Russian frigate Alexander Nevsky Alexander Nevsky ( , also transliterated as " Alexander Nevski " or " Alexander Neuski " ) , named after the famous Russian historical figure , was a large screw frigate of the Russian Imperial Navy . The ship was designed as part of a challenge being offered by the Russian Empire to the Royal Navy , but was lost in a shipwreck in 1868 while Grand Duke Alexei , son of Tsar Alexander II , was aboard . Design , military service and extended visit to the United States . " Alexander Nevsky " was a screw frigate — at 5 , 100 tons , and mounting 51 smoothbore cannon , it was a large vessel for its class . The ship ' s cannon were all sixty - pounder smoothbores , divided into long - and medium - class guns . The vessel was part of the expansion of the Russian Imperial Navy in cooperation with the United States , in order to challenge then - rival Great Britain ' s Royal Navy . The ship was designed by Americans and carried American armament . Once commissioned , the vessel was part of the Atlantic Squadron of Rear Admiral Lessovsky . In 1863 , Lessovsky sailed the Atlantic Squadron , using the " Alexander Nevsky " as his flagship , to New York City in order to show the flag during a low point in Anglo - Russian relations . The ship ' s captain at the time was Captain Federovski . The fleet ' s American design was noted with enthusiasm by American spectators . For instance , it was noted in " Harper ' s Weekly " that : " The two largest in the squadron , the frigate " Alexander Nevski " and " Peresvet " , are evidently vessels of modern build , and much about them leads the unpracticed eye to think they were built in this country . . . The flagship ' s guns are of American make , being cast in Pittsburgh . " " Alexander Nevsky " and the other vessels of the Atlantic squadron stayed in American waters for seven months , despite the state of civil war then existing in the United States , even dropping anchor at Washington , D . C . , the ships having sailed up the Potomac River . At one point during this extended stay , " Alexander Nevsky " had engine problems during a local cruise and had to return to New York for repairs . Shipwreck . On September 25 , 1868 , on its way home from a visit to Piraeus , where it had participated in the celebration of Greek King George ’ s wedding to Grand Duchess Olga of Russia , and while carrying Grand Duke Alexei , son of Tsar Alexander II , " Alexander Nevsky " became shipwrecked off the coast of Thyborøn , a fishing village in Jutland . The vessel was travelling by sail at that time and both the admiral ( who had been responsible for Grand Duke Alexei ' s naval education ) and the ship ' s captain miscalculated the ship ' s position due to incorrect drift information recorded in the pilot book . Buffeted by rain , the " Alexander Nevsky " struck a sandbar , and its masts and some of the ship ' s cannons had to be pitched into the sea to prevent the vessel from immediately capsizing . Responding to the ship ' s distress signal ( a gun was fired ) , the local fishermen poured out into the now becalmed sea and rescued all of the ship ' s crew , aside from five crewmen who had drowned while attempting to reach shore in one of the ship ' s liferafts . The warship eventually sank , the wreck settling in roughly of water , only from the present coast of Thyborøn . The captain and admiral aboard were convicted of dereliction of duty at a court - martial , but the tsar intervened and pardoned them due to their long service to the fleet . Grand Duke Alexei often claimed that he almost drowned when the ship went down , and enjoyed telling the story through the rest of his life . The ship ' s name was later transferred to a cruiser . The wreck today . The wreck is located at . The shipwreck was the topic of a great deal of local and international reporting at the time , and is the subject of a major exhibition at the Lemvig Museum .