Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov ( (also spelled Michel Smirnoff; June 18, 1880 – August 26, 1940) was a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

naval officer, the only Naval Minister of

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

’s Government during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

Early life and military career

Mikhail was born in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

on June 18, 1880, into a family of gentry. In 1899, he graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, his marks being 7th best out of 66, and was appointed midshipman in 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 ...

. In 1900, Smirnov becomes a junior officer at the staff of the

Pacific Squadron The Pacific Squadron of the United States Navy, established c. 1821 and disbanded in 1907, was a naval squadron stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Developing from a small force protecting United States commerc ...

. Promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in December 1903.

Russo-Japanese War and afterwards

In 1904-1905, Smirnov participated in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

. Initially he served at the fleet headquarters in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

, later, from January 1905, aboard the cruiser Rossia. The task assigned was primarily disrupting enemy communications. In 1913, Smirnov published a book on the

battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima (, ''Tsusimskoye srazheniye''), also known in Japan as the , was the final naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 27–28 May 1905 in the Tsushima Strait. A devastating defeat for the Imperial Russian Navy, the ...

. After the war, in 1906, he was appointed to the Navy General Staff in St Petersburg where he first met

and became his close associate. Promoted to Senior lieutenant in December 1908. In this rank, he served aboard the battleships Slava and Panteleimon. Promoted to

Captain 2nd rank Captain 2nd rank () is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of List of communist states#Former communist states, former communist states. The rank is the middle rank in the staff officer's career group. The rank is equivalent to lieutenant c ...

in December 1912.

First World War

When First World War started, Mikhail Smirnov had recently been appointed captain of the destroyer ''Vynoslivy''. In September however he was appointed Russia’s representative with the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. In February 1915, he took part in the bombardment of the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...

fortifications by HMS ''Lord Nelson''. Captain of the destroyer ''Kazanets'' from April 1915. In July 1916, Smirnov is appointed to the staff of the Black Sea Fleet, where he meets Kolchak once again, and is promoted to

Captain 1st rank Captain 1st rank () is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of List of communist states#Former communist states, former communist states. The rank is the most senior rank in the staff officers' career group. The rank is equivalent to Colone ...

. Black Sea Fleet Chief of Staff in 1917, he accompanied Admiral Kolchak in his trips to Britain and USA. During 1917-18 Mikhail Smirnov was in the United States, in charge of the Naval section of the Russian Procurement committee.

Civil War

In November 1918, Smirnov returns to Russia, joining Kolchaks’s

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Government as Minister of the Navy, simultaneously promoted to Counter Admiral. The forces he commanded comprised a river flotilla on the

Kama ''Kama'' (Sanskrit: काम, ) is the concept of pleasure, enjoyment and desire in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It can also refer to "desire, wish, longing" in Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh literature.Monier Williamsका� ...

(40 ships in total). The tasks of his force included fire support for the White Army, transportation of its units, laying mines, disrupting Reds' communications and river crossings, as well as engaging Red warships directly. Smirnov displayed notable personal courage and skill, contributing to the actions of the White Army, though he was criticized for maintaining an overstaffed ministry. The fleet was lost after the fall of

Perm Perm or PERM may refer to: Places * Perm, Russia, a city in Russia **Permsky District, the district **Perm Krai, a federal subject of Russia since 2005 **Perm Oblast, a former federal subject of Russia 1938–2005 ** Perm Governorate, an administr ...

in July 1919. In October 1919 the Ministry left Omsk for

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

with the rest of the government, and in January 1920 Kolchak was overthrown.

Emigration

In January 1920 Mikhail Smirnov left Russia for China, later moving to Berlin where he chaired a mutual help association for former Russian Navy servicemen. Afterwards, Smirnov lived in USA, France and Britain. In 1930, he published a biography of Admiral Kolchak. In 1926, he became a Freemason in London. He died in Liversedge, West Yorkshire, where he was buried. Mikhail Smirnov appears as a character in the 2008 Russian biopic of Alexander Kolchak where he is played by Egor Beroev.

Honours and awards

Russian Empire

Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd class (06.12.1902) * Order of Saint Stanislaus Ribbon

Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd class (29.03.1909, with swords 31.03.1916) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anna, 3rd class (06.12.1904. with swords and a bow 18.09.1905) * Order of Saint Anna ribbon bar

Order of St. Anna, 2nd class (28.07.1914) with swords (08.06.1915) * Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class with swords and a bow (16.03.1915) * Order of Glory Ribbon Bar

Gold Sword for Bravery The Gold Sword for Bravery () was a Russian award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished in 1917. From 1913 to 1917 it was renamed the Saint George ...

(26.08.1916) * Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class (06.02.1917) * Order of St. George, 4th class (27.08.1919)

Foreign

*: ** Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar, Officer (12.06.1906) ** Order of the Black Star, Officer (11.01.1910) **

Officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(30.06.1914)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smirnov, Mikhail Ivanovich 1880 births 1940 deaths Military personnel from Saint Petersburg Russian Freemasons White Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom Recipients of the Gold Sword for Bravery Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I White movement admirals 20th-century Russian military personnel People of the Russian Civil War Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 3rd class Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 2nd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class 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. Vladimir, 3rd class Officers of the Legion of Honour Naval Cadet Corps alumni