Stepan Osipovich Makarov
Stepan Ossipowitsch Makarow ( Russian Степан Осипович Макаров , scientific transliteration Stepan Osipovič Makarov ; * December 27, 1848 jul. / 8 January 1849 greg. In Nikolajew ; † 31 March jul. / 13 April 1904 greg. , Fallen before Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War ) was a Russian vice admiral , oceanographer , polar explorer, and writer .
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Early years
The son of the Russian officer Ossip Fjodorowitsch Makarow moved with his family to Nikolayevsk am Amur when he was nine years old . There he entered the naval school in 1858, which prepared young men for a career in merchant shipping, and distinguished himself through exceptional achievements. On the personal recommendation of the school commandant, Admiral PV Kasekewitsch, he was accepted as a cadet in the Russian Pacific Squadron in 1863 and made his first trips aboard the Abrek clipper . From 1862 to 1864 he served on the new Bogatyr screw corvette , which visited San Francisco in 1863 with the squadron of Rear Admiral Andrei Alexandrovich Popov . In 1864 he returned to Nikolaevsk and finished his education. From 1865 to 1869 he served on board several warships in the Far East and the Baltic Sea. Makarow, meanwhile promoted to ensign, published his first texts in military magazines from 1870 onwards. In January 1871 he was promoted to lieutenant .
Russo-Turkish War
After his transfer to the Black Sea Fleet in December 1876, he received his first command of the ship Grand Duke Konstantin . During the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) his ship passed various battles and sank several Turkish warships. In the face of the approaching war, Makarov had campaigned for some of the Russian warships to be equipped with the torpedo weapon newly developed by Robert Whitehead . On January 26, 1878, under Makarov's command, the world's first successful attack with a torpedo was carried out. Makarov seriously damaged a Turkish 2,000-ton ship. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded three medals and twice promoted during the war. Due to his success, he quickly became known not only within the Russian fleet and stylized as a hero by the Russian press.
Family life
In 1878 his father died. Makarov himself married his partner Kapitolina Nikolajewna Jakimowskaja a year later. The marriage resulted in three children: the daughters Olga (* 1882) and Alexandra (* 1886) and the son Wadim (* 1892).
Oceanographic research
At the suggestion of General Skobelev , Makarov took part in an expedition against the Tekinzen in Central Asia in 1881 . At the end of the year Makarov was transferred to Constantinople , where he took command of the ship Taman . The poor sailing characteristics of the ship prompted him to investigate the flow velocities in the Bosporus . The resulting scientific treatise on the "water exchange between the black and the Mediterranean" was recognized by the Russian Academy of Sciences and established Makarov's reputation as an excellent oceanographer.
As the commander of the corvette Vitjas he undertook a world tour from 1886 to 1889, on which particularly systematic oceanographic research was undertaken in the North Pacific .
Military career
In 1890 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and transferred to the Russian Baltic Fleet . From 1891 he was also chief inspector of the Russian commission for naval artillery. In this role he promoted the development of armor-piercing artillery projectiles. After being promoted to Vice Admiral in 1896, his best-known work, the book "Discussion of Questions in Naval Tactics" (English title), which was translated into many languages in the following years, appeared in the following year.
Polar expeditions
From the end of the 1890s Makarov turned his interest to exploring the Arctic . He was considered a pioneer for the utilization of the Northern Sea Route . Among other things, Makarov designed one of the first icebreakers , the Yermak , with which he made trips to Spitzbergen and Novaya Zemlya in 1898/1899 and to Franz Josef Land in 1901 .
Russo-Japanese War
After the outbreak of hostilities, Vice Admiral Makarov was appointed on February 1st July. / February 14, 1904 greg. appointed commander of the Russian Pacific Squadron. He was considered an able admiral in the navy, and many Russians hoped that Makarov would turn the tide of the war. He himself had long foreseen the beginning of the war and warned that the backward Russian fleet could not win a conflict with the modern Japanese navy.
On February 24th, Jul. / March 8, 1904 greg. he reached Port Arthur and immediately began to carry out the first maneuvers. Just two days after taking command, he achieved undreamt-of popularity among Russian sailors when he went to rescue two torpedo boats. The boats Stereguschy and Reschitelny got into battle with four Japanese torpedo boat destroyers (3rd TBD Division) on their way back from a night patrol. Makarov did not wait for the squadron to be ready for action, but instead hoisted the admiral's flag on the small cruiser Novik and drove towards the enemy with the armored cruiser Bayan . In this way, he prevented the sinking torpedo boat Stereguschy from falling into the hands of the enemy and strengthened the morale of the Russian sailors.
death
On the morning of March 31st, Jul. / April 13, 1904 greg. However, he was killed when his flagship , the Petropavlovsk liner, struck a Japanese mine. As a result of the mine hit, the torpedoes in the bow space of the ship exploded, then all the boilers and the ammunition chamber. The ship sank with Admiral Makarov and almost all sailors, including the well-known painter Vereshchagin , within two minutes. Grand Duke Kyrill , a cousin of Tsar Nicholas II and one of the few survivors of the sinking, reported that Makarov was killed by a metal part flying around during the first explosion on the ship's bridge.
Makarov's wife received telegrams of condolence from all over the world, including from US President Theodore Roosevelt . Even the Japanese government paid tribute to Makarov's achievements in the field of oceanography.
April 1st July / April 14, 1904 greg. Vice Admiral Nikolai Skrydlow , Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, was appointed as his successor.
Naming
On April 26, 1906, the armored cruiser Admiral Makarow was launched in La Seyne-sur-Mer .
In his place of birth , a larger than life monument has been erected on the left bank of the Inhul , shortly before it flows into the Southern Bug .
The famous naval academy in St. Petersburg is named in his honor Admiral Makarov Academy .
On Svalbard, the Makarovtoppen mountain and the Makarovbreen glacier are named after him.
The light cruiser Nürnberg was renamed Admiral Makarov in 1946 .
In December 2017 the frigate Admiral Makarov , No. 799, (shipyard: Yantar, Kaliningrad) was handed over to the Russian fleet.
Services
Makarov was a versatile researcher and author of several scientific books. As a naval war tactician and strategist, he recognized the backwardness of the Russian Navy. Makarov, who is considered an extremely capable officer, campaigned for a radical modernization of the Russian fleet, even against the opposition of other officers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://russojapanesewar.com/makaroff.html
- ↑ Makarov tops . In: The Place Names of Svalbard (first edition 1942). Norsk Polarinstitutt , Oslo 2001, ISBN 82-90307-82-9 (English, Norwegian).
- ↑ Makarovbreen . In: The Place Names of Svalbard (first edition 1942). Norsk Polarinstitutt , Oslo 2001, ISBN 82-90307-82-9 (English, Norwegian).
- ↑ Russian Navy receives frigate Admiral Makarov | Jane's 360. Retrieved January 8, 2018 .
literature
- Sergej Nikolajewitsch Semanow: Admiral Makarov , 1997, ISBN 5-7406-0232-7 (English)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Makarov, Stepan Osipovich |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Макаров, Степан Осипович (Russian) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Russian admiral and polar explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 8, 1849 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nikolayev |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 13, 1904 |
| Place of death | Port Arthur |