Johan Eberhard von Schantz


Johan Eberhard von Schantz was a Finnish-born admiral in the Russian Imperial Navy, ship designer and explorer.

Life

Schantz was born in the Western Finnish coastal town of Pori, which at the time was a part of Sweden, as the son of the lieutenant general Johan Eberhard von Schantz and Johanna Sofia Didron. In 1814 he enlisted the Russian merchant navy and later took chief mate classes in Vyborg. Schantz served 1821–1828 as a midshipman in the 26th naval equipage of the Baltic Fleet, 1828–1830 as a lieutenant in the 8th naval equipage, 1830–1832 in the 27th naval equipage and 1832 in the 5th naval equipage. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–29 Schantz served in the ship of the line Fère Champenoise which took part of the blockade of the Dardanelles. 1833–1838 he was the adjutant of the admiral Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov.
1834–1836 Schantz circumnavigated the globe as the commander of the Russian Imperial Navy ship America. In 1835 he rediscovered the Wotho Atoll, originally discovered by the Spanish expedition of Ruy López de Villalobos in the 1540s. The atoll was later also known as Schantz Islands.
1841 Schantz sailed the frigate Kamchatka from New York City to Kronstadt and commanded the ship until 1847. He was promoted to counter admiral in 1848. In the 1850s Schantz designed several gunboats built in the Finnish docks of Pori, Turku and Helsinki. He also designed the frigate Rurik and the corvette Kalevala, both built at the Turku Old Shipyard. During the Crimean War Schantz served in the Baltic Fleet. He was promoted to vice admiral in 1855 and admiral 1866. Schantz was a member of the Russian Board of Admiralty from February 1863 to his death.
Schantz published his Swedish language memoirs with the pen name En gammal sjöman in 1870–1871.

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