Aleksandr Vladimirovich Razvozov (1879–1920) was a Russian and Soviet admiral. He was the first commander of the Soviet Baltic Fleet.

Razvozov was born into a Naval family in Reval, Estonia. He graduated from the Sea Cadet Corps

Sea Cadet Corps (Russia)

The Sea Cadet Corps , occasionally translated as the Marine Cadet Corps or the Naval Cadet Corps, is an educational establishment for training Naval officers for the Russian Navy in Saint Petersburg.It is the oldest existing high school in Russia.-History:...

 in 1989 and first served on the cruiser Gerzog Edinburgski

Russian cruiser Gerzog Edinburgski

The Gerzog Edinburgski was an armoured cruiser built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was a sister ship of the Russian cruiser General-Admiral and was named after Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Duke of Edinburgh who married Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia.The ship was...

. He specialised in torpedo warfare and became torpedo officer on the battleship Retvizan in 1901 and served aboard that ship during the Russo-Japanese War

Russo-Japanese War

The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...

. He took part in the Siege of Port Arthur

Siege of Port Arthur

The Siege of Port Arthur , 1 August 1904 – 2 January 1905, the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaotung Peninsula in Manchuria, was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War....

 and the Battle of the Yellow Sea

Battle of the Yellow Sea

The Battle of the Yellow Sea was a major naval engagement of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Port Arthur to break out and form up with counterparts from...

.

Razvozov was repatrated in 1906 in the last tranche of Prisoners of War and taught at the mine and torpedo school in Kronstadt. In 1907 he was appointed torpedo officer on the cruiser Rurik (ii). In 1912 he was given command of the destroyer Burny and in 1914 the destroyer Ussuriyets. On the outbreak of war he commanded a destroyer squadron of the Baltic Fleet

Baltic Fleet

The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...

.

Razvozov was appointed commander of the destroyer forces of the Baltic Fleet in March 1917 and was given command of the Fleet itself in June 1917. He was dismissed from service in late 1917 and then re-instated and finally dismissed an arrested in March 1918. Razvozov was soon released and worked in the naval archive during the remainder of 1918 and 1919. He was arrested by the Cheka

Cheka

Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...

 in September 1919 on suspicion of conspiracy with the White Russia

White movement

The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...

n forces of General Yudenich. He was imprisoned in the Kresty Prison

Kresty Prison

Kresty prison, officially 1st Detention Center of Administration of Federal Service of Execution of Punishments in Saint Petersburg is a detention center in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The prison consists of two cross-shaped buildings and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral...

 and died of infection following an appendectomy. He is buried in the Smolensky Cemetery

Smolensky Cemetery

Smolensky Cemetery is the oldest continuously operating cemetery in St. Petersburg, Russia. It occupies a rectangular parcel in the western part of Vasilievsky Island, on the bank of the small Smolenka River, and is divided into the Orthodox, Lutheran, and Armenian sections.- Orthodox cemetery...

 in St Petersburg.

Honours and awards

• Order of St. Vladimir
  Order of St. Vladimir
  The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
  
  , 4th class, with swords and bow
• Order of St. Anna
  Order of St. Anna
  The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
  
  , 4th class, with swords
• Order of St. Anna
  Order of St. Anna
  The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
  
  , 4th class with the inscription "For Bravery"
• Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd class with swords
• St. George arms
• Chevalier of the Legion of Honour
• Orders of Denmark and Montenegro

Sources

This Article is translated from Russian Wikipedia

• http://infoart.udm.ru/history/navy/biogra16.htm#Razvozov - Russian Language Biography
• http://www.hrono.ru/biograf/bio_r/razvozov.html - Russian Language Biography