The Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School, formally the Black Sea Higher Naval Orders of Nakhimov and the Red Star School named after P. S. Nakhimov (), abbreviated as ChVVMU () is a higher naval education institution in

Sevastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...

which prepares prospective officers for commissions in the

Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...

. The school has existed since 1937, when it was formed as the Second Naval School, to supplement the M. V. Frunze Naval School in training officers for the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

. In 1939 it was renamed the Black Sea Naval School, and then the Black Sea Higher Naval School in 1940. With the

Axis invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis powers, Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet ...

in 1941, in August and September that year the school was at first evacuated from Sevastopol to

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, and then disbanded in November 1941. The school was re-established in 1946, and in 1952 was renamed the P. S. Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School. With the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

in 1991, the school became part of the newly-independent state of Ukraine. In 1992, the school was merged with the to form the Sevastopol Naval Institute. In 1999, it was renamed the Nakhimov Sevastopol Naval Institute, and then reorganised once more in 2009 as the P.S. Nakhimov Academy of the Naval Forces of Ukraine. Following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, the school came under the control of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

. Ukrainian cadets and teachers who chose not to remain were evacuated to

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

, joining the

Odesa Maritime Academy The Odesa Maritime Academy () is a maritime university in Odesa, Ukraine. Currently, the main task of the university is to ensure the competitiveness of graduates in the Ukrainian and world labor markets, by training seafarers while taking int ...

as its Naval Faculty. The school was reopened as a Russian educational facility in 2014 as the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School.

Predecessors

The Imperial Russian government had planned to develop naval education in the Black Sea following an acute shortage of officers because of heavy losses sustained 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 ...

. Plans were approved to create a naval cadet corps in

, base of 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 ...

, to mirror the

Naval Cadet Corps A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

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 ...

. The was inaugurated in 1915, with construction of facilities intended to be complete by autumn 1917, but the corps was instead closed after the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

that year. It was opened on 20 October 1919 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 ...

by , training members of the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

for service in the fleet. Rear-Admiral was appointed director of the corps. With the success of the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

over the Whites, the corps was evacuated to

Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...

, where the first graduation of what was now the taking place in summer 1921. There were some 300 graduates from the corps before it was closed on 25 May 1925. With the success of the

in securing the ports and bases of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

, the

became a Red force, and a training detachment was created in 1920. On 18 April 1931 the

Revolutionary Military Council The Revolutionary Military Council (), sometimes called the Revolutionary War Council Brian PearceIntroductionto Fyodor Raskolnikov s "Tales of Sub-lieutenant Ilyin." or ''Revvoyensoviet'' (), was the supreme military authority of Soviet Rus ...

issued Order No. 334, establishing the . The school occupied the buildings of the former naval barracks.

Soviet history

Second Naval School

The school was created by Order No. 035 of 1 April 1937 of the

Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union The Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union was the highest collegial body of executive and administrative authority of the Soviet Union from 1923 to 1946. As the government of the Soviet Union, the Council of People's Commissars of ...

, which ordered the formation of a school in Sevastopol for "the training of command personnel for ships and parts of the fleet", to be named the Second Naval School. The navy was going through a period of expansion and it was decided to supplement the navy's only commissioning school, the M. V. Frunze Naval School in

Leningrad 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 ...

, with a new school located at the main base of the

The land allocated for the school was a parcel of open land measuring 35.4 hectares between and . It was occupied only by artillery battery No. 14, which was by then used by the Coastal Defence School for training. The tasks of constructing the school's facilities, securing staff and recruiting cadets was assigned to its first head, . Construction began in July 1937 by the first intake of cadets and

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League, usually known as Komsomol, was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it w ...

members, with the academic year beginning on 9 November, with classes being held outdoors and in unfinished buildings. At first the cadets lived in tents that were established on a sea coast and in winter aboard the steamship ''Ochakov''. A training cruise took place in 1938 aboard the cruiser ''Komintern''. On 21 September 1938,

Captain 3rd rank Captain 3rd rank () is a rank used by the Russian Navy and a number of former communist states. The rank is the lowest rank in the staff officer's career group. The rank is equivalent to major in armies and air forces. Within NATO forces, the rank ...

Pavel Ipatov was appointed to command the school. Further training cruises were carried out aboard the ''Komintern'', as well as the motor vessels ''Neva'' and ''Dnepr'', and in summer 1939 the naval department of the Coastal Defence School was transferred to the Second Naval School.

Black Sea Higer Naval School

By order of the People's Commissar of the Navy No. 241 of 25 June 1939, the Second Naval School was renamed the Black Sea Naval School. After passing inspections, and by resolution of the Council of People's Commissars No. 963 on 5 July 1940, and the order of the People's Commissar of the Navy No. 294 on 10 July 1940, the school was classed as a higher educational institution and renamed the Black Sea Higher Naval School. With the

in June 1941, many of the cadets were called up for service in the fleets, while the remainder prepared fortifications and assisted in defending the city against air attack. By August the city was directly threatened by Axis ground forces, and orders were given to begin evacuating the school to

. By October Rostov-on-Don was also in imminent danger, and on 9 October the headquarters of the

North Caucasus Military District The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Armed Forces from 1992-2010. Before 1992 it had been part of the Soviet Armed Forces since 1918. In 2010 it became the Southern Military District and lately also included t ...

ordered the school to be reorganized into the 6th Naval Cadet Regiment. The regiment consisted of four battalions in ten companies, comprising 1,059 cadets. The regiment was assigned to the reserve defences of the city, holding a defensive line until 24 October 1941, when they were ordered to

Mineralnye Vody Mineralnye Vody (Min-Vody) ( rus, Минеральные Воды (Мин-Воды), p=mʲɪnʲɪˈralʲnɨjə ˈvodɨ, mʲɪn ˈvodɨ; lit. ''mineral waters'') is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located along the Kuma River and the main rail ...

to be reformed. They departed the city by train on 25 October, arriving at Mineralnye Vody on 27 October. With the dispatch to the front of the entire cadet force and most of the teaching staff, the People's Commissar of the Soviet Navy issued Order No. 02255 on 1 November, disbanding the Black Sea Naval School. The remaining teaching staff were transferred to other naval educational institutions, and the surviving property of the school was sent to the Caspian Higher Naval School. The cadets of the school were formed into the , commanded by the former head of the school,

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 ...

. After being reformed and equipped at Mineralnye Vody, the brigade returned to Rostov-on-Don in January 1942. In March they were in heavy action around

Matveyev Kurgan Matveyev Kurgan () is a rural locality (a ''settlement'') and the administrative center of Matveyevo-Kurgansky District, Rostov Oblast, Russia. Demographics Its population has grown over the decades: History The Russians started settlin ...

, and in July they were forced back across the

Don River The Don () is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its basin is betwee ...

when the Germans captured the city. The brigade continued to serve with the 56th Army in defensive and offensive operations throughout 1942 and into 1943, until March 1943 when it and the other naval rifle brigades were disbanded and the sailors were returned to the navy. Of the 1,794 graduates of the school who served in the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

during the Second World War, thirteen were awarded the title of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

during wartime, and two more in the post-war period. Another received the title of

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an Title of honor, honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievem ...

, with five more receiving the title of

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation ( rus, Герой Российской Федерации, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲijskəj fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨɪ), also unofficially called Hero of Russia ( rus, Герой России, p=ɡʲɪˈroj rɐˈsʲiɪ), is ...

Post-war reconstruction

Sevastapol was recaptured in 1944, but had suffered heavy damage. On 4 March 1946, a new school, designated military unit 69202, was established in the city to provide a two-year training course for small ship commanders. Captain 1st Rank was appointed its first commander. Reconstruction of the city, naval base, and school took place, and on 26 July 1946, Captain 1st Rank was appointed the new head. 225 cadets were enrolled at the start of the academic year on 1 November 1946. On 30 April 1947, the school received its military banner from the Commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral

Filipp Oktyabrsky Filipp Sergeyevich Ivanov (; – 8 July 1969), more popularly known as Filipp Sergeyevich Oktyabrsky (), was a Soviet naval commander. He began service in the Baltic Fleet in 1918. From 1925–27 he studied at the Naval Academy in Leningrad ...

, and on 1 May 1947 the cadets took part in the city's parade for the first time since the war. On 1 September 1948 the school name was restored as the Black Sea Higher Naval School, and on 20 September 1948 Vice-Admiral

Gavriil Zhukov Gavriil Vasilyevich Zhukov (; 24 March 1899 - 8 January 1957) was a Soviet naval commander who served in both the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. Early life Zhukov was born in the Village of Beryozovy Gai in the Samara Governorate i ...

took command of the school. His successor in 1950 was Hero of the Soviet Union Rear-Admiral . By the resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 1857 on 18 April 1952, and the Order of the Minister of the Navy No. 107 on 24 April 1952, the school was renamed the P. S. Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School, commemmorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Admiral

Pavel Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (, ; – ) was a Russian admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during the Crimean War. He joined the Imper ...

. Kolyshkin was succeeded as head of the school by Rear-Admiral in December 1953, and he in turn by Admiral Filipp Oktyabrsky in 1957.

Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School

In March 1960, Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School was subordinated to the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, and from February 1961, the first deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet had direct management of the school's activities. Rear-Admiral succeeded Admiral Oktyabrsky on 30 June 1960, going on to spend more than five years in command, until his death on 13 November 1965. His successor was Hero of the Soviet Union Rear-Admiral , appointed on 22 January 1966. By now the school was specialising in preparing officers for the modern ships of the fleet, with departments set up to master new technologies, especially missiles and rockets, and the uses of nuclear power and weapons. In December 1971, Rear-Admiral took charge of the school, being promoted to vice-admiral during his tenure, on 5 November 1973. On 30 April 1975, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, the school was awarded the

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () 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 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

. It was presented by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union

Sergey Gorshkov Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (; 26 February 1910 – 13 May 1988) was an admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union. Twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he oversaw the expansion of the Soviet Navy into a global force during the Cold ...

on 19 June 1975. In August 1981, Rear-Admiral , was appointed to the post of head of the school, being promoted to vice-admiral in October 1984. He was succeeded in August 1987 by Rear-Admiral Vladimir Denisenkov, the last head of the school before the

in 1991.

Since the fall of the USSR

Ukraine

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the independent states of Russia and Ukraine, the question of ownership of the former-Soviet military units and facilities on the territory of the former Soviet Republics became a pressing issue. The Black Sea Fleet, and its related facilities and personnel were the subject of high-level discussions between the new Russian and Ukrainian governments. While discussions were taking place, Ukrainian defence minister

Kostyantyn Morozov Kostyantyn Petrovych Morozov (born 3 June 1944) is a Soviet-Ukrainian former military officer who served as the first Minister of Defence of Ukraine following its 1991 declaration of independence. Morozov also briefly served as Ukraine's amba ...

issued orders to carry out the 5 April 1992 decree No. 209 of the President of Ukraine to place the and the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School under the authority of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry's military education department. The Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Rear-Admiral Boris Kozhin, duly appointed Captain 1st Rank as head of the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School on 17 July 1992. The

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine (), is the highest body of state Executive (government), executive power in Ukraine. As the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republi ...

issued resolution No. 490 on 19 August 1992, merging the Sevastopol Higher Naval Engineering School and the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School into the Sevastopol Naval Institute. Cadets who preferred to leave rather than join the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred to other naval educational institutions in Russia. On 14 January 1993 the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School was officially disbanded by directive of the Russian General Staff of the Armed Forces. On 17 September 1994, by the directive of the Head of the

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine () is the military staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Ministry of De ...

, Colonel General , a command faculty was created in the school to train officers at the operational-tactical level. On 8 October 1994, the Battle Banner was awarded to the Sevastopol Naval Institute. On 20 July 1999 the institute was renamed the Nakhimov Sevastopol Naval Institute. In 2009 the naval institute was renamed the Nakhimov Naval Academy.

Since 2014

During the

annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russ ...

, Russian forces began blockading the Nakhimov Naval Academy by land and sea from 27 February 2014. On 20 March Russian command over the academy was established, and cadets and teaching staff who chose not to stay left for

. With the de facto annexation by early April, staff and some 200 students who wished to remain with Ukraine were transferred to Odesa. On 4 June 2014 this was confirmed in an order by the Russian government, while on the same day the resolution No. 163 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine disbanded the Nakhimov Naval Academy, and established the Naval Faculty at the

Odesa National Maritime Academy The Odesa Maritime Academy () is a maritime university in Odesa, Ukraine. Currently, the main task of the university is to ensure the competitiveness of graduates in the Ukrainian and world labor markets, by training seafarers while taking int ...

. This was, on 13 July 2016, reorganized into the Institute of Naval Forces of the Odesa Maritime Academy. Once more named the Nakhimov Black Sea Higher Naval School, it received a new battle flag from Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Vice-Admiral

Aleksandr Fedotenkov Aleksandr Nikolaevich Fedotenkov (; born 7 January 1959) is a former officer of the Russian Navy. He holds the rank of Vice-Admiral, and was deputy commander of the Russian Navy. Career Fedotenkov was born on 7 January 1959 in Seltso, Bryansk O ...

on 13 May 2014, and on 18 June 2014 the first graduation for sailors into the

was held. On 1 September 2022, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the school was awarded the

Order of Nakhimov The Order of Nakhimov () is a military decoration of the Russian Federation named in honour of Russian admiral Pavel Nakhimov (1802–1855) and bestowed to naval officers for outstanding military leadership. The order was established during Wo ...

. The award was presented by Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Admiral

Nikolai Yevmenov Nikolai Anatolyevich Yevmenov (, born 2 April 1962) is a Russian admiral who served as the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy from 2019 to 2024. He is currently the director of the N. G. Kuznetsov Naval Academy. Biography Yevmenov was ...

Commanders

Soviet Union

*Flagman 2nd Rank (May 1937 - July 1938) *Captain 1st Rank

Pavel Ipatov Pavel Ipatov may refer to: * Pavel Ipatov (economist) (1914–1994), Soviet economist * Pavel Ipatov (politician) (born 1950), Russian politician See also * Ipatov {{hndis, Ipatov, Pavel ...

(September 1938 - September 1940) *Rear-Admiral Valentin Drozd (November 1940 - February 1941) *Captain 1st Rank (March 1941 - November 1941) *Captain 1st Rank (March 1946 - July 1946) *Captain 1st Rank (July 1946 - September 1948) *Rear-Admiral

(September 1948 - September 1950) *Rear-Admiral (September 1950 - December 1953) *Rear-Admiral (December 1953 - May 1957) *Admiral

(May 1957 - June 1960) *Vice-Admiral (June 1960 - November 1965) *Vice-Admiral (January 1966 - December 1971) *Vice-Admiral (December 1971 - July 1981) *Vice-Admiral (August 1981 - August 1987) *Rear-Admiral Vladimir Denisenkov (August 1987 - August 1992)

Ukraine

*Rear-Admiral (August 1992 - 1996) *Rear-Admiral (1996-1998) *Rear-Admiral (1998-2004) *Rear-Admiral (2004-2006) *Rear-Admiral (2006-2010) *Captain 1st Rank (2010-2012) *Captain 1st Rank

Oleksiy Neizhpapa Oleksiy Leonidovych Neizhpapa (; born 9 October 1975) is a Ukrainian vice admiral and a Commander of the Navy (Ukraine), Commander of the Naval Forces of the Ukrainian Navy.Decree of the President of Ukraine from 11 червня 2020 year № ...

(2012-2014) *Captain 1st Rank (2014) (acting)

Russia

*Captain 1st Rank Aleksandr Grinkevich (20 March 2014 - 25 March 2014) (acting) *Rear-Admiral

Igor Smolyak Igor Vladimirovich Smolyak (; born 27 February 1968) is a retired officer of the Russian Navy. He holds the rank of Rear-Admiral, and served as commander of the Leningrad Naval Base between 2015 and 2016, and as commander of the Nakhimov Black Se ...

(25 March 2014 - May 2015) *Rear-Admiral Aleksandr Grinkevich (May 2015 - present)

References

External links

Nakhimov Higher Naval Institute
Ministry of Defense of Ukraine website.
Nakhimov Naval Academy
at the Academia educational portal {{authority control Military academies of Russia Russian Navy 1992 establishments in Russia Naval academies Universities and colleges in Sevastopol