Grigory Butakov

Grigory Ivanovich Butakov (9 October 1820 – 31 May 1882) was a Russian admiral who fought in the Crimean War. Butakov is widely credited as being the father of steam-powered ship tactics during the 19th century. He was involved in the first battles of the Crimean War, which includes the first sea battles involving steam-powered ships. Butakov wrote of his experiences in his book: New Principles of Steamboat Tactics, which won him the Demidov Prize. In 1881 Butakov assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Port of St. Petersburg. He was also made a member of the State Council in March 1882. Shortly after gaining both titles however, Butakov fell seriously ill, and died on 31 May 1882, aged 62. The minor planet 4936 Butakov was named in his memory.

In May 1838, Butakov took part in a landing operation near Abkhazia against Turkish positions. Butakov was awarded several decorations for bravery during the operation. From September 1838 to August 1840, Butakov patrolled the Aegean Sea aboard the schooner Lastochka, and in 1844, he patrolled the Mediterranean Sea aboard the Vestnik. The following August, Butakov was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Not long after his promotion, Butakov became interested in improvements to the Navy in the field of Naval Science. Butakov developed a completely new system of fog signals, and invented a new version of windlass. Grigory Butakov was sent with to the Black Sea aboard the steamship Vladimir. The battle in which Grigory Butakov aboard the steam-ship Vladimir, fought and captured the Turkish steam-ship Pervaz Bahri was historically important on two accounts: Firstly, it was the very first battle of the Crimean War, and secondly, it was the first battle involving only steam-ships, marking a new age of naval warfare.

Pervaz Bahri The Vladimir (right) battling the Pervaz Bahri (left) on 5 November 1853. The 10-gun Turkish steamship that was steadily nearing the Vladimir had no bow or stern artillery. This made it an attractive target for any Russian war ship. Once the Ottoman ship was in range, Butakov maneuvered the Vladimir into advantageous positions for an attack. Butakov would take up a position from behind the Pervaz Bahri 's stern, and rake the ship with cannon fire. This maneuver was successful due to the Ottoman ship not having any stern artillery. Every time the Pervaz Bahri tried to employ side artillery upon the Vladimir, Butakov would repeatedly take up an advantageous position behind enemy stern, and bombard the ship with cannon shot.

Despite Butakov's successful tactics in attacking the Ottoman ship, the battle was taking more time than expected. Butakov's superiors then ordered him to speed up the sinking or capture of the Turkish vessel. Butakov then gave an order to pick up speed, and at a distance of 100 meters, he opened canister fire from all ship's the guns. The Pervaz Bahri then surrendered to the crew of the Vladimir, ending a three-hour-long battle which took many Turkish casualties. This was a major victory for Butakov because it was Russia's first steam-powered sea battle victory. On 7 November, the newly captured ship was brought to the port of Sevastopol, where it underwent major repairs. The ship was renamed: Kornilov, and was commissioned into the Russian navy.

Grigory Butakov's commanding officers thought very highly of him, particularly after the victory over the Pervas Bahri. The naval officer, Vladimir Alexeyevich Kornilov, whom the captured ship was renamed after, commented on Butakov's skill as a commander: "He behaves and gives commands as if it were just maneuvers or war games". After the battle, Butakov was promoted to Captain Second Rank, and was awarded the Order of St. George IV Degree. Kornilov, in particular valued Butakov's service greatly; when Kornilov wrote his name on a list of naval officers, he added the words: "Much respected and loved by the officers".

Sevastopol

In September 1854, British, Ottoman and French forces laid siege to Sevastopol, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Grigory Butakov provided substantial cannon support during the siege by sailing into favorable positions and bombarding the British, French and Ottoman fortifications, which surrounded the port. The Russian garrison at Sevastopol was low during the siege; only 36,600 men were fit for action, while the number of Allied troops totaled 175,000 men. Because of the low amount of manpower, many sailors volunteered to leave their ships, and fight as infantry on the ground. Butakov also volunteered to leave the Vladimir, and fight as an infantryman. However, his offer was immediately refused by a senior naval officer; Pavel Nakhimov, he said to Butakov: "I can not do that, such people like you are to be preserved for the future of the fleet".

Throughout the Siege of Sevastopol, Butakov stayed aboard the Vladimir, repulsing enemy counterattacks and bombarding fortified positions. In August, Butakov was sent with several steamships to protect the left flank on eastern shore of Killen-balka from Allied attacks. Butakov sailed the Vladimir so close to the shore that he actually made his ship inaccessible to the French battery, while maintaining a clear line of sight of the enemy cannons, he then ordered his ships to fire upon the French battery, causing major damage. A sailor in the fleet commented on Butakov's calmness during the conflict: "[he] was the first to set his crew an example of remarkably cool behavior, self-control and fearlessness. Everyone would be just enraptured and stunned by his coolness and the way he gave orders; he did this as if there were no cannonballs and bullets flying around him, as if there were not any possibility for him to be killed any minute".

In August 1855, Admiral Novonilsky ordered 15 Russian ships to be scuttled, and their cannons be used to help defend the port. Butakov's flagship Vladimir was one of the 15 ships, Butakov and her crew were secreted back to Russia, and would be transferred to the Baltic Fleet. The scuttled ships were: Grand Duke Constantine, City of Paris (both with 120 guns), Brave, Empress Maria, Chesme, Yagondeid (84 guns), Kavarna (60 guns), Konlephy (54 guns), steam frigate Vladimir, steamboats Thunderer, Bessarabia, Danube, Odessa, Elbrose and Krein. The guns and several crew members from the ships were used to defend Sevastopol. On 9 September the port fell to allied forces, marking the beginning of the eventual defeat of Russia in the Crimean War. The siege of Sevastopol claimed many lives on both sides; the Russians lost 102,000 killed and wounded, while the number of British, French and Ottoman casualties numbered 128,387 deaths. Soon after the Siege, the Crimean War was over, ending in Russia's defeat.

Naval science

When the Crimean War ended in February 1856, Grigory Butakov was promoted to rear admiral. By this time he was 36 years old, and had spent 25 of those years in the Imperial Russian Navy. Butakov was also appointed High Chief of the naval unit in Nikolayev and also the Naval Governor of Nikolayev and Sevastopol. Throughout his time serving in these positions, Butakov kept studying the field of Naval Science. In early 1854, Butakov compiled descriptions of "evolutions" in steam warship design, such advantageous turns and maneuvering of the ships in line that would be necessary for taking up the most advantageous position during battle. Butakov wrote of his improvements: "I happened to develop a rather simple yet ingenious idea, namely, two simple geometric lines – a circle and a tangent to it – should be considered the basis for steamship evolutions". He was widely mourned throughout Russia and he was buried in the Nikolskoe Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Saint Petersburg.