Ivan Semyonovich Unkovsky (; 29 March 1822 – 11 August 1886), was an admiral, explorer and surveyor of 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 being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

. After his navy years, Unkovsky served as a military and civil governor of

Yaroslav Yaroslav () is a Slavic masculine given name. Its variant spelling is Jaroslav and Iaroslav, and its feminine form is Yaroslava. The surname derived from the name is Yaroslavsky and its variants. East Slavic patronymics are Yaroslavovich and Yar ...

Biography

Unkovsky was born in Kolyshevo, in the

Peremyshlsky Uyezd Peremyshlsky Uyezd (''Перемы́шльский уе́зд'') was one of the subdivisions of the Kaluga Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the eastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Peremyshl. Demograp ...

Kaluga Governorate Kaluga Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, which existed in 1796–1929. Its capital was Kaluga. Administrative division Kaluga Governorate consisted of the following ...

, where his father was an officer in the Imperial Russian Navy. In 1835, on the personal recommendation of

Tsar Nicholas I Nicholas I, group=pron (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

, he entered the

Sea Cadet Corps Sea cadets are members of a cadets youth program sponsored by a national naval service, aimed 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 ...

, from which he graduated in 1839. He was assigned to the

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

on the brig ''Kazarsky'' in 1840. However, in spring 1841, at the request of his father, he transferred to the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

Mykolaiv Mykolaiv ( ), also known as Nikolaev ( ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and a hromada (municipality) in southern Ukraine. Mykolaiv is the Administrative centre, administrative center of Mykolaiv Raion (Raions of Ukraine, district) and Myk ...

(Nikolaev), serving on numerous vessels through 1843, gathering intelligence on the status of foreign navies and political environment in the Balkans and the eastern Mediterranean. He was awarded the Order of St Stanislav (3rd class) and the

Order of St Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; 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 Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hon ...

(3rd class). From 1846, he commanded the yacht and participated in manly sailing competitions, winning several awards, including the imperial prize in a three-month-long race from the Black Sea to the Baltic, via

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. In 1849, he was appointed commander of the brig ''Aeneas'', and from 1850 to 1851 was assigned to intelligence gathering missions in the Mediterranean. He was appointed an adjunct to Tsar Nicholas I in 1851. As commander of the frigate ''Pallada'' in 1852, he participated in the secret diplomatic mission to Japan, headed by Vice-Admiral

Yevfimy Putyatin Yevfimiy Vasilyevich Putyatin (; 8 November 1803 – 16 October 1883), also known as was an admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy. His diplomatic mission to Japan resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Shimoda in 1855, for which he was mad ...

. The fleet reached Nagasaki in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

in 1853, contributing many important discoveries in

oceanography Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of to ...

along the way. The expedition also led to the signing of the

Treaty of Shimoda The Treaty of Shimoda (下田条約, ''Shimoda Jouyaku'') (formally Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia 日露和親条約, ''Nichi-Ro Washin Jouyaku'') of February 7, 1855, was the first treaty between the Russian Empire, a ...

, a commercial treaty between Japan and Russia which was followed by the opening of the Russian foreign settlement at

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

.William McOmie, The Frigate Askold and the Opening of the Russian Foreign Settlement at Nagasaki
/ref> Unkovsky was promoted to captain, 2nd class in 1854 and was awarded the Order of St Anna, 2nd class in 1855. In the following years, from 1857 to 1860, he was commander of the frigate "Askold" in various missions in the Far East. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1860. Returning to civilian life in 1861, he served as governor of

Yaroslavl Governorate Yaroslavl Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR, located in European Russia in the Upper Volga Region. It existed from 1777 to 1929; its seat was in the city of Yaros ...

until 1873. An island in the

Nordenskiöld Archipelago The Nordenskiöld Archipelago or Nordenskjold Archipelago () is a large and complex cluster of about 90 islands in the eastern region of the Kara Sea. Its eastern limit lies west of the Taymyr Peninsula. The archipelago is part of the Taymyrsk ...

was named after this Russian explorer.

Decorations

Order of St Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus'. Grades The order had four ...

2nd class, 1st class * Band to Order St Alexander Nevsky

Order of St. Alexander Nevsky The Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was an order of chivalry of the Russian Empire first awarded on by Empress Catherine I of Russia. History The introduction of the Imperial Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky was envisioned by Emperor ...

* Order of the White Eagle * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of Saint Anna The Imperial Order of Saint Anna (; 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 Holstein-Gottorp, on 14 February 1735, in hono ...

3rd class, 2nd class, 1st class * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

Order of St Stanislav 1st class

References

External links

Portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Unkovsky, Ivan 1822 births 1886 deaths People from Kaluga Oblast People from Peremyshlsky Uyezd Nobility from the Russian Empire Imperial Russian Navy admirals 19th-century explorers from the Russian Empire Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Naval Cadet Corps alumni

Biography

Decorations

See also

References

External links