Ivan Gren

Ivan Ivanovich Gren (Russian: Иван Иванович Грен; 25 December [O.S. 13 December] 1898 – 19 September 1960) was an officer of the Imperial Russian and later Soviet Navies. He specialised in naval artillery and reached the rank of vice-admiral.

Born in the Russian Empire in 1898, Gren began studying for a naval career at the time of the outbreak of the First World War, starting to specialise in gunnery and having practical experience aboard training ships. He joined the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet following the October Revolution in 1917, and after graduating with a qualifications in naval artillery, served in the Baltic Fleet, soon rising to become the fleet's chief of artillery. Subsequently assigned to the Black Sea Fleet, he oversaw the defence of the Crimean coastline, before being appointed head of the Artillery Research Maritime Institute in 1935. Here he oversaw the development of naval artillery and related technologies for new ships being designed and built for the Soviet Navy.

Gren was in Leningrad when the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union began, and was given command of the naval artillery in the city and surrounding areas, developing effective methods to counter enemy bombardment during the long siege of the city. After a period with the Main Naval Staff following the lifting of the siege, by 1947 he was teaching at the Naval Academy, a position he held up to his retirement in 1960, dying shortly afterwards. He received a number of awards during his career, and was honoured with the naming of the Ivan Gren, nameship of the Ivan Gren-class landing ships.