Mikhail Ivanovich Smirnov, born on June 18, 1880, and died on August 26, 1940, was an officer of the Navy and received the rank of rear admiral in 1918. In 1900, he began service in the Pacific squadron, after which he moved to the General Staff of the Navy, where he closely collaborated with the future admiral and commander of the White forces, Alexander Kolchak. From 1914 to 1915, Smirnov served as a liaison officer with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. In 1917, he became the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet.

In 1917-1918, Smirnov was attached to the Russian embassy in the USA but was soon recalled by Admiral Kolchak and appointed as the naval minister of his government, receiving the rank of rear admiral. He also commanded the Kama Flotilla. After the Civil War, Smirnov emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he wrote a biography of Kolchak and became a Freemason. His burial place is marked as plot No. A 460 Gen.