There are enough outstanding personalities in the history of our army and navy. These are people who have had a strong influence on the development of not only the military industry, but also the entire statehood of the country. One of these was Admiral Ushakov. The biography of this wonderful person is given in this article.
His fame is evidenced even by the fact that in the fleet of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union there were several ships named after him. In particular, even one cruiser of the Navy of the USSR. Since 1944, there have been an order and a Ushakov medal. A number of objects in the Arctic are named after him.
Initial period of life
Fedor Ushakov, the future admiral, was born in the tiny village of Burnakovo, lost in the vastness of the Moscow province, in February 1745. He came from the family of a landowner, but not too rich. It is not surprising that he had to go to school early so as not to force his parents to spend money on his maintenance. In 1766 he studied in the cadet corps, receiving the rank of midshipman. His naval career began on the Baltic Sea. Ushakov immediately showed himself as a capable commander and brave man.
Start of service, first successes
Already in 1768-1774, during the first war with the Turks, Ushakov carried out command of several battleships at once . He also participated in the heroic defense of the Crimean coast.
In the Baltic, Fedor Ushakov commanded the frigate "St. Paul", and later on he made the same transition to the Mediterranean Sea. He carried out important assignments for transporting timber at the shipyards of St. Petersburg. In 1780, he was even appointed commander of the imperial yacht, but the future admiral refuses this boring post and submits a request for transfer back to the battleship. Then Ushakov receives the rank of captain of the second rank.
From 1780 to 1782 he commanded the battleship Victor. During this period, Ushakov was constantly on raids: he and his crew guarded the trade routes from the English privateers, who at that time had completely unbelted.
Role in the creation of the Black Sea Fleet
One act is particularly famous for Admiral Ushakov. His biography includes the fact that it was this man who was one of the founders of the entire Black Sea Fleet. Since 1783, he was engaged in the construction of the Sevastopol base for the fleet, personally supervised the training of new crews on ships. By 1784, Ushakov became captain of the first rank. Then he receives the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree for his fight against the plague epidemic in Kherson. After that, he was entrusted with command of the ship "St. Paul" and given the rank of brigade captain.
War with the Turks
During the period of the next war with the Turks, from 1787 to 1791, it was Ushakov’s name that was associated with the most high-profile victories of the Russian fleet. So, in the naval battle near the island of Fidonisi (now called Snake), which occurred on July 3, 1788, Admiral Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov personally led the vanguard of four frigates. The Turkish fleet at that time numbered 49 ships at once, and was commanded by Eski-Gassan.
We had only 36 ships, and there were five times fewer ships of the line. It was Ushakov who, skillfully maneuvering and preventing the Turks from approaching, was able to drive off two of their advanced battleships, putting their guns to flight. This battle lasted three hours, as a result of which the entire Turkish fleet chose to retreat. For this battle, the future Admiral Ushakov (his biography is described in the article) was granted the St. George Knights.
New feats
For the next two years, naval battles were not addressed. Nevertheless, in 1790, the entire Black Sea Fleet was transferred under the control of Ushakov. The active officer immediately began training the crews of the main ships of the line. Soon the opportunity presented itself to check the work: at Sinop Rear Admiral Ushakov’s squadron was bombed by nearly thirty enemy ships. In response, the entire Turkish squadron went on a raid. Anticipating this, the talented commander brought his fleet out in advance and anchored it near the Kerch Strait in order to block the breakthrough of Turkish ships to the Crimea and prevent the landing of enemy troops. Thus began the Kerch naval battle. Subsequently, it was included in almost all textbooks on naval combat, since the techniques used by the admiral at that time were truly advanced for their time.
New battle
However, soon Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich (whose biography contains many such episodes) decided to go towards the Turkish squadron. This temptation turned out to be insurmountable for the Turks: hoping for a fair wind, they decided to swoop down on the Russian fleet and destroy it.
However, their plan for Ushakov was obvious, and therefore he promptly gave the command to rebuild and select several battleships for reliable protection of the avant-garde. When the latter tied the Turks in battle, the rest of the Russian ships arrived. By three in the afternoon the wind began to favor our fleet. The ships of the two squadrons quickly began to draw closer, and soon their gunners entered into an intense duel.
The Russian gunners showed themselves in this battle just fine. Soon, most of the Turkish ships, due to severe destruction of equipment, could no longer participate in the battle. A little more, and the Russians began to celebrate a complete and unconditional victory. The Turks managed to escape only thanks to the best characteristics of their compact and nimble ships. So the history of the Black Sea Fleet replenished with another glorious victory.
Many historians note that in that battle the enemy did not lose a single ship sunk, but the condition of the Turkish squadron was such that it certainly could not go into battle in the coming months. In addition, their crews suffered enormous losses in manpower, and the landing troops were seriously battered. The Russians killed only 29 people. It was in honor of this victory in 1915 that one of the battleships of the fleet was named Kerch.
The battle near Tendra
At the end of the summer of 1790, a rather significant battle took place at Cape Tendra, where Ushakov's squadron suddenly stumbled upon the Turks, who freely anchored. The admiral neglected all the traditions of the fleet, ordering to attack on the move, without long rebuilding. Confidence in success was fueled by the presence of a traditional reserve of four frigates.
He commanded the Turkish squadron Kapudan Pasha Hussein. He was an experienced naval commander, but even he had to retreat after several hours of intense battle. The flagship of the Russian fleet “Christmas of Christ” under the command of Ushakov himself led a simultaneous battle with three enemy ships at once. When the Turks fled, Russian ships pursued them until dark, after which they had to anchor.
The next day, the battle resumed with renewed vigor. Several hours of the battle ended in the complete victory of our fleet. For this, the admiral was awarded the Order of St. George of the 2nd degree, as well as five hundred serfs assigned to the Mogilev province. After this, Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich, in short, became a "purebred" landowner-landowner. However, he almost never visited his estates, being constantly occupied by the fleet.
The battle of Kaliakria, new victories
On land, Turkey suffered permanent defeats. The Sultan Pasha decided to recoup, taking revenge on the sea. Warships were gathered throughout the empire, and soon an incredibly powerful fleet was stationed near Istanbul. He in the amount of 78 ships soon anchored near Cape Kaliakriya. Since the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha began at that time, some of the crews were allowed to land.
However, the Russian government at that time began negotiations with a weakened enemy, which the Turks were only glad about. But Admiral Ushakov (his biography was thus replenished with another battle) did not know about this when he came across the Turkish fleet. Out of his old habit, he instantly gave the order to change into a stowed position, simultaneously firing at the enemy squadron from all the guns.
The Turks tried to repeat the maneuver, removing themselves from the raid under fire. Thus began the battle at Cape Kaliakria. The flagship of the Russian fleet, the Nativity of Christ, already mentioned, attacked the enemy on the move. Soon after, the enemy squadron was dispersed, and in 1791 a peace treaty was finally signed.
Post-war work
After the war, the admiral gives all his strength and time to the preparation and development of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1793 he received the rank of vice admiral. During this period, Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich, whose biography is full of significant events, already has enormous authority in the Navy, even his enemies respect him.
And here a curious turn of history occurs: Russia, as part of a coalition against the French, becomes an ally of Turkey, with which Ushakov fought a couple of years ago. During the Mediterranean expedition of 1798-1800, the admiral visited Istanbul, where the fleet of Kadir Bey joined his squadron. The task was difficult: to free many islands (including Greek Corfu), as well as to join the British under the command of Nelson.
Capture of corfu
Almost all of the intended goals were captured on the move, but Corfu was a powerful fortress, and therefore, first Ushakov ordered him to be taken into the ring of the sea blockade. The combined squadron did not have enough infantry, so it was premature to think about the assault. After long and persistent negotiations, the Turkish side finally sent 4,500 troops, and another 2 thousand were local militias. It was possible to make a plan for taking the object.
The Russian paratroopers, landed on the shore under fire from the fort, quickly began to build two artillery batteries. The rest of the infantry was ordered to attack the advanced French fortifications. At the same time, the assault on the island of Wido began, the garrison of which quickly surrendered.
Naval artillery successfully crushed the French batteries, after which the assault began. A part of the wall was quickly captured, after which the garrison realized that further resistance would not lead to anything good. On the admiral ship "St. Paul" began negotiations on surrender.
Diplomat career
Ushakov was promoted to full admiral for this operation. Even the Turks gave their former enemy many valuable gifts, recognizing his military talent. After these events, the Russian squadron actively helped the ground forces of Suvorov, which at that time were involved in northern Italy. Actively operating in the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian admiral completely fettered the enemy’s trade routes, simultaneously blocking the ports in Genoa and Ancona. The landing of his ships proved to be excellent during the assault and liberation from the French troops of Naples and Rome.
At this time, the old sailor amazed everyone with his talent as a delicate and skillful diplomat who knew how to solve problems and negotiate with opponents. It was he who contributed to the formation of the Republic of the Seven Islands in Greece, along with other diplomats created the Greek Senate. The introduction of new orders was enthusiastically accepted by almost all islanders. These innovations glorified Ushakov in those parts, but caused extreme dissatisfaction with Alexander I.
Retirement
All those six months that the admiral spent on the Ionian Islands were an ongoing triumph. Local residents regarded the naval commander as their liberator from the French occupation. The squadron returned to its homeland on September 26, 1800, mooring in Sevastopol. The emperor was extremely dissatisfied with the republican views of Ushakov, but could not do anything with him, fearing the reaction of the army and navy. In 1802, he was removed from really important areas, having been appointed head of the rowing fleet in the Baltic and preparatory camps for sailors.
However, Ushakov himself was glad of this: many years of sailing did not contribute to improving health, and therefore, in 1807, he resigned. During the French attack in 1812, he led the Tambov militia, but due to poor physical health he personally did not participate in battles. The celebrated naval commander died in 1817, was solemnly buried in the Sanaskar monastery.
Interesting facts about life
Ushakov entered the history of seafaring all over the world not only as an admiral unsurpassed in effectiveness, but also as the author of a completely new battle tactics of the sailing fleet. He paid great attention to the preparation of the crews of each ship of his squadron, which was very different from the commanders of those years. The admiral was loved by subordinates: he was tough and demanding, but not cruel.
What else is Ushakov famous for? Interesting facts about him are striking: when an order and a medal of his name were established in the USSR, it turned out ... that no one knows what the great naval commander looked like in reality. His only portrait dates back to 1912, when the admiral was already alive for a hundred years. The famous anthropologist Gerasimov proposed a solution to the problem: the admiral’s crypt was opened (and it turned out that some vandals had already managed to steal all personal belongings and the golden sword), the scientist took measurements from the skull, based on which the reconstruction of the appearance was created. It happened in 1944.
But that is not all. In our time, this outstanding man was canonized by the Orthodox Church. Now Saint Admiral Ushakov patronizes all travelers and those people who are just about to embark on a long journey.
And one more fact. In the Sanaksar monastery there are graves ... of two Fedor Ushakovs. One of them is the admiral himself. The other belongs to his uncle, who during his life was the abbot of this monastery. Studying the archives, scientists found that the illustrious sailor loved to be in these walls, taking a break from worldly fuss. That is why he wrote a will according to which he had to be buried next to his uncle.