Originally named the Nikolayev Admiralty, and constructed in 1788 for the purpose of supplying the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Mykolaiv Shipyard was famous for having built warships such as Vitse-admiral Popov, Knyaz' Potemkin-Tavricheskiy and Imperator Nikolai I for the Russian Empire, and Soobrazitelny, Gnevny, Nikolayev and Slava for the Soviet Union.

Construction and maintenance for the Ukrainian Navy, as well as commercial shipping has moved to the Black Sea Shipyard, located in the south of Mykolaiv.

[2] The city of Nikolayev, now known as Mykolaiv, was founded by Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski on behalf of Russian empress Catherine the Great after the annexation of the Ottoman territory of Yedisan, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774.

In 1788, the Nikolayev Admiralty was founded on the banks of the Ingul river approximately 89 km inland from the Black Sea.

The fourth-rate Grigory Velikiia Armenii, sixth-rate Legkii and second-rate Sviatoi Pavel were launched in the following years.

By the middle of the 19th century, the Nikolayev Admiralty became the de facto centre of naval shipbuilding for the Russian Empire.

[8][3] During the Crimean War, Nikolayev became the administrative centre of the Black Sea Fleet, due to the Franco-British-Turkish assault on the city of Sevastopol.

The terms of the treaty made the Black Sea neutral territory, closing it to Russian warships and prohibiting the development of coastal defences and fortifications.

The significant shipbuilding capabilities of the shipyard were now redundant for the meager remains of the Black Sea Fleet.

After the war, the first-rate ships of the line Sinop and Tsesarevich, which had been laid down prior to the start of hostilities, were launched in 1857 and 1858, only to be transferred to the Baltic Fleet.

In 1860 General admiral Konstantin Nikolayevich ordered the conversion of Tigr, a three-masted paddle steamer built in 1855–1858, into a yacht for the royal family named Livadia.

[11][12] In 1868, the Scottish shipbuilder John Elder published an article that advocated that widening the beam of a ship would reduce the area that needed to be protected and allow it to carry thicker armour and heavier guns.

[13] Their design was unusual in having main guns mounted on three barbettes grouped in a triangle around a central armoured redoubt.

The remaining three ships of the class were built at the Russian Steam Navigation Company shipyards in Sevastopol.

The ship Pamiat' Merkuria, named after the famous Russian brig Merkury, was laid down in 1900, launched in 1903 and completed in 1907.