Derzhava (yacht)
Encyclopedia
The Derzhava ' onMouseout='HidePop("35092")' href="/topics/Globus_cruciger">Orb
) was a royal yacht
of the House of Romanov. It was laid down in 1866 and launched in 1871. The Derzhava (Baltic Sea
) and the Livadia
(Black Sea
) were the last wooden paddle steamer
s built for the Romanovs. The Derzhava served the Romanovs intil 1898, when she was converted into a training ship and renamed Dvina.
The Derzhava was laid down at the New Admiralty, Saint Petersburg
by Alexander II of Russia
. I. S. Dmitriev was appointed as master shipwright. The design of Derzhava was based on the British royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert II
. She was launched five years later, in July 1871. Her two steam engine
s, of local design and make, were rated at 720 horsepowers, and enabled maximum speed of 16.72 knots.
The deck of the Derzhava had two raised penthouses: the Emperor's in the back and the General Admiral
's in the fore. The interiors of the imperial suites, furniture and tableware were designed by Ippolit Monighetti
. Contract for the figurehead was awarded Mikhail Mikeshin
. Originally, Mikeshin proposed installing a female allegory
of Russia wielding armor and the orb
, the ships' namesake, but in 1867 Alexander dismissed the proposal and instructed Mikeshin to shape the standard double-headed eagle
. Mikeshin made it by July 1870, yet his sculpture was radically different from the ordinary omnipresent state eagles.
The Derzhava had a crew of no less than 200 men. In 1888 she employed 238 men: 93 mechanics and stokers, 65 musicians, 15 choir singers, etc. not including the royal retinue
of at least fifty.
The Derzhava operated as a yacht until 1898. She was then converted into a training ship and re-christened Dvina. The Dvina was decommissioned in 1905.
Globus cruciger
The globus cruciger is an orb topped with a cross , a Christian symbol of authority used throughout the Middle Ages and even today on coins, iconography and royal regalia...
) was a royal yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
of the House of Romanov. It was laid down in 1866 and launched in 1871. The Derzhava (Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
) and the Livadia
Livadia (yacht, 1873)
Livadia was an imperial yacht of the House of Romanov built in 1869–1873 by Leopold Schwede in Nikolaev. She served on the Black Sea. The Livadia was the only Russian imperial yacht that has seen active combat service during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878...
(Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
) were the last wooden paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
s built for the Romanovs. The Derzhava served the Romanovs intil 1898, when she was converted into a training ship and renamed Dvina.
The Derzhava was laid down at the New Admiralty, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
by Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II , also known as Alexander the Liberator was the Emperor of the Russian Empire from 3 March 1855 until his assassination in 1881...
. I. S. Dmitriev was appointed as master shipwright. The design of Derzhava was based on the British royal yacht HMY Victoria and Albert II
HMY Victoria and Albert II
HMY Victoria and Albert, a 360 foot steamer launched 16 January 1855, was a Royal Yacht of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom until 1900, owned and operated by the Royal Navy. She displaced 2,470 tons, and could make 15 knots on her paddles...
. She was launched five years later, in July 1871. Her two steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s, of local design and make, were rated at 720 horsepowers, and enabled maximum speed of 16.72 knots.
The deck of the Derzhava had two raised penthouses: the Emperor's in the back and the General Admiral
General Admiral
General admiral was a Danish, Dutch, German, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish naval rank. Its historic origin is a title high military or naval dignitaries of early modern Europe sometimes held, for example the commander-in-chief of the Dutch Republic's navy .-Third Reich:In the German...
's in the fore. The interiors of the imperial suites, furniture and tableware were designed by Ippolit Monighetti
Ippolit Monighetti
Ippolit Antonovich Monighetti was a Russian architect of Swiss descent who worked for the Romanov family.Monighetti attended the Stroganov Art School and then studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts under Alexander Brullov, matriculating in 1839 with a gold medal...
. Contract for the figurehead was awarded Mikhail Mikeshin
Mikhail Mikeshin
Mikhail Osipovich Mikeshin was a Russian artist who regularly worked for the Romanov family and designed a number of outdoor statues in the major cities of the Russian Empire.Mikeshin was born on 21 February 1835 in a village near Roslavl...
. Originally, Mikeshin proposed installing a female allegory
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
of Russia wielding armor and the orb
Globus cruciger
The globus cruciger is an orb topped with a cross , a Christian symbol of authority used throughout the Middle Ages and even today on coins, iconography and royal regalia...
, the ships' namesake, but in 1867 Alexander dismissed the proposal and instructed Mikeshin to shape the standard double-headed eagle
Double-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
. Mikeshin made it by July 1870, yet his sculpture was radically different from the ordinary omnipresent state eagles.
The Derzhava had a crew of no less than 200 men. In 1888 she employed 238 men: 93 mechanics and stokers, 65 musicians, 15 choir singers, etc. not including the royal retinue
Retinue
A retinue is a body of persons "retained" in the service of a noble or royal personage, a suite of "retainers".-Etymology:...
of at least fifty.
The Derzhava operated as a yacht until 1898. She was then converted into a training ship and re-christened Dvina. The Dvina was decommissioned in 1905.