Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov is one of the greatest Russian naval commanders of the 19th century. His life can be called an example of honest and selfless service of Russia. He earned the fame of a just commander and a talented organizer, and if his life had not been interrupted so suddenly, perhaps the outcome of the Crimean War could have been completely different for Russia.
Children and teenagers
The future hero of the Crimean War was born in 1806 in the family estate Ivanovskoye near Tver.
His father, Alexei Mikhailovich, was a naval officer in his youth. Having reached the rank of captain-commander, he left the fleet and for a long time held governorships in Siberia. Later he returned to the capital, where he became a senator.
Following the family tradition, young Vladimir also decided to connect his life with the sea. At the end of the St. Petersburg Naval Cadet Corps, he was enlisted in the Guards Naval Crew. The service took place mainly on the shore, and the constant drill was very burdensome for the young man. Ultimately, he was expelled with the phrase "for lack of vigor for the front." On this, the biography of Kornilov as a naval officer could have ended if his father had not intervened.
Azov
After some time, the future admiral of the Russian fleet was again accepted for military service and hit the Azov ship, which had just arrived in the capital from Arkhangelsk.
While serving on the Azov with the rank of warrant officer, Kornilov participated in the very difficult transition of his ship from Kronstadt to the Mediterranean Sea.
The ship’s commander M. Lazarev, who noticed the young officer’s outstanding abilities, once threw a whole stack of French novels from the cabin of his subordinate, and in return brought Kornilov books on navigation and maritime affairs. Under the auspices of the captain, the young midshipman began to comprehend the difficult marine science. As history shows, Kornilov perfectly mastered it.
Upon arrival in the Mediterranean Sea, Azov met with the Allied Joint Squadron, hurrying to the aid of rebellious Greece. Thus, Kornilov happened to participate in the famous battle of Navarino in 1827. "Azov" was the flagship of the Russian squadron, and his team showed itself heroically.
During the battle, the young midshipman commanded the three guns of the Azov, and for his skill and courage he was awarded several orders from all allied countries. He was awarded the Order of the Bath from England, the Order of the Holy Savior from Greece, the Order of St. Louis from France and the Russian Order of St. Anne of the 4th degree.
In this terrible battle, the young midshipman Istomin and Lieutenant Nakhimov fought shoulder to shoulder with Kornilov. It is unnecessary to recall the great role of these people in the history of the Russian Navy.
On the Black Sea
After the Mediterranean campaign, Kornilov continued his service in the Baltic. However, his former commander, Admiral Lazarev, who had been transferred to the Black Sea at that time, did not forget about the valiant young man and wrote him out of St. Petersburg to Sevastopol.
During the Bosphorus expedition of 1833, Kornilov brilliantly completed his mission of researching the waters in the area of ​​the Straits, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree.
After this operation, Kornilov was appointed commander of the “Themistocles” brig, and he managed to show himself to be an excellent leader. In one of the campaigns of Themistocles, the passenger on board was the great Russian painter Karl Bryullov. During the voyage, Kornilov often had long conversations with this interesting person. Bryullov at that time was working on one of his masterpieces, the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." During the voyage, the artist managed to paint a portrait of Kornilov, which is now kept in the Hermitage collection.
After Themistocles, under the command of Kornilov, the Orest corvette, the Flora frigate, and even the major Twelve Apostles battleship with a team of more than 1,000 people went to sea. It was in those years that the future Admiral Kornilov managed to earn the respect of his subordinates and earn among them the glory of a strict but fair boss. Vladimir Alekseevich himself continued to study tirelessly and improve his captain skills.
Fleet Chief of Staff
In 1838, Kornilov was appointed chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, and his commander again turned out to be Lazarev, who was very glad of the opportunity to work again with a capable young man. In close cooperation with Lazarev, Kornilov conducted several naval exercises and participated in small military campaigns in the eastern part of the Black Sea. In this position, he rose to the rank of Captain I.
In 1848, Kornilov was sent to England to learn from foreign colleagues and simultaneously monitor the construction of several ships ordered by the Black Sea Fleet. He returned to Sevastopol on one of them, the Vladimir frigate steamboat.
After this trip, Kornilov’s career began to develop rapidly. He received the rank of Rear Admiral, and soon he was enrolled in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty. Now he received the right to personally report to Nicholas I on the affairs of the Black Sea Fleet.
Defense Enhancement Activities
In 1851, Lazarev died. Officially, Admiral Berkh was appointed to the post of commander of the Black Sea Fleet, but everyone understood that this was just a formality. All real fleet management in the Black Sea was concentrated in the hands of Kornilov, and he did not have to be bored.
Everyone understood that a big war would soon break out in the south, and Admiral Kornilov was in a hurry to carry out all the necessary work to strengthen the sea lines and build new ships. But he had little time, and events developed rapidly.
Naval battles
In October 1853, Russia entered the war with Turkey. Kornilov was immediately sent on a reconnaissance expedition in order to detect enemy squadrons. Russian ships reached the Bosphorus itself, but they did not find enemy ships. The admiral decided to split his squadron, sending groups of ships in different directions. Himself on the steamer-frigate "Vladimir" moved to Sevastopol.
Suddenly, Vladimir came across a lone enemy ship. It was a Turkish steamboat-frigate “Pervaz-Bahri”. A battle ensued, which was the first ever naval battle of ships using steam traction. The Russians emerged from the battle as victors. The Turkish ship managed to be captured and towed to Sevastopol. Later it was repaired, and it became part of the Black Sea Fleet under the name "Kornilov". The war was inexorably approaching the Crimean coast, and the fleet desperately needed a large number of ships.
A little later, Admiral Kornilov again went to sea as a squadron commander, who was in a hurry to help Nakhimov’s squadron. However, by the beginning of the famous Sinop battle, they did not have time. Nakhimov without outside help was able to defeat the main forces of the enemy fleet.
But the victorious battle of Sinop turned into new troubles. England and France entered the war on the side of Turkey. Now Kornilov faced a new almost impossible task to keep the poorly protected Sevastopol from invading the enemy’s naval and land forces.
Defense of Sevastopol
The land defense organized by Menshikov turned out to be mediocre and ineffective. Soon Sevastopol was in a desperate situation.
Admiral Kornilov, who led the Sevastopol garrison, together with the military engineer Totleben began to hurriedly build fortifications around the city. At this time, a huge Anglo-French squadron approached the Sevastopol Bay. Russian ships were locked in an internal raid three times superior to their enemy forces. Kornilov still proposed to put the ships out to sea, engage in battle and sell his life dearly. However, other, more cautious members of the military council did not support this plan. They proposed to flood the Russian fleet in the raid, thereby reliably hiding the city from invasion from the sea. It was this plan that it was decided to implement. The fleet was flooded, and coastal bastions were additionally strengthened with naval guns.
Death
On September 13, the siege of Sevastopol began and all the inhabitants of the city entered the construction of fortifications. In less than a month, the first massive bombardment of the city took place, which, unfortunately, was the last for the illustrious admiral.
On this day, Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov, as usual, examined the fortifications of the city. The bombing caught him on the Mamaev Hill. Ignoring the falling shells, Kornilov completed the inspection and was about to go to other fortifications, when he was suddenly hit by an enemy core, receiving a mortal wound to the head. His last words were the demand to protect Sevastopol to the last drop of blood.
Kornilov was buried in the Vladimir Marine Cathedral next to his friend and teacher, Admiral Lazarev. A little later, Admirals Nakhimov and Istomin will find their last refuge here.
Kornilov’s short biography cannot fully reflect all the events of his life and the versatility of his personality. This amazing person has managed a lot in his life and will forever remain in the memory of Russian people. He was remembered as an excellent officer and skilled naval commander. However, few know that the glorified hero of the Crimean War, in rare moments of rest, was a gentle husband and a loving father of five children.