Rudanovsky was born in 1819 in Vyatka. His father was an officer, a participant of the War of 1812, who subsequently retired from the Army and started a civil service career. In 1841, Rudanovsky completed naval training in Kronstadt and served for 10 years in the Baltic Fleet before being transferred in 1851 to the Kamchatka Flotilla, based in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. In 1853, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.