N . G . Kuznetsov Naval Academy The N . G . Kuznetsov Naval Academy located in Saint Petersburg is the only academy of the Russian Navy . In 1827 Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern initiated an Officers ' Class at the Naval Cadet Corps . In 1862 the Class was reorganized into an Academic Course of Maritime Science . In 1877 , to mark its fiftieth anniversary , the Class was renamed the Nikolaev Maritime Academy ( Nikolayevskaya Morskaya Akademiya ) and in 1910 was completely detached from the Naval Cadet Corps . The Academy ' s last pre - revolutionary class was in 1913 . Toward the end of the Soviet era the Academy was named the A . A . Grechko Naval Academy and finally was renamed the N . G . Kuznetsov Naval Academy . Imperial Period . - The beginning - Russian scholar M . V . Lomonosov envisioned the establishment of a naval academy in 1759 . However , only 68 years later , in 1826 , did the famous admiral and seafarer Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern propose the establishment of the earliest organizational precursor to today ' s Naval Academy - the " Advanced Officers ' Class " ( Вышие офицерский класс ) of the Russian Navy which were opened on 25 April 1827 under the Naval Corps . The mission of the Advanced Officers ' Class was to improve the theoretical training of the most promising naval officers in exact and applied sciences . As a result of the revolution in naval affairs brought about by the Crimean War ( 1853 – 56 ) and the clear end of the Age of Sail the future of naval education in Russia and its transformation was reviewed by a special commission in 1862 . - Transition to Academy - By the 7 August 1862 order of the Naval Minister , the Officers ' Class was transformed into the newly established Academic Course of Maritime Sciences having a two - year period of study and divided into three departments : hydrographic , shipbuilding , and mechanical . The graduates of the course provided the navy with scientific officers for the fleets and instructors for the Naval Cadet Corps . In 1872 the council of the Academic Course developed a proposal for a full fledged Academy . On 28 January 1877 , the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Officers ' Class , by the imperial directive of Aleksandr II the Officers ' Class was renamed the Nikolayev Naval Academy . At this time both the Naval Cadet Corps and the Naval Academy were headed by the same naval officer . Soviet Period . After October 1917 the various Officers ' Classes were combined into a single institution - the Navy Combined Special Officers ' Classes . Initially there were five specialties : artillery , mines , submarine , navigation , and electrical equipment . In 1920 two new classes , mechanical and shipbuilding , were added . On 28 September 1920 the classes were classified as a higher special naval educational institution . In the Fall 1925 the institution was renamed Special Courses for Improving Fleet Commanders and later as Special Courses for the Navy Command Staff . In 1938 the Courses received their own building ( Bldg 80 Malookhtenskiy Prospekt , St . Petersburg ) and they remain there today . In 1939 they were again renamed - Advanced Special Courses for the Command Staff of the Workers ' & Peasants Navy . During the 900 - day siege of Leningrad the Courses were moved and continued to function in Astrakhan and Samarkand . In 1946 the Courses transitioned to a peacetime work regime and received the name they carry today - Navy Advanced Special Officers ' Classes ( Вышие спецальные офицерские классы ВМФ ) . Current . Today the Classes are the only institution of their type for retraining and advancing qualifications . 40 different specialties are covered encompassing officers of the entire tactical level of the navy . The basic aspect of training is that it covers what is directly and practically required now and in the immediate future by the fleet . From 1918 to the present the Advanced Special Officers ' Classes have prepared more than 19 , 000 commanding officers and 20 , 000 flag specialists . On 28 January 2007 the Classes marked their 180th anniversary and continue to advance officers ' qualifications for the fleet .