Ivan Alexeyevich Shestakov (russian: Ива́н Алексе́евич Шестако́в; 13 April 1820 – 3 December 1888) was a Russian naval officer, statesman, and writer.

Early years

Shestakov was born in the village of Syrokorenye in

Smolensk Governorate Smolensk Governorate (russian: Смоленская губерния, Smolenskaja gubernija), or the Government of Smolensk, was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, and the Russian SFSR. It ex ...

to the Russian noble family of captain-lieutenant Alexey Antonovich Shestakov and Yevdokiya Ivanovna Khrapovitskaya. After finishing his studies at the Naval Cadet Corps (1830–1836), he served in the

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

. In 1837, Shestakov participated in the landing operation near Cape Konstantinovsky for which he was decorated with an order and promoted to the rank of midshipman. In 1838, he was on board the corvette ''Ifigeniya'', participated in the landing operation near Shanedho, and was decorated with an

Order of St. 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 Holst ...

of 4th degree. In 1841, Shestakov returned to

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 ...

and participated in several battles against mountaineers. Ivan Shestakov was awarded with an

Order of St. 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 ...

of 3rd degree. On April 11, 1843 (

Old Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...

) Admiral

Mikhail Lazarev Admiral Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (russian: Михаил Петрович Лазарев, 3 November 1788 – 11 April 1851) was a Russian Naval fleet, fleet commander and an explorer. Education and early career Lazarev was born in Vladimir, R ...

made him his aide-de-camp for two years and promoted him to the rank of lieutenant. In 1847–1850, he finished the hydrographic studies of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...

on board the cutter ''Skory''.

Service in the Baltic Fleet

In 1850 and 1852-1854, Shestakov was sent to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to inspect the building of military ships ordered by the Russian government. Upon his return to Russia in February 1854, he was assigned to the steamship committee and promoted to the rank of 2-rank captain and transferred to 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) ...

. Shestakov participated in the defense of

Kronstadt Kronstadt (russian: Кроншта́дт, Kronshtadt ), also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt or Kronštádt (from german: link=no, Krone for "crown" and ''Stadt'' for "city") is a Russian port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of ...

during

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

on board frigate ''Ryurik''. May 21, 1855 he was appointed aide-de-camp of General-Admiral Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. During the first years of the

Shestkov contributed to the drawing up of plans for 75 screw gunboats and 17 screw corvettes. In 1856, he was promoted to the rank of captain (1st rank) and was sent on assignment to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

to inspect the building of the 70-cannon screw frigate ''General-Admiral'', being the state-of-the-art at that time, with project and drawings produced personally by Shestakov. In 1859, frigate ''General-Admiral'' under command of Shestakov made a 12-day voyage through the ocean on board ''General-Admiral'', stopping in

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

and finally arriving to

. The successful mission was rewarded with an

Order of St. 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 ...

of 3rd degree. In 1860–1862 - commander of a squadron of Russian ships in

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 ...

near the coastline of

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

to protect

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

during the

massacres A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. On April 23, 1861 he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral and was included into H.I.M.'s suite. Upon his return to Kronstadt, Shestakov was decorated with an

of 1st degree. On April 17, 1863 he was made assistant to Chief Commander of

. In 1863–1864 - member of the Science and Shipbuilding Committee in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Governor of Taganrog

Ivan Shestakov's civil service started in 1864. April 11, 1866 (

) he was assigned to the post of the governor of

Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog The ...

(1866–1868), still remaining within H.I.M.'s suite. Shestakov initiated the establishment of the first naval school in 1868 that opened later during governorship of

Johan Hampus Furuhjelm Johan Hampus Furuhjelm, (russian: Фуругельм, Иван Васильевич; 11 March 1821 – 21 September 1909) was a Finnish-Russian vice-admiral and explorer, commander of the Russian Baltic Fleet, Governor of the Russian Far East, T ...

in 1874. He planned to develop coastal trade on

Azov Sea The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...

, promoting sales of Russian coal for steamers on

and Azov Sea; he tried to improve navigation on

and

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

; introduced a brand new system of lighthouses in the shallow waters near

and along

coast to replace old equipment. In Taganrog he introduced the new system of gas lighting throughout the city, establishing a new gas plant for this purpose. In 1883, considering his achievements, the citizens of Taganrog made Ivan Shestakov an honored citizen of Taganrog.

Minister of the Russian Navy

In 1868–1870- Governor of

Vilno Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

. In 1870 Ivan Shestakov gave his resignation, but in 1872 he served again as Naval Agent to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. In 1881 - President of the Shipbuilding Committee. In 1882 he was appointed Minister of the Russian Navy. Shestakov contributed a lot to rebirth of the

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

(1886) and strengthening the

and Siberian Flotilla. He also introduced a new system of service for the naval officers and started a large-scale building of armored ships, including the armored cruisers ''Vladimir Monomakh'' and ''Admiral Nakhimov'', and the ''Ekaterina II'' and ''Imperator Aleksandr II''-class battleships. In 1888, Ivan Shestakov was promoted to the rank of the Imperial Russian Navy admiral. Ivan Shestakov died in

on December 3, 1888. He was buried in

in the Temple of Saint Vladimir.

Places named after Shestakov

* Shestakov Island in the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

, near

Novaya Zemlya Novaya Zemlya (, also , ; rus, Но́вая Земля́, p=ˈnovəjə zʲɪmˈlʲa, ) is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, ...

; *Shestakovsky Boulevard; a square in

named after Shestakov in 1885 during his visit as Minister of the Russian Navy to Taganrog; later the name was changed to ''Ukrainsky''.Шестаковский бульвар
/ref>

Honours and awards

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia. History The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Empero ...

Order of the White Eagle (Russia) The Imperial Order of the White Eagle (russian: О́рден Бе́лого Орла́) was an Imperial Russian Order based on the Polish honor. Emperor Nicholas I of Russia established the award in 1831 as the ''Imperial and Royal Order of the ...

Cross of St. George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of ...

4th degree *

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 ...

, 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes *

, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th classes *

, 1st and 3rd classes

Publications

Apart from being a great statesman, Ivan Shestakov was a recognized author. He published several articles under his real name and under the

penname A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

''Excelsior'' in the naval journal ''Morskoy Sbornik'' (''Морской Сборник'') in 1850, 1854-1861, 1864 and 1871. Shestakov translated William James's ''The Naval History of Great Britain'' into the

Russian language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...

. In 1873 he published his book of memoirs under the title ''The Half-century of Ordinary Life'' (''Полвека обыкновеннй жизни''). His most famous book to this day is ''Sailing Directions in the Black Sea'' (''Лоция Черного моря'').

External links and references

* *''History of Taganrog'' by Pavel Filevsky; Moscow, 1898 {{DEFAULTSORT:Shestakov, Ivan 1820 births 1888 deaths Imperial Russian Navy admirals Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) Russian military personnel of the Crimean War Governors of Taganrog Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Cross of St. George Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd class Naval Cadet Corps alumni