Unlike St Petersburg itself or the naval base of Kronstadt, Peterhof had little connection with the Russian fleet. However, the earliest mention of Peterhof comes in the ship’s log in the Russian man-o’-war “Müncher” – a Dutch name which means “My Heart”. In the late C17th Peter the Great had gone to Holland to learn the shipwright’s craft – he went under the assumed name of “Peter Mikhailov”. Just a few years later he had built a ship of his own in Russia. He oversaw the building of the “Müncher” in person.
In his personally-built ship Tsar Peter sailed out into the Gulf Of Finland. Subsequently the “Müncher” was transferred to the Azov Fleet, where it saw action against the Turks. The first commander of the “Müncher” was a Dane, Vitus Bering, in Russian service. Bering would later take-up a Royal Commission to explore and chart Russia’s Pacific Coast. The Bering Straits – between Russia and the USA – are named after him.
During his time working in the Dutch shipyards, Peter the Great was commended as a “thorough worker and competent carpenter”. Peter was less impressed by his supervisors. In Peter’s eyes his Dutch masters knew the practice of shipbuilding well enough, but lacked mastery of the theory behind it. The royal carpenter packed his bags for England – where the shipwrights paid more attention to the engineering aspect of shipbuilding.
Picture: «Здесь будет город заложен.», by Николай Флорианович Добровольский (1837-1900), is licensed under Public Domain.
In his personally-built ship Tsar Peter sailed out into the Gulf Of Finland. Subsequently the “Müncher” was transferred to the Azov Fleet, where it saw action against the Turks. The first commander of the “Müncher” was a Dane, Vitus Bering, in Russian service. Bering would later take-up a Royal Commission to explore and chart Russia’s Pacific Coast. The Bering Straits – between Russia and the USA – are named after him.
During his time working in the Dutch shipyards, Peter the Great was commended as a “thorough worker and competent carpenter”. Peter was less impressed by his supervisors. In Peter’s eyes his Dutch masters knew the practice of shipbuilding well enough, but lacked mastery of the theory behind it. The royal carpenter packed his bags for England – where the shipwrights paid more attention to the engineering aspect of shipbuilding.
Picture: «Здесь будет город заложен.», by Николай Флорианович Добровольский (1837-1900), is licensed under Public Domain.