the shipyard's foundation on the Sviri River continued to be interpreted differently in Russian historiography. Following N. G. Ustryalov and S. I. Elagin, a number of authoritative authors attributed this event to the beginning of 1703 (February-March) ^{[19, p. 157],[40, p. 5],[21, 8],[23, p. 432],[41, p. 192],[25, p. 40],[42, p. 22],[26, p. 93]}. At the same time, other researchers called the date of the shipyard's foundation the end of 1702 ^{[43, p. 417],[44, p. 903],[45, p. 28],[24, p. 61],[46, p. 46]}. Different approaches to determining the initial event in the history of the shipyard can serve as an explanation for such discrepancies. In the first case, as a rule, the laying of the first frigate "Standard" at the shipyard, which took place on March 24, 1703, was considered as such ^{[32, p. 74]}. In the second case, the initial decision was considered to be the decision to create a shipyard or the beginning of work on its equipment, since the laying of the ship is always preceded by a certain preparatory period. Consequently, there are no fundamental differences between the two points of view noted. The same V. Megorsky, saying that "on March 24, 1703, the Lodeynopolsky shipyard was opened" ^{[21, p. 8]}, at the same time remarked: "In the autumn of 1702, most likely, after the capture of Noteburg, when there was a clear need for a fleet to secure the course of the Neva ..., a place for a shipyard was chosen in the Pirkinsky churchyard, on the banks of the Sviri River, near the village of Mokrishvitsy" ^{[21, p. 3]}. Having set out to determine the exact date of the shipyard's foundation, I. V. Bogatyrev, based on the analysis of Peter's "Journal or Daily Note", proposed to consider September 1, 1702 as such ^{[46, p. 46]}.

As in the case of the Syas shipyard, the researchers studied the issues of shipbuilding management in Lodeynoye Pole ^{[19, p. 157],[47, p. 259],[21, p. 4]}, its personnel ^{[21, p. 16],[38, p. 145]}, financial ^{[21, p. 6, 7],[38, p. 145]}, logistics ^{[41, p. 193],[38, p. 145],[21, p. 8],[46, p. 47]}. The actual production infrastructure of the shipyard in Lodeynoye Pole, according to N. I. Barbashev, was quite traditional. In addition to the shipyard with several slipways, it included forges, water-powered mills, sailing, block and mast workshops, a rope factory, spinning barns, resin and caulking yards, barns for storing ship parts and ship supplies ^{[38, p. 145]}. This opinion on this issue was later held by P. A. Krotov ^{[48, p. 10]}. I.V. Bogatyrev believed that by the spring of 1703 at least nine slipways had been built, on which the first ships were laid in March of this year. By the summer of 1703, 13 slipways were already operating at the shipyard, and by October of the same year their number had doubled due to the start of construction of scampways and brigantines ^{[46, p. 47]}. In general, according to the researcher, "... in 1703, there were a total of 64 slipways or slipways at the Olonets shipyard, and all of them were in operation the following year; however, then the shipyard began to feverish, so their more or less complete loading refers only to 1707, 1712, 1716 and 1722 years . Such a massive laying of ships in 1703-1704 suggests that the Lodeynopolsky shipyard had branches. Apparently, before the capture of Vyborg in 1710 they were located nearby, upstream of the Sviri, where impenetrable forests reliably protected them from enemy attacks" ^{[46, p. 48]}.

The production activity of the Olonets shipyard has not been left out of the attention of researchers. Following the compilers of the "History of the Sway War" and I. I. Golikov, a number of authors continued to indicate in their works the laying of six frigates and nine ships in Lodeynoye Pole in 1703 ^{[49, p. 86],[16, p. 25]}. Later, researchers emphasized that already at the very beginning of shipbuilding works in March 1703, various vessels were being built at the shipyard: F. F. Veselago, followed by G. Gorodkov, wrote about one frigate and seven cargo ships ^{[19, p. 157],[40, p. 5]}, G. I. Timchenko-Ruban – about a ship, a galliot, a flute, a buoy, a schmuck, a galley and various small vessels ^{[20, p. 42]}, V. Megorsky – about a ship (frigate), a galliot, a flute, four buoys and two schmucks ^{[21, p. 8]}, of which the galliot was the first launched at the shipyard on June 22, 1703 "Courier" ^{[21, p. 10]}, V. G. Kraynyukov – about a frigate, two galliots, five buoys and two schmaks ^{[42, p. 22]}. During Peter I's visit to the shipyard in the summer of 1703, new bookmarks of ships followed: F. F. Veselago named among them seven frigates, shnyavs, half-galleys, galliots, brigantines ^{[19, p. 158]}, and V. Megorsky added buoys, shmaks, scampways, carbuses, flutes, penal servitude ^{[21, p. 10]}.

I. V. Bogatyrev called the construction of a total of ten "first-class frigates" for the Baltic Fleet here, as well as participation in the construction of the first battleships, a special merit of the Olonets shipyard ^{[46, p. 48]}. In total, according to I. V. Bogatyrev, military, transport, commercial and commercial vessels of 34 types were built at the shipyard ^{[46, p. 48]}.

If we talk about the overall results of the construction of ships for the Baltic Fleet in Lodeynoye Pole, the information of various authors is very different. S. I. Elagin in his list mentioned 11 battleships and frigates and 77 ships of other types ^{[18, pp. 2-59]}, F. F. Veselago, respectively, 13 and 96 ^{[19, p. 505]}, A. I. Dubravin – 12 and 103 ^{[33, p. 66]}, A. P. Glagoleva – 13 and about 100 ^{[41, p. 193]}, L. G. Beskrovny wrote about 50 large and 66 rowing vessels ^{[50, p. 107]}, and I. A. Bykhovsky about 12 ships and frigates and 106 auxiliary vessels ^{[34, p. 11]}. Finally, the maximum figure of 700 large and small military, transport, commercial and commercial vessels was called by I.V. Bogatyrev ^{[46, p. 48]}.

The authors noted the curtailment of shipbuilding activity at the Olonets shipyard already in 1709, despite the fact that at that time there was construction of battleships ^{[21, p. 18]}. V. Megorsky saw the reasons for this in the difficulties accompanying the transfer of ships to St. Petersburg caused by both the low water level at the mouth of the Sviri River and the difficulties of navigation on Lake Ladoga ^{[21, p. 12]}. According to N. I. Barbashev, insufficient production capacities of the shipyard also affected, which caused the construction of ships in other places [38. p. 146]. However, unlike most shipyards of the Petrovsky period, Olonetskaya continued its existence until 1830.

Admiralty Shipyard. The controversial issues of the history of the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg in historiography were the dates of its foundation and the beginning of shipbuilding activity on it, as well as the goals and reasons for construction and the choice of location.

As already noted above, with the submission of the authors of the "History of the Army War", there has long been an opinion among researchers about the laying of the shipyard by Peter I in early October 1704 ^{[51, p. 40],[52, p. 5]}. Some authors, including on the pages of reference publications, dated this event to 1705 ^{[53, p. 206]}. And only N. Ustryalov was the first to attribute it to November 5, 1704, which was confirmed in historiography later ^{[17, p. 254]}. The Soviet researcher V. M. Yurasov offered his interpretation of the events. He believed that the date of birth of the Admiralty Shipyard should be considered the date of the laying of the first battleship "Poltava" on December 5, 1709 ^{[54, p. 40]}. However, this approach has not received the support of other researchers.

The reasons for the construction of a shipyard in the newly founded city of St. Petersburg, most researchers have long called the insufficient capacity of the shipyards that existed at that time on the Xiasi and in Lodeynoye Pole, as well as the inconvenience of wiring large ships from there to the sea on the stormy Lake Ladoga ^{[16, p. 37],[19, p. 162],[55, p. 64]}, including Tsar Peter's own experience, which he received in the autumn of 1704 ^{[17, p. 254],[56, p. 45-46]}.

The conditions that contributed to the decision on the construction of the shipyard, according to F. F. Veselago, was the construction of the Kronshlot fortress in the winter of 1704 ^{[19, p. 162]}. I. G. Popov called the Admiralty "the nail of St. Petersburg, the device of which was Peter's cherished desire" ^{[57, p. 97]}. And S. F. Ogorodnikov he believed that "... the original and main purpose of the St. Petersburg admiralty, determined by its great founder, was to combine in one place all the necessities of shipbuilding with the fullest possible convenience for the successful production of affairs" ^{[58, p. 1]}. An interesting, but very subjective version of Peter I's choice of a place for the construction of the Admiralty was put forward by P. N. Stolpiansky at the time: "The most suitable place was the mouth of the Okhta River, where Nienschants was, and later the Okhten shipyard arose ... but Peter the Great had already chosen Major Konau's garden for himself, and the shipyard should be under direct, permanent under the supervision of the tsar. That's why he decides to set up a shipyard, his admiralty, in the same place, on the same island where the garden he loves is located… And despite the fact that the Neva makes a shoal here, and that, consequently, the place is inconvenient for the shipyard, the shipyard is being laid" ^{[59, p. 18]}. The author continued to insist on the inconvenience of the chosen place for the construction of military vessels due to the presence of a wide shoal along the entire coast ^{[60, p. 50]}. But according to modern St. Petersburg authors, the choice of a place for the construction of the Admiralty was due to the smallest width of the Neva River in this place, which allowed artillery fire from the Peter and Paul Fortress to direct fire on the enemy ^{[61, p. 54]}.

Most researchers agreed that the equipment of the Admiralty Shipyard, including the construction of fortifications protecting it from land, was completed by the winter of 1705/1706 ^{[62, p. 18],[52, p. 6],[37, p. 8],[63, p. 64],[20, p. 161],[59, p. 154],[55, p. 64]}. But there was no single position among the authors on the issue of the beginning of the construction of ships here and their type. P. Svinyin and I. Pushkarev wrote that the first ship launched in 1706 was a brigantine ^{[64, p. 90],[51, p. 41]}. N. G. Ustryalov noted the launch of the first ship in October 1706, mentioning only its name – "Nadezhda" and the builder – shipwright F. Sklyaeva ^{[17, p. 254]}. F. F. Veselago classified this vessel as a yacht or a shnyava, and dated its laying on July 5, 1706 ^{[19, p. 502]}. The same opinion was shared by other researchers ^{[38, p. 148],[55, p. 64]}. A.V. Nevezhin believed that the first ship was launched at the shipyard in April 1706, and it was an 18-gun pram built by master Vybe Gerens. Further, in May of the same year, the second pram was launched, then two yachts assembled from parts received from England and Voronezh ("Ekaterina" and "Lyubov"), and only in October the yacht "Nadezhda" built by F. Sklyaev ^{[37, p. 8]}. The 18-gun pram was called the first vessel, built at the Admiralty, and V. G. Gaiman ^{[65, p. 248]}.

The Soviet researcher V. M. Yurasova claimed that already in the spring of 1705 small military vessels were launched at the shipyard, and in 1706 larger ones – an 18-gun bombardier ship and the yacht Nadezhda ^{[54, p. 39]}. I. V. Bogatyrev, followed by P. A. Krotov, pointed to an even earlier beginning of the construction of ships. They believed that shipbuilding and the equipment of the shipyard itself had been going on in parallel since the end of 1704. According to I. V. Bogatyrev, 14-18-gun small shnyavs were laid on ten hastily constructed stocks ^{[66, p. 56]}. Then, in the autumn of 1705, the laying of 30 bots for fleet vessels followed, and in January 1706 – pramov ^{[26, p. 105]}. Finally, in the work of V. N. Polovinkin and A. B. Fomichev, it was claimed that already in November 1704, the first ten Russian-type brigantines were built at the Admiralty Shipyard ^{[67, p. 196]}.

The authors noticed that the Petrovsky period in the history of the Admiralty Shipyard was quite clearly divided into two unequal parts, between which the year of the Battle of Poltava acted as a kind of watershed. Thus, V. G. Gaiman, describing the working time of the shipyard from 1706 to 1709, emphasized that at that time large ships were not built that required long production times, and priority was given to medium-sized vessels that could be built in one season ^{[65, p. 248]}. At the same time, due to the threat of the Swedes in 1705, work was even suspended for some time ^{[65, p. 247]}. N. I. Barbashev also pointed out that due to the fear of an attack by the Swedes, the Admiralty Shipyard was not originally intended for the construction of battleships. In this regard, initially transverse boathouses were used here, which made it possible to equip ships launched faster. "However, the transverse boathouses occupied too much space along the coast and therefore, during the development of the shipyard's activities, they had to be abandoned" ^{[38, p. 148]}.

A new stage in the activity of the Admiralty came only after the Battle of Poltava: already in December 1709, Peter I personally laid down the battleship "Poltava" ^{[65, p. 248]}. F. F. Veselago dwelt in some detail on the key events of this stage. "Poltava" was launched on June 15, 1712 ^{[19, p. 218]}, the second ship of the line - "Catherine" - in 1713, then every year until 1719, two ships were launched annually, in 1720 and 1721 – 4 ships, in 1723 – one, in 1724 – two ^{[19, p. 504]}. A landmark event was the launching on July 15, 1718 of the first three–gun ship of the Russian fleet - the 90-gun Lesnoye ^{[19, p. 306]}.

Many authors who wrote about the Admiralty Shipyard paid close attention to its equipment, to the features and evolution of its fortifications and architectural design ^{[64, pp. 94-96],[37, p. 8],[19, p. 501-503],[57, p. 143],[68, p. 768-769],[59, pp. 153-159],[48, p. 10]}. The core of the production infrastructure was 13 boathouses for the construction of vessels of various sizes from battleships to buoys inclusive ^{[58, p. 2]}. The development of this infrastructure went in several directions. The researchers noted that the workshops and shops (warehouses) of the Admiralty, originally built with wooden or daub, from 1711 began to be gradually replaced with stone ones ^{[19, p. 502],[58, p. 2]}. I. G. Georgi dated the completion of this process to 1727 ^{[62, p. 18]}.

The needs of the growing Baltic Fleet inevitably required the expansion of production facilities and the Admiralty Shipyard, which, with its limited size, required its specialization. As noted by V. G. Gaiman, due to the mass laying of large ships in 1712, there was no room left at the shipyard for the construction of scampways, half-galleys and galleys, and therefore their construction was moved to the site of the future New Admiralty ^{[65, p. 248]}. But the construction of battleships was completely concentrated in the Main Admiralty ^{[66, p. 56]}, which nevertheless continued to expand downstream of the Neva: in 1719 a rope factory was built, in 1722 workshops for the manufacture of wicks and bellows, a tool workshop ^{[65, p. 249]}. Moreover, as noted by the same V. G. Gaiman, the shipbuilding infrastructure itself began to go beyond the Admiralty Yard. Since 1720, the equipment of new boathouses began on both sides of it, and by 1723 a large stone-lined boathouse was equipped, located opposite the Church of St. Isaac of Dalmatia ^{[65, p. 250]}. At the same time, as N. I. Barbashev pointed out, when equipping the Admiralty, the negative experience of the Voronezh, Tavrov and Olonets shipyards was taken into account: the slipways were covered on three sides and on top with wooden superstructures, which made it possible to work all year round and protect ships from the influence of the weather ^{[38, p. 148]}.

However, perhaps the most significant factor in the development of the shipbuilding center that emerged in St. Petersburg was first noticed by V. G. Gaiman. He considered the Admiralty not just as a shipyard, but as a whole industrial complex. According to him, "... shipbuilding required a number of subsidiary enterprises and therefore the Admiralty is quickly overgrown with them." The shipyard is adjacent to forges, rope and spinning mills, saw mills, pitch mills, various workshops ^{[65, p. 246]}. "This whole industrial complex, which aimed to provide comprehensive service to the emerging and developing young Baltic Fleet, has a common name – Admiralty" ^{[65, p. 247]}. The complex nature of the enterprise was also pointed out by other researchers ^{[38, p. 159],[54, p. 40],[69, p. 525-526]}. However, in such assessments, I. V. Bogatyrev went the furthest. He wrote: "The St. Petersburg Admiralty played a big role in the life of Russia at that time...gradually all Russian shipyards began to obey the Admiralty, except for Arkhangelsk ... <...> ... the work of auxiliary shipyards (there were about 50 of them) was directly dependent on the Main Admiralty (Admiralty Shipyard), where in 1712-1724 from five to ten large ones were being built at the same time ships and a significant number of smaller vessels of different types ..." ^{[66, p. 56]}.

If we talk about the results of shipbuilding activities at the Admiralty Shipyard, then there is no single point of view among researchers on this issue. Not to mention the vessels of smaller types, even the calculations of the number of built battleships differ from different authors. Thus, P. Svinyin wrote about 40 vessels of this class ^{[64, p. 116]}, S. I. Elagin – about 30 ^{[18, p. 2-59]}, F. F. Veselago – about 23 ^{[19, p. 505]}, A.I. Dubrovin – about 29, including ships laid down in the Petrovsky period and already launched after the death of the emperor ^{[33, p. 66]}, I. A. Bykhovsky – about 33 ^{[34, p. 11]}. Finally, A. A. Chernyshev's work contains data on 24 battleships launched at the Admiralty before the end of 1724 ^{[35, pp. 25-149]}. The total number of ships of various classes built here, taking into account, apparently, the Galley Yard, ranges from 288 at S. I. Elagin to 262 at F. F. Veselago.

In addition to the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg, researchers noted two more places where ships for the Baltic Fleet were built - the Galley and Kronverk shipyards.

Galley yard. As noted above, the first mentions of the Galley Yard were already contained in the works of A. Bogdanov ^{[4, p. 68]} and I. Kirilov ^{[6, p. 14]}. I. Pushkarev wrote about the foundation of this shipyard by Peter I, located on the site of the future New Admiralty and intended for the construction of galleys. According to him, "... the houses of naval servants, shops belonged to the galley yard, and all buildings bore the name of the galley yard until 1740" ^{[51, p. 45]}. F. F. Veselago was the first to indicate that the construction of galleys began on this site in 1713 ^{[19, p. 503]}. The same date was indicated by N. Mikhailov ^{[70, p. 51]}. The same author showed for the first time how the production infrastructure of a new enterprise was built up ^{[70, p. 52]}.

V. G. Gaiman, in addition to justifying the creation of a new shipyard by the need to concentrate the construction of large ships in the Admiralty, outlined his version of the development of the new enterprise. In his opinion, the new shipyard, equipped with small boathouses, initially received the name of the Scampavey Yard, where 50 scampaveys were laid already in 1712, and the next year 64 more scampaveys and one half-galley. As the construction of galleys was established here, the yard became known as the Galley Yard, and after the construction of a special shipyard for these purposes in 1721, the Galley Yard. Just like the Main Admiralty, it began to grow with subsidiary enterprises, and in 1724 it was protected by a palisade. At the same time, V. G. Gaiman made a clear mistake by localizing the Galley Yard on the site of New Holland ^{[65, p. 249]}, which was convincingly refuted by subsequent researchers.

I. I. Yakovlev showed that in addition to the construction of rowing vessels, the Galley Shipyard produced parts of a set of hull and spars for ships built in the Main Admiralty, and after the construction of a new boathouse in 1716, the shipyard became capable of building large sailing ships itself. The author even claimed that already in the first quarter of the XVIII century. ships of the line were built here. He also noted the creation of another shipbuilding enterprise on a small island off the left bank of the Neva, called the Galley Island. By decree of 1719, stone buildings and workshops were built here for the construction of scampways, and in 1721, a Rowing port was built to unload it from the galley parking on Vasilievsky Island. Over time, repair shops were equipped in this port for the repair of galleys and even the construction of small rowing vessels was established ^{[24, p. 67]}.

The historiographer of the Admiralty Plant V. M. Yurasov believed that the development of the territory of the future New Admiralty – the Galley Yard – began with the construction of warehouses for storing timber here, then workshops for the manufacture of boats, ship spars and blocks, and since 1709 – and the construction of galleys ^{[54, p. 41]}. The author called a milestone in the history of the enterprise the decree of Peter I of October 1, 1719 on the reconstruction of the Galley Yard, as a result of which capital workshops (rigging, carpentry, carving, painting, caulking, etc.) were erected there ^{[54, p. 43]}. As for the Galley Island, which was originally named Kalinkin, V. M. Yurasov associated the emergence of shipbuilding infrastructure here with the placement of the galley fleet at this place. As a result, in 1718, a smolny, spinning and linen factory were built here, and already by decree of January 8, 1719, the shipyard equipment for the construction of small vessels began (M. A. Bogdanov believed that these were scampies and half-galleys ^{[71, p. 14]}). However, the first ships at the shipyards of the Galley Island were launched only in the summer of 1724 ^{[54, p. 46]}. As for the transfer of the base of the rowing vessels to Vasilievsky Island, the author attributed this to the adverse consequences for the fleet of the flood on November 5, 1721 ^{[54, p. 45]}. 

I. V. Bogatyrev investigated the history of the Galley Shipyard most thoroughly. As well as V. M. Yurasov, he attributed the foundation of the Galley Yard to 1709, and by 1712 – the beginning of the construction of galley-class vessels under the leadership of the Greek master Yuri Rusinov ^{[72, p. 61]}. Noting the rapid development of the industrial infrastructure of the yard, I. V. Bogatyrev wrote about the creation of 62 slipways here by the end of 1713, on which, in addition to galleys, buoys, barges, boats, vereika were built. The further development of the Galley Yard was facilitated by the success of the Russian fleet in the Battle of Gangut ^{[72, p. 62]}.

According to the researcher, "it can be argued with good reason that the Galley Shipyard (as it became known after the August decree of 1721) was a real laboratory for the creation of ships of original designs ...", among which he primarily singled out the submarine E. Nikonov ^{[72, p. 63]}. I. V. Bogatyrev also saw the beginnings of the Baltic Fleet research center in this enterprise: "Judging by the large scale of work at the Galley Shipyard, Peter I intended to turn it into a specialized enterprise for the creation of various experimental vessels, on the model of which mass construction would be carried out primarily at the Admiralty and at the Kotlin (Kronstadt) shipyard. There it was also supposed to improve the existing classes of ships, for which they began to erect a special boathouse "in the whole yard on the edge of the Neva" ^{[72, p. 64]}. M. A. Bogdanov fully agreed with the conclusions of I. V. Bogatyrev ^{[71, pp. 7-14]}.

Kronverk Shipyard. The first mention of the shipyard in Kronverk is found in A. P. Bashutsky under 1707 ^{[16, p. 48]}. However, the work of subsequent researchers significantly shifted the date of the foundation of this shipyard towards the beginning of the construction of the city. So, F. F. Veselago pointed to the laying of 34 brigantines already in February 1704 in St. Petersburg, without naming, however, exactly the place where these works were carried out ^{[19, p. 162]}. M. A. Tsvetkov believed that the construction of these brigantines was carried out on "S.-St. Petersburg Shipyard", which he distinguished from the Admiralty Shipyard, founded already at the end of 1704 ^{[73, p. 153]}. N. I. Barbashev spoke more definitely about this, who believed that shipbuilding in St. Petersburg began in 1703, it was produced at the Peter and Paul Fortress, and 13 brigantines were built ^{[38, p. 146]}.

As in the case of the Galley Shipyard, the most detailed study of the history of the shipyard in Kronverk was conducted by I. V. Bogatyrev. He called it the first shipbuilding enterprise of St. Petersburg, and attributed the beginning of shipbuilding here to the summer of 1703. In 1704, a royal decree followed on the construction of the very 34 brigantines that researchers had previously written about. After the foundation of the Admiralty Shipyard, Kronverkskaya became its subsidiary enterprise. At the end of 1704 – beginning of 1705, significant work was carried out here on the overhaul of ships ^{[74, p. 60]}.

In the future, the nomenclature of ships built at the shipyard expanded even more. In 1706, the construction of several shmaks, galleys and four brigantines of a new model began, and in the autumn of the same year, ten scampways were laid under the personal leadership of the tsar. At the beginning of 1707, the Kronverk shipyard was converted for the construction of rowing vessels ^{[74, p. 61]}. I.V. Bogatyrev estimated the total number of ships built at the shipyard in 1704-1724 at 137 units. According to the author, "... the masters and workmen of the Kronverk shipyard of Peter's time made a significant contribution to the formation of the young Baltic Fleet, especially during its inception. After the death of Peter I, the Kronverk shipyard mainly carried out minor repairs of ships; the date of termination of its existence has not yet been established" ^{[74, p. 62]}.

Shipyard on Kotlin Island. The pre-revolutionary authors did not report anything definite about shipbuilding in Kronstadt. A. Bogdanov wrote about the shipyard "... in Kronstadt, where all military vessels are repaired, for which special docks are made on purpose..." ^{[4, p. 70]}. I. Kirilov also mentioned Kronstadt, where "a canal with docks is being made" ^{[6, p. 23]}, and also gave data "on admiralty craftsmen and employees who are in Kronstadt." Among them, he indicated nine masters, eight apprentices and five students of various specialties, as well as more than 1,100 privates, among whom there were 573 carpenters alone ^{[6, pp. 24-25]}. These data spoke eloquently about the significant volumes of shipbuilding (or ship repair) work carried out in the fortress-harbor.

Nevertheless, such a deep researcher as F. F. Veselago, covering in detail the progress of the construction of the harbor and dock facilities, only briefly mentioned the beginning of construction of two boathouses in the krest Canal in the winter of 1724, as well as the nominal imperial decree of October 5 of the same year on the transfer of canals and docks to the Admiralty Board and the construction of two temporary wooden docks for the repair of two- and three-decked ships ^{[19, p. 513]}.

But already in the Soviet period, I. I. Yakovlev began to assert that "immediately after the capture of Kotlin Island, simultaneously with the foundation of the Kronstadt Fortress, the creation of another shipbuilding and ship repair base of the Baltic Fleet began - warehouses, barracks, a shipyard were built on the island; after that, in 1721, the construction of dry docks and the construction of large ships began" ^{[24, p. 67]}.

These statements were fully confirmed by I. V. Bogatyrev. According to him, the first mention of Kronshlotsky shipbuilding referred to August 7, 1705. In 1707, bots for ships of the Kronshlotsky squadron were repaired on Kotlin Island. Here, the completion of ships arriving from the St. Petersburg shipyards was carried out, as well as the assembly of brigantines delivered disassembled from the Luga shipyard. In 1716, the construction of island boats and boats for them was launched. And all the time the intensive repair of fleet ships continued ^{[75, p. 56]}.

According to the author, in 1722 there were at least two shipyards on Kotlin Island. In 1723, a frigate was launched here, and boathouses were erected for the construction of large ships. In total, according to I. V. Bogatyrev's calculations, four battleships, a frigate, a pram, three small shnyavs, a bombardier ship, eight brigantines, a transport, 13 bots, six flatboats, two privateers, two galleys, 20 island boats and 33 boats were built in Kronstadt in 1705-1723 ^{[75, p. 58]}. The same data was later given by N. N. Afonin ^{[76, p. 72]}. However, both in the authoritative reference publications of F. F. Veselago ^[32] and A. A. Chernyshev ^[35],[77], and in the lists of ships built in Peter's time for the Baltic Fleet compiled by other authors ^{[18, p. 2-59],[19, p. 505],[33, p. 66],[34, p. 11]}, there is no information about the construction of ships in Kronstadt during the Peter the Great period.

At the same time, all researchers, without exception, noted the almost decisive role of Kronstadt in the repair of ships of the Baltic Fleet ^{[78, p. 55],[79, p. 85-86]}.  

Shipyards in the basin of the Volkhov River. The Volkhov River, which flows into Lake Ladoga, was quite deep, and could not fail to attract the attention of the Russian government in terms of the organization of shipbuilding in its basin. F. F. Veselago wrote: "In the winter (January 30) of 1701, the Novgorod order was ordered: "on the rivers Volkhov and Luga, for the current army service, for all kinds of regimental supplies and for the dacha of military men, to make 600 ploughs"" ^{[19, p. 513]}. According to K. G. Zhitkov, these ploughs should be collected in Novgorod, and "the Tsar intended to send them to Lake Ladoga against the Swedes with dashing Don Cossacks" ^{[22, p. 89]}. S. I. Elagin also mentioned Peter I's personal participation in the construction of rowing vessels in the Novgorod region in the summer of 1701 ^{[80, p. 120]}.

As already noted above, even I. I. Golikov noted the creation in 1703 of a shipyard on the Polye River in the Novgorod district ^{[10, p. 203]}. N. A. Bestuzhev called this shipyard Novgorod and pointed to the construction here for the campaign of 1703 "... up to 300 all kinds of shipping vessels and barges for the delivery of all kinds of supplies and materials on Volkhov and other rivers" ^{[12, p. 94]}. A. P. Shershov and I. I. Yakovlev wrote about it later ^{[24, p. 61]}, and the first of them claimed that six frigates, five yachts and five vessels of other types were built here ^{[36, p. 209]}. I. V. Bogatyrev, who studied the history of the Novgorod shipyard more thoroughly, corrected his predecessors. Unlike N. A. Bestuzhev and I. I. Yakovlev, he proved that 300 rowing vessels were built within a few years, namely in 1701-1703. According to the author, it was these vessels that formed the basis of the flotilla under the command of I. Tyrtov, which operated on Lake Ladoga in the summer of 1702. I. V. Bogatyrev also claimed that an attempt made in 1703 to build six frigates on the river Field failed. According to the researcher's estimates, shipbuilding at the Novgorod shipyard continued in 1704, but then it lost its state significance and mentions of it in documents ceased ^{[81, p. 56]}.

Another place where the construction of ships for the Baltic Fleet was carried out in Novgorod County was Selitsky Row. Mention of it was first found in V. N. Berkh ^{[13, p. 89]}. S. I. Elagin dated the beginning of shipbuilding works here no later than 1705 ^{[18, p. 33]}. F. F. Veselago clarified this date, referring it to 1704, and also pointed to the construction of two shnyav, ten cargo ships – skins and tartan ^{[19, p. 163]}. Most researchers subsequently adhered to these estimates ^{[50, p. 107],[33, p. 66],[15, p. 88],[34, p. 11]}. P. A. Krotov studied the history of the shipyard in Selitsky Row more thoroughly. In his opinion, it was founded in late 1703 – early 1704, since in June 1704 the first ships from this shipyard were brought to Novaya Ladoga. Construction here began with auxiliary cargo ships – shkutov and ostashkovok. In 1705, warships were built – six shnyavs with cannon loopholes and tartans ^{[82, p. 61]}. In 1706, the state shipbuilding at the shipyard continued, while, according to the author, shkuts were built, as well as six more ships. The author attributed the curtailment of work in the Selitsky Row to the end of 1706, although he believed that the completion work on the skins continued in the spring of 1707 ^{[82, p. 62]}.

The first mentions of the shipyard in Novaya Ladoga were found in A. S. Shishkov ^{[11, p. 31]} and V. N. Berkh ^{[13, p. 89]}. S. I. Elagin ^{[18, p. 7]}, and after him F. F. Veselago ^{[19, p. 163]} pointed to the construction here in 1708-1711 of two 50-gun battleships and two shnyav. With the filing of these venerable scientists, many researchers limited the activities of the Novoladozhskaya shipyard to this period ^{[50, p. 107],[33, p. 66],[34, p. 11]}.

However, I. I. Yakovlev expressed his opinion about its foundation personally by Peter I already in September 1702 ^{[24, p. 61]}. And I. V. Bogatyrev expanded both the chronological and production framework of the Novoladozhskaya shipyard. He attributed the first mention of it to 1704, when the construction of a shipyard began at the mouth of the Volkhov and small rowing and sailing vessels were laid. Initially, this shipyard played an auxiliary role, since its main task was to provide the Admiralty with the necessary construction materials, ship supplies and artisan personnel. Even the vessels built here were not always equipped on the spot ^{[83, p. 77]}.

The author attributed the peak of the shipyard's production activity to 1708-1711, when, in fact, the first battleships of the Baltic Fleet were built here. In subsequent years, the repair of ships arriving with cargo for the Admiralty from Kazan was carried out here, and galleys, shnyavs, prams, skins, tyalki, "Kazan strugs", evers were also built ^{[83, p. 78]}. The author attributed the latest information about the shipyard's work to 1721 (the construction of pram) and 1724 (the construction of flipper ships) ^{[83, p. 79]}. I. V. Bogatyrev's estimates were shared by subsequent researchers ^{[15, p. 88],[25, p. 47]}.

 Concluding the story about the shipyards of Peter's time in the Volkhov River basin, it should also be said about A. P. Shershov's mention of Staraya Ladoga as a place of construction of ships for the fleet ^{[36, p. 209]}, not confirmed, however, by any other researcher.

Luga Shipyard. A. S. Shishkov was the first to mention the construction of ships on the Luga River in his work under 1712 ^{[11, p. 46]}. Referring to him, K. Herman, who wrote his article already at the beginning of the XIX century, noted: "Even now on the shores of this latter near Narva, there are oaks behind the then Admiralty brand" ^{[49, p. 87]}. S. I. Elagin pointed out the construction of brigantines here: 44 units in 1704 and another 20 in 1712-1713 ^{[18, p. 59]}. The same data were contained in the works of F. F. Veselago ^{[19, p. 162]}, K. G. Zhitkov ^{[22, p. 111]}, L. G. Beskrovny ^{[50, p. 107]}, N. I. Alekseev ^{[15, p. 88]}.

At the same time, N. I. Barbashev believed that shipbuilding in Luga was carried out already in 1703-1704, and that in addition to 44 brigantines, two shnyavs, five shkouts and a tartan were being built there at that time ^{[38, p. 146]}.

I. V. Bogatyrev approached the study of the history of the Luga Shipyard with his traditional thoroughness. He attributed the beginning of shipbuilding here to the winter of 1701, referring to the order mentioned above in F. F. Veselago's work on the construction of 600 ploughs on the Volkhov and Luga rivers ^{[19, p. 513]}. According to the localization of I. V. Bogatyrev, the shipyard was located on the river bank south-east of the rapids ^{[84, p. 68]}. Immediately note that P. A. Krotov later clarified the location of the shipyard – D. Onezhitsa, located 18 km from the current town of Luga ^{[26, p. 84]}. At the beginning of 1703, pauses were built here, which were used as landing craft during the operation to capture Nienschantz. And later the construction of brigantines began, for which, according to the author, at least 15 slipways were equipped at the shipyard. I. V. Bogatyrev attributed the next activation of the construction of brigantines to 1711, when a large number of not only large, but also small vessels were required to consolidate in the territories newly conquered by Russian troops. The scale of the work carried out at the shipyard in 1712 was indicated by the fact that an unknown official requested 1000 carpenters, 73 blacksmiths, 10 carpenters, 100 workmen directly on the stocks and the same amount on the procurement of materials from the Novgorod commandant I. Y. Tatishchev. A big problem for the shipyard was the wiring of ships at sea, which also required the involvement of a large number of people ^{[84, p. 69]}. Although the author did not say anything about the fate of the Luga shipyard, it can be assumed that this last circumstance was the reason for the curtailment of shipbuilding activities on it.

Izhorskaya Shipyard. The Izhora Shipyard found itself in the shadow of the nearby Admiralty Izhora factories, or rather, sawmills that originally operated in their place. All reports of researchers about shipbuilding on the shores of Izhora are extremely brief and are limited to indicating the construction of brigantines here. The first to mention this fact, as noted above, was A. Bogdanov ^{[4, p. 199]}. S. I. Elagin in his "List of ships of the Baltic Fleet" noted that in 1711 and 1712, master Osip Nye built 20 brigantines ^{[18, p. 59]}. F. F. Veselago clarified that in the autumn of 1711 It was planned to build 200 brigantines, "... but they could not build more than 20" ^{[19, p. 213]}. The historiographer of the Izhora factories, G. Gorodkov, localized the shipyard at the mouth of the Izhora River, and also noted that during the construction of brigantines, timber was used, made just at the nearby "Menshikov Izhora sawmill, which from that time, i.e. from the end of 1711, began to serve "for admiralty interests to the ship structure"" ^{[40, p. 7]}.

Most subsequent researchers adhered to the data given by S. I. Elagin ^{[32, p. 340],[50, p. 107],[33, p. 66],[34, p. 11]}. Even such a scrupulous researcher as I. V. Bogatyrev was forced to state the extreme limitations of information about the activities of the Izhora shipyard. He confirmed the data on the construction of 20 brigantines in 1711-1712 ^{[84, p. 70]}. In addition, he was able to add that in 1714 Finnish boats were built at the shipyard, which were used as auxiliary vessels during operations in skerries. According to the author, the continuation of shipbuilding in Izhora was evidenced by the "staff of the Izhora saw mill until 1732", which included the shipyard, and where the shipbuilders' specialties were listed: apprentices, apprentices of ship building, carpenters, sawyers, blacksmiths, etc. ^{[84, p. 71]}.

Already in the post-Soviet period V. Arsenyev claimed that during the preparation of the campaign of 1712 Peter I ordered the construction of 150 to 200 brigantines on Izhora, for which shipwrights from Voronezh and the Don were sent there ^{[85, p. 79]}. Perhaps it was only about plans for construction of a similar scale, since A. A. Chernyshev in his handbook again mentions only 20 brigantines built on Izhora, however, referring it to the period 1712-1713 ^{[77, p. 232]}.

Shipyards in the Volga basin and on the Vyshnevolotsk water system. The history of these shipyards is poorly covered in Russian historiography. It has already been mentioned above that A. S. Shishkov mentioned the construction of ships in 1712 at the "berths of Nerl and Dubenskaya" ^{[11, p. 46]}, which was later repeated in his article by K. German ^{[49, p. 87]} (this latter author clearly made a reservation, mentioning the Neva Shipyard instead of Nerl).

In the future, the researchers' works did not even mention these shipyards. For the first time, P. A. Krotov addressed this issue in the late 1980s, investigating the problem of building transport vessels in connection with the increasing needs for coastal transportation to supply the army and navy after the Russian troops captured the Baltic coast in 1710. The shipyards at the mouth of the Nerl and Dubna rivers in the Moscow province became one of the centers for the construction of such vessels. At the end of 1710, the task was set to build 50 cargo single-masted vessels, the so-called tyalok. After the Prut campaign of 1711, shipbuilding at both shipyards intensified ^{[86, p. 54]}.

However, due to a shortage of workers, the second batch of haulers was laid only in January 1712. Due to delays in the supply of resin, ropes, anchors, etc., the departure of ships was delayed, and the winter of 1712/1713 found them at various points of the Vyshnevolotsky waterway. In total, in the second batch, 50 tyalok and 25 melekshkhots were built at the Nerlinskaya pier, and 50 tyalok were built at Dubenskaya. The author noted a rather significant production potential of the shipyards. So, the economy of the Nerlinsky shipyard included 50 slipways, a workshop for the manufacture of small sheds, coal and blacksmith sheds with 82 furnaces, various warehouses and household buildings. And to supply the shipyards with rigging in Moscow, a new rope factory had to be founded. The general assessment of P. A. Krotov sounded very impressive: "... the shipyards at the Nerlinskaya and Dubenskaya piers fulfilled their task, making a great contribution to the creation of a transport flotilla in the Baltic. As large industrial enterprises of the manufacturing type, they had everything necessary for the wide deployment of shipbuilding" ^{[86, p. 55]}.

I. V. Bogatyrev identified another center for the construction of cargo ships. In his opinion, in 1710, a large shipyard appeared in Vyshny Volochyok to activate cargo transportation along the newly created Vyshnevolotsk water system. In the future, a center for the construction of "new-made" vessels was created here, for which a sample of a draft was sent from Novaya Ladoga at the end of 1712. In 1715, the production of evers and vyshnevolodok was mastered. Later, the shipyard switched to the construction of ships only for the Caspian Sea ^{[81, p. 57]}.

Shipyards in the Baltic States. As Russian troops occupied Swedish territories in the Baltic States, certain shipbuilding activities in the interests of the Baltic Fleet also began here.

I. V. Bogatyrev found out that in the occupied Dorpat in the spring of 1705, a shipyard began work, where three shnyavs were laid. In 1706-1707 another shnyava was built here. However, then shipbuilding was discontinued here due to the relocation of the combat area to the west ^{[87, p. 59]}.

The shipyard in Narva was the next in terms of time of occurrence. According to the same I. V. Bogatyrev, the successful actions of the Russian flotilla on Lake Peipsi in 1704 led to the capture of ten Swedish ships, which were in a semi-submerged position for two years. By order of Peter I, ten slipways were equipped in Narva to repair these vessels. In subsequent years, repair work at the shipyard continued and, according to the author, they lasted at least until 1713. In addition, in the autumn of the same 1713, five brigantines built at the Luga shipyard were assembled and equipped in Narva ^{[84, p. 70]}. Active ship repair work in Narva was also confirmed by P. A. Krotov ^{[26, p. 16]}.

In preparation for the siege of Riga, the construction of prams and small vessels was carried out on the Western Dvina, as N. A. Bestuzhev and F. F. Veselago wrote about ^{[12, p. 124],[19, p. 196]}. I. V. Bogatyrev clarified that the construction of these vessels was carried out in 1709-1710 in the Toropets area and on The Koponee River is a tributary of the Western Dvina ^{[87, p. 59]}. I. I. Yakovlev, who studied the history of shipbuilding in the Baltic States, noted that despite the existence of the Riga shipyard since 1672, when Peter I arrived in Riga in 1711, he was surprised by the almost complete absence of a shipbuilding base here. By order of the tsar in Riga, Pernov (P?rnu) and a number of other places, the construction of brigantines for the protection of the seashore was organized ^{[89, p. 56]}. N.A. Bestuzhev at one time mentioned that 50 brigantines "from Polotsk forests" were being built in Riga, and 10 vessels of the same type in Pernov class ^{[12, p. 133]}. To fulfill this task, according to V. Arsenyev, shipwrights from Voronezh and Don shipyards were sent to the Baltic shipyards ^{[85, p. 79]}. I. V. Bogatyrev also pointed out that active ship repair works were carried out in Riga, as well as the presence of such works on a small scale in Pernov and Libava (since 1715). ^{[87, p. 60]}. The same author claimed that in 1721 they intended to build a 54-gun battleship in Riga, but then the construction of a 32-gun frigate began instead ^{[87, p. 59]}. Note that information about the construction of such a ship is not available in all known reference publications.

The researchers emphasized the role of the Port of Reval in carrying out ship repair work on ships of the Baltic Fleet. Although D. Zharintsov also noted that by 1724 a shipyard was equipped here, capable not only of carrying out repairs, but also the construction of new ships ^{[90, p. 1]}, however, there is no information about the ships built in the literature. But I. V. Bogatyrev believed that "... after Kotlinskaya, the Revel shipyard was the second on the Russian coast of the Baltic Sea in terms of the volume of repairs carried out and satisfied the needs of the fleet for many years." The author attributed the beginning of its activity to the period no later than March 1713 ^{[91, p. 61]}. I. Bogatyrev's estimates were fully confirmed by P. A. Krotov ^{[26, p. 17]}. 

Shipyards in Finland. Researchers also noted quite intensive shipbuilding activity at shipyards equipped in the coastal cities of Finland occupied by Russian troops during the Northern War.

Among these cities, Vyborg stood out, which became an important center for the construction of ships for the rowing fleet. N. A. Bestuzhev first mentioned the construction of a half-galley here in his work ^{[12, p. 138]}. F. F. Veselago expressed himself more specifically: "... after the conquest of Vyborg, the creation of our galley fleet was conducted so successfully that after two years he was already able to land 16,000 troops in Finland and supply his provisions in the continuation of the entire campaign" ^{[19, p. 242]}. At the same time, the author emphasized the contribution of the schoutbenacht of the galley fleet, Count I.F. Botsis, who had experience in directing the construction of rowing vessels at the Olonets shipyard in 1704-1705. After the capture of Vyborg, he had to build ships in an extremely unfavorable situation (hostility of the population, difficulties with the delivery of necessary goods), nevertheless, over the period of 1710-1712, he managed to build more than 20 ships ^{[19, p. 246]}.

A number of researchers dated the beginning of shipbuilding works in Vyborg in 1711 ^{[22, p. 146],[33, p. 66],[34, p. 11]}, and N.I. Alekseev even in 1714 ^{[15, p. 89]}. However, I. V. Bogatyrev convincingly proved that the question of the expediency of building ships here, primarily galleys, was raised by I. F. Botsis immediately after the capture of the city in June 1710. At the same time, ship repair was also established, and by the end of 1710, 500 "naval servants" were employed at the shipyard. In 1711, thirteen scampways and three galleys were built in Vyborg ^{[92, p. 61]}. P. A. Krotov adhered to the same position in his work ^{[26, p. 146]}, however, the last two authors have different information about the heads of Vyborg shipbuilding. According to I. V. Bogatyrev , these were the galley master Yu . Antonov and journeyman S. Lavrentiev ^{[92, p. 61]}, and P. A. Krotov called the famous galley master Yu. A. Rusinov and journeyman Z. M. Koluenov ^{[26, p. 146]}. This latter researcher also noted the great importance for the development of military operations in Finland of the so-called "Turkish" type of scampaway developed in Vyborg ^{[26, p. 149]}.

Researchers have no consensus on the results of Vyborg shipbuilding. The majority adhered to the data of S. I. Elagin, according to which 23 galleys and 13 scampways (half-galleys) were built here ^{[18, p. 52],[33, p. 66],[34, p. 11]}. F. F. Veselago called the numbers 3 galleys and 13 scampways ^{[32, p. 347],[19, with 505]}. According to I. V. Bogatyrev, more than forty rowing vessels of various types were built in Vyborg until the end of the Northern War in 1721 ^{[92, p. 62]}.

The next shipbuilding center in Finland was the city of Abo. Following S. I. Elagin, most researchers pointed to the construction of ten horse galleys here in 1720 ^{[18, p. 54],[32, p. 349],[50, p. 108]}. ^{[33, p. 66],[34, p. 11]}, which, according to I. G. Popov "... the Russian soldiers cut down with their bad hand axes" ^{[57, p. 148]}. However, N. I. Alekseev attributed the beginning of work in Abo to 1714 ^{[15, p. 89]}. I. V. Bogatyreva agreed with him, referring to this year the first mention in the documents of ship repair activity here, which continued in subsequent years. The author attributed the beginning of shipbuilding to 1717, when two Ostrovsky boats, two boats and two skerries were built at the Abovskaya shipyard ^{[93, p. 53]}. The construction of ships (skerries, horse galleys, packet boats, boats, island boats and dinghies) continued in 1718-1721. The scale of the work, according to the author, was indicated by the fact that in 1718 more than 200 carpenters arrived in Abo to replace the deceased craftsmen. The shipyard stopped working in September 1721 in connection with the transfer of the next order for horse galleys to Helsingfors, located closer to the fleet base in Kronstadt, as well as in connection with the conclusion of the Peace of Nishtadt.

In Helsingfors, according to I. V. Bogatyrev, ship repair works were also carried out since 1714 ^{[93, p. 54]}, and in 1721 malaya shnyava and 12 horse galleys were built. These works were completed in October of the same year, along with the departure of the rowing fleet from the city. Finally, the author called Nishtadt another Finnish city, where repairs were carried out on fleet ships since 1714 ^{[93, p. 55]}.

Other shipyards and ship construction sites. In addition to the above shipyards, there is fragmentary information in Russian historiography about other places where ships were built for the Baltic Fleet. First of all , this is R. Velikaya in the Pskov region, as well as the shores of Pskov and Lake Peipsi. F. F. Veselago noted the rather spontaneous nature of the construction of ships here, carried out at the beginning of 1702 by order of Field Marshal B. P. Sheremetev to counter the Swedish flotilla ^{[19, p. 150]}. However, according to Soviet and post-Soviet authors, this construction was carried out in a completely organized manner ^{[24, p. 61]}. At the same time, it was indicated that 200 ships were built (small galleys by N. I. Alekseev ^{[15, p. 88]}, Cossack strugs by P. A. Krotov ^{[26, p. 85]}).

I. V. Bogatyrev noted the availability of information about the construction of ships in 1705 in Poventse on the shore of Lake Onega ^{[81, p. 57]}. By 1710, he attributed the beginning of the shipyard on the Chernitsa River, which was located near the Lodeynopolsky shipyard, where, until 1712, mainly kagi were built. Finally, on a small tributary of the Volkhov River, the Pschovzha River was built, and on the Tosno River – brigantines (in 1712) ^{[81, p. 57]}.

In Soviet historiography, there was an opinion about the establishment of the Okhten shipyard in Peter's time. In particular, I. T. Potapov and G. A. Nekrasov dated this event to 1720 ^{[14, p. 59],[94, p. 112]}. V. M. Kanatchikov attributed the beginning of the Okhten shipyard to 1721, when the construction of shverbots and soym began here, and in 1722 a shipbuilding school was founded ^{[95, p. 63]}. However, G. G. Priamursky and S. V. Trofimov, who specially investigated this issue, came to the following conclusion: "... to talk about the existence of a shipbuilding complex on Malaya Okhta during the entire XVIII century. there is no reason. Similarly, there is no reason to talk about the existence of a single permanently operating shipbuilding complex on Bolshaya Okhta (XVIII century), and an attempt to identify shipbuilding activities with it, represented as a combination of private and state-owned contract construction of skerries, fins, repair of soym, is also illegal. The contract work was carried out by the Chief Admiralty's Office and the General Admiralty's Contracting Office at different slipways, which were determined anew each time" ^{[96, p. 53]}.

Conclusion. In general, according to I. V. Bogatyrev, shipbuilding for the Baltic Fleet in the Petrovsky period was carried out at a total of 36 shipyards. Most of them were located either on the coast of the Baltic Sea (Kotlin Island, Libava, Dynamunde, Trevemunde, Narva, Dorpat, Revel, Riga, Vyborg, Abo, Nishtadt and Helsingfors), or on the rivers belonging to its basin (shipyards in St. Petersburg - Admiralty, Galernaya, Particularnaya and Galernaya Islet, Lodeynoye Pole, Syasskoye Estuary, Novaya Ladoga, Shlisselburg, Pskov, Novgorod, Selitsky Row, Olonets, Izhora Rivers, Meadows, Chernitsa, Tosno, Pasha). A number of shipyards that carried out the construction of mainly auxiliary vessels were located at points on the banks of rivers belonging to the Volga basin (the Nerl River, Vyshny Volochek, Tver and Vologda) ^{[83, p. 77]}. To these should also be added the shipyard investigated by P. A. Krotov at the mouth of the Dubna River.

Assessing the formation of a network of production infrastructure facilities of the Baltic shipbuilding, it should be noted the rather spontaneous nature of this process. Initially, the shipyards were based at the points closest to the theater of operations with minimal consideration for security requirements. Then the locations of the shipyards shifted closer to the sea as Russian troops occupied new territories. Obviously, there was a search for the most optimal locations for the objects of the shipbuilding base. At the same time, the government did not abandon the areas located in the deep rear of the army, using all the possibilities of the rich river system of the European part of the country. At the same time, the natural capabilities of the points on the Baltic Sea coast were fully taken into account, although shipbuilding activities at the shipyards based here were apparently constrained by both production and logistics factors and military-strategic considerations due to the uncertainty of the outcome of the current war. Geographical, hydrographic and other features of the locations influenced the specialization of individual shipyards, which in such conditions was inevitable.

The history of numerous Baltic shipbuilding facilities has developed in different ways. Some shipyards fulfilled their specific tasks and were closed soon after, others lasted until the end of the Northern War and were also liquidated, and still others (primarily located in St. Petersburg) retained their status as shipbuilding enterprises for a long time and in the future formed the core of the shipbuilding industry in Russia.

As a problematic issue, attention should be paid to the following circumstance. Proving the planned nature of shipbuilding in the Baltic Sea, researchers begin counting such activities either from the beginning of the construction of the linear fleet, or from the beginning of the activities of the first shipyards. But at the same time, the question of planning such activities in the period preceding the beginning of the Northern War itself was never raised. After all, when joining it, the Russian government and Peter I himself had to realize that without the creation and construction of a fleet, including a naval one, it would not be possible to defeat Sweden and achieve guaranteed access to the sea. Was such planning carried out or was it not carried out? Any answers to these questions are very important and may be the subject of future research.