|
W:m Crichton & C:o Okhta shipyard was an 1897–1913 operated shipyard in Malaya Okhta, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire. The yard was a subsidiary of the Finnish, Turku-based shipbuilding and engineering company W:m Crichton & C:o. Shipbuilding history in the area goes back to 1721, when Okhta was settled and the residents processed wood for shipbuilding. The first vessel was built in 1811, under supervision of a nearby institute. Since the beginning the main customer was the Russian Admiralty. By the 1860s, when steel hulls replaced wood, the yard became outdated. The yard was underused for the following 30 years, until it was rented to the Finnish shipbuilder W:m Crichton & C:o in 1896. Crichton built a number of torpedo boats and other vessels predominantly to the Imperial Russian Navy. The work was poorly organised and the company made unprofitable deals. The losses caused by Okhta shipyard led W:m Crichton & C:o to bankruptcy, that took place in 1913. The area went back to the state and marine industry was continued by Petrozavod company. == Background == The yard was situated in an area where small river Okhta flows into river Neva. During the Swedish era there was a fortress called Nyenskans, "Neva fortlet". Since the establishment of Saint Petersburg, the area was serving shipbuilding; in 1712–1713 it was used for storing and drying of logs. The first large sawmills were built in 1717; they delivered wood also to the Russian Admiralty and Particular Shipyard. In 1721 the area was settled under decree of Peter the Great and carpenters were transferred from other Russian governorates. They worked for Particular Shipyard and other important shipyards and by time they fell into serfdom, until they were set free in 1803.〔Grönros et al.: ''Keisarillisen amiraliteetin aika – telakan synty ja kehitys.'' pp. 92–99.〕 In 1806 the Admiralty bought from Smolny monastery an area, that had used it previously for noble maiden educational community. The purpose was to build a panoptical institute to educate professionals for shipbuilding. The main building was finished in October 1807. The Admiralty suggested, that the institute would start building 16-gun schooners and 14-gun boats in order to teach shipbuilding skills to the students. Shipbuilding began in 12. August 1809. The first ship, schooner ''Strela'' (Arrow) was launched in 13. June 1811. In February 1812 the yard got an order to build 74 gunboats; the serfs, who had been previously released, were now seized again in the yard.〔 The panoptical institute was destroyed in fire in March 1818, but the shipbuilding premises did not suffer damages. Shipbuilding activity became independent thereafter. In 1822 was started construction of a garrison building for 600 marines on the institute ruins; subsequently, also shops were built, as well as warehouses, sawmill and number of other workshops. The Okhta area was joined to the city of Saint Petersburg in 1829 and in the same year planning of a new shipyard was assigned to V.F. Stoke; the Czar personally ordered, that the yard must have two large cradles for frigates and two smaller ones for brigs and other small vessels. The plans were approved in 1830. The yard operated under the Admiralty and it soon became one of the most important yards for newbuilding and repairing.〔 By the end of the 1840s the shipbuilding had moved indoors into large sheds designed by architect E.H. Annert supported by naval architect I.A. Amosov, who planned the foundation. The large and showy sheds remained until the early 20th century as a characteristic landmark of the Okhta area.〔 In 1856 the yard area was enlarged to the lands of previously deceased count E.F. Komarovski. However, soon after this steel started to replace wood as a material and the shipbuilding started to require more complex machinery, and the focus moved to the more modern New Admiralty Yard. Part of the yard area became training field for marines. Two of the cradles became timber stocks in 1861. The last vessels built at the Admiralty Okhta Yard were patrol boat ''Askold'' and clipper ''Jahont''. During the following 30 years only the workshops and sawmill were used; they supplied material to the Saint Petersburg harbour workshops. An exception were 20 torpedo boats built in 1878.〔 During the years 1811–1864 the Okhta yard built 9 battleships, 28 frigates, 11 patrol boats, 17 brigs and 104 vessels of other types. The most significant ones were sloops-of-war ''Kamchatka'' and ''Predpriyatiye'' and frigates ''Pallada'' and ''Avrora''. The Okhta yard was the most important yard of the Imperial Russian Navy during the years 1811–1864.〔 In the early 1890s the Admiralty leased the buildings for early aviation experiment purposes; the premises were used for building of hot air balloons for scientific research and under state assignment.〔Grönros et al.: ''Crichtonin aika – yksityisyritys valtion vuokralaisena.'' pp. 100–103.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wm. Crichton & Co. Okhta shipyard」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|