Yuri Panteleyev

Yuri Panteleyev
Yuri Panteleyev
Birth name	Yuri Aleksandrovich Panteleyev
Born	31 October [O.S. 18 October] 1901; Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died	5 May 1983 (aged 81); Leningrad, RSFSR, Soviet Union
Buried	Serafimovskoe Cemetery
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Service/branch	Soviet Navy
Years of service	1918–1968
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	Pacific Fleet
Awards	Soviet Union Order of Lenin; Order of the Red Banner (four times); Order of Nakhimov First Class; Order of the Patriotic War First Class; Order of the Red Banner of Labour; Order of the Red Star (three times); Foreign awards Companion of the Order of the Bath (UK);

Yuri Aleksandrovich Panteleyev (Russian: Юрий Александрович Пантелеев; 31 October [O.S. 18 October] 1901 – 5 May 1983) was an officer of the Soviet Navy. He rose to the rank of admiral and was commander of the Pacific Fleet.

Born into the family of a Cossack ataman, Panteleyev and his father both were keen yachtsmen, living in Saint Petersburg. With the Russian Revolution in 1917 Panteleyev volunteered with a group of sailors of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Navy, and was soon given his own commands. He took part in the defence of Petrograd during the Russian Civil War, and in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion in 1921. Undertaking further studies and naval courses, Panteleyev specialised in navigation and served on a number of ships of the Black Sea Fleet, and then as a staff officer of the Northern Military Flotilla. After command of submarine brigades in the Black Sea, Panteleyev was appointed chief of staff of the Baltic Fleet, in anticipation of future hostilities. He served during the Soviet-Finnish War, and after the German invasion of the Soviet Union, was tasked with the Soviet evacuation of Tallinn and then took charge of the naval defence of Leningrad. Success in this area was followed with an appointment to take charge of the Volga Military Flotilla [ru] and establish a safe supply of fuel for the armies operating in the region. Having achieved this, he then was appointed commander of the White Sea military flotilla [ru], with the important task of defending and keeping open the approaches to the Northern ports. He successfully arranged the escort and defence of the Arctic convoys, and made airfields and support available to British bombers carrying out attacks on the Tirpitz. For this service he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath by the British.

After the war Panteleyev served in several staff positions, before being made commander of the Pacific Fleet. Towards the end of his career he maintained an interest in academic affairs, and served in several positions in the Naval Academy, including as its head. Retiring from service, he continued to write, producing several works including his memoirs. He died in 1983, and was buried in Leningrad. The navy honoured his legacy with the naming of the Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Panteleyev.