Pyotr Pavlovich Kitkin () (12 June 1877 – 18 September 1954) was a Russian military commander in the

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and

Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, being promoted twice to Rear Admiral, once by the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...

on 28 July 1917, and once by the Soviet Navy, on 5 November 1944.

Biography

Tsarist naval officer

In 1896 Kitkin graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, and on 25 September 1896, was promoted to

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

with the appointment to 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, ...

and was enlisted in the 29th naval crew. Between 1896 and 1899 he served on the battleships ''Chesma'' and ''Georgii Pobedonosets'', the cruiser ''Pamiat Merkuria'', the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

''Ingul'' and the

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classr ...

. In 1899 he was a flag officer on the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the Black Sea Fleet's practical squadron. In September 1899, he attended the a mine officer classes, and on 7 September 1900 was appointed a mine officer of the 2nd rank. Between 1900 and 1901 he served as a mine officer aboard the gunboat . Promoted to lieutenant in January 1901, he served that year as a watch officer on the ''Berezan''. In October 1901 Kitkin was appointed to serve with 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 ...

, and in February 1902 he was appointed a junior mine officer of the 1st rank cruiser ''Gromoboi''. From June 1903 he was junior mine officer of the cruiser ''Rurik''. In September 1903 he was appointed senior mine officer of the cruiser ''Askold'', and he served aboard her during 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 the

Siege of Port Arthur The siege of Port Arthur ( ja, 旅順攻囲戦, ''Ryojun Kōisen''; russian: link=no, Оборона Порт-Артура, ''Oborona Port-Artura'', August 1, 1904 – January 2, 1905) was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russ ...

. In March 1904 he was appointed a mine officer of the 1st rank. After the

battle of the Yellow Sea The Battle of the Yellow Sea ( ja, 黄海海戦, Kōkai kaisen; russian: Бой в Жёлтом море) was a major naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 A ...

on 28 July 1904, the ''Askold'', with Kitkin aboard, escaped to

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

and was interned there. After the war Kitkin went to serve with the Black Sea Fleet once more. In June 1906 Kitkin served as mine officer of the minesweeper ''Dunai'', and from May 1906 he was the senior mine officer of the battleship ''Georgii Pobedonosets''. In February 1907 he was 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) ...

and enlisted in the 8th naval crew. Promoted to senior lieutenant in June 1907, he served as mine officer of the destroyer from September 1907. In January 1908 he was seconded to the for training, and from June 1908 commanded the

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...

''Prozorlivy''. In November 1908 he was appointed mine officer of the flagship of the commander of the destroyer division, which on 12 March 1909 became the 2nd mine division of the Baltic Sea. From December 1908 he held the rank of First lieutenant. From October 1909 to July 1910 he was senior officer of the gunboat , and from 1910 specialised in

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of the removal of explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that ...

. 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 April 1911, he was appointed chief of the Baltic minesweeping division on 15 January 1912. In November 1913 he commanded the lead ship of the division, the gunboat . In September 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, Kitkin was 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 ...

for courageously resisting the enemy. In December 1914, he left the post of commander of the minesweepers, and in May 1915, he was appointed acting commander of the Baltic minesweeping division, before being confirmed in this post. In July 1917 he was promoted to rear admiral.

Soviet service

After 1918 Kitkin served in the Soviet Navy (RKKF). From 1918 to 1919 he was head of minesweeping, and from 1919 to 1920 the chief of the Baltic mine defences. In 1921 he was arrested by the Petrograd Special Department of the

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, but was soon released. From 1921 to 1923 he was chairman of the Scientific and Technical Commission of Mine-Trial Experiments, and from 1923 to 1924 the chairman of the mine section of the NTK. From 1924 to 1926 he was the head of the mine testing site. From 1926 to 1931 he was Chairman of the Commission for Marine Mine Experiments. Simultaneously, from 1922-1941, he was teaching at the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

. In February 1931, he enlisted in the RKKF reserve, and in February 1936 he was dismissed to the reserve. In May 1942, he was appointed captain 1st rank, and from 1942 to 1943 commanded the ''Svir''. In 1943 and 1944, Kitkin served as a specialist on

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

s for the Military Council of the Baltic Fleet, and from October 1944, was senior engineer-designer of the technical department of the NIMTI Navy. On 27 October 1944, by order of the People's Commissariat of the Navy, his period of freelance hire service, from 1936 to 1942, was counted as active service in the Navy. On 5 November 1944 he was promoted to rear admiral, and in January 1947, he was appointed head of the gunnery training department. In 1946, for his inventions in the field of mine warfare, the VAK approved the award of the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences. In May 1948 he retired. He died in Leningrad on 18 September 1954, and was buried on the Literary Bridge of the

Volkovo Cemetery The Volkovo Cemetery (also Volkovskoe) (russian: Во́лковское кла́дбище or Во́лково кла́дбище) is one of the largest and oldest non-Orthodox cemeteries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Until the early 20th century it ...

Scientific activity

During his service in the Navy, many of Kitkin's inventions in the field of mines and trawls were adopted for service: mines arr. 1906, 1908, 1912, a cutter trawl (1913), a cartridge with two drums for the trawler boat (1920), a mine protector and a special purpose subversive cartridge (1928), a device known as a snake trawl (1929) a milestone (1929), special sweeping units for convoys (1936), and a device for the self-explosion of mines (1942).

Ship

After Admiral Kitkin's death, a Soviet ship was named in his honour.

Medals

Awards of the Russian Empire

* Saint George Sword (1916) *

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 ...

II degree (1913), swords to him (1915); *

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 ...

III degree with swords (1915); *

Port Arthur Cross The Port Arthur Cross or Cross for the Defence of Port Arthur (Russian - ''Крест «За Порт-Артур»'') was a medal awarded by the Russian Empire. It was instituted on 14 January 1914 to mark the tenth anniversary of the siege of Por ...

" (191? Year); *Order of St. Vladimir IV degree (1912); *

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 ...

II degree with swords (1907); *Order of St. Anne III degree with swords and a bow (1905).

Awards of the USSR

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

(1945); *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

(1944); *

(1948); *

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...

(1943); *Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" (1943); *Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945";Kitkin's Great Patriotic War medals (10 January 2018)
/ref> *A gold watch "A staunch defender of the proletarian revolution from the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR" (1928).

Foreign awards

*Officer of the Order of the

Legion d'Honneur 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 B ...

(France).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitkin, Pyotr Pavlovich Imperial Russian Navy admirals Soviet admirals Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of World War II 1877 births 1954 deaths Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Naval Cadet Corps alumni