Okhotsk (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Okhotsk (Russian: ) is an urban-type settlement and a seaport at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk, in Okhotsky District, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. Located at the eastern end of the River Route from the Urals, Okhotsk was the first Russian settlement on the Pacific Coast. It was established as a wintering camp in 1643 by the Cossacks under Semyon Shelkovnikov. The fort of Kosoi Ostrozhok was constructed in 1649. Although the Russian pioneers were skilled in building river boats they lacked the knowledge and equipment to build sea-going vessels. When the Russians entered Kamchatka they had to travel overland. In 1714 Peter the Great sent a party of shipbuilders to Okhotsk to allow faster access to the furs of Kamchatka. In 1718 Kozma Sokolov built the first vessel in Okhotsk and embarked upon a voyage to Kamchatka. This route became so popular with Russian navigators that by 1731 Okhotsk had been firmly established as the foremost Russian seaport on the Pacific.