Frigate "Pallada" by Alexey Bogolubov
Pallada (Russian: Паллада) was a sail frigate of the Imperial Russian Navy, most noted for its service as flagship of Vice Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin during his visit to Japan in 1853, which later resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda of 1855, establishing formal relations between the two countries. In addition to her diplomatic mission, her crew also conducted numerous geographical and natural studies in the Far East. She was scuttled by her own crew in the Crimean War due to the poor condition of her hull in 1855.
Pallada was built at the Admiralty Shipyard in St Petersburg, with her hull design based on the British frigate HMS President (1829), which in turn was based after an American frigate, President which had been captured as a prize of war by the Royal Navy during the War of 1812. The ship was intended from the start for use by members of the Russian imperial family on diplomatic missions, and Tsar Nicholas I issued an imperial rescript commanding that the vessel incorporate all of the latest innovations. After launching, she was based at Kronstadt with the Baltic Fleet and was assigned to the command of Captain Pavel Nakhimov, one of the ablest commanders in the Russian Navy. She entered active service in early August 1833.
Frigate Pallada by Constantin Cherepanov
Pallada was a three-masted frigate of wooden construction, with a transverse steel reinforcement skeleton in her hull. It was sheathed in copper sheets, to prevent destruction of the wood by marine organisms. A novelty on the Russian ships at the time was the use of portholes for lighting crew spaces on the lower deck.
In 1834, Pallada transported the future Frederick William IV of Prussia on a state visit to Russia. From 1835-1836 she served in various ports in the Baltic and in 1837 was tasked with carrying gold bullion to London on a special mission for the Russian embassy. She served until 1846 as a training ship for cadets. She underwent a complete overhaul from 1846–48, and afterwards was assigned to the Mediterranean, calling on Madeira and Lisbon in 1849 and was frequently the flagship for Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia.
