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Aleksey Samuilovich Greig (Russian:Алексе́й Самуи́лович Грейг) (6 September 1775 – 18 January 1845), born into the nobleGreig family, was anadmiral of theImperial Russian Navy. Born inKronstadt, he was the son of AdmiralSamuel Greig (1735–1788, then Governor of Kronstadt), brother-in-law ofMary Somerville, and father of GeneralSamuil Greig (1827–1887), Russian Minister of Finance.
He studied at theRoyal High School, Edinburgh under the RectorAlexander Adam from 1783 to 1785, and then served as a volunteer on boardHMS Culloden, under CaptainThomas Troubridge.
Greig started his career in the BritishRoyal Navy, serving inEast India andEurope from 1785 to 1796. He returned toRussia to take part in theMediterranean expeditions againstFrance from 1798 to 1800. Under the command of AdmiralDmitry Senyavin, he distinguished himself in 1807 in theBattle of Athos and theBattle of the Dardanelles, which resulted in the Russian occupation ofLemnos andTenedos. At the close of theNapoleonic Wars he was placed in command of the sea blockade ofDanzig during the 1813siege of Danzig.
Greig was not the only Russian officer of Scottish descent. While still a captain, he and another Scotsman, Captain Brown, were involved in some trouble due to the wreck of the Imperial frigateArchangel in 1797. In the following year, in the squadron off theTexel, he commanded the 64-gunRetvizan; and CaptainRobert Crown, said to be a Scot, had the 74-gunUtislaw.[1]
In 1801 Greig was banished to Siberia for a time, in consequence of boldly remonstrating with the EmperorPaul for his severity to some British naval prisoners.[citation needed]
In 1816 Greig became Commander of theBlack Sea Fleet, a post which he kept for 17 years. At the same time, he served as Military Governor ofSevastopol andNikolayev, introducing many reforms and improvements that the grateful citizens of Nikolayev would later erect a statue to his memory in 1873.
During theRusso-Turkish War of 1828–29, Greig's boldleadership made itself felt at theSieges of Varna andAnapa. He was in full command of the Russian fleet, which he had brought from Sevastopol: forty vessels, eight being of the line, acting in conjunction with the troops underPrince Menshikov for three months by sea and land. During these operations the EmperorNicholas I of Russia was his guest on board theParizh,[2]which had the Diplomatic Chancery and 1,300 persons under her flag.[3][page needed]
In 1833 Greig was recalled toSaint Petersburg, where the Emperor Nicholas appointed him a member of theState Council of Imperial Russia and asked him to superintend the construction of thePulkovo Observatory.
Anatoll inFrench PolynesiaNiau is named Greig after Aleksey Greig. It was named in his honor by the RussianAdmiral Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen in 1820.
Aleksey Greig married Julia Stalinskaya, who was Jewish. This created social problems for them, when the family moved to St.Petersburg.They had five children, and their sons all served in the navy, achieving prominence.Greig's grandfather Charles was an emigrant from Scotland. His father Samuil was an admiral in the Russian Imperial Navy.
On 8 September [1828] Tsar Nicholas arrived from Odessa. [...] He set up his headquarters on theParizh-110, and set about interfering in the siege [of Varna] with great relish.
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