Pavel Nakhimov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1802-07-05)5 July 1802 |
| Died | 12 July 1855(1855-07-12) (aged 53) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Branch |  Imperial Russian Navy |
| Years of service | 1818–1855 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | CorvetteNavarine FrigatePallada Ship of the lineSilistria Ship Brigade of theBlack Sea Fleet Chief of Fleet Division Squadron of the Black Sea Fleet Commander of Fleet and Port |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | seeawards |
Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (Russian:Павел Степанович Нахимов,pronounced[ˈpavʲɪlsʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕnɐˈxʲiməf]; July 5 [O.S. June 23] 1802 – July 12 [O.S. June 30] 1855) was a Russianadmiral in theImperial Russian Navy known for his victory in theBattle of Sinop and his leadership in theSiege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during theCrimean War.
He joined the Imperial Russian Navy and moved up the ranks, serving in theGreek War of Independence and theRusso-Turkish War (1828–29). At the beginning of the Crimean War, he delivered a significant victory at the Battle of Sinop against theOttoman Empire. Afterward, he was a leader in the defense of Sevastopol againstBritish,French, and Ottoman forces, during which a sniper wounded him. He died a few days later.
After his death, he became a hero in Russia, with medals and ships named after him, especially during Soviet times, starting withStalin.[1] Also, a Soviet Film calledAdmiral Nakhimov was made in 1947 about his life.[2]
Nakhimov was born in the village of Gorodok in theVyazma district of theSmolensk Governorate into anoble Russian family. He was the seventh of eleven children of a landlord andSecond Major Stepan Mikhailovich Nakhimov and his wife Feodosia Ivanovna Nakhimova (née Kozlovskaya). Six of his siblings died as infants. He and all four of his brothers would become professional seamen, includingVice AdmiralSergei Stepanovich Nakhimov (1805–1872).[3]
In 1817, he entered the Naval Academy for the Nobility (Morskoy Dvoryanskiy Korpus) inSaint Petersburg. That year, he made his first sea voyage aboard the frigateFeniks ("Phoenix") to the shores ofSweden andDenmark. He was promoted to anon-commissioned officer soon after. In February 1818, he passed examinations to become amidshipman and was immediately assigned to the second Fleet Crew (Flotskiy Ekipazh) of theRussian Imperial Navy'sBaltic Fleet.
At the beginning of his naval career, Nakhimov's experience was limited to voyages in theBaltic Sea as well as a more extensive trip from theWhite Sea port ofArkhangelsk toKronstadt naval base near Saint Petersburg. His lucky break came in March 1822, when he was assigned to the frigateKreiser ("Cruiser"); the vessel took part in a round-the-globe expedition commanded by the well-known Russian explorerMikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788–1851), who had already undertaken several such voyages.
During the three-year voyage, Nakhimov was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. On conclusion of this adventure, he received his first award, theOrder of Saint Vladimir IV degree. He returned to his native Smolensk and was assigned to the 74-gun warshipAzov, which made its maiden voyage from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt in the autumn of 1826.
In the summer of 1827,Azov sailed to theMediterranean as flagship of the Russian squadron under the command of Rear-AdmiralLodewijk van Heiden for a joint expedition with the French and British navies against theOttomans. Just before its departure, EmperorNicholas I visited theAzov and ordered that in the case of hostilities, the crew should deal with the enemy "as the Russians do".
Azov, under then-Captain First RankM.P. Lazarev, distinguished itself most prominently in theBattle of Navarino (20 October 1827), during which the allied British-French-Russian fleet "totally" destroyed the Ottoman squadron.[4]For his outstanding gunnery performance during the battle, the 27-year-old Nakhimov was promoted to the captaincy of atrophy ship and was decorated by the allied governments.[5][6]
Early in his career, Nakhimov was criticized for "brutality towards sailors"; this allegation would not affect the public perception of him being a popular commander.[7]
During theCrimean War of 1853–1856 Nakhimov distinguished himself by defeating theOttoman fleetat Sinope in 1853.
Before the battle, the Russian fleet in the Black Sea was divided into two groups, one led by Nakhimov and the other byV. A. Kornilov.[8] Nakhimov was assigned the eastern part of the sea.[8] Meanwhile, the Ottomans knew Russian forces had been in the open sea since November 23. Still, for various reasons, including fear of facing Russia in the open sea, they decided to remain in port.[9] Nakhimov asked for reinforcements, which he got on November 27, 1853, when a squadron led by Admiral Fyodor Mihailovich Novosilskiy joined Nakhimov's squadron.[9][10] By the time of the battle, Nakhimov had six battleships, two frigates, and three steamers and outgunned the Ottomans with weapons such asPaixhans guns.[10]
On November 30, 1853, Nakhimov's squadron entered the bay where the Ottoman fleet commanded by AdmiralOsman Pasha was.[11] At first, the Russian squadron demanded the surrender of the Ottoman fleet.[11] After the Ottomans refused to surrender, the battle began.[11] At first, the Ottoman ships did well against Nakhimov's forces. However, the battle quickly turned against the Ottomans as the Russian guns proved too much, and in just a few hours, the Ottoman fleet was on fire.[12] One ship, theOttoman frigateTaif, started to head toIstanbul.[11] The Russians were unable to capture the ship, even with the efforts of Russian AdmiralV. A. Kornilov, who arrived with reinforcements.[11][12] The Taif would arrive in Istanbul, delivering the news of Nakhimov's victory on December 2.[13] All of the Ottoman ships, except for theTaif, were "devastated."[12] Many Ottoman sailors died, although there is no agreement on exactly how many.[12][14] Only 33–36 Russian sailors and one officer died during the battle.[14] Admiral Osman was wounded in the foot and captured along with four other officers.[12][14] Admiral Osman remained a prisoner of war until he was released in 1855.[14]
Nakhimov kept firing during the battle despite most of the Ottoman ships being ablaze. It resulted in the burning of parts of the city, and its leaders and the Muslim population fled. He was criticized for attacking civilians during the battle. He later tried to explain his actions by sending an envoy to the city, arguing that he was seeking to "destroy the Ottoman fleet."[12]
His finest hour came during theSiege of Sevastopol, where he and AdmiralV. A. Kornilov organized from scratch the land defense of the city and its port, the home base of the RussianBlack Sea Fleet. As the commander of the port and the military governor of the city, Nakhimov became in fact the head of the Sevastopol naval and land defense forces. On July 10 [O.S. June 28] 1855, while inspecting the forward-defense positions onMalakhov Kurgan, he was fatally wounded by asniper and died two days later.
After his death, Nakhimov was glorified, which included misrepresenting facts.[7] Becoming a part of the "Sevastopol myth," in which Russian figures presented glorification of the defense of the city. This populist movement glorification of the battle was conducted alongside writers such asLeo Tolstoy.[7][15] In publications, Nakhimov was represented as a "friend of the common people" and "the soul of the defense of Sevastopol."[7] Despite his popularity with populist factions, the Imperial government did not recognize Nakhimov, as evidenced by its efforts to force artists of the panoramic painting "Defense of Sevastopol, 1854-5" to remove his figure and replace it withMikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov.[15]
Despite him not being included in official government accounts, he was later honored in the Soviet Union by propagandists.[16] DuringWorld War II, Nakhimov was turned into a national hero by the Soviet Union and Stalin alongside other figures like PrincePyotr Bagration,Mikhail Kutuzov,Aleksandr Nevsky, andAleksandr Suvorov.[1][16]
There are many monuments and medals created in his memory. In the 1890s a statue of Nakhimov along withVladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov was put in Sevastopol.[15] A bust portraying Russian admirals and sailors from the Crimean War, including Nakhimov, was erected atSevastopol Park after renovations in 2008.[17][18]
Nakhimov was buried insideSt Vladimir's Cathedral in Sevastopol along with Mikhail Lazarev, V.A. Kornilov andVladimir Istomin. There is a monument erected in his memory. TheSoviet government instituted posthumous honors as well, introducingNakhimov Naval Schools for teenagers in 1943, and establishing in 1944 both theOrder of Nakhimov (with two degrees) and theNakhimov Medal for Navy personnel. The Order of Nakhimov, one of the highest military decorations in theSoviet Union, continues to exist in theRussian Federation.
The 1947 Soviet movieAdmiral Nakhimov, directed byVsevolod Pudovkin, is about the life of Nakhimov. Soviet actorAleksei Dikiy played Nakhimov. The movie covers Nakhimov's victory in the Battle of Sinop and his defense of Sevastopol. The film had to be remade by Pudovkin as theCommunist Party of the Soviet Union viewed the original film as having too much "dancing" and misrepresenting historical facts. Pudovkin removed the love story and "toned down" the dance scenes.[2]
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Media related toPavel Nakhimov at Wikimedia Commons
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