The first part of the Essay on Russian Maritime History contains an overview of Russia's maritime activities from ancient times until the death of Peter the Great. The author of the work, naval historian F.F. Veselago, set out to concisely present the main features of Russian naval activity during this period of history. In the first twelve chapters, events relating mainly to Russian naval history are described in chronological order. In the last five, descriptions of other types of maritime activity that are important for the history of the Russian fleet are grouped.