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Stepan Osipovich Makarov (, ; – ) was a Imperial Russia vice-admiral, commander in the Imperial Russian Navy, oceanographer, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and author of several books. He was a pioneer of insubmersibility theory (the concept of counter-flooding to stabilise a damaged ship), and developer of a Cyrillic-based semaphore alphabet. A proponent of icebreaker use, he supervised the first polar icebreaker construction. Makarov also designed several ships.
Makarov saw service in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) as a captain, and ordered the first successful attack with a self propelled torpedo. He served again in the Russo-Japanese War as vice-admiral and was assigned to the defense of Port Arthur, where he was hailed as a competent and aggressive commander. On 13 April 1904 Makarov led his flotilla to the aid of a destroyer that had been ambushed by the Japanese. Makarov was killed in the subsequent battle when his flagship Petropavlovsk struck a naval mine and the ship's magazine detonated. Japanese divers found Makarov's body after the war and gave him a burial at sea, and as a mark of good will Japanese officers led Makarov's funeral in Port Arthur. In 1946, after the Soviet invasion of South Sakhalin, the village of Shiritoru on that island was forcibly depopulated of its Japanese inhabitants and renamed Makarov in his honor.
In 1870 Makarov invented a design for a collision mat to seal holes in a ship's hull. The invention was displayed at the 1873 Vienna World's Fair, which Makarov attended.
From 1879 to 1880, Makarov was part of the maritime contingent during the Russian conquest of Central Asia. He was promoted to captain, 1st rank, on 1 January 1881.
Armstrong Whitworth in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, built the ships in kit form and sent them to Listvyanka on Lake Baikal for reassembly. Their boilers, engines and some other components were built in Saint Petersburg. Baikal had 15 boilers, four funnels, was long and could carry 24 railway coaches and one locomotive on her middle deck. Angara is smaller, with two funnels.
Baikal was burnt out and destroyed in the Russian Civil War. Angara survives, has been restored and is permanently moored at Irkutsk where she serves as offices and a museum.
Upon his assumption of command in early 1904, Makarov greatly increased the activity in the Russian squadrons, as well as the general defense of Port Arthur.Grant, p. 93 Until then the Russian fleet had generally done nothingGrant, p. 121 but exist, as a fleet in being.Mahan, p. 456 Under Makarov's leadership, "Russian squadrons put to sea nearly every day, constantly on the move, and ensuring that it was never taken by surprise outside the protection of Port Arthur's" shore batteries.Grant, p. 120
Unlike his predecessors, Makarov sought engagements with the Japanese,Grant, p. 126 and kept his vessels in an order of battle in the roadstead of Port Arthur.Grant, p. 115 When Japanese bombarded Port Arthur from the Yellow Sea in March, his cruisers returned fire with such intensity that the Japanese ships were forced to withdraw. That same month the Japanese Navy tried to seal the port's entrance by sinking a number of old steamships as in the harbor's channel. Russian cruisers assigned to protect the entrance pursued the escorting Japanese warships and quickly put them to flight.Grant, p. 116
On 13 April 1904 the Russian destroyer Strasny returning from patrol, tried to re-enter the mouth of the Port Arthur but was intercepted by Japanese destroyers.Grant, p. 125 An engagement began between the opposing destroyers, and when observed by Makarov he immediately sent the cruiser to assist Strasny, while he led three battleships, four cruisers, and a group of destroyers into the Yellow Sea to seek battle with the surrounding enemy warships led by Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō.Grant p. 126 While rushing out of the harbour, Makarov failed to check for mines, but ordered that the area be swept for mines before his return.Warner p. 255
The Japanese warships withdrew with Makarov in pursuit. As Makarov caught up to the Japanese fleet, the thick fog that blanketed the sea lifted to reveal the Japanese trap: Admiral Togo was waiting with his capital ship and five additional battleships, plus six additional first-class cruisers bringing up the rear. Makarov quickly turned his force around and fled back to the safety of Port Arthur's harbour.Warner, p.257 As Petropavlovsk moved closer to the harbour's entrance, she detonated a Japanese Naval mine that his men had failed to clear as he had instructed.Watts, p. 20 Secondary explosions followed quickly in succession and Petropavlovsk sank, taking Admiral Makarov with her.Grant, p. 127, 128Spector, p. 2
The admiral's remains and those of five of his officers were recovered from the wreck of Petropavlovsk by Japanese salvage teams, and in 1913, as a gesture of good will, the officers and crew of the Japanese cruiser presided over the funeral for the admiral in the military cemetery of Port Arthur.
Three icebreakers have been named after Makarov. The first was a steam-powered icebreaker built in 1941 as V. Molotov that was renamed Admiral Makarov in 1956. The second Admiral Makarov was built in 1975 and remains in service . The third one, Stepan Makarov, is an icebreaking standby vessel that was completed in 2016.
There were two streets named after Makarov in the central Ukraine city Dnipro. On 22 February 2023 the city council of Dnipro renamed these streets.
Makaroff, Manitoba, Canada is named after Admiral Makarov. Five miles west in Saskatchewan is the community of Togo, which is named after the Japanese Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō.
Russo-Japanese War
After the Imperial Japanese Navy's surprise attack at Port Arthur on 9 February 1904, Admiral Makarov was sent to command the Imperial Russian Navy's battle fleet stationed there on 24 February, establishing the battleship as his flagship. His leadership differed greatly from any other Russian naval officer during this war, offering diversity, aggression, and an ability to "inspire confidence in his subordinates".Grant, p. 131
Monuments
There are monuments to Makarov in his native Mykolayiv, Ukraine, and in Vladivostok and Kronstadt, Russia. A number of ships have been named Admiral Makarov. An island in the Tsivolk group of the Nordenskiöld Archipelago was named after him. National University of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv and State Maritime Academy in Saint Petersburg are named after him.
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Categories: 1849 Births, 1904 Deaths, Imperial Russian Navy Admirals, Russian Polar Explorers, Explorers From The Russian Empire, Inventors From The Russian Empire, Russian Military Personnel Killed In The Russo-japanese War, Ukrainian Polar Explorers, Ukrainian Explorers, Ukrainian Inventors, Marine Engineers From The Russian Empire, Military Personnel From Mykolaiv, Recipients Of The Order Of Saint Stanislaus, Captains Who Went Down With The Ship, Military Writers From The Russian Empire, Writers From Mykolaiv, Russian Scientists
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