Admiral Kornilov: brief biography

Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov - one of the greatest Russian naval commanders of the XIX century. His life can be called an example of honest and selfless service to Russia. He deserved the glory 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 for Russia could be quite different.

Childhood and youth

The future hero of the Crimean War was born in 1806 in the family estate Ivanovo near Tver.

His father, Alexei Mikhailovich, was a naval officer when he was young. Rising to the rank of captain-commander, he left the fleet and for a long time occupied governor posts in Siberia. Later he returned to the capital, where he became a senator.

Following the family tradition, young Vladimir also decided to link his life with the sea. At the end of the St. Petersburg Marine Cadet Corps, he was enlisted in the Guards Marine Crew. The service was held mainly on the shore, and a constant drill was very hard for the young man. Eventually, he was expelled with the phrase "for lack of vivacity for the front." On this biography Kornilov as a naval officer could be completed, if his father had not intervened.

«Azov»

After some time, the future admiral of the Russian fleet was again accepted for military service and got on the ship "Azov", who had just arrived in the capital from Arkhangelsk.

During the service at Azov in the rank of midshipman Kornilov participated in a very difficult transition of his ship from Kronstadt to the Mediterranean.

The commander of the ship M. Lazarev, who noticed outstanding abilities of a young officer, once threw out a whole stack of French novels from his subordinate's cabin, and in return gave Kornilov books on navigation and naval affairs. Under the patronage of the captain, the young midshipman began to comprehend the difficult marine science. As history shows, Kornilov perfectly mastered it.

Upon arriving in the Mediterranean Sea, Azov met with the Allied Allied Squadron, hastening to the aid of the insurgent Greece. Thus, Kornilov happened to participate in the most famous Navarino battle of 1827. Azov was the flagship of the Russian squadron, and his team proved heroic.

During the battle the young midshipman commanded three guns of Azov and for his skill and courage he was awarded several orders from all the 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, a young midshipman Istomin and Lieutenant Nakhimov fought shoulder to shoulder with Kornilov. About the great role of these people in the history of the Russian Navy to remind unnecessarily.

At the Black Sea

After the Mediterranean campaign, Kornilov continued his service in the Baltic. However, his former commander Admiral Lazarev, translated by that time to the Black Sea, did not forget about the valiant youth and wrote him out of Petersburg to Sevastopol.

During the Bosphorus expedition of 1833, Kornilov brilliantly coped with his mission of investigating waters in the straits region, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree.

After this operation, Kornilov was appointed brig commander of Themistocles, and he managed to prove himself to be an excellent leader. In one of the campaigns "Themistocles" a passenger on his board was a great Russian painter Karl Bryullov. During the voyage Kornilov often had long conversations with this most interesting man. Bryullov at that time was working on one of his masterpieces, the canvas "The Last Day of Pompeii." While swimming, the artist managed to write a portrait of Kornilov, which is now kept in the Hermitage collection.

After the "Themistocles" under the command of Kornilov, the corvette "Orestes", the frigate "Flora", and even the large battleship "Twelve Apostles" with a team of more than 1000 people were coming out into the sea. It was in those years that the future Admiral Kornilov was able to earn the respect of subordinates and to win among them the glory of a strict but fair chief. Vladimir Alekseevich himself continued to study tirelessly and improve his skills as a captain.

Chief of Staff of the Fleet

In 1838, Kornilov was appointed Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet, and his commander was again Lazarev, who was very glad to be able to work with a capable young man again. In close cooperation with Lazarev, Kornilov conducted several naval exercises and participated in small military campaigns to the eastern part of the Black Sea. In this position, he was promoted to Captain I rank.

In 1848, Kornilov was seconded to England to take over the experience of his foreign colleagues and simultaneously supervise the construction of several steamships ordered by the Black Sea Fleet. He returned to Sevastopol on one of them - the ship-frigate "Vladimir".

After this trip, Kornilov's career began to develop rapidly. He received the title of Rear Admiral, and soon he was enrolled in the retinue of His Imperial Majesty. Now he had the right to personally report to Nicholas I about the affairs of the Black Sea Fleet.

Defense Strengthening Activities

In 1851, Lazarev died. Officially, Admiral Berkh was appointed Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, but everyone understood that this was only a formality. All real control of the fleet on the Black Sea was concentrated in the hands of Kornilov, and he did not have to miss.

Everyone understood that a large 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 swiftly.

Sea battles

In October 1853, Russia entered the war with Turkey. Kornilov was immediately sent to reconnaissance campaign in order to detect enemy squadrons. Russian ships reached the Bosphorus, but the enemy ships were never found. The Admiral decided to divide his squadron, sending groups of ships in different directions. Himself on the steamer-frigate "Vladimir" moved to Sevastopol.

Unexpectedly, "Vladimir" came across a lone enemy ship. It was the Turkish steamer frigate Pervaz-Bahri. The battle ensued, which became the first ever naval battle of ships using steam traction. The Russians came out of the battle victorious. The Turkish ship was captured and towed to Sevastopol. Later it was repaired, and he became part of the Black Sea Fleet under the name "Kornilov". The war inexorably approached the Crimean shores, and the fleet desperately needed a large number of ships.

A little later, Admiral Kornilov again went into the sea as the squadron commander, who was hurrying to the aid of Nakhimov's squadron. However, at the beginning of the famous Sinop battle they did not have time. Nakhimov, without assistance, managed to defeat the main forces of the enemy fleet.

But the victorious Sinope battle turned into new misfortunes. In the war, on the side of Turkey, England and France joined. Now before Kornilov a new practically impossible task arose to keep the badly protected Sevastopol from invading the naval and land forces of the enemy.

Defense of Sevastopol

The land defense, organized by Menshikov, proved worthless and ineffective. Soon Sevastopol was in a desperate situation.

Admiral Kornilov, who headed the Sevastopol garrison, along with the military engineer Totleben, began hastily erecting fortifications around the city. At that time a huge Anglo-French squadron approached Sevastopol Bay. Russian ships were trapped in an internal raid three times superior to their enemy forces. Kornilov proposed to still bring the ships into the sea, get involved in the fight and sell their lives dearly. However, other, more cautious members of the military council did not support this plan. They suggested flooding the Russian fleet in the roadstead, thereby reliably protecting the city from invasion from the sea. It was this plan that was decided to be implemented. The fleet was flooded, and coastal bastions further strengthened the ship's tools.

Death

On September 13, the siege of Sevastopol began and all residents of the city came out to build fortifications. Less than a month later, the first massive bombing of the city occurred, which, unfortunately, was the last for the famous admiral.

On this day, Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov, as usual, inspected the fortifications of the city. The bombing caught him on Mamayev Hill. Ignoring the falling shells, Kornilov finished the inspection and was about to go to other fortifications, when he was suddenly struck down by an enemy nucleus, receiving a fatal wound to his head. His last words were the demand to protect Sevastopol to the last drop of blood.

Kornilov was buried in the Vladimir Naval Cathedral next to his friend and teacher Admiral Lazarev. A little later, Admiral Nakhimov and Istomin will find their last resting place there.

A brief biography of Kornilov can not fully reflect all the events of his life and the multifaceted personality. This amazing man has managed a lot in his life and will forever remain in the memory of Russian people. He was remembered as a fine officer and a skilled naval commander. However, few know that the famous hero of the Crimean War in rare moments of rest was a gentle husband and a loving father of five children.