250 years ago, a Russian squadron in the Chesme Bay of the Aegean Sea completely destroyed the Turkish fleet. Russian sailors sank and burned the entire enemy fleet: 16 ships of the line (1 ship was captured) and 6 frigates!
Preparing the hike
In 1768, another Russian-Turkish war began. Russia then did not have a fleet in the Azov and Black Seas. In the Azov region, the Black Sea region and the Crimea, Turkey dominated. The Turkish fleet ruled the Black Sea. Then in St. Petersburg they decided to send a squadron of the Baltic Fleet to the Mediterranean Sea and thereby support the army in the Black Sea region.
In the winter of 1769, a squadron of 15 pennants was formed from the Baltic Fleet: 7 ships and 8 other warships. The squadron was headed by one of the most experienced Russian naval commanders - Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov. He began his naval service under Peter the Great. The general command of the expedition was assumed by Count Alexei Orlov. The first Archipelago expedition was supposed to go around Europe, reach the shores of Greece and the Archipelago (islands of the Aegean Sea between Greece and Asia Minor). In Greece, a national liberation struggle flared up against the Ottoman yoke. Russian sailors were supposed to support their fellow believers.
The hike was challenging. Before that, Russian ships sailed only in the Baltic, mainly in the Gulf of Finland. There was no experience of long trips. Only a few merchant ships left the Baltic Sea. Russian ships had to fight the elements and the enemy far from their bases, having literally need for everything that was needed on a long voyage.
Going to the Mediterranean Sea
In July 1769, Spiridov's ships left Kronstadt. On September 24, the Russian squadron arrived at the English port of Hull. Here the ships were repaired - the transition from the Baltic to the North Sea was difficult. After two weeks of rest and repairs, Spiridov's squadron continued the march. In the Bay of Biscay, Russian ships were badly battered. Some ships were badly damaged. The long voyage showed that the hulls of the ships were not strong enough. In addition, poor ventilation, the lack of hospitals and the poor provision of the crews by the Admiralty with everything necessary led to massive diseases. The crews of the ships constantly experienced a shortage of fresh food, water, equipment and clothing.
For about a month, Spiridov's ships sailed from England to Gibraltar - over 1,500 miles without stopping and resting in ports. In November 1769, the Russian flagship, the ship Eustathius, passed Gibraltar, entered the Mediterranean Sea and arrived at Port Mahon (Minorca Island). In February 1770 the squadron arrived at Port Vitula on the southern coast of Morea (Peloponnese). Russian sailors were supposed to support the national liberation movement of the Greeks against the Ottoman yoke. Catherine II planned to use the Greek rebels against Turkey, which facilitated the action of the Russian army on the Danube front. To establish contacts with the rebels and their support, Count A. Orlov was sent, who was entrusted with the general leadership of the expedition.
Fights in Morea
The population of the Peloponnese greeted Russian sailors with great joy. Thousands of volunteers joined the fighting squads, which launched hostilities in the interior of the peninsula. The Russian squadron with the main part of the landing force was engaged in the siege of fortresses on the coast of Greece. So, at the end of March 1770, Russian troops under the command of a brigadier of naval artillery laid siege to Navarin. On April 10, the fortress surrendered. Navarin became the base of Spiridov's squadron. However, on land, the fighting ended in defeat. The Turks transferred reinforcements, launched punitive operations and defeated the rebels. On the coast, the Russians were unable to take the fortresses of Koron and Modon. These enemy fortresses were well defended.
The Ottoman command, having learned about the capture of Navarin by the Russians, decided to block the enemy there. On land, the Turkish army moved to Navarin, and the fleet headed from the Turkish ports to the fortress. Meanwhile, a second Russian squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Elfinston (3 battleships, 2 frigates) approached the shores of Greece from Petrograd. She left Kronstadt in October 1769 and in early May 1770 approached the Peloponnese. On May 16, Elphinstone's ships near La Spezia saw an enemy fleet (10 ships of the line, 6 frigates and other ships, including several rowing boats). The Ottomans had more than a double superiority in the number of ships, but hastened to retreat to the port of Napoli di Romagna, under the cover of coastal batteries. They believed that they saw in front of them only the Russian avant-garde, followed by the main forces. Russian ships attacked the enemy fleet. The exchange of fire continued for several hours. Having frightened the enemy, the Russian squadron withdrew from the port. On May 17, Elphinstone repeated the attack. After the skirmish, the Turks hurried to hide under the protection of the coastal batteries. Due to the complete superiority of the enemy forces, Elphinston could not block Napoli.
Meanwhile, the defense of Navarino had become meaningless. The Turks surrounded the fortress and destroyed the water supply system. On the night of May 23, the Russian garrison blew up the fortifications and went over to the ships. Even before Navarin left, the main part of Spiridov's squadron went to sea to connect with Elfinstone. Two Russian squadrons met off the island of Cerigo. On May 24, near the island of La Spezia, the Turkish fleet again met with Russian ships. For three days, the enemy ships were within sight, but the calm prevented the start of the battle. Taking advantage of the favorable wind, the Turkish ships left.
Thus, it was not possible to raise a large-scale uprising in Greece and create a Christian state there. There were few forces to solve such a large-scale task, the Russian fleet operated many thousands of kilometers from its base. For the same reason, the Russians could not organize, train and equip a Greek army capable of resisting the Turks. However, the Russian squadron was able to solve the problem of diverting enemy forces from the Danube. Constantinople, alarmed by the uprising in Morea and the threat of the spread of the national liberation movement to other areas of the empire, and by the actions of the Russian squadron, was forced to send significant land and naval forces here. This worsened the military and economic capabilities of Turkey in the war with Russia.
Play to the last
For almost a month, Spiridov's ships were looking for an enemy in the Aegean Sea. In mid-June, they were joined by the ships that were the last to leave Navarin. All the forces of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean have united: 9 battleships, 3 frigates, 1 bombardment ship, 17-19 small ships, about 730 guns, about 6500 people. Spirids and Elphinston had an equal position and quarreled over the fact that the enemy was missed at Napoli. Orlov took over the general command. On June 15 (26), Russian ships stocked up on water on the island. Paros, where they learned that the enemy was here three days ago. At the council of war, it was decided to go to the island of Chios, and if the Ottomans were not there, to the island of Tenedos at the exit from the Dardanelles, in order to block them.
On June 23 (July 4), 1770, when approaching the strait separating Chios from the mainland, near the Chesma fortress, the enemy fleet was discovered. Then it turned out that the Turks had dozens of ships and vessels, including 16 ships of the line, 6 frigates, 6 shebeks and a lot of small ships. The Turkish fleet was armed with 1,430 guns. The total crew was about 16 thousand people. This was a complete surprise to the Russian command. The main naval forces of the Ottoman Empire were located in the Chios Strait. The enemy had a double superiority. In addition, the enemy occupied a convenient position - along the coast in two lines, the flanks rested against the coast. The first line had 10 ships, the second - 4 ships and 6 frigates. The remaining ships were located between the two battle lines and the coast. A large camp was erected on the shore. The commander of the Turkish fleet, Admiral Hosameddin (Husameddin) Ibrahim Pasha was at the coastal command post, Admiral Gassan Bey (Gasi Hassan Pasha) on the flagship "Real Mustafa".
Count Orlov was at a loss. However, most of the commanders and sailors were eager to measure their strength with the enemy. The enthusiasm of the crews, the requests of Spiridov and the captains of the ships convinced the commander-in-chief that the Russian fleet was ready for a decisive battle. At the council of war, it was decided to attack the enemy from the north. The vanguard was led by the Spirids, the main forces were Orlov, and the rearguard was Elphinston. The lead ship was the 66-gun ship "Europe" of the 1st rank captain Klokachev, followed by the 68-gun flagship of Spiridov "Eustathius", then the 66-gun ship "Three Saints" of the 1st rank captain Khmetevsky. This was followed by the 66-gun ships "Saint Januarius" and "Three hierarchs", the 68-gun "Rostislav" of the 1st rank captain Lupandin. In the rearguard were 66-gun "Don't touch me", 84-gun "Svyatoslav" and 66-gun "Saratov".
On June 24 (July 5), 1770, the Russian squadron began to approach the enemy. First, the ships went to the southern flank of the enemy, then, having turned around, took up positions opposite the Turkish line. The Ottomans opened fire at 11:30. - 11 hours 45 minutes, at a distance of about 3 cables. Under enemy fire, the Russian ships came close to the enemy and opened fire at 12 o'clock at close range - 80 fathoms (about 170 meters). At the same time, the leading ship "Europe" tried to approach the enemy even closer, but due to the threat of pitfalls, turned and temporarily left the line. The flagship became the lead ship. The Turks concentrated the fire of several ships on the Russian flagship. However, the flagship confidently attacked the enemy. Marches were played on the ships. The musicians were given the order: "Play to the last!" In turn, "Evstafiy" concentrated fire on the Turkish flagship "Real Mustafa". By the end of the first hour, all ships took up positions and opened fire.
The second Russian ship, the Three Saints, came under heavy fire. The shells broke the braces (part of the rigging), and the ship was carried right into the middle of the Turkish fleet. The Russian ship found itself among the enemy ships, which fired from all directions. The situation was extremely dangerous, but the Russian sailors were not taken aback. Khmetevsky was wounded, but continued to lead the battle. The masts were damaged on the ship, and underwater holes appeared. But the "Three Saints" continued to fight, firing at two enemy lines at once. The Russian artillerymen fired about 700 shells on the enemy, shooting the Ottoman ships almost point-blank. Many Turks, unable to withstand the battle, threw themselves into the water.
Ship "Ianuariy" Captain 1st Rank Borisov, passing along the enemy's battle line, fired at several ships at once. Having made a turn, he again went to the enemy and took up positions against one of the Ottoman ships. It was followed by Brigadier Greig's ship "Three Hierarchs". He also fired heavy fire at the enemy. Russian sailors operated from such a close distance that they hit the enemy not only with guns, but also with rifles. The Turks could not stand such a battle, they removed from the anchors and fled. In this case, the ships were badly damaged.
The Russian flagship was still in the center of the battle."Saint Eustathius" approached the Turkish flagship so closely that its cannonballs pierced through and through both sides of the enemy ship. The Russian ship was also badly damaged. Several enemy ships fired at our flagship. Spiridov's ship began to be demolished to the Turkish line. "Eustathius" came close to the Turkish flagship. A firefight began with rifles and pistols. Then the Russians went to board. The Turks fiercely resisted, but the Russian sailors pressed them step by step. One of the brave men, despite being wounded, captured the enemy's banner. The Turkish admiral escaped from the ship. Soon the huge Turkish flagship was almost completely captured. The Ottomans held out only at the stern and lower decks. Real Mustafa was on fire. Russian sailors tried to extinguish the fire, but could not. The fire quickly spread through the ship of the line, engulfing the sails and masts. The flaming mast fell on our ship and the fire spread to the Eustathius. The fire hit the ammunition cellar. The Russian flagship exploded. A few minutes later the Turkish ship also took off.
There was silence in the strait for a minute. People were shocked by the tragedy. Few escaped on two ships. Spiridov and his staff managed to leave the Eustathius and moved to the nearest frigate. The boats were picked up in the water by the commander of the ship, Captain 1st Rank Cruise, and about 70 people. Over 630 people died. The battle continued for some time, but the resistance of the Ottoman fleet was weakening with every minute. By 14 o'clock the Turkish ships retreated to the Chesme Bay under the protection of coastal guns.
Chesme defeat
The Chesme Bay, located on the coast of Asia Minor, was a convenient harbor. High banks protected it from the winds, and batteries at the entrance to the bay were protected from the sea. The Ottomans believed that many Russian ships were in need of repair, so the enemy would not dare to attack again after the fierce Battle of Chios. Admiral Hosameddin completely relied on coastal batteries and refused to go to sea in order to break away from the Russian ships. At the same time, the Turks strengthened the coastal positions, and additional guns were taken from the ships to them.
A meeting was held on the Russian squadron on the evening of June 24 (July 5). The Russian commanders saw that the enemy was demoralized, the ships were badly damaged and overcrowded. It was decided not to give the enemy time to recover and finish him off right in the bay. On June 25 (July 6), Russian ships blocked the enemy fleet in the Chesme Bay. The 12-gun bomber ship Thunder moved forward and began firing from a long distance. Brigadier Hannibal was ordered to prepare fire ships - floating craft filled with explosive and flammable substances. They were prepared from small schooners, filled with gunpowder and resin. We selected volunteers for the crews.
Because of the narrow entrance to the bay, 4 ships, a bombardment ship and 2 frigates were allocated for the enemy's attack: "Europe", "Don't touch me", "Rostislav", "Saratov", "Thunder". Frigates "Africa" and "Nadezhda" with 4 fire ships. By the evening of June 25, the Russian ships were ready to attack. At about midnight "Rostislav" gave the signal to start the operation. At midnight on June 27 (July 7), Russian ships approached the entrance to the bay. Soon the Turks found the enemy and opened fire. The Russian ships continued to move under heavy fire. The first to break into the bay and enter the battle was the ship "Europe" under the command of Klokachev. The rest of the ships followed him. The frigates and the bombarding ship remained at the entrance to the bay and fired at the coastal fortifications.
The Russians fired at the largest enemy ships from a distance of 200 meters. There was a night battle. Soon one of the Turkish ships under fire from "Thunder" and "Don't touch me" caught fire and took off into the air. The Ottoman ships were very crowded, so flaming debris fell on other ships. Two more ships caught fire. Others flared up behind them. At about 2 am, when two more ships exploded, a fire-ship attack began. Russian ships temporarily suspended firing. When the Turks realized that they were fire-ships, they opened heavy fire on them, and galleys went to intercept. The first three ships did not reach their target: one fire-ship was captured by the Turks, the other sat on the stones, the third missed. Only the fourth fire-ship under the command of Lieutenant Ilyin managed to get close to the 84-gun ship. Ilyin lit the fuse, went with the sailors to the boat and sent the burning ship to the enemy. A large fire started on the ship, and it soon exploded.
Ilyin's successful attack intensified the defeat of the enemy fleet. New ships and vessels were engaged from the burning debris. The panic began. Enemy crews fled en masse ashore. One by one, the enemy ships perished. When dawn broke, boats were sent from the Russian ships to seize the booty. So the battleship Rhodes and several galleys were captured. In the morning, the last enemy battleship took off in the Chesme Bay. The remaining Turkish sailors and the Chesma garrison, frightened by the disaster, abandoned the fortress and fled to Smyrna.
It was a great victory! The entire Turkish fleet was destroyed: 15 battleships and 6 frigates, a large number of small ships, thousands of sailors were killed. Our sailors have captured one ship of the line. Our losses are about 20 people. Spiridov wrote: “Honor to the All-Russian fleet! From the 25th to the 26th, the enemy Turkish military fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, allowed into the sky, turned into ashes … and they themselves began to dominate the entire Archipelago."
The Chesme victory shocked Western Europe. The disdainful attitude towards the Russian sailors was replaced by more reasonable assessments of the Russian fleet. It became obvious that a new great maritime power had emerged in Europe. The Russians destroyed the core of the Ottoman fleet in one blow. Russian officers and sailors displayed high fighting qualities, courage, determination and skill. In Port they were so shocked by the loss of their fleet that they feared for the fate of Constantinople. Under the guidance of French specialists, the Dardanelles were urgently strengthened. As a result, the actions of Spiridov's squadron facilitated the offensive of the Russian army on the Danube theater. Russian troops occupied the Crimean peninsula in 1771. The favorable situation on the Black Sea made it possible to begin the revival of the Russian fleet in the Sea of Azov. The new Azov flotilla soon entered the battle.
