Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
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The death of Admiral Nakhimow
On July 12, 1855 (our calendar), the Russian admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimow...
... dies during the siege of Sebastopol from a shot in the head received two days earlier...:
Nakhimow was born the son of a retired Russian major in Gorodok, a village near the town of Vyazma in Smolensk Governorate) and entered the Saint Petersburg Naval Academy in 1815.
In 1817 he made his first voyage to Sweden and Denmark on board the frigate Phoenix. He passed his exams in 1818 and was immediately assigned to the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy with the rank of Oberfähnrich.
In March 1822 his career came to a happy turning point, he was transferred to the frigate "Kreisser" (= "Cruiser").
The ship, under the command of Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev…
… took part in his third trip around the world.
During this three-year journey, Nakhimow was promoted to lieutenant. He also received his first award, the Order of Saint Vladimir, 4th class.
After that he was transferred to the battleship "Azov" which made its maiden voyage from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt in 1826. In the summer of 1827 "Azov" sailed as the flagship of the Russian squadron under the supreme command of the Dutch-born Russian rear admiral Login Petrovich Heiden...
...to a joint expedition of the English, French and Russian navies against the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean.
Before the Azov's departure, Tsar Nicholas I visited the ship and gave instructions that in case of hostilities with the enemy, "the Russian way" should be dealt with.
"Azov" subsequently distinguished itself under its commander Lazarev at the Battle of Navarino...
... in which the Ottoman fleet was almost completely destroyed. For his extraordinary achievements, Nakhimov was appointed commander of a captured ship and decorated by the Allied governments.
During the Crimean War, Nakhimov made a name for himself, among other things, by destroying the Ottoman fleet in the victory in the naval battle of Sinope…
…earned in 1853.
But his greatest achievement came during the subsequent siege of Sevastopol. Together with Admiral Kornilov he organized the defense of the city and its port, the home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet...:
As port commander and military governor, Nakhimov was the de facto supreme commander of the defending land and sea forces and the heart and brain of the defense.
He was extremely popular with his people because he wasn't a bully, cared about the soldiers' well-being - and shared the risk with them in the front line.
On July 10, 1855, while inspecting the forward defenses of Fort Malakov, he was mortally wounded by a sniper shot in the face...:
Today there is a memorial stone on the spot where Nakhimow was hit…:
Of course there is also a monument in Sebastopol...:
Nakhimow is also immortalized on the famous “Monument to Millennium Russia” in the city of Welikije Nowgorod…:
Nach Admiral Nachimow wurde während des zweiten Weltkrieges ein Orden für Marine-Angeörige benannt...:
In addition, a total of six ships have been named after him - to date:
An armored cruiser (sunk at Tshushima in 1905)...
A light cruiser (1941 sunk by German aircrafts)...
A passenger ship (1925, Ex "Berlin")...
A heavy cruiser (1951)...
A Missile Cruiser (1969) scrapped in 1991...
And a battlecruiser, originally commissioned as "Kalinin" in 1988, which is still in service today...:
On July 12, 1855 (our calendar), the Russian admiral Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimow...
... dies during the siege of Sebastopol from a shot in the head received two days earlier...:
Nakhimow was born the son of a retired Russian major in Gorodok, a village near the town of Vyazma in Smolensk Governorate) and entered the Saint Petersburg Naval Academy in 1815.
In 1817 he made his first voyage to Sweden and Denmark on board the frigate Phoenix. He passed his exams in 1818 and was immediately assigned to the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy with the rank of Oberfähnrich.
In March 1822 his career came to a happy turning point, he was transferred to the frigate "Kreisser" (= "Cruiser").
The ship, under the command of Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev…
… took part in his third trip around the world.
During this three-year journey, Nakhimow was promoted to lieutenant. He also received his first award, the Order of Saint Vladimir, 4th class.
After that he was transferred to the battleship "Azov" which made its maiden voyage from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt in 1826. In the summer of 1827 "Azov" sailed as the flagship of the Russian squadron under the supreme command of the Dutch-born Russian rear admiral Login Petrovich Heiden...
...to a joint expedition of the English, French and Russian navies against the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean.
Before the Azov's departure, Tsar Nicholas I visited the ship and gave instructions that in case of hostilities with the enemy, "the Russian way" should be dealt with.
"Azov" subsequently distinguished itself under its commander Lazarev at the Battle of Navarino...
... in which the Ottoman fleet was almost completely destroyed. For his extraordinary achievements, Nakhimov was appointed commander of a captured ship and decorated by the Allied governments.
During the Crimean War, Nakhimov made a name for himself, among other things, by destroying the Ottoman fleet in the victory in the naval battle of Sinope…
…earned in 1853.
But his greatest achievement came during the subsequent siege of Sevastopol. Together with Admiral Kornilov he organized the defense of the city and its port, the home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet...:
As port commander and military governor, Nakhimov was the de facto supreme commander of the defending land and sea forces and the heart and brain of the defense.
He was extremely popular with his people because he wasn't a bully, cared about the soldiers' well-being - and shared the risk with them in the front line.
On July 10, 1855, while inspecting the forward defenses of Fort Malakov, he was mortally wounded by a sniper shot in the face...:
Today there is a memorial stone on the spot where Nakhimow was hit…:
Of course there is also a monument in Sebastopol...:
Nakhimow is also immortalized on the famous “Monument to Millennium Russia” in the city of Welikije Nowgorod…:
Nach Admiral Nachimow wurde während des zweiten Weltkrieges ein Orden für Marine-Angeörige benannt...:
In addition, a total of six ships have been named after him - to date:
An armored cruiser (sunk at Tshushima in 1905)...
A light cruiser (1941 sunk by German aircrafts)...
A passenger ship (1925, Ex "Berlin")...
A heavy cruiser (1951)...
A Missile Cruiser (1969) scrapped in 1991...
And a battlecruiser, originally commissioned as "Kalinin" in 1988, which is still in service today...:
