In this episode, Lucas and Luna brave the frozen Gulf of Finland to uncover the story of Russia's Baltic Fleet in 1710, just after the Battle of Poltava. They follow Vice Admiral Cornelius Cruys, a Dutchman in Peter the Great's service, as he led a flotilla of 11 ships-of-the-line and 4 frigates through the treacherous ice to capture Vyborg, a fortress that had defied Russian sieges for centuries. Along the way, they explore the harsh realities of 18th-century naval logistics—how to keep crews alive, how to haul ships over ice, and how to turn a fragile victory into a strategic breakthrough. The episode also touches on the birth of Kronstadt, the island fortress that would become Russia's shield, and the role of the Swedish navy, whose deteriorating ships and leadership failures sealed Sweden's fate. This is a story of grit, engineering, and the thin line between disaster and triumph, set against the backdrop of the Great Northern War.
#BalticFleet #GreatNorthernWar #Vyborg #Kronstadt #PeterTheGreat #CorneliusCruys #NavalHistory #RussianHistory #Romanovs #18thCentury #SeaPower #IceNavigation #SiegeWarfare #SwedishEmpire #BattleOfPoltava #History #FexingoHistory #EasternEurope
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