John Elphinstone
John Elphinstone, also known as
John Elphinston (1722 – 28 February 1785), was a senior British naval officer who worked closely with the
Russian Navy after 1770, with approval from the
Admiralty, during the period of naval reform under Russian Empress
Catherine II. Together with the Scottish-born
Samuel Greig, or Samuil Karlovich Greig (Самуил Карлович Грейг), as he was known in Russia, and Admiral Sir
Charles Knowles, Elphinstone was a member of the naval staff, headed by Count
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov, which, although it lacked naval experience, was able to defeat the Turkish fleet at the
Battle of Chesma Bay, near
Chios Island, off the far western coast of Turkey.
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