News
Captain 1st rank V. G. Smirnov, a Member of the Council of the Hydrographic Society of Russia (HSR), on 19th December 2003 presented a new book, The History of the Marine Chart Production in Russia (the End of the XIXth Century Ð the Beginning of the XXth Century. The presentation was made to colleagues from the Navy Charts Division and HSR Members.
This book deals with the problems of nautical chart production technology, improvement in material resources and structure of marine chart production, training and day-to-day activities of Cartographic Unit personnel, and sales of nautical charts and publications issued by the Head Hydrographic Department of the Marine Ministry of Russia.
Its authors are the leaders of the Head Department of Navigation and Oceanography of the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence Admiral A. A. Komaritsyn and Rear Admiral B. S. Fridman, Chief of the Navy Chart Printing Works Captain 1st rank A. V. Antoshkevich (retired), and officer of the Navy Charts Division, Captain 1st rank V. G. Smirnov.
The authors have paid considerable attention to international contacts of Russian nautical cartographers. These have involved the acquisition of printing equipment and materials in Germany, Austro-Hungary, Switzerland and the USA. They have also included study of experience of the Hydrographic Services of the UK, France, the USA and Germany, the purchase of nautical charts in the UK and acquisition of map paper in France (in the years of World War I). One of the chapters concerns participation of the Russian Hydrographic Department in international exhibitions, including the exhibitions in Chicago (1890s), Paris (1900), Marseille (1906), Bordeaux (1907) and Berlin (1917), where its products were displayed.

Contact
The Hydrographic Society Russia (HSR)
Att. Viktor Rybine
Kozhevennaja linija 41
Saint-Petersburg 199106
Russia
Tel/Fax: +7 812 350 5026