Pavel Nakhimov

thumb|Nakhimov on a 1952 Soviet stamp

Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (, ; – ) was a Russian admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during the Crimean War.

He joined the Imperial Russian Navy and moved up the ranks, serving in the Greek War of Independence and the Russo-Turkish War (1828–29). At the beginning of the Crimean War, he delivered a significant victory at the Battle of Sinop against the Ottoman Empire. Afterward, he was a leader in the defense of Sevastopol against British, 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 with Stalin. Also, a Soviet Film called Admiral Nakhimov was made in 1947 about his life.

Early military career

In 1817, he entered the Naval Academy for the Nobility (Morskoy Dvoryanskiy Korpus) in Saint Petersburg. That year, he made his first sea voyage aboard the frigate Feniks ("Phoenix") to the shores of Sweden and Denmark. He was promoted to a non-commissioned officer soon after. In February 1818, he passed examinations to become a midshipman and was immediately assigned to the second Fleet Crew (Flotskiy Ekipazh) of the Russian Imperial Navy's Baltic Fleet.

At the beginning of his naval career, Nakhimov's experience was limited to voyages in the Baltic Sea as well as a more extensive trip from the White Sea port of Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt naval base near Saint Petersburg. His lucky break came in March 1822, when he was assigned to the frigate Kreiser ("Cruiser"); the vessel took part in a round-the-globe expedition commanded by the well-known Russian explorer Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (17881851), 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, the Order of Saint Vladimir IV degree. He returned to his native Smolensk and was assigned to the 74-gun warship Azov, which made its maiden voyage from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt in the autumn of 1826.

In the summer of 1827, Azov sailed to the Mediterranean as flagship of the Russian squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Lodewijk van Heiden for a joint expedition with the French and British navies against the Ottomans. Just before its departure, Emperor Nicholas I visited the Azov and ordered that in the case of hostilities, the crew should deal with the enemy "as Russians do".

Azov, under then-Captain First Rank M.P. Lazarev, distinguished itself most prominently in the Battle of Navarino (20 October 1827), during which the allied British-French-Russian fleet "totally" destroyed the Ottoman squadron.

For his outstanding gunnery performance during the battle, the 27-year-old Nakhimov was promoted to the captaincy of a trophy ship and was decorated by the allied governments.

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.

Crimean War and death

thumb|Memorial of where Nakhimov got his lethal wound

Battle of Sinope

During the Crimean War of 18531856 Nakhimov distinguished himself by defeating the Ottoman fleet at 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 by V. A. Kornilov. Nakhimov was assigned the eastern part of the sea. Nakhimov asked for reinforcements, which he got on November 27, 1853, when a squadron led by Admiral Fyodor Mihailovich Novosilskiy joined Nakhimov's squadron. By the time of the battle, Nakhimov had six battleships, two frigates, and three steamers and outgunned the Ottomans with weapons such as Paixhans guns. At first, the Russian squadron demanded the surrender of the Ottoman fleet. All of the Ottoman ships, except for the Taif, were "devastated." Only 3336 Russian sailors and one officer died during the battle.

Siege of Sevastopol and death

His finest hour came during the Siege of Sevastopol, where he and Admiral V. A. Kornilov organized from scratch the land defense of the city and its port, the home base of the Russian Black 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 , while inspecting the forward-defense positions on Malakhov Kurgan, he was fatally wounded by a sniper and died two days later.

Legacy

Glorification

After his death, Nakhimov was glorified, which included misrepresenting facts. In publications, Nakhimov was represented as a "friend of the common people" and "the soul of the defense of Sevastopol." During World War II, Nakhimov was turned into a national hero by the Soviet Union and Stalin alongside other figures like Prince Pyotr Bagration, Mikhail Kutuzov, Aleksandr Nevsky, and Aleksandr Suvorov. His bust and the other busts in Dnipro were removed in December 2021.

Gallery

File:Pavel Nakhimov.PNG|Portrait of Pavel Nakhimov, by Georg Wilhelm Timm

File:Admiral Nahimov.jpg|Painting of Pavel Nakhimov, by Georg Wilhelm Timm

File:Mort de Nakhimoff.jpg|Pavel Nakhimov's lethal injury, by Ivan Dyagovchenko

File:St. Vladimir's Cathedral, Sevastopol 01.jpg|Nakhimov's grave in St. Vladimir's Cathedral, Sevastopol

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References

Naval commanders in the history of the Russian maritime

External links