The Soviet Navy's scholar-admiral who lost a leg at Tuapse and still fought two wars to the end
Stalin said of him: "A real admiral of the fleet, Comrade Isakov. Clever — no leg, but a head on his shoulders."
Of Armenian origin, Isakov was one of only three Admirals of the Fleet of the Soviet Union (1955). As First Deputy Commissar and Chief of the Main Naval Staff, he shaped Soviet naval doctrine and in the Second World War coordinated fleet-ground operations in the Baltic and Black Sea, building the 'Road of Life' across Lake Ladoga. Wounded at Tuapse in 1942, his left leg was amputated; he returned to duty through victory. After the war he authored over 150 works (including the Stalin Prize-winning Maritime Atlas) and became a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences and a Writers' Union member.
Career Timeline
- 1917Graduated as midshipman, served on destroyer Izyaslav, Baltic Fleet
- 1918Took part in the Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet
- 1922–1928Held staff posts in the Black Sea Fleet, rising to Chief of Staff
- 1937–1938Commander of the Baltic Fleet
- 1938–1939Deputy People's Commissar of the Navy and Head of the Naval Academy
- 1939–1946First Deputy People's Commissar of the Navy
- 1940–1942Chief of the Main Naval Staff
- 1942Deputy Commander, North Caucasus Front; leg amputated after severe wound at Tuapse
- 1946–1947Chief of the Main Navy Staff
- 1947–1950Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy
- 1955Promoted to Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union
- 1958Elected Corresponding Member, USSR Academy of Sciences
Related historical events
- 1918–1922The Civil War and Foreign InterventionDestroyer crewmember
- 1941–1945The Great Patriotic WarFirst Deputy Navy Commissar and Chief of the Main Naval StaffThroughout the war he coordinated joint operations between the Baltic and Black Sea fleets and ground forces, directed the building of the 'Road of Life' across Lake Ladoga for besieged Leningrad, and as Deputy Commander of the North Caucasus Front orchestrated fleet-ground cooperation in the defense of Sevastopol and the Battle of the Caucasus. Severely wounded at Tuapse in October 1942, his left leg was amputated; he returned to duty after recovery.