Veselago (Cheerful) Feodosiy Fedorovich 
(23.03(04.04).1817-17(29).10.1895)

Russian general, an outstanding naval historian. 
Belonged to the old Novgorod noble family, the first mention of which occurs in the late XVI century. His father was a naval officer, in recent years served as commander of the port of Rochensalm, where his son was born. 
Veselago graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps in 1834, in 1837 the officer classes (later Nikolaev Naval Academy) and was seconded to the Marine Corps, where he began teaching astronomy and navigation as a lieutenant. From 1838, he taught analytic geometry already in the officer classes, and from 1846 he occupied the position of head of these classes. 
Veselago's life was surprisingly active and versatile, reflecting the properties of his character. He worked in various fields, often changing his place of work, but he steadily rose through the ranks, leaving a noticeable mark in all areas of his activity. It happily combined technical and humanitarian skills. While working in the Marine Corps, he sailed with midshipmen in the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. In 1853, it was renamed to the Majors with enrollment by the army and appointed an inspector of students at Moscow University. Since 1857, already in the rank of colonel, he served as assistant to the trustee of the Kazan district for three years. In 1860, as a collegiate adviser, he entered the St. Petersburg Censorship Committee. In 1861, with the rank of Acting State Councilor, Veselago became a member of the council of the main department of press affairs, and later the head of the department. In 1881, he returned to the fleet, taking the posts of Director of the Hydrographic Department, Chairman of the Training Branch of the Marine Technical Committee and the Committee of Maritime Educational Institutions, renamed Lieutenant-General the naval navigator corps. Veselago combined all his numerous duties with teaching, and he also achieved great success in this field. Proof of this is even the fact that he taught mathematics and marine sciences of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, whom he accompanied on several sea and land journeys. Since 1882, on the initiative of Veselago, practical training in astronomy and higher geodesy at Pulkovo has been introduced into the practice of teaching naval military hydrographs, and since 1896, under the latest regulations of the maritime academy, these studies have become mandatory. 
And finally, there was another area of ​​activity that Veselago did not leave all his life and which most likely gave him the greatest pleasure. This is a literary and research work on the history of the Russian fleet. First of all, thanks to her, he himself went down in history. Back in 1852, his work "Outline of the History of the Marine Corps", dedicated to the centenary of this glorious educational institution, was published. For her, the Russian Academy of Sciences awarded the 35-year-old Veselago the honorable Demidov Prize. In 1869, Veselago headed the compilation of the history of the Russian fleet. Produced as secret advisers in 1873, he was appointed chairman of the commission to review and describe the affairs of the Naval Ministry’s archive. He wrote a number of capital works on the history of the Russian fleet. For his main work, "Outline of Russian Maritime History" in 1875, he was awarded the Uvarov Prize. His professional and scientific merit is appreciated. He became an honorary member of the Maritime Academy (1877), a corresponding member in the category of historical and political sciences of the History and Philology Department (1878) and an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1884), a full general (1892). During his long and fruitful work, Veselago received many orders up to and including St. Alexander Nevsky. 
Until the last days he retained the ability to vigorous creative activity. An accidental illness brought him to his grave. 
He died in St. Petersburg and was buried in the Novodevichy cemetery. The original monument is lost. Modern stove installed in the 1970s. 
In 1912, in memory of the merits of Veselago, a prize was established in his name, which should be awarded for works on the history of the Russian fleet and the Navy Department. 
The island in the Gribovaya Bay on the Barents side of the southern island of Novaya Zemlya. Named in 1889 by the officers of the schooner "Bakan". 
Strait between the Barents Islands and the Litka Peninsula to the west of the northern island of Novaya Zemlya. The name, apparently, was given in 1913 by G.Ya. Sedov.