Arkady Konstantinovich Nebolsin was a Russian Rear-Admiral of the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was known for taking command of the ''

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

'' during the

Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (Japanese:対馬沖海戦, Tsushimaoki''-Kaisen'', russian: Цусимское сражение, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known as the Battle of Tsushima Strait and the Naval Battle of Sea of Japan (Japanese: 日 ...

after its previous commander,

Evgeny Egoriev Evgeny Romanovich Egoriev (1854–1905) was a Russian Captain 1st Rank and war hero of the Russo-Japanese War. He commanded the famed ''Russian cruiser Aurora, Aurora'' during the Battle of Tsushima and despite the ship surviving the battle, he w ...

was killed in action. He was also one of the victims during the after the

Abdication of Nicholas II Abdication of Nicholas II (russian: Отречение Николая II) was a manifesto of the Emperor Nicholas II, signed in Pskov on 2 March ( O.S.) / 15 March ( N.S.) 1917, in the midst of World War I and the February Revolution. The Em ...

Military education

Nebolsin graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps in 1886 and mine officer classes in 1901 at the hydrographic department of the Nikolaev Naval Academy (1892). In 1901 he graduated from the course of naval sciences at the Nikolaev Naval Academy. In 1886–1889, he circumnavigated the world on the '' Vityaz'' under the command of Admiral

Stepan Makarov Stepan Osipovich Makarov (russian: Степа́н О́сипович Мака́ров, uk, Макаров Степан Осипович; – ) was a Russian vice-admiral, commander in the Imperial Russian Navy, oceanographer, member of the R ...

. In 1888, he took part in hydrographic work in the

Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...

within the Peter the

Great Gulf The Great Gulf is a glacial cirque (landform), cirque, or amphitheater-like valley head formed from a glacier by erosion, located in the White Mountains (New Hampshire), White Mountains of New Hampshire. The cirque's walls are formed, from south to ...

. On January 1, 1892, he was promoted to lieutenant.

Military career

In 1893, as a watchman on the armored cruiser '' Admiral Nakhimov'', he participated in the official visit of the Russian Atlantic squadron to the United States and to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

via the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. From 1894, 1895, he served as a watchman on the cruiser " Admiral Nakhimov " in the Far East. In 1897–1898, he served on the Black Sea as a watch officer on the gunboat ''Kubanets'', a flag officer under Rear Admiral Alexander Sidensner on the '' Berezan'' and a senior navigator on the squadron battleships ''

Ekaterina II , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

'', '' Georgii Pobedonosets'' and on the steamer ''Eriklik''. On November 6, 1898, he was appointed commander of the 1st company of the 29th Naval crew and on November 18, 1898, he was enrolled in navigational officers of the 1st category. From 1903 to 1904, he was the senior officer of the squadron battleship '' Rostislav''. From 1904 to 1905, he was a senior officer of the 1st rank cruiser ''

'' before being promoted to Captain 2nd Rank on March 28, 1904.

Russo-Japanese War

Being a participant of the

and the

on May 27–28, 1905. An hour and a half after the start of the battle, despite being wounded in the head, shoulder and right knee, he took command of the ''Aurora'' after its previous commander,

was killed. On the afternoon of May 28, 1905, the commander of the cruising detachment, Rear Admiral

Oskar Enkvist Oskar Wilhelm Enqvist (russian: О́скар Адо́льфович Энквист, Oskar Adolfovich Enkvist; 28 October 1849 – 3 March 1912) was a Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Finnish-Swedish admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy, note ...

, moved with his headquarters to the ''Aurora'' and, by his order, post-factum appointed Nebolsin as commander of the Aurora. Nebolsin successfully brought the cruiser to the port of

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and spared the ship from complete destruction. For courage and courage shown in the Battle of Tsushimam he was awarded the

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (russian: Орден Святой Анны; also "Order of Saint Anne" or "Order of Saint Ann") was a Holstein ducal and then Russian imperial order of chivalry. It was established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Hol ...

, 2nd Class with swords on June 18, 1907. From 1905 to 1909, he was a naval attache representing Russia to the United States and participated in the negotiations of the

Treaty of Portsmouth A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

. From 1909 to 1911, he was the commander of the gunboat '' Korietz II'' as part of the 2nd mine division of the

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

in Sveaborg and the head of the detachment of gunboats ''Korietz II'', ''Bobr'' and ''Gilyak'' as part of the Training Artillery Detachment in Revel.

Interim years

On October 18, 1910, he was promoted to Captain 1st Rank. From 1911 to 1914, he was the commander of the battleship '' Imperator Pavel I'' as part of the 2nd brigade of battleships of the Baltic Fleet. With this position, Nebolsin was entrusted with the responsibility of fine-tuning and testing all the systems of the ''Imperator Pavel I'', as well as training the crew with the new equipment. Based on the results of the great work done, he published the work "Description of the device of the battleship" Imperator Pavel I", a detailed practical guide for in-depth study of the ship by its officers.

World War I

On October 20, 1914, he was appointed commander under the braid pennant of the newly formed 1st brigade of battleships of the Baltic Sea, consisting of the battleships ''

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

'', ''

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...

'', '' Gangut'' and '' Petropavlovsk''. As he did while commanding the ''Imperator Pavel I'', Nebolsin trained the crews of the ships, repairing the ''Gangut'' and prepared three battleships for testing, successfully conducting these tests which resulted in all the battleships of the 1st brigade being put into immediate service service and by the end of December 1914, stayed at the Sveaborg fortress in

Helsingfors Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

for the winter. On January 29, 1915, by the highest decree of the Naval Department, he was promoted to Rear Admiral. From May 15, 1915, he was the head of the 2nd brigade of battleships of the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

as part of the battleships '' Andrei Pervozvanny'', ''

Tsesarevich Tsesarevich (russian: Цесаревич, ) was the title of the heir apparent or presumptive in the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the given name and patronymic. Usage It is often confused with "tsarevich", which is a dis ...

'', ''

Slava Slava may refer to: Ships * ''Slava'' class cruiser, a modern Russian warship ** Soviet cruiser Slava (1979), now Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', a ''Slava'' class guided missile cruiser sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine * Russian ba ...

'' and ''Imperator Pavel I''. A participant of

, he served in the campaigns of 1915 and 1916, the 2nd brigade of battleships under the command of Nebolsin was part of the squadron of battleships of the Baltic Fleet (1st and 2nd brigades) under the command of Vice Admiral Ludwig von Kerber went to sea for maneuvers and firing, participated in two covert mining operations off the coast of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and in operations against German convoys on the approaches to the coast of Sweden. On March 3, 1917, the day after the

from power, he was mortally wounded during the at Sveaborg. On the night of March 4, 1917, he died of wounds in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

. He was buried at the Orthodox Cemetery in Helsinki.

Family

In 1897, in the city of Nikolaev, Arkady Konstantinovich married the daughter of the provincial secretary, Caroline Wilkins (1869 – January 4, 1948), with whom they had been friends since childhood. They had four children: Evgeny (March 15, 1898 – April 27, 1966), Rostislav (April 17, 1900 – September 16, 1990), Georgy (April 17, 1902 – March 24, 1964) and Elena (March 28, 1911 – September 5, 1999). The journalist Pavel Khlebnikov is the great-great-grandson of Rear Admiral Nebolsin and the grandson of his son Rostislav Arkadyevich Nebolsin.

Awards

Order of Saint Stanislaus The Order of Saint Stanislaus ( pl, Order Św. Stanisława Biskupa Męczennika, russian: Орден Святого Станислава), also spelled Stanislas, was a Polish order of knighthood founded in 1765 by King Stanisław August Ponia ...

, 2nd Class (December 6, 1902) *

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...

, 4th Class with bow (1906) *

, 2nd Class with swords (June 18, 1907) *Order of Saint Vladimir, 3rd Class (December 6, 1913) *Order of Saint Stanislaus, 1st Class with swords (November 2, 1915) *Order of Saint Anna, 1st Class with swords (December 3, 1916) *Nicholas II Coronation Medal (Silver)

Foreign Awards

*: Order of Military Merit, 3rd Class *: Order of Saint Alexander, 5th Class *:

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

, Knight (1898) *: Legion of Honour, Officer *:

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

, 2nd Class (July 12, 1912) *: Order of the Officer's Cross (1901) *:

Order of Osmanieh The Order of Osmanieh or Order of Osmaniye ( ota, نشانِ عثمانیہ) was a civil and military decoration of the Ottoman Empire. History The order was created in January 1862 by Sultan Abdülaziz. With the obsolescence of the Nişan-i If ...

, 4th Class *:

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in fi ...

, 3rd Class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nebolsin, Arkady 1865 births 1917 deaths Military personnel from Saint Petersburg People from Saint Petersburg Governorate Imperial Russian Navy officers Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Naval Cadet Corps alumni Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie, 3rd class