He joined the Imperial Russian Navy and moved up the ranks, serving in the Greek War of Independence and the Russo-Turkish War (1828–29). At the beginning of the Crimean War, he delivered a significant victory at the Battle of Sinop against the Ottoman Empire. Afterward, he was a leader in the defense of Sevastopol against British, French, and Ottoman forces, during which a sniper wounded him. He died a few days later.
After his death, he became a hero in Russia, with medals and ships named after him, especially during Soviet times, starting with Stalin.[1] Also, a Soviet Film called Admiral Nakhimov was made in 1947 about his life.[2]
Early life
Nakhimov was born in the village of Gorodok in the Vyazma district of the Smolensk Governorate into a noble Russian family. He was the seventh of eleven children of a landlord and Second Major Stepan Mikhailovich Nakhimov and his wife Feodosia Ivanovna Nakhimova (née Kozlovskaya). Six of his siblings died as infants. He and all four of his brothers would become professional seamen, including Vice AdmiralSergei Stepanovich Nakhimov (1805—1872).[3]
At the beginning of his naval career, Nakhimov's experience was limited to voyages in the Baltic Sea as well as a more extensive trip from the White Sea port of Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt naval base near Saint Petersburg. His lucky break came in March 1822, when he was assigned to the frigate Kreiser ("Cruiser"); the vessel took part in a round-the-globe expedition commanded by the well-known Russian explorer Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788-1851), who had already undertaken several such voyages.
During the three-year voyage, Nakhimov was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. On conclusion of this adventure, he received his first award, the Order of Saint Vladimir IV degree. He returned to his native Smolensk and was assigned to the 74-gun warship Azov, which made its maiden voyage from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt in the autumn of 1826.
In the summer of 1827, Azov sailed to the Mediterranean as flagship of the Russian squadron under the command of Rear-Admiral Lodewijk van Heiden for a joint expedition with the French and British navies against the Ottomans. Just before its departure, Emperor Nicholas I visited the Azov and ordered that in the case of hostilities, the crew should deal with the enemy "as the Russians do".
Azov, under then-Captain First RankM.P. Lazarev, distinguished itself most prominently in the Battle of Navarino (20 October 1827), during which the allied British-French-Russian fleet "totally" destroyed the Ottoman squadron.[4]
For his outstanding gunnery performance during the battle, the 27-year-old Nakhimov was promoted to the captaincy of a trophy ship and was decorated by the allied governments.[5][6]
Early in his career, Nakhimov was criticized for "brutality towards sailors"; this allegation would not affect the public perception of him being a popular commander.[7]
Before the battle, the Russian fleet in the Black Sea was divided into two groups, one led by Nakhimov and the other by V. A. Kornilov.[8] Nakhimov was assigned the eastern part of the sea.[8] Meanwhile, the Ottomans knew Russian forces had been in the open sea since November 23. Still, for various reasons, including fear of facing Russia in the open sea, they decided to remain in port.[9] Nakhimov asked for reinforcements, which he got on November 27, 1853, when a squadron led by Admiral Fyodor Mihailovich Novosilskiy joined Nakhimov's squadron.[9][10] By the time of the battle, Nakhimov had six battleships, two frigates, and three steamers and outgunned the Ottomans with weapons such as Paixhans guns.[10]
On November 30, 1853, Nakhimov's squadron entered the bay where the Ottoman fleet commanded by Admiral Osman Pasha was.[11] At first, the Russian squadron demanded the surrender of the Ottoman fleet.[11] After the Ottomans refused to surrender, the battle began.[11] At first, the Ottoman ships did well against Nakhimov's forces. However, the battle quickly turned against the Ottomans as the Russian guns proved too much, and in just a few hours, the Ottoman fleet was on fire.[12] One ship, the Ottoman frigate Taif, started to head to Istanbul.[11] The Russians were unable to capture the ship, even with the efforts of Russian Admiral V. A. Kornilov, who arrived with reinforcements.[11][12] The Taif would arrive in Istanbul, delivering the news of Nakhimov's victory on December 2.[13] All of the Ottoman ships, except for the Taif, were "devastated."[12] Many Ottoman sailors died, although there is no agreement on exactly how many.[12][14] Only 33-36 Russian sailors and one officer died during the battle.[14] Admiral Osman was wounded in the foot and captured along with four other officers.[12][14] Admiral Osman remained a prisoner of war until he was released in 1855.[14]
Nakhimov kept firing during the battle despite most of the Ottoman ships being ablaze. It resulted in the burning of parts of the city, and its leaders and the Muslim population fled. He was criticized for attacking civilians during the battle. He later tried to explain his actions by sending an envoy to the city, arguing that he was seeking to "destroy the Ottoman fleet."[12]
Siege of Sevastopol and death
His finest hour came during the Siege of Sevastopol, where he and Admiral V. A. Kornilov organized from scratch the land defense of the city and its port, the home base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. As the commander of the port and the military governor of the city, Nakhimov became in fact the head of the Sevastopol naval and land defense forces. On July 10 [O.S. June 28] 1855, while inspecting the forward-defense positions on Malakhov Kurgan, he was fatally wounded by a sniper and died two days later.
Legacy
Glorification
After his death, Nakhimov was glorified, which included misrepresenting facts.[7] Becoming a part of the "Sevastopol myth," in which Russian figures presented glorification of the defense of the city. This populist movement glorification of the battle was conducted alongside writers such as Leo Tolstoy.[7][15] In publications, Nakhimov was represented as a "friend of the common people" and "the soul of the defense of Sevastopol."[7] Despite his popularity with populist factions, the Imperial government did not recognize Nakhimov, as evidenced by its efforts to force artists of the panoramic painting "Defense of Sevastopol, 1854-5" to remove his figure and replace it with Mikhail Dmitrievich Gorchakov.[15]
There are many monuments and medals created in his memory. In the 1890s a statue of Nakhimov along with Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov was put in Sevastopol.[15] A bust portraying Russian admirals and sailors from the Crimean War, including Nakhimov, was erected at Sevastopol Park after renovations in 2008.[17][18]
The 1947 Soviet movie Admiral Nakhimov, directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin, is about the life of Nakhimov. Soviet actor Aleksei Dikiy played Nakhimov. The movie covers Nakhimov's victory in the Battle of Sinop and his defense of Sevastopol. The film had to be remade by Pudovkin as the Communist Party of the Soviet Union viewed the original film as having too much "dancing" and misrepresenting historical facts. Pudovkin removed the love story and "toned down" the dance scenes.[2]
^Cochrane, George (1837). Wanderings in Greece. Vol. 1. Henry Colburn, Publisher. p. 115. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2019. [...] the battle of Navarino, which ended in the total destruction of the Turko-Egyptian squadron.
