Russian frigate Oryol The frigate Oryol ( ) was the first Russia n - built warship , commissioned by Tsar Alexis I to protect Russian trading ships on the Caspian Sea . The " Oryol " was built between 1667 and 1669 by the developing shipyard in Dedinovo , on the Oka River . Although the " Oryol " was captured and burned in 1670 , it has achieved lasting importance as a symbol of the birth of Russian naval power . The " Oryol " is often considered the first Russian sailing ship of Western European type , even though the " Frederick " ( or " Friedrich " ) was built in 1636 in Nizhny Novgorod . However , the Frederick sailed in the service of Holstein - Gottorp , not Russia , having been constructed as a joint venture using Russian labor and materials , but Holstein funds and expertise . Construction . During the 17th Century , Russia and Persia developed closer commercial ties , exchanging extravagant embassies and trading in cloth , silk , and other goods . Shipping was conducted across the Caspian Sea and through the Volga River , with Astrakhan as commercial center . This route served to open Persia to commerce not only with Russia but with all of Europe ; Dutch and English traders were active , and Adam Olearius was sent as an emissary from Schleswig - Holstein . In order to protect this growing trade , Tsar Alexis I ordered a naval shipbuilding program . The shipyard was constructed south - west of Moscow in Dedinovo , a town on the Oka River in present - day Moscow Oblast . The project was placed under the Novgorod Chancery , supervised by the boyar Afanasy Ordin - Nashchokin . Experienced sailors were hired from Amsterdam , and the Karnelius van Bockhoiven , a Dutchman living in Moscow , was hired for his shipbuilding expertise . The " Oryol " was the first large ship produced , along with a yacht and two smaller vessels . It was a three - masted sailing ship , 24 . 5 meters in length , 6 . 5 m wide , and displacing 250 metric tons . It had a crew of 23 sailors and 35 soldiers , and was armed with 22 guns . Although the " Oryol " was launched in 1668 , it was not yet finished and spent the winter at dock in Dedinovo . It finally left the shipyard on May 7 , 1669 , under the command of the Dutch captain David Butler ( Davidt Jansz Butlaer ) . The warship sailed down the Volga to its base in Astrakhan , from which it would protect shipping on the Caspian Sea . Destruction . The " Oryol " arrived in Astrakhan in August 1669 , but never fulfilled its mission and may never have sailed on the Caspian Sea . The rebel forces of Stenka Razin were raiding Russian towns , and the ship ' s guns and men were ordered to defend Astrakhan while the ship sat at anchor . Some of the ship ' s guns were removed to the citadel , and when the Cossacks attacked the city in June 1670 , the " Oryol " was at anchor and undefended . The rebels took the ship and either burned it or disabled and abandoned it in a channel of the river . Captain Butler ' s own account of the occupation of Astrakhan and the destruction of the " Oryol " was published in 1683 along with the voyages of the Dutch traveler Jan Struys . Symbolic significance . The image of a sailing ship at the top of the Admiralty spire in Saint Petersburg bears a strong resemblance to , and may have been modeled after , the " Oryol " . The original golden weather - vane , work of the Dutch master Harmen van Bol ' es , remained in place until 1886 , when it was moved to the Admiralty ' s naval museum and replaced with an exact copy . The three - masted ship has become an emblem of the city of Saint Petersburg . The earliest record of the Russian white , blue , and red tricolor comes from the flag flown on the " Oryol " . This flag was later made standard for all Russian ships by Peter the Great . There are several traditional explanations for the choice of colors . According to one version , the design was based on the Dutch flag in honor of the ship ' s builders and crew . Alternatively , the three colors may have been taken from the insignia of the Grand Duchy of Moscow .