Grigory Butakov
Encyclopedia
Grigory Ivanovich Butakov (9 October 1820 – 31 May 1882) was a Russia
n admiral
who fought in the Crimean War
. Grigory is widely credited as being the father of steam-powered ship tactics during the 19th century. He was involved in the first battles of the Crimean War, which includes the first sea battles involving steam-powered ships. Grigory wrote of his experiences in his book: New Principles of Steamboat Tactics (1863), which won him the Demidov Prize
. In 1881 Grigory assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Port of St. Petersburg. He was also made a member of the State Council in March 1882. Shortly after gaining both titles however, Grigory fell seriously ill, and died on 31 May 1882, aged 62.
; a large city in Latvia
. (Then part of the Russian Empire
.) Grigory's father was a distinguished naval officer who fought in the War with Turkey
. He captained the battleship
Tsar Constantine, in which he commanded during several naval operations around Crete
and in the Blockade of the Dardanelles
. Grigory was inspired by his father's success as a naval officer, so in May 1831 at eleven years old, Grigory decided to join a Naval Academy in St. Petersburg.
Grigory spent six years in the Naval Academy. He graduated in 1837 and was immediately assigned to serve as a flag officer aboard the Russian vessel Silistria. The Silistria was under the personal command of the then Chief Commander of the Black Sea Fleet
: Admiral M.P. Lazarev.
In May 1838, Grigory took part in a landing operation near Abkhazia
against Turkish
positions. Grigory was awarded several decorations for bravery during the operation. From September 1838 to August 1840, Grigory patrolled the Aegean Sea
aboard the schooner Lastochka, and in 1844, he patrolled the Mediterranean Sea
aboard the Vestnik. The following August, Grigory was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Not long after his promotion, Grigory became interested in improvements to the Navy in the field of Naval Science. Grigory developed a completely new system of fog signals, and invented a new version of windlass
. Grigory's Admiral, Mikhail Lazarev was pleased with Grigory's new technologies and had the inventions placed in the model room of the Admiralty. In the Autumn of 1846, Grigory was appointed Captain of the cutter Pospeshny and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, and given a diamond
ring. The Russian Empire was the first naval power to pioneer the construction of steam warships. On the 3rd December 1852, Lieutenant-Commander Grigory Butakov was made captain of the steam-ship Vladimir, considered the best steam-powered warship in the Black Sea Fleet.
aboard the steamship Vladimir. The battle in which Grigory Butakov aboard the steam-ship Vladimir, fought and captured the Turkish steam-ship Pervaz Bahri was historically important on two accounts: Firstly, it was the very first battle of the Crimean War, and secondly, it was the first battle involving only steam-ships, marking a new age of naval warfare. The battle occurred on 5 November 1853, on the Black Sea. Grigory sailed the Vladimir towards the region of Penderakli, on the way the crew of the Vladimir saw a unfamiliar vessel sailing towards them. As the Vladimir got closer to the unidentified ship, the crew realized the ship was Turkish. It was a 10-gun steam-ship called the Pervaz Bahri
The 10-gun Turkish steamship that was steadily nearing the Vladimir had no bow
or stern
artillery. This made it an attractive target for any Russian war ship. Once the Ottoman
ship was in range, Grigory maneuvered the Vladimir into advantageous positions for an attack. Grigory would take up a position from behind the Pervaz Bahri 's stern, and rake the ship with cannon
fire. This maneuver was successful due to the Ottoman ship not having any stern artillery
. Every time the Pervaz Bahri tried to employ side artillery upon the Vladimir, Grigory would repeatedly take up an advantageous position behind enemy stern, and bombard the ship with cannon shot.
Despite Grigory's successful tactics in attacking the Ottoman ship
, the battle was taking more time than expected. Grigory's superiors then ordered him to speed up the sinking or capture of the Turkish vessel. Grigory then gave an order to pick up speed, and at a distance of 100 meters, he opened canister fire from all ship's the guns. The Pervaz Bahri then surrendered to the crew of the Vladimir, ending a 3 hour long battle which took many Turkish casualties. This was a major victory for Grigory because it was Russia's first steam-powered sea battle victory. On the 7 November, the newly captured ship was bought to the port of Sevastopol
, where it underwent major repairs. The ship was renamed: Kornilov, and was commissioned into the Russian navy.
Grigory Butakov's commanding officers thought very highly of him, particularly after the victory over the Pervas Bahri. One naval officer, (Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov, (whom the captured ship was renamed after)) commented on Grigory's skill as a commander: "He behaves and gives commands as if it were just maneuvers or war games". After the battle, Grigory was promoted to Captain Second Rank, and was awarded the Order of St. George
IV Degree. Kornilov, in particular valued Grigory’s service greatly; when Kornilov wrote his name on a list of naval officers, he added the words: "Much respected and loved by the officers".
In September 1854, British
, Ottoman and French
troops laid siege Sevastopol, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Grigory Butakov provided substantial cannon support during the siege by sailing into favorable positions and bombarding the British, French and Ottoman fortifications, which surrounded the port. The Russian garrison at Sevastopol
was low during the siege; only 36,600 men were fit for action, while the number of Allied troops totaled 175,000 men. Because of the low amount of manpower, many sailors volunteered to leave their ships, and fight as infantry on the ground. Butakov also volunteered to leave the Vladimir, and fight as a infantryman. However, his offer was immediately refused by a senior naval officer; Pavel Nakhimov
, he said to Grigory: "I can not do that, such people like you are to be preserved for the future of the fleet".
Throughout the Siege of Sevastopol, Grigory stayed aboard the Vladimir, repulsing enemy counter attacks and bombarding fortified positions. In August, Grigory was sent with several steamships to protect the left flank on eastern shore of Killen-balka from Allied attacks. Grigory sailed the Vladimir so close to the shore that he actually made his ship inaccessible to the French battery, while maintaining a clear line of sight of the enemy cannons, he then ordered his ships to fire upon the French battery, causing major damage. A sailor
in the fleet commented on Grigory's calmness during the conflict: "[he] was the first to set his crew an example of remarkably cool behavior, self-control and fearlessness. Everyone would be just enraptured and stunned by his coolness and the way he gave orders; he did this as if there were no cannonballs and bullets flying around him, as if there were not any possibility for him to be killed any minute".
In August 1855, Admiral Novonilsky ordered 15 Russian ships to be scuttled, and their cannons be used to help defend the port. Grigory's flagship Vladimir was one of the 15 ships, Grigory and her crew were secreted back to Russia, and would be transferred to the Baltic Fleet
. The scuttled ships were: Grand Duke Constantine, City of Paris (both with 120 guns), Brave, Empress Maria, Chesme, Yagondeid (84 guns), Kavarna (60 guns), Konlephy (54 guns), steam frigate Vladimir, steamboats Thunderer, Bessarabia, Danube, Odessa, Elbrose and Krein. The guns and several crew members from the ships were used to defend Sevastopol. on 9 September the port fell to allied forces, marking the beginning of the eventual defeat of Russia in the Crimean War. The siege of Sevastopol claimed many lives on both sides; the Russians lost 102,000 killed and wounded, while the number of British, French and Ottoman casualties numbered 128,387 deaths. Soon after the Siege, the Crimean War was over, ending in Russia's defeat.
When the Crimean War ended on February 1856, Grigory Butakov was promoted to Rear Admiral
. By this time he was 36 years old, and had spent 25 of those years in the Imperial Russian Navy
. Grigory was also appointed High Chief of the naval unit in Nikolayev and also the Naval Governor of Nikolayev and Sevastopol. Throughout his time serving in these positions, Grigory kept studying the field of Naval Science. In early 1854, Grigory compiled descriptions of "evolutions" in steam warship design, such advantageous turns and maneuvering of the ships in line that would be necessary for taking up the most advantageous position during battle. Butakov wrote of his improvements: "I happened to develop a rather simple yet ingenious idea, namely, two simple geometric lines – a circle
and a tangent
to it – should be considered the basis for steamship evolutions". Grigory also found solutions to some tactical problems, drew up illustrative tables of courses and movements of ships in the fleet, and outlined three basic detachment formations. Butakov would compile his ideas in his book; New Principles of Steamboat Tactics. According to Grigory, he managed to solve the very essence of the problem of developing the steam-powered tactics in a more radical, fundamental way, not just superficially.
Grigory Butakov was transferred to the Baltic Fleet
in 1860. In 1863, Grigory compiled all of his notes on tactical strategies of steamboats, and wrote about them in a book called: New principles of Steamboat Tactics. The book gained immense interest both in Russia, and many countries in Western Europe
. The book was translated into English
, French
, Italian
and Spanish
. Recognizing Grigory's success as an accomplished naval scientist, the Chairman of the Naval Science Committee, Rear Admiral Zeleny, awarded Grigory with the Demidov Prize. On 28 October 1866, Grigory was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral. By this time, Grigory was enjoying world-wide fame, both for his Naval Science knowledge, and his commanding abilities. His reputation as an Admiral at the time was considered to be the best in the Russian Navy. On 6 February 1867, he was appointed the Chief of the Baltic armored ships squadron.
Whilst serving in the Baltic Fleet, Grigory Butakov paid much attention to artillery preparation of his squadron, he knew that although the Russian navy excelled in steamboat warfare, the cannons aboard the ships were seriously outdated. Grigory also knew that recent advancements in the form of 'Ironclad' ship armor, would mean that cannons had to be improved in order to penetrate the armor. The problem was solved by replacing smooth-bore guns of a relatively small caliber, with rifled guns of bigger calibers which included 12-inch ones, the rifled guns were particularly successful because of their armor - penetrating qualities. Grigory also developed a system which included; first, firing from one ship at a fixed shield, then at a towed one, and finally, firing at a moving target. This system proved successful against armored ships.
Grigory was so passionate about boat racing, he secured annual allocations of 1500 rubles in prize money for young sailors in boat racing competitions. Grigory published a book on the subject called; Rules of Boat Race. At the end of every race Grigory would analyze the mistakes made by his sailors while steering and praised those distinguished themselves in competitions. He once fired six - gun salute in honor of a midshipman's
crew for their team - spirit and excellence in racing in a "steering without wheels" race.
. Following Grigory's experiments, the Officers Mine Class and Mining School for the Lower Ranks was opened.
, and was appointed Chief Commander of the Sveaborg coast. At the beginning of 1881, he was appointed the Chief Commander of the St. Petersburg port. In March 1882, Grigory Butakov was elected a member of the State Council. He took this assignment as the end of his life’s work. Soon after that he fell seriously ill and died of apoplexy
on 31 May 1882. He was buried in Sevastopol at the church of St. Vladimir.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
who fought in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. Grigory is widely credited as being the father of steam-powered ship tactics during the 19th century. He was involved in the first battles of the Crimean War, which includes the first sea battles involving steam-powered ships. Grigory wrote of his experiences in his book: New Principles of Steamboat Tactics (1863), which won him the Demidov Prize
Demidov Prize
The Demidov Prize was a national scientific prize in the Russian Empire awarded annually to the members of the Russian Academy of Sciences. One of the most prestigious and oldest scientific awards in the world, its traditions influenced other awards of this kind including the Nobel Prize...
. In 1881 Grigory assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Port of St. Petersburg. He was also made a member of the State Council in March 1882. Shortly after gaining both titles however, Grigory fell seriously ill, and died on 31 May 1882, aged 62.
Early life
Grigory Ivanovich Butakov was born 9 October 1820 in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
; a large city in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. (Then part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.) Grigory's father was a distinguished naval officer who fought in the War with Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He captained the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Tsar Constantine, in which he commanded during several naval operations around Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
and in the Blockade of the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
. Grigory was inspired by his father's success as a naval officer, so in May 1831 at eleven years old, Grigory decided to join a Naval Academy in St. Petersburg.
Grigory spent six years in the Naval Academy. He graduated in 1837 and was immediately assigned to serve as a flag officer aboard the Russian vessel Silistria. The Silistria was under the personal command of the then Chief Commander of the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
: Admiral M.P. Lazarev.
In May 1838, Grigory took part in a landing operation near Abkhazia
Abkhazia
Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...
against Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
positions. Grigory was awarded several decorations for bravery during the operation. From September 1838 to August 1840, Grigory patrolled the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
aboard the schooner Lastochka, and in 1844, he patrolled the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
aboard the Vestnik. The following August, Grigory was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Not long after his promotion, Grigory became interested in improvements to the Navy in the field of Naval Science. Grigory developed a completely new system of fog signals, and invented a new version of windlass
Windlass
The windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder , which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt...
. Grigory's Admiral, Mikhail Lazarev was pleased with Grigory's new technologies and had the inventions placed in the model room of the Admiralty. In the Autumn of 1846, Grigory was appointed Captain of the cutter Pospeshny and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, and given a diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
ring. The Russian Empire was the first naval power to pioneer the construction of steam warships. On the 3rd December 1852, Lieutenant-Commander Grigory Butakov was made captain of the steam-ship Vladimir, considered the best steam-powered warship in the Black Sea Fleet.
Crimean war
When the Crimean War began in October 1853, Grigory Butakov was sent with to the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
aboard the steamship Vladimir. The battle in which Grigory Butakov aboard the steam-ship Vladimir, fought and captured the Turkish steam-ship Pervaz Bahri was historically important on two accounts: Firstly, it was the very first battle of the Crimean War, and secondly, it was the first battle involving only steam-ships, marking a new age of naval warfare. The battle occurred on 5 November 1853, on the Black Sea. Grigory sailed the Vladimir towards the region of Penderakli, on the way the crew of the Vladimir saw a unfamiliar vessel sailing towards them. As the Vladimir got closer to the unidentified ship, the crew realized the ship was Turkish. It was a 10-gun steam-ship called the Pervaz Bahri
Pervaz Bahri
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
or stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
artillery. This made it an attractive target for any Russian war ship. Once the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
ship was in range, Grigory maneuvered the Vladimir into advantageous positions for an attack. Grigory would take up a position from behind the Pervaz Bahri 's stern, and rake the ship with cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
fire. This maneuver was successful due to the Ottoman ship not having any stern artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. Every time the Pervaz Bahri tried to employ side artillery upon the Vladimir, Grigory would repeatedly take up an advantageous position behind enemy stern, and bombard the ship with cannon shot.
Despite Grigory's successful tactics in attacking the Ottoman ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
, the battle was taking more time than expected. Grigory's superiors then ordered him to speed up the sinking or capture of the Turkish vessel. Grigory then gave an order to pick up speed, and at a distance of 100 meters, he opened canister fire from all ship's the guns. The Pervaz Bahri then surrendered to the crew of the Vladimir, ending a 3 hour long battle which took many Turkish casualties. This was a major victory for Grigory because it was Russia's first steam-powered sea battle victory. On the 7 November, the newly captured ship was bought to the port of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
, where it underwent major repairs. The ship was renamed: Kornilov, and was commissioned into the Russian navy.
Grigory Butakov's commanding officers thought very highly of him, particularly after the victory over the Pervas Bahri. One naval officer, (Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov, (whom the captured ship was renamed after)) commented on Grigory's skill as a commander: "He behaves and gives commands as if it were just maneuvers or war games". After the battle, Grigory was promoted to Captain Second Rank, and was awarded the Order of St. George
Order of St. George
The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
IV Degree. Kornilov, in particular valued Grigory’s service greatly; when Kornilov wrote his name on a list of naval officers, he added the words: "Much respected and loved by the officers".
Sevastopol
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Ottoman and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
troops laid siege Sevastopol, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Grigory Butakov provided substantial cannon support during the siege by sailing into favorable positions and bombarding the British, French and Ottoman fortifications, which surrounded the port. The Russian garrison at Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
was low during the siege; only 36,600 men were fit for action, while the number of Allied troops totaled 175,000 men. Because of the low amount of manpower, many sailors volunteered to leave their ships, and fight as infantry on the ground. Butakov also volunteered to leave the Vladimir, and fight as a infantryman. However, his offer was immediately refused by a senior naval officer; Pavel Nakhimov
Pavel Nakhimov
Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov |Siege of Sevastopol]] during the Crimean War.-Biography:Born in the Gorodok village of Vyazma district of Smolensk region. Nakhimov entered the Naval Academy for the Nobility in Saint Petersburg in 1815. He made his first sea voyage in 1817, aboard the frigate Feniks ,...
, he said to Grigory: "I can not do that, such people like you are to be preserved for the future of the fleet".
Throughout the Siege of Sevastopol, Grigory stayed aboard the Vladimir, repulsing enemy counter attacks and bombarding fortified positions. In August, Grigory was sent with several steamships to protect the left flank on eastern shore of Killen-balka from Allied attacks. Grigory sailed the Vladimir so close to the shore that he actually made his ship inaccessible to the French battery, while maintaining a clear line of sight of the enemy cannons, he then ordered his ships to fire upon the French battery, causing major damage. A sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
in the fleet commented on Grigory's calmness during the conflict: "[he] was the first to set his crew an example of remarkably cool behavior, self-control and fearlessness. Everyone would be just enraptured and stunned by his coolness and the way he gave orders; he did this as if there were no cannonballs and bullets flying around him, as if there were not any possibility for him to be killed any minute".
In August 1855, Admiral Novonilsky ordered 15 Russian ships to be scuttled, and their cannons be used to help defend the port. Grigory's flagship Vladimir was one of the 15 ships, Grigory and her crew were secreted back to Russia, and would be transferred to 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...
. The scuttled ships were: Grand Duke Constantine, City of Paris (both with 120 guns), Brave, Empress Maria, Chesme, Yagondeid (84 guns), Kavarna (60 guns), Konlephy (54 guns), steam frigate Vladimir, steamboats Thunderer, Bessarabia, Danube, Odessa, Elbrose and Krein. The guns and several crew members from the ships were used to defend Sevastopol. on 9 September the port fell to allied forces, marking the beginning of the eventual defeat of Russia in the Crimean War. The siege of Sevastopol claimed many lives on both sides; the Russians lost 102,000 killed and wounded, while the number of British, French and Ottoman casualties numbered 128,387 deaths. Soon after the Siege, the Crimean War was over, ending in Russia's defeat.
Naval science
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
. By this time he was 36 years old, and had spent 25 of those years in the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
. Grigory was also appointed High Chief of the naval unit in Nikolayev and also the Naval Governor of Nikolayev and Sevastopol. Throughout his time serving in these positions, Grigory kept studying the field of Naval Science. In early 1854, Grigory compiled descriptions of "evolutions" in steam warship design, such advantageous turns and maneuvering of the ships in line that would be necessary for taking up the most advantageous position during battle. Butakov wrote of his improvements: "I happened to develop a rather simple yet ingenious idea, namely, two simple geometric lines – a circle
Circle
A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....
and a tangent
Tangent
In geometry, the tangent line to a plane curve at a given point is the straight line that "just touches" the curve at that point. More precisely, a straight line is said to be a tangent of a curve at a point on the curve if the line passes through the point on the curve and has slope where f...
to it – should be considered the basis for steamship evolutions". Grigory also found solutions to some tactical problems, drew up illustrative tables of courses and movements of ships in the fleet, and outlined three basic detachment formations. Butakov would compile his ideas in his book; New Principles of Steamboat Tactics. According to Grigory, he managed to solve the very essence of the problem of developing the steam-powered tactics in a more radical, fundamental way, not just superficially.
Grigory Butakov was transferred to 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...
in 1860. In 1863, Grigory compiled all of his notes on tactical strategies of steamboats, and wrote about them in a book called: New principles of Steamboat Tactics. The book gained immense interest both in Russia, and many countries in Western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The book was translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. Recognizing Grigory's success as an accomplished naval scientist, the Chairman of the Naval Science Committee, Rear Admiral Zeleny, awarded Grigory with the Demidov Prize. On 28 October 1866, Grigory was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral. By this time, Grigory was enjoying world-wide fame, both for his Naval Science knowledge, and his commanding abilities. His reputation as an Admiral at the time was considered to be the best in the Russian Navy. On 6 February 1867, he was appointed the Chief of the Baltic armored ships squadron.
Artillery improvements
Boat races
Throughout his naval career, Grigory Butakov extensively enjoyed boat racing, and adopted the sport as his chief pastime while on leave from the navy. Grigory enjoyed races involving both steamboats and sailboats. He believed that boat racing was not only a good pastime for sailors, it was also good for their training and military skill. He said: "I believe [boat racing] is by far one of the best and most appropriate means available for our young sailors to try their wings, start strengthening their will, nerves and stamina, train their faultless eye and prepare themselves to face any unforeseen circumstances which are so frequent throughout our service…Besides, the boat race is a wonderful and effective way to find out what metal each of us is made of".Grigory was so passionate about boat racing, he secured annual allocations of 1500 rubles in prize money for young sailors in boat racing competitions. Grigory published a book on the subject called; Rules of Boat Race. At the end of every race Grigory would analyze the mistakes made by his sailors while steering and praised those distinguished themselves in competitions. He once fired six - gun salute in honor of a midshipman's
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
crew for their team - spirit and excellence in racing in a "steering without wheels" race.
Sea mines
From 1867 to 1877, Grigory served aboard an Armoured Ship Squadron in the service of the Baltic Fleet. While in the squadron, Grigory paid much attention to the improvement of sea - mine weaponry. In 1867, Grigory conducted the first experiments of sea - mines, which were engaged in experiments on laying galvanised mines under old ships and testing mine fields. In 1874, the armored frigate Petropavlovsk was first equipped with anti-torpedo artillery. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 Grigory developed the guidelines and maps for laying mines on the fairways, which he put into practice while organizing the mine defense of KronstadtKronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
. Following Grigory's experiments, the Officers Mine Class and Mining School for the Lower Ranks was opened.
Last years
On 16 October 1878, Grigory Butakov was promoted from Vice - Admiral to AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
, and was appointed Chief Commander of the Sveaborg coast. At the beginning of 1881, he was appointed the Chief Commander of the St. Petersburg port. In March 1882, Grigory Butakov was elected a member of the State Council. He took this assignment as the end of his life’s work. Soon after that he fell seriously ill and died of apoplexy
Apoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
on 31 May 1882. He was buried in Sevastopol at the church of St. Vladimir.