Lesovsky, Stepan Stepanovich

Born in France, where his father, Stepan Ivanovich Lesovsky , commander of the Kinburn Dragoon Regiment , served.

• 1835 - Graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps ^[1] and the officer classes with the production of the rank of lieutenant and appointment to the Black Sea Fleet.
• The commander of the brig "Jason".
• The commander of the frigate " Kulevchi ".
• 1853–1855 - Lieutenant commander, commander of the 52-gun frigate “ Diana ”.
• October 4, 1853-1856 - made a voyage around the world:
  • 1854 - He left Kronstadt , circled Cape Horn , reached the Far East, and in the bay of De-Kastri came at the disposal of the diplomatic mission of Euthymius Putyatin ; moved to Shimoda Bay (Japan), where the frigate crashed during an earthquake.
  • 1855 - On a foreign schooner, he returned to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky , then to the mouth of the Amur .
  • 1855 - The team built a battery on Cape Lazarev.
  • 1855-1856 - Commander of the combined crew and chief of coastal batteries in Nikolaevsk-on-Amur .
  • 1856 - Through Siberia he returned to St. Petersburg . Upon return, promoted to captain of the 2nd rank .
• 1856 - Received the rank of captain of the 1st rank with the transfer to the merchant fleet.
• 1857-1858 - Service in the Russian Society of Shipping and Trade (ROPiT).
• 1858-1861 - Head over the port of Kronstadt.
• 1861-1862 - In North America he observed the construction of ships for Russia.
• "For Distinction" received the title of Rear Admiral , was assigned to the retinue of the emperor.
• 1863-1864 - Commander of a squadron of six ships (frigates Alexander Nevsky , Oslyabya and Peresvet, Varyag and Vityaz corvettes , Almaz clipper ) sent to New York to prevent British intervention and France in the Civil War of the North and South . Subsequently, by order of the king, he was often involved in organizing and conducting official events to receive especially important guests from the United States. Fluent in English. ^[2]
• 1864 - The chief commander of the port of Kronstadt, the acting military governor of Kronstadt (he installed water in the city, carried out gas, and built barracks).
• 1864-1865 - Squadron commander in the Mediterranean.
• 1866 - November 8, 1871 - Chief commander of the Kronstadt port and military governor of Kronstadt.
• 1869 - Adjutant General .
• 1871 - Vice Admiral .
• November 8, 1871 - January 1, 1876 - Comrade of the Manager of the Ministry of the Sea.
• January 1, 1876 - June 23, 1880 - Manager of the Ministry of the Sea (left at his own request due to misunderstandings in relations with China to lead the Pacific squadron ).
• June 23, 1880 - Member of the Council of State .
• June 23, 1880–1884 - Chief of naval forces in the Pacific Ocean.
• 1881 - Full Admiral.
• 1882-1884 - Head of the Commission for the revision of the Maritime Charter.

Lesovsky, nicknamed the sailors "Uncle Stepan", was not an evil person, but enjoyed a reputation as a tough and demanding commander. During the voyage on the "Diana" because of its cruelty (sailors were often beaten with molts), the team almost rebelled. Only the composure of senior officer I. I. Butakov saved the situation.

He died in 1884, a month after retiring for health reasons. He was buried at the Novodevichy cemetery in St. Petersburg .

The first wife is Sofya Alexandrovna Filatyeva (d. 1873), from a merchant estate. During the period of the governorship of her husband in Kronstadt, she took an active part in the public life of the city. In 1867, on her initiative, a Charity Society was created in the city, taken under the auspices of the Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna. She died suddenly in St. Petersburg. She had no children in marriage.

The second wife (from 1874) - Ekaterina Vladimirovna Vestman (1851 — after 1884), daughter of a friend of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator V.I. Westman . Accompanied her husband in his voyage to the Far East. The marriage was childless. Widowed, she retired from the state. It was said that when the widow of Lesovsky decided to marry again, she wrote a petition to Emperor Alexander III to keep her pension in the hope that the monarch and Russia “did not forget the service of her husband, Admiral Lesovsky”. But the emperor’s resolution read: “Neither I nor Russia forgot the service of the venerable Stepan Stepanovich, but the widow forgot him. Refuse .

Russian Empire:

• Order of St. Anne II degree with the imperial crown (1859);
• Order of St. Vladimir III degree (1862);
• Order of St. Stanislav I degree (1865);
• Order of St. Vladimir II degree (April 8, 1873);
• Order of the White Eagle (January 1, 1876);
• Order of St. Alexander Nevsky (January 1, 1879).
• Bronze medal "In memory of the war of 1853-1856."

Foreign countries:

• Italian Order of Saints of Mauritius and Lazarus Cavalier of the Great Cross (1864);
• French Order of the Legion of Honor Commander (1864);
• Hesse-Darmstadt Order of Philip the Magnanimous Cavalier of the Great Cross (1865).

• Lesovsky, Stepan Stepanovich // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
• Last name Lesovsky on the site All-Russian family tree
• Russian imperial fleet
• Korabel.ru