Michael Franzevich von Reinecke (; 10 November 1801 – 16 April 1859), better known as Mikhail Reyneke, was a Russian vice-admiral and hydrographer. During his service in the Imperial Russian Navy, Reinecke extensively documented the White Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Barents Sea for the Russian Hydrographic Service, and determined the sea level measurement that became standardized throughout Russia. Biography Early life Michael Franzevich von Reinecke was born on 10 November 1801 in Grothusenshof, Livland Governorate, Russian Empire, into an aristocratic family of German descent, with his name translated into the Russian language as Mikhail Reyneke. The Reinecke family originated from the Livonian branch of a prominent Saxon family that appeared in Stargard, Pomerania (now Stargard Szczecinski, Poland) in the fifteenth century. The first documented use of the Reinecke name (also spelled Reineke) was Asmus Reineke, mentioned as a homeowner and a burgher in 1540 and 1567. The third son of Asmus David Reineke (1580-1622) graduated from the Stettinsky Gymnasium of St. Mary in Stettin and the University of Königsberg in Königsberg, and worked in Riga at the school of the Riga Cathedral. The third son of David Reineke and Margaretha von Mullen - Francis Reineke(1601-1665) also graduated from the University of Koenigsberg, was the tutor of Prince Jacob of Courland, and afterwards worked in Wenden (now Cēsis) as a judge, the president of the district court and the community of burghers. The sons of Francis and Helena Kippa started the branches of the Reineke family in Russia. Reinecke's grandfather, Franz Franzevich Reineke (1746 - 1821), was the burgomaster of justice in Vyborg, and later moved to Riga as an adviser to the court. Reinecke was initially home tutored, then from 1812 to 1814 studied at the private boarding house in Ulrich in Saint Petersburg until entering the Marine Cadet Corps of the Imperial Russian Navy, passing the midshipman exam in June 1815. On 20 January 1818 Reinecke graduated from the Cadet Corps and was promoted to a non-commissioned officer. Military service and hydrography In Kronstadt, Reinecke was enlisted in the third naval crew under the former commander of the ship Moskva, Captain-Commodore E.P. Getzen, whose crew he had become aide-de-camp. In March 1823, Reinecke was promoted to lieutenant, and in 1824, sailed the White Sea on the brigantine Ketti under the command of D.A. Demidov, in order to measure the depth. This expedition did not achieve the desired