Was it destiny, or just Peter the Great’s ambition, that shaped this institution before us? We are standing before the Peter the Great Naval Corps – Saint Petersburg Naval Institute. It’s the oldest naval officer commissioning school in Russia.
This institute has a rich history. It began as the School of Mathematics and Navigation Sciences in Moscow. Peter the Great founded it in 1701. After Saint Petersburg was built, the school moved here. It was later reorganized as the Naval Cadet Corps.
After the Russian Revolution, it was renamed the M.V. Frunze Higher Naval School. Today, it is known as the Peter the Great Naval Corps – Saint Petersburg Naval Institute.
The Naval Cadet Corps has a long and interesting past. Peter the Great established the first maritime school in Moscow in 1701. A branch opened in 1713 and became the Naval Guard Academy. The Moscow Navigation School merged with the Naval Guard Academy. They formed the Naval Gentry Cadet Corps in 1752. It became the main school for officers in the Imperial Russian Navy.
In 1771, a fire destroyed the building. The school moved to Kronstadt until 1796. Emperor Paul I ordered a new building in the capital. A new building was built on Vasilievsky Island. In the 1860s, it was briefly called the Naval School. The name Naval Cadet Corps was restored in 1891.
After the revolution, the college reopened in 1918. From 1926 to 1998, it was the M.V. Frunze Higher Naval School. In 2001, it merged with another school. It was renamed the Peter the Great Naval Corps – St. Petersburg Naval Institute.
Many distinguished graduates have passed through these halls. Vasiliy Yakovlevich Chichagov graduated in 1745. Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov graduated in 1766. Other notable graduates include Dmitriy Nikolayevich Senyavin and Yuriy Fedorovich Lisyansky. Also, we have Vasiliy Mikhailovich Golovnin, Fadey Fadeyevich Bellingsgausen, and Petr Stepanovich Nakhimov. Ferdinand Petrovich Vrangel, Vladimir Alekseyevich Kornilov, and Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy. Aleksandr Vasilyevich Kolchak, Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, and Magomet Imadutinovich Gadzhiev. Sergey Georgiyevich Gorshkov, Vladimir Afanasyevich Kasatonov, and Vladimir Nikolayevich Chernavin.
The Navy Institute stands at 17 Lieutenant Schmidt Embankment. This building once housed courses for command personnel in 1918. It became the Frunze Navy School in 1926. In 1939, it gained higher education status and became the Higher Navy School. The Frunze Higher Navy School merged again in 1998. In 2001, it was renamed the Peter the Great Sea Corps – St. Petersburg Navy Institute.
The Peter the Great Naval Corps – Saint Petersburg Naval Institute continues to shape naval officers. It prepares them to serve Russia on the high seas. Its long history is a testament to Russia’s naval power. It also shows the importance of education in shaping its leaders. Take a moment to appreciate the impact this institution has had. It has shaped Russia’s naval destiny for over three centuries.