Stepan Osipovich Makarov | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Admiral Stepan Makarov, in theNational Library of Norway | |
| Native name | Осипов Степан Макарович |
| Born | 8 January 1849 [O.S. 27 December 1848] Nikolaev,Kherson Governorate,Russian Empire (present-day Mykolaiv,Mykolaiv Oblast,Ukraine) |
| Died | 13 April [O.S. 31 March] 1904 (aged 55) nearPort Arthur,China |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Service |  Imperial Russian Navy |
| Years of service | 1863–1904 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands | Russian Pacific Fleet |
| Battles / wars | Russo-Turkish War Russo-Japanese War † |
| Awards | Order of St. George |
Stepan Osipovich Makarov (Russian:Степан Осипович Макаров,Ukrainian:Степан Осипович Макаров; 8 January 1849 [O.S. 27 December 1848] – 13 April [O.S. 31 March] 1904) was aRussianvice-admiral, commander in theImperial Russian Navy,oceanographer, member of theRussian Academy of Sciences, and author of several books. He was a pioneer ofinsubmersibility theory (the concept of counter-flooding to stabilise a damaged ship), and developer of aCyrillic-basedsemaphore alphabet. A proponent oficebreaker use, he supervised the firstpolar icebreaker construction. Makarov also designed several ships.
Makarov saw service in theRusso-Turkish War (1877–1878) as a captain, and ordered the first successful attack with a self propelled torpedo. He served again in theRusso-Japanese War as vice-admiral and was assigned to the defense ofPort Arthur, where he was hailed as a competent and aggressive commander. On 13 April 1904 Makarov led his flotilla to the aid of a destroyer that had been ambushed by the Japanese. Makarov was killed in the subsequent battle when his flagshipPetropavlovsk struck a naval mine and the ship'smagazine detonated. Japanese divers found Makarov's body after the war and gave him a burial at sea, and as a mark of good will Japanese officers led Makarov's funeral in Port Arthur. In 1946, after theSoviet invasion of South Sakhalin, the village of Shiritoru on that island was forcibly depopulated of its Japanese inhabitants and renamedMakarov in his honor.
Stepan Makarov was born in Nikolaev (present-dayMykolayiv,Ukraine) into a family of fleetpraporshchik (прапорщик по Адмиралтейству, an auxiliary officer). His family moved toNikolayevsk na Amure on the Pacific coast of Russia in 1858, and Makarov attended school there. In 1863 he joined theImperial Russian Navy, where he served as acadet aboard aclipper of theRussian Pacific Fleet. In 1866 he took part in the voyage of thecorvetteAskold [ru] fromVladivostok toKronstadtvia theCape of Good Hope. Between 1867 and 1876 Makarov served with theBaltic Fleet asflag captain under AdmiralAndrei Popov. He transferred to theBlack Sea Fleet in 1876.
In 1870 Makarov invented a design for a collision mat to seal holes in a ship'shull. The invention was displayed at the1873 Vienna World's Fair, which Makarov attended.
Makarov was highly decorated for his service as acaptain of the Russian torpedo boattenderVelikiy Knyaz Konstantin in theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–78. He was one of the first to adopt the idea of usingflotillas oftorpedo boats and had combat experience as a torpedo boat commander. On 14 January 1878 he launchedtorpedoes from a boat (which itself was launched from a tender) sinking theOttoman Navy vesselIntibakh atBatumi in the world's first successful attack using the self-propelledWhitehead torpedo.[1]
From 1879 to 1880, Makarov was part of the maritime contingent during theRussian conquest of Central Asia. He was promoted to captain, 1st rank, on 1 January 1881.
Over the next two decades, Makarov specialized in naval research, publishing over fifty papers on oceanography and naval tactics.[2] As captain of the corvetteVityaz, Makarov directed a round-the-world oceanographic expedition from 1886 to 1889. Makarov was promoted torear admiral in 1890, the youngest person in the history of the Russian Navy to attain such a position.[2] From 1890 to 1894, Makarov served as Chief Inspector of Naval Ordinance, during which time he invented the "Makarov cap", an armor-piercing projectile whose design was soon copied by all navies. From 1894 to 1895, Makarov was commander of the Mediterranean Squadron.[2] From 1895 to 1896, Makarov was in charge of naval training. He became avice admiral in 1896, and began to concentrate on a design for new warships, especiallyicebreakers needed to establish a northern sea route between Europe and East Asia.[2] Makarov led an expedition to survey the mouths of theOb and theYenisei Rivers in 1897. As part of his research on icebreaking methods, Makarov visited theGreat Lakes of North America in 1898 to study methods in use byrailroad ferries in winter.[3] He proposed the world's first polar icebreaker,Yermak, oversaw her construction, and commanded her on her maiden voyage in 1899. In 1899, Makarov was also appointed commander and military governor of Kronstadt in January 1900.[4] In 1901, Makarov commandedYermak on an Arctic expedition to survey the coasts ofNovaya Zemlya andFranz Josef Land.
Makarov also designed two icebreaking steamships to connect theTrans-Siberian Railway acrossLake Baikal: the train ferrySS Baikal built in 1897 and passenger and package freight steamerSS Angara built in about 1900,[5][6] based upon his study of similar vessels on the North American Great Lakes.
Armstrong Whitworth inNewcastle-upon-Tyne, England, built the ships in kit form and sent them toListvyanka on Lake Baikal for reassembly. Their boilers, engines and some other components were built inSaint Petersburg.[6]Baikal had 15 boilers, four funnels, was 64 metres (210 ft) long and could carry 24 railway coaches and one locomotive on her middle deck.[5][6]Angara is smaller, with two funnels.[5][6]
Baikal was burnt out and destroyed in theRussian Civil War.[5][6]Angara survives, has been restored and is permanently moored at Irkutsk where she serves as offices and a museum.[5]
After theImperial Japanese Navy's surprise attack atPort Arthur on 9 February 1904, Admiral Makarov was sent to command theImperial Russian Navy's battle fleet stationed there on 24 February, establishing thebattleshipPetropavlovsk as his flagship. His leadership differed greatly from any other Russian naval officer during this war, offering diversity, aggression, and an ability to"inspire confidence in his subordinates".[7]
Upon his assumption of command in early 1904, Makarov greatly increased the activity in the Russiansquadrons, as well as the general defense of Port Arthur.[8] Until then the Russian fleet had generally done nothing[9] but exist, as afleet in being.[10] Under Makarov's leadership,"Russian squadrons put to sea nearly every day, constantly on the move, and ensuring that it was never taken by surprise outside the protection of Port Arthur's" shore batteries.[11]
Unlike his predecessors, Makarov sought engagements with the Japanese,[12] and kept his vessels in anorder of battle in the roadstead of Port Arthur.[13] When Japanesecruisers bombarded Port Arthur from theYellow Sea in March, his cruisers returned fire with such intensity that the Japanese ships were forced to withdraw.[8] That same month the Japanese Navy tried to seal the port's entrance by sinking a number of old steamships asblockships in the harbor's channel. Russian cruisers assigned to protect the entrance pursued the escorting Japanese warships and quickly put them to flight.[14]
On 13 April 1904 the RussiandestroyerStrasny returning from patrol, tried to re-enter the mouth of the Port Arthur but was intercepted by Japanese destroyers.[15] An engagement began between the opposing destroyers, and when observed by Makarov he immediately sent the cruiserBayan to assistStrasny, while he led three battleships, four cruisers, and a group of destroyers into the Yellow Sea to seek battle with the surrounding enemy warships led by Japanese AdmiralTōgō Heihachirō.[16] While rushing out of the harbour, Makarov failed to check for mines, but ordered that the area be swept for mines before his return.[17]
The Japanese warships withdrew with Makarov in pursuit. As Makarov caught up to the Japanese fleet, the thick fog that blanketed the sea lifted to reveal the Japanese trap: Admiral Togo was waiting with his capital ship and five additional battleships, plus six additional first-class cruisers bringing up the rear. Makarov quickly turned his force around and fled back to the safety of Port Arthur's harbour.[18] AsPetropavlovsk moved closer to the harbour's entrance, she detonated a Japanesemine that his men had failed to clear as he had instructed.[19] Secondary explosions followed quickly in succession andPetropavlovsk sank, taking Admiral Makarov with her.[20][21][22]
The admiral's remains and those of five of his officers were recovered from the wreck ofPetropavlovsk by Japanese salvage teams, and in 1913, as a gesture of good will, the officers and crew of the Japanese cruiserAkitsushima presided over the funeral for the admiral in the military cemetery of Port Arthur.[23]
There are monuments to Makarov in his native Mykolayiv, Ukraine, and inVladivostok andKronstadt, Russia. A number of ships have been namedAdmiral Makarov. An island in the Tsivolk group of theNordenskiöld Archipelago was named after him.National University of Shipbuilding inMykolaiv andState Maritime Academy inSaint Petersburg are named after him.
Three icebreakers have been named after Makarov. The first was a steam-powered icebreaker built in 1941 asV. Molotov that was renamedAdmiral Makarov in 1956. The secondAdmiral Makarov was built in 1975 and remains in service as of 2015[update]. The third one,Stepan Makarov, is an icebreaking standby vessel that was completed in 2016.
There were two streets named after Makarov in thecentral Ukrainian cityDnipro. On 22 February 2023 the city council of Dnipro renamed these streets.[24]
Makaroff,Manitoba,Canada is named after Admiral Makarov. Five miles west inSaskatchewan is the community ofTogo, which is named after the Japanese AdmiralTōgō Heihachirō.
