Ladoga Canal major canals constructed in Russia. It was one of the projects of Peter the Great, who ordered its construction in 1718. Rapid economic development in Russia required a significant expansion of routes, especially waterways. One part of the Vyshny Volochek waterway (1709) linking the Volga river to the Baltic Sea, passed through Lake Ladoga. The Ladoga section of the route was one of the most difficult and dangerous because the lake is prone to winds and storms which destroyed hundreds of cargo ships. Peter the Great decided to avoid the navigation in the huge and stormy lake by building a
Finnish Ladoga Naval Detachment of the vessels were later integrated in the Soviet Ladoga flotilla. Listing (not necessarily exhaustive) of wartime vessels and their armament When Finnish forces in the Continuation War reached lake Ladoga in 1941, they found the Soviets had evacuated nearly every serviceable vessel to the southern shore of the lake. On 22 September 1941 the Finns captured a Soviet transport vessel (formerly Latvian coastal transport "Ilga") which was pressed into service as the transport vessel "Aunus". Other vessels available were small armed fishing boats, like 15 ton "Kukkapää". Initial Finnish naval assets however consisted of small motor boats which had