Pyotr Pavlovich Kitkin () (12 June 1877 – 18 September 1954) was a Russian military commander in the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

Second World Wars World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, being promoted twice to Rear Admiral, once by 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 ...

on 28 July 1917, and once by 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 ...

, on 5 November 1944.

Biography

Tsarist naval officer

In 1896 Kitkin graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, and on 25 September 1896, was promoted to

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

with the appointment 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 ...

and was enlisted in the 29th naval crew. Between 1896 and 1899 he served on the battleships ''Chesma'' and ''Georgii Pobedonosets'', the cruiser ''Pamiat Merkuria'', the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

''Ingul'' and the

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

. In 1899 he was a flag officer on the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

of the Black Sea Fleet's practical squadron. In September 1899, he attended the a mine officer classes, and on 7 September 1900 was appointed a mine officer of the 2nd rank. Between 1900 and 1901 he served as a mine officer aboard the gunboat . Promoted to lieutenant in January 1901, he served that year as a watch officer on the ''Berezan''. In October 1901 Kitkin was appointed to serve with 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 ...

, and in February 1902 he was appointed a junior mine officer of the 1st rank cruiser ''Gromoboi''. From June 1903 he was junior mine officer of the cruiser ''Rurik''. In September 1903 he was appointed senior mine officer of the cruiser ''Askold'', and he served aboard her during 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

Siege of Port Arthur The siege of Port Arthur (, ''Ryojun Kōisen''; , ''Oborona Port-Artura'', August 1, 1904 – January 2, 1905) was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. Port Arthur, the deep-water port and Russian naval base ...

. In March 1904 he was appointed a mine officer of the 1st rank. After the

battle of the Yellow Sea The Battle of the Yellow Sea (; ) was a naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War, fought on 10 August 1904. In the Russian Navy, it was referred to as the Battle of 10 August. The battle foiled an attempt by the Russian fleet at Lüshunkou (Port ...

on 28 July 1904, the ''Askold'', with Kitkin aboard, escaped to

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and was interned there. After the war Kitkin went to serve with the Black Sea Fleet once more. In June 1906 Kitkin served as mine officer of the minesweeper ''Dunai'', and from May 1906 he was the senior mine officer of the battleship ''Georgii Pobedonosets''. In February 1907 he was transferred 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 ...

and enlisted in the 8th naval crew. Promoted to senior lieutenant in June 1907, he served as mine officer of the destroyer ''Lyogky'' from September 1907. In January 1908 he was seconded to the for training, and from June 1908 commanded the

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

''Prozorlivy''. In November 1908 he was appointed mine officer of the flagship of the commander of the destroyer division, which on 12 March 1909 became the 2nd mine division of the Baltic Sea. From December 1908 he held the rank of First lieutenant. From October 1909 to July 1910 he was senior officer of the gunboat , and from 1910 specialised in

minesweeping Minesweeping is the practice of removing explosive naval mines, usually by a specially designed ship called a minesweeper using various measures to either capture or detonate the mines, but sometimes also with an aircraft made for that purpos ...

. 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 April 1911, he was appointed chief of the Baltic minesweeping division on 15 January 1912. In November 1913 he commanded the lead ship of the division, the gunboat . In September 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, Kitkin was 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 ...

for courageously resisting the enemy. In December 1914, he left the post of commander of the minesweepers, and in May 1915, he was appointed acting commander of the Baltic minesweeping division, before being confirmed in this post. In July 1917 he was promoted to rear admiral.

Soviet service

After 1918 Kitkin served in the

(RKKF). From 1918 to 1919 he was head of minesweeping, and from 1919 to 1920 the chief of the Baltic mine defences. In 1921 he was arrested by the Petrograd Special Department of the

GPU A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed for digital image processing and to accelerate computer graphics, being present either as a discrete video card or embedded on motherboards, mobile phones, personal ...

, but was soon released. From 1921 to 1923 he was chairman of the Scientific and Technical Commission of Mine-Trial Experiments, and from 1923 to 1924 the chairman of the mine section of the NTK. From 1924 to 1926 he was the head of the mine testing site. From 1926 to 1931 he was Chairman of the Commission for Marine Mine Experiments. Simultaneously, from 1922-1941, he was teaching at the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

. In February 1931, he enlisted in the RKKF reserve, and in February 1936 he was dismissed to the reserve. In May 1942, he was appointed captain 1st rank, and from 1942 to 1943 commanded the ''Svir''. In 1943 and 1944, Kitkin served as a specialist on

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...

s for the Military Council of the Baltic Fleet, and from October 1944, was senior engineer-designer of the technical department of the NIMTI Navy. On 27 October 1944, by order of the People's Commissariat of the Navy, his period of freelance hire service, from 1936 to 1942, was counted as active service in the Navy. On 5 November 1944 he was promoted to rear admiral, and in January 1947, he was appointed head of the gunnery training department. In 1946, for his inventions in the field of mine warfare, the VAK approved the award of the degree of Doctor of Technical Sciences. In May 1948 he retired. He died in Leningrad on 18 September 1954, and was buried on the Literary Bridge of the

Volkovo Cemetery The Volkovo Cemetery (also Volkovskoe) ( or Во́лково кла́дбище) is one of the largest and oldest non- Orthodox cemeteries in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Until the early 20th century it was one of the main burial grounds for Lutheran ...

Scientific activity

During his service in the Navy, many of Kitkin's inventions in the field of mines and trawls were adopted for service: mines arr. 1906, 1908, 1912, a cutter trawl (1913), a cartridge with two drums for the trawler boat (1920), a mine protector and a special purpose subversive cartridge (1928), a device known as a snake trawl (1929) a milestone (1929), special sweeping units for convoys (1936), and a device for the self-explosion of mines (1942).

Ship

After Admiral Kitkin's death, a Soviet ship was named in his honour.

Medals

Awards of the Russian Empire

* Saint George Sword (1916) * Order of St. Anna II degree (1913), swords to him (1915); *

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 ...

III degree with swords (1915); * Port Arthur Cross" (191? Year); *Order of St. Vladimir IV degree (1912); * Order of St. Stanislaus II degree with swords (1907); *Order of St. Anne III degree with swords and a bow (1905).

Awards of the USSR

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

(1945); *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

(1944); *

(1948); *

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 ...

(1943); *Medal "For the Defense of Leningrad" (1943); *Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945";Kitkin's Great Patriotic War medals (10 January 2018)
/ref> *A gold watch "A staunch defender of the proletarian revolution from the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR" (1928).

Foreign awards

*Officer of the Order of the

Legion d'Honneur 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. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

(France).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kitkin, Pyotr Pavlovich Imperial Russian Navy admirals Soviet admirals Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Russian military personnel of World War I Soviet military personnel of World War II 1877 births 1954 deaths Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Naval Cadet Corps alumni