Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov

Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov was a Russian naval commander, commander of the Black Sea Fleet and of the Russo-Turkish squadron in the Mediterranean Sea. He was born into a poor noble family in the village of Burnakovo (now in the Rybinsk District of Yaroslavl Oblast). He was educated at the Naval Cadet Corps and served in the Baltic Fleet.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1787 Ushakov proved himself a unique tactician and strategist, successfully repelling Turkish attacks aboard the ship 'Svyatoy Pavel'. In 1790 Ushakov was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet. Under his leadership the Russian fleet won a series of victories over the Turks in the battles at the Kerch Strait, Cape Kaliakra, and the island of Tendra, which led to the victorious conclusion of the war.

In 1798, during the Mediterranean campaign, Emperor Paul I tasked Ushakov with liberating the Ionian Islands from the French. The Russian naval commander managed, in a short time, to free the Mediterranean archipelago from the French presence. After the successful completion of the expedition Ushakov was elevated to the rank of admiral. In 1807 the admiral retired and devoted his remaining years to charity and the church. Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov died on October 14, 1817. In 2001 he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as the righteous warrior Saint Fyodor Ushakov.