Pyotr Bezobrazov
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Pyotr Alekseyevich Bezobrazov (; 29 January 1845 – 17 July 1906) was an admiral in 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 ...
.


Early career

Born into an old
Bezobrazov Bezobrazov () was the name of the Russian nobility, Russian noble family, whose members held significant positions within the Russian Empire. History The family first appeared in written documents in the 15th century. They had numerous noble unt ...
noble family, Pyotr began his naval service as a midshipman on the frigate ''Dmitry Donskoy'' from 1864 to 1866. He was promoted to
warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...
in 1866, to lieutenant in 1870 and to lieutenant-commander in 1880. He became
executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...
of the frigate ''Svetlana'' in 1883. He became captain 2nd rank in 1885 after commanding a number of gunboats, and to captain, 1st rank in 1890. From 1893 to 1897, he was captain of the armoured cruiser , which visited ports in the eastern United States as part of the celebration of the 1893 Chicago World Exposition. He was then appointed captain of the battleship .Kowner, '' Historical Dictionary of the Russo-Japanese War'', p. 69. Bezobrazov was promoted to rear admiral in 1897, and served as chief of staff of the naval base at
Kronstadt Kronstadt (, ) is a Russian administrative divisions of Saint Petersburg, port city in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal cities of Russia, federal city of Saint Petersburg, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg, near the head ...
in 1898, and deputy commander of 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 ...
from 1898 to 1901. He was made deputy commander 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 ...
from 1901 to 1903, and promoted to vice admiral on 1 January 1904.


Russo-Japanese War

After the start of 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 ...
and the death of Vice Admiral
Stepan Makarov Stepan Osipovich Makarov (, ; – ) was a Russian vice-admiral, commander in the Imperial Russian Navy, oceanographer, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and author of several books. He was a pioneer of insubmersibility theory (the ...
, Bezobravov was appointed commander of the First Pacific Squadron on 8 May 1904. He arrived at
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 ...
on 12 June 1904 via the
Trans-Siberian Railroad The Trans-Siberian Railway, historically known as the Great Siberian Route and often shortened to Transsib, is a large railway system that connects European Russia to the Russian Far East. Spanning a length of over , it is the longest railway ...
, but was unable to reach the squadron at Port Arthur due to the Japanese blockade. He assumed command of the Independent Cruiser Squadron based at Vladivostok, consisting of the armoured cruisers , , and and led the squadron on a successful attack (the "
Hitachi Maru Incident The was a maritime incident which occurred during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, in which three Japanese military transports were sunk in a Russian commerce raiding sortie by a Vladivostok-based armored cruiser squadron of the Imperial ...
") on 15 June 1904 on Japanese shipping in the
Korea Strait The Korea Strait is a strait, sea passage in East Asia between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It connects the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by Tsushima Island into two par ...
. For this mission, he was awarded the
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 with swords. On 27 September 1904, Bezobravov was promoted to command the Baltic Fleet and to the post of acting Chief of the Naval Staff in place of Admiral
Zinovy Rozhestvensky Zinovy Petrovich Rozhestvensky (, tr. ; – January 14, 1909) was a Russian admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy. He was in command of the Second Pacific Squadron in the Battle of Tsushima, during the Russo-Japanese War. Under Admiral Rozh ...
(a position which he held to July 1906), and returned to St Petersburg. He died in St Petersburg and his grave was at the
Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...
.


Awards

*
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 ...
4th degree, 1890 *
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 ...
3rd degree, 1894 *
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 degree, with swords, 1904 * Order of St. Anne 3rd degree * Order of St. Anne 2nd degree * Order of St. Anne 1st degree, 1903 * Order of St. Stanislaus 3rd degree * Order of St. Stanislaus 2nd degree * Order of St. Stanislaus 1st degree, 1900 *
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
(Japan), 2nd class, 1901 *
Order of the Crown (Romania) The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...
, 1901 *
Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria) The Order of Military Merit () is a Bulgarian Order (decoration), order during the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Bulgaria, Republic of Bulgaria. It is the third highest order in the Republic of Bulgaria along with the Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria) ...
, 1901


References

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bezobrazov, Petr 1845 births 1906 deaths Imperial Russian Navy admirals Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russian), 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery (Saint Petersburg)