Peter the Great's Naval Preparations. The foundation of the Russian Navy was laid by Peter the Great; and was due to his interest in ship-building and to his ambitious design of taking Azov from the Turks. In 1692 he engaged Dutch and Venetian shipwrights and began the construction of his navy. The principal nobility and the wealthiest merchants were obliged to contribute to the fitting out of this fleet; and; as the Tsar considered that the clergy ought to bear a proportion of the expense; a tax was levied upon the episcopal estates. In 1696 the Fleet was ready; and Peter the Great sailed against Azov. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson; c.1920).