Spiridov Russo-Turkish War. Spiridov Grigory Andreevich: a short biography. On the hunt for glory
Admiral. Born in the family of a nobleman A.A. Spiridov, who honestly served Tsar Peter I as a commandant in Vyborg. The son chose a career as a naval officer and from the age of 15 sailed as a volunteer on a ship. By after five years of volunteer service, he successfully passed the navigation knowledge exams, was promoted to midshipman and entered the military service.
Spiridov began his maritime career on the Caspian Sea, in Astrakhan. His immediate supervisor was Lieutenant A.I. Nagaev, who made a description of the Caspian Sea. In the future, Nagaev will become an admiral and a famous hydrograph. The young midshipman Spiridov will learn a lot from his mentor. An executive, intelligent and diligent junior officer will soon be transferred to Kronstadt, where he will gain naval experience by making regular voyages in the Baltic Sea.
As a reward for diligent service, the rank of midshipman and the transfer to the Don Flotilla as an adjutant of the commander of Vice Admiral P.P. Bredal became. This appointment allowed him to gain combat experience during Russian-Turkish war 1735-1741, participating in the battles for Azov. In 1741, Spiridov was again in the North, now in the port of Arkhangelsk. For his service in the northern seas, he had to make difficult transitions from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt along the Baltic Sea and the Neva twice, guiding newly built ships along the difficult route.
Spiridov, despite his youth, was entrusted with responsible assignments that required accuracy in execution. In 1747, he was the commander of the frigate "Russia", which delivered Prince August of Holstein from St. Petersburg to Kiel. In 1750 he was given command of the court yachts. In 1754, already in the rank of captain of the 3rd rank, Spiridov was seconded to Kazan to organize the supply of ship timber to the Admiralty, and even this, rather an administrative assignment, was successfully completed. All this contributed to successful promotion and career growth.
Despite regular sea voyages, practical knowledge of naval combat operations, and, therefore, combat experience, Spiridov had little. But, at the same time, it was not enough for everything Baltic Fleet. The first, largest fighting- this is participation in the capture of the powerful Pomeranian fortress Kolberg during the Seven Years' War. During this operation, Grigory Andreevich showed himself to be a brave, intelligent naval officer and commander, as Commander S.I. reported to Empress Elizabeth. Mordvinov.
In 1762, Spiridov was promoted to rear admiral and appointed to command a squadron that had to be returned from Pomerania to Kronstadt. From May 1764, Spiridov became vice admiral and commander of the Kronstadt squadron, and a little later he received the Revel port under his command. A year later, another increase. Spiridov was appointed chief commander of the port of Kronstadt. But the finest hour of Vice-Admiral Grigory Andreevich, which brought him fame and honor, occurred in the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. It was to him that the Empress instructed to command the squadron, which Russia sent to the Balkan Peninsula to support the insurgent population against the Turkish yoke.
Despite the malicious gossip that Spiridov’s career is advancing due to the support of the royal favorite, Count Orlov, one should not lose sight of the fact that Grigory Andreevich served half a century from cabin boy to vice admiral on all Russian seas and, according to his service record, was quite consistent with the commander of the campaign to the coast Turkey. After the most difficult campaign, the rather battered squadron gathered at the appointed place. The Turkish squadron outnumbered the Russian twice, and the personnel were not exhausted by illnesses, like the sailors of Spiridov. However, this did not prevent her in the Chios Strait and defeat Turkish fleet, destroy it completely. And the main merit in this is precisely Admiral Spiridov, his tactical actions, ability to assess the situation and personal courage. The Empress awarded him the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and the history of the Russian fleet - the title of the winner of Chesma.
Today is the day of memory of the outstanding Russian naval commander Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov, who died on April 8, 1790.
The future admiral was born in 1713 in the family of an officer. Being enrolled in naval service at the age of 10, Spiridov was promoted to midshipman in 1733, and in 1741 he was already commander of a battleship. He participated in two Russian-Turkish wars (1735-39 and 1768-74) and the Seven Years' War (1756-63). During the siege of Kolberg he commanded a 2,000-strong amphibious assault. In 1762, Spiridov was promoted to rear admiral and was soon appointed chief commander of the Revel and Kronstadt ports. Having become an admiral in 1769, he commanded one of the five squadrons that made the first transition from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean in order to draw part of the Turkish forces from the Danube theater of operations.
Before the squadron departed for the campaign, on July 17, 1769, Empress Catherine II visited the ships preparing to sail, awarded Spiridov with the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and, blessing him for the campaign, put the image of John the Warrior around his neck. Commanding the 1st squadron of Russian ships (the general command of the expedition was carried out by Count A.G. Orlov), Spiridov managed to capture Mizitra and Arcadia, and, having won the Battle of Navarino, take the Turkish fortress of Navarin. No less successfully, Spiridov led the battle in the Strait of Chios in 1770. On June 26, in the Chesme Bay, the Russian fleet under the command of Orlov (and in fact Spiridov, who drew up the plan for the destruction of the fleet) and Rear Admiral S. K. Greig defeated the Turkish fleet. The Turks suffered a crushing defeat, losing almost all the ships and about 10 thousand killed, wounded and captured (while only 11 people died on the Russian side). As a result of the brilliant Chesme victory, the Russian fleet established its dominance in the area of the Greek Archipelago, got the opportunity to block the Dardanelles and conduct active military operations on the sea lanes of Turkey. On the occasion of this glorious victory, Spiridov reported to St. Petersburg: "Glory to God and honor to the All-Russian fleet! From the 25th to the 26th, the enemy fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, and let into the sky." In honor of the Chesme victory, Catherine II ordered the construction of a special column and a church, as well as a commemorative medal depicting the burning Turkish fleet and an eloquent inscription above it: "Was." The Empress granted Spiridov high award- Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Count Orlov received a special favor, having received an honorary prefix to his surname - "Chesmensky".
Spiridov was distinguished by decisiveness of action and personal courage, had extensive experience as a naval commander and made a major contribution to the development of Russian naval art during the period of the sailing fleet.
In 1774, the admiral retired for health reasons. Spiridov died in Moscow and was buried in his estate - the village of Nagorye, Yaroslavl province, in the crypt of the church, previously built at his expense.
He began his career in the Russian Navy in 1723 and became a naval officer in 1733. Member of the Russian-Turkish War (1735-1739), the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), the Russian-Turkish War (1768-1774). He became famous for the defeat of the Turkish fleet during the Battle of Chesme.
In 1723 he began serving in the navy as a volunteer. At the age of 15, after passing exams in navigational sciences, he was promoted to midshipmen and sent to the Caspian Sea; commanded the geckboats "St. Catherine", "Shah-Dagai", sailed from Astrakhan to the coast of Persia. From 1732 he served in Kronstadt, where he received the rank of midshipman ahead of schedule. In 1738 he participated in the Azov expedition of the Don military flotilla. He received his baptism of fire during the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-18 SN 1739. In 1741 he was sent to the Arkhangelsk port, from where he made the transition to Kronstadt on one of the newly built ships. For ten years he commanded court yachts and battleships, became known in the Baltic Fleet and in St. Petersburg.
In 1754 Spiridov G.A. was promoted to captain of the 3rd rank and sent to Kazan to organize the delivery of forests to the St. Petersburg Admiralty. In 1755 he became a member of the commission to review the regulations for the fleet, and the following year (1756) he was appointed company commander in the Naval Cadet Corps. He distinguished himself in the Seven Years' War, commanding a ship, then a squadron. In 1761 he was at the head of the two thousandth amphibious assault during the capture of the Kolberg fortress. Paying great attention to the training of naval officers, he taught in the Naval Corps, combining this activity with sailing on warships. From 1764 he was the chief commander of the Revel port, from 1766 - of the Kronstadt port. During the war with the Turks of 1768-1774, the expedition under the command of Orlov A.G. headed for the Mediterranean.
In 1769 Admiral Spiridov G.A. was appointed commander of the 1st squadron and led the capture of the Navarin fortress, which became the maneuverable base of the Russian fleet. 17 IL 1769 Catherine II visited the ships preparing to sail, awarded the admiral with the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and, blessing him for the campaign, put on his neck the image of John the Warrior. She ordered officers and sailors to be given a four-month salary "not counted" and demanded that the squadron set sail immediately. The admiral faced a difficult task - to pave the way to the eastern part of the Mediterranean, having made the first crossing from the Baltic Sea in the history of the Russian fleet.
The transition was complicated by the lack of own bases along the route, severe weather conditions, and the illness of the commander on the way. Due to damage to the ships and their forced stops for repairs, the squadron moved slowly. This caused dissatisfaction with the empress, who demanded from G. A. Spiridov: "... do not allow to shame before the whole world.
All of Europe is looking at you and your squadron." General-in-Chief A.G. Orlov, who was appointed commander-in-chief of the expedition and was waiting for the Russian fleet in Livorno, was also nervous. the number of ships was almost twice that of the Russian, the Turks had 1430 guns, there were 820 on the Russian ships. the Russian naval commander for the first time applied the method of conducting a sea battle, which English Admiral Nelson, who became a celebrity, uses only 35 years later in the Battle of Trafalgar.Speed of rapprochement, concentrated strike, fire, onslaught - and the Turkish fleet began to lose control. help the attacked first line.
26 ID 1770 in the Chesma Bay according to the plan of Spiridov G.A. the vastly superior forces of the Turkish fleet were completely destroyed. In 1771-1773 he commanded a fleet in the Archipelago. He not only carried out the blockade of the Dardanelles, but also began to systematically control enemy communications in the Aegean in order to prevent the supply of food and raw materials to Istanbul from Greece. The island of Paros was used as the base of the Russian fleet, where the admiralty and the shipyard were built, as well as shops, hospitals, and a church. Several cruiser detachments constantly operated as a blockade detachment of ships and the main forces of the fleet, completely blocking the Aegean Sea in its narrowest part.
In 1772, the admiral extended his operations to the entire eastern Mediterranean, from the Ionian Islands to the coast of Egypt and Syria. Together with the expeditionary ground forces, the fleet of Spiridov G.A. led active operations against the Turkish coastal fortresses and ports on the Aegean Sea. In FV 1774 he retired. He died in Moscow and was buried in his estate - the village of Nagorny, Yaroslavl province.
Spiridov
Grigory Andreevich
Battles and victories
Outstanding Russian naval commander, full admiral (1769).
A long naval career led the admiral to the Mediterranean - to his main battle of Chesma. Then, during one night, the Turks lost 63 ships in the Chesme Bay - linear, caravels, galleys, galliots. Turkish losses amounted to more than 10,000 people. The losses of the Russian united squadron amounted to 11 people: 8 - on the battleship "Europe", 3 - on the battleship "Do not touch me."
The future naval commander was born in 1713 to the family of the nobleman Andrei Alekseevich Spiridov (1680-1745), who served in the time of Peter I as a commandant in Vyborg. FROM early childhood Gregory was connected with the sea. Already at the age of 10, he was enrolled as a volunteer on a ship and went to sea as a volunteer for five years in a row. In 1728, having passed the examinations for knowledge of marine sciences, he was promoted to midshipmen and entered active military service. The young naval officer was sent to the Caspian Sea, to Astrakhan, where for several years, commanding the geckboats (three-masted cargo ships) “St. Ekaterina" and "Shah-Dagai" made flights to the coast of Persia. Here he participated in the works of A.I. Nagaev, in the future a well-known hydrograph and admiral, but for now, a lieutenant who made an inventory of the Caspian Sea.
In 1732, Spiridov was transferred to Kronstadt, from where he made annual voyages across the Baltic. His zeal for service did not go unrewarded - he received the rank of midshipman ahead of schedule. In February 1737, a new appointment followed - to the Don Flotilla, where he became adjutant of the "captain rank" of its commander, Vice Admiral P. P. Bredal. This position allowed Spiridov to gain initial combat experience - the flotilla participated in the struggle for Azov during the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1741.
In 1741, G. A. Spiridov was assigned to the Arkhangelsk port, and for more than three decades his life was connected with the northern seas. Twice he happened to make a difficult transition from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt on newly built ships (in 1742-1743 and 1752); after being transferred to the Baltic, he annually sailed from Kronstadt along the Baltic Sea and along the Neva. The service was successful - a relatively young sailor repeatedly received responsible assignments. So, in 1747, he commanded the frigate "Russia", on which Prince Holstein August went to Kiel; in 1749 he was seconded to be present in the Moscow Admiralty office; in 1750 he commanded court yachts.
In 1754, Spiridov, already a captain of the 3rd rank, was sent to Kazan to organize the delivery of ship timber to the St. Petersburg Admiralty. Despite the fact that he had no particular desire to take on this responsible assignment, he completed it quite successfully, and upon their return to Kazan, in 1755, he became a member of the commission to review the regulations for the fleet, and the following year he was appointed company commander commander in the Naval Corps.
Yearly voyages enriched Spiridov's experience as a naval officer, but his (and the entire Baltic Fleet's) combat experience was limited. Only in 1760-1761. G.A. Spiridov for the first time had a chance to participate in a large-scale military operation- the struggle for the Pomeranian fortress of Kolberg during the Seven Years' War. This powerful fortress was surrounded by a moat and swamps, among which there were separate advanced verki, on a hill dominating the area, there was a citadel. For the Russian army, the capture of Kolberg had great importance, since she would thereby acquire a strategically advantageous foothold in Pomerania and the possibility of supplying the army by sea, cheaper and faster than the land route through Poland.
The first attempt to take Kolberg was made as early as 1758, but ended in failure. And in 1760 the siege was repeated. Spiridov participated in it, commanding the ship "St. Dmitry Rostovsky"; in the campaign he was accompanied by young sons, 8 and 10 years old. This attempt also ended in failure - despite the significant forces drawn to the fortress, there was no interaction between the ground and naval forces, in addition, rumors about the approach of the 6,000th Prussian corps of General Werner to help the besieged caused confusion in the camp of the besiegers, and the Russian army hastily retreated from the city.
Finally, at the end of the summer of 1761, actions against the “fortress that was annoying to us” resumed, and now the 15,000-strong corps of P.A. Rumyantsev. To help him, a combined Russian-Swedish fleet arrived at Kolberg, consisting of 24 battleships, 12 frigates and bombardment ships, a large number of transport ships under the command of Vice Admiral A.I. Polyansky, who delivered 7,000 reinforcements. The very number of troops shows how much importance was attached to the capture of Kolberg. Spiridov in this campaign commanded the ship "St. Andrew the First-Called. The blockade of the fortress from the sea lasted from August 14 to September 26. Bombardier ships, on which was the commander of the Kronstadt squadron S.I. Mordvinov, were placed against enemy batteries. To help the siege corps, a two thousandth landing force was landed, the command over which was entrusted to "Mr. Fleet Captain Grigory Spiridov." This detachment first participated in the unloading of provisions, and then was sent into battle, and its commander again showed himself from the best side. Mordvinov wrote to the Empress that he “repeatedly heard about the brave deeds of the fleet of Captain Spiridov, in which Spiridov given to him from Count. Rumyantsev's certificate will testify. However, neither Mordvinov nor Spiridov had a chance to see the result of the operation - the fall of Kolberg: the lack of provisions and firewood forced the fleet to return to Kronstadt in mid-October.
In 1762, Spiridov, who was promoted to rear admiral, commanded a squadron sent on a cruise to the coast of Pomerania. The squadron stood in the roadstead in Kolberg, from where two ships set sail in turn. The service went on calmly, there was no need to seize other people's transports, or to protect our own needs - hostilities had already ceased. In August 1762, a squadron consisting of 7 ships returned to Revel, entered the harbor and disarmed there.
And again, a calm and stable promotion. May 4, 1764 Spiridov was promoted to vice admiral, commanded the Kronstadt squadron. Then, from July of the same year, he replaced the ill Admiral Polyansky as the commander of the Revel fleet, and in October, after the death of Polyansky, he became the chief commander of the Revel port. He remained in this position for a year - in December 1765 he was transferred to Kronstadt as the chief commander of the port. In 1768, he was present at experiments on a new rigging and sail system developed by S.K. Greig on the basis of the English system, and had to give an official opinion on it. Spiridov's opinion was balanced: the new system, making it easier to rig, really increased the speed of the vessel; but it was not applicable to all ships. Therefore, ship captains were asked to decide on their own whether to innovate on their ship or leave everything the old fashioned way.
Such was the naval career of G.A. Spiridov at the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, which became his finest hour. When in St. Petersburg, according to the project of A.G. Orlov, a bold and broad plan of combined actions was drawn up on land and at sea off the Turkish coast, with the aim of raising the population of the Balkan Peninsula and the Archipelago against the Turks, and Spiridov was entrusted with command of the squadron.
The secret decree of March 20, 1769 read:We entrusted our vice-admiral Spiridov with some expedition, for which the adm. board has to repair all kinds of assistance at his request.
The goals of the campaign were kept secret, the tipsy sailors on the shore talked about the campaign against Azov. On June 4, 1769, Spiridov was promoted to admiral and officially appointed commander of the fleet equipped for the campaign.
How to evaluate this appointment? The French diplomat and political writer K. Rulier characterized Spiridov as a man of direct, simple and courageous character, rough, but light. In his opinion, Spiridov owes his rise to the Orlov brothers, whom he knew when he himself was a naval non-commissioned officer, and they were sergeants. He rose along with them, although he was completely devoid of experience and talent, and remained the commander of the fleet only in name, leaving the work to the Englishman Greig, and glory to Count Orlov. Another Frenchman, a historian of the late 18th century, also called Spiridov an incapacitated person. J.-A. Custer. Unfortunately, the Russian historian Vl. Plugin, characterizing Grigory Andreevich as "a respectable, but quite ordinary soldier."
Undoubtedly, all these characteristics originate in the hostile attitude of the French government towards the Mediterranean expedition of the Russian fleet and its leaders. Of course, Spiridov could not owe his career to the Orlovs, if only because in the year of the birth of the eldest of them, Ivan (1733), he was already 20 years old and 10 of them he served in the sea. This does not exclude, of course, that he was familiar with the Orlovs, and they could help promote him in the later stages of his career. But even before the Orlovs, he had someone to put in a good word for him - Bredal, Mordvinov, Polyansky ... All these were quite prominent figures in the Russian fleet of that time, and they all appreciated the zeal and talents of Grigory Alexandrovich. As for the experience that Spiridov was allegedly deprived of, a reservation should be made here - and a fundamentally important one. On his difficult path to the rank of admiral, he served on all the seas where Russia had at least some naval formations. He went all the way to sea service, starting from the lowest ranks; by the time of Chesma, his service lasted almost half a century. He carried out the responsible assignments of the Admiralty. Is it possible to speak about the lack of experience in such a person? The lack of experience that is attributed to him was not his personal shortcoming, but the shortcoming of the entire Russian fleet, which had never before made long-distance sea voyages. But blaming Spiridov himself or anyone else for this is pointless and unfair. Whether the Orlovs patronized him or not, at that time Spiridov was undoubtedly the most worthy figure to lead the campaign to the shores of Turkey.
The task assigned to the squadron was difficult - the fleet was not adapted to such a long campaign, many ships were leaking. To prevent leakage, the underwater part of the ships was urgently sheathed with inch boards with sheep wool pads; the work went on at an accelerated pace - the empress hurried with the performance on the campaign. Finally, on June 18, the empress personally examined the ships ready for the journey, and on the same night the squadron weighed anchor. In total, 7 ships of the line (84 and 66 guns), a 36-gun frigate and 7 small ships set sail. Spiridov himself held the flag on the Eustathia. The rescript of the empress ordered him “to bring ground troops with a fleet of artillery and other military shells to assist Count Orlov, to form a whole corps of Christians to inflict sabotage on Turkey in a most sensitive place; to assist the Greeks and Slavs who rebelled against Turkey, and also to contribute to the suppression of smuggling into Turkey. Thus, Spiridov's powers were great - he could independently issue letters of marque, could issue manifestos to "barbarian republics to distract them from Turkish obedience"; he was given 480,000 rubles for emergency expenses.
Swimming was difficult. Even in the Baltic Sea, the squadron was badly battered by storms - "so strong and gloomy weather came with a big cold that it was rarely possible to see half of the squadron." Long stops had to be made to collect stragglers and repair ships damaged by storms. Even worse was that the crews were unaccustomed to such long voyages - illnesses mowed down from changes in air, humidity, cold, pitching, poor nutrition of sailors. By September 25, there were already over 600 patients on the squadron, more than a hundred people died; 83 people died during a long stay in the English port of Hull. Under these conditions, Spiridov made the only right decision - he allowed the captains of the ships to continue on their way "according to their ability", appointing a rendezvous point in Gibraltar (later he moved the assembly point to Port Mahon on the island of Minorca). He himself sailed from Hull on October 10 with four ships, and on November 18 finally reached Port Mahon in his Eustathia; the rest of the ships fell behind during the voyage.
There have been months of waiting. By the end of December, 3 more battleships and 4 small ships pulled up; last ships they approached only in May 1770. They were in a deplorable state - "rarely anyone did not demand the necessary correction from undergoing cruel storms and ramparts." Spiridov himself, whose health has never been strong, in almost every letter complained of weakness and illness. At that time, he experienced a personal tragedy - his youngest son died, enlisted (like his brother) in the Archipelago expedition "for the sake of practice in distant voyages."
The delay of the fleet at Port Mahon played a fatal role in the implementation of the far-reaching plans of A.G. Orlov - she allowed the Turks to strengthen their garrisons, supply them with food supplies and take other measures to prevent the success of the liberation uprising in the Balkans. And yet, in February-March 1770, the squadron was able to move on to active operations, first land and then sea. According to Spiridov, it was necessary first of all to fortify on the coast, and only then raise a general uprising. Therefore, on March 24, 1770, he sent a detachment of ships (two battleships - "Ianuary" and "Three Saints" and the Venetian 20-gun frigate "St. Nikolai" chartered by Orlov) under the general command of artillery foreman Ivan Abramovich Gannibal (great-uncle A.S. Pushkin), to Navarino. On April 10, 1770, the Navarin fortress fell. Russian sailors took possession of one of the most convenient bases in the Peloponnese - a fleet of any size could anchor in its harbor, the narrow entrance to it was protected by fortifications on both sides.
However, this success was not further developed. As a result of miscalculations in the planning of land operations, the Turks were able to break up the landing detachments, push them back to Navarino and begin the siege of the fortress from land. At the same time, it became known that a large Turkish squadron was preparing to attack the Russians from the sea. Under these conditions, Navarino harbor could become a trap for the fleet, and Spiridov with four battleships was sent to join the second Russian squadron, which was brought by Admiral D. Elphinstone. However, here the “human factor” came into play: Elphinstone, not wanting to obey Spiridov, landed an assault force that headed for Navarino by land, and he himself, having learned that the enemy fleet was in the bay of Napoli di Romagna, went there. It was fatal self-confidence: he had only three battleships, one frigate and three transports. The Turkish squadron, which he saw on May 16, 1770, consisted of over twenty pennants, including 10 battleships and 6 frigates. Nevertheless, the Russian squadron moved forward and entered into battle with the advanced ships of the Turks. Unable to withstand the artillery fire, the Turks retreated under the protection of the guns of the fortress of Napoli di Romagna. Elphinstone was saved by chance: for some reason, the Turks did not dare to immediately attack the Russian fleet - perhaps they considered it to be the vanguard of all Russian forces. Be that as it may, Elphinstone realized the impossibility of a battle with the Turkish fleet, which was under the protection of coastal batteries, retreated to a safe distance and moved to connect with Spiridov.
On May 22, the squadrons of Elphinstone and Spiridov, who along the way took on board the landing force landed by Elphinstone, successfully connected, and a showdown took place between the admirals. Elphinstone, despite the fact that he was junior in rank to Spiridov, declared that he considered himself his equal. Not coming to an agreement, the admirals, nevertheless, proceeded to joint actions, trying to impose a fight on the Turks. However, all attempts were in vain. Meanwhile, on June 11, they were joined by A.G. Orlov, who, having found “the commanders among themselves in a great quarrel, and the commanders in despondency and displeasure”, raised the Kaiser flag on the “Three Hierarchs”, which meant that all orders coming from this ship were given in the name of the empress.
Ultimately, the entire Russian squadron gathered in the area of \u200b\u200bMilos Island - ships that pulled up from different places and were ready for a naval battle. Having learned that the Turks were grouping their forces behind the island of Paros, the squadron moved there - but the enemy was no longer there. The plan of the Turks was to lure the Russian fleet into the labyrinths of the Archipelago with its many islands, meanwhile draw all their forces - and deliver a decisive blow. True, Kapudan Pasha Ibrahim Hasan-ed-Din was known for his indecision, but his assistant, the Algerian Gassan Pasha, the actual leader of the Turkish fleet, an experienced sailor and a brave naval commander, promised the Sultan to destroy the Russian fleet, bringing his ships close to the Russian ships and blowing up their kruyt-chambers, which will lead to the death of both Turkish and Russian ships along with people. Then the majority of the Turkish fleet, which greatly outnumbers the Russian, will remain intact and win. Even if the prisoners of war, from whose words this was known, exaggerated something, this plan was very reminiscent of what the Russian fleet later carried out at Chesma.
On June 23, the combined Russian squadron, after reconnaissance, which found out the location of the Turkish ships, approached the strait between the island of Chios and the entrance to the Chesme Bay on the coast of Asia Minor. Here, ship crews had the opportunity to see almost the entire Turkish fleet: sixteen battleships (one 100-gun, one 96-gun, four 74-gun, eight 60-gun, two 50-gun caravels), six 40-gun frigates, up to sixty brigantine, shebek, semi-galley and other ships. On board were 15 thousand people and 1430 guns. The Russian squadron was almost twice as numerous as the enemy, numbering only nine battleships, three frigates, three kicks, one packet boat (the second crashed off the coast of the Morea), thirteen chartered and prize ships, on which there were 6500 people and 608 guns. Commander-in-Chief Alexei Orlov wrote to the Empress about his impressions of this spectacle: “When I saw such a structure, I was horrified and was in the dark - what should I do?”
On the night of June 24, a council gathered at the Three Hierarchs, in which Alexey and Fedor Orlovs, G.A. Spiridov, D. Elphinstone, S.K. Greig and General Yu.V. Dolgorukov. At the council, a plan of attack for the Turkish fleet was developed: to descend on the enemy in a wake column almost parallel to his battle line and attack from a short distance (50-70 m). This plan was bold and innovative, it broke the usual canons of linear tactics, and it was precisely in this that he forte. So, in accordance with the disposition, on the morning of June 24, the Russian squadron moved towards the enemy.
The first column (vanguard) was under the command of G.A. Spiridova. It was made up of the flagship battleship"Evstafiy" under the command of captain 1st rank A.I. Kruse, the battleship "Europa" (commander captain 1st rank F.A. Klokachev), and the battleship "Three Saints" (commander captain 1st rank S.P. Khmetevsky).
The second column (corde battalion) marched under the flag of Commander-in-Chief A.G. Orlov. It included the battleship "Three Hierarchs" (commander captain-brigadier S.K. Greig), the battleship "Ianuary" (commander captain 1st rank I.A. Borisov), the battleship "Rostislav" (commander captain 1st rank V. M. Lupandin).
Finally, the third column (rearguard) was commanded by D. Elphinstone, under whose command were the battleship "Don't Touch Me" (commander Captain 1st Rank P.F. Beshentsov), the battleship "Svyatoslav" (commander Captain 1st Rank V.V. Roksburg ) and the battleship "Saratov" (commander captain 2nd rank A.G. Polivanov). The rest of the ships under the general command of foreman I.A. Hannibal was supposed to cover the flanks of the attacking columns.
We must pay tribute to the enemy: the Turkish fleet is well prepared for battle overnight. According to S.K. Greig, "the Turkish line of battle was excellently arranged, the distance between the ships was no more than the length of two ships." The Turkish fleet was built in two lines: 10 ships of the line in one line, 7 ships of the line, 2 caravels and 2 frigates in the other, while they were placed in a checkerboard pattern, so that the ships of the second line occupied the gaps between the ships of the first and could together with them to fire with the whole side. Thus, Russian ships came under simultaneous fire from about 700 guns.
When approaching the enemy, Spiridov used a kind of "psychic attack": the ships went to the enemy in complete silence, without opening fire. This silence, with a constant increase in tension (and the rapprochement lasted 4 hours, from 8 to 12 hours!) Should in itself lead the Turks into confusion and bewilderment. The admiral's calculation was fully justified: the Turks lost their nerve, and they opened fire on the Russian squadron as soon as it approached within firing range. The Russian ships responded to this with silence: the order was not to open fire before approaching the Turks for a pistol shot. Only after reaching this distance did the ships return fire.
Europe was the first to approach the enemy. Turning sideways, she fired a volley and slowly moved along the entire Turkish line. However, unexpectedly, her captain turned on the starboard tack and left the line. Spiridov, who saw this and did not know the reason for such a maneuver, shouted furiously from his bridge: “Mr. Klokachev! I congratulate you as a sailor!” However, Klokachev was not to blame: the Greek pilot warned him about the stones that lay right on his course. "Evstafiy" took the place of "Europe". "Eustace" became the lead in the vanguard, and fire from three enemy ships immediately fell upon it. G.A. Spiridov, in full dress uniform, with all orders and with a drawn sword, paced on quarter quarters and coolly led the battle, cheering the sailors.
Music blared from the poop of the ship: under enemy fire, the orchestra carried out the order of the admiral:Play to the last!
The concentrated fire of the enemy interrupted the gear on the "Evstafiya" and deprived him of the ability to move independently. The ship began to drift towards the Turkish fleet - it was blown right on the Turkish flagship Real Mustafa. At the same time, he did not stop firing at the enemy flagship for a minute. When the Eustathius rested on him with a bowsprit, the Russian and Turkish sailors grappled in fierce hand-to-hand combat. One of the sailors of the "Evstafiya" managed to break through to the stern Turkish flag. He tried to rip it off - but his right hand was immediately broken; he tried again with his left hand - the same thing. Then he grabbed the enemy flag with his teeth - and tore it off! The tattered flag was delivered to Spiridov.
At one o'clock in the afternoon, the fire of the unicorns "Eustace" caused a fire under the quarterfinals of the "Real-Mustafa". Gassan Pasha, in order to avoid capture, on a boat that was waiting at the opposite side, retreated to the 100-gun ship Kapudan Pasha, and the fire on the Real Mustafa continued to flare up, now threatening Eustathia. Under these conditions, Spiridov, as the senior flagship who led the battle, in accordance with the requirements of the Naval Charter, decided to leave the ship and transfer his flag to the Three Saints.
As soon as the boat had time to take Spiridov and Fyodor Orlov, the mainmast of the Real Mustafa, engulfed in fire, collapsed, and its burning fragments fell into the open hold chamber of the Eustache. There was an explosion of enormous force, and after a while - the second: "Real-Mustafa" shared the fate of "Evstafiy". Of the entire crew of the Eustache, only its commander, Captain 1st Rank Cruz, who was wounded and burned, but kept on the water by a fragment of the mast, 9 officers and 51 sailors, escaped.
The explosion of the Real Mustafa caused panic in the ranks of the Turkish fleet. The ships tried to move away from the terrible place so as not to catch fire and retreated in disorder to the Chesme Bay. At the same time, the panic was clearly disproportionate to the real situation - only one ship was lost, Gassan Pasha escaped from the exploded ship and found shelter on the Kapudan Pasha, from where he could well lead the battle. But the mood of the crew of this ship was by no means combative: about an hour before the explosion of the Real Mustafa, it came under heavy fire from the Three Hierarchs, and due to an unsuccessful maneuver when unanchoring, it stood for fifteen minutes under devastating longitudinal shots from a Russian ship. The confusion on the Turkish ships was intensified by the fact that many of them collided with each other in flight. At about half past one, Hassan Bey withdrew the last ships from the battle and took them to the Chesme Bay.
So, as a result of the battle, which lasted about two hours, the Turkish squadron was completely demoralized. However, numerical superiority still remained on her side. In addition, because of the calm, the enemy ships towed by rowing galleys easily left the Russian squadron, which did not have rowing galleys. The enemy also had an advantage in speed. However, the Russian ships reliably blocked the exit from the bay, and the bombardment ship "Grom" at 17.00 began shelling the Turkish squadron from mortars and howitzers. The bombardment, in which the battleships "Svyatoslav" and "Three Hierarchs" and the packet boat "Postman" took part, continued all day on June 25, further increasing the demoralization of the Turks.
A day after the battle in the Chios Strait, on June 25, at five o'clock in the afternoon, under the chairmanship of the commander-in-chief Count Alexei Orlov, a military council met on the battleship "Three Hierarchs", on which he held the Kaiser flag. The sailors insisted on decisive and immediate action so as not to miss the favorable moment of forced paralysis of the enemy in a cramped bay. The plan for the defeat of the Turks was proposed by G.A. Spiridov and I.A. Hannibal. His idea was simple: to use transport ships that accompanied the squadron and were not of significant value as fireships. It was necessary to load them with combustible materials (resin in barrels, saltpeter, sulfur in canvas hoses), and soak the deck, spars and sides with turpentine. Such a firewall was a mortal danger if it managed to approach an enemy ship and cling to it. To do this, hooks were attached to the bowsprit and yardsticks, with which his team tried to hook onto the bulwark and superstructure of the enemy ship. The equipment of the firewalls and the selection of their commanders were entrusted to Brigadier Hannibal.
To implement this plan, cold-blooded and experienced officers were required who were not afraid to risk their lives. The first to respond to Hannibal's call were Lieutenant Commander R.K. Dugdal, lieutenants D.S. Ilyin and T. Mekenzi (hereinafter - the admiral, whose name is given to the heights in the vicinity of Sevastopol) and midshipman Prince V.A. Gagarin. Fire-ship teams were also recruited from volunteers.
The night fell from June 25 to 26, 1770. The weather conditions were not favorable for the attack: the sea was flooded with moonlight. From the Russian ships it was quite clearly visible what the Turkish fleet was doing in the bay, where it had fled the day before under the cover of coastal batteries. The Russians saw in their spyglasses that the Turkish fleet “stands in close and dishonorable standing”: some with their noses on NW (northwest), others - on NO (northeast), “and to us with their sides, several of them are crowded stand behind their own to the shore, as in a heap. To ensure the success of the operation, the battleships "Rostislav", "Europe", "Do not touch me" and "Saratov", the frigates "Hope of Prosperity" and "Africa" and the bombardment ship "Thunder" were allocated. This detachment, under the general command of S.K. Greig was supposed to enter the Chesme Bay and, having entered into battle with the enemy fleet, cause confusion on the Turkish ships, divert their attention to themselves, opening the way for these fireships.
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At 23.30, F.A. was the first to move closer to the Turkish fleet. Klokachev on his "Europe", by one in the morning took his place according to the disposition of "Rostislav", other ships also pulled up. At the beginning of the second, one of the Turkish ships standing in the center of the bay was set on fire with well-aimed fire from the bombarding ship "Thunder", from which the fire spread to the ships standing nearby. At this time, on a signal from Rostislav, fireships went on the attack. The fire-ship of Captain-Lieutenant Dugdal was fired first; however, he did not have time to go even half the distance separating the Russian squadron and the first line of the Turkish fleet, as he was noticed by the enemy; I had to blow it up prematurely and return to the Three Hierarchs. Lieutenant Mackenzie's fireship went second. He reached the first line of enemy ships, but due to an unsuccessful maneuver, he was pressed against the board of an already burning Turkish ship. The team managed to leave the fireship and land on the shore. There Mekenzi captured several small Turkish ships, with which he returned to his own.
The third incendiary ship was led by Lieutenant Dmitry Sergeevich Ilyin. By this time, the Turks, initially stunned by the fires, resumed heavy artillery fire on the Russian ships of the detachment. Greig was forced to resume firing in his turn, and the fireship found itself between two fires! Lieutenant Ilyin nevertheless made his way to the goal. He brought his ship close to the side of the 84-gun Turkish ship. The Russian sailors firmly hitched the fire-ship to the bulwark of the Turkish ship, then pulled up the boat and went down into it. Then Ilyin set fire to the firewall and jumped into the boat himself. The flame that engulfed the firewall was already crawling towards the mast of the Turkish ship, and its crew did not take any measures to prevent a catastrophe. Subsequently, Gassan Pasha said that he mistook Ilyin's firewall for a deserter from the Russian squadron, who decided to surrender. This impression was created in him when the Russians opened fire, as it were, after the fire-ship, and therefore he ordered not to shoot at Ilyin's fire-ship.
After setting fire to his firewall, Ilyin, jumping into the boat, ordered the sailors to delay rowing, stood up to his full height facing the enemy, and only when he was convinced that “ big ship on fire, and the flame came to the sails, and all of these masts, topmasts and yards caught fire, ”he commanded to row. He heard an explosion of terrible force, already being at his own: both the firewall and the Turkish ship exploded at the same time. The explosion scattered the flaming debris across the raid and onto the decks of other enemy ships ...
Although the fourth firewall of midshipman Gagarin could no longer be sent, he was nevertheless sent. Gagarin set it on fire halfway through and, having boarded the boat, hurried to get to a safe place.
After that, Greig's ships resumed fire - but this was already redundant, the Turkish fleet was dying without it. Greig himself wrote in his "Handwritten Journal": "The fire of the Turkish fleet became general by three o'clock in the morning. It is easier to imagine than to describe the horror and confusion that seized the enemy! The Turks stopped all resistance even on those ships that had not yet caught fire. Most of the rowboats sank or capsized from the many people who threw themselves into them. Entire teams in fear and despair rushed into the water, the surface of the bay was covered with countless unfortunates who escaped by drowning one another. Few reached the shore, the goal of desperate efforts. The fear of the Turks was so great that they left not only ships that had not yet caught fire, and coastal batteries, but even fled from the castle and the city of Chesma, which had already been left by the garrison and the inhabitants.
The fire of the Turkish fleet and the explosions of ships continued until 10 am. By this time, the water in the bay was a thick mixture of ash, mud, debris and blood.
The losses of the Turks were enormous: during the night, sixty-three ships burned down - ships of the line, caravels, galleys, galliots. More than ten thousand people, two thirds of the personnel of the Turkish fleet, died in the fire. At the same time, during the battle in the bay, the Russian united squadron lost eleven people: 8 on the battleship "Europe", 3 on the battleship "Do not touch me."
After the victory, Spiridov reported to St. Petersburg to the Admiralty College to its President, Count Chernyshov:Glory to God and honor to the All-Russian Navy! From the 25th to the 26th, the enemy fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, let into the sky, sunk and turned into ashes, and left a terrible disgrace in that place, and they themselves began to dominate the entire Archipelago of our Most Gracious Empress.
In honor of the Chesme victory, Catherine II ordered the construction of a special column and a church, as well as a commemorative medal depicting a burning Turkish fleet and an eloquent inscription above it: "WAS". The Empress granted Spiridov a high award - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. A. Orlov received a special favor, having received an honorary prefix - "Chesmensky" to his surname.
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Chesma was the highest achievement of G.A. Spiridov and the biggest success during the Archipelago expedition. In building on this success, Spiridov proposed immediately, before the enemy came to his senses, to move the fleet to the straits and through the Dardanelles, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus to enter the Black Sea. All the sailors agreed with this plan, but Orlov insisted, and D. Elphinstone went to the Dardanelles with the task of blocking them and preventing the delivery of reinforcements to the island of Lemnos, where the main Russian forces besieged the Pelari fortress. Elphinstone did not cope with the task, moreover, he smashed the largest Russian ship "Svyatoslav" on the stones. Only after that, Orlov removed him from command and sent him to Russia. In his order, he wrote: “Necessary needs for the benefit of Her service Imperial Majesty forced me to connect the detached squadron of Mr. Rear Admiral Elphinstone with the squadron under my command, and entrust both to the exact command of His Excellency Mr. Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov, about which gentlemen the heads of the courts will be known.
.jpg)
Chesme column in Tsarskoye Selo
(Pushkin)
The consequence of Elphinston's malfeasance was that the Russian fleet had to stop operations on Lemnos, where Turkish reinforcements, which had broken through the now weak blockade of the Dardanelles, had approached, and look for a new base. The choice fell on the port of Auzu on the island of Paros, which was occupied in mid-November 1770. Shortly thereafter, Orlov temporarily left the fleet, going for treatment, and Spiridov remained as commander in chief. He turned Paros into a well-equipped base for the fleet: a dock was built here for the repair of ships, fortifications were erected, and ground forces were encamped. Reinforcements from Kronstadt came here - by the summer of 1771, the fleet already consisted of 10 battleships, 20 frigates, 2 bombardment and a significant number of smaller ships. Small detachments constantly left Paros for cruising, capturing merchant ships. In 1771, about 180 such ships were captured on enemy sea lanes.
At the beginning of 1771, G.A. Spiridov accepted 18 islands of the Archipelago into Russian citizenship, and he dreamed of keeping some of them for Russia even after the end of hostilities. In his opinion, the British or the French "would gladly give more than one million chervonets" for the possession of such a military base in the Mediterranean as Paros and the port of Auza. Unfortunately, G.A. Spiridov was not interested in A.G. Orlova, nor P.A. Rumyantsev, who headed the Russian delegation at the peace talks...
In 1772, the Russian fleet continued combat operations, which, however, did not reach their former intensity. His actions boiled down to the fact that he looked for places of concentration of Turkish ships and struck at them. So, in March, the 16-gun frigate Slava under the walls of the Lagos fortress took 3, burned 4 and sunk 2 Turkish cargo ships; in June, a detachment of light ships liberated the city of Sidon from the Turkish siege and took the city of Beirut, where 10 enemy ships were captured.
In the summer of 1772, a truce was concluded with the Turks, which was to be valid until November. By this time, the health of G.A. Spiridov, who had never been strong, was completely shaken: "The seizures that followed in old age brought him to such impotence that he became completely decrepit." Orlov, who by that time had already returned to the squadron, gave him a vacation in Livorno, "in the best climate in front of the Archipelago." Climate change helped: in March 1773, Spiridov returned to the squadron, and when Orlov left again, he again took command of the Russian forces. By this time, the Turks were no longer trying to challenge the dominance of the Russian fleet at sea, the operations were against coastal fortresses, and it happened that they ended in rather large losses on the part of the Russians. The biggest success here was the capture of Beirut by a detachment of Captain 2nd Rank M.G. Kozhukhov in the summer of 1773 - an operation that resulted in the capture of two Turkish semi-galleys with 17 guns, 24 fortress cannons, a large number of weapons and ammunition, and 300 thousand piastres of indemnity. Operations of this kind, however insignificant in themselves they may have been, drew considerable Turkish forces to the Asian shores and thus contributed to victory in the course of the war.
But to remain in the Archipelago until the victory of G.A. Spiridov could not: his illnesses worsened again, and in the summer of 1773 he resigned, complaining of constant seizures and headaches. A.G. Orlov supported his request. Was it done out of hostile feelings? Hardly. The Commander-in-Chief always gave the most flattering comments about Spiridov, despite all the friction between them on specific issues. Most likely, the state of health of the admiral really left much to be desired, and the urgent need for his talents had already disappeared, so he could be allowed to leave the fleet. In February 1774, Spiridov, having handed over the squadron to Vice Admiral A.V. Elmanov, departed for Russia. The resignation was honorable: for many years of impeccable service and exceptional merits, the admiral was left with “the full salary of his rank” until the day of his death.
Returning to Russia, Grigory Andreevich lived for another 16 years. Over the years, he only once put on his ceremonial uniform - when he received news of the victory of F. F. Ushakov at Fidonisi. The old admiral could rightfully be proud - Ushakov's victory was brought by a conscious repetition of the maneuver that he himself had done at Chios - disabling the enemy flagship. But if Spiridov himself succeeded largely due to chance, then for Ushakov this became the main method of achieving victory in battles with the Turks! Spiridov died in 2 months and 18 days before the Kerch victory of Ushakov's squadron. The admiral was buried in his estate, the village of Nagorny, Yaroslavl province; for many neighbors, by that time he was just a seedy landowner from retired military men. On his last journey, he was accompanied by an old faithful friend Stepan Khmetevsky, commander of the "Three Hierarchs" at Chesma.
However, in the history of Russian military glory Grigory Andreevich Spiridov was forever inscribed next to A.G. Orlov:
When, according to his mania, Perun threw
G.R. Derzhavin
Eagle, in exalted courage,
The fleet of the Turks at Chesma - burned Ross in the Archipelago,
Then Orlov-Zeves, Spiridov - was Neptune!
SMYKOV E. V., Candidate of History, Associate Professor, Saratov State University
Literature
History of the Russian Army and Navy / Ed. A.S. Grishinsky, V.P. Nikolsky, N.L. Clado. M., 1912. Issue. 8
Russian biographical dictionary. Published under the supervision of A.A. Polovtsev. SPb., 1905. T. 12
Tarle E.V. Battle of Chesma and the first Russian expedition to the Archipelago // Tarle E.V. Works in 12 volumes. M., 1959. T. 10
Chernyshov A.A. Great battles of the Russian sailing fleet. M., 2010
Yunga E.S. Admiral Spiridov. Hero of Chesma: A Brief Essay on Life and Activities. M., 1957
Internet
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Loris-Melikov Mikhail Tarielovich
Known mainly as one of the secondary characters in the story "Hadji Murad" by L.N. Tolstoy, Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov went through all the Caucasian and Turkish campaigns of the second half of the middle of the 19th century.
Having shown himself excellently during the Caucasian War, during the Kars campaign of the Crimean War, Loris-Melikov led intelligence, and then successfully served as commander-in-chief during the difficult Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, having won a number of important victories over the united Turkish troops and in the third once captured Kars, by that time considered impregnable.
Kosich Andrey Ivanovich
1. During his long life (1833 - 1917) A. I. Kosich went from non-commissioned officer to general, commander of one of the largest military districts of the Russian Empire. He took an active part in almost all military campaigns from the Crimean to the Russian-Japanese. He was distinguished by personal courage and bravery.
2. According to many, "one of the most educated generals of the Russian army." Left a lot of literary and scientific works and memories. He patronized the sciences and education. He has established himself as a talented administrator.
3. His example served the formation of many Russian military leaders in particular, Gen. A. I. Denikin.
4. He was a resolute opponent of the use of the army against his people, in which he disagreed with P. A. Stolypin. "The army should shoot at the enemy, not at its own people."
Karyagin Pavel Mikhailovich
The campaign of Colonel Karyagin against the Persians in 1805 does not look like a real one military history. It looks like a prequel to "300 Spartans" (20,000 Persians, 500 Russians, gorges, bayonet charges, "This is crazy! - No, this is the 17th Jaeger Regiment!"). A golden, platinum page of Russian history, combining the slaughter of madness with the highest tactical skill, delightful cunning and stunning Russian impudence
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (November 4 (November 16), 1874, St. Petersburg, - February 7, 1920, Irkutsk) - Russian oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers late XIX- early XX centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, active member Imperial Russian geographical society(1906), admiral (1918), leader white movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.
Member of the Russo-Japanese War, Defense of Port Arthur. During the First World War, he commanded the mine division of the Baltic Fleet (1915-1916), the Black Sea Fleet (1916-1917). Georgievsky Cavalier.
The leader of the White movement both on a national scale and directly in the East of Russia. As the Supreme Ruler of Russia (1918-1920), he was recognized by all the leaders of the White movement, "de jure" - by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, "de facto" - by the Entente states.
Supreme Commander of the Russian Army.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
The only one of the commanders, who on 06/22/1941 carried out the order of the Stavka, counterattacked the Germans, threw them back in his sector and went on the offensive.
Uvarov Fedor Petrovich
At the age of 27 he was promoted to general. Participated in the campaigns of 1805-1807 and in the battles on the Danube in 1810. In 1812 he commanded the 1st artillery corps in the army of Barclay de Tolly, and later - the entire cavalry of the combined armies.
Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich
He managed to bring his subordinate troops to the Don in full force, fought extremely effectively in the conditions of the civil war.
Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich
Admiral, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Great Patriotic War, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet. One of the leaders of the Defense of Sevastopol in 1941 - 1942, as well as the Crimean operation of 1944. During the Great Patriotic War, Vice Admiral F.S. Oktyabrsky was one of the leaders of the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. Being the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, at the same time in 1941-1942 he was the commander of the Sevastopol Defense Region.
Three orders of Lenin
three orders of the Red Banner
two orders of Ushakov 1st degree
Order of Nakhimov 1st class
Order of Suvorov 2nd class
Order of the Red Star
medals
Kolovrat Evpaty Lvovich
Ryazan boyar and governor. During the Batu invasion of Ryazan, he was in Chernigov. Having learned about the invasion of the Mongols, he hastily moved to the city. Having caught Ryazan all incinerated, Evpaty Kolovrat with a detachment of 1700 people began to catch up with Batu's army. Having overtaken them, he destroyed their rearguard. He also killed the strong heroes of the Batyevs. He died on January 11, 1238.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
The greatest Russian commander! He has over 60 wins and no losses. Thanks to his talent to win, the whole world learned the power of Russian weapons.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
according to the only criterion - invincibility.
Bagration, Denis Davydov...
The war of 1812, the glorious names of Bagration, Barclay, Davydov, Platov. An example of honor and courage.
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
In front of the Kazan Cathedral there are two statues of the saviors of the fatherland. Saving the army, exhausting the enemy, the battle of Smolensk - this is more than enough.
Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich
An outstanding military leader of the 17th century, prince and governor. In 1655 he won his first victory over the Polish hetman S. Pototsky near Gorodok in Galicia. leading role in organizing the defense of the southern border of Russia. In 1662, he won the biggest victory in the Russian-Polish war for Ukraine in the battle of Kanev, defeating the hetman-traitor Y. Khmelnitsky and the Poles who helped him. In 1664, near Voronezh, he forced the famous Polish commander Stefan Czarnecki to flee, forcing the army of King Jan Casimir to retreat. Repeatedly beat the Crimean Tatars. In 1677 he defeated the 100,000th Turkish army of Ibrahim Pasha near Buzhin, in 1678 he defeated the Turkish corps of Kaplan Pasha near Chigirin. Thanks to his military talents, Ukraine did not become another Ottoman province and the Turks did not take Kyiv.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
He was the Supreme Commander during the Great Patriotic War, in which our country won, and made all strategic decisions.
Shein Mikhail Borisovich
He led the Smolensk defense against the Polish-Lithuanian troops, which lasted 20 months. Under the command of Shein, repeated attacks were repulsed, despite the explosion and a breach in the wall. He held and bled the main forces of the Poles at the decisive moment of the Time of Troubles, preventing them from moving to Moscow to support their garrison, creating an opportunity to assemble an all-Russian militia to liberate the capital. Only with the help of a defector, the troops of the Commonwealth managed to take Smolensk on June 3, 1611. The wounded Shein was taken prisoner and was taken away with his family for 8 years in Poland. After returning to Russia, he commanded an army that tried to return Smolensk in 1632-1634. Executed on boyar slander. Undeservedly forgotten.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
A commander who has not lost a single battle in his career. Took impregnable fortress Ishmael, first time.
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich
Commander of the 62nd Army in Stalingrad.
Rurikovich (Grozny) Ivan Vasilyevich
In the variety of perceptions of Ivan the Terrible, they often forget about his unconditional talent and achievements as a commander. He personally led the capture of Kazan and organized military reform, leading the country, which simultaneously waged 2-3 wars on different fronts.
Blucher, Tukhachevsky
Blucher, Tukhachevsky and the whole galaxy of heroes of the Civil War. Don't forget Budyonny!
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
The great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career (more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art.
Prince of Italy (1799), Count of Rymnik (1789), Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and sea forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, grandee of the Sardinian kingdom and prince of royal blood (with the title "king's cousin"), knight of all Russian orders of their time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.
Uborevich Ieronim Petrovich
Soviet military leader, commander of the 1st rank (1935). Member of the Communist Party since March 1917. Born in the village of Aptandriyus (now the Utena region of the Lithuanian SSR) in the family of a Lithuanian peasant. He graduated from the Konstantinovsky Artillery School (1916). Member of the 1st World War 1914-18, second lieutenant. After October revolution 1917 was one of the organizers of the Red Guard in Bessarabia. In January - February 1918 he commanded a revolutionary detachment in battles against the Romanian and Austro-German invaders, was wounded and captured, from where he fled in August 1918. He was an artillery instructor, commander of the Dvina brigade on the Northern Front, from December 1918 the head of the 18 divisions of the 6th Army. From October 1919 to February 1920 he was commander of the 14th Army during the defeat of the troops of General Denikin, in March - April 1920 he commanded the 9th Army in the North Caucasus. In May - July and November - December 1920 the commander of the 14th Army in battles against the troops of bourgeois Poland and the Petliurists, in July - November 1920 - the 13th Army in battles against the Wrangelites. In 1921, assistant commander of the troops of the Ukraine and Crimea, deputy commander of the troops of the Tambov province, commander of the troops of the Minsk province, led the fighting in the defeat of the gangs of Makhno, Antonov and Bulak-Balakhovich. From August 1921 commander of the 5th Army and the East Siberian Military District. In August - December 1922, Minister of War of the Far Eastern Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the People's Revolutionary Army during the liberation Far East. He was commander of the North Caucasian (since 1925), Moscow (since 1928) and Belorussian (since 1931) military districts. Since 1926 he was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, in 1930-31 he was deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and head of armaments of the Red Army. Since 1934 he has been a member of the Military Council of the NPO. He made a great contribution to the strengthening of the defense capability of the USSR, education and training commanders and troops. Candidate member of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) in 1930-37. Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee since December 1922. He was awarded 3 Orders of the Red Banner and Honorary Revolutionary Weapons.
Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich
Success in Crimean War 1853-56, victory in the battle of Sinop in 1853, defense of Sevastopol 1854-55.
Sheremetev Boris Petrovich
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
He was the Supreme Commander of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War! Under his leadership, the USSR won the Great Victory during the Great Patriotic War!
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
To a person to whom this name does not say anything - there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something - and so everything is clear.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that of the army general - but before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
He liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Keniksberg.
One of the few who pushed back the Germans on June 23, 1941.
He held the front in Valdai. In many ways, he determined the fate of repelling the German offensive on Leningrad. He kept Voronezh. Freed Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943. Having formed the top of the Kursk Bulge with his army. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. Take Kyiv. Repelled Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out the operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured by his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly marched through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Because it inspires many by personal example.
Minich Burchard-Christopher
One of the best Russian commanders and military engineers. The first commander who entered the Crimea. Winner at Stavucany.
Senyavin Dmitry Nikolaevich
Dmitry Nikolaevich Senyavin (August 6 (17), 1763 - April 5 (17), 1831) - Russian naval commander, admiral.
for courage and outstanding diplomatic work shown during the blockade of the Russian fleet in Lisbon
Romanov Petr Alekseevich
Behind the endless discussions about Peter I as a politician and reformer, it is unfairly forgotten that he was the greatest commander of his time. He was not only an excellent rear organizer. In the two most important battles of the Northern War (the battles of Lesnaya and Poltava), he not only developed battle plans himself, but also personally led the troops, being in the most important, responsible areas.
The only commander I know of was equally talented in both land and sea battles.
The main thing is that Peter I created a national military school. If all the great commanders of Russia are the heirs of Suvorov, then Suvorov himself is the heir of Peter.
The Battle of Poltava was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) victory in national history. In all other great predatory invasions of Russia, the general battle did not have a decisive outcome, and the struggle dragged on, went to exhaustion. And only in northern war the general battle radically changed the state of affairs, and from the attacking side the Swedes became the defender, decisively losing the initiative.
I think that Peter I deserves to be in the top three in the list of the best commanders of Russia.
Ermolov Alexey Petrovich
Hero of the Napoleonic Wars and the Patriotic War of 1812. Conqueror of the Caucasus. Smart strategist and tactician, strong-willed and brave warrior.
Rurikovich Svyatoslav Igorevich
He defeated the Khazar Khaganate, expanded the boundaries of Russian lands, successfully fought with the Byzantine Empire.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
GKO Chairman, Supreme Commander USSR Armed Forces during the Great Patriotic War.
What other questions might there be?
Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich
01/28/1887 - 09/05/1919 life. Head of a division of the Red Army, participant in the First World War and the Civil War.
Cavalier of three St. George's crosses and the St. George medal. Cavalier of the Order of the Red Banner.
On his account:
- Organization of the county Red Guard of 14 detachments.
- Participation in the campaign against General Kaledin (near Tsaritsyn).
- Participation in the campaign of the Special Army against Uralsk.
- An initiative to reorganize the Red Guard detachments into two regiments of the Red Army: them. Stepan Razin and them. Pugachev, united in the Pugachev brigade under the command of Chapaev.
- Participation in battles with the Czechoslovaks and the People's Army, from whom Nikolaevsk was recaptured, renamed in honor of the brigade in Pugachevsk.
- Since September 19, 1918, the commander of the 2nd Nikolaev division.
- From February 1919 - Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Nikolaevsky district.
- From May 1919 - brigade commander of the Special Alexander-Gai Brigade.
- Since June - the head of the 25th Infantry Division, which participated in the Bugulma and Belebeev operations against Kolchak's army.
- The capture by the forces of his division on June 9, 1919 of Ufa.
- The capture of Uralsk.
- A deep raid by a Cossack detachment with an attack on the well-guarded (about 1000 bayonets) and located in the deep rear of the city of Lbischensk (now the village of Chapaev, West Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan), where the headquarters of the 25th division was located.
Slashchev Yakov Alexandrovich
Shein Mikhail
Hero of the Smolensk Defense 1609-11
He led the Smolensk fortress in the siege for almost 2 years, it was one of the longest siege campaigns in Russian history, which predetermined the defeat of the Poles during the Time of Troubles
Kovpak Sidor Artemevich
Member of the First World War (he served in the 186th Aslanduz Infantry Regiment) and the Civil War. During the First World War, he fought on the Southwestern Front, a member of the Brusilov breakthrough. In April 1915, as part of the guard of honor, he was personally awarded the St. George Cross by Nicholas II. In total, he was awarded St. George's crosses III and IV degrees and medals "For Courage" ("George" medals) III and IV degrees.
During the Civil War, he led a local partisan detachment that fought in Ukraine against the German invaders together with the detachments of A. Ya. Parkhomenko, then was a fighter of the 25th Chapaev division on Eastern Front, where he was engaged in the disarmament of the Cossacks, participated in battles with the armies of Generals A.I. Denikin and Wrangel on the Southern Front.
In 1941-1942, Kovpak's formation carried out raids behind enemy lines in the Sumy, Kursk, Oryol and Bryansk regions, in 1942-1943 - a raid from the Bryansk forests on the Right-Bank Ukraine along the Gomel, Pinsk, Volyn, Rivne, Zhytomyr and Kiev regions; in 1943 - the Carpathian raid. The Sumy partisan unit under the command of Kovpak fought over 10 thousand kilometers in the rear of the Nazi troops, defeated the enemy garrisons in 39 settlements. Kovpak's raids played a big role in the deployment partisan movement against the German occupiers.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union:
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 18, 1942, for the exemplary performance of combat missions behind enemy lines, the courage and heroism shown in their performance, Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 708)
The second medal "Gold Star" (No.) Major General Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of January 4, 1944 for the successful conduct of the Carpathian raid
four Orders of Lenin (18.5.1942, 4.1.1944, 23.1.1948, 25.5.1967)
Order of the Red Banner (24.12.1942)
Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 1st class. (7.8.1944)
Order of Suvorov, 1st class (2 May 1945)
medals
foreign orders and medals (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia)
Kotlyarevsky Petr Stepanovich
Hero of the Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813
"General Meteor" and "Caucasian Suvorov".
He fought not in numbers, but in skill - first, 450 Russian soldiers attacked 1,200 Persian sardars in the Migri fortress and took it, then 500 of our soldiers and Cossacks attacked 5,000 askers at the crossing over the Araks. More than 700 enemies were exterminated, only 2,500 Persian fighters managed to escape from ours.
In both cases, our losses are less than 50 killed and up to 100 wounded.
Further, in the war against the Turks, with a swift attack, 1000 Russian soldiers defeated the 2000th garrison of the Akhalkalaki fortress.
Then, again in the Persian direction, he cleared Karabakh of the enemy, and then, with 2,200 soldiers, defeated Abbas-Mirza with a 30,000-strong army near Aslanduz, a village near the Araks River. In two battles, he destroyed more than 10,000 enemies, including English advisers and artillerymen.
As usual, Russian losses were 30 killed and 100 wounded.
Kotlyarevsky won most of his victories in night assaults on fortresses and enemy camps, preventing the enemies from coming to their senses.
The last campaign - 2000 Russians against 7000 Persians to the fortress of Lankaran, where Kotlyarevsky almost died during the assault, lost consciousness at times from blood loss and pain from wounds, but still, until the final victory, he commanded the troops as soon as he regained consciousness, and after that he was forced to be treated for a long time and move away from military affairs.
His feats for the glory of Russia are much cooler than the "300 Spartans" - for our generals and warriors more than once beat the 10-fold superior enemy, and suffered minimal losses, saving Russian lives.
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
Full Knight of the Order of St. George. In the history of military art, according to Western authors (for example: J. Witter), he entered as the architect of the strategy and tactics of "scorched earth" - cutting off the main enemy troops from the rear, depriving them of supplies and organizing a guerrilla war in their rear. M.V. Kutuzov, after taking command of the Russian army, in fact, continued the tactics developed by Barclay de Tolly and defeated Napoleon's army.
Yulaev Salavat
The commander of the Pugachev era (1773-1775). Together with Pugachev, having organized an uprising, he tried to change the position of the peasants in society. He won several dinners over the troops of Catherine II.
Platov Matvei Ivanovich
Ataman of the Great Don Army (since 1801), cavalry general (1809), who took part in all wars Russian Empire late 18th - early 19th centuries.
In 1771 he distinguished himself in the attack and capture of the Perekop line and Kinburn. From 1772 he began to command a Cossack regiment. During the 2nd Turkish war, he distinguished himself during the assault on Ochakov and Ishmael. Participated in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, he first commanded all the Cossack regiments on the border, and then, covering the retreat of the army, defeated the enemy near the town of Mir and Romanovo. In the battle near the village of Semlevo, Platov's army defeated the French and captured a colonel from the army of Marshal Murat. During the retreat of the French army, Platov, pursuing her, defeated her at Gorodnya, the Kolotsk Monastery, Gzhatsk, Tsarevo-Zaimishcha, near Dukhovshchina and while crossing the Vop River. For merit he was elevated to the dignity of a count. In November, Platov occupied Smolensk from battle and defeated the troops of Marshal Ney near Dubrovna. At the beginning of January 1813 he entered the borders of Prussia and overlaid Danzig; in September, he received command of a special corps, with which he participated in the battle of Leipzig and, pursuing the enemy, captured about 15 thousand people. In 1814 he fought at the head of his regiments in the capture of Nemur, at Arcy-sur-Aube, Cezanne, Villeneuve. He was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
One of the most talented and successful commanders of the First World War. A native of a poor family, he made a brilliant military career, relying solely on his own virtues. Member of the REV, WWI, graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. He fully realized his talent commanding the legendary "Iron" brigade, then deployed into a division. Participant and one of the main characters of the Brusilov breakthrough. He remained a man of honor even after the collapse of the army, a prisoner of Bykhov. Participant ice hike and commander of the VSYUR. For more than a year and a half, having very modest resources and far inferior in number to the Bolsheviks, he won victory after victory, freeing a huge territory.
Also, do not forget that Anton Ivanovich is a wonderful and very successful publicist, and his books are still very popular. An extraordinary, talented commander, an honest Russian man in a difficult time for the Motherland, who was not afraid to light a torch of hope.
Svyatoslav Igorevich
I want to propose "candidates" for Svyatoslav and his father, Igor, as the greatest generals and political leaders of their time, I think that it makes no sense to list their services to the fatherland to historians, I was unpleasantly surprised not to meet their names in this list. Sincerely.
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Creator of the modern Airborne Forces. When for the first time the BMD parachuted with the crew, the commander in it was his son. In my opinion, this fact speaks of such a remarkable person as V.F. Margelov, everyone. About his devotion to the Airborne Forces!
Svyatoslav Igorevich
Grand Duke Novgorod, since 945 Kyiv. Son of Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich and Princess Olga. Svyatoslav became famous as a great commander, whom N.M. Karamzin called "Alexander (Macedonian) of our ancient history."
After the military campaigns of Svyatoslav Igorevich (965-972), the territory of the Russian land increased from the Volga to the Caspian, from the North Caucasus to the Black Sea, from the Balkan Mountains to Byzantium. Defeated Khazaria and Volga Bulgaria, weakened and frightened the Byzantine Empire, opened the way for trade between Russia and Eastern countries
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
A man whose faith, courage, and patriotism defended our state
Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich
An outstanding strategist and a mighty warrior, he earned respect and fear of his name from the recalcitrant highlanders who forgot the iron grip of the "Thunderstorm of the Caucasus". At the moment - Yakov Petrovich, a model of the spiritual strength of a Russian soldier in front of the proud Caucasus. His talent crushed the enemy and minimized the time frame of the Caucasian War, for which he received the nickname "Boklu" akin to the devil for his fearlessness.
Field Marshal Ivan Gudovich
The assault on the Turkish fortress of Anapa on June 22, 1791. In terms of complexity and importance, it is only inferior to the assault on Izmail by A.V. Suvorov.
A 7,000-strong Russian detachment stormed Anapa, which was defended by a 25,000-strong Turkish garrison. At the same time, shortly after the start of the assault, 8,000 mounted mountaineers and Turks attacked the Russian detachment from the mountains, who attacked the Russian camp, but could not break into it, were repulsed in a fierce battle and pursued by Russian cavalry.
The fierce battle for the fortress lasted over 5 hours. Of the Anapa garrison, about 8,000 people died, 13,532 defenders were taken prisoner, led by the commandant and Sheikh Mansur. A small part (about 150 people) escaped on ships. Almost all artillery was captured or destroyed (83 cannons and 12 mortars), 130 banners were taken. To the nearby fortress of Sudzhuk-Kale (on the site of modern Novorossiysk), Gudovich sent a separate detachment from Anapa, but when he approached, the garrison burned the fortress and fled to the mountains, leaving 25 guns.
The losses of the Russian detachment were very high - 23 officers and 1,215 privates were killed, 71 officers and 2,401 privates were wounded (in " Military Encyclopedia» Sytin, slightly lower data are indicated - 940 killed and 1995 wounded). Gudovich was awarded the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree, all the officers of his detachment were awarded, a special medal was established for the lower ranks.
Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich
The commander who did not have defeats ...
Golovanov Alexander Evgenievich
He is the creator of the Soviet long-range aviation (ADD).
Units under the command of Golovanov bombed Berlin, Koenigsberg, Danzig and other cities in Germany, attacked important strategic targets behind enemy lines.
Katukov Mikhail Efimovich
Perhaps the only bright spot in the background Soviet commanders armored troops. A tanker who went through the entire war, starting from the border. The commander, whose tanks always showed their superiority to the enemy. His tank brigades were the only (!) in the first period of the war that were not defeated by the Germans and even inflicted significant damage on them.
His First Guards Tank Army remained combat-ready, although it defended from the very first days of the fighting on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge, while exactly the same Rotmistrov's 5th Guards Tank Army was practically destroyed on the very first day it entered the battle (June 12)
This is one of the few of our commanders who took care of his troops and fought not by numbers, but by skill.
Belov Pavel Alekseevich
He led the cavalry corps during the Second World War. It proved to be excellent during the Battle of Moscow, especially in defensive battles near Tula. He especially distinguished himself in the Rzhev-Vyazemsky operation, where he left the encirclement after 5 months of stubborn fighting.
Dubynin Viktor Petrovich
From April 30, 1986 to June 1, 1987 - Commander of the 40th Combined Arms Army of the Turkestan Military District. The troops of this army made up the bulk of the Limited Contingent of Soviet Troops in Afghanistan. During the year of his command of the army, the number of irretrievable losses decreased by 2 times in comparison with 1984-1985.
On June 10, 1992, Colonel General V.P. Dubynin was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation
His merits include keeping the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin from a number of ill-conceived decisions in the military sphere, primarily in the field of nuclear forces. Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Soldier, several wars (including World War I and World War II). passed the way to Marshal of the USSR and Poland. Military intellectual. not resorting to "obscene leadership." he knew tactics in military affairs to the subtleties. practice, strategy and operational art.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
Victory in the Great Patriotic War, saving the entire planet from absolute evil, and our country from extinction.
Stalin from the first hours of the war exercised control over the country, front and rear. On land, at sea and in the air.
His merit is not one or even ten battles or campaigns, his merit is the Victory, made up of hundreds of battles of the Great Patriotic War: the battle of Moscow, the battles in the North Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Kursk, the battle of Leningrad and many others before the capture Berlin, success in which was achieved thanks to the monotonous inhuman work of the genius of the Supreme Commander.
Ermak Timofeevich
Russian. Cossack. Ataman. Defeated Kuchum and his satellites. Approved Siberia as part of the Russian state. He devoted his whole life to military work.
Dovator Lev Mikhailovich
Soviet military commander, major general, Hero of the Soviet Union. Known for successful destruction operations German troops during the Great Patriotic War. The German command appointed a large reward for the head of Dovator.
Together with the 8th Guards Division named after Major General I.V. Panfilov, the 1st Guards Tank Brigade of General M.E. Katukov and other troops of the 16th Army, his corps defended the approaches to Moscow in the Volokolamsk direction.
Ivan the Terrible Alexey Tribunsky
Kuznetsov Nikolai Gerasimovich
He made a great contribution to the strengthening of the fleet before the war; conducted a number of major exercises, became the initiator of the discovery of new maritime schools and marine special schools (later Nakhimov schools). On the eve of Germany's sudden attack on the USSR, he took effective measures to increase the combat readiness of the fleets, and on the night of June 22 he gave the order to bring them to full combat readiness, which made it possible to avoid the loss of ships and naval aviation.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
Prominent military leader, scientist, traveler and discoverer. Admiral of the Russian Fleet, whose talent was highly appreciated by Sovereign Nicholas II. The Supreme Ruler of Russia during the Civil War, a real Patriot of his Fatherland, a tragic man, interesting fate. One of those military men who tried to save Russia during the years of unrest, in the most difficult conditions, being in very difficult international diplomatic conditions.
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
The great Russian naval commander, who won victories at Fedonisi, Kaliakria, at Cape Tendra and during the liberation of the islands of Malta (Ioanian Islands) and Corfu. He discovered and introduced a new tactic of naval combat, with the rejection of linear construction ships and showed the tactics of "alluvial formation" with an attack on the flagship of the enemy fleet. One of the founders Black Sea Fleet and its commander in 1790-1792
Olsufiev Zakhar Dmitrievich
One of the most famous commanders of Bagrationov's 2nd Western Army. He always fought with exemplary courage. He was awarded the Order of St. George 3rd degree for heroic participation in the Battle of Borodino. He distinguished himself in the battle on the Chernishna (or Tarutinsky) River. The award to him for participating in the defeat of the vanguard of Napoleon's army was the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd degree. He was called "general with talents". When Olsufiev was captured and was delivered to Napoleon, he said to his entourage the famous words in history: "Only Russians know how to fight like that!"
Makhno Nestor Ivanovich
Over the mountains, over the valleys
waiting for your blues for a long time
wise father, glorious father,
our kind father - Makhno ...
(peasant song from the Civil War)
He was able to create an army, led successful military operations against the Austro-Germans, against Denikin.
And for * carts * even if he was not awarded the Order of the Red Banner, then this should be done now
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
Certainly worthy, explanations and proofs, in my opinion, are not required. It's amazing that his name isn't on the list. was the list prepared by representatives of the USE generation?
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
Outstanding Russian commander. He successfully defended the interests of Russia both from external aggression and outside the country.
He was a consistent champion of strict discipline, but an enemy of shouting. Rudeness in general was organically alien to him. True military intellectual, b. colonel in the imperial army.
Bagramyan Ivan Khristoforovich
Marshal of the Soviet Union. Chief of Staff of the Southwestern Front, then at the same time the headquarters of the troops of the Southwestern direction, commander of the 16th (11th Guards Army). From 1943 he commanded the troops of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian fronts. He showed military leadership talent and especially distinguished himself during the Belarusian and East Prussian operations. He stood out for his ability to prudently and flexibly respond to imminent changes in the situation.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
He commanded a tank corps, the 60th Army, from April 1944 - the 3rd Belorussian Front. He showed a bright talent and especially distinguished himself during the Belarusian and East Prussian operations. Distinguished by the ability to conduct highly maneuverable combat operations. Mortally wounded in February 1945.
The outstanding Russian naval commander was born on January 31 (new style) 1713 in the family of a nobleman Andrei Spiridov, who served during the reign of Peter the Great as commandant of the Vyborg fortress. From the very early years Gregory was connected with the sea. When he was ten, he signed up for the navy as a volunteer and spent the next five years sailing, learning the basics of marine science. In 1728, the young Spiridov, having successfully passed the exams, received the rank of midshipman and entered active service. young officer was sent to Astrakhan, where, commanding three-masted cargo ships - geckboats "Shah-Dagai" and "Saint Catherine", he sailed the Caspian Sea for several years. His mentor during these years was the famous hydrographer and compiler of nautical charts Alexei Nagaev, who highly noted the abilities of the hardworking sailor.
For his diligence in an extraordinary manner in 1732, Gregory was awarded the rank of midshipman and transferred to Kronstadt. Until February 1733, he sailed across the Baltic, after which he received a new direction - to the Don Flotilla. Here, the commander of the flotilla, a veteran of the Peter the Great fleet, Vice-Admiral Petr Petrovich Bredal, drew attention to him, taking in February 1737 Grigory Andreevich to his adjutant of the "rank of captain". The Don military flotilla took part in the famous Azov campaign of the Russian-Turkish war of 1735-1741. Spiridov accompanied the admiral during the war, took part in naval battles. Eyewitnesses noted that in battles he acted bravely and competently.
In 1741, Grigory Andreevich was sent to the port of Arkhangelsk. For the next three decades, his life was closely connected with the northern seas. Twice he made difficult transitions along the Arkhangelsk-Kronstadt route on newly built ships (in 1742 and 1752). After returning to Kronstadt, he annually made trips along the Neva and the Baltic Sea. The service progressed successfully, the experienced sailor was repeatedly entrusted with responsible tasks. For example, in 1747, on the frigate "Russia", he delivered Prince Holstein to Kiel, and in 1750 Spiridov was entrusted with managing court yachts.
In 1754, Grigory, already a captain of the third rank, was sent to Kazan by order of the Admiralty Board to supervise the loading and delivery of ship timber for the St. Petersburg Admiralty. It is known that the sailor, who was on vacation near Belgorod, did not want to take on this assignment. Perhaps because he was warned that he would be charged if, upon arrival, “some kind of disorder and loss to the treasury of the Imperial Majesty” comes out. However, the collegium ordered him to leave "at extreme speed", threatening with an inventory of all property. He completed the task successfully, upon his return from Kazan in 1755 he was appointed a member of the commission for the consideration of the maritime regulations, and the following year - a company commander in the Naval "gentry" cadet corps.
Despite the fact that the annual voyages enriched the experience of Grigory Alekseevich as a naval officer, his combat experience remained small. However, in 1760-1761, the captain happened to take part in a major military operation - the battle for the Pomeranian stronghold of Kolberg. For the Russian army, the capture of this fortress was of great importance, since it made it possible to organize a strategically advantageous bridgehead in Pomerania, and in addition to supply troops by sea, which was cheaper and faster than the existing route through Poland.
A. E. Kotzebue. "The Capture of Kolberg"
The first attempt to capture Kolberg was made in 1758, but ended in failure. It was decided to repeat the siege in 1760. Grigory Andreevich took part in it, commanding the battleship "Saint Dmitry of Rostov", on which his sons of eight and ten years old also sailed. Arriving at the fortress, Russian ships landed troops and blocked Kolberg from the sea. However, this assault attempt also ended in failure - despite the huge forces gathered under the walls of the fortress, there was no interaction between the sea and land units. In addition, there were rumors about the approach of the six thousandth Prussian corps, causing confusion in the Russian camp. In early September, Spiridov's ship, having received troops from the shore, returned with the fleet to Kronstadt.
The decisive battle for this "annoying fortresses" took place in August 1761, when Rumyantsev's 15,000-strong corps set out on a campaign. To help him, a combined Russian-Swedish fleet was sent under the command of Vice Admiral Andrei Ivanovich Polyansky, consisting of 24 battleships, 12 bombing ships and frigates and a huge number of transport ships that brought seven thousandth reinforcements to Kolberg. In this campaign, Spiridov commanded the ship "Saint Andrew the First-Called".
From the side of the sea, the blockade of the fortress lasted from mid-August to the end of September. The bombardment ships of the Kronstadt squadron under the command of Semyon Ivanovich Mordvinov were deployed against the enemy batteries. Captain Grigory Spiridov was instructed to lead a two thousandth landing force landed to support the siege corps. The detachment took part in the unloading of provisions, after which it was sent into battle.
The commander of the landing showed himself from the best side, Mordvinov wrote to St. Petersburg that "I have heard more than once about the brave deeds of the captain of the fleet Spiridov, which is what the certificate handed to him (Spiridov) from Rumyantsev testifies." Nevertheless, neither Semyon Mordvinov nor Grigory Spiridov was able to see the end of the operation - the fall of the Kolberg fortress -: the lack of provisions and firewood forced the fleet to return to Kronstadt in October.
The following year, Spiridov was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and put in command of a squadron of seven ships sent to the coast of Pomerania to cover Russian communications. The ships embarked on a raid in Kolberg, from where they set sail in turn in pairs. By that time, hostilities had already ended, there was no need to guard their transports or capture other people's. In early July 1962, news came of a palace coup, Rumyantsev delivered a sworn list and a copy of the manifesto of Catherine II to the squadron. Grigory Andreevich, having gathered the commanders of all the ships, as well as the officers of his ship, loudly read out the manifesto. This was followed by an oath along with a prayer of thanksgiving. The change of power was accepted calmly, there is no mention of any incidents in the logbook. The crews of the ships obediently swore allegiance, apparently, the deposed Peter III did not enjoy sympathy in the fleet. In August 1762, the squadron returned to Revel.
In 1762-1763, Spiridov lived and worked in St. Petersburg at the Admiralty, his name was heard at parades and during ceremonial visits by Catherine II to the ships of the squadron. On May 4, 1764, Grigory Andreevich was promoted to vice admiral and appointed to command the Kronstadt squadron. And in July of the same year, an authoritative sailor replaced the seriously ill Polyansky as commander of the Reval fleet. In October, Admiral Andrei Polyansky died, and Spiridov became the chief commander of the port in Revel. A year later, he was transferred to Kronstadt for a similar position.
In 1768, the captain of the first rank Samuil Karlovich Greig, a Scot who had transferred to the Russian service, proposed a new system of equipment and sails, developed by him on the basis of the English one. Grigory Andreevich was present at the experiments and had to give an official conclusion. New system indeed, facilitating the equipment, it increased the course of the ship, however, it could not be successfully applied on all ships. Spiridov's decision was balanced - the captains were allowed to decide on their own whether to innovate on their ship or leave everything as it is.
Such was the life of Grigory Spiridov by the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, the war that became his finest hour. Simultaneously with the offensive of the land armies of Rumyantsev and Golitsyn, preparations began in St. Petersburg for fighting at sea. Hasty orders were made to collect material and build ships in Pavlovsk, Tavrov and other Don shipyards. The Admiralty Board was instructed to "think up a kind of ships with which they could usefully act against the Turkish sea ships". Admirals Senyavin and Spiridov were involved in the discussion of this issue, "for the first to act, and the second himself was in the right places." By decision of Grigory Andreevich, only small, shallow-draft ships with no more than sixteen guns began to be built.
At the same time, in St. Petersburg, according to the project of Count Alexei Orlov, a daring plan of joint actions was developed near the Turkish shores at sea and on land, a plan aimed at raising against the Turks the indigenous population of the islands of the Archipelago and the Balkan Peninsula: Greeks, Montenegrins and other Christians. Spiridov was entrusted with the command of the sent squadron, a secret order dated March 20, 1769 read: “We entrust Spiridov, our vice admiral, with some expedition, for which the Admiralty Board, at his request, has to repair all kinds of assistance to him.”
The purpose of the campaign was kept secret, only on June 4, 1769, Grigory Andreevich was promoted to admiral and was officially placed at the head of the fleet equipped for the expedition. Historians assess this appointment differently. The French poet, writer and diplomat Claude Rulier spoke of Spiridov as a straightforward, simple and courageous person, of a rough but easy disposition. According to his judgment, Grigory Andreevich owed his rise to the Orlovs, whom he knew as sergeants. Having risen with them, he remained a commander only in name, shifting the glory to Orlov, and the labors to Greig. This point of view is supported by another Frenchman who lived at the end of the 18th century, the historian J.A. Custer. Unfortunately, some domestic historians partially agree with them, speaking of Spiridov as a "venerable, but quite ordinary campaigner."
Undoubtedly, all such characteristics originate in the hostile attitude of the French government towards the Mediterranean campaign of the Russian fleet, as well as its leaders. Grigory Andreevich could not be indebted to Orlov for his career, if only because in 1733, when Ivan (the eldest of the brothers) was born, he was already twenty years old, ten of which he spent in the navy. Of course, this does not exclude his acquaintance with the Orlovs, as well as the fact that in the later stages of his career they could contribute to his promotion. However, even before them, Bredal, Polyansky, Mordvinov spoke for Spiridov .... All of them were prominent figures in domestic fleet of that time, and they all noted the talents and diligence of Grigory Andreevich. As for experience, his service lasted almost half a century, he started from the lowest ranks, carried out the responsible tasks of the Admiralty. On his way to the rank of admiral, this man served on all the seas where Russia had at least some naval formations. At that time, Grigory Spiridov, of course, was the most worthy candidate for the role of leader of the campaign to the shores of Turkey.
The task assigned to the squadron was extremely difficult and responsible - the Russian fleet had not yet made such distant voyages and was not adapted to a long campaign. Many ships were leaking, to prevent this, the underwater part of the ships was urgently - the empress hurried with the departure - sheathed with pine boards, laying sheep's wool between them. After that, the squadron was given the name "sheathing". On June 18, Catherine II personally visited the finished ships. Spiridov was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Empress also blessed him, putting on the neck the image of the holy martyr John the Warrior, officers and sailors were given a four-month salary “not counting”. That same night, the ships weighed anchor. Seven ships of the line (66- and 84-gun), one 36-gun frigate and seven small ships went on a long journey.
Grigory Andreevich himself sailed on the 66-gun "Evstafiya". A personal letter from the empress instructed him to “deliver ground troops, along with artillery and military shells, to support Count Orlov; to establish a whole corps of Christians to inflict sabotage on Turkey in the most sensitive place for her; to assist the rebellious Greeks and Slavs and to stop the smuggling to Turkey. The powers of the admiral, therefore, were enormous - he could issue letters of marque on his own, issue manifestos "to distract the barbarian republics from Turkish domination." He was given 480,000 rubles for emergency expenses.
The voyage turned out to be very difficult, the ocean gave the squadron a severe test. Hurricane winds broke the spars and tore to shreds the sails of ships unsuitable for long-distance navigation. Masts were broken on the ships, each storm disabled several ships, forcing them to take shelter for repairs in ports - “so gloomy and strong weather came with a cold that it was rarely possible to see half of the squadron.” We had to make long stops in order to wait for all the stragglers. Elphinstone, who led the second squadron sent after Grigory Andreevich, also reported on the deplorable state of his ships - “not a single one has a suitable block, everything has to be changed, the pumps are invalid, the Svyatoslav may not withstand the concussions from its large artillery ... ".
Exhausting not only the battle with the elements. The accelerated preparation for the campaign also had an effect: there were not enough ropes, sails, pumps for pumping water. It was crowded on the ships: in addition to the crews, ground troops, repairmen and ships went on a campaign. For weeks, unaccustomed to long voyages and terrible pitching, the sailors could not eat, cook hot meals for themselves, eating only breadcrumbs and corned beef. From the change in humidity and air, cold and poor nutrition, the teams mowed down the disease. First on one ship, then on another, flags were lowered to half-mast, throwing overboard the dead wrapped in canvas. But Spiridov's squadron moved forward. Grigory Andreevich's letter, written to Chernyshev from Hull on September 25, was of the most gloomy character. The admiral reported that out of fifteen ships, only ten reached this place with him, the rest suffered accidents and stood up for repairs. He also reported about six hundred sick people, a lack of fresh provisions, the absence of pilots in Hull, who have to wait. The slow progress caused extreme dissatisfaction with Catherine II, who wrote to Spiridov: “... do not allow shame before the whole world. The whole of Europe is watching you and your squadron.”
In the circumstances, Spiridov decided not to wait for the lagging ships, allowing their captains to continue on their way "according to their ability." The collection point was Port Mahon on Menorca. Admiral "Evstafiy" was the first to reach the place on November 18. Months of waiting passed. At the end of 1769, three more linear and four small ships approached, and the last ships arrived only in May of the following year. Many of them were in a deplorable state, and Spiridov himself was ill, having experienced a personal tragedy - his youngest son, who was enrolled in the Archipelago expedition along with his brother for "practice on distant voyages", died. The arrival of the Baltics aroused the surprise of the "Brilliant Porte", Mustafa III, the former Turkish sultan, refused to believe this. And, nevertheless, the delay at Port Mahon played into the hands of the Turks, allowing them to strengthen their garrisons, provide them with supplies, and take measures to suppress the beginning liberation uprising in the Balkans.
Spiridov went into action in March 1770. First, an assault was landed off the coast of southern Greece in Vitulo Bay, after which an uprising of local residents immediately broke out under the leadership of Russian officers. Then Grigory Andreevich decided to fortify himself on the coast. To do this, his squadron was divided: on March 24, 1770, one part of it was sent to Navarino under the command of Pushkin's great-uncle, Ivan Abramovich Gannibal, the other, under the leadership of Spiridov, to the Crown. On April 10, the Navarino fortress fell, Russian sailors captured one of the most convenient fortifications in the Peloponnese. It was not possible to take the crown from a swoop, and the entire squadron gathered in Navarino Bay.
Having thrown the enemy out of a number of fortresses, the Russians forced the Turkish command to withdraw significant ground forces. The Greek rebels on the peninsula, having met with serious enemy forces, began to scatter. Due to miscalculations in the course of planning ground operations, the Turks also managed to break up the landing troops, pushing them back to Navarino. The siege of the fortress began from the land. Under the threat of an attack by the Turkish squadron, Spiridov withdrew the battleships from the Navarino harbor and went to join the second squadron of Admiral Elphinstone.
On May 22, the squadrons successfully connected, but then the "human factor" intervened in the matter. Despite the fact that Admiral John Elphinstone was younger in rank than Grigory Andreevich, he declared that he would not obey him. The problem was solved by Alexei Orlov, who, having blown up the fortress walls, left Navarino and joined them on June 11. He took over the main command and led the squadrons to meet the Turkish fleet with the only hope of destroying it and taking possession of the sea.
Despite the fact that the Sultan clearly ordered to defeat the daring newcomers, the commander-in-chief of the entire Turkish fleet, Ibrahim Hosameddin, was famous for his caution and indecision. At the meeting, the Turkish forces, consisting of eighteen ships, rushed to retreat. The chase lasted for three days, until finally the faster ships of the Turks were out of sight. The enemy's intention was obvious and was to lure the Russian ships into the labyrinths of the Archipelago, gather all their forces and deliver the final blow. Also, to help Hosameddin, the Sultan sent Vice Admiral Gassan Pasha, who had the nickname "Crocodile of sea battles." He was a brave sailor and an experienced naval commander who won a number of naval victories. It was rumored that on the ships the Algerian walked with a lioness on a leash. “I will find the Russians and make fireworks out of their ships,” he promised the Sultan. However, Spiridov himself was looking for a meeting with him.
P.-J. Volaire. "Fight in the Chios Strait"
Finally, on June 23, the enemy was seen in the Chios Strait. The crews of Russian ships had the opportunity to see almost the entire Turkish fleet, lined up in a double arcuate line in a checkerboard pattern. The ships of the second line stood in the gaps between the ships of the first and could fire with their entire side. The total number was sixteen battleships, six forty-gun frigates, about sixty brigantines, half-galleys and other vessels. On board were fifteen thousand people and over 1400 guns, and about 700 guns could fire simultaneously.
The Russian squadron was twice as large as the enemy (nine battleships, three kicks, three frigates and one packet boat plus thirteen small prize and chartered ships), which had 6500 people and 600 guns. About his impressions of what he saw, Orlov wrote to the Empress: “Horrified, I was in the dark, what should I do?” The timid commander-in-chief preferred to cede the development of an action plan to Grigory Andreevich.
All night the crews of the ships were preparing for battle, and on the morning of June 24, 1770, the Battle of Chios began. The Russians attacked. In complete silence, their ships in the wake column, without opening fire, approached the enemy perpendicular to his line. Grigory Spiridov himself commanded the first column, the second column went under the flag of Orlov, the third - Elphinston. Several small ships under the command of Hannibal covered the flanks. The rapprochement lasted four hours, which, combined with complete silence, confused the Turkish fleet. The enemy opened fire on the squadron as soon as it came within firing range. Russian ships dealt a concentrated blow to the avant-garde and part of the Turkish center only after approaching a distance of 50-70 meters. Speed, onslaught, sudden heavy fire and the Turkish fleet began to lose control. The admiral's idea broke the usual foundations of linear tactics and was fully justified. 35 years later, Nelson uses a similar method of naval combat in the Battle of Trafalgar.
When the leading ship "Europe", suddenly making a turn, went out of order, the "Saint Eustathius" with the admiral on board became the leader. The ship of the line was hit by fire from three Turkish ships at once. Grigory Andreevich walked around on the quarters in dress uniform, with a drawn sword and with all the orders, calmly leading the battle and cheering the sailors. Music sounded on the ship's poop: “Play to the last! - such was the order of the admiral.
Enemy fire interrupted the gear on the Eustathia, depriving him of the ability to move independently. The ship was carried directly to the flagship of the Turkish squadron - the 84-gun Real Mustafa. When the "Saint Eustathius" pierced him with a bowsprit, the sailors from both ships rushed into a furious hand-to-hand fight. They fought to the death. A fire started on the Real Mustafa, which soon spread to the Evstafiy. Russian sailors on boats tried to pull the ship away from the Turkish ship, but to no avail. In accordance with the requirements of the Naval Charter, Admiral Grigory Spiridov left the dying ship, transferring his flag to the "Three Saints" and continuing to lead the naval battle. A few minutes later, the mainmast of the Real-Mustafa collapsed, engulfed in flames, its fragments fell into the powder magazine of the Eustathius. The ship exploded, after a couple of moments Real Mustafa shared its fate.
I. Aivazovsky. "Chesme battle"
The explosion of the flagship caused a real panic among the Turkish ships. In order not to catch fire, they hurriedly moved away from the terrible place directly to the Chesme Bay. Many of them collided with each other, which only increased the general confusion. The panic was clearly disproportionate to the situation - after all, only one ship was lost, and the commander of the battle, Gassan Pasha, escaped by sailing on a boat to the Kapudan Pasha, from where he could continue to lead the battle. Watching the Turks hide under the cover of coastal batteries in a cramped water area Chesme Bay, Grigory Andreevich said: "This will be their refuge and their tomb."
June 25 in the evening on the battleship "Three Hierarchs" gathered a military council chaired by Count Alexei Orlov. Numerical superiority, as before, remained on the side of the Turkish squadron. The enemy ships were faster, and in case of calm they were accompanied by towing rowing galleys. However, the enemy was demoralized and locked in a cramped bay, so most of the sailors spoke in favor of immediate and decisive action. The plan to defeat the enemy was proposed by Spiridov and Hannibal. The idea was to blow up next to the enemy fleet several worthless transport ships impregnated with turpentine and loaded with combustible materials - saltpeter, sulfur, tar, and also equipped with hooks to catch on the superstructure of the enemy ship. To implement the plan, it was necessary not only to prepare incendiary ships, but also to find people who were cold-blooded and not afraid to risk their lives. It is known that the teams were recruited from volunteers. In total, four firewalls were prepared.
The Chesme battle took place on the night of June 26, 1770. Russian battleships entered the bay and entered into battle with the enemy fleet, diverting the attention of the Turks to themselves. Spiridov from the "Three Hierarchs" gave orders, commanding the attack. At two o'clock in the morning, having destroyed two Turkish ships, the Russian fleet ceased fire, and fire-ships appeared in the bay. The Turks managed to shoot only two of them. The third fireship reached the first line of enemy ships, but clung to the already burning ship. The team, led by the future Rear Admiral and founder of Sevastopol, Thomas MacKenzie, left the fireship and went ashore. There, the sailors managed to capture several small ships and return to the main fleet.
The last incendiary ship under the command of Lieutenant Dmitry Ilyin grappled with the 84-gun Turkish ship. Ilyin and his team managed to leave the fireship, he heard a terrible explosion, swimming up to his own. The firewall and the Turkish ship took off at the same time. The explosion scattered flaming debris throughout the raid and across the decks of enemy ships, setting most of them on fire. Russian ships resumed fire, but this was already redundant, the flames destroyed the Turkish ships one after another. Some rowboats sank or capsized from the multitudes of people rushing into them. Explosions continued until eight o'clock in the morning. By this time, the Turks had burned sixty-three ships, more than ten thousand people died in the fire. The Russians lost eleven men and managed to capture one Turkish ship and six galleys. The impression of the Battle of Chesma in Russia, Turkey, and European countries was enormous.
Chesma was the highest achievement of Grigory Spiridov, the biggest success of the Archipelago expedition. The Empress awarded him the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and he himself demanded immediately, until the enemy came to his senses, to sail to the Dardanelles, through the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara to break into the Black. All the sailors agreed with his plan, but the commander-in-chief Orlov made a different decision, and Elphinstone sailed to the Dardanelles in order to block them. The Englishman did not cope with the task, and in addition he committed a number of malfeasance and crashed his largest battleship Svyatoslav on the reefs. After that, Orlov removed him from command, deporting him to Russia. And soon Orlov himself went for treatment, leaving Spiridov as commander in chief of the fleet.
Grigory Andereevich took up the arrangement of the island of Paros - the new base of the Russian fleet: fortifications were erected here, the admiralty, hospitals, shops, a church were built; organized a dock for the repair of ships; camp for ground troops. Reinforcements from Kronstadt also came here, and detachments of ships left for cruising in order to prevent the supply of raw materials and food from Greece to Istanbul. In 1771 alone, about 180 Turkish merchant ships were captured. In 1770-1772, the Russian fleet, under the leadership of Spiridov, continued military operations, which consisted in searching for accumulations of Turkish ships and destroying them. Land expeditions did not bring major results - among the Albanians and Greeks, demoralized by the first failures, the uprising did not flare up in any way, and the Russian landings were too small for decisive action. At the beginning of 1771, Grigory Andreevich accepted eighteen islands of the Archipelago into Russian citizenship. At the end of the war, he dreamed of keeping them for Russia. “The British and French would gladly give more than one million chervonets for the possession of such a base in the Mediterranean,” he said. Unfortunately, Orlov and Rumyantsev were not interested in his considerations.
By the summer of 1772, the health of the 59th Spiridov was completely shaken. Returning to the Orlov squadron, he gave the admiral a vacation in Livorno. Climate change helped for a while, in March 1773 Grigory Andreevich returned and took command of the Russian fleet. By this time, the Turks had already recognized Russian dominance at sea and were conducting operations only against coastal fortresses. Spiridov undertook a major expedition to the shores of Egypt and Syria in order to support the uprising that broke out there. Despite the fact that the expedition burned a number of ports and small ships, it was not successful, except that it diverted large enemy forces. Unfortunately, Grigory Andreevich could not stay until the victory in the Archipelago. The disease worsened again, constant headaches, seizures, and the growing conflict with Orlov forced him to resign in the summer of 1773. In February 1774, Spiridov handed over the squadron to Vice Admiral Andrey Elmanov and left for Russia. For many years of impeccable service, exceptional services to the Fatherland, the admiral was given the right to a pension in proportion to "the full salary of his rank."
Grigory Andreevich lived at home for sixteen years. During this time, he only once dressed in his ceremonial uniform - after he received the news of Ushakov's victory at Fidonisi. The victory was brought to Ushakov by a conscious repetition of the maneuver that Spiridov performed at Chios - the destruction of the enemy flagship. But if Spiridov did it largely due to chance, then for Fedor Fedorovich it became the main method of achieving victory in battles with the Turks. Grigory Andreevich died in Moscow two months and eighteen days before the Kerch victory of Ushakov's squadron - April 19, 1790. The admiral was buried in his estate, the village of Nagorny, Yaroslavl province, in the crypt of the church, built earlier at his expense. At the funeral among the local peasants was also present best friend- Rear Admiral Stepan Petrovich Khmetevsky, captain of the "Three Hierarchs" in the Chesme battle.
Based on the materials of the resource http://100.histrf.ru/ and books: A.A. Chernyshev "Great battles of the Russian sailing fleet", E.S. Jung "Admiral Spiridov"
