Berkov, Vasily Ivanovich

Vasily Ivanovich Berkov was born on August 21, 1794 in the Dutch village of Friesenfein, in the family of the carpenter Albert Berends Berhoff ( niderl. Albert Berends Berkhoff ) and his wife Berendin ( nderl. Berendina van den Bosch, trok Berkhoff ). At an early age, he left for St. Petersburg, where he was brought up in the family of his grandfathers, Frederick van den Bosch and grandmothers Clasina de Vries ^[2] .

November 24, 1804 entered the College of Ship Architecture ^[3] . In 1810 he transferred to the newly opened Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers ^{[4] [5]} . In 1815, he passed the exam at the rate of the School of Naval Architecture ^{[6] [7]} and on February 17, 1816, he graduated from the XII class Timmermans with the definition of the Main Control Expedition ^{[8] [9]} .

In 1816-1817, he worked at the Lodeynopolsky shipyard , where he built two transport and several flippers . In 1816 he was briefly seconded to St. Petersburg to complete the construction of the 84-gun ship Fershampenoise , which was built by the shipmaster I. S. Razumov in the New Admiralty . For diligence rendered during the construction of the ship, he was granted apartment money in the amount of 100 rubles. At the end of 1817 he returned to the Lodeynopolsk shipyard, where he completed the construction of transports ^{[3] [6]} .

In the years 1818-1819 in St. Petersburg in the Main Rowing Port built the St. Petersburg and Dolphin passengers . In 1819, renamed the assistants of the shipmaster. In 1821–1823, he built gunboats , biscuits (a two-tier vessel) and repaired flippers (small port craft). Then, at the Okhta Shipyard , under the leadership of shipbuilder A. A. Popov, he built the sloop “ Enterprise ”, which in 1823–1826 made a round-the-world trip under the command of Lieutenant Commander O. E. Kotzebue ^[3] .

Mason , by 1820 a member of the Petersburg lodge of the “Eagle of Russia”, then her 2nd Stewart ^[5] .

Since 1824, Berkov was sent to Don to Kazalinskaya stanitsa , for the manufacture of Count V. P. Kochubey (1768–1834) of ships for his journey with his family to the Crimea . Then Berkov moved to the village of Gruzino , Novgorod Province to Count A. A. Arakcheev (1769–1834) to correct the yacht “Volkhov” and the ice- boat ^[6] .

In 1825, Berkov was seconded to the St. Petersburg city shipyard for appointment as a shipmaster . On December 22, 1826, he was renamed to be second lieutenant of the Ship Engineers Corps and assigned to the inspector of the same corps Ya. Ya. Brun de Saint-Catherine to conduct business on the practical and theoretical parts of shipbuilding. At the same time he taught the theory of shipbuilding to pupils of the School of Ship Architecture, which at that time was renamed the Conductor Company of the Naval Training Crew ^[3] .

On February 3, 1828, he was dismissed by request from the service with the rank of lieutenant , and on April 25, 1829, he was promoted to college secretaries and appointed head of the St. Petersburg city shipyard ^[6] , remaining at that post until the shipyard was closed in 1868 ^{[10] [ 11]} . At this post he was engaged in technical inspection of vessels. February 14, 1841 promoted to college advisers . Later he was also an official for special assignments under the Ministry of Finance ^[12] . On March 17, 1866, he was promoted to actual state councilor ^{[13] [14]} .

Vasily Ivanovich Berkov died on April 5, 1870 . He was buried at the Lutheran Volkovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg ^{[2] [9]} .

Berkov perfectly knew English , French , German and Dutch . The first translations of the magnetism of Barlov and the naval calculation of Gall were published in 1827 in the “Notes of the State Admiralty Department”. Known in the shipbuilding literature as a translator of the following books, published by imperial commandment ^[3] :

1. A study of the methods adopted for the preservation of ships in the English fleet, from the beginning thereof to the present. Knowls. - SPb. : Mor. typ., 1832. - 283 s.
2. Rules for the construction of seagoing and river ships / Trans. from English Vasily Berkov. - SPb. : Type of. C. Wingeber, 1835. - 81 p.
3. Collection of articles relating to the ship's architecture, extracted from the best modern authors V. Berkov. - SPb. : type of. V. Gazenberger, 1836. - 216 p.
4. The initial rules, or theoretical foundations of ship architecture, compiled by David Style / S Eng. translated ship. Master Vasily Berkov. [Prince one]. - SPb. : type of. C. Wingeber, 1836. - 28 p.
5. Torshe de Boamele The universal history of navigation. - SPb. Printed in the Maritime Printing House. (translated 4-7 parts; 1821-1826).

Created the first domestic guide on ship architecture, including a guide to the construction of ferry ships and yachts ^[3] .

• Order of St. Anne 2nd degree with the imperial crown (10/19/1840) ^{[14] [15]}
• Order of St. Stanislav 2nd degree (08.21.1836) ^{[14] [16]}
• Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree (03/23/1834) ^{[14] [17]}
• Order of St. Anne 3rd class (1832) ^[9]
• Medal "In memory of the war of 1853-1856" ^{[3] [14]}
• The insignia of the faultless service for the XV years (08.22.1831) ^[18]
• Badge of Honorless Service for XX years (08.22.1836) ^[19]
• Badge of Honorless Service for XL years (1857) ^[10]

Vasily Ivanovich Berkov on May 13, 1821 was married to Alexandra Ivanovna (nee Volkova) (1804 - after 1870), the daughter of the head of the palace wine cellars and the serving of wines on the imperial table of I. P. Volkov. The wedding took place in St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral . The Berkovs had six children, four daughters: Elena (1828), Nadezhda (1834), Alexander (1840), Maria (1842) and two sons: Viktor (1837). born) and Alexander (born 1844). In 1846, the Berkovs accepted Russian citizenship , and the following year they received Russian hereditary nobility . Vasily Ivanovich Berkov until the end of his life continued to maintain contact with the Dutch trade community in St. Petersburg ^[9] .