History of the Russian Navy displayed at the Presidential Library

On October 18, 2021 the Presidential Library hosted the grand opening of the exhibition “Sea Vessels to Be!": Marking the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Navy and the 115th anniversary of the founding of the Russian submarine fleet”. The event was organized by the Presidential Library in cooperation with the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

The exposition in the Presidential Library was timed to coincide with two significant dates celebrated in 2021 and associated with the Russian Navy.

On October 20 (30), 1696, by the decree of the Boyar Duma, initiated by Peter I, a regular fleet was officially founded in Russia. The creation of the fleet and the beginning of regular domestic shipbuilding was the first successful state significant project of the tsar-reformer. He laid the foundation for several shipyards, including the Admiralty and Solombala (now Krasnaya Kuznitsa) - the two oldest enterprises that are part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

For centuries, Russia was a great maritime power: new ship designs were developed and the sailing fleet gave way to the steam and armored fleet. The defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) was proof of the urgent need for a serious development of shipbuilding and modernization of the fleet. On March 11 (24), 1906 an order was issued to the Naval Department No. 52 on the inclusion in the classification of navy ships of the category of submarines that have proven their effectiveness in battle. This date is considered the day of foundation of the Russian submarine fleet.

The exhibition in the Presidential Library showcased the continuity of the Russian fleet from the times of Peter the Great to the present day and the modern achievements of USC shipbuilders. For the first time, a single exposition presented materials provided by libraries, museums, archives, as well as enterprises that are part of the largest shipbuilding corporation in Russia.

In the first hall, visitors saw rare editions of the 18th – 20th centuries telling about the first steps of the Russian fleet created by Peter I. Among the book monuments of the 18th century were the first Naval charter of 1720, books about glorious sea exploits and colorful albums with images of ships of the 19th century.

The exposition of the second hall was dedicated to the history of underwater shipbuilding. Here one had opportunity to see unique documents from the collections of the Russian State Archives of the Navy, as well as materials and models of submarines provided by museums of world famous shipyards and design bureaus that are part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation.

The exhibition “Sea Vessels to Be!”: Marking the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Navy and the 115th anniversary of the founding of the Russian submarine fleet” became one of the winners of the All-Russian competition of projects among libraries for holding events organized by the Russian Military-Historical Society, dedicated to significant dates in Russian military history.

The partners of the exhibition are Rubin, Malakhit, Admiralty Shipyards, Baltic Shipyard, Proletarsky Zavod, Sevmash, Russian State Archives of the Navy, Central Naval Library, Information Historical and Scientific Center - Military Historical Library of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Gorky Scientific Library of St. Petersburg State University, Marinesko Museum of the History of Russian Submarine Forces, Federation of Ship Modeling Sports of Russia.

The exhibition “Sea Vessels to Be!”: Marking the 325th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Navy and the 115th anniversary of the founding of the Russian submarine fleet” will run until January 23, 2022.

To visit the exposition please first register by phone (812) 334-25-14 or send an e-mail to excursion@prlib.ru.

The Presidential Library supported by Russian Military Historical Society creates a virtual tour of this exhibition thanks to which the temporary exposition is preserved in digital form and is available to Internet users around the world.