Catherine II's rescript of April 8, 1783, notified other countries that the Crimean Peninsula, Taman Peninsula, and "the entire Kuban side were accepted under the All-Russian state." 1 Soon, construction of the main Russian naval base on the Black Sea, Sevastopol 2, began in the Akhtiar Bay of the Crimean Peninsula . The choice of the site was made after hydrographic studies: depth measurements, studying the topography and soil of the bottom, the possibility of using the coastal zone for the construction of barracks and repair shops. The first survey of the bay was conducted back in 1773 by the description party of the navigator of ensign rank I. V. Baturin on the ship of the Azov flotilla "Modon", which was commanded by the future admiral, and then lieutenant, F. F. Ushakov. Baturin, having made measurements of the depths, plotted them on the map. It was the first Russian map of the Sevastopol raid. In the autumn of 1782, new soundings were made by captain of the 1st rank I. M. Odintsovo, commander of the frigates "Brave " and" Cautious", who remained in the bay for the winter. The crews of these ships built sailors 'barracks, quarters for officers and dug wells in the village of Akhtiar, and Odintsovo ordered to make a "map of the Akhtiar harbor, with bays, with depth measurement and the position of the coast"3. It was also marked with the surrounding area-the valley of the Belbek River, the village of the same name five versts from the mouth, the territory of the ancient Chersonese. March 7, 1783 Odintsovo sent the map to the head of the port of Kherson I. A. Hannibal 4 . In the report, Odintsov wrote that there is enough space in the bay for more than 50 ships that can stand at anchor, since the bottom is muddy and there is almost no unrest. The shores of the bay are steep, he noted, and the depth is great near them. Odintsovo also pointed out a sufficient amount of fresh water: the Akkermanka River (Black River) flows into the bay, and many springs and wells are scattered in the hollows and gullies.

On May 2, 1783, 11 ships of the Azov flotilla arrived in the Akhtiar Bay, and a little later - 17 ships of the Dnieper military flotilla. Since then, the naval forces in the south of Russia have been called the Black Sea Fleet 5 . A little earlier, Vice Admiral F. A. Klyov, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Chesma, was appointed to command the "wind-up fleet" in the Black and Azov Seas .6 Having familiarized himself with the bay, he wrote on May 6, 1783 in a report to the Minister of the Sea, Count I. G. Chernyshev: "At the same time, I will not fail to inform Your Excellency that at the very entrance to the harbor of Akhtyar I marveled at its good position from the sea; having entered and examined it, I can say that in all Europe there is no such harbor - in position, size and depth. You can have a fleet of up to 100 ships of the line in it; besides, nature itself has arranged estuaries that are themselves separated into different harbors, that is, military and merchant harbors. Without your own review, you can't believe that this harbor was so good... If it pleases her Imperial Majesty to have a fleet in this harbor, then on a similar basis-

1 History of the Hero City of Sevastopol, vol. 1. Kiev, 1960, p. 26.

2 See Кримська область. Kiev. 1974; Sevastopol 200 years. 1783-1983. Sat. doc. and m-lov. Kiev, 1983.

3 Golovachev V. F. Istoriya Sevastopolya kak russkogo porta [History of Sevastopol as a Russian port]. St. Petersburg, 1872, p. 68.

4 Ibid.

5 Red Banner Black Sea Fleet, Moscow, 1979, p. 12.

6 Golovachev V. F. Uk. soch., p. 70.

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novania will need to establish a port here, as in Kronstadt. " 7
On behalf of Klokachev, Lieutenant Commander Bersenev, who had experience in drawing sea maps, checked the measurement of the Akhtiar Bay made by Odintsovo, and mapped its shores with greater accuracy. Based on the inventory of Odintsovo and Bersenev, they chose the Akhtiar Bay for the construction of the main port of the Black Sea Fleet here .8 Clive found the winter quarters of Odintsovo's frigates in Bolshaya bay inconvenient, since it was not protected from sea storms from the west, and put his squadron in the bay, which was later called South. Along its banks, it was decided to build warehouses and living quarters, for which purpose craftsmen were selected from the ship's crews. But the construction of the city had already begun under the direct supervision of F. F. Mekenzie, since Clive had received instructions to take over the entire Black Sea Port Administration from Hannibal, who had been recalled to St. Petersburg.

On May 7, on the eve of leaving for Kherson, Vice Admiral Klyov handed over command of the squadron to Rear Admiral Mekenzie and handed him a warrant that outlined the objects of priority coastal construction for the ready support of its permanent base in the Akhtiar Bay. Thus, the organization of the construction of the city fell first to the share of Mekenzie. And his assistant "in matters and orders" was the future Admiral D. N. Senyavin, who had just been promoted to lieutenant, who in his" Notes "tells about the beginning of the construction of Sevastopol: having received the order, the ship commanders set to work;" first, everyone assigned themselves a place where to put their ship for the winter, and there he began make a pier and build first of all a bathhouse... Then they started building huts and barracks for their own people. " 9 The buildings were located not far from the ship parking lot, on a hill adjacent to the western part of the bay. They were made of wattle fence, covered with clay, covered with reeds and whitewashed. "Having assigned places for buildings, having delivered there the necessary amount of all kinds of things and materials, "Senyavin continued," the admiral laid four buildings on the 3rd of June. First, the chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, on the very spot where the Morskaya church still exists today. Another house for himself; a third, a very good wharf opposite his house; a fourth, a blacksmith shop in the Admiralty... This is where the beginning of the city of Sevastopol comes from"10. June 3 (14), 1783 is considered the date of foundation of Sevastopol, although the government decree was issued a little later.

The buildings were built quickly. Sidewalks were laid from the admiral's house to the pier and chapel, and fruit trees were planted along them. Soon they built shops, inns, three captain's houses, and several warehouses for ship materials and provisions. The buildings were made of stone and wood. One of the main objects of the new city was to be the Admiralty. The place for it was set aside on the western shore of the Southern Bay behind the pier, which was later called Grafskaya. The first Admiralty building, the blacksmith shop mentioned in Senyavin's Notes, was built in three weeks and ship repairs began in the same month. On July 2, 1783, Mekenzie informed Chernyshev that in his small admiralty, he "knocked down" the ship "Khotin" to the keel and "corrected it", finding the leak that was dangerous for him .11 A year later, the Admiralty, in addition to the blacksmith shop, had a mast shed, timber and cable warehouses, a site for ship repairs, and an office above the bay, on a ledge of steep bank. Port buildings were also built.

Numerous bays of the Akhtiar harbor did not yet have names. They appeared later and are usually associated with the purpose of bays. The places where Odintsovo ships were repaired and launched were named Kilen-balka and Kilen-Bay; where gunpowder and shells were stored - Artillery; the bay where quarantine was arranged a little later - Quarantine. The bay where the largest ships could come close to the shore was called Ship's Bay, and the Southern Bay where the ships were moored was called Harbor. The city buildings were located on the slope of the hill that descends to the Southern Bay, and on the promontory between the Southern and Artillery Bays. To protect the city from possible attacks from the sea on the capes at the entrance to the Akhtiar Bay, where A.V. Suvorov still lived in the late 70s

7 Ibid., pp. 71-72.

8 A brief historical sketch of the hydrography of the Russian Seas, Part IV. Pg. 1916, p. 2.

9 Senyavin D. N. Zapiski [Notes]. In: Goncharov V. Admiral Senyavin, M.-L. 1945, p. 124.

10 Ibid.

11 Golovachev V. F. Uk. soch., p. 76.

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he built the first fortifications, engineers and gunners installed two batteries. Soon, by order of Field Marshal G. A. Potemkin, guns for new coastal batteries were sent to Akhtiar.

The city grew rapidly. It was built by sailors and soldiers, carrying out military service at the same time. Their working and living conditions were very difficult, and food supplies were difficult. People were sick with malaria and a fever spread by mosquitoes and mosquitoes from the Inkerman marshes. There were not enough workers. Therefore, measures were taken to relocate artisans, merchants, and retired soldiers from the central provinces to the Crimea. Senior officers and tsarist officials received land here. By the winter of 1784, there were 20 ships with 500 guns, 2,600 sailors and officers in Akhtiar Bay. 12 On February 3, Mekenzie wrote to Chernyshev that he was trying to put this place in order and was waiting for orders .13 Taking care of strengthening the border strip in the south of Russia, Catherine II issued a decree on February 10, 1784, which ordered, starting from the Ekaterinoslav viceroyalty from its border with Poland, to build fortifications and fortresses on the Black Sea coast and in the Crimea in Kinburn, Perekop, Yevpatoria. Paragraph 9 of the document says: "To build a fortress of greater Sevastopol, where Akhtiar is now and where the admiralty, a shipyard for the first rank of ships, a port and a military settlement should be located" 14 . This is how Sevastopol officially began to exist (which means "Glorious City"in Greek).

February 22, 1784 Sevastopol was declared open for trade with friendly countries. "Our seaside cities - Sevastopol, hitherto known by the name of Akhtiar, endowed with an excellent seaport, and Theodosia, otherwise called Kafoy, in consideration of their profitability, we command to open them to all peoples who are in friendship with our empire, in favor of their trade with our loyal subjects," the imperial manifesto said. "In consequence of which we hereby solemnly declare that all the above-mentioned peoples, in their own or hired vessels flying their flags, may freely, safely and unhindered sail to those cities, or come by land, load their vessels and set sail from there, or depart at will." 15 The fleet with the admiralty offices and ports of the Azov and Black Seas was placed under the jurisdiction of Potemkin, who paid special attention to Sevastopol: he often visited here, gave specific instructions, checked how the city and port were being built, and took care of the fortifications. On his instructions, a plan for the defense of Sevastopol was drawn up - a belt of defensive structures not only around the city, but also on the entire adjacent part of the peninsula. However, 6 million rubles, which were required for its implementation, were not found in the treasury. Only 10 coastal batteries and a fortification on the Northern Side were built.

In 1787, a plan was drawn up for the construction of Sevastopol: it was supposed to build a hospital, a navigational building, a barracks for all admiralty and craft servants, a large lighthouse, a water supply system, etc., but the Russo-Turkish war that began in the same year prevented the project from being implemented. It was completed later under the direction of Admiral F. F. Ushakov, and when, in 1787, Catherine II made a trip to the "midday lands" and visited Sevastopol, 27 military vessels and 8 transports were already in its roadstead, the bay was protected by fortifications and batteries. Thus, a new port rose up on the Crimean shores - a reliable shield of the southern sea borders of Russia.

12 Krymskaya pravda, 17. IV. 1983.

13 Golovachev V. F. Uk. soch. s 84.

14 PSZ. T. 22, N 15929, p. 762.

15 Sevastopol is 200 years old, pp. 29-30.

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