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| The 18th century Russian admiral who never knew defeat |
| 2024-02-05 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Vladimir Sosnitsky [RedStar] Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov is a great Russian naval commander, admiral born on February 13 (24), 1744. One of the founders of the Black Sea Fleet, he developed and applied maneuver tactics, won a number of major victories over the Turkish fleet, and successfully carried out the Mediterranean campaign of the Russian fleet during the war against France. The son of a sergeant of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, Fyodor Ushakov, a contemporary of Suvorov, went a long way to the pinnacle of glory from a Naval Corps cadet to an admiral. From V. Antsiferov’s book “Admiral Ushakov” (1940) you can find out how harsh and ascetic the future admiral’s youth was in the Naval Cadet Corps: “Ushakov, who grew up in a village near Yaroslavl and was taught to read and write by a village priest, had to live and study with arrogant sons high-ranking nobles." However, his ingenuity and success in science brought the diligent boy into the leadership. After graduating from the Naval Corps in May 1766, midshipman Ushakov was sent to the Baltic Fleet. V. Antsiferov writes: “The voyages of that time were difficult. Corned beef and crackers - the only food - had a detrimental effect on health... You had to have an iron body to withstand all the hardships of sea life.” From the Baltic, the sailor was transferred to the south, where he took a direct part in the construction of the Black Sea Fleet, in the development of Sevastopol, which can be read about in the book by historian V. Golovachev “The History of Sevastopol as a Russian Port” (1872). The military sailor Fyodor Ushakov, who served under three reigns, was destined to become an active participant in several wars: Russian-Turkish (1768–1774 and 1787–1791), and the capture of Ochakov. Throughout his entire military career, the admiral did not know a single defeat. “Victory at any cost, under any conditions” was his motto. Thus, in the book “Admiral Ushakov” it is written: “The Turks called the invincible admiral Ushak Pasha, his name inspired insurmountable fear. Ushakov was a thunderstorm for the entire Turkish coast.” “Having received the right to act independently, F.F. Ushakov immediately rose to the ranks of famous Russian sailors, writes M. Lyalina, author of the book “The Exploits of Russian Admirals.” “Until now, Russian admirals were more defensive, but Ushakov was not like that.” When Ochakov was captured, the initiative to conduct the battle was completely entrusted by the fleet commander, Marko Voinovich, to the junior flagship Ushakov. And in this battle, the flagship did not lose his head, but showed all his best qualities: courage, determination, bravery. In 1799, the operation to capture the fortress of Corfu was carried out by Russia jointly with Turkey. The Russian sailors came under fire from five French batteries. Our ships returned fire and took the French out of the battle. By 10 o'clock the artillerymen of two enemy batteries abandoned their positions. The way was open for the Russian landing. 1,500 Russian soldiers entered the battle. The French surrendered the fortress, although quite recently European newspapers wrote that it was impossible to take Corfu from the sea. Skilful leadership, correct tactical calculations, and skillful actions of our soldiers ensured victory for the Russian fleet. For this superbly carried out operation, Ushakov was promoted to full admiral, and was also awarded the highest award of the Ottoman Empire - a diamond headdress. The Free State of the Seven Islands was created in the Ionian Islands under the temporary joint patronage of Russia and Turkey. Ushakov was instructed to organize the authorities of the new republic and give it a constitution. Before returning to Sevastopol in September 1800, Russian ships managed to take part in supporting the troops of A.V. Suvorov, the blockade of Genoa and the liberation of Rome and Naples. Alexander I, who ascended the Russian throne, did not value Ushakov and appointed him to a minor post to command the rowing fleet in the Baltic. Five years later, Fyodor Fedorovich resigned and settled in his estate in the village of Alekseevka, Temnikovsky district, Tambov province. Living modestly and secludedly, he donated large amounts of money to charity. During the Patriotic War of 1812, Fyodor Fedorovich was elected by the nobility of the Tambov province as the head of the people's militia, but refused this post due to illness. On October 2 (14), 1817, admiral Fyodor Ushakov, who had never known defeat, died on his estate and was buried in the Synaxarsky monastery founded by his grandfather near the city of Temnikov. An island in the north of the Kara Sea, a bay in the Anadyr Bay of the Bering Sea and a cape on the northern coast of the Sea of Okhotsk are named after Ushakov. The coastal defense battleship Admiral Ushakov was named after him. During the Great Patriotic War, on March 3, 1944, the Ushakov Medal and the Order of Ushakov, I and II degrees, were established. In the modern fleet, the name of the famous admiral was assigned to a cruiser and a guided-missile destroyer. In 2001, the legendary naval commander was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as the righteous warrior Theodore Ushakov. |
| Posted by:badanov |