ST. PETERSBURG – A wooden replica of the Shtandart, Russia's first ever warship, has arrived in London to mark the 300th anniversary of the founding of the city of St. Petersburg.

The Shtandart replica was on display at the Pool of London along the River Thames until last week, when it moved on to Harwich outside the capital. Its 35-member crew was to sail across the English Channel to participate in the Dutch maritime festival "Sail Amsterdam 2000" running through Aug. 28.

The original ship was built by Tsar Peter the Great. It first set sail for Western Europe in 1703 in search of modern naval technology for Russia, and it has become a part of Russian folklore ever since.

Before construction of the original, the 26-year-old tsar – determined to gain firsthand experience of naval techniques – concealed his identity to work as a carpenter for two years in British and Dutch shipyards.

Upon returning to Russia from Western Europe, young Peter personally oversaw the construction of the 37-meter, 28-cannon Shtandart, the first Russian frigate capable of patrolling and defending the nation's coastline.

• Preservation ordered

Indeed, Peter himself frequently sailed this "first born" of the Russian Navy. But despite a decree from Peter's wife Tsaritsa Yekaterina ordering its preservation as a memorial to Russian naval history, the Shtandart was dismantled in the mid-18th century.

Coincidentally, it was a 26-year-old Petersburger, Vladimir Martous – director of the city's Maritime Education Center – who, in 1992, initiated the project to construct an exact replica of Peter the Great's Shtandart.

"After I saw a miniature replica of the ship in one of the city's museums, I just fell in love with it," Martous said. "I thought ... I'll build it. And from that moment, my whole life has been devoted to the project."

• Project sails on

Martous' partner in the Shtandart reconstruction was the late Greg Palmer, a University of London historian and avid sailor. He and his wife, Ann, came to Russia in 1995, with Palmer teaching British naval history in St. Petersburg. Palmer died suddenly in September 1997 and is now buried in the city. Ann Palmer, however, has continued her association with the project, now working as its marketing director.

For Martous, a St. Petersburg Marine Technical University graduate, piecing together the plan of the Shtandart to produce a replica plan involved months of painstaking research – originally begun by prominent Russian naval historian Vadim Krainyukov – and the assistance of high-tech design software.

The Shtandart's keel was laid in November 1994 at an old naval dockyard on the banks of the Neva River, near the famous blue and white domes of St. Petersburg's Smolny Cathedral.

Construction of the vessel, aided by some 40 volunteers, began shortly after.

The other problem was starting capital for the project, some of which was financed by the sale of Martous' own yacht. But as the Shtandart began to take shape, the costs involved began to grow exponentially.

In fact, it wasn't long before Martous realized that love and devotion alone would not be enough to rebuild this piece of history. In the end, the cost of replicating the 300-year-old vessel topped $1 million.

"It was better not to know," Martous said of the money. "If I had known it would cost $1 million and revealed it, everyone would have thought I was crazy."

But despite the financial headwind, money never hampered the Shtandart's progress.

A lack of funds, the enthusiasts kept telling themselves, helped make the reconstruction process even more authentic. In order to keep costs under control, the technology used for building the Shtandart was almost identical to that used in Peter the Great's time.

Those involved said that not only did it prove to be cheap, it was also extremely effective. For example, sawdust and wood shavings from the carpentry work were used to fuel the steam box; and manual, not power saws, were used for most of the wood cutting.

• Winter work

Indicative of the love of the Shtandart was that many volunteers braved the bitter St. Petersburg winter – and the added winter river's cold – to continue construction of the ship – just as Peter the Great had done. Confronting temperatures of minus 25 C in January of 1998, the crew kept plugging away.

"There were a couple of rules," said Michael Plekhanov, the Shtandart's technical manager, explaining the technique of working in the cold. "You put on a lot of sweaters, and you move real fast."

The St. Petersburg City Administration donated oak for the ship's frames, while larch from the Lindulovskaya Forest – originally planted on the orders of Peter the Great – was used for the planking on the vessel.

Conceding some aspects of construction to the 21st century, modern paints and sealants were used to protect the hull of the boat, and the sails and rigging were made of modern synthetic materials, though they retain an authentic appearance.

Officially launched last September, the Shtandart is 220 tons, has 28 guns, two 250 HP engines and modern accommodation for a crew of about 35.

• Educational center

After its tour of Western Europe, the replica ship will serve a variety of functions: as a maritime educational center, competitor in tall-ship races and a sailing naval museum.

"[The Shtandart] is like a baby to me," Martous said. "This is different from building a dacha, something that is not necessary, and I believe that this project is very necessary for Russia and other countries."

Major patrons and donators for the project included Mobil Oil, ABN-Amro, Unilever, KLM, GIBB Engineering, the British Consulate, Dolphin Exhibitions, British Airways, AKZO Nobel Ltd. and the George Livanos Charitable Trust.