Neva
Neva was a British-built merchant sailing ship acquired by the Russian Empire and used in exploration, trade, and Russian expansion in the Pacific before sinking in 1813.
Last updated August 27, 2026
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Overview
Neva was a three-masted British merchant sailing ship launched as Thames in 1801. Approximately 200 feet (61 metres) long and measuring 370 tons burthen, the vessel was acquired in Britain by Imperial Russian Navy officer Yuri Lisyansky during a 1802–1803 purchasing mission. After arriving at Kronstadt in June 1803, it was renamed Neva by order of Tsar Alexander I, taking its name from the river associated with Saint Petersburg. The related ship Leander was renamed Nadezhda. Although Neva and Nadezhda were armed and carried naval personnel, they were not formally commissioned into the Imperial Russian Navy. Their principal role was that of government-supported merchant and expeditionary vessels. In 1803 they departed on the voyage that became the first Russian circumnavigation of the world. Neva was commanded by Lisyansky, while the expedition as a whole was led by Admiral Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenstern aboard Nadezhda. Neva carried 14 cannon and a crew of 43. The voyage connected the Baltic, the Pacific, Russian America, and China, combining geographical exploration with commercial and colonial objectives. The ship played a significant role in the Russian recapture of the settlement and fort at Sitka in 1804. Alexandr Baranov, manager of the Russian American Company, returned to Sitka Sound aboard Neva after an earlier attempt had failed. The expedition included several armed vessels, Russian fur traders, and a large Aleut force traveling in baidarkas. The operation restored Russian control over the area after its capture by the Tlingit in 1802. Neva also became associated with later oral traditions concerning a curse said to have been placed on the ship after the conflict, although this is a historical anecdote rather than a documented operational event. In 1805 Neva encountered and ran aground near the island now known as Lisianski Island, helping to establish knowledge of the surrounding Neva Shoals. Yuri Lisyansky described the island as having little commercial value but warned that its reefs and shoals posed a danger to navigation. During the same broad period, the vessel transported approximately 150,000 fur-seal pelts to China. The pelts were exchanged for tea, porcelain, and nankeen cloth, which Neva carried back toward Russia. Neva undertook a second Pacific voyage in 1806–1807 under Captain Lieutenant Ludwig von Hagemeister. It left Kronstadt on 2 November 1806 and reached Salvador, Brazil, on 10 January 1807. Because seasonal conditions made the originally planned route around Cape Horn impractical, Hagemeister redirected the ship toward Port Jackson. Neva reached the British colony there on 4 June 1807 and is described as the first Russian ship to visit the Australian mainland. The visit became an early episode in Russian–Australian maritime contact. The vessel's final voyage began when it left Okhotsk in August 1812 with 75 people and a cargo that included guns, furs, and religious treasures. After roughly three months of storms, illness, and shortages of drinking water, it reached Prince William Sound in Alaska and attempted to continue eastward toward Sitka. On 9 January 1813, near Kruzof Island, the ship struck rocks and sank. Thirty-two people died in the wreck. Twenty-eight survivors reached shore, although two subsequently died before rescuers arrived approximately three weeks later. Among those lost was Terentii Stepanovich Bornovolokov, who had been expected to replace Alexandr Baranov as governor of the Russian American Company. The Russian American Company reportedly suffered a financial loss of more than 250,000 rubles. Archaeological investigations later identified the wreck area and the survivors' camp on Kruzof Island. Neva was also commemorated on Russian coins issued in 1993 marking the first Russian circumnavigation.
History
Neva began life as the British merchant ship Thames, launched in 1801. The vessel was about 200 feet long, had three masts, and measured 370 tons burthen. In 1802, Russian naval officer Yuri Lisyansky traveled to Britain to acquire ships for a Russian expedition. He purchased Thames and Leander on his own account. Both vessels sailed from England in May 1803 and arrived at Kronstadt on 5 June. Thames was renamed Neva by Tsar Alexander I, while Leander became Nadezhda. The two ships were prepared for a Russian voyage around the world. Neva carried 14 cannon and 43 crew members under Lisyansky's command. Admiral Ivan Fyodorovich Kruzenstern commanded the overall expedition from Nadezhda. The ships remained armed merchant vessels rather than commissioned naval warships. Their voyage combined exploration, trade, and Russian imperial interests in the Pacific. Neva's activities included geographical observation, contact with Russian America, and the transport of commercial cargo. In 1804, Neva supported Alexandr Baranov's successful return to Sitka Sound. Baranov had previously failed to retake the Russian settlement and fort from the Tlingit. His second expedition used Neva, Ermak, and other small armed ships, together with Russian fur traders and several hundred Aleut participants traveling in baidarkas. The force recaptured Fort St Archangel Mikhail and the nearby settlement, restoring Russian control of the area. Later accounts associated the ship with a curse said to have been pronounced after the battle, but the claim belongs to the vessel's historical folklore. Neva also contributed to Pacific navigation. In 1805 it discovered Lisianski Island and the adjacent Neva Shoals after running aground. Lisyansky regarded the island as economically unimportant but emphasized the navigational hazard posed by its reefs. He also recorded observations of the Hawaiian monk seal. In 1805–1806, Neva transported a cargo of approximately 150,000 fur-seal pelts to China. The cargo was exchanged for tea, chinaware, and nankeen, which the vessel carried back toward Russia. The ship made a second Pacific voyage in 1806–1807 under Ludwig von Hagemeister. It departed Kronstadt on 2 November 1806 and reached Salvador, Brazil, on 10 January 1807. Hagemeister delayed departure until 9 March, and seasonal considerations led him to abandon the intended route around Cape Horn in favor of a course toward Port Jackson. Neva arrived at the British colony there on 4 June 1807 and is credited as the first Russian ship to reach the Australian mainland. Its visit represented an early maritime link between Russia and the British colony at Sydney. Neva's last voyage began at Okhotsk in August 1812. It carried 75 people and a mixed cargo of guns, furs, and religious treasures. Storms, disease, and lack of water affected the voyage to Alaska. After reaching Prince William Sound, the crew attempted to proceed toward Sitka. On 9 January 1813, near Kruzof Island, the ship struck rocks and sank. Thirty-two people died immediately or in the wreck, while 28 reached shore. Two of the survivors died before rescuers arrived about three weeks later. Terentii Stepanovich Bornovolokov, a prospective successor to Russian American Company governor Alexandr Baranov, was among those killed. The loss produced a reported financial loss of more than 250,000 rubles for the Russian American Company and became the second-worst maritime disaster in the history of Russian America after the loss of Phoenix in 1799. Archaeologists later located the wreck area and the survivors' camp on Kruzof Island. The camp's position relative to the modern shoreline reflects tectonic uplift and glacial rebound. Neva's historical importance was further recognized in 1993, when Russia issued commemorative coins depicting the ship and its role in the first Russian circumnavigation.
- 1993
Featured on Russian commemorative coins
[1]Russia issues several coins commemorating the first Russian circumnavigation and depicting Neva.
- 1813
Wrecked near Kruzof Island
[1]Neva strikes rocks and sinks on 9 January near Kruzof Island in Alaska. Most of the people aboard perish.
- 1807
Visits Port Jackson
[1]Neva reaches Port Jackson on 4 June and is described as the first Russian ship to visit the Australian mainland.
- 1805
Discovers Lisianski Island and Neva Shoals
[1]After running aground, the ship helps establish European knowledge of Lisianski Island and the dangerous shoals around it.
- 1805
Carries fur-seal pelts to China
[1]Neva transports approximately 150,000 fur-seal pelts to China and returns with tea, porcelain, and nankeen.
- 1804
Participates in the recapture of Sitka
[1]Neva carries Alexandr Baranov and supports the Russian and Aleut operation that retakes Fort St Archangel Mikhail and the settlement at Sitka.
- 1803
Renamed Neva at Kronstadt
[1]After being purchased by Yuri Lisyansky and brought to Kronstadt, Thames is renamed Neva by Tsar Alexander I.
- 1803
Begins the first Russian circumnavigation
[1]Neva sails with Nadezhda on the expedition that becomes the first Russian voyage around the world.
- 1801
Thames is launched in Britain
[1]The three-masted merchant ship Thames is launched in Britain.
Products and positioning
A government-supported merchant and exploration vessel serving Russian Pacific exploration, colonial operations, and long-distance trade during the age of sail.
Three-masted merchant sailing ship · 1801
Neva
Originally launched as Thames in 1801, Neva was a roughly 200-foot, 370-ton merchant sailing ship with three masts. After its acquisition by Russia, it carried 14 cannon and operated as an armed but non-commissioned expeditionary merchant vessel. Its missions included exploration, colonial support, and long-distance cargo transportation.
Brand decisions
1806
Rerouting the second Pacific voyageStrategyBackground
Seasonal conditions made the planned route around Cape Horn impractical during the second voyage.
Action taken
Commander Ludwig von Hagemeister redirected Neva toward Port Jackson after the ship's stay at Salvador, Brazil.
Aftermath
The rerouting enabled Neva to reach Port Jackson in June 1807 and become the first Russian ship to visit the Australian mainland.
1803
Conversion into a Russian expeditionary vesselStrategyBackground
Russia acquired Thames and Leander to support an ambitious voyage linking exploration, trade, and imperial activity in the Pacific.
Action taken
The ship was renamed Neva, armed with 14 cannon, and assigned to Yuri Lisyansky for the first Russian circumnavigation.
Aftermath
Neva became an important instrument of Russian geographical exploration, Pacific commerce, and activity in Russian America.
Sources2 sources
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