Makarov Stepan Osipovich
O sun of the north! How dignified
It descended into a steep whirlpool.
Let, like in the desert, everything around freeze, Giving glory to him in silence!
Ishikawa Takuboku, "In Memory of Admiral Makarov"
There is a monument on the main square of Kronstadt. From a high pedestal, on which a gilded inscription "Remember the war" is engraved, a broad-shouldered admiral looks towards the sea, stretching out his hand forward. This is a monument to Stepan Makarov, a talented navigator, whose name is inextricably linked with the Russian-Japanese war. His death in 1904 was an irreparable loss for the Russian fleet.
Could one person have influenced the course of the Russo-Japanese War? Many historians believe that if Admiral Makarov had not died, Russia would have had a chance of winning the war. However, there is also an opinion that Makarov's achievements are somewhat exaggerated, and even if he survived, the problems in the military system of that time were too great for one person to cope with them and lead Russia to victory.
Stepan Osipovich Makarov was born in 1848. His father served in a training naval crew, and his son, following his father's example, entered the naval navigational school of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. Although Osip Makarov did not pay too much attention to children, nevertheless, Stepan took over from his father such qualities as curiosity and responsibility in performing his work, discipline, hard work and love for the sea.
According to the established tradition of the Nikolaev school, the junior cadets were entirely given over to the care of the elders, from whom they endured all kinds of bullying. The elders even had the right to punish the younger. According to Makarov, the elders could force the little ones to do whatever they wanted for themselves, they were not allowed to contradict them. Similar orders in one form or another prevailed in the old days in almost all male educational institutions, especially in provincial ones. However, Makarov himself from an early age did not allow himself a bad attitude towards the younger. The school played an important role in the life of Makarov. He was on friendly terms with many teachers, received books from them. Rumors of a diligent student reached Rear Admiral P. V. Kazakevich, who appointed the young cadet to the Pacific squadron under the command of A. A. Popov.
At that time, only nobles, and noble families, had the right to occupy command positions in the navy. Natives of untitled noble families, with rare exceptions, could not climb the career ladder, despite all their merits or abilities. Appointment to the post most often depended on kinship or acquaintance with senior officials of the naval ministry. The top of the fleet (the naval ministry and the naval technical committee) was replenished, as a rule, from representatives of a narrow circle of naval noble families and did not treat the talented sailors who managed to advance.
In August 1865, Makarov was assigned to the Varyag corvette, the flagship of the squadron commander, Admiral I. A. Endogurov. The corvette was commanded by an experienced sailor, captain of the second rank, R. A. Lund. Until November 1866, Makarov was constantly sailing, visited the Japanese, Chinese and Okhotsk seas, as well as the Pacific and Indian oceans. In November 1866, Makarov was transferred to the flagship Askold, which sailed under the flag of Rear Admiral Kern. But a month later he was sent to Kronstadt, to the Baltic Fleet.
Warrant officer Makarov was appointed chief of the watch on the two-turret armored boat "Rusalka". While sailing off the Finnish coast, the Rusalka got a hole. For sealing holes on ships, a plaster made from a large piece of tarred canvas has long been used. A significant drawback was that the plaster began to be produced after the ship was damaged, thus losing precious time. And Makarov developed detailed instructions for the manufacture of plasters in advance, and also improved the very design of the patch. The young inventor strove to ensure that any hole could not lead to the death of the ship, and prepared the device for a system of drainage pipes located between the two bottoms. All his projects and considerations Makarov outlined in detail in the first serious scientific work - "Armored boat" Rusalka ". Buoyancy research and means proposed to enhance it."
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Stepan Makarov tested his new inventions in mine business, for which he later received the nickname "the grandfather of the mine fleet." He was the first to introduce mines into the system and in every possible way promoted mines as the most important weapon in naval warfare. Makarov also conducted studies of the Bosphorus Strait, which resulted in the work "On the exchange of waters of the Black and Mediterranean Seas." Published in the Notes of the Academy of Sciences, this study was awarded the Academy of Sciences Prize in 1885. The general conclusion was as follows: there are two currents in the Bosphorus, the upper one - from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea and the lower one - from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. The difference between these currents can be advantageously used in the conduct of hostilities in the Bosphorus Gulf. Makarov's work is still considered the classic and most complete in solving the problem of currents on the Bosphorus.
In the summer of 1882, Makarov was appointed flag officer of the head of the squadron of skerry ships of the Baltic Sea, Rear Admiral Schmidt. He had more work. Makarov installed a system of crossings and signs to mark skerry fairways and took an active part in the transportation of large formations of troops of all types of weapons on military ships from the outskirts of St. Petersburg to various areas of the Finnish coast. In 1886 Makarov set off on a voyage around the world aboard the Vityaz ship.
The Vityaz followed the following route: Kronstadt, Kiel, Gothenburg, Portsmouth, Brest, El Ferrol (Spain), Lisbon, Madeira Island and Portoprise on the Cape Verde Islands. On November 20, the ship entered the harbor of Rio de Janeiro. Having safely passed the Strait of Magellan, the Vityaz was in Valparaiso on January 6, 1887, and then crossed the Pacific Ocean towards Yokohama. During the voyage, Makarov conducted hydrological and meteorological observations, measured depths, and took samples of water and soil.
In the fall of 1891, a broad discussion began in the Russian fleet on the issues of armor protection of ships and an increase in the penetrating power of shells. In the midst of this discussion, Stepan Osipovich Makarov was appointed chief inspector of naval artillery. He is actively involved in technical improvements to the maritime service. So, at this time he developed a semaphore system. Signaling via flags has greatly accelerated the exchange of information between ships. Makarov tried to introduce the latest innovation - radiograms, but did not receive approval from the authorities.
At the end of 1894, Makarov was appointed commander of a Russian squadron in the Mediterranean. At this time, he was captured by the idea of reaching the North Pole. Makarov persuaded Witte to find funds to build the Ermak icebreaker, which was launched in 1899. However, during test voyages, "Ermak" could not break through the ice, and Makarov was soon eliminated from this project.
In 1899, Makarov was appointed commander of the Kronstadt port, military governor-general. The situation in the Far East is gradually heating up due to the strengthening of Japan. As Makarov told his biographer Wrangel about the situation in Port Arthur: "I will be sent there when things get really bad."
The admiral arrived at Port Arthur and took command of the Pacific Fleet in February 1904. From the very first days, he began active operations, trained sailors, went out to sea with a squadron in search of the enemy. Even the Japanese had heard a lot about this talented person, they were afraid and respected Makarov.
At the end of March 1904, the admiral received a report on the concentration of Japanese ships in the area of the Elliot Islands with the aim of their further transfer to the Kwantung Peninsula. On the night of March 30 to March 31, according to the old style, he decided to send a group of destroyers to intercept, and in the morning to withdraw the squadron from Port Arthur and destroy the enemy ships. 8 destroyers set off for the raid: "Brave", "Sentry", "Silent", "Quick", "Terrible", "Thunderous", "Enduring" and "Combat". In the darkness the destroyers "Scary" and "Brave" lagged behind the group and got lost. The main detachment, saw in the distance the numerous ships of the Japanese, turned towards Port Arthur. The lagging ships stumbled upon the enemy: the "Terrible" was shot at point-blank range and went to the bottom, and the "Brave" was able to return to Port Arthur. Makarov sent the cruiser Bayan to help the Terrible, but it was too late.
Without waiting for the exit of the entire squadron, Makarov on the battleship "Petropavlovsk" at 8 o'clock in the morning moved towards the enemy. Soon the main forces of the Japanese, 6 battleships and 2 cruisers, appeared on the horizon. "Petropavlovsk" was in a very disadvantageous position away from the base, and Makarov turned towards Port Arthur. At 9 hours 43 minutes, the battleship came across a mine bank, and an explosion was heard over the sea.
Together with the headquarters of the fleet commander, there were 705 people at Petropavlovsk, of whom 636 died and died from their wounds. Among them was the Russian artist Vereshchagin. For some reason, the Japanese commander-in-chief H. Togo did not develop the success, and after a few hours the enemy squadron withdrew from Port Arthur.
The Russian fleet suffered a huge loss, having lost the commander-in-chief. The morale of the sailors fell sharply, and the belief in victory, which Makarov managed to instill, was greatly shaken. Subsequent admirals did not show such zeal in hostilities, and no one treated ordinary sailors as well as Makarov. The outcome of the war was obvious. “Only he wins who is not afraid to die,” said Admiral Makarov.
