The brightest combat pages are associated with actions against Sweden and Turkey, Russia's rivals in the Baltic, Black and Aegean Seas. Each of these adversaries - both Sweden and Turkey - as a result of less than a century of consistent military struggle, ceased to exist as naval powers.
Let us briefly characterize the most glorious victories of the Russian fleet:
1. "The Russian eagle does not catch flies." Gangut battle July 27 (August 7), 1714. The battle took place during Northern war 1700-1721 between Russian and Swedish squadrons in the Baltic Sea, near the Hanko Peninsula.
The purpose of the Russian fleet was to land troops to reinforce the Russian garrison at Abo in modern Finland. Swedish Navy (15 battleships, 3 frigates, and 11 more ships) under the command of Admiral G. Wattrang blocked the path of the Russian rowing fleet (99 galleys, scampaways and auxiliary ships) with a landing force of fifteen thousand people under the command of Admiral General F. M. Apraksin.
Personally, Peter I decided to use a tactical maneuver and transfer part of his galleys across the isthmus north of Gangut. The Swedish commander detached a squadron of Admiral Ehrenskjöld (1 pram "Elephant" (translated as "Elephant"), 6 galleys and 3 skerboats, 116 guns, 941 sailors) to prevent the Russians.
But the prevailing calm helped the Russian fleet to pass by the Swedish and board the entire squadron of Ehrenskjöld. The Swedes were killed 361 people, and the rest were taken prisoner. The Russians lost 127 men and 342 were wounded.
The victory was marked by the erection of an arch with the image of an Eagle sitting on the back of an Elephant with the inscription "The Russian eagle does not catch flies."
2. "Good start". Battle of Ezel May 24 (June 4), 1719 between Russian and Swedish squadrons in the Baltic, near the island of Saaremaa, modern Estonia. Seven Russian ships attacked 3 Swedish ships and forced them to lower their flags. The losses of the Swedes amounted to 50 people killed, 14 wounded, another 387 surrendered. This was the first victory in the naval artillery duel of the naval Russian fleet.
Tsar Peter I called this victory "a good start".
Emperor Peter I. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
3. "Bringing closer the Nystadt Peace". Battle of Grenham July 27 (August 7), 1720 between the Russian rowing squadron under the command of general-in-chief Prince M. M. Golitsyn (61 galleys and 29 boats) and the Swedish squadron under the command of K. G. Sheblad (1 ship of the line, 4 frigates, 3 galleys, brigantine, 156 guns). The Russians, retreating, lured the Swedish ships into shallow water, where, going on a counterattack, they boarded four frigates (103 killed, 407 captured), the rest retreated.
Russian losses: 82 killed, 236 wounded.
4. "Count Orlov Chesmensky". Battle of Chesme June 24-26 (July 5-7), 1770, during the First Archipelago operation of the Russian fleet (9 battleships, 3 frigates, and about 20 auxiliary ships, about 6,500 people) under the command of Count A.G. Orlov in the Aegean Sea against the Turkish fleet (16 battleships, 6 frigates, 6 shebek, 13 galleys and 32 small ships, about 15,000 people) under the command of Kapudan Pasha Husameddin Ibrahim Pasha. Having driven the Turkish fleet as a result of the battle of Chios (one ship from both sides exploded) into the Chesme Bay, the Russian fleet (loss of 4 fire ships and about 20 people) burned it with their artillery fire and the actions of their fire ships in the next two days. The Turks lost 15 battleships, 6 frigates, most of the small ships, about 11,000 people. One battleship and 5 galleys were captured by Russian sailors.
The Russian commander received the right to add the name "Chesmensky" to his surname.
5. "Destruction of the Dulcionist Fleet". Battle of Patras October 26-29 (November 6-9), 1772, during Russian-Turkish war 1768-1774 in the Aegean. The Russian squadron (2 battleships, 2 frigates and three small ships, 224 guns) under the command of Captain 1st Rank M.T. Konyaev defeated the Turkish squadron (9 frigates, 16 shebek, 630 guns) under the command of Kapudan Pasha Mustafa Pasha . During the three-day battle, 9 frigates, 10 shebeks and more than 200 Turks were destroyed by Russian artillery and burnt out from brandskugels. Russian losses: 1 killed and 6 wounded.
6. "Cutting on the roads". First Battle of Rochensalm 13 (24) August 1789 in the Gulf of Finland, during the Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790. The Russian fleet (86 ships) under the command of Prince K. G. Nassau-Siegen defeated the Swedish fleet (49 ships) under the command of Admiral K. A. Ehrensverd on the roads of the fortress city of Rochensalm, the modern Finnish city of Kotka. Swedish losses: 39 ships (including the admiral's, captured), 1,000 killed and wounded, 1,200 prisoners. The Russians lost 2 ships and about 1,000 men killed and wounded.
7. "Run through the system." Revel battle 2 (13) May 1790 in the Baltic during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790. Ships of the Swedish fleet (22 battleships, 4 frigates and 4 auxiliary vessels) under the command of Duke Karl of Südermanland, passing by the battle line of the Russian fleet (10 battleships, 5 frigates and 9 auxiliary vessels) under the command of Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov, in turn subjected to long-term concentrated fire from all Russian artillery, were "driven through the ranks", suffering severe damage. As a result, the Swedes lost 1 ship destroyed, 1 captured and 1 stranded, 61 sailors were killed, 71 wounded and 520 captured. Russian losses: 8 killed and 27 wounded.
8. "Trafalgar of the Baltic" or "Vyborg gauntlets". The battle of Vyborg on June 22 (July 3), 1790 on the Baltic Sea during the same Russian-Swedish war. The Russian fleet (50 battleships and frigates, 20 galleys, 8 rowing skerry frigates, 52 small galleys, 21,000 sailors and soldiers) under the command of Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov blocked the Swedish fleet (22 battleships, 13 frigates, 366 small ships, 3 000 guns, 30,000 sailors and soldiers) under the command of King Gustav III and Prince Karl of Südermanland in the Vyborg Bay, after another unsuccessful attempt to capture St. Petersburg. Breaking through, the Swedes lost 7 battleships, 3 frigates, almost 60 small ships and up to 7 thousand killed, wounded and captured. The Russians lost 117 killed and 164 wounded.
Admiral F. F. Ushakov. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
9. "Many thanks to Rear Admiral Ushakov." Battle at Kerch Strait 8 (19) July 1790 of the year during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791 between the Russian fleet (10 battleships, 6 frigates, and 17 other ships, 837 guns) under the command of Vice Admiral F. F. Ushakov with the Turkish fleet (10 battleships, 8 frigates , 36 other ships, 1100 guns) under the command of Kapudan Pasha Giritli Hussein Pasha, who was going to conquer the Crimea. Having concentrated the artillery attack on the Turkish flagship, the Russian commander won. The Turks fled, having lost one ship, having suffered heavy losses as part of their landing force.
Empress Catherine II expressed her great gratitude to our commander "Rear Admiral Ushakov."
10. "Unexpected attack." Battle of Cape Tendra August 28-29 (September 8-9), 1790 in the Black Sea during the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. Russian Black Sea Fleet(10 battleships, 6 frigates, and 21 auxiliary vessels, 830 guns) under the command of Rear Admiral F.F. Ushakov unexpectedly attacked the anchored Turkish fleet (14 battleships, 8 frigates and 23 auxiliary vessels, 1,400 guns) under the command of Giritli Husen Pasha and overturned his formation. The Turks lost 2 battleships and 3 auxiliary vessels, the flagship of the battleship was captured, more than 2,000 people were killed. Another ship of the line and several auxiliary Turkish ships sank on the way home. Russian losses: 21 killed, 25 wounded.
11. "Go down to the enemy." Battle of Kaliakria July 31 (August 11), 1791. The current Northern Bulgaria, the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. The Russian fleet (15 battleships, 2 frigates and 19 auxiliary vessels) under the command of Rear Admiral F.F. Ushakov passed between the Turkish fleet (18 battleships, 17 frigates and 48 auxiliary vessels) under the command of Giritli Husen Pasha and coastal batteries and forced the Turks to flee. The Turks suffered heavy losses. The flagship sank in the strait off Constantinople.
12. "Near the capital Ottoman Empire". Battle of the Dardanelles, 10 (22) -11 (23) May 1807 in the Aegean Sea, near the Dardanelles during the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. Conducting its Second Archipelago operation, the Russian fleet (10 battleships, 1 frigate) under the command of Vice Admiral D.N. Senyavin forced the Turkish fleet (8 battleships, 6 frigates, 55 auxiliary vessels) under the command of Kapudan Pasha Seit -Ali withdraw back to the straits with the loss of 3 ships and about 2,000 men.
Russian losses: 26 killed and 56 wounded.
13. "Between Athos and Lemnos". Battle of Athos, June 19 (July 1), 1807 in the Aegean Sea, between the Athos peninsula and the island of Lemnos. The Russian fleet (10 ships of the line) under the command of the same vice-admiral D.N. Senyavin inflicted a crushing defeat on the Turkish fleet (10 ships of the line, 5 frigates, 3 sloops and 2 brigs) that had left the straits again under the command of the same Kapudan Pasha Seit -Ali.
The Turks lost 2 battleships, 2 frigates, 1 sloop, up to 1,000 people were killed. One ship of the line was captured along with 774 prisoners. Two more ships never returned to the Dardanelles.
Russian losses: 77 killed and 189 wounded.
The Ottoman Empire lost the combat capability of its fleet for a whole decade.
14. "It will be done with the enemy in Russian." Battle of Navarino October 8 (20), 1827, The Aegean sea. At parting with the Russian squadron (9 ships) under the command of Rear Admiral L.P. Heiden, on the ship "Azov" Emperor Nicholas I said: "I hope that in the event of any hostilities, it will be done with the enemy in Russian."
United Russian-English-French squadron (10 battleships (4 Russian, 3 English, 3 French), of 10 frigates (4 Russian, 4 English, 2 French), 4 brigs, 2 corvettes (1 Russian), and 1 tender) supported the Greek freedom movement and faced opposition from the Turkish fleet (3 battleships, 17 frigates, 30 corvettes, 28 brigs, more than 10 other ships). The battle took place in Navarino harbor, where over 60 Turkish ships and over 4,000 sailors were destroyed. The flagship of the battleship "Azov" of the Russian squadron, which destroyed five Turkish ships, including the Turkish flagship, especially distinguished itself. For the first time in the Russian fleet, "Azov" was awarded the St. George flag for this battle.
Allied losses: 181 killed and 480 wounded.
Sinop massacre. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
15. "Sinop Massacre". Sinop battle November 18 (30), 1853. Location - the Black Sea during Crimean War 1853-1856. The Russian squadron (6 battleships, 2 frigates, 3 steamships, 720 guns) under the command of Vice Admiral P.S. 44 coastal guns) under the command of Vice Admiral Osman Pasha.
The Turks lost all 7 frigates, 2 corvettes, about 3,000 people were killed and wounded, 200 prisoners (along with the admiral).
The battle of Sinop was the last major battle of the sailing fleets.
The great M. I. Kutuzov said best of all about the people of feat and victory, whose deeds we have described: "Your iron chest is not afraid of either the severity of the weather or the anger of enemies: it is a reliable wall of the Fatherland, against which everything will be crushed."
Mauritius Bakua, Gangut battle. Engraving
On August 9, 1714, at Cape Gangut, during the Northern War, the Russian fleet under the command of Peter I won the first major naval victory in Russian history over the Swedes. Now in detail - what kind of battle and how significant it was in the history of Russia. Let's figure it out.
What do we know about the Gangut battle
The Battle of Gangut is a naval battle of the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, which took place on July 27 (August 7), 1714 near Cape Gangut (Hanko Peninsula, Finland) in the Baltic Sea between the Russian and Swedish fleets, the first naval victory of the Russian fleet in the history of Russia.
By the spring of 1714, the southern and almost all of the central parts of Finland were occupied by Russian troops. In order to finally resolve the issue of Russia's access to the Baltic Sea, which was controlled by the Swedes, it was necessary to defeat the Swedish fleet.
At the end of June 1714, the Russian rowing fleet (99 galleys, scampaways and auxiliary vessels with a 15,000-strong landing force) under the command of Admiral General Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin concentrated off the east coast of Gangut (in Tverminna Bay) with the aim of landing troops to reinforce the Russian garrison in Abo (100 km northwest of Cape Gangut). The path of the Russian fleet was blocked by the Swedish fleet (15 battleships, 3 frigates, 2 bombardment ships and 9 galleys) under the command of Gustav Vatrang.
The tactical move of Peter I
Peter I (Shautbenacht Pyotr Mikhailov) used a tactical maneuver. He decided to transfer part of his galleys to the area north of Gangut through the isthmus of this peninsula 2.5 kilometers long. To fulfill the plan, he ordered the construction of a perevolok (wooden flooring). Upon learning of this, Vatrang sent a detachment of ships (1 pram, 6 galleys, 3 skherbots) to the northern coast of the peninsula. The detachment was led by Rear Admiral Ehrenskiold. He decided to use another detachment (8 battleships and 2 bombardment ships) under the command of Vice Admiral Lillier to strike at the main forces of the Russian fleet.
Painting by Alexei Bogolyubov Peter expected such a decision. He decided to take advantage of the division of the enemy forces. The weather favored him. On the morning of July 26 (August 6), there was no wind, which caused the Swedish sailing ships to lose their maneuverability. The vanguard of the Russian fleet (20 ships) under the command of Commander Matvey Khristoforovich Zmaevich began a breakthrough, bypassing the Swedish ships and remaining out of range of their fire. Following him, another detachment (15 ships) made a breakthrough. Thus, the need for crossover was eliminated. Zmaevich's detachment blocked Ehrenskiöld's detachment near Lakkisser Island.
Andrey Lysenko. Peter I meets the foreign fleet, 2004. Believing that other detachments of Russian ships would continue to break through in the same way, Vatrang recalled the Lillier detachment, thus freeing the coastal fairway. Taking advantage of this, Apraksin with the main forces of the rowing fleet broke through the coastal fairway to his vanguard.
At 2 pm on July 27 (August 7), the Russian avant-garde, consisting of 23 ships, attacked the Ehrenskiöld detachment, which built its ships along a concave line, both flanks of which rested on the islands.
The Swedes managed to repulse the first two attacks with the fire of naval guns. The third attack was made against the flank ships of the Swedish detachment, which did not allow the enemy to use the advantage in artillery. Soon they were boarded and captured. Peter I personally participated in the boarding attack, showing the sailors an example of courage and heroism. After a stubborn battle, the Swedish flagship, Pram "Elephant", surrendered. All 10 ships of the Ehrenskiöld detachment were captured. Part of the forces of the Swedish fleet managed to escape to the Aland Islands.
P. N. Wagner, Gangut battle Myths and inaccuracies
However, St. Petersburg researcher P. A. Krotov, having studied archival documents, pointed out a number of inaccuracies in the traditional perception of the battle. He showed that there were not three attacks in the battle, but one (the myth of three attacks was created by the Swedes to show their stubborn resistance). The scientist outlined the results of the study in the monograph "The Gangut Battle of 1714".
The victory of the Russian fleet in the Battle of Gangut was due to the correct choice of the direction of the main attack, the skillful use of the skerry fairway to escort the rowing fleet to the Gulf of Bothnia, well-organized reconnaissance and the interaction of the sailing and rowing fleets during the deployment of forces.
The skillful use of the meteorological conditions of the theater of operations to organize a breakthrough for the rowing fleet in calm weather and the use of military cunning (demonstratively dragging rowing vessels across the isthmus to the rear of the enemy) also played a role.
The victory near the Gangut Peninsula was the first major victory for the Russian regular fleet. She provided him with freedom of action in the Gulf of Finland and Bothnia, effective support for Russian troops in Finland. In the battle of Gangut Russian command boldly used the advantage of the rowing fleet in the fight against the linear sailing fleet of the Swedes, skillfully organized the interaction of the forces of the fleet and ground forces, responded flexibly to changes in the tactical situation and weather conditions, managed to unravel the maneuver of the enemy and impose his tactics on him. Also the Gangut battle was one of the last major battles in the history of the fleet, in which decisive role played a boarding fight.
“For this battle, Peter I was promoted to vice admiral”
In September 1714, celebrations were held in St. Petersburg on the occasion of the Gangut victory. The winners passed under the triumphal arch, which depicted an eagle sitting on the back of an elephant. The inscription read: "The Russian eagle does not catch flies."
Pram "Elephant" no longer participated in the hostilities, but stood along with other captured ships in the Kronverk channel, which goes around Hare Island from the north (between the modern Artillery Museum and the Peter and Paul Fortress).
Ship model, Class C-1. Pram "Elephant", scale 1:48, Arkady Polivkin, Vecheslav Polivkin, Vitebsk. In 1719, the tsar ordered that the Elefant be repaired, and in 1724, it was pulled ashore near the Kronverk harbor and kept forever as a trophy. But by 1737 the pram had rotted and was taken apart for firewood.
August 9 - in honor of this event in Russia, a holiday is officially established - the Day of Military Glory.
During the battle, the Swedes lost 361 people killed, 350 wounded, the rest were captured.
The Russians lost 124 people killed. There were 342 wounded.
In memory of the victories at Gangut and at Grengam (won in different years on the same day - the day of memory of St. Panteleimon) the Panteleimon Church was built in St. Petersburg.
Panteleimon Church, Pestel street. St. Petersburg, photo: Evgeny Yakushev In 1914, at the initiative of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society, marble memorial plaques with a list of regiments that fought at Gangut and Grengam were reinforced on the facade of the Panteleimon Church. (Opposite the church, at the end of house number 11 on Pestel Street, there is also memorial plaque in honor of the defenders of Hanko ( modern name Gangut) during the Great Patriotic War).
In the building of the Panteleimon Church, an exposition is opened that tells about the battles of Peter's galley and sailing fleet in the Baltic, about the courage of Russian soldiers in the Northern War and the heroism of sailors during the defense of the Khanko Peninsula at the beginning of World War II.
The following entry was made in the journal of Peter the Great about this battle:
“Truly, it is impossible to describe the courage of ours, both initial and private, because the boarding was so cruelly repaired that it was from enemy guns”
This victory was the first major military success of the Russian fleet and was of great military and political significance; Peter I himself equated it in importance with the Battle of Poltava. After all, young Russian fleet defeated the then strongest Swedish fleet, which had not known defeat before the Battle of Gangut. In addition, this military success significantly strengthened the positions of the Russian troops in Finland and created the conditions for the transfer of hostilities to the territory of Sweden itself.
The Gangut victory made a great impression on the Western powers. Gangut showed that another maritime power was born to be reckoned with. England was especially alarmed, which took a course towards the neutralization of Russia in the Baltic. The British government, fearing that Russia would force Sweden to capitulate and sharply strengthen its positions in the Baltic Sea, began to put pressure on Stockholm in order to continue the war and threaten the Russians with their powerful fleet. From the summer of 1715, the British squadron began to systematically visit the Baltic Sea, trying to contain the onslaught of Russia on Sweden. However, that's another story...
As a sign of memory of the three great victories of the Russian fleet - Gangut, Chesma, Sinop - Russian sailors traditionally wear three white stripes on their guises *.
* Guys - a large blue collar on a uniform - a sailor's upper cloth or linen shirt.
GANGUT SEA BATTLE.
The naval battle of the Great Northern War of 1700-1721, which took place on July 27 (August 7), 1714. at Cape Gangut (now Khanko) between the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral F.M. Apraskin and Emperor Peter I and the Swedish fleet of Vice Admiral G. Vatrang. Gangut - the first major victory of the Russian fleet. She raised the spirit of the troops, showing that the Swedes can be defeated not only on land, but also at sea. The captured Swedish ships were delivered to St. Petersburg, where on September 9, 1714, a solemn meeting of the winners took place. The winners passed under the triumphal arch. Peter I highly appreciated the victory at Gangut, equating it to Poltava. On August 9, in honor of this event, a holiday was officially established in Russia - the Day of Military Glory.
CHESME SEA BATTLE.
Naval battle in the Aegean off the western coast of Turkey, June 24-26 (July 5-7), 1770. between the Russian and Turkish fleets ended with the complete victory of the Russian fleet over the enemy, which, in terms of the number of ships, was twice as large as the Russian squadron, but was almost completely destroyed. The victory was achieved thanks to the right choice of the moment for delivering a decisive blow, the surprise attack at night, well-organized interaction of forces, as well as high morale and combat quality. personnel and the naval art of Admiral G.A. Spiridov, who boldly abandoned the stereotyped linear tactics that prevailed at that time in the Western European fleets. All of Europe was shocked by the victory of the Russians, which was achieved not by numbers, but by skill. Today, the Naval Museum is open in St. Petersburg, dedicated to victory at Chesme.
SINOP SEA BATTLE.
Naval battle on November 18 (30), 1853 between the Russian squadron under the command of Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimov and the Turkish squadron under the command of Osman Pasha. The Turkish squadron was heading to the coast of the Caucasus for the landing of a large landing force. On the way, she took refuge from the bad weather in Sinop Bay. Here it was blocked by the Russian fleet. However, the Turks and their English instructors did not allow the idea of a Russian attack on the bay protected by strong coastal batteries. However, the Russian corals entered the bay so rapidly that the coastal artillery did not have time to inflict significant damage on them. During the four-hour battle, artillery fired 18 thousand shells, which almost completely destroyed the Turkish fleet. The Sinop victory was the result of a century and a half of the history of the Russian sailing fleet, since this battle was the last major naval battle of the era of sailing ships. With its victory, the Russian fleet won complete dominance in the Black Sea and thwarted Turkish plans to land troops in the Caucasus.
