Popov, Andrei

Born Sept. 22 (Oct. 4), 1821; died Mar. 6 (18), 1898, in St. Petersburg. Russian naval figure, shipbuilder, adjutant general, admiral (1891).

Popov graduated from the Naval Cadet School and served in the Black Sea Fleet from 1838. In the Crimean War of 1853–56, while commanding the steamship Taman’, he destroyed six Turkish merchant vessels, broke through the blockade of Sevastopol’, and made his way to Odessa and back. During the defense of Sevastopol’ he directed the installation of naval guns on fortifications and was in charge of artillery supply. He was chief of staff of the Kronstadt port from 1856 to 1858 and directed the construction of propeller clippers and corvettes in Arkhangel’sk. Popov commanded a ship detachment in the Pacific Ocean from 1858 to 1861. He was appointed a member of the Shipbuilding and Naval Science committees in 1861. From 1862 to 1864 he commanded a Pacific Ocean squadron, with which he made a visit to San Francisco during the US Civil War.

Popov became a member of the shipbuilding department of the Naval Technical Committee in 1870 and chairman of the department in 1880. He became a member of the Admiralty Council in 1876. Popov made a great contribution to the development of the Russian armored steamship fleet and directed the design and construction of monitors, armored cruisers, and armor-clads.