Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov

Born Feb. 1 (13), 1806, in Tver’ Province; died Oct. 5 (17), 1854, in Sevastopol’. Russian naval commander; vice admiral (1852); hero of the defense of Sevastopol’ of 1854—55. Son of an officer.

Kornilov graduated from the Naval Cadet School in 1823. Serving on the battleship Azov from 1827, he participated in the battle of Navarino of 1827 and in the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29. He served in the Baltic Fleet from 1830 to 1834 and in the Black Sea Fleet from 1834. In 1838, Kornilov was ap-pointed chief of staff of M. P. Lazarev’s squadron and directed amphibious landing operations in raids along the Caucasian coast. He became chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet in 1849; he in effect became commander of the fleet in 1851. Kornilov advocated the rearmament of ships with new artillery and the replacement of sailing ships with steam-powered ships; he also participated in drawing up the new Naval Regulations and Instructions and in creating the Sevastopol’ Naval Library.

On the eve of the Crimean War of 1853-56, Kornilov organized the rushing of an infantry division to the Caucasus by sea; this division played a decisive role in repelling the Turkish offensive; he also organized cruiser warfare along enemy lines of communications and, commanding a detachment of steam frigates, participated in the first battle of steamships in history. He was chief of the defense of Severnaia Storona (in Sevastopol’) in September 1854; after the battle on the Al’ma River, as chief of staff of the Sevastopol’ garrison, Kornilov assumed command of the defense of the city. Under his command, in a short time a ground defense line reinforced by artillery and teams of seamen from ships was organized. Kornilov was mortally wounded on Malakhov hill during the first bombardment of Sevastopol’.