Grigory Butakov

Grigory Ivanovich Butakov was a Russian admiral who fought in the Crimean War. Butakov is widely credited as being the father of steampowered ship tactics during the 19th century. He was involved in the first battles of the Crimean War, which includes the first sea battles involving steampowered 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 CommanderinChief 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 theMay 1882, aged 62. The minor planet 4936 Butakov was named in his memory.

Grigory Ivanovich Butakov was bornOctober 1820 in Riga a large city in Latvia. Butakovs father was a distinguished naval officer who fought in the RussoTurkish War of 1806. He captained the battleship Tsar Constantine, in which he commanded during several naval operations around Crete and in the Blockade of the Dardanelles. Butakov was inspired by his fathers success as a naval officer, so in May 1831 at eleven years old, Butakov decided to join a Naval Academy in St. Petersburg. Butakov spent six years in the Naval Academy. He graduated in 1837 and was immediately assigned to serve as a flag officer aboard the Russian vessel Silistria. The Silistria was under the personal command of the then Chief Commander of the Black Sea Fleet Admiral Mikhail Lazarev.

Source: Wikipedia