225 years ago, on August 28-29 (September 8-9), 1790, the battle took place at Cape Tendra. The Black Sea Fleet under the command of Fyodor Ushakov defeated the Turkish fleet under the command of Hussein Pasha. The victory at Cape Tendra in the military campaign of 1790 ensured the lasting domination of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.
September 11 marks one of the Days of Russia's Military Glory - the Victory Day of the Russian squadron under the command of F. F. Ushakov over the Turkish squadron at Cape Tendra (1790). It was established by Federal Law No. 32-FZ of March 13, 1995 "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia."
Background. Struggle for dominance in the Black Sea
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. The Crimean Khanate became independent, and then the Crimean Peninsula became part of Russia. The Russian Empire was actively developing the northern Black Sea region - Novorossia, and began to create the Black Sea Fleet and the corresponding coastal infrastructure. In 1783, on the shores of the Akhtiarskaya Bay, the construction of a city and a port began, which became the main base of the Russian fleet on the Black Sea. The new port was named Sevastopol. The basis for the creation of a new fleet was the ships of the Azov flotilla, built on the Don. Soon the fleet began to replenish with ships built at the shipyards of Kherson, a new city founded near the mouth of the Dnieper. Kherson became the main shipbuilding center in the south of Russia. In 1784 the first battleship of the Black Sea Fleet was launched in Kherson. The Black Sea Admiralty was established here.
Petersburg tried to speed up the formation of the Black Sea Fleet at the expense of a part of the Baltic Fleet. However, Istanbul refused to allow Russian ships from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. Porta longed for revenge, and sought to prevent the strengthening of Russia in the Black Sea region, and to return the lost territories. First of all, the Ottomans wanted to return Crimea. To throw Russia back from the sea and restore the position that existed on the southern Russian borders for centuries. In this matter, Turkey was supported by France and England, who were interested in weakening Russia.
The diplomatic struggle between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, which did not subside after the conclusion of the Kucuk-Kainardzhiyskiy peace, intensified every year. The revanchist aspirations of the Port were actively fueled by Western European diplomacy. The British and French exerted strong pressure on Istanbul, calling for "not to allow the Russian navy into the Black Sea." In August 1787, an ultimatum was presented to the Russian ambassador in Constantinople, in which the Ottomans demanded the return of the Crimea and revise the previously concluded treaties between Russia and Turkey. Petersburg rejected these impudent demands. In early September 1787, the Turkish authorities arrested the Russian ambassador Ya. I. Bulgakov without an official declaration of war, and the Turkish fleet under the command of the "Crocodile of naval battles" Hassan Pasha left the Bosphorus in the direction of the Dnieper-Bug estuary. A new Russian-Turkish war began.
By the beginning of the war, the Russian fleet was significantly weaker than the Ottoman. Naval bases and the shipbuilding industry were in the making. There was a shortage of necessary supplies and materials for the construction, armament, equipment and repair of ships. The Black Sea was still poorly studied. The vast territories of the Black Sea region were at that time one of the distant outskirts of the empire, which was in the process of development. The Russian fleet was much inferior to the Turkish one in the number of ships: by the beginning of hostilities, the Black Sea Fleet had only 4 ships of the line, and the Turks - about 20. In terms of the number of corvettes, brigs, transports, the Turks had a superiority of about 3-4 times. Only in frigates, the Russian and Turkish fleets were approximately equal. The Russian battleships were inferior in qualitative terms: in speed, artillery armament. In addition, the Russian fleet was divided into two parts. The core of the Black Sea Fleet, mainly large sailing ships, was based in Sevastopol, while rowing ships and a small part of the sailing fleet were in the Dnieper-Bug estuary (Liman flotilla). The main task of the fleet was the task of protecting the Black Sea coast in order to prevent the invasion of the Turkish landing.
Thus, if on land Turkey did not have an advantage over the Russian army, then at sea the Ottomans had an overwhelming superiority. In addition, the Russian fleet had a weak command. Admirals such as N. S. Mordvinov and M. I. Voinovich, although they had the full support of the court and many necessary connections for career development, were not warriors. These admirals were indecisive, inept and lack of initiative, afraid of battle. They believed that it was impossible to engage in an open battle with an adversary who had a visible superiority and adhered to linear tactics.
The Russian fleet was lucky that among the senior officers of the fleet there was a decisive and outstanding military organizer Fedor Fedorovich Ushakov. Ushakov had no connections at court, was not a well-born aristocrat and achieved everything with his talent and hard work, devoting his whole life to the fleet. It should be noted that the commander-in-chief of land and sea forces in the south of the empire, Field Marshal Prince G. A. Potyomkin, saw Ushakov's talent and supported him.
As a result, the Russian Black Sea Fleet, despite its weakness, was able to successfully resist a strong enemy. In 1787-1788. The Liman flotilla successfully repulsed all enemy attacks, the Turkish command lost many ships. The Turks could not use their superiority in large sailing ships with powerful artillery weapons, since a situation arose on the Liman, reminiscent of the situation on the Baltic skerries during the Northern War, when the mobile rowing ships of Tsar Peter successfully fought the Swedish fleet.
While there were fierce battles in the Dnieper-Bug estuary, the main part of the Black Sea Fleet - the Sevastopol squadron, was inactive, being at its base. Rear Admiral Voinovich was afraid of a battle with the superior forces of the Ottomans. The cowardly admiral constantly found reasons not to take ships out to sea. Late with the withdrawal of the fleet to sea, he exposed the ships to a severe storm (September 1787). For more than six months, the squadron was repaired, it was put out of action. Only in the spring of 1788 was combat capability restored. However, Voinovich was again in no hurry to go to sea. Knowing the numerical strength of Gassan Pasha's fleet, he was afraid of meeting the Turks and came up with various excuses to postpone the departure of the squadron to the sea. Only after the decisive demands of Potemkin, Voinovich's squadron went to sea.
On June 18, 1788 the ships left Sevastopol. On the way, the squadron was delayed by a headwind and only after 10 days reached Tendra Island. The Ottoman fleet was moving towards. Admiral Gassan Pasha had a huge superiority in forces: against 2 Russian ships of the line there were 17 Turkish ships of the line. The Turks had a great advantage in artillery armament: more than 1,500 guns against 550 Russian cannons. Voinovich was confused and could not lead the Russian ships into battle. At the moment of a decisive meeting with the enemy, he withdrew from the leadership of the Russian squadron, giving the initiative to the commander of the vanguard, the commander of the battleship "Pavel", brigadier-rank captain FF Ushakov. For three days, Russian and Turkish ships maneuvered, trying to find a more comfortable position for battle. By July 3, both fleets were located opposite the mouth of the Danube, near the island of Fidonisi. The Ottomans were able to maintain a windward position, which gave a number of advantages to the ships. However, the Russians defeated the vastly superior enemy forces. This was the first baptism of fire of the Sevastopol squadron - the main combat core of the Black Sea Fleet.
This battle had important consequences. Until now, the Ottoman fleet has dominated the Black Sea, preventing Russian ships from making long voyages. The voyages of Russian ships were limited to coastal areas. After this battle, when the Turks first retreated in front of the Russian squadron on the high seas, the situation changed. If, before the battle of Fidonisi, many Turkish commanders considered Russian sailors inexperienced and incapable of fighting on the high seas, now it became clear that a new formidable force had appeared on the Black Sea.
In March 1790 Fyodor Ushakov was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet. He had to carry out a tremendous amount of work to improve the combat capability of the fleet. Much attention was paid to the training of personnel and educational work. Ushakov, in any weather, took ships out to sea and conducted sailing, artillery, boarding and other exercises. The Russian naval commander relied on the tactics of mobile combat and the training of his commanders and sailors. He attached a large role to the "useful case" when the enemy's indecision, hesitation and mistakes allowed a more initiative and strong-willed commander to win. This made it possible to compensate for the higher number of the Ottoman fleet and the better quality of the enemy ships.
After the battle of Fidonisi, the Ottoman fleet did not take active actions in the Black Sea for about two years. The Turks were building new ships and preparing for new battles. During this period, a difficult situation developed in the Baltic. The British actively incited Sweden to oppose Russia. The Swedish elite considered that the situation was very favorable for starting a war with Russia, with the aim of restoring a number of positions in the Baltic that Sweden had lost during the previous Russian-Turkish wars. At this time, St. Petersburg planned to open hostilities against Turkey in the Mediterranean Sea, sending a squadron from the Baltic Sea. The Mediterranean squadron was already in Copenhagen when it had to be urgently returned to Kronstadt. Russia had to wage war on two fronts - in the south and in the northwest. The Russian-Swedish war (1788-1790) lasted for two years. The Russian armed forces came out of this war with honor. The Swedes were forced to abandon their demands. But this conflict severely depleted the military and economic resources of the Russian Empire, which led to the protraction of the war with the Port.
Battle of Cape Tendra
The Ottoman command planned in 1790 to land troops on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea, in the Crimea, and recapture the peninsula. The Turkish fleet was commanded by Admiral Hussein Pasha. The threat was serious, since there were few Russian troops in the Crimea, the main forces were in the Danube theater. The Turkish landing party, embarked on ships in Sinop, Samsun and other ports, could be transferred and landed in the Crimea in less than two days. Turkish troops had a foothold in the Caucasus, which could be used against the Crimea. The powerful fortress of Anapa was the foremost stronghold of the Ottomans. From here to Kerch to Feodosia it took only a few hours of travel.
In Sevastopol, the situation was closely monitored. Ushakov was actively preparing the ships for the voyage. When most of the ships of the Sevastopol squadron were ready for a long voyage, Ushakov set out on a campaign in order to reconnoiter the enemy's forces and disrupt his communications in the southeastern part of the sea. The Russian squadron crossed the sea, went to Sinop and from it passed along the Turkish coast to Samsun, then to Anapa and returned to Sevastopol. Russian sailors captured more than a dozen enemy ships. Then Ushakov again brought his ships out to sea and on July 8 (July 19), 1790, he defeated the Turkish squadron near the Kerch Strait. In terms of battleships, both squadrons were equal, but the Ottomans had twice as many other ships - bombarding ships, brigantines, corvettes, etc. As a result, the Turks had more than 1100 guns against 850 Russians. However, Admiral Hussein Pasha was unable to take advantage of the superiority in forces. The Turkish sailors wavered under the Russian attack and took off. The best sailing qualities of the Turkish ships allowed them to escape. This battle disrupted the landing of an enemy landing in the Crimea.
After this battle, the Hussein Pasha's fleet hid in their bases, where the Turks carried out intensive work to restore the damaged ships. The Turkish naval commander hid the fact of defeat from the Sultan, declared victory - the sinking of several Russian ships. To support Hussein, the Sultan sent an experienced junior flagship, Seyid Bey. The Turkish command was still preparing the landing operation.
On the morning of August 21, the bulk of the Ottoman fleet was concentrated between Hadji Bey (Odessa) and Cape Tendra. Under the command of Hussein Pasha, there was a significant power of 45 ships: 14 battleships, 8 frigates and 23 auxiliary ships, with 1400 guns. The presence of the Turkish fleet held back the activity of the Liman flotilla, which was supposed to support the offensive of the Russian ground forces.
On August 25, Fedor Ushakov brought the Sevastopol squadron to sea, it consisted of 10 battleships, 6 frigates, 1 bombardment ship and 16 auxiliary ships, with 836 guns. On the morning of August 28, the Russian fleet appeared at Tendra. The Russians discovered the enemy, and Admiral Ushakov gave the order to move closer. It was a complete surprise for the Ottomans, they believed that the Russian fleet had not yet recovered from the Battle of Kerch and was stationed in Sevastopol. Seeing the Russian ships, the Turks rushed hastily to chop off the anchors, set sails, and in disarray moved towards the mouth of the Danube.
The Russian squadron pursued the fleeing enemy. The Turkish avant-garde, led by the flagship of Hussein Pasha, took advantage of the advantage in the course and took the lead. Fearing that the lagging ships would be overtaken by Ushakov, pressed to the shore and destroyed, the Turkish admiral was forced to make a turn. While the Turks were rebuilding, the Russian ships, at the signal of Ushakov, lined up from three columns into a battle line; three frigates remained in reserve. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, both fleets sailed parallel to each other. Ushakov began to reduce the distance, and gave the order to open fire on the enemy. The Russian naval commander used his favorite tactic - he approached the enemy and focused his fire on the enemy's flagships. Ushakov wrote: "Our fleet drove the enemy under full sail and beat him incessantly." The Turkish flagships suffered the most, on which the fire of Russian ships was concentrated.
The pursuit continued for several hours. In the evening, the Turkish fleet "was out of sight in the dark at night." Hussein Pasha hoped that he would be able to get away from the pursuit at night, as it had already happened during the Kerch battle. Therefore, the Turks walked without lights and changed courses in order to bring down their pursuers. However, this time the Ottomans were out of luck.
At dawn the next day, a Turkish fleet was found on Russian ships, which was "scattered all over in different places." The Turkish command, seeing that the Russian squadron was located nearby, gave a signal to join and withdraw. The Turks headed south-east. However, the damaged ships noticeably slowed down and fell behind. The admiral's 80-gun ship "Capitania" was at the bottom of the line. At 10 o'clock in the morning the Russian ship "Andrey" was the first to approach the main ship of the Turkish fleet and opened fire. The ships "Georgy" and "Preobrazhenie" approached him. The enemy ship was surrounded and fiercely shelled. However, the Ottomans stubbornly resisted. Then Ushakov's ship approached the Capitania. He stood at the distance of a pistol shot - 60 meters and "in the slightest time inflicted the most severe defeat on him." The ship burned and lost all masts. The Turks could not withstand the powerful shelling and began to beg for mercy. The fire was stopped. They managed to capture Admiral Seyid Bey, the ship's captain Mehmet and 17 staff officers. A few minutes later from the fire, the Turkish flagship took off into the air. Other ships of the Russian squadron overtook the Turkish 66-gun battleship Meleki-Bagari, surrounded it and forced to surrender. The rest of the Turkish ships were able to escape.
The battle ended with the complete victory of the Russian fleet. In a two-day battle, the Ottomans were defeated, put to flight and completely demoralized, lost two ships of the line and several smaller ships. On the way to the Bosphorus another 74-gun ship of the line and several small ships sank due to damage. In total, more than 700 people were taken prisoner. According to Turkish reports, the fleet lost in killed and wounded up to 5, 5 thousand people. Turkish ships, as usual, were overcrowded with people, due to regular desertions, surplus crews were recruited, plus amphibious forces. Russian losses were insignificant - 46 people were killed and wounded, which speaks of the high military skill of Ushakov's squadron.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet won a decisive victory over the Ottomans and made a significant contribution to the overall victory. A significant part of the Black Sea was cleared of the Turkish fleet, which opened access to the sea for the ships of the Liman flotilla. With the assistance of the ships of the Liman flotilla, the Russian army took the fortresses of Kiliya, Tulcha, Isakchi and, then, Izmail. Ushakov wrote one of its brilliant pages into the maritime chronicle of Russia. The maneuverable and decisive tactics of the naval battle of Ushakov fully justified themselves, the Turkish fleet ceased to dominate the Black Sea.
Congratulating the Russian sailors on the victory at Tendra, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops Potemkin wrote: “The famous victory won by the Black Sea forces under the leadership of Rear Admiral Ushakov on the 29th day of last August over the Turkish fleet … serves to special honor and glory of the Black Sea fleet. May this memorable incident fit into the journals of the Black Sea Admiralty government to the everlasting memory of the brave fleet of the Black Sea exploits …"
