Fondezin, Martyn Petrovich

May 15, 1754 he entered the Naval Cadet Corps . February 20, 1757 promoted to the rank of midshipman . April 27, 1758 promoted to the rank of midshipman and assigned to serve on the ships of the Baltic Fleet. In 1764, he was promoted to lieutenant . In 1769, von Dezin was sent on a Don expedition to the Ikoretsky shipyard and promoted to the rank of captain-lieutenant .

Since 1770, he commanded the “ newly invented ” ship “ Khotin ” under the flag of “Chief of the Fleet launched in the Azov and Black Seas,” Vice Admiral A.N. Senyavin . On May 17, 1771 he came out with a flotilla consisting of five 42-gun prams, 1 - 3-masted ship, 9 - 2-masted ships and 2 bombardier, 2 frigates, 1 st double dubbing boat and 1 - 1st deck boat: it was the first squadron after 1699, marching under the vice admiral's flag to prevent the Turks from landing on the coast of Crimea. On this occasion, Empress Catherine II wrote to the Vice President of the Admiralty College, Count Ivan Chernyshev: “I saw with great pleasure that on May 17 the Russian flag wafted on the Sea of ​​Azov after a 70-year stir; May God grant Vice Admiral Senyavin a happy journey and good success! ” Then Martyn von Dezin left Kerch for the Black Sea to Yalta. In 1773, commanding the frigate " First ", Desin participated in the cruising of the Black Sea in the detachment of Vice Admiral A.N. Senyavin, consisting of five 16-gun ships and two 32-gun frigates, which September 5 at Sujuk-Kale met a Turkish squad consisting of 5 large ships, 2 frigates, 2 shebeks and 1 galleys; but the Turks evaded the battle and, with all sails, went to the shores of Anatolia; Russian ships were chasing after the Turks, but "they could not reach them because of the weight of the newly invented ships."

In 1774, von Dezin was transferred from the Azov Flotilla to the Baltic Fleet, where he was appointed 54-push commander. ship "City of Arkhangelsk." In 1775 he was appointed commander of the frigate "Gregory", which was in a separate voyage in the Baltic Sea. On August 20 of the same year, he was promoted to captain of the 2nd rank. In 1776, he commanded the newly-built yacht "Ekaterina" at the Kronstadt raid and was appointed to the commission to analyze the journals of the Don expedition and to compile a historical description of them. In 1777, he commanded the flagship “Ezekiel” as part of the Kronstadt squadron of Vice Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov , and in 1778, already with the rank of captain of the 1st rank, he commanded the frigate “Happy” in the squadron of Rear Admiral Barsh and sailed with Red Hill "for the experience of new weapons." On July 19, the squadron was inspected by the empress. She, accompanied by a large retinue, on the yacht "Catherine" came to Krasnaya Gorka, and the next day she returned back to Peterhof.

In 1779 he was appointed to command the St. Petersburg Naval Command and commanded the David Solunsky ship, which was newly built in St. Petersburg, which was launched on June 26 in the Highest Presence. On February 28, 1780, a declaration of armed neutrality was declared, and 3 squadrons were appointed to protect its principles: 1st Rear Admiral Borisov; 2nd — captain of the brigadier rank Palibin, which also included Martyn von Dezin with his ship “David Solunsky”. 1st and 3rd starred together with anchors, passed the Baltic Sea and the English Channel. August 11 on the ship "David" was assembled "consultation"; the ship had 13 seriously ill and 103 weak: - they decided to ask the commander of the squadron permission to go to the nearest port "to refresh the crew." Palibin allowed, and the ship "David" on August 15 came to Portsmouth raid. There were 153 patients, and they began to be taken to the Isle of Wight; then they began to recover a little and only on October 7th could go on a connection with the squadron, which should have already completed its voyage and returned to its ports, but meanwhile, not hoping to come to Russia in the cold, Palibin went down to Lisbon, where he borrowed . Unaware of this, von Dezin left Portsmouth on October 11, not meeting the squadron in the English Channel, went to Copenhagen, where, having waited in vain for his flagship until December 9, he pulled himself into the harbor and settled down for the winter; 17 April 1781, he left Copenhagen and on May 8 came back to Kronstadt, where he pulled into the harbor and was appointed to command the Catherine yacht.

On June 28, 1782, von Dezin was promoted to captain of brigadier rank; on July 15, he was appointed to correct the position of captain over the port of Kronstadt. November 24, 1783 he was promoted to the rank of captain of a major general rank. January 1, 1784 transferred to the rank of Rear Admiral . Commanding the Arkhangelsk squadron (2 ships and 2 frigates), he brought it safely to Kronstadt. In 1788, he commanded the rearguard of the squadron of Admiral S.K. Greig, which consisted of the ships: “Fight”, “Memory of Eustathius”, “Karl John” (under the flag of M. von Dezin), “Yaroslav” and “Victor”. Greig's squadron (17 ships) met the Swedish squadron of the Duke of Südermanland : 16 ships and 7 frigates, near the island of Gogland, where the famous Gogland battle broke out on July 6, destroying the plans of the Swedish king for a sudden attack and the seizure of St. Petersburg. In this battle, M. von Dezin caused Greig's great indignation for his poor disposition; and therefore, in his most comprehensive report of July 11, he says: “In the guardroom, under the command of Rear Admiral von Dezin, the battle began before this division could come quite close to the enemy; besides, two rear ships turned away from the enemy in speed. ” The result was that the Grand Duchess, in her Highest Decree to Count Chernyshev of July 18, said: “We are commander of the fleet, admiral Greig, von Desin, to be recalled for use in another matter at the discretion of the admiralty board.” From the ships of his detachment, the ship “Fight”, under the command of Captain 1st Rank Savva Kokovtsev , completely avoided the battle and did not participate in the battle, for which Kokovtsev was sentenced to death by the sentence of a military court, but the Empress was demoted to sailors “forever” ", With transfer to the Black Sea Fleet. The “Memory of Eustache” ship under the command of Captain 1st Rank Andrey Baranov, having taken part in the beginning of the battle, then arbitrarily avoided the battle, for which Baranov was sentenced to military demotion for a month, but by Highest Confirmation he was “expelled from service in order to continue forever in this and not to use anything. ”

A year later, Dezin was forgiven and commanded the courts. Soon, his younger brother, Wilim von Dezin , also distinguished himself in a negative sense, and then the Empress said angrily: "He is to blame for the fatherland who introduced both von Dezins to the admirals." But this did not prevent Martyn Petrovich from being promoted to vice admiral in July 6, 1790, but the production decree says “to use him on the rank of admiralty.” On May 28, 1791, Rear Admiral von Dezin, magazine of the Admiralty Collegium No. 2866, according to the urgent need for a complete lack of collegiate members, decided to “determine the presence in the collegium, entrusting him with the management of the counting expedition, for which he, rear admiral bring the oath of law. ”

In 1793 he was appointed to the inspector general; in 1797 he was awarded the Order of Anna of the 1st degree, and in 1798 he was appointed military governor and chief commander of the Arkhangelsk port, where he was promoted to admiral in 1799. Everything went well until 1811, when terrible mortality began in the Arkhangelsk Maritime Hospital, and the head physician Zhukov was sent there under the Highest Command. The investigation revealed a lot of abuses, for which the medical inspector, head doctor Zammer, was exiled to Mezen, and Commissioner Mikhailov was demoted to sailors; Governor Martyn von Dezin will not escape punishment. He was dismissed from service, with a ban on entry into both capitals, for abuses committed in the Arkhangelsk hospital. But on December 12 of the same 1811, von Dezin was mercifully forgiven and dismissed from service with full salary.

• Russian Biographical Dictionary : In 25 volumes / under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsov. 1896-1918.
• Skritsky N. V. Russian admirals, Publishing House "Ripol Classic"