Maps and plans

Naval Maps, Plans, Schemes

History of the aids to navigation may be followed by exploring naval maps, pilot guides and other documents published by the maritime offices of different countries. Our web site will display most interesting documents on the lights and signals in the Russian waters, that we found in archives, libraries and in the Internet.

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1. Maps - Russian (-1941) maps with lighthouses

The first Russian emperor, Peter I the Great, personally managed the hydrographic undertakings of the newborn Navy on the Baltic and Caspian seas, including establishing of lights and signals and drawing of the maps. Since 1724 these works were taken over by the College of the Admiralty, in 1827-1837 by the office of the Hydrograph-General, in 1837-1885 by the Hydrographic Department, in 1885-1918 by the Main Hydrographic Office of Russian and since 1924 - the same of the USSR. In early 1920-ties new bodies have been created to ensure the safety of navigation - UBEKO (from Russian Управления по безопасности кораблевождения). These exited on every sea and managed the subordinated local hydrographic offices. In 1935-1936 UBEKO were converted into the Hydrographic departments of the Navies on all seas, and atop of these stood the Hydrographic Directorate of the Soviet Navy.

1.1 Eastern part of the Gulf of Finald where one may find all three lightships stationed near St.Petersburg. The master map was engraved in 1840. Here you may find 1847 edition.

1.2 Approaches to St.Petersburg in Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, early ХХ century.

1.3 This is a 1923 version of the above mentioned map. The sidelines show that since 1900 it was updated almost every year. After the 1917 Russian Revolution it also showed the border between Soviet Russia and breakaway Republic of Finland.

2. Maps - Finland

In Imperial Russia the Pilot Office of the Great Dutchy of Finland was in charge of the maintennance of aids to navigation and issuing naval maps related to the Dutchy's waters. Until 1912 it worked autonomously in coordination with the Russian Naval Ministry, during 1912-1917 - was fully controlled by the Ministry in St.Petersburg, and since Finland's independence in 1918 became the official Maritime administration of the republic. On the Finnish maps one may see also lights of adjacent Russian mainland and since 1918 - of Estonian republic.

2.1 Lights of G.D. of Finland, 1898.

2.2 Lights of G.D. of Finland, 1909

2.3 Southern part of lake Ladoga, 1924 год (lightship Taipaleenluoto is present here).

2.4 Bay of Vyborg, 1931 (Gulf of Finland)

2.5 From Loviisa to Kronstadt, 1948 (Gulf of Finland, easternmost part).

2.6 Aids to Navigation of the Saima Channel, 1909-1911 (the channel connected internal waterways of Finland with the Baltic sea).

3. Pre-WWII maps issued in other countries

3.1 Eastern Baltics in Lett's Popular Atlas, ca. 1916. Lighthouses and major lightships may be noticed here

3.2 Liepaja on a map issued in Riga, Latvia

3.3 Eastern or Baltic Sea, Published by A.Faden, 1803 (source:CartographyAssociates)

3.4 Saint-Petersburg of year 1844 in Meyer's Hand Atlas (source:CartographyAssociates)

3.5 Naval Chart of the Caspian Sea, 1747, by Bowen, Orbeliani et al.

3.6 Reval (Tallinn) Roadstead Map. Drawn by the Hydrographic Office of the HM Admiralty in 1917. On the upper margin one may notice the Revalsein rock and the lightship position.

4. Afterwar Soviet (1945-) and Russian (1991-) naval maps

General Directorate of Navigation and Oceanography, a unit of the Soviet and then Russian Defense Ministry was responsible for maintennance of the aids to navigation and updating the naval maps.

4.1 Bay of Riga (page №407), 1965

4.2 Irbe Strait (page №23015) with two Irbensky lights, 1985

4.3 Gulf of Finalnd, Eastern part (page №2261), 1997

4.4 From Irbe Strait to Gogland island (page №22058), 1991

4.5 From Saint-Petersburg to Shepelevsky cape (page №23000), 2004

4.6 From Primorsk to Sommers island (page №23001), 1995

4.7 Bay of Narva (page №23070), 1992

4.8 Kronstadt fairway (page №25007), 1992

4.9 Mouth of Neva river in Saint-Petersburg (page №28030), 2005

4.10 Approaches to Byborg and Vysotsk harbours, 2000-ties

5. Navigable Lakes of Western Russia

General Directorate of Navigation and Oceanography was also responsible for making maps of major lakes that were parts of the Unified deepwater system of European Russia, connecting the Baltic sea with the Caspian and Black seas in the South and to the White sea in the North. Also the maps of Saima channel, used by Finland for transit between its internal waterway system and the Baltics, and of Pskovo-Chudskoye (Peipus) lake system, because of its size and importance, were taken care of by the Directorate.

5.1 Lake Ladoga, 1988