Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy

Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy – a Russian admiral, explorer of the Far East, and founder of the town of Nikolayevsk-on-Amur. He was born at the Drakino estate in the Kostroma Governorate into the family of a naval officer. In 1832 he graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps, and in 1836 from the officer classes.

In 1846 Nevelskoy made a circumnavigation. In 1848–1849, commanding the transport Baikal, he sailed from Kronstadt to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, rounding Cape Horn. During the voyage he explored and described the northern part of Sakhalin Island, the Sakhalin Gulf, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the mouth of the Amur River. Nevelskoy proved that Sakhalin is an island, not a peninsula, and established the navigability of the Amur River.

In 1850 Nevelskoy founded the Nikolayevsky post, later renamed Nikolayevsk-on-Amur, which contributed to the incorporation of the Amur region into Russia. In the following years he established military posts on the coast of the Bay of Emperor Nicholas (now Sovetskaya Gavan) and in southern Sakhalin. After his service in the Far East, Nevelskoy held various positions in Saint Petersburg, including heading the Scientific Department of the Naval Technical Committee and preparing instructions for commanders of ships bound for the Far East. In 1864 he was awarded the rank of vice admiral, and in 1874 that of admiral. Gennady Ivanovich Nevelskoy died on 17 (29) April 1876 in Saint Petersburg and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.