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Naval Committee of the Russian Empire established
November 17 (28), 1763 empress Catherine II established “Naval Committee of the Russian Fleets and Admiralty to put in order this significant part of the country’s defense” – Naval Committee of the Russian Empire. The Committee was given extensive rights to make reforms in the Russian Navy.
Catherine II understood that the greatness of the Russian Empire largely depends on the might of the Russian army and navy. From the first years of governing her main objective became the expansion of Russian borders, the problem of access to the Azov and Black Seas, the domination over the Baltic Sea, as well as strengthening the position of Russia on the international scene. The question was raised about the revision of the government policy in respect of the Russian armed forces and, in particular, about the replacement of leaders and the change in management of maritime forces. In this regard, in spring of 1763 via the Russian embassies in European countries the Admiralty board began to receive the latest foreign sea charters, maps and other documentation relating to navigation and maritime administration. In turn, the Empress asked the vice-admiral S. I. Mordvinov, who was one of the most advanced naval officers, known for his scholarly works on astronomy, navigation and marine evolution, to prepare a report on all deficiencies in the Russian Navy Department and propose suggestions to overcome them.
In November 1763 Mordvinov informed the Empress about the completed work and a week later the Naval Committee was established by the Empress. Catherine II appointed vice-admiral the chair of the Committee. Among the Committee members also were General-in-chief count I. G. Chernyshev, Vice-Admiral F. S. Miloslavskii and Rear-Admiral G. A. Spiridov. Eleven days after their appointment, the members of the Committee submitted a report on the reorganization of the Admiralty Board and its subordinate agencies for approval by the Empress. In March next year the Committee prepared a report, which, for the first time, presented a complete concept of the formation of the Navy. According to a new naval strategy, the Russian fleet had to excel the Danish and Swedish navies taken together; in addition, the creation of Naval States for the peace and wartime was stipulated. There was also approved the state of galley fleet and a shipbuilding program was developed, with special emphasis on the Arkhangelsk Admiralty.
In August 1765 Catherine II adopted the "Regulations on the management of the Admiralty and Navy" composed by the Naval Committee. The document defined the responsibilities and rights of the state Admiralty Board, its subordinate expeditions and all the officials of the Admiralty. These regulations replaced the admiralty regulations of Peter I, but the effect of the Naval regulations of Russia's first emperor and all the legal provisions of the time were preserved and continued in the same form.
Lit.: Веселаго Ф. Ф. Краткая история русского флота. М.; Л., 1939. Гл. 6. Русский флот в период от начала «Семилетней войны» (1756-1763 гг.) до русско-турецкой войны (1768-1774 гг.); То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://militera.lib.ru/h/veselago_ff/06.html.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials: