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AStrug is a type of flat-bottomed boat which was in use primarily in Russia from the 11th - 18th centuries, for the transport of people and cargo as well as military uses.[1] Designs varied somewhat between different regions of Russia, with typical parameters being a length of 20-45 meters, a width of 4-10 meters, and from 6-20 oars. In some cases both the bow and stern were similarly pointed. Many were equipped with a removable mast and small straight sail, which could be used when the wind permitted, and some models also had a small cabin.
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The first recorded mention of astrug occurs in the early Russian legal codeRusskaya Pravda (Русская правда) of 1054. They were used on rivers, lakes and seas, for both civil and military purposes. In the 16th - 17th centuries, they were used to protect river trade routes from robbers, for which task they were equipped with several small cannons. It is documented that in 1240 the army of the greatNovgorod princeAlexander Nevsky reached the location of the Swedes on fast vessels of this type.
In preparation for thesecond Azov campaign of theRusso-Turkish War in the winter of 1696, large-scale construction of ships for a newRussian Navy was begun inVoronezh and Preobrazhensky, including 522strugas. The ships were delivered to Voronnezh in disassembled form, then assembled and launched. The industrial construction ofstrugas was implemented underPeter I, by his decree of December 28, 1715. In 1722, he made a round trip fromMoscow toNizhny Novgorod andAstrakhan on theMuscovets, astrug equipped with 18 rows of oars.
Sometimes underwater archaeologists find remnants ofstrugas.