IN 1763, Emperor Catherine II of Russia asked London for help in building up her Imperial navy. Five up-and-coming seamen were sent, including Scottish subaltern Samuel Greig. He served with such distinction that in 1770, following the Battle of Chesme Bay against the Turks, he was promoted Rear Admiral in a now much more professional Russian navy.

Greig continued to impress the Russian admiralty, until in 1774 he succeeded Sir Charles Knowles as its chief. Under his care, the navy grew yet stronger, and he continued in active service too, and helped save Russia from invasion by Sweden. However, the exertion took its toll, and ‘the Father of the Russian Navy’ died of a fever in 1788.

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