Russian frigate Oryol
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| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} Russia
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| Launched: | 1668 |
| Commissioned: | 1667 |
| In service: | 1669 |
| Out of service: | 1670 |
| Fate: | Captured and burnt, 1670 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 250 tonnes (250 long tons) |
| Length: | 24.5 m (80 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Complement: | 23 sailors, 35 soldiers |
| Armament: | 22 guns |
The Oryol (Russian: Орёл, "eagle"; also Orel) was a frigate that served in the Russian navy. It was commissioned by Tsar Alexis I to protect Russian trading ships on the Caspian Sea and became the first Russian-built warship. The ship was built between 1667 and 1669 by the developing shipyard in Dedinovo on the Oka River. Although the Oryol was captured and burned in 1670, it has achieved lasting importance as a symbol of the birth of Russian naval power.
The Oryol is often considered the first Russian sailing ship of Western European type, even though the Frederick (or Friedrich) was built in 1636 in Nizhny Novgorod. However, the Frederick sailed in the service of Holstein-Gottorp, not Russia, having been constructed as a joint venture using Russian labor and materials, but Holstein funds and expertise.
During the 17th Century, Russia and Persia developed closer commercial ties, exchanging extravagant embassies and trading in cloth, silk, and other goods. Shipping was conducted across the Caspian Sea and through the Volga River, with Astrakhan as commercial center. This route served to open Persia to commerce not only with Russia but with all of Europe; Dutch and English traders were active, and Adam Olearius was sent as an emissary from Schleswig-Holstein.
In order to protect this growing trade, Tsar Alexis I ordered a naval shipbuilding program. The shipyard was constructed south-east of Moscow in Dedinovo, a town on the Oka River in present-day Moscow Oblast. The project was placed under the Novgorod Chancery, supervised by the boyar Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin. Experienced sailors were hired from Amsterdam, and the Karnelius van Bockhoiven, a Dutchman living in Moscow, was hired for his shipbuilding expertise. The Oryol was the first large ship produced, along with a yacht and two smaller vessels. It was a three-masted sailing ship, 24.5 meters in length, 6.5 m wide, and displacing 250 metric tons. It had a crew of 23 sailors and 35 soldiers, and was armed with 22 guns.
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