According to the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty (1774), concluded between Russia and Turkey, Azov, Taganrog, Yenikale, Kerch, Kinburn and part of the territory between the mouths of the Dnieper and the Southern Bug were ceded to Russia. The Russian navy, previously trapped in the Taganrog Bay of the Sea of Azov, was granted the right to sail on the Black Sea, but without going beyond its borders. But Russia, in fact, could not use this right, because it practically did not have a fleet on the Black Sea. The Russian government understood that Turkey, having recovered from the consequences of the war of 1768-1774 and supported by European powers, would try to regain its lost positions in the Northern Black Sea region by force. From the Azov Flotilla, only a few small frigates could go to the Black Sea: the shallow depths of the Taganrog Bay made it difficult to build larger military vessels .1 Therefore, the Admiralty Board, which was in charge of naval affairs, paid special attention to the Kerch Bay and the Dnieper-Bug Estuary, seeing in them possible shipbuilding centers and locations for the future Black Sea Fleet. One of the first documents that mentioned the use of the Dnieper-Bug estuary as a new fleet base was the decree of September 27, 1774. The commander of the Azov Flotilla, Admiral A. N. Senyavin, was instructed to find out the possibility of maintaining several frigates of the flotilla at the Kinburn fortress. The idea of creating a harbor with a military port and a shipyard in this estuary appeared later, when the Admiralty Board found it more profitable to build ships in the estuary than in the Don shipyards. Larger ships could be built on the estuary, suitable for sailing in the open sea. I was also attracted by the relative ease of delivery of shipbuilding materials from the forests located along the Dnieper and its tributaries. In this connection, Senyavin was instructed in 1775 to inspect the estuary and its coast and express his thoughts on the pl ... Читать далее