Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov (russian: Михаил Иванович Смирнов (also spelled Michel Smirnoff; June 18, 1880 – August 26, 1940) was a

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

naval officer, the only Naval Minister of

Alexander Kolchak Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (russian: link=no, Александр Васильевич Колчак; – 7 February 1920) was an Imperial Russian admiral, military leader and polar explorer who served in the Imperial Russian Navy and fought ...

’s Government during the

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

Early life and military career

Mikhail was born 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 ...

on June 18, 1880, into a family of gentry. In 1899, he graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, his marks being 7th best out of 66, and was appointed midshipman in 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 1900, Smirnov becomes a junior officer at the staff of the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron was part of the United States Navy squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially with no United States ports in the Pacific, they operated out of storeships which provided naval s ...

. Promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in December 1903.

Russo-Japanese War and afterwards

In 1904-1905, Smirnov participated in 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 ...

. Initially he served at the fleet headquarters in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...

, later, from January 1905, aboard the cruiser

Rossia ''Rossia'' is a genus of 10 species of benthic bobtail squid in the family Sepioidae found in all oceans. They live at depths greater than 50 m (164 ft) and can grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in.) in mantle length. This genus was first d ...

. The task assigned was primarily disrupting enemy communications. In 1913, Smirnov published a book on 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 the war, in 1906, he was appointed to the Navy General Staff in St Petersburg where he first met

and became his close associate. Promoted to

Senior lieutenant Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant. Finland ( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, löjt ...

in December 1908. In this rank, he served aboard the battleships

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 Panteleimon. Promoted to

Captain 2nd rank Captain 2nd rank (russian: Капитан 2-го ранга, Kapitan 2-go ranga, lit=Captain of the 2nd rank) is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is the middle rank in the staff officer's career gro ...

in December 1912.

World War 1

When First World War started, Mikhail Smirnov had recently been appointed captain of the destroyer “Vynoslivy”. In September however he was appointed Russia’s representative with the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. In February 1915, he took part in the bombardment of the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

fortifications by HMS Lord Nelson. Captain of the destroyer Kazanets from April 1915. In July 1916, Smirnov is appointed to the staff of the Black Sea Fleet, where he meets Kolchak once again, and is promoted to

Captain 1st rank Captain 1st rank (russian: Капитан 1-го ранга, Kapitan 1-go ranga, lit=Captain of the 1st rank) is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is the most senior rank in the staff officers' ca ...

. Black Sea Fleet Chief of Staff in 1917, he accompanied Admiral Kolchak in his trips to Britain and USA. During 1917-18 Mikhail Smirnov was in the United States, in charge of the Naval section of the Russian Procurement committee.

Civil War

In November 1918, Smirnov returns to Russia, joining Kolchaks’s

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

Government as Minister of the Navy, simultaneously promoted to Counter Admiral. The forces he commanded comprised a river flotilla on the

Kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit ) means "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsकाम, kāmaMonier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary, pp 271, see 3rd column Kama often connotes sensual pleasure, sexual ...

(40 ships in total). The tasks of his force included fire support for the White Army, transportation of its units, laying mines, disrupting Reds' communications and river crossings, as well as engaging Red warships directly. Smirnov displayed notable personal courage and skill, contributing to the actions of the White Army, though he was criticized for maintaining an overstaffed ministry. The fleet was lost after the fall of

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places *Perm, Russia, a city in Russia ** Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 **Perm Governorate, an administra ...

in July 1919. In October 1919 the Ministry left Omsk for

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and mn, Эрхүү, ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 617,473 as of the 2010 Census, Irkutsk is ...

with the rest of the government, and in January 1920 Kolchak was overthrown.

Emigration

In January 1920 Mikhail Smirnov left Russia for China, later moving to Berlin where he chaired a mutual help association for former Russian Navy servicemen. Afterwards, Smirnov lived in USA, France and Britain. In 1930, he published a biography of Admiral Kolchak. In 1926, he became a Freemason in London. He died in

Liversedge Liversedge is a town and former parish of Birstall, in the metropolitan borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Liversedge lies between Cleckheaton and Heckmondwike. The Kirklees ward is ...

, West Yorkshire, where he was buried. Mikhail Smirnov appears as a character in the 2008 Russian biopic of Alexander Kolchak where he is played by

Egor Beroev Egor Vadimovich Beroev (russian: Егор Вадимович Бероев; born 9 October 1977) is a Russian actor of film, television and theater. He appeared in more than thirty films since 1994. Early career Beroev graduated from the Mikha ...

Honours and awards

Russian Empire

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 ...

, 3rd class (06.12.1902) * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

, 2nd class (29.03.1909, with swords 31.03.1916) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

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 ...

, 3rd class (06.12.1904. with swords and a bow 18.09.1905) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anna, 2nd class (28.07.1914) with swords (08.06.1915) * Order of Saint Vladimir, ribbon bar

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 ...

, 4th class with swords and a bow (16.03.1915) * Order of Glory Ribbon Bar

Gold Sword for Bravery The Gold Sword for Bravery (russian: Золотое оружие "За храбрость") was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished ...

(26.08.1916) * Order of Saint Vladimir, ribbon bar

Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class (06.02.1917) * Order of Glory Ribbon Bar

Order of St. George, 4th class (27.08.1919)

Foreign

*: **

Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar The Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar (Arabic: ''Order of the Light'') was established in 1887 as a colonial order of merit of the Tajurah sultanate in French Somaliland and abolished as a result of the order reform on 3 December 1963. History On 21 ...

, Officer (12.06.1906) ** Ordre_de_l'Etoile_Noire_Officier_ribbon

Order of the Black Star The Order of the Black Star (''Ordre de l'Étoile Noire'') was an order of knighthood established on 1 December 1889 at Porto-Novo by Toffa, future king of Dahomey (today the Republic of Benin). Approved and recognised by the French government on ...

, Officer (11.01.1910) ** Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

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, ...

(30.06.1914)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Mikhail Ivanovich 1880 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from Saint Petersburg Russian Freemasons White Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I White movement admirals 20th-century Russian military personnel People of the Russian Civil War Russian admirals Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Officers of the Legion of Honour Naval Cadet Corps alumni