Okam

Okhotsk stands near the mouth of the Okhota on the northern shore of the Sea of Okhotsk. Mountains separate the coast from the Lena basin, and the difficult overland journey from Yakutsk made the settlement an isolated gateway to the Pacific. Its river mouth and coastal waters linked the northern sea with the valleys of the interior.

Russian Cossacks established winter quarters here in 1647 and built a fortified post two years later. The opening of a sea route to Kamchatka in 1716 increased Okhotsk's importance, and the port became a base for the Kamchatka expeditions. Ships and expedition buildings were constructed near the river mouth, while the older fort stood upstream. In 1731 Okhotsk became a naval port and the base of a Russian Pacific flotilla. Supplying the port remained a demanding task: goods had to cross the mountains from Yakutsk before they could be sent onward by sea.