Pyotr Ivanovich Ricord, also Petr Rikord (russian: link=no, Пётр Иванович Рикорд; – ) was a Russian

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

, traveller, scientist, diplomat, writer,

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

, statesman, and

public figure A public figure is a person who has achieved notoriety, prominence or fame within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own, In the context of defamation actions (libel and ...

. Pyotr Ricord was born in 1776 in the family of the prime major of Carabinier Ingermanland Regiment; he graduated from the

Sea Cadet Corps Sea cadets are members of a sea cadet corps, a formal uniformed youth organisation for young people with an interest in waterborne activities and or the national navy. The organisation may be sponsored in whole or in part by the navy or a naval s ...

; he began military service 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) ...

and got his first war decoration for the distinction in the landing operation on the coast of the Netherlands in 1799, it was the 4th class of the Order of St. Anne. In 1803–1805 among the twelve best naval officers, he was sent as a volunteer to the

British Fleet 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 ...

to improve Russian maritime practices. At that time he made sea trips to almost all British maritime dominions and took part in the war with France and Spain. In 1807–1809 Ricord took part as a senior officer in

Vasily Golovnin Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin ( Russian: Василий Михайлович Головнин; , Gulyniki, Ryazan Oblast – , Saint Petersburg) was a Russian navigator, Vice Admiral, and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences ...

world cruise Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

on the ship ''Diana''. He was awarded with the

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 "for the excellent performance of his office on the sloop "Diana" and for his help and assistance rendered to the captain of the sloop" and in particular "for the preservation of people's health." In 1810–1811 he participated in the hydrographic exploration of the North Pacific, and he was awarded with the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

4th class for 18 six-month maritime campaigns. The captivity of

in 1811–1813 almost led to war between Russia and Japan in what became known as the Golovnin Incident. After the capture Ricord organized and led three expeditions to the release of Russian sailors from Japanese captivity, during which he showed his extraordinary diplomatic skills. From 1817 to 1822 he was the head of

Kamchatka The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and wes ...

and he was awarded with the 2nd class of the Order of St. Anne with diamond ornaments for the "humane care for the welfare of the residents." His plan of reforms on the Kamchatka Peninsula was accepted as a basis for long-term program of development of this region. An imperial decree ordered his successors as heads of the region to "stick to the rules worked out by fleet captain Ricord and to refrain from any changes." He was the head of the Russian Navy squadrons blockading 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 (; ...

during the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...

(1828–1829), participated in the Civil conflict in Greece (1831–1833), and defended

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 ...

(1854) during the

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 ...

(1853–1856) Ricord was one of the organizers and one of 17 founding members of the

Imperial Russian Geographical Society The Russian Geographical Society (russian: Ру́сское географи́ческое о́бщество «РГО»), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection wi ...

(1845) 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 ...

, Russia. In 1850, he was appointed chairman of the Naval Scientific Committee .

Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky Pyotr Petrovich Semyonov or Semenov (russian: Пётр Петрович Семёнов; 2 January ''(New style: 14 January)'', 1827 – 26 February ''(New style: 11 March)'', 1914) was a Russian geographer and statistician who managed the Russ ...

. ''История полувековой деятельности Императорского Русского географического общества''. Volumes 1–3. SPb, 1896. A Rikord Island in

Peter the Great Gulf The Peter the Great Gulf (Russian: Залив Петра Великого) is a gulf on the southern coast of Primorsky Krai, Russia, and the largest gulf of the Sea of Japan. The gulf extends for from the Russian-North Korean border at the mout ...

was named after him.

Notes

References

*"Narrative of my Captivity in Japan, during the years 1812 and 1813; with Observations on the Country and People." By Captain Golownin, R.N.; to which is added "'An Account of the Voyages to the Coasts of Japan, and of the Negotiations with the Japanese for the release of the Author and his Companions." By Captain Rikord. London: 1818. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ricord, Pyotr 1776 births 1855 deaths People from Toropetsky District People from Toropetsky Uyezd Explorers from the Russian Empire Primorsky Krai Russian hydrographers Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences Imperial Russian Navy admirals 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. Anna, 2nd class Burials at Tikhvin Cemetery Naval Cadet Corps alumni