Gren, Ivan

Born Dec. 13 (25), 1898, in Vil-jandi, Estonian SSR; died Sept. 19, 1960, in Leningrad. Soviet scientist in naval artillery; vice admiral (1942).

Gren joined the CPSU in 1918 and served in the navy from February 1918. He graduated from a naval college for command personnel (1922) and completed higher special advanced training for naval command personnel (1925). Gren served in the Baltic Fleet and in 1927–30 was the artillery squadron commander of the Baltic Fleet. In 1930 he became the commander of coastal defense, and in 1931–35 he served as commander of the Crimean Fortified Region of the Black Sea Fleet. In 1935—40 he was the head of a scientific research institute. During the Great Patriotic War he was chief of Leningrad’s sea defense artillery (1941–43), chief artilleryman of the navy (1943–45), and chief of the directorate for combat training of the Naval Chief of Staff. From 1946 he was head of academic training in the Naval Academy. He retired in 1960. Gren was the author of works on naval artillery. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, four Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of Nakhimov First Class, and various medals.