The naval battle at the Chesma fortress between the Russian and Turkish squadrons is one of the largest in the era of the sailing fleet. The Battle of Chesme became a real triumph for the Russian fleet and served as a powerful argument in concluding the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty, which ended the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774.

The first collision of Russian and Turkish ships occurred in the Chios Strait. On June 24 (July 7), 1770, having caught up with a Turkish squadron twice as numerous, Admiral Spiridov, under whose command there were 9 battleships, 3 frigates, one bombardment ship and 17 auxiliary ships, having assessed the position of the enemy fleet, decided to attack. The Turkish squadron was built in two lines, which allowed the use of only half the firepower, in addition, the space for maneuver was limited by the shore.

I. Aivazovsky. "Chesme fight"

Spirodov’s plan was as follows: at right angles, using the direction of the wind, approach the enemy within the distance of a broadside salvo and inflict as much damage as possible on the first line of ships, primarily on the enemy’s flagships, in order to disrupt fleet control, while not allowing the Turks use numerical superiority.

In the morning, a squadron of Russian ships entered the Chios Strait and formed a battle order, a wake column. “Europe” was in the lead, followed by “Eustathius”.

At 11:30, the ships of the Turkish squadron opened fire on the approaching Russian fleet, but did not cause any significant damage. By 12:00 the Russian maneuver was generally completed - a fierce exchange of cannon salvoes began at close range. Three Russian ships failed to take their places in the ranks: "Europe", was forced to leave the line at the insistence of the pilot, later he turned around and stood behind the "Rostislav", "Three Saints" due to damage to the rigging was blown into the center of the Turkish formation, " St. Januarius fell behind and was forced to turn around and withdraw from the formation. After the Europa left the battle, the main target of the Turkish ships was the Eustathius, on which Admiral Sviridov was located. The flagship of the Russian fleet came within rifle range of the Turkish 90-gun flagship Real Mustafa. Due to heavy losses, “Eustathius” could not maneuver - a boarding battle ensued. The unicorn fire started a fire on the Real Mustafa, causing both ships to explode. Admiral Spiridonov and Count F.G. Orlov managed to escape.

By 14:00, the Turkish fleet began a hasty retreat, which had much in common with a stampede; due to the clashes, many ships reached Chesme Bay without bowsprits. The confusion sown among the Turks is clearly demonstrated by the behavior of the crew of the 100-gun ship Kapudan Pasha. Cutting off the anchor, the crew forgot about the spring; as a result, the Turkish ship turned its stern to the attacking “Three Hierarchs” and was under heavy longitudinal fire for about fifteen minutes. In this situation, not a single Turkish cannon could fire at the Russian ship.

S. Panin. Chesma naval battle in 1770

As a result of a two-hour battle in the Chios Strait, both the Russians and the Turks lost one ship each, but the initiative was completely on our side, and the Turkish fleet was locked in a bay, from which it could not escape due to weak winds. Thus ended the first stage of the Chesma naval battle.

Although the Turkish fleet was blocked in the bay, it still remained a formidable enemy. In addition, the Russian squadron, having no supply bases nearby and being threatened by the arrival of help from Istanbul, could not allow a long blockade. Therefore, at the military council on June 25, a plan was adopted to destroy the Turkish fleet in Chesme Bay. A special detachment was formed for the attack, under the command of S.K. Greig, which included 4 battleships, 2 frigates and the bombardment ship "Thunder".

At 17:00 "Thunder" began shelling the enemy fleet and coastal batteries. By midnight, the remaining ships of the detachment reached their assigned positions. In accordance with the plan, it was planned to open fire from a distance of 2 cables (about 370 meters), the battleships were supposed to suddenly fire at the Turkish fleet crowded in the bay, and the frigates were to suppress the coastal batteries; the Thunder was also supposed to transfer fire to the enemy squadron. After the massive shelling, the fireships were supposed to enter the battle. The plan worked almost perfectly.

By one o'clock in the morning, one of the Turkish ships caught fire from a firebrand (incendiary shell) that hit it, and the flames began to spread to neighboring ships. Trying to save the ships from the fire, the Turks weakened their artillery fire. This made it possible to bring fireships into battle, which had previously remained behind battleships. At 1 hour 15 minutes, 4 fireships advanced to pre-designated targets, but only one completed the task. Lieutenant Ilyin's firecracker. He managed to set fire to the 84-gun ship and, together with his crew, left the burning ship. Some time later, the Turkish ship exploded, scattering thousands of burning debris throughout the bay and spreading the fire to the remaining ships of the battered Turkish fleet.

Within just a few hours, 15 battleships, 6 frigates and more than 50 small ships exploded. The shelling of Chesme Bay stopped only at 4 am, when almost all the ships of the Turkish squadron were destroyed. At 9 am, a landing force was landed on the shore and took the coastal battery of the northern cape by storm.

Efoshkin Sergey. The culmination of the Battle of Chesme

Explosions in the bay continued until 10 am. Accounts from witnesses to the event describe what was left of the Turkish fleet as a thick mess of ash, debris, mud and blood. Of the entire fleet, only 5 galleys and one 60-gun ship "Rhodes" were captured.

The Turkish fleet in the Aegean Sea, on which great hopes were placed, ceased to exist.
The result of the Battle of Chesme was the establishment of the dominance of the Russian fleet in the archipelago and the complete disruption of Turkish communications, which greatly accelerated the end of the war. The losses of the Turkish side amounted to more than 10 thousand people. The Russians lost 11.

The talent of the naval commanders and unconventional tactical decisions brilliantly continued the naval campaign that was going extremely poorly at the beginning. Of the 15 ships that left Kronstadt, only 8 reached the Mediterranean Sea. Count Alexei Orlov was horrified by the fleet he saw in Livorno. The crews lacked doctors and qualified officers, and there was not enough supplies or money to buy them. In his message to Catherine II, he wrote: “And if all services were in such order and ignorance as this naval service, then our Fatherland would be the poorest.” And yet, even with such a “smart” performance, the Russian fleet managed to win. Although Count Orlov himself was not so optimistic about the outcome of the battle. “If we weren’t dealing with the Turks, we would easily have crushed everyone,” he wrote to the Empress from Livorno. Of course, the low quality of the Turkish fleet played a role, but given the two-fold superiority in forces, it was not decisive in the victory of the Russian squadron.

Victoria was achieved by abandoning the linear tactics that were dominant at that time in Western European fleets, concentrating ships in the main direction, accurately choosing the moment to strike, and skillfully using the enemy’s weaknesses. The decision to attack the Turkish squadron in the bay was extremely important, despite the cover of the coastal batteries of the southern and northern capes. The close position of the Turkish ships predetermined the success of the firewall attack and the effectiveness of the firewall fire.

The victors of the Battle of Chesme were Count Alexey Orlov: he was awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree and received the right to add the honorary Chesmensky to his surname; Admiral Spiridov: nominated for the highest award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Greig was awarded the rank of rear admiral, and he was also awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, which gave the right to hereditary nobility.

In honor of this victory, the Chesme obelisk was erected in Gatchina. In 1778, the Chesme Column was erected in Tsarskoye Selo. In St. Petersburg, the Chesme Palace was built in 1774-1777 and the Chesme Church in 1777-1778. The name "Chesma" in the Russian Navy was borne by a squadron battleship and a battleship. Also in the Gulf of Anadyr, the name Chesma was given to a cape discovered during an expedition in 1876 by the clipper “Vsadnik”. The Chesma naval battle was a triumph for the Russian naval forces and proved the admirals’ ability to operate even in extremely difficult conditions.

Prepared based on materials:
http://www.hrono.ru/sobyt/1700sob/1770chesmen.php
http://wars175x.narod.ru/btl_chsm01.html
http://wars175x.narod.ru/btl_chsm.html

Every year July 7th is celebrated in our country Russian Military Glory Day- Day of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesma in 1770. The Battle of Chesme, the memory of which is now immortalized in the list of memorable dates, took place (June 24-26) July 5–7, 1770 in Chesme Bay on the western coast of Turkey ….

In the second half of the 18th century, the confrontation between Russia and the Ottoman Empire reached its climax. The growing Russian Empire, with Peter I entrenched in the Baltic, sought to reach the shores of the Black Sea, which categorically did not suit the Ottoman Empire, which for several centuries had become accustomed to its exclusive dominance on the southern shores of the Black Sea.

In 1768, the confrontation between Russia and Ottoman Turkey escalated into Russian-Turkish war, which began in 1768, which demonstrated the significant superiority of the Russian army over the Turks in land battles.

However, the main support of the Ottoman Empire was a large military fleet, which Russia on the Black Sea could only counter with the small Azov squadron.

At the beginning of 1768, when the war had not yet begun, but became completely inevitable, Count Grigory Orlov proposed an idea to Empress Catherine the Great: to send a squadron from the Baltic Sea to the Aegean Sea and, with its help, to raise the Orthodox peoples under the yoke of Ottoman Turkey to revolt, which would pull the enemy forces away from the Black Sea lands.

In January In 1769, the idea of ​​​​helping the Slavic peoples was formalized in the “Manifesto to the Slavic peoples of the Balkan Peninsula”, in which the Russian Empress promised military assistance and support to the Orthodox brothers.

The general leadership of the Morean expedition was entrusted to his brother of the brothers - Alexey Orlov.

The command of the first squadron of the Baltic Fleet expedition, consisting of 7 battleships, 1 bombardier ship, 1 frigate and 9 auxiliary ships, was entrusted on August 6, 1769 Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov. Unfortunately, the most powerful ship of the squadron, Svyatoslav, was forced to take a reverse course due to a leak; instead of Svyatoslav, the admiral added to his squadron the battleship Rostislav, which was sailing from Arkhangelsk to the Baltic. In mid-November 1769, only one ship of the Baltic Fleet reached Gibraltar, the Saint Eustathius, which lost its mast at the beginning of the voyage. As a result, the squadron in the area of ​​​​proposed combat operations consisted of only seven ships: four battleships, a frigate and two kicks.

The Russians began landing operations with the support of the rebel Greeks, capturing several cities, including the powerful Navarin fortress .

And in May 1770, the second squadron of the Baltic Fleet, consisting of four ships and two frigates under the command of Rear Admiral John Elphinstone.

Russia was able to oppose the Turks with a strong and more combat-ready Baltic Fleet, sending it on an expedition to the Mediterranean Sea and to the shores of the Aegean Sea to divert enemy forces from the Black Sea Fleet.

Two Russian squadrons of the Baltic Fleet under the overall command of Count Alexei Orlov discovered Turkish ships in the roadstead of Chesme Bay.

By the time of the meeting with the fleet of the Ottoman Empire, the combined two Russian squadrons of the Baltic Fleet consisted of 9 battleships of various weapons, a bombardment ship, 3 frigates and several small ships that played auxiliary roles. The total number of warship crews was about 6,500 people.

Turkish fleet, located in Chesme Bay, commanded Kapudan Pasha (admirals) Ibrahim Husaeddin, Hasan Pasha And Cafer Bay, had 16 battleships, 6 frigates, 19 galleys and shebeks (sailing and rowing ships) and 32 auxiliary small vessels with 15,000 people on board.

The battle began at 11:30 a.m. July 5 in the Chios Strait and went down in history as the Battle of Chios. "Saint Eustathius" under the command of Admiral Grigory Spiridov attacked the flagship of the Turkish squadron "Real Mustafa". After the burning mast of the Real Mustafa fell on the Russian ship St. Eustathius, first the Russian flagship exploded, and then the Turkish one. By 14:00 the Turks had already retreated to Chesme Bay - under the cover of coastal batteries.

The fourth fireship of Lieutenant Ilyin.

Over the next day, Russian ships fired at Chesme Bay and enemy ships from a great distance. 4 fire ships were prepared - small mine ships used for sabotage.

On the evening of June 25 (July 6, new style), several Russian ships stationed in the roadstead of Chesme Bay began an artillery duel with the Turks. At half past two on the night of June 26 (July 7), one of the Turkish battleships caught fire and exploded. Its wreckage sparked fires on other ships.

At 2:00 4 Russian fireships entered the bay. The Turks shot two fireships, the third grappled with an already burning ship and did not cause serious harm to the enemy.

Everything was compensated for by the fourth fireship, which was commanded by Lieutenant Dmitry Ilyin. His fire-ship grappled with an 84-gun Turkish ship of the line. Lieutenant Ilyin set fire to the fireship, and he and his crew left it on a boat. The ship exploded and set fire to most of the remaining Turkish ships.

The battle lasted until eight in the morning and ended with heavy losses on both sides, but victory still remained with the Russian fleet.

Fires and explosions engulfed the entire Chesme Bay. By morning, the Russian sailors were no longer firing at the enemy, but were doing the opposite - saving the lives of the Turks from destroyed ships that were floating in the water.

The morning revealed a picture that was terrifying for the Turks and delightful for the Russians. 15 battleships and 6 frigates of the Ottoman Turkish fleet were destroyed, and the Russians received 1 battleship and 5 galleys as trophies. The losses of the Russian fleet consisted of 1 battleship and 4 fire ships. The ratio of losses in manpower was even more crushing - about 650 Russian sailors and about 11,000 Turks.

Admiral Spiridov reported President of the Admiralty Collegium Count Chernyshov: « ...the enemy fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, sent into the sky, sunk and turned to ashes, and left in that place a terrible disgrace, and they themselves began to be dominant in the entire Archipelago of our Most Gracious Empress».

The blow dealt to the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesme in 1770 seriously influenced the course of the Russian-Turkish War and allowed Russian ships to blockade the Dardanelles. Despite the fact that the Russian-Turkish war lasted another four years after the Battle of Chesme and ended with the signing Kuchuk-Kainardzhisky peace 1774, in many ways, the victorious outcome of the Russian-Turkish war for Russia was predetermined by the triumph of the Russian fleet in the Battle of Chesme.

Chesme Column in Tsarskoe Selo. Tsarskoye Selo State Museum-Reserve in the city of Pushkin.

Empress Catherine the Great generously rewarded the heroes of the battle and ordered to perpetuate his memory. To glorify the glorious victory of the Russian fleet, the Chesma Memorial Hall was created in the Great Peterhof Palace, two monuments were erected: the Chesma Obelisk in Gatchina and Chesme Column in Tsarskoe Selo.
The Chesme Palace and the Chesme Church appeared in St. Petersburg.

By “by decree of Her Imperial Majesty Empress Catherine Aleksevna"In memory of the Chesma victory, gold and silver medals were cast: " We bestow this medal on all those who were in this fleet during this Chesma happy incident, both naval and land lower ranks, and allow them to wear it in memory on a blue ribbon in their buttonhole.”

Count Alexey Orlov, the initiator of the expedition that ended in a resounding victory, received the right to add the name Chesmensky to his surname.

Later, by decree of Nicholas II, the settlement was named Chesma - now a village in the Chelyabinsk region. Nowadays, during the Battle of Chesma, it would not be out of place to remember the heroes of the distant war and turn to the history of the great battles of the Russian army.

The Battle of Chesma became one of the brightest pages in the annals of the Russian fleet. In July 2012 Russian President Vladimir Putin added to the list of days of military glory July 7 - Day of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesme.

Glorious victories of the Russian Black Sea Fleet at Cape Gangut in 1714, in the Battle of Chesma 1770 year and the victory in the Battle of Sinop in 1853 are marked with three white stripes on the sailor's jacket.

« Many have been brave
Who, without sparing labor and effort,
Stormy roads to glory
Fleet squadrons were withdrawn».

The Battle of Chesme took place in the Aegean Sea off the Anatolian coast of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) during the first Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. between the ships of the Russian squadrons and the Turkish fleet.

And before that there was a long and difficult transition of Russian ships from Kronstadt around Western Europe through the Baltic and North Seas, the Eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) to the Mediterranean Sea to the shores of Greece (Morea).

In terms of its results, this battle had no analogues in the history of the world's sailing fleets. 73 Turkish ships - battleships, frigates, shebeks, galleys, galliots - burned down in one night; more than 10 thousand people - two thirds of the personnel of the Turkish fleet - died in fire and the abyss of the sea. The Russian combined squadron lost 11 people in that battle: 8 on the 66-gun battleship "Europe" (commander captain 1st rank Klokachev Fedot Alekseevich) and 3 on the battleship "Don't Touch Me" (commander captain 1st rank Pyotr Beshentsev Fedorovich). The Turkish fleet ceased to exist in the Mediterranean Sea. On this occasion, Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov reported the following to the President of the Admiralty Board: “ Glory to the Lord God and honor to the All-Russian Fleet! From June 25 to 26, the enemy Turkish military fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, sent into the sky, drowned and turned to ashes... and they themselves began to be dominant in the entire Archipelago....

Russia owed this victory, first of all, to the experienced naval commander Admiral G. A. Spiridov.

And the prehistory of this war was as follows.

The strengthening of Russia in the middle of the 15th century, especially after the Seven Years' War, caused strong opposition from a number of Western European states, especially France (which competed with England for dominion over the seas).

The interests of Russia's economic development in the 15th century urgently required access to the Black Sea. The insecurity of the southern borders and frequent raids by both the Turks and the Crimean Tatars from the Northern Black Sea region they had captured required the immediate return of the lands that had long belonged to the Russians, located north of the Black Sea, and indeed the Black Sea basin itself.

To renew historical ties with the Middle East and Mediterranean states and ensure the security of the southern borders, it was necessary to clear the northern coast of the Black Sea from the Turks.

The reason for the outbreak of war was a minor border incident during the Russian-Polish War, which occurred on the borders of the Turkish Empire. Then the Cossacks mistakenly plundered the Turkish border towns of Balta and Dubossary.

Empress Catherine II

The Turkish government, despite Catherine II’s proposals to resolve the conflict peacefully, did not want to enter into any negotiations. Under the direct influence of the French and Austrian governments, the Turkish Sultan Mustafa ΙΙΙ declared war on Russia on October 25 (14), 1768, arresting the Russian ambassador A. M. Obrezkov and the entire embassy in Constantinople, putting them in the Seven Tower Castle.

Thus began the first Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, which, however, was destined to end completely differently than the Ottoman Porte and its patrons had hoped.

It should be noted that in the second half of the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire was one of the most powerful powers. African, Balkan and Black Sea peoples and states were under its yoke. Her army with the terrifying Janissaries (and these were children, oddly enough, of Christians) was considered one of the strongest in the world, and a powerful fleet dominated the Black and Eastern Mediterranean.

Not only Catherine herself, but even states hostile to Russia recognized that, undoubtedly, in 1768 Turkey was not only formally the first to declare war and attack Russia, but in fact in every possible way provoked this war and resolutely sought to open hostilities.

According to the Russian war plan, the main theater of operations was to be southern Ukraine, Moldova and the Balkans. The first and second Russian armies were sent here, somewhat later united under the overall command of the talented commander Field Marshal P. A. Rumyantsev. In addition, a third (reserve) army was created, which was supposed to come to the aid of the first army. In fact, hostilities began in the spring of 1769. The Crimean Khan Kerim Giray, with 60,000 cavalry, invaded Ukraine, which significantly complicated the situation, and the main forces of the Turks under the command of the vizier Khalil Pasha headed towards the Dniester, with the goal of crossing it and moving to Kyiv and Smolensk . In addition, the Turks intended to land part of their forces on the coast of the Sea of ​​​​Azov and launch an attack on Astrakhan.

But all these plans of the Turks were overturned by the brilliant actions of the Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal Pyotr Rumyantsev. In 1769-1770 in the battle of Ryaba Mogila, Larga and Kagul, the best Turkish troops were completely defeated. The Russians took the fortress of Khotyn, Iasi, Bucharest and reached the Danube. For these victories, P. A. Rumyantsev received the name “Transdanubian”.

Orlov brothers (Gregory on the right)

Catherine ΙΙ very soon after the outbreak of hostilities seized on the idea, apparently initially proposed by Alexei Orlov and supported by his brother Grigory. This idea was to create new sea and land theaters of military operations in the Turkish possessions in the Mediterranean and thereby draw back part of the enemy forces from the main theater on the Danube, attacking Turkey from the sea and from land in the south of the Ottoman Empire, and thereby create “sabotage”, which would facilitate the operations of P. A. Rumyantsev in the north, i.e. in Moldova and Wallachia (Romania).

To implement this plan and launch military operations against Turkey from the Mediterranean Sea, Catherine decided to send part of the Baltic Fleet in the form of two squadrons to the Archipelago (Mediterranean Sea). The task assigned to the Baltic Fleet was not an easy one. Throughout the history of the Russian fleet, there was nothing like this. The Russian squadrons had to go from Kronstadt around Europe through the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay to the east of the Mediterranean Sea to the Greek shores and, together with army units, begin combat operations on the enemy’s rear communications. Speaking about the task facing the sailors, the commander of the 66-gun battleship “Three Hierarchs,” Captain 1st Rank S. K. Greig very clearly defined it with the words: “... The purpose of the expedition was to carry out sabotage in these places and to harass the Turks in that part of their possessions where they could least fear an attack, due to the difficulties with which the dispatch of an armed force from the extreme limits of the Baltic to seas so distant must be associated. ..." This expedition, called the “Archipelago”, had the goal of blocking the Dardanelles Strait from the Aegean Sea, interrupting Turkish maritime trade, raising mass uprisings among the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula, who suffered under the heavy Turkish yoke, and landing Russian troops in the south of the Balkan Peninsula and the islands Archipelago. For the above purposes, it was decided first of all to send a squadron consisting of 7 battleships:

• "Svyatoslav" (84-gun)
• "Eustathius" (66 guns)
• "Ianuarius" (66 guns)
• "Europe" (66-gun)
• "Three Saints" (66 guns)
• "Northern Eagle";
• frigate "Hope of Prosperity" (36 guns)
• bombardment ship "Grom" (10 guns)
• four kicks (transport)
• two messenger ships (packet boats).

Catherine appointed Vice Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov as commander of the squadron. Grigory Andreevich was in very fragile health; as he grew older, his illnesses became more frequent and worse. And he was already 56 years old. But he still went on a campaign, leaving his place as the Chief Commander of the Kronstadt port. He understood in his heart that Russia needed victory. On June 15 (4), 1769, he was promoted to full admiral. It was as if in advance, in advance, an award given by Catherine.

Preparations for the expedition took a very long time. The squadron had to go to southern waters, where the process of destruction of the ship's hull was much faster than in the northern seas. To protect the underwater part of the ships' hulls from rapid destruction, they were covered with felt and covered with boards on top. To do this, at the dock, huge ships were tilted on board (keeled) with gates, ropes and blocks in order to prepare their underwater parts for long voyages and battles. There were no trifles when getting ready then. The crews tried to make their military uniforms comfortable and fashionable. They shot pistols, blunderbuss and shotguns with their capricious flint locks. And the smoothbore guns barely had time to cool down from training shooting. Finally, by mid-July 1769, the preparation of the squadron was completed.

On July 29 (18), 1769, Catherine ΙΙ visited the “Archipelago” squadron at the Kronstadt roadstead, awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky to G. A. Spiridov, also as an advance, and presented him with the image of St. John the Warrior. She promoted captains Greig and Barge to captain-commander and ordered all crew members to be given a four-month salary.

On July 29 (18), Admiral G. A. Spiridov left with the first squadron from the Kronstadt roadstead and, having received ground forces and artillery at the Krasnogorsk roadstead, on August 6 (July 26) headed for the island of Fore (Gogland), where he was supposed to link up with Revel squadron, which was supposed to accompany him to Copenhagen (Denmark). The ships' personnel numbered 3,011 people; in addition, the ships carried landing troops numbering 2,571 people, received at the Krasnogorsk roadstead.

Great Kronstadt raid

The admiral raised his flag on the 66-gun battleship Eustathius. The Revel squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Anderson (he received this title by the same decree with G. Spiridov) arrived at Fore Island on July 21 (10), but due to a storm it was forced to take refuge in Tagalakht Bay and make the necessary repairs there. The squadron of G. Spiridov arrived at the island of Fore on August 11 (July 31), where on August 23 (12), near the island of Ostergala, it was joined by four more battleships (“Ekaterina”, “Kirman”, “Arkhangelsk” and “Asia”) of the Revel squadron . On September 10 (August 30), the Russian fleet was already in Copenhagen, where it received all kinds of assistance: Denmark at that time was heavily dependent on Catherine ΙΙ, who protected its independence against any attempts by Sweden and Prussia.

In Copenhagen, Admiral G. Spiridov added to his squadron the newly built ship “Rostislav”, which had just arrived from Arkhangelsk (instead of the linear 84-gun ship “Svyatoslav”, which, due to damage received during the transition, could not go further with the squadron and was sent for repairs to Revel), replenished water supplies and received various types of materials from the Revel squadron. On September 19 (8), G. Spiridov’s squadron left Copenhagen and headed for the Kattegat Strait zone. During this transition, one of the transports (pink), the 22-gun Lapominka, ran aground near Cape Skagen and crashed on the reefs. The remaining ships of the squadron arrived at the English port of Gul.

The transition was not easy. Ships suffered serious damage from frequent storms in the North Sea. But the most unpleasant thing began later - the illness of the ship's crew. When approaching England, there were more than 600 sick people on the squadron. Subsequently, there was not a day without deaths.

Due to the fact that some of the ships were in need of repair, Admiral G. Spiridov decided to carry out further movement “according to his ability”; he appointed Port Mahon on the island of Minorca, located in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea and belonging to England, as the assembly point for the ships.

On October 21 (10), 1769, Grigory Andreevich left Gul on the battleship “Eustathius” and headed for Gibraltar through the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay. On November 23 (12), he arrived in Gibraltar, which belongs to England, where, as he writes, he “had a rendezvous” with Rear Admiral S. K. Greig. But S.K. Greig, who was delayed with part of the squadron's ships in Goole to troubleshoot problems in Gibraltar, had not yet arrived. G. Spiridov did not wait for Greig and left Gibraltar. On November 29 (18), he arrived on the island of Minorca in Port Mahon. From there he notified S. K. Greig through an English merchant ship that he was in Port Mahon. Greig arrived in Gibraltar and, not finding G. Spiridov there, refueled with water and supplies and immediately went to sea to join Admiral G. Spiridov. From December 15 (4) to December 23 (12), Russian ships, lagging behind G. Spiridov, gradually approached Port Mahon. In Port Mahon, by the end of December, only nine ships fit for further voyages had gathered: five battleships (“Eustathius”, “Three Hierarchs”, “Three Hierarchs”, “Saint Januarius”, “Nadezhda Blagopoluchiya”), two sloops and two military transport. The sixth battleship "Europe" ran aground while leaving Portsmouth (England), received a hole and lost its rudder. The seventh ship “Rostislav” approached Minorca in January 1770, but was caught in a storm and, due to damage to the main and mizzen masts, was forced to leave for the island of Sardinia to repair the damage. As of December 25, 1768 (old style), there were 313 sick and 32 dead on the squadron. The appendix to the report of Admiral G. Spiridov dated December 26 (Old Style) from Port Mahon shows the following number of dead and sick on the squadron: 27 people died on the transition from Kronstadt to Copenhagen; on the Copenhagen roadstead, 27 people died, sick from 295 to 320; 47 people died on the crossing from Copenhagen to Hull; during the stay in Hull, 83 people died, 620 to 720 people were sick; on the passage from Hull to Port Mahon and in this port until December 26, 208 people died. In total, 392 people died during the transition from Kronstadt to Port Mahon. Very high mortality rate.

On October 9 (20), 1769, the second Russian squadron under the command of Rear Admiral John Elphinstone, consisting of 4 battleships (“Tver”, “Saratov”, “Don’t touch me”, “Svyatoslav”), 2, left Kronstadt for the Mediterranean Sea. frigates (“Nadezhda” and “Africa”) and 2 transports, which approached the shores of the Morea on May 20 (9), 1770. During the transition to the Archipelago, the Chichagov transport crashed in the Porkkala-Udd skerries, and the battleship Tver, having lost its mainmast, returned to Revel. In the English port of Portsmouth, 3 transports were purchased and joined the squadron. The personnel of the second squadron numbered 2,261 people. On this occasion, Catherine wanted to emboss on a commemorative medal: “ We went where no one had gone before “. The search for the Turkish fleet immediately began.

Considering that the combat operations of the squadrons in the Archipelago were planned both at sea and on land, Catherine decided to appoint A.G. Orlov as commander-in-chief of the naval and ground forces in the Mediterranean. Of all the people who helped her in her time to carry out a coup d'etat, A. Orlov not only played the most decisive role, but also showed himself to be a man who stops at absolutely nothing. Neither moral, nor physical, nor political obstacles existed for him, and he could not even understand why they existed for others. He was much smarter, braver, and more gifted than his brother Gregory, whom Catherine loved for several years in a row and whom she was even going to marry. Possessing unnatural physical strength, already in old age, living in retirement in Moscow as a retired nobleman in his magnificent palace, A. Orlov loved to take part in fist fights on occasion and often “seated” young fighters, who were not even fit to be fathers, but to grandfathers. When equipping an expedition from the Baltic to the east of the Mediterranean Sea, Catherine needed the intelligence, cunning, cunning, and ingenuity of Alexei Orlov, combined with the ability to take risks where necessary and be careful where necessary. Alexey Orlov appointed his brother Fyodor Orlov to command the ground landing forces.

On April 10 (21), 1770, Russian sailors occupied the Navarin fortress. Thus, for the first time, the port of Navarino entered the chronicles of Russian naval victories, long before the famous Battle of Navarino in 1827.

The capture of Navarino was a major success. However, the available forces and means for any extensive and prolonged military operations in the south of the Balkan Peninsula, for waging a serious, persistent war against the Turks, were insufficient. Soon news arrived that a united large Turkish fleet was sailing to Navarino Bay in order to block it and close the Russian fleet in it. In such a situation, Navarin threatened to turn into a trap for Russian forces. On the advice of Admiral G. A. Spiridov and S. K. Greig, A. G. Orlov decided to shift the center of gravity of the fight to the sea, destroy the Turkish fleet, and, having gained superiority at sea, resume operations on land.

At the beginning of the second half of May, having blown up and destroyed the Navarino fortress, the Russian squadron went out to the open sea to search for enemy ships. A.G. Orlov wrote to Catherine ΙΙ about this decision: “ ...The best thing that can be done, having fortified the sea ... is to stop the supply of provisions to Constantinople and make attacks by naval force.”

Battle in the Chios Strait

The intensive search for the Turkish fleet continued. We didn't have to wait long. On June 23 at five o’clock in the evening a signal went up on the Rostislav: “ I see enemy ships" . The Turkish fleet was anchored between the island of Chios and the Anatolian coast of Turkey (Eastern Aegean Sea) and consisted of 73 ships (16 battleships, 6 frigates, 6 xebecs, 13 galleys and 32 galliots). The Turkish fleet was commanded by Jeyzayrmo-Hasan Bey. In his report to Catherine II, A. Orlov wrote: “ Seeing this building, I was horrified and was in the dark about what I should do? But the bravery of the troops...the zeal of everyone...forced me to decide, and despite superior forces, to dare to attack, fall or destroy the enemy" After a council of flagships, at the suggestion of Admiral G. A. Spiridov, he decided to attack the Turkish fleet on the morning of June 24.

The combined squadron of A. Orlov included 9 battleships, 3 frigates, one bombardment ship and several small ships. The ships carried about 6,500 personnel and 608 guns.

For the battle, A. Orlov divided the entire fleet into three parts: avant-garde:

• "Europe" (66 guns, commander 1st rank captain Klokachev Fedot Alekseevich)
• "Eustathius" (66 guns, commander 1st rank captain Cruz Alexander Ivanovich)
• “Three Saints” (66-gun, commander captain 1st rank Khmetevsky Stepan Petrovich)
• frigate "St. Nicholas" (36 guns, commander Greek Polikutti).

The vanguard was commanded by Admiral G.A. Spiridov. He was with Fyodor Orlov on the Eustathia. Cardebatalia:

• "Ianuarius" (66 guns, commander 1st rank captain Borisov Ivan Antonovich)
• “Three Hierarchs” (66-gun, commander captain of brigadier rank Samuil Karlovich Greig)
• "Rostislav" (66 guns, commander 1st rank captain Lupandin Vasily Fedorovich)
• bombardment ship "Grom" (20 guns, commander Lieutenant Commander Perepechin)
• packet boat "Postman" (16-gun, commander captain-lieutenant Eropkin)
• transport "Orlov".

Rearguard:

Chesme Bay

Prepare for battle

Build a battle line

S. K. Greig

On June 25, the 66-gun ship “Three Hierarchs” under the command of Rear Admiral S. K. Greig and the 20-gun bombardment ship “Grom” bombarded the Turkish fleet, which had taken refuge in Chesme Bay, as well as a coastal battery installed by the Turks on the southern cape Chesme Bay. Admiral G. A. Spiridov said: “ It was easy for me to foresee from my knowledge of maritime art that this would be their refuge and their grave " In the evening, at the council of flagships and captains at A. Orlov, it was decided to destroy the Turkish fleet on the night of June 26 with fire ships and incendiary shells (fire shells). Alekseq Grigorievich decided: “ Our task must be decisive in order to defeat and destroy this fleet without further delay, without which here in the Archipelago we cannot have free hands for distant victories; and for this, according to the general advice, it is necessary and determined: to prepare for the coming night…»

To clarify the situation, it should be added that the width of Chesma Bay at the entrance is about 750 meters, and its length does not exceed 800 meters. The Turkish fleet stood crowded in the depths of the bay, and if you remember that the length of the ship was about 54 meters, then you can imagine how tightly packed the Turkish ships were along the width of the bay. The Turkish fleet was an ideal target for attack by fireships, and the decision of the Russian command was fully consistent with both the situation and the task. According to the order, on the night of June 26, a detachment consisting of 4 battleships (“Rostislav”, “Europe”, “Don’t touch me”, “Saratov”), 2 frigates (“Nadezhda Prosperity”, “Africa” "), the bombardment ship "Grom" and 4 fire ships under the command of Rear Admiral S. K. Greig (bread pennant on the battleship "Rostislav"), was supposed to enter Chesme Bay and open artillery fire with fire ships on enemy ships. Under the cover of artillery fire from Russian ships, fire ships were to attack with the aim of setting fire to the Turkish fleet. There were no ready-made fireships in the Russian squadron. Four Greek merchant ships were assigned to the fireships. Naval artillery brigadier I.A. Hannibal was ordered to make 4 fire ships. By the evening of June 25, the fire ships were ready. Back at 17.00 on July 6 (June 25), the bombardment ship "Grom" anchored in front of the entrance to Chesme Bay and began shelling the enemy. The night from July 6 to July 7 (June 25 to June 26) was quiet and moonlit. At 23.30 the ship "Europe" weighed anchor and, according to the order, took a place in close proximity to the Turkish ships. At 0.30 "Europe" started a battle with the entire Turkish fleet, opening fire with cannonballs and cannonballs. By one o'clock in the morning "Rostislav" took the appointed place. Behind him were the manufactured fire ships. Following the “Europe” and “Rostislav”, other ships assigned by disposition came and anchored. A successfully fired incendiary shell from the bombardment ship "Grom" caused a fire on one of the Turkish ships stationed in

Chesme fight

center of the bay, the fire from which spread to the nearest leeward Turkish ships. At the same time, at the signal of Rear Admiral S.K. Greig, 4 fireships were launched into the attack, of which one (Lieutenant-Captain Dugdal) was repulsed by Turkish galleys, the second (Lieutenant-Captain Mekenzie) ran aground, the third (midshipman Gagarin ) fell with an already burning ship, the fourth, under the command of Lieutenant Dmitry Ilyin, grappled with one of the Turkish battleships, set it on fire and created a new fire, which soon spread to several nearby ships. With the end of the attack of the fireships, the Russian ships that supported their attack again opened fire on the enemy. At the end of the second hour, two Turkish battleships took off. At 2.30 am, three more Turkish ships ceased to exist. By this time, over 40 ships were burning in the bay, representing a sea of ​​fire. From 4.00 to 5.30, 6 more battleships exploded. By dawn, almost the entire Turkish fleet became a victim of fire. 15 battleships, 6 frigates and a large number of small vessels burned down. The battleship Rhodes and 5 galleys were taken out of the fire and captured. The Turks lost over 10,000 sailors and officers. Russian losses on the ships of the detachment of Rear Admiral S.K. Greig - 11 killed. On this occasion, Admiral G. A. Spiridov reported the following to the President of the Admiralty Board: “ Glory to the Lord God and honor to the All-Russian Fleet! From June 25 to 26, the enemy Turkish military fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, sent into the sky, drowned and turned to ashes... and they themselves began to be dominant throughout the Archipelago..." In a letter to Vice-Chancellor Golitsyn A. Orlov wrote: “ His superior forces did not frighten the brave Russians, who all with great joy wanted to attack the enemy; Therefore, without delay at all, at noon that day they attacked, defeated and drove to the port under the Chesma fortress. Not content with this, on the 25th, at midnight, the enemy was attacked a second time and completely defeated. Of the sixteen enemy battleships, six frigates, many xebecs, brigantines, half-galleys and other small ships, nothing remained but the sad traces of these weapons; all completely sunk, broken and burned».

A.G. Orlov

In St. Petersburg, the Chesma victory became known only at the beginning of September 1770. The first message about it came from Malta from the Italian nobleman Marquis Cavalcabo who settled in Russia, who back in 1769 was sent by Catherine II to the Archipelago with the task of finding piers for Russian ships and skilled helmsmen, perfectly familiar with the Italian and Greek coasts and harbors.

A few days later, a report from Count A.G. Orlov about the complete extermination of the Turkish naval force at Chesme, sent on June 28, was delivered by courier from Livorno to the capital. She was brought to Livorno by the Life Guards Major Yuri Dolgorukov.

In a rescript to Count A.G. Orlov, Catherine II wrote: “... To our admiral Spiridov, you have to hand over our most merciful rescript attached to this, in which we showed him our pleasure for his commendable and zealous behavior in this case, and we grant him the cavalry of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Our Senate, this admiral, will be commanded to give into eternal and hereditary possession the villages appointed by Us...».

« » the empress herself "deigns to be

.

».

Silver medal for Chesma

made for this occasion

»

».

Was " Below is the explanation: “ Chesma 1770 June 24 days ».

There was joy in Russia

.

The day before, the Admiralty Board ordered that on this day, by 8 o'clock in the morning, all its members, flagships, forwarders and advisers in full dress arrived at the Epiphany Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, where « to bring due thanksgiving to the Almighty for the victory won by the fleet and the complete extermination of the entire Turkish fleet in the Levant» the empress herself "deigns to be " After the liturgy, which was served by a member of the Synod, Archbishop of St. Petersburg and Revel, His Eminence Gabriel, a thanksgiving prayer was performed by Archbishop Innocent of Pskov with the rest of the clergy.

On September 15 (4), in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, in the presence of Catherine, a cathedral memorial service for Peter I was held in honor and remembrance of him “as the founder and therefore the first culprit of this great and glorious incident of the Russian naval forces” .

On the same day, the Admiralty Board announced that Catherine II “I most graciously deigned to command” All lower naval and admiralty servants located in the capital will be given a glass of wine and a glass of beer at the expense of the Court Office. After clarifying the number of St. Petersburg teams and submitting a statement to the Commissariat Expedition about how many people were in them, the issuance of an ordinary sea wine portion was carried out immediately. But in exchange for beer, “due to the lack of it,” at the selling price in state drinking houses, money was given to the servants.

After church celebrations on September 14 (3) and 15 (4), on September 18 (7) it was announced that “ as a sign of his most merciful goodwill towards the fleet and the Admiralty"Catherine II September 19 (8) in her presence to the Admiralty Board " deign to honor the lunch meal».

This day became the apotheosis of the Chesme celebrations in the capital.

Persons of the four first classes were invited to dinner at the Admiralty with Catherine's participation. Persons of the first three classes had to participate in it together with members of their families.

Great Britain, Prussia, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, the Roman Empire, France, Spain and Holland were represented at the dinner at the Admiralty by ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, envoys and ministers plenipotentiary of European states at the Imperial Court. Of these, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain, Lord Carcart, was present with his family, and the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Extraordinary of Denmark, Count Scheel, was present with his wife.

The celebration ceremony was designed and planned down to the smallest detail.

The carriages of the dinner participants were allowed into the Admiralty Fortress through the main gate. Having dropped off the arrivals to the right of the college porch, they drove back through the St. Isaac's Gate. Catherine II was heading to the fortress from the palace. As her carriage approached the 3rd bastion, trumpeters played on the spitz. When she approached the 4th bastion, the trumpeters on the Admiralty Gate began to play. The music paused as the carriage crossed the drawbridge and then continued again.

An ordinary Admiralty flag was lowered under an artillery salute. Instead, as a sign of the highest presence in the fortress, Catherine’s standard was raised above the Admiralty. The Admiralty building, the bastions of the fortress and 4 yachts and 2 frigates lined up opposite the Admiralty on the Neva were illuminated and decorated with flags.

Each moment of celebration was accompanied by a corresponding salute on the 31st, 51st, 101st and 201st gun shots.

100 bottles of champagne and Burgundy and 200 bottles of English beer were prepared for serving at the festive tables.

During dinner, seven toasts were heard, including for the victors in the Mediterranean, for the Russian fleet, which has glorified itself for centuries, and for all loyal Russians. After each toast there was a gun salute.

On September 23 (12), 1770, a decree of Catherine II followed from the Admiralty Board with the order to produce well-deserved awards in the Archipelago for Turkish flags, cannons and captured ships and to award the lower ranks of all naval and land commands participating in the battle silver, “ made for this occasion» award medals to be worn in memory of the battle on a blue ribbon in the buttonhole.

The following year, 1771, by decree of the Holy Synod of May 24 (13), thanksgiving prayers in honor and memory of the victory won in 1770 on the shores of Asia were henceforth to be served in churches annually on June 24 (13). A list of all churches of the Admiralty Department was attached to the synodal decree.

On May 31 (20) of the same year, at the presentation of the Admiralty Board, which petitioned for an order to carry out cannon fire from all Admiralty fortresses on the day of celebration, following the example of how it was legalized by Peter I in honor of the Battle of Poltava, Catherine II wrote: "On Tuesday the 24th of 31 guns during the war every year."

On June 24 (13), 1771, on the day of the celebration of the first anniversary of the Chesma victory, after a prayer service in the Epiphany Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, following a rocket signal from the cathedral, gun shots were heard from the bastions of the Admiralty Fortress and from Galernaya Harbor.

On the eve of this date, the Admiralty Board ordered the celebration of the anniversary of the Battle of Chesma on June 24 (13), 1771. “ Give dismissal to all Admiralty department teams from work»

Back in November 1770, the first of the heroes of Chesma to become a holder of the Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, 3rd degree, established a year earlier, was the chief general of the naval artillery, I. A. Hannibal. On September 22, 1771, the 1st degree of this order was awarded to Chief General A.G. Orlov. The Order of the 2nd degree was awarded to Lieutenant General F. G. Orlov and Rear Admiral S. K. Greig.

In 1782, by a manifesto of October 3 (September 22), in addition to the rights granted to the Order, it was allowed to establish a Chapter or Duma of the Order of St. George from among its gentlemen living in the capital, and when consecrated on July 5 (June 24), 1780 on the day On the 10th anniversary of the Chesma victory, the Church of St. John the Baptist, in a village on the Moscow highway called Chesma, has a house, an archive, a seal and a special treasury.

By the highest order, announced on April 23 (12) of the following year, meetings of the Duma of the Order of St. George began to be held in Chesma.

On November 30 (19), during the celebration of the next anniversary of the establishment of the highest military award in Chesma, and on December 7 (November 26) and at the Court of Catherine, all St. George's Knights from St. Petersburg and Kronstadt were invited.

It is symbolic that at the temple built in Chesma near St. Petersburg in honor of the glorious naval victory of the Russian fleet, those “... who not only fulfilled his duties in all respects according to oath, honor and duty, but above all, marked himself for the benefit and glory of Russian weapons with special distinction».

As noted above, in honor of this victory, Catherine ΙΙ established a silver medal, which depicted an attack by Russian ships on the Turkish squadron and the burning of Turkish ships. A laconic inscription informed about the fate of the Turkish fleet: “ Was " Below is the explanation: “ Chesma 1770 June 24 days ».

For the first anniversary of the extermination of the Turkish fleet, in memory of this event, 10 gold medals with the image of A.G. Orlov were made and presented to the Admiralty Board on June 30 (19) by its vice-president, Count I. G. Chernyshev.

Two of them were intended to be presented to Catherine II and the heir to the throne, Admiral General Pavel Petrovich, 5 - to the distinguished Counts Orlov brothers, one - to the medal cabinet of the Academy of Sciences, the tenth - “as an eternal memory for the Admiralty Board.” The production of stamps and minting of gold and silver medals cost 3,000 rubles.

On the front side of the medal in the center of the circular inscription “ Count Alexey Grigorievich Orlov - Winner and Destroyer of the Turkish Fleet " his portrait was placed. On the back, under the inscription " There was joy in Russia ", depicts a plan of a historical battle indicating the dates of June 24 and 26, 1770, and below, under the line, was the inscription " In gratitude to the winner from the Admiralty Board " The silver medals contained 95 spools of high-grade silver. The cost of one such medal at the price of silver was 14 rubles 48 kopecks.

In the multi-family St. Petersburg list of people who received commemorative silver medals on the anniversary of the battle, the first to appear are the clergy: Archbishops Gabriel and Innocent, member of the Synod Archpriest Andrei and rector of the Epiphany Naval Cathedral Archpriest Vasily. Later they were received by Archbishop Ambrose of Moscow and Kaluga, Archimandrite Bartholomew, Archpriest of the Moscow Assumption Cathedral Alexander Levshinsky and Synod Prosecutor Sergei Ivanovich Rozhnov.

After the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Chesme, the Russian fleet gained strategic dominance in the theater and gained the opportunity to carry out the tasks of blockading the Dardanelles and destroying the enemy’s maritime trade.

On July 9 (June 28), having repaired the damage, Russian ships left Chesme Bay and entered the Aegean Sea.

On July 12 (1), a detachment under the command of Rear Admiral D. Elphinstone, consisting of 3 ships, 2 frigates and several transports, went to the Dardanelles to blockade them. The rest of the fleet headed to the island of Lemnos and blockaded the fortress of Pelari in order to acquire a base for the fleet. After a series of bombings, the Turks began negotiations on the surrender of the fortress.

D. Elphinstone acted indecisively during the blockade of the Dardanelles, and then voluntarily left the detachment blockading the Dardanelles and headed to the island of Lemnos on the ship “Svyatoslav”. On September 16 (5), 1770, when approaching the island, “Svyatoslav” at full speed under full sail in fresh weather came across a reef off the northern side of Lemnos, and then found itself aground. D. Elphinstone called the rest of the ships of the blocking detachment for help. The Turks, taking advantage of this, transferred significant reinforcements to the island of Lemnos. Thus, through the fault of D. Elphinstone, the Russian fleet had to lift the siege of the Pelari fortress. The direct culprit of the accident turned out to be an English citizen, pilot Gordon, hired by D. Elphinstone. The sailors warned D. Elphinstone about the pilot's incompetence, but D. Elphinstone did not heed these warnings. D. Elphinstone was removed from command, sent to Russia and then completely dismissed from service.

The Russian fleet headed to the island of Paros, where the main base of the Russian fleet in the Archipelago was established in the port of Auza. G. Spiridov's detachment delivered ship timber here, harvested on the island of Thassos. Fortifications, an admiralty, shops and a camp for Russian ground forces were built here. On November 23 (12), A. Orlov transferred command of the fleet to Admiral G. A. Spiridov and departed for Livorno, and then to St. Petersburg.

On January 7, 1771 (December 25, 1770) the 3rd Russian squadron came to the Archipelago under the command of Rear Admiral Arfa, consisting of 3 battleships (St. George the Victorious, Vsevolod and Asia), 1 frigate Severny Eagle" and 13 chartered English transports.

Off the island of Mittilena

In 1771, Catherine II set the following tasks for the Russian fleet in the Archipelago:

1. Blockade of the Dardanelles.

2. Keeping the islands of the Archipelago in their hands until peace is concluded, so that when the terms of peace are worked out, one of the islands remains with Russia as a stronghold in the Mediterranean Sea.

The beginning of 1771 was characterized by the inaction of the Turkish fleet. At this time, Russian ships were being repaired, and at the same time, the ships' crews were being re-equipped with sailors who had arrived with the Arfa squadron. On July 9 (June 28) A. Orlov returned from Russia. At the military council in Auza, under the leadership of A. Orlov, it was decided to intensify the actions of the fleet in order to divert part of the Turkish forces from the Danube theater of military operations.

Rear Admiral Arf was soon sent by A. Orlov to St. Petersburg. Reporting on this case, Alexei Orlov asked not to assign foreign officers and sailors to him in the future, “ for one can not only expect from one’s fellow-countrymen with the best hope what the duty of zeal and love for the Fatherland requires from them, but also in the incurrence of labor, anxiety and military difficulties, a great difference has already been seen between Russian people and foreigners...».

In June-July 1771, a squadron under the command of Admiral G. Spiridov established a blockade of the Dardanelles. Separate detachments of the Russian fleet constantly cruised in the Archipelago, suppressing the enemy's maritime trade. At the end of October 1771, a squadron of the Russian fleet under the command of A. Orlov and Admiral G. Spiridov reached the island of Metilena.

On November 11 (October 31), G. Spiridov’s squadron anchored near the Metilene fortress within range of a cannon salvo, and the bombardment ships “Grom” and “Molniya” opened fire.

Under the cover of this fire, on November 13 (2), a landing force was landed on the island. This landing captured the Admiralty and destroyed two completed 74-gun ships and an enemy galley and several smaller ships.

On November 15 (4), the landing party was accepted back onto the ships, and on November 16 (5), the fleet weighed anchor and went to the port of Auza, where it arrived on November 17 (6). During their departure, the frigates Archipelago and Santorini ran aground. The Archipelago was refloated, but the frigate Santorini had to be destroyed.

It should be noted that the blockade of the Dardanelles lasted throughout 1771. Ships of the Russian fleet constantly cruised at the exit from the strait and near the nearby islands. During the campaign of 1771, Russian ships detained and captured about 180 merchant ships at enemy sea communications.

In 1772, the actions of the Russian fleet in the Archipelago were of approximately the same nature.

On May 19 (8), 1772, the 4th squadron consisting of 3 battleships (“Chesma”, “Count Orlov”, “Pobeda”) was sent from Revel to the Archipelago under the command of Rear Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov. This squadron arrived in Port Mahon on July 29 (18) and in Livorno on August 31 (20). Here, on August 25 (September 7), Rear Admiral V. Chichagov handed over command of the squadron to Captain 1st Rank Konyaev, and he himself returned to St. Petersburg.

In June, the Russian fleet shelled the Turkish fortress of Beirut and landed troops. In July, it became known that a truce had been concluded for 4 months, which lasted until October 29 (18).

At the end of October 1772, Russian sailors again won a major victory over the enemy.

The Turks could not forget the terrible defeat at Chesma and were preparing forces to attack the Russian fleet and its base - the port of Auzu. But the enemy’s preparations were promptly discovered by Captain 1st Rank Konyaev. On November 6 (October 26), he discovered Mustafa Pasha's Turkish squadron in the Gulf of Patras, consisting of 9 frigates and 16 shebeks, which were under the cover of coastal batteries.

On November 8 (October 28), a battle broke out between Russian and Turkish ships, during which 8 frigates and 8 enemy shebeks were destroyed. One damaged Turkish frigate sank. The Russian detachment had negligible losses in personnel.

Among other more significant actions during this period, one can note the attack on November 4 (October 24), 1772, on the Chesmu fortress, when a detachment of Russian ships consisting of 4 frigates and a bombardment ship fired at the fortress and landed a landing party of 520 people, who burned military facilities and destroyed several small ships. 6 Turkish ships were captured in the Chios Strait.

In 1773 and early 1774, the Russian fleet carried out mainly cruising operations on the enemy’s trade routes, encountering almost no resistance.

On November 2 (October 21), 1773, the 5th squadron consisting of 4 battleships ("Isidor", "Dmitry Donskoy", "St. Alexander Nevsky", "Virgin Myrrh-Bearers"), 2 frigates ("St. Alexander Nevsky", "Virgin Myrrh-Bearers") left Kronstadt for the Archipelago. Natalia", "St. Paul") and 6 chartered English transports under the command of Rear Admiral S.K. Greig, which arrived in Livorno on February 22 (11), 1774. After the end of the war, this squadron left for Auza on August 21 (10).

In June 1773, Admiral G. Spiridov submitted his resignation: “... Your Imperial Majesty's naval fleet, I, the most loyal slave of the Russian nobles, joined the naval fleet in 1723 and was with the fleet at sea for five campaigns for maritime practice, and in those same years I studied navigational sciences on the shore; and having studied, in February 1728 he was commissioned as a midshipman and sent to Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea; and from that time on I continued my service in the Caspian, Baltic, Azov, North, Atlantic and Mediterranean seas; and now I continue in the Archipelago Sea; having previously been under command and himself a commander, and then a flagship, commanding the squadrons and fleet of your Imperial Majesty, in times of peace and war, and repeatedly on the shore and at sea in actual military operations; I also had the good fortune to be present at the Admiralty Board and the necessary commissions; he was also the main commander in the Revel and Kronstadt ports; and now I am 63 years old. From my youth to this day, due to my zealous servitude and jealousy, the many labors I have endured, and in my old age and the local archipelago climate have exhausted my health even to the point that I, wanting to continue my service, caressed myself with the Livorno climate, where, during by the Turks of the truce, from His Grace the highly authorized general and cavalier Count Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov was released, that I might not get better there, and it seemed that my health had improved in Livorna, then to the performance of the post at the same time the truce with the Turks returned back to the fleet in The archipelago, where I am still located. But in my old age, the labors incurred in the service and the local archipelago climate have now brought me to such a state that I have become completely decrepit in my health and have begun to have little memory of painful attacks from the head and eyes, and for this reason, I myself foresee, in execution I am slow and for all that I am no longer capable of fulfilling the position assigned to me as before; Which is why I am afraid, so that after such a long time of my blameless service I would not fall under responsibility for some failure to perform. And so that your imperial majesty’s highest decree commanded me, your servant, due to my decrepitude and illness, to return from here to St. Petersburg, and for my long and blameless service, with your imperial majesty’s merciful highest favor, to retire from military and civil service, to continue in my life lately forever. Most Gracious Empress, I ask your Imperial Majesty to make a decision regarding this petition of mine. June 5th, 1773. This petition was written in the Archipelago on the warship "Europe", anchored between Paros and Nyxia, in a canal, with a fleet. Admiral Grigory Andreev, the son of Spiridov, had a hand in this petition...».

In February 1774, Admiral G. Spiridov was dismissed due to illness. G. Spiridov, who served in the navy for 50 years, played a huge role in its development. Having begun his naval service under Peter I, he showed himself to be a talented naval commander over the course of several decades of service. Being the de facto leader of the Russian fleet in the Archipelago, G. Spiridov demonstrated high examples of naval art in combat operations against the Turks.

After the departure of G. A. Spiridov, Vice Admiral Andrei Vlasievich Elmanov took command of the Russian fleet.

On July 10 (21), 1774, in the village of Kuchuk-Kainardzhi near the city of Silistria, a peace was concluded between Russia and Turkey, according to which Turkey ceded Azov, Kerch, Yenikale and part of the coast between the Dnieper and the Bug with the Kinburn fortress to Russia. Crimea and Kuban were recognized as independent from Turkey. Freedom of merchant navigation was established for Russian ships on the Black Sea.

After the conclusion of peace in 1774, the main forces of the Russian fleet left the Archipelago. In 1775, the remaining ships sailed into the Baltic Sea. Thus, the 1st Archipelago Expedition was completed and the Russian ships returned to their waters with glory. This was the first strategic exit of the Russian fleet from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. The archipelago expedition was an outstanding event in the history of the Russian fleet. The victories of Russian sailors at Chios and Chesme and the blockade of the Dardanelles contributed to the successful military operations of the main forces of the Russian army under the command of P. A. Rumyantsev.

The heroes of Chesma are not forgotten. A sculptural portrait of Admiral G. A. Spiridov opens a long gallery of famous Russian admirals in the building of the St. Petersburg Admiralty, his bust is installed in the Admiral Corridor of the Naval Academy. And a monument was erected to him at his resting place, in the Yaroslavl village of Nagorye. The Pereslavl-Zalessky Historical and Art Museum also preserves his memory. In honor of the Chesme victory, designed by architect Yu. M. Felten in 1777-1780. The Chesme Palace and the Chesme Church, located on Lensoveta Street, were built. Once upon a time, a memorial plaque was installed on this church: “ This temple was built in the name of St. John the Baptist in memory of the victory over the Turkish fleet won at Chesma in 1770 on his birthday. Laid out in the fifteenth summer (in 1777) during the reign of Catherine II in the presence of King Gustav II of Sweden under the name of Count of Gotland. Consecrated 1780 June 24 days in the presence of HIS MAJESTY the Roman Emperor Joseph ΙΙ under the name of Count Falkenstein».

In the Catherine Park of Tsarskoye Selo (Pushkin) in the middle of the Big Pond stands the Chesme Column. The fust (rod) of the column is decorated with six marble rostras, and the capital is crowned with a bronze eagle. The column was built in honor of the victory at Chesma according to the design of the architect A. Rinaldi; masonry master - Pinketti; the author of the bronze figure of an eagle is the sculptor I. Schwartz. The monument was opened in 1778. The height of the monument is about 25 meters.

In Gatchina Park on the cape of White Lake, by order of Count Grigory Orlov, an obelisk was erected in honor of the victory at Chesma, won under the command of his brother Alexei. The monument was designed by the architect A. Rinaldi and opened around 1775. The height of the obelisk is 15 meters.

A permanent exhibition dedicated to the Archipelago naval expedition of Russian warships of 1768-1774 has been opened at the Admiralty of Pushkin.

G. Spiridov had five children: daughter Alexandra, sons: Andrei, Matvey, Alexey and Grigory. During the time of Catherine II, Alexey became a flagship and took part in battles at sea in the Russian-Swedish war of 1788-90. Under Emperor Alexander I, he became a full admiral and was the chief commander of the Revel and then Arkhangelsk ports. Admiral G. A. Spiridov died on April 19 (8) in Moscow. Son Andrei died in Port Mahon in 1770. An atoll (Takapoto) in the group of Russian islands in the Pacific Ocean is named after G. Spiridov. In 1992, in preparation for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet in the village of Nagorye, a monument to Admiral G. Spiridov was solemnly unveiled. His name was assigned to ships of the Russian fleet.

The Chesma victory and its heroes were glorified by the best Russian poets: G. R. Derzhavin, V. I. Maikov, M. M. Kheraskov; The great French writer Voltaire spoke enthusiastically about Chesme. Theaters staged performances dedicated to the glorious naval victory. The Naval Cadet Corps staged a complex and lush ballet on the theme of the Battle of Chesma. M. M. Kheraskov wrote in the poem “Chesma Battle”: “ I boldly promise you eternal glory, descendants will imagine you in their memory, heroes will imitate you in battle. As long as they feel the direct glory, the peoples will not forget the battle of Chesma“.

S.P.Siry. Chairman of the military-historical section of the House of Scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences, historiographer and chairman of the section of the history of the Russian fleet of St. Petersburg MS, Honored Worker of Russian Higher Education, Professor, Captain 1st Rank, retired

The commander of the battle was A. Orlov, who was on the “Three Hierarchs”. Rearguard:

• “Don’t touch me” (66-gun, commander 1st-rank captain Beshentsev)
• "Svyatoslav" (84 guns, commander 1st Rank Captain Roxburgh)
• "Saratov" (66 guns, commander 2nd rank captain Polivanov Afanasy Timofeevich).

The rearguard was commanded by Rear Admiral D. Elphinston, who was on the Svyatoslav. The battleships: “Eustathius”, “Three Saints”, “Ianuarius”, “Three Hierarchs” and “Svyatoslav”, as well as the frigates “Nadezhda Prosperity” and “St. Nicholas”, the bombardment ship “Grom” were built at the “Admiralty Shipyards” . The remaining ships were built in Arkhangelsk at the Solombala shipyard.

The personnel of the Russian fleet, after a long voyage, had good seamanship and were well trained in the use of weapons, which, combined with the inherent courage of Russian sailors, made them a formidable opponent for any enemy. In addition, the sailors of the Russian fleet already had combat experience in operations against Turkish fortresses.

Under the cover of night, Russian sailors prepared their ships for the upcoming battle. At 4 o’clock in the morning on July 5 (June 24), 1770, A. G. Orlov gave a signal to the squadron: “ Prepare for battle " The ships of G. A. Spiridov and D. Elphinstone repeated this signal.

The Russian fleet entered the Chios Strait in an orderly and menacing manner. By 9.00 am he was 30 cables away from the enemy fleet. The enemy fleet was clearly visible. A new signal followed on the “Three Hierarchs”: “ Build a battle line " Having formed a battle line, the Russian ships moved towards the Turkish squadron, which stood motionless at anchor. A. Orlov’s order required not to open fire before approaching pistol shot range, that is, almost side by side, and the ships’ guns, in accordance with this order, were loaded with a double charge. A. Orlov decided to first attack the Turkish vanguard and part of the center, and after they were defeated, strike the rest of the Turkish ships. At 11.30 the vanguard of the Russian ships approached the enemy line at a distance of 3 cables and was met by a salvo of Turkish ships. But the Russian ships, without responding to fire, continued to approach the distance of a “musket” shot (1 cable), showing restraint and composure. The line of Turkish ships was dense, and the probability of a hit at such a short distance was very high.

At 12.30 the battle was in full swing. By one o'clock in the afternoon the rearguard ships arrived. "Eustathius" began to gradually fall onto the Turkish flagship 90-gun ship "Real Mustafa". Russian sailors were looking forward to fighting the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. At this time, the bowsprit "Eustathia" stuck into the "Real Mustafa" between the main and mizzen masts. The boarding teams rushed to the Turkish ship. A fierce fight ensued. One of the sailors grabbed the Turkish flag, the enemy’s saber cut off the daredevil’s hand, he extended his left hand, but it was also wounded. Then he grabbed the end of the flag with his teeth. But it was immediately pierced through. This is how the poet M.M. Kheraskov describes this episode in his poem “Chesma Battle”: “... Then to proclaim victory over the Turks, the Russian wanted to grab their flag from the stern; he did not suddenly take it away, no matter how hard he tried, he remained hanging on it between the waves and between the skies; Having lost his hands, he did not let him go, he was deprived of all means, he grabbed the flag with his teeth; The Saracen pierces his belly with a sword, trembles, holds on, does not leave the moon; to the extreme he did not yield to her until he fell on his ship with the flag" Unable to withstand the attack, Turkish admiral Hasan Bey threw himself overboard. The entire Turkish team followed him. In a tense moment, when both ships were already grappling for boarding, a column of flame burst out from under the deck of the Turkish ship, and it all caught fire. Russian sailors rushed to save their ship. Meanwhile, the flames from the burning Real Mustafa spread to Eustathius. Boats rushed to the “Eustathius” to help, but only managed to remove Admiral G. A. Spiridov and F. G. Orlov and a few more people. On one of the boats, the commander of “Eustathia” A. I. Cruz sent the son of G. A. Spiridov Alexey with a report to A. G. Orlov. In his report, he hastened to report the capture of the enemy ship Real Mustafa. When Alexey arrived on the ship to A. Orlov, “Eustathius” was no longer there. The burning mainmast of the Turkish ship fell across the Eustathius, and the fire became general, engulfing both Russian and Turkish ships. A few more minutes passed, and a deafening explosion was heard. The fire hit the Eustathia's cruise chamber and it flew into the air. Since Eustathius was a flagship, it contained the treasury and other important documents, which burned along with the ship. Real Mustafa took off after him. Burning debris covered the Turkish ships. The Turks lost their courage. Their leading ships, unable to withstand the onslaught of the Russians, frightened by two explosions, cut the anchor ropes and randomly ran, pushing and breaking each other, into Chesme Bay, located nearby. It was 1:30 p.m. The ship “Three Hierarchs”, on which A. Orlov was, raised the signal for a general pursuit, and the Russian ships, pushing back the retreating enemy, pursued him until the very entrance to Chesme Bay. By two o'clock in the afternoon the battle was over. The Russian squadron blocked the entrance to Chesme Bay, where enemy ships were randomly crowded. Thus ended the first phase of the Battle of Chesme, which in naval history is called the Battle of Chios. Both sides lost one battleship. 620 people died on the Eustathia, including 22 officers. Only the commander, captain 1st rank A. I. Cruz, 9 officers and 15 sailors were saved. This is how Count A.G. Orlov reported to Catherine II about this phase of the battle: “ At 10.00 o'clock the signal was made for the attack; at half past twelve the leading ships began the battle; at half past twelve it became general. No matter how excellent the enemy forces were, no matter how bravely they defended themselves, they could not withstand the hot attack of the troops of Your Imperial Majesty; After two hours of fierce cannon and rifle fire, the enemy was finally forced to cut off the anchors and flee in great confusion to the port under the fortress called Chesme. All the ships attacked the enemy with great courage, all performed their duties with great diligence, but the admiral’s ship “St. Eustathius” surpassed all others. The British, French, Venetians and Maltese, living witnesses to all the actions, admitted that they had never imagined that it was possible to attack the enemy with such patience and fearlessness. The 84-gun enemy ship had already been captured by the admiral's ship, but unfortunately it caught fire and burned the ship and the St. Eustathius." Apart from the admiral, the captain and people of 40 or 50 different ranks, no one was saved from it; both were blown up into the air. No matter how sensitive the loss of the battleship was for us, seeing the enemy’s defeat, their timidity and the disorder in which they were, we were consoled, receiving the hope of completely destroying it.”

SUBJECT: Battle in the Chios Strait and the Battle of Chesme .

Issues covered:

1. Background of the battle.

2. Battle in the Chios Strait.

3. Battle of Chesma.

1. Background of the battle.

G.A. It was clear to Spiridov that without striking the Turkish fleet it was impossible to achieve success on land. A.G. Orlov, at the insistence of the admiral, decided to transfer military operations to the sea. By this time, Russian naval forces in the Archipelago had increased after the arrival of D. Elphinstone's squadron, which consisted of 3 ships, 2 frigates and 3 other vessels.

May 15 G.A. Spiridov with four battleships and a frigate left Navarino to join the squadron of D. Elphinstone. A detachment of A.G. was left to defend the fortress. Orlova (battleship and several small ships).

The second Archipelago squadron under the command of Rear Admiral D. Elphinstone, consisting of three battleships “Tver”, “Saratov”, “Don’t Touch Me”, frigates “Nadezhda” and “Africa”, three transports and a kick (total 3250 people) left from Kronstadt on October 9, 1769. The ship "Tver", which lost all its masts during a storm in the Baltic Sea, returned to Revel, and the ship "Svyatoslav" joined the squadron instead. After a difficult transition, the squadron reached England, where all the ships were docked for repairs. At the beginning of May 1770, D. Elphinstone approached the shores of the Morea and, without waiting for the order of Commander-in-Chief A.G. Orlova, on his own initiative, landed landing troops delivered from Russia in the Kolokinthian Bay in the port of Rupino and ordered them to go to Mizithra.

After the landing of the troops, D. Elphinstone, having received information from the Greeks about the presence of the Turkish fleet nearby, instead of joining the squadron G.A. Spiridova went in search of the Turks. On May 16, having passed Cape Angello, Russian sailors saw the enemy near the island of La Spezia. Ignoring the fact that the Turkish fleet, consisting of 10 battleships, 5 frigates and 7 small ships, was three times stronger than his squadron, Elphinstone, who cared only about his own glory, without waiting to join the first squadron, recklessly rushed at the Turks. In the admiral’s determination to enter into battle with such unequal forces, a significant role was played by the ambition of the Englishman, who did not want to share the laurels of a possible victory with the Russian admiral, while the defeat of D. Elphinstone, meanwhile, would inevitably lead to the defeat of G.A. Spiridova. At six o'clock in the evening, the Russian detachment caught up with the Turks, and a battle broke out between the ships near the island of La Spezia. “Don't Touch Me”, “Saratov”, supported by the frigate “Nadezhda”, attacked two Turkish ships. Turkish Admiral Ibrahim Hasan Pasha, who assumed that in front of him was only the vanguard of the Russian fleet, followed by the main forces, hastened to take refuge under the protection of the batteries of the Napoli di Romagna fortress.

On the morning of the next day, May 17, D. Elphinstone attacked the Turkish ships standing on springs under the cover of batteries. Russian ships fired while moving. The bowsprit on the Turkish flagship caught fire from the Svyatoslav's shots, and it left the battle line. The Russian ships also received some minor damage, with up to 10 people killed and wounded. Fearing that with the onset of calm the ships would not be able to maneuver, and realizing that on his own he would not be able to defeat the superior enemy forces, D. Elphinstone left the bay.

After holding out for 5 days at the entrance to the Gulf of Nauplia and receiving information that the squadron G.A. Spiridov is in Kolokinth Bay, D. Elphinstone went to meet the admiral and on May 22 united with him near the island of Tserigo.

After the departure of D. Elphinstone, the Turkish fleet hastened to leave the Gulf of Nauplia, and our united squadrons overtook it on May 24 already near the island of La Spezia. The ships in the vanguard, despite the distance, opened fire on the enemy, but did not achieve any hits. From that time, that is, from May 25, the Russian pursuit of the fleeing fleet of Kapudan Pasha continued for almost a month. It should be noted that the Turkish ships were not inferior to the Russians either in the quality of construction or in the strength of the artillery.

The Turks, pursued for two days, finally disappeared from sight between the islands of Zeya and Fermo, and our fleet, lacking fresh water, went into Rafti Bay after it, and D. Elphinstone’s detachment managed to capture a 4-gun enemy battery at the Negropont fortress.

Meanwhile, Turkish troops approached Navarino, and the Russians’ presence in this port was under threat. Therefore, on May 23, the fortifications of the fortress were blown up, and the remaining ships under the command of A.G. Orlova on May 27 left to join the fleet that was waiting for him between the islands of Hermia and Milo.

2. Battle in the Chios Strait.

G.A. Spiridov and D. Elphinstone, pursuing one common goal, sailed together, but given their independence from each other and the daring, quarrelsome character of D. Elphinstone, they could not help but quarrel. Having learned about the quarrel between the flagships, Commander-in-Chief Count A.G. Orlov, without examining their mutual claims, took command of both squadrons and on June 11 raised the Kaiser’s flag on his ship “Three Hierarchs”.

Now our fleet consisted of 9 battleships (one 80-gun and eight 66-gun), 3 frigates, 1 bombardment ship, 3 kicks, 1 packet boat and 13 mercenary and prize ships. There were about 740 guns on Russian ships.

Having learned from the Greeks that the Turkish fleet had gone north from the island of Paros, Russian ships also headed north along the Asia Minor coast. A detachment sent out on June 23 in search of the enemy fleet by Brigadier S.K. Greig (battleship "Rostislav" and 2 small ships), soon discovered it anchored in the strait between the coast of Asia Minor and the island of Chios. At 5 p.m. he raised the signal: “I see enemy ships.” The Turkish fleet consisted of 16 battleships (one 100-gun, one 96-gun, four 84-gun, one 80-gun, two 74-gun, one 70-gun, six 60-gun), 6 frigates and up to 60 small ships , galleys, etc.

The Turks stood in two lines along the Anatolian coast. The first contains the 10 most powerful battleships with 70–100 guns, the second contains 60 guns. Moreover, the ships of the second line stood in the gaps between the ships of the first line. This formation made it possible for the Turks to bring artillery on one side of all ships into battle at once. Small ships were located between the shore and the lines of battleships. There was an enemy camp on the shore. In total, the Turkish fleet had over 1,400 guns. The fleet was commanded by the Algerian sailor Jaizairmo Hassan Bey, famous for his bravery; the chief commander of the fleet, Kapudan Pasha (Admiral General) Hassan-Eddin, moved ashore and was in the ground forces camp located on the nearest shore.

“Seeing such a structure,” reported Count A. Orlov, “I was horrified and in the dark: what should I do?”

On the night of June 24, a military council was held on the ship “Three Hierarchs” in which A.G. participated. and F.G. Orlovs, G.A. Spiridov, D. Elphinstone, S.K. Greig, General Yu.V. Dolgorukov. It adopted a plan for attacking the Turkish fleet. Departing from the rules of linear tactics that prevailed in European fleets, a new tactical technique was chosen: to descend on the enemy in a wake column almost perpendicular to his battle line and attack under sail from a short distance (50–70 m) the vanguard and part of the center and deliver a concentrated blow on the Turkish flagship, which should have led to disruption of the control of the Turkish fleet.

On June 24, 1770, at 11 o'clock in the morning, with a calm northwest wind, the Russian fleet, being in the wind relative to the Turks, formed a line and began to approach the enemy.

The fleet was built in an order battle. Nine battleships were divided into three equal groups: vanguard - battleships “Europe” (captain 1st rank F.A. Klokachev), “Eustathius” (flag of Admiral G.A. Spiridov, commander captain 1st rank A. I. von Kruse), “Three Saints” (Captain 1st Rank S.P. Khmetevsky); corps de battle - battleships "Ianuarius" (captain 1st rank I.A. Borisov), "Three Hierarchs" (Kaiser flag A.G. Orlova, commander-captain-brigadier S.K. Greig), "Rostislav" (captain 1st rank V.M. Lupandin); rearguard - battleships "Don't Touch Me" (flag of Rear Admiral D. Elphinstone, commander-captain 1st rank P.F. Beshentsov), "Svyatoslav" (captain 1st rank V.V. Roxburgh), "Saratov" "(Captain 2nd Rank A.G. Polivanov). The Russian fleet included only one 80-gun ship, the Svyatoslav, the rest of the ships were 66-gun. In total, the Russians had 608 guns.

The bomber ship, frigates, packet boats and other small vessels sailed outside the line and did not participate in the battle.

The ship "Europe" was leading, heading almost to the middle of the enemy line, perpendicular to it. The next in line, Eustathius, was so close that its bowsprit almost touched the stern of the Europa. When “Europe” approached the enemy within a cannon shot (500–600 m), the Turks opened fire and began to fire at our other ships, which continued to approach without responding to enemy fire.

The Turks had a clear advantage at the beginning of the battle - they met the Russian ships with longitudinal salvos, while the Russian ships could only fire from the running (bow) guns, but they were silent.

Only when it came within pistol range did the Europa turn and open fire on its entire side. The Russian ships following her turned to the north and fired volleys of double cannonballs at the Turkish ships. Then they slowly, close to each other, began to advance along the line of Turkish ships, firing artillery fire.

But soon, at the insistence of the Greek pilot, who announced that the course was leading to the stones, F.A. Klokachev had to turn to starboard tack and leave the line. Admiral G.A. Spiridov, not understanding this maneuver, was so angry that he could not resist shouting: “Mr. Klokachev! I congratulate you as a sailor,” that is, in front of the entire squadron, he accused him of cowardice and threatened to demote him. But within a day F.A. Klokachev proved his courage and bravery.

The place of the “Europe” was taken by the “Eustathius”, on which the shots of three Turkish ships were concentrated, of which the largest and closest was the ship of the commander-in-chief. "Eustathius" turned sideways towards the enemy and from a distance of 50 m (pistol shot) concentrated fire on the Turkish flagship ship "Real Mustafa". Following the Eustathius, the remaining ships of the G.A. squadron sequentially entered into battle. Spiridov, the three ships of D. Elphinstone, who were in the rearguard, fell behind and only managed to approach the end of the battle.

"Three Saints" tried to assist the flagship, but its braces were broken, its sails were seriously damaged and it was carried into the middle of the Turkish fleet. While located between the Turkish ships of the Three Saints, acting from both sides, he fired 684 shots from cannons. In the smoke, in addition to enemy fire, he came under fire from the flagship A.G. Orlov's "Three Hierarchs". At the beginning of the battle, "Ianuarius", following the "Three Saints", continuously hit the enemy with well-aimed shots. The "Ianuarius"'s wake was followed by the "Three Hierarchs" under the Kaiser's flag A.G. Orlova.

Having entered the thick of the battle, he anchored and brought down the fire of his guns on the 100-gun ship of the Turkish Kapudan Pasha, who was at that time on the shore. They fired from guns, rifles, even pistols. Confusion gripped the crew of the Turkish ship, the Turks cut off the anchor rope, but forgot about the spring, and the Turkish ship suddenly turned stern towards the “Three Hierarchs” and stood there for about fifteen minutes under devastating longitudinal shots. In this situation, not a single Turkish weapon could operate against the “Three Hierarchs”.

At 12.30, when the battle was in full swing, the Three Saints, under enemy fire, repaired the damage and re-entered the line as the fourth ship. Behind him, “Rostislav” entered formation, and then “Europe”, which left the line at the beginning of the battle.

"Eustathius", which approached the Turkish flagship 90-gun ship "Real Mustafa" at a gun shot, was getting closer and closer to the enemy. Admiral G.A. Spiridov, in full dress uniform and with a drawn sword, walked around the quarterdeck. The musicians placed there were ordered to “play to the last.” The fighting ships came together side by side; on the Eustathia, broken rigging and spars, damaged sails and many dead and wounded did not make it possible to move away from the enemy, with whom they exchanged fire with rifles and pistols. At one o'clock in the afternoon, a fire broke out on the Real Mustafa from the fire of the unicorns from the Eustathius, which soon spread throughout the ship. Finally, the ships fell, the Russian sailors ran over to the enemy ship, and a desperate hand-to-hand battle began, during which the Turkish ship continued to burn. Its mainmast, engulfed in fire, fell across the Eustathia. Sparks rained down into the crew chamber, which was open during the battle. There was a deafening explosion - “Eustathius” flew into the air, followed by “Real-Mustafa”. Admiral G.A. Spiridov, having become convinced that it was impossible to save the ship, in accordance with the charter before the explosion, together with Count F.G. Orlov stepped onto the boat. Boats from the nearest Russian ships rushed to the Eustathius, but they only managed to receive G.A. Spiridova, F.G. Orlova and several people. Up to 620 people died on the ship, including 22 officers, and up to 60 were saved. Among the latter was the ship’s commander A.I. Cruise, thrown from the ship by the explosion and kept on the water on a piece of the mast, from which he was removed by an approaching boat.

At this most tense moment, the Turkish ships standing next to the flagship, fleeing the fire and fire of the Russian ships, hastily cut off the anchor ropes, left the battle and hurried to take refuge in Chesme Bay. The Russians pursued them to the entrance to the bay. The battle lasted about two hours. On the Russian side, only the vanguard and corps de battalion took part in it; D. Elphinstone’s rearguard took part only in the pursuit of the enemy.

Although the Turkish fleet lost only one ship, as did the Russians, it was in great disarray after the battle. In their hasty escape, the Turkish ships collided with each other, causing some to lose their bowsprits.

With the exception of Eustathius, our losses were very insignificant. The ship “Three Saints” suffered more than others, which received several holes in the hull, its spars and rigging were broken by cannonballs, and there was a loss of people: 1 officer and 6 sailors were killed, the commander, 3 officers and 20 sailors were wounded. On all other ships the number of killed and wounded did not exceed 12.

3. Battle of Chesma.

The Russian fleet anchored at the entrance to Chesme Bay out of enemy shots, at a distance of no more than one cable length from ship to ship. The Turks, unable to break through our line due to the calm and contrary wind, and waiting for a favorable wind or help from Constantinople, hastened to strengthen the defense of the fleet with coastal fortifications. There was already a battery on the northern cape of the bay, now they were building another one on the southern one.

At 17 o'clock, the bombardment ship "Grom" (Lieutenant-Captain I.M. Perepechin) anchored in front of the entrance to Chesme Bay and began shelling the Turkish fleet standing in disarray with mortars and howitzers.

The rest of the 24th, all night and day of June 25, "Thunder" methodically "threw" bombs and frames onto enemy ships, some of them hit without causing fires. The prolonged shelling demoralized the Turks and prepared the conditions for the main attack.

At a military council on June 25, which met with the commander-in-chief on the ship “Three Hierarchs”, it was decided from the flagships and captains, blocking the Turkish ships’ exit from Chesme Bay, with a combined strike of naval artillery and fire ships to burn it down. If the fireships had been available, the attack could have been launched on the evening of June 24, immediately after the Turks entered the bay. However, there were no ready-made fireships in the Russian squadron. Brigadier of naval artillery I.A. was ordered to make them. To Hannibal. Within 24 hours, four fire ships from old Greek feluccas were equipped. Lieutenant Commander T. Mackenzie, Lieutenant Commander R.K. volunteered to command them. Dugdal, midshipman Prince V.A. Gagarin, Lieutenant D.S. Ilyin. The fire-ship teams were also recruited from volunteers.

To attack the Turkish fleet, a detachment was allocated consisting of four battleships - "Rostislav", "Don't Touch Me", "Europe" and "Saratov", two frigates "Nadezhda" (Lieutenant-Captain P.A. Stepanov) and "Africa" (Lieutenant-Captain M. Kleopin) and the bombardment ship "Grom".

Brigadier S.K. was appointed commander of the detachment. Greig, who raised the braid pennant on Rostislav. The order of the Commander-in-Chief issued on this occasion states: “Our task must be decisive in order to defeat and destroy this fleet without further delay, without which here in the Archipelago we cannot have free hands for distant victories.”

The width of Chesme Bay is about 750 meters, and its length does not exceed 800 meters. The Turkish fleet stood crowded in the depths of the bay, and if you consider that the average length of the ship was about 54 meters, then you can imagine how tightly packed the Turkish ships were along the width of the bay. There were Turkish batteries on the shore of the bay. The Turkish fleet was an ideal target for attack by fireships, and the decision of the Russian command was fully consistent with both the situation and the task.

According to the disposition given by S.K. Greig, the battleships "Europe", "Rostislav" and "Saratov" were to enter the bay and anchor as close as possible to the enemy. “Touch Me Not” was supposed to position itself further to the sea in order to provide them with assistance if necessary. The frigate "Nadezhda" was supposed to operate on the northern battery of the Turks, the frigate "Africa" ​​- on the southern one. "Thunder" was supposed to take a position seaward of the ships.

At 23.00 three lanterns were raised on the Rostislav - a signal to attack. The frigate Nadezhda was supposed to go first, but it was delayed. Then G.A. Spiridov from the “Three Hierarchs” ordered F.A. Klokachev to withdraw immediately, without waiting for other courts.

At 23.30, the ship "Europe" was the first to weigh anchor and, according to the order, took a place in close proximity to the Turkish ships. At 0.30 on June 26, he started a battle with the entire Turkish fleet, opening fire with cannonballs and cannonballs, and for about half an hour enemy shots were directed at him alone, until other ships of the detachment also joined the action.

By one o'clock in the morning "Rostislav" arrived at the place assigned by disposition. Behind him were the manufactured fire ships. Following the “Europe” and “Rostislav”, other ships and frigates came and took their places.

At the beginning of the second hour, an incendiary shell successfully fired from the bombardment ship "Grom" caused a fire on one of the Turkish ships stationed in the center of the bay, the fire from which spread to the nearest leeward ships. A victorious “hurrah” sounded from our fleet.

At this time, at a signal from the Rostislav, fire ships went on the attack. When the fireships began attacking, the Russian ships ceased fire. Of the four fireships, one (Lieutenant-Captain T. Mackenzie), before reaching the enemy line, ran aground, the other (Lieutenant-Captain R.K. Dugdal) was boarded by Turkish galleys, the third (midshipman Prince V.A. Gagarin ) fell with the already burning ship. The commander of the fourth fireship, Lieutenant D.S. Ilyin not only grappled with a large Turkish 84-gun ship, but when he lit his fire-ship, then, moving away on the boat, he also looked at what its effect would be. The huge Turkish ship flew into the air with a roar, burning debris fell onto neighboring ships and they also caught fire. Convinced that he had done his job, D.S. Ilyin returned to the Three Hierarchs on the boat.

With the end of the attack of the fireships, the Russian ships supporting their attack again opened fire on the enemy. At the end of the second hour, two Turkish battleships took off. At 2.30 three more Turkish ships ceased to exist. By 3 o'clock the battle had stopped; our ships, showered with sparks, hurried to pull away from the burning ships and take out the Turkish ships that were not engulfed in fire, saving the remaining living enemies. By this time, over 40 ships were blazing in the bay, representing a sea of ​​fire. From 4 o'clock to 5.30 six more battleships exploded. At 7 o'clock there was a deafening explosion, stronger than anything that had happened so far - four more ships exploded simultaneously.

Explosions on Turkish ships continued for up to 10 hours. At 9 o'clock the Russians landed a landing force that took the battery on the northern cape.

The Turkish fleet was destroyed: the enemy’s 15 ships, 6 frigates and up to 50 small ships were burned, up to 11 thousand Turks were killed.

According to eyewitnesses, the water in the bay was a thick mixture of ash, mud, debris and blood.

Russian sailors saved the ship "Rhodes" and 6 galleys from the fire and took them out of the bay. “Rhodes” made up for the loss of “Eustathius”; captain 1st rank A.I., who escaped from “Eustathius”, was appointed its commander. Cruz.

Our losses were negligible: only on one ship “Europe”, which received 14 holes, 9 people were killed and wounded, and on the ship “Rostislav” there were several damages to the mast and hull.

4. Results and significance of the Battle of Chesma.

The Chesme pogrom, having destroyed the Turkish fleet, made the Russians the masters of the Archipelago. Significantly inferior to the enemy in the number of ships and guns, located thousands of miles from its ports, the Russian fleet, thanks to the correct use of the tactical situation, the courage and heroism of the Russian sailors, won a major victory and destroyed the enemy’s strongest fleet.

In memory of this victory, a medal was knocked out, on one side of which there was a portrait of Catherine II, on the other, a burning Turkish fleet was depicted and the inscription “WAS”.

After the destruction of the Turkish fleet at Chesma, the Russian fleet gained strategic dominance in the theater and gained the opportunity to blockade the Dardanelles and destroy the enemy’s maritime trade. On June 28, having repaired the damage, the Russian ships left Chesme Bay.

A detachment under the command of D. Elphinstone, consisting of three battleships, two frigates and several transports, went to the Dardanelles and on July 15 established a blockade of the strait.

For our further stay in the Archipelago, our fleet needed to have a convenient port. Count A.G. Orlov, convinced from experience that it was impossible to safely base himself in any coastal point on the mainland, decided to choose one of the islands of the Archipelago for this purpose. When choosing a port, the main thing taken into account was the possibility of a close blockade of the Dardanelles, which was supposed to stop the supply of food from the Archipelago, cause famine in Constantinople and thereby contribute to the organization of a popular uprising. It was decided to occupy the port of Mudros, located on the island of Lemnos, located near the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait. Leaving D. Elphinstone at the blockade of the strait, A.G. Orlov with the squadron G.A. Spiridov on July 19 began the siege of the main fortress of the island of Lemnos - Pelari. A landing party (500 people) was landed on the island, which was joined by up to 1000 people from the local population. But when, after intensive bombardment, its garrison was ready to surrender, on September 25 a Turkish squadron approached the island, landing troops on it (up to 5 thousand people).

This happened as a result of D. Elphinstone’s unauthorized departure from the Dardanelles. The rear admiral left the squadron blocking the Dardanelles and on September 5 set off for Lemnos on the ship Svyatoslav. However, approaching the island, on September 7 she crashed on the eastern Lemnos reef.

To save the flagship, several ships had to be called from the Dardanelles.

Having transferred to the ship “Touch Me Not” and leaving one of his frigates at the crashing ship, D. Elphinstone went to Pelari. By this, he weakened the blockade of the Dardanelles so much that the Turks were able to leave the strait without hindrance. The Russians were forced to stop the siege of the fortress and leave Lemnos.

Due to the impossibility of capturing another port convenient for our fleet near the Dardanelles, the commander-in-chief chose the port of Auza, located on the small island of Paros, which lies in the southern part of the Archipelago, not occupied by the Turks. It was safer here, but the distance of Paros from the Dardanelles made it very difficult to maintain a constant, close blockade of the strait. Fortifications, an admiralty, shops and a camp for ground forces were built in Auza. Auza remained the main base of the Russian fleet in the Archipelago until mid-1775.

D. Elphinstone was removed from command, sent to Russia and then completely dismissed from service.

Due to the remoteness of Auza from the Dardanelles, implementing a nearby blockade of the strait became difficult. It was carried out depending on the situation. The main forces of the fleet were stationed south of the island of Imroz, and small detachments, consisting mainly of frigates, were sent to the Dardanelles.

The long-range blockade of the Dardanelles was carried out constantly by small detachments of ships cruising along the enemy's communication routes. The detachments captured a large number of merchant ships.

On December 25, 1770, the third squadron of Rear Admiral Arfa arrived in Auza - (battleships "St. George the Victorious", "Vsevolod", "Asia" and 13 transports with troops numbering 2690 people.

One of the consequences of the successful operation of our fleet was the acceptance of Russian citizenship at the beginning of 1771 by the inhabitants of 25 small islands lying in the middle of the Archipelago from Tasso to Candia.

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SUBJECT: Creation of the Black Sea Fleet. Founding of Sevastopol.

Issues covered:

1. Founding of Sevastopol

1. Founding of Sevastopol

Many centuries ago, people appreciated these convenient places to live: the remains of the most ancient settlements discovered by archaeologists date back to the first millennium BC. Tribes of Taurians, Scythians, and Sarmatians lived here. In the 5th century BC. Ancient Greeks, immigrants from Heraclea Pontica, settled on the shores of the bay, which is now called Quarantine. They founded Tauride Chersonese - a city-state that existed for two millennia (from the 5th century BC to the 15th century AD) and played an important role in the historical destinies of the Northern Black Sea region.

In the IX-X centuries. The Slavs fought with the then powerful Byzantium for the Northern Black Sea region, for the Crimea. In the second half of the 11th century. Crimea was cut off from the rest of the territory by numerous nomadic hordes of Polovtsians in the 13th century. Batu's hordes invaded Crimea. After the collapse of the Golden Horde in 1443, the Crimean Khanate arose, from 1475 it was a vassal of Turkey, which used it as a weapon to attack Russian, Ukrainian and Polish lands.

During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768 - 1774. Russian troops captured Crimea. According to the agreement with the Khan (1772) and the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace (July 10, 1774), the Crimean Khanate was declared independent from Turkey and came under the protection of Russia. A.V. Suvorov was sent to command the Russian troops in Crimea. He highly appreciated the excellent qualities of the bays of Sevastopol and, five years before the founding of the city, he erected the first fortifications here and did everything to oust the Turkish flotilla - about 170 ships - from the Akhtiar harbor.

Like Kronstadt on the Baltic, Sevastopol was founded as a fortress and naval base on the Black Sea.
The founding of Sevastopol secured the return of Russia to its ancestral lands on the coast of the Black and Azov Seas. This was preceded by the centuries-old struggle of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples for Crimea and the Black Sea.
The military campaigns of Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century, the campaigns of Golitsyn in the 17th century, the Azov campaigns of Peter I, who created the Don Flotilla and the Azov Fleet, the ongoing struggle of the Zaporozhye and Don Cossacks against the Tatars and Turks were important stages in the struggle for the Crimea and for access to the Black Sea . It unfolded with even greater severity in the 18th century.
The Crimean peninsula, which extends into the sea and divides it into two parts, is located at its tip at a fairly close distance from the straits connecting the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Many large rivers flow into the Black Sea, which is favorable for navigation and trade. It is no coincidence that Crimea and the Black Sea always occupied an important place in the aggressive plans of foreign conquerors. Russia took measures to consolidate its gained position in this area - it built cities and created a fleet.
The activities of the great Russian commander A.V. Suvorov in Crimea were of great importance. He was one of the first to appreciate the remarkable advantages and military-strategic significance of the Sevastopol Bay. The founding and development of Sevastopol as a fortress city is associated with the name of A.V. Suvorov.
In the autumn of 1782, the first Russian ships - the frigates "Brave" and "Caution" - came to Akhtiarskaya harbor for the winter. Even before the inclusion of Crimea into Russia, the Russian government appointed Vice Admiral F.A., a participant in the Battle of Chesme, “to command the newly built fleet in the Black and Azov Seas.” Klokacheva. He was ordered to transfer part of the ships of the Azov and Dnieper flotillas to Akhtiarskaya harbor. The ships arrived in Akhtiar on May 2 (13), 1783. In the first Sevastopol squadron there were only 17 of them. Thus, a new fleet was born in Russia, which was called the Black Sea.

Construction of the port and military settlement began. The construction manager was flag officer Lieutenant D.N. Senyavin. On June 3, the first four stone buildings were laid: a house for the admiral, a pier, a forge and a chapel. Already on July 2, the commander of the Sevastopol squadron F.F. Mekenzi reported to St. Petersburg about the creation of a small admiralty in Akhtiarskaya harbor. It consisted of a forge, a mast shed, timber and rope warehouses, and a platform for keeling ships on the shore of one of the bays.
By the spring of 1784, the first streets appeared, the embankment was lined with stone, houses and palaces grew, sidewalks lined with fruit trees were laid.

By decree of Catherine II of February 10, 1784, the city received the name Sevastopol. The same Decree ordered Prince G.A. Potemkin to build a large fortress with an admiralty for ships of the first rank, as well as a port and a military settlement in Akhtiarskaya harbor. At this time, there were already 26 ships in the bay with 4 thousand sailors and officers.
On February 21, 1784, the Russian government announced free and unimpeded trade for foreign and local merchants in Sevastopol, delivering goods both by sea and by land. In the spring of the same year, the first trading ships of Kerch and Taganrog merchants appeared in the city. In honor of the founding of Sevastopol, a commemorative medal was minted in St. Petersburg.
The assertion of Russia in the Northern Black Sea region, the annexation of Crimea to Russia and the construction of the Sevastopol naval base and fortress caused a sharp protest from Turkey. She was supported by England and France. A diplomatic struggle began around the “Crimean issue,” which lasted several years. England became the head of the anti-Russian campaign. In a difficult international situation, Catherine II undertook a “trip to Taurida.” It became a political demonstration against anti-Russian propaganda in Western European countries and was intended to show Russia’s preparedness for a war in the Black Sea. Catherine II's retinue was especially amazed by everything they saw in Sevastopol on May 22-23, 1787. A young but strong fleet of 27 warships and 8 transports lined up in the bay, greeting the guests with cannon fire. A ceremonial review of the squadron was arranged and an “attack” by the fleet of the coast - the Northern side - was demonstrated. The French envoy Segur, who accompanied Catherine II on a trip to the Crimea, wrote: “I am afraid that in 30 hours the flags of her (Catherine II) ships may fly in sight of Constantinople, and the banners of her army will be hoisted on its walls.”
In 1792, there were 15 thousand inhabitants in Sevastopol. There were 58 ships in the port with 1,322 guns and over 9 thousand personnel. There were 18 more ships under construction. Trade grew, and in just four months (February-May) 20 foreign ships arrived in Sevastopol and Balaklava.
In 1797, Paul I renamed Sevastopol to Akhtiar. However, after his death the city was returned to its previous name.

A major role in the construction of Sevastopol was played by the “sea Suvorov” - the outstanding naval commander Admiral F. F. Ushakov. The fleet was significantly increased, a system of new fortifications was created, many buildings, a large hospital, workshops and warehouses were built, a public garden was opened, to which the name Ushakova Balka was assigned.
Having won many brilliant victories, Ushakov made a great contribution to the development of naval art and was the founder of the Black Sea school of naval training, which gave Russia many outstanding naval commanders.

In 1804, the Russian government officially declared Sevastopol the main military port of the Black Sea Fleet (instead of Kherson), and in 1809 - a military fortress. The chief commander of the fleet and ports of the Black Sea since 1805 was also the governor of Sevastopol.
The military situation, the growth of the fleet, commercial shipping and trade constantly required further development of the Sevastopol port. To secure the entrance to the port at night, in 1818. a stone lighthouse about 40 m high was built on Cape Khersones. In 1820, two gate lighthouses were erected in Inkerman - the highest in the country - one of them shines from a height of 122 m.
Industry developed further. The main enterprise of the city was the Admiralty, where warships were repaired, keeled and equipped, and in 1808 the construction of small combat and auxiliary ships began. In 1810, the first corvette, the Crimea, was built, equipped with 18 guns.
In 1812-1813 A new state-owned saltpeter plant was built in Inkerman, where the production of gunpowder began. But due to the lack of local raw materials, the plant did not last long. State-owned brick and lime factories, stone quarries, and bakeries with dryers for making crackers were opened. “Enterprising people” opened small semi-handicraft factories. In 1815 there were 3 tanneries, 3 candle factories, 1 vodka factory, 1 brewery. There were fishing, yawl (transportation across bays), tailoring, shoemaking and other industries. There were 202 trading establishments in the city, and in addition to the city bazaar, a bazaar appeared on the North Side. Two fairs were held annually.
At the beginning of the second quarter of the 19th century. Sevastopol was the largest city in Crimea. It had about 30 thousand inhabitants.

In 1832, Admiral M.P. Lazarev was appointed chief of staff of the fleet, and in 1834 chief commander of the fleet and ports of the Black Sea. He made a great contribution to the development of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as to the construction and improvement of Sevastopol. Under his leadership, five stone forts were erected - batteries that protected the city from the sea. The great merit of M.P. Lazarev was the almost complete renewal of the naval composition of the fleet. It was replenished with 160 new combat, auxiliary and transport ships, incl. 32 ships. On October 4, 1840, a new admiralty was founded on the territory between the Yuzhnaya and Korabelnaya bays (now the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Marine Plant). It took over ten years to build. The Sevastopol docks, built with the latest technology, were considered at that time the height of engineering skill.

Trade developed further. In 1838, 170 ships arrived in Sevastopol with various goods (35 left with cargo). In 1831 there were 20 merchants in the city, in 1848 - 83. Most of them supplied flour, meat, cereals, salt, and firewood for the fleet. During this period, there were 280 different shops in the city, of which 46 were “drinking establishments.” The construction of sea fortifications, the Admiralty, embankments and new piers, numerous buildings in the city center caused a large influx of workers, up to 30 thousand people. For 1815-1853 the city's population increased from 30 to 47.4 thousand people, incl. civil from 11.2 to 20 thousand. The number of houses during the same period increased from 1105 to 2810. The city had 43 streets and 4 squares.
The first medical institution in Sevastopol was the Marine Hospital, initially temporary, of barracks type. In 1790-1791 A two-story building with 200 seats was built for it. Served only the military, families of officers and city nobility. The rest of the population was treated for a long time by one city doctor, who was also in charge of the sanitary condition of bazaars, bakeries, and trading establishments.
In 1826, a school for cabin boys with 100 places was opened, and two years later a civil district school with 40 places was opened. Over the next 8 years, schools for sailor daughters, a parish school, and a private boarding school for noble maidens appeared. In 1846 there were only 13 teachers and 404 students, incl. 74 girls.
At the same time, Sevastopol becomes the second center of marine sciences in Russia after St. Petersburg. In 1842, the first sailing guide for the Black and Azov Seas was published. An important contribution to historical science was the excavations of ancient Chersonesus. In 1822, one of the first Maritime Library in the country was opened in Sevastopol, and in 1843, a stone theater building was built on the square at the foot of Boulevard Heights. There was no permanent troupe; visiting actors performed, including from Italy and Spain.
This was Sevastopol on the eve of the Crimean War, during which it gained worldwide fame.

2. Creation of the Black Sea Fleet.

Black Sea FleetRussian Empire originates fromRussian military fleet, created on Black Sea after joiningCrimea from ships Azov And Dnieper flotilla .

On February 13, 1783, a detachment of 11 ships of the Azov flotilla under the flag of Vice Admiral F. A. Klokachev arrived in Akhtiarskaya Bay for permanent deployment. The next day, construction began on the city and military port of Akhtiar (since February 21, 1784 - Sevastopol).

Creation of a fleet

May 2 (13) 1783 Azov flotilla (11 ships) entered Akhtiar Bay (Crimean Peninsula), where Sevastopol was founded, which became the main base of the fleet (with1804 - the main military port). Later, 17 ships of the Dnieper flotilla arrived here. These ships formed the core of the new fleet.

1. Focal geek. 2. Foka-gaff. 3. Grotto boom. 4. Gaff mainsail. 5. Mizzen boom. 6. Mizzen gaff.

• On single-masted vessels (for example, sloop, tender), the boom and gaff usually do not have the prefix “main-” or any other prefix, but are simply called “boom” and “gaff”.

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When, in his delusion, Perun threw
Eagle, in supreme courage,
The Turkish fleet at Chesme - burned Ross in the Archipelago,
Then Orlov-Zeves, Spiridov - there was Neptune!

G. R. Derzhavin

Every year on July 7, our country celebrates the Day of Military Glory of Russia - the Day of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesma in 1770. The Battle of Chesme took place on June 24-26 (July 5-7), 1770 in Chesme Bay on the western coast of Turkey. During the Russian-Turkish War, which began in 1768, ships of the Baltic Fleet went to the Mediterranean Sea to distract the enemy from the Black Sea theater of operations. Two Russian squadrons under the command of Admiral Grigory Spiridov and Rear Admiral John Elphinstone, united under the overall command of Count Alexei Orlov, discovered the Turkish fleet in the roadstead of Chesme Bay and attacked it. The victory was complete - the entire Turkish fleet was destroyed.

Background

In 1768, under the influence of the Polish question and pressure from France, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia. The Bar Confederation in Poland, which acted with the support of the Catholic powers - France and Austria, was losing the fight against Russian and Polish government troops. Finding themselves in a difficult situation, the Polish rebels turned to the Porte for help. Jewels were collected to bribe Ottoman dignitaries in Constantinople. Turkey was promised Podolia and Volyn for help in the war with Russia. Paris also put pressure on Istanbul. France traditionally supported the Poles against the Russians and wanted to take advantage of Turkey's war against Russia to gain Egypt into its sphere of influence. In addition, France considered itself the main power in Europe, and Russia’s desire to gain access to the southern seas was met with active resistance from the French.

By this time, the same situation in the southwestern strategic direction remained as it had been in the 17th century. Russia did not have its own fleet in the Azov and Black Seas, where Turkish naval forces reigned supreme. The Black Sea was, in fact, a “Turkish Lake”. The Northern Black Sea region, the Azov region and Crimea were under the control of the Porte and were a springboard for aggression against the Russian state. In the Northern Black Sea region there were strong Turkish fortresses that blocked the mouths of the main rivers.

In the fall of 1768, the Crimean cavalry invaded Russian territory, starting the war. The enemy was defeated and retreated, but the threat remained. The Northern Black Sea region and the Danube direction became the main theaters of military operations, where the Russian army fought for more than five years against the armed forces of the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Khanate.

In order to somehow compensate for the absence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, St. Petersburg decided to send a squadron from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from there threaten the Ottoman Empire. The main purpose of the expedition was to support a possible uprising of the Christian peoples of the Balkan Peninsula (primarily the Greeks of the Peloponnese and the Aegean islands) and to threaten the rear communications of the Porte. Russian ships were supposed to disrupt the Ottomans' sea communications in the Mediterranean Sea and divert part of the enemy forces (especially the fleet) from the Black Sea theater of operations. If successful, the squadron was supposed to blockade the Dardanelles and capture important coastal points of Turkey. The main theater of action was in the Aegean Sea or, as they said then, in the "Greek Archipelago", hence the name "Archipelago Expedition".

For the first time, the idea of ​​​​sending Russian ships to the shores of the Aegean Sea and raising an uprising of Christian peoples against the Ottomans there was expressed by the then favorite of Empress Catherine II, Grigory Orlov. It is possible that the idea was first expressed by the future leader of the expedition, Count Alexei Orlov, Gregory’s brother, and Gregory only supported it and conveyed it to Catherine. Alexei Orlov wrote to his brother about the tasks of such an expedition and the war in general: “If we are going to go, then go to Constantinople and free all the Orthodox and pious from the heavy yoke. And I will say as Emperor Peter I said in his letter: drive their infidel Mohammedans into the sandy steppes to their former homes. And then piety will begin again, and we will say glory to our God and the Almighty.” When submitting the expedition project to the Council under the Empress, Grigory Orlov formulated his proposal as follows: “send, in the form of a voyage, several ships to the Mediterranean Sea and from there sabotage the enemy.”

Count Alexei Orlov is the inspirer and first commander of the expedition. Portrait by K. L. Khristinek

Russian admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov

Hike

In the winter of 1769, preparations were underway for the Baltic Fleet ships in the Kronstadt harbor. Several squadrons of the Baltic Fleet were to take part in the expedition: a total of 20 battleships, 6 frigates, 1 bombardment ship, 26 auxiliary ships, over 8 thousand landing troops. In total, the expedition crew was supposed to number over 17 thousand people. In addition, they planned to buy several ships from England. The British at that time considered France their main enemy and supported Russia. Russia was a major trading partner of England. Alexey Orlov was appointed commander of the expedition in the position of general-in-chief. The squadron was led by Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov, one of the most experienced Russian sailors, who began his service under Peter the Great.

In July 1769, the first squadron left under the command of Spiridov. It consisted of 7 battleships - “Saint Eustathius”, “Svyatoslav”, “Three Hierarchs”, “Three Saints”, “Saint Januarius”, “Europe” and “Northern Eagle”, 1 bombardment ship “Thunder”, 1 frigate "Nadezhda Blagopoluchiya" and 9 auxiliary vessels. Almost all battleships had 66 guns, including the flagship St. Eustathius. The most powerful ship was Svyatoslav - 86 guns. In October 1769, the second squadron left under the command of the Englishman Rear Admiral John Elphinstone, who had switched to Russian service. The second squadron included 3 battleships - the flagship "Don't Touch Me", "Tver" and "Saratov" (all had 66 guns), 2 frigates - "Nadezhda" and "Afrika", the ship "Chichagov" and 2 kicks. During the campaign, the composition of the squadron changed somewhat.

The Russian squadron's voyage around Europe was difficult and met with hostility from France. The news of the Russian campaign came as a complete surprise to Paris, but the French were convinced that this naval expedition, in conditions of complete separation from bases and lack of necessary experience, would end in complete failure of the Russian sailors. The British, as opposed to France, decided to support the Russians. However, even in London it was believed that the Russian fleet, which was in complete decline after Peter I, would face failure.

“The desire to bring Russia’s naval forces to a significant size,” noted the British ambassador to Russia, “can only be achieved with the help and assistance of England, and not otherwise. But it is impossible for Russia to become a rival capable of inspiring us with envy, either as a commercial or as a military maritime power. For this reason, I have always considered such types of Russia to be very happy for us, for as long as this is accomplished, she must depend on us and cling to us. If it succeeds, this success will only increase our strength, and if it fails, we will only lose what we could not have.”

In general, the assistance of England during this period was useful to Russia: it was possible to hire experienced military officers of various levels and receive extremely important support in supplying and repairing ships directly in England and in its strongholds in the Mediterranean Sea - in Gibraltar and Minorca. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (a region of modern Italy) also provided benevolent neutrality and assistance to the Russian fleet. In the main port of this state, in Livorno, Russian ships were repaired and maintained contact with Russia through Tuscany.

It is clear that for Russian sailors the long voyage around Europe was a difficult and responsible test. Before this, Russian ships mainly stayed in the Baltic Sea, most often sailing in the Gulf of Finland. Only a few merchant ships left the Baltic. Thus, Russian ships had to withstand the elements far from their repair and supply bases, having a need for the bare necessities. And in the Mediterranean Sea they had to face an experienced enemy who relied on its territory.

The campaign of Spiridov's squadron was accompanied by difficulties. The most powerful ship, Svyatoslav, was damaged. On August 10 (21), a leak opened on the ship and he returned to Revel with difficulty. After repairs, "Svyatoslav" joined Elphinstone's second squadron and became the flagship of the second squadron. Therefore, Spiridov, by his own decision, attached the battleship Rostislav, which came from Arkhangelsk, to the squadron.

A storm broke out in the area of ​​the island of Gotland, which continued almost continuously until the squadron entered the North Sea. The Lapomink pink died off Cape Skagen. On August 30 (September 10) the squadron arrived in Copenhagen. On September 4 (15), the battleship "Three Saints" ran aground on a sandbank, it was possible to remove it, but the ship was severely damaged. There were many sick people on the ships. By the time the ships arrived in England on September 24, hundreds of people had fallen ill. A significant part of the squadron remained in England for repairs, including the Saint, under the command of Brigadier Samuel Greig.

The further journey was also difficult. There is a storm in the Bay of Biscay. Some ships were severely damaged. The ship "Northern Eagle" was forced to return to the English city of Portsmouth, where it was eventually declared unfit for service and dismantled. During the long voyage, the insufficient strength of the ships' hulls was revealed: during the rocking, the plating boards came off and leaks appeared. Poor ventilation and lack of infirmaries led to widespread illness among the teams and high mortality rates. Unsatisfactory preliminary preparation on the part of the Admiralty also had its effect. Naval officials sought to formally solve the problem in order to get rid of the troublesome matter: they somehow supplied the ships and escorted them out of Kronstadt. The crews of the ships were in great need of food, good drinking water and uniforms. To repair and eliminate damage along the way, only one shipwright was assigned to the entire squadron, which was sent on a long voyage.

The passage of Russian ships from the coast of England to Gibraltar lasted about a month - over 1,500 miles without a single stop at ports. In November 1769, the ship "Eustathius" under the flag of Spiridov passed Gibraltar, entered the Mediterranean Sea and arrived at Port Mahon (Minorca Island). On November 12 (23), Greig with the main part of the squadron went to Gibraltar, where he received news from Spiridov and headed to Minorca. By Christmas 1769, only 9 ships had gathered in Menorca, including 4 battleships (“Saint Eustathius”, “Three Hierarchs”, “Three Saints”, “Saint Januarius”). In February 1770, the 1st squadron reached the shores of the Morea Peninsula (Peloponnese). In March, the battleships Rostislav and Europe arrived.

With the support of the Russian squadron, the Greeks began an uprising. In order to use the Greek national liberation movement against the Turkish yoke, Empress Catherine II, even before the start of the operation, sent Count A. Orlov to Italy, who was supposed to establish contact with the rebel commanders and provide them with support. Orlov was to lead all Russian forces in the Mediterranean. The Russian squadron landed small troops, strengthening the Greek troops and began a siege of coastal fortresses on the southern coast of Greece. On April 10, the Navarin fortress capitulated, which became the base for the Russian fleet.

However, overall the uprising failed. The rebels fighting in the depths of the Morea were defeated. The Turks crushed resistance in the most brutal way. They used Albanian punitive forces. The siege of the seaside fortress of Coron, begun in March by part of the Russian squadron, did not lead to victory. It was not possible to take the Modon fortress. New troops arrived from Turkey to Greece. Soon Turkish troops besieged Navarino. Orlov, due to the military weakness of the Greek troops, problems with drinking water and the threat from the approaching Turkish army, decided to leave the fortress. On May 23 (June 3) the fortress was blown up and abandoned. Russian troops left the Morea, moving the fighting to the Aegean Sea. Thus, the Russian squadron was unable to create a stable base in Morea. The Greek uprising was crushed.

Actions of Russian troops and navy in 1770

Fight at sea

Meanwhile, the Ottoman command gathered not only ground forces, but also a fleet into Greece. The Turks planned to blockade Navarino not only from land, but also from the sea. A large squadron was sent from Turkish ports. At the same time, the second squadron under the command of D. Elphinstone arrived to help Spiridov - the ships “Saratov”, “Don’t touch me” and the “Svyatoslav”, which was still lagging behind the first squadron, 2 frigates (“Nadezhda” and “Africa”), several transport and auxiliary vessels. At the beginning of May, Elphinstone's squadron approached Morea and moved along the coast. On the morning of May 16 (27), the Russians discovered the enemy near the island of La Spezia. The Ottomans had more than double superiority in forces, but did not accept the battle and hid in the port of Napoli di Romagna.

On the afternoon of May 17 (28), Russian ships attacked the enemy. The battle ended without any significant losses on both sides. The Turks believed that they were dealing with the vanguard of a sprawling Russian fleet, so they retreated under the protection of coastal batteries. Elphinstone believed that he did not have enough strength to block the Turkish fleet, and retreated.

On May 22 (June 2), Elphinston’s second squadron near the island of Tserigo merged with Spiridov’s squadron. The combined Russian forces returned to the Gulf of Napoli di Romagna, but the Ottomans were no longer there. The commander of the Turkish fleet, Hasan Bey, took the fleet towards Chios. On May 24 (June 4), near the island of La Spezia, Russian and Turkish ships were within sight. However, calm prevented the naval battle. For three days the opponents saw each other, but could not engage in battle. The Ottomans then took advantage of the favorable wind and disappeared. Russian ships continued searching for the enemy. For almost a month they plowed the waters of the Aegean Sea in pursuit of the Ottomans. In mid-June they were joined by a detachment of ships, which was the last to leave Navarino.

All Russian naval forces in the Mediterranean were united, and Orlov took overall command. It should be noted that Spiridov was dissatisfied with Elphinstone, who, in his opinion, missed the Turks at Napoli di Romagna. The admirals quarreled. By Catherine's instructions, Admiral Spiridov and Rear Admiral Elphinstone were placed in an equal position, and neither of them was subordinate to the other. Only the arrival of Orlov defused the situation and he took over the supreme command.

On June 15 (26), the Russian fleet stocked up on water on the island of Paros, where the Greeks reported that the Turkish fleet had left the island 3 days ago. The Russian command decided to go to the island of Chios, and if there was no enemy there, then to the island of Tenedos in order to block the Dardanelles. On June 23 (July 4) near the island of Chios, patrolmen on the ship "Rostislav" located in the vanguard discovered the enemy.

Source: Beskrovny L. G. Atlas of maps and diagrams of the Russian military

Battle in the Chios Strait

When the Russian ships approached the Chios Strait, which separated the island of Chios from Asia Minor, it was possible to determine the composition of the enemy fleet. It turned out that the enemy had a serious advantage. The Turkish fleet consisted of: 16 battleships (of which 5 had 80 guns each, 10 had 60-70 guns each), 6 frigates and dozens of shebeks, galleys and other small combat and auxiliary vessels. The Turkish fleet was armed with 1,430 guns, the total crew numbered 16 thousand people. Before the start of the battle, Orlov had 9 battleships, 3 frigates and 18 other ships, which had 730 guns and a crew of about 6.5 thousand people. Thus, the enemy had a double superiority in guns and men. The balance of forces was clearly not in favor of the Russian fleet.

The Turkish fleet was built in two arc-shaped lines. The first line consisted of 10 battleships, the second - 6 battleships and 6 frigates. Auxiliary vessels stood behind the second line. The formation of the fleet was extremely close (150-200 meters between ships); only the ships of the first line could fully use their artillery. A large fortified camp was set up near the shore, from where the ships replenished supplies. The commander of the Turkish fleet, Ibrahim Husameddin Pasha, watched the battle from the shore. Admiral Hassan Bey was on the flagship Real Mustafa.

Count Orlov was confused. However, the bulk of Russian sailors were ready to fight. The enthusiasm of the crews, the persistence of Spiridov and the ship commanders convinced the commander-in-chief of the need for a decisive attack. “Seeing this structure (the enemy’s battle line),” Orlov reported to St. Petersburg, “I was horrified and in the dark: what should I do? But the bravery of the troops, the zeal of everyone ... forced me to decide and, despite the superior forces (of the enemy), to dare to attack - to fall or destroy the enemy.”

Having assessed the situation and the weaknesses of the enemy fleet's combat formation, Admiral Spiridov proposed the following plan of attack. The battleships, built in a wake formation, taking advantage of the windward position, were supposed to approach the enemy at a right angle and strike at the vanguard and part of the center of the first line. After the destruction of the ships of the first line, the attack was carried out on the ships of the second line. This demonstrated Spiridov’s courage as a naval commander who violated the rules of linear tactics, according to which it was first necessary to build a line parallel to the enemy. Such a formation was associated with risk, since the Russians, approaching the enemy, were subjected to longitudinal fire from the strong artillery of the Turkish fleet. Spiridov's calculation was based on the speed and decisiveness of the attack. For Russian ships, with a large number of small-caliber guns, the shortest distance was more advantageous. In addition, the rapprochement made it possible to somewhat reduce losses, since then not all Turkish ships could fire, especially aimed fire.

On the morning of June 24 (July 5), the Russian squadron entered the Chios Strait and, at a signal from Commander-in-Chief A. Orlov, who was on the battleship Three Hierarchs, formed a wake column. The lead ship was the "Europe" under the command of Captain 1st Rank Fedot Klokachev, followed by the "Eustathius", on which the vanguard commander Admiral Spiridov held his flag, then the ship "Three Saints" under the command of Captain 1st Rank Stepan Khmetevsky. They were followed by the battleships "Yanuarius" of captain 1st rank Mikhail Borisov, "Three Hierarchs" of brigadier Samuil Greig and "Rostislav" of captain 1st rank Lupandin. Closing the battle line were the rearguard ships "Don't Touch Me" - Elphinstone's flagship, commander - Captain 1st Rank Beshentsev, "Svyatoslav" Captain 1st Rank Roxburgh and "Saratov" Captain Polivanov.

At about 11 o'clock, the Russian squadron, in accordance with the previously developed plan of attack, turned left and began to descend almost at a right angle towards the enemy. To speed up the approach to artillery salvo range and the deployment of forces for the attack, Russian ships sailed in close formation. Around noon, the Turkish ships opened fire. The advanced battleship "Europe" approached the battle line of the Turkish fleet within a pistol shot - 50 meters, and was the first to return fire. Captain Klokachev wanted to bring the ship even closer to the enemy, but the proximity of the rocks forced him to turn and temporarily leave the line.

Spiridov's flagship became the lead ship. The Russian flagship was hit by concentrated fire from several enemy ships at once. But our flagship confidently continued to move, setting an example for the entire squadron. Inspiring the sailors to fight the Ottomans, Admiral Grigory Spiridov stood on the upper deck with his sword drawn. Battle marches thundered on Russian ships. The musicians received the order “Play until the last!”

The admiral ordered to concentrate fire on the Turkish flagship Real Mustafa. Following the flagship, the rest of the ships of the Russian fleet entered the battle. By the end of the first hour the battle had become general. The battleship "Three Saints" fired exceptionally well at the enemy, causing serious damage to the Turkish ships. At the same time, the Russian ship was hit by several enemy shells, which broke the braces (rigging gear, with the help of which the yards were turned in the horizontal direction). The “Three Saints” began to drift right into the middle of the Turkish fleet, between its two battle lines. The situation became very dangerous. With the slightest mistake, the ship could collide with a Turkish ship or break on the rocks. However, Captain Khmetevsky, despite being wounded, continued to skillfully direct the ship’s actions. The Russian ship withstood powerful enemy fire. As a result of enemy shelling, underwater holes appeared on the “Three Saints” and the masts were damaged. But the Russian sailors continued to fight at close range and themselves fired hundreds of shells at the enemy. They fired at the enemy from both sides at once.

The ship "Januarius", under the command of Captain Borisov, having passed along the Ottoman line and shooting several enemy ships at once, turned and walked along the line again. Then he took a position opposite one of the ships and concentrated fire on it. The Januarius was followed by the ship Three Hierarchs. He approached another enemy ship - the flagship of Kapudan Pasha, anchored and began a fierce duel. Russian ships came almost close to enemy ships, which made it possible to use not only small-caliber artillery, but also guns. The Turkish ship could not withstand the fire and retreated, showing the stern. He was "broken beyond belief." Other Turkish ships, against which the Rostislav and Europe fought, were also seriously damaged.

The flagship of the Russian squadron fired from such a short distance that its cannonballs pierced both sides of the Turkish flagship and the crews exchanged rifle and pistol fire. Many Turks could not stand the battle and threw themselves overboard. But enemy fire also led to severe damage to the Eustathius. The masts, yards and sails of the Russian ship were badly damaged. Things got to the point where the Efstafiy got into contact with the Real Mustafa and the Russian sailors rushed to board. During the boarding battle between the Eustathius and Real Mustafa teams, the Ottoman ship caught fire, the flame spread to the Russian ship, and both of them exploded. Admiral Spiridov managed to leave the Evstafiy before the explosion. With the death of the Turkish flagship, control of the enemy fleet was disrupted. In the journal of the flagship “Three Hierarchs” it was noted: “As we passed close to the enemy fleet, we began to fire at it from cannons with cannonballs, which also happened from other ships in our fleet; and this battle took place until the end of 2 hours, and at the end of 2 hours the entire Turkish fleet weighed anchor and went to the town of Chesma, and anchored there. At 2 o’clock we tacked.”

Under heavy artillery fire from the Russian ships of the squadron, the Turks retreated in disarray to Chesme Bay. The Turks hoped that the position at Chesma would be inaccessible. The high banks of the bay protected it from the wind, and the batteries at the entrance to the bay seemed to serve as an impregnable barrier for enemy ships.

Thus, as a result of the first stage of the battle, which lasted about two hours, one ship was lost on each side, and the initiative completely passed to the Russians. The Turks retained almost the entire fleet, but were demoralized by the fearless attack of an inferior enemy. During the explosion of the battleship "St. Eustathius" killed about 500-600 people. The Turks also lost their flagship, and several Turkish ships suffered significant damage. Of the Russian ships, only the Three Saints and Europe suffered minor damage.

Aivazovsky’s painting depicts the climax of the battle - the collision of two flagships.

Chesme fight

It was necessary to complete the job and destroy the demoralized enemy. On June 25 (July 6), a military council was convened under the chairmanship of Commander-in-Chief Orlov, in which G. A. Spiridov, S. K. Greig, D. Elphinstone, Yu. V. Dolgorukov, I. A. Hannibal and other commanders took part. Orlov and Spiridov decided, using the night breeze blowing from the sea to the shore, to attack and burn the Ottoman fleet in Chesme Bay. Spiridov’s memoirs noted: “So, without hesitation at all, in agreement with Count Alexei Grigorievich, and with other flagships, with whom he always acted in agreement with everyone, he gave the disposition to burn the entire Turkish fleet.”

In order to set fire to enemy ships, a special detachment was formed under the command of junior flagship S.K. Greig, consisting of 4 battleships, 2 frigates and the bombardment ship "Thunder". Orlov ordered Greig to immediately send the Thunder to Chesme Bay and, while the Turks were confused, continuously fire at the enemy. Naval artillery brigadier I. A. Hannibal was tasked with preparing fire ships to attack the enemy. A fireship was a ship loaded with flammable or explosive substances and used to set fire to and destroy enemy ships. The next day the fireships were ready. They were equipped from small sailing schooners and filled with gunpowder and tar.

The commander of the Turkish fleet, Ibrahim Husameddin Pasha, hoped that Russian ships would not be able to attack his forces after a fierce battle and, relying on the inaccessibility of Chesma’s positions, abandoned the idea of ​​​​entering the sea in order to break away from the Russian squadron, which was possible given the best seaworthiness of the Ottoman ships. The Turkish command hastily strengthened the defense of Chesme Bay. Long-range guns were brought from ships to coastal batteries located at the entrance to the bay. As a result, coastal defenses were significantly strengthened.

On the night of June 26 (July 7), Greig's detachment entered the bay. The battleships “Europe”, “Rostislav” and “Don’t touch me” formed a line from north to south and entered into battle with the Turkish ships. The 66-gun Saratov stood in reserve, while the Thunder and the frigate Africa attacked the batteries on the west bank. Soon the first Turkish ship exploded. Burning debris fell on other ships in the bay. After the explosion of the second Turkish ship, the Russian ships ceased fire, and fire ships entered the bay. Three fireships, for various reasons, did not achieve their goal. Only one, under the command of Lieutenant D.S. Ilyin, completed the task. Under enemy fire, he approached an 84-gun Turkish ship and set it on fire. The fireship crew, together with Lieutenant Ilyin, boarded the boat and left the burning fireship. Soon there was an explosion on the Ottoman ship. Many burning debris scattered throughout Chesme Bay, spreading the fire to almost all the ships of the Turkish fleet.

Greig wrote in his “Handwritten Journal”: “The fire of the Turkish fleet became general by three o’clock in the morning. It is easier to imagine than to describe the horror and confusion that seized the enemy! The Turks stopped all resistance even on those ships that had not yet caught fire. Most of the rowing ships sank or capsized from the multitude of people rushing into them. Entire teams threw themselves into the water in fear and despair; the surface of the bay was covered with countless unfortunates who were trying to escape by drowning one another. Few reached the shore, the goal of desperate efforts. The fear of the Turks was so great that they abandoned not only the ships that had not yet caught fire and the coastal batteries, but even fled from the castle and city of Chesma, which had already been abandoned by the garrison and residents.”

One of the heroes of the Battle of Chesma, Samuil Karlovich Greig

By morning, 15 Turkish battleships, 6 frigates and over 40 auxiliary ships were burned and sunk. One enemy battleship "Rhodes" and 5 galleys were captured. The Turkish fleet suffered huge losses - 10-11 thousand people. Prince Yu. Dolgorukov, a participant in the events, later wrote: “The water mixed with blood and ash took on a very nasty appearance. The corpses of burnt people floated on the waves, and the port was so filled with them that it was difficult to move around in the boats.”

The Russian fleet had no losses in ships that day. 11 people died. Thus, the Russian fleet achieved brilliant success, completely destroying the enemy fleet, and with minimal losses.

After the victory, Spiridov reported to the Admiralty Board in St. Petersburg to its President, Count Chernyshov: “Glory to God and honor to the All-Russian Fleet! From the 25th to the 26th, the enemy fleet was attacked, defeated, broken, burned, sent into the sky, drowned and turned to ashes, and left in that place a terrible disgrace, and they themselves began to dominate the entire Archipelago of our Most Gracious Empress.”

The defeat of the Turkish fleet near Chesma. Painting by Jacob Phillip Hackert

Battle of Chesme. Artist I. K. Aivazovsky

Results

The Battle of Chesma was of great military and political significance. The Ottoman Empire, having lost its fleet, was forced to abandon offensive actions against the Russians in the Archipelago, concentrating its forces on the defense of the Dardanelles Strait and coastal fortresses. In Istanbul they feared that the Russians could now threaten the capital of the empire. Under the leadership of French military engineers, the Turks hastily strengthened the defenses of the Dardanelles. Part of the Turkish forces was diverted from the Black Sea theater. All this played an important role in the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty. The battle was evidence of Russia's increased naval power. The Chesme victory caused a wide resonance in Europe and Asia. The greatest military success of the Russian sailors was so obvious that disdain and skepticism towards our fleet gave way to thoughtfulness and even apprehension. The British highly appreciated the results of Chesma: “In one blow the entire naval power of the Ottoman power was destroyed...”.

Empress Catherine II generously awarded all those who distinguished themselves: Admiral Spiridov was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, Count Fyodor Orlov and Commander Greig received the Order of St. George, 2nd class, 3rd class of the Order of St. George were awarded to captains Fedot Klokachev and Stepan Khmetevsky, a number of officers, including the commanders of all fire ships, received the cross of the Order of St. George, 4th class. From that moment on, the commander-in-chief of all Russian forces in the Mediterranean, Alexei Orlov, received an honorary addition to his surname - “Chesmensky”, and for “brave and reasonable leadership of the fleet and winning the famous victory on the shores of Assia over the Turkish fleet and completely destroying it” he was awarded the highest degree Order of St. George. In addition, the count was given the rank of general-in-chief and granted the right to raise the Kaiser flag and include it in the coat of arms.

Medal "In memory of the burning of the Turkish fleet at Chesme." 1770

By order of Catherine II, the Chesme Column was erected in Tsarskoe Selo (1778) to glorify the victory, as well as the Chesme Palace (1774-1777) and the Chesme Church of St. John the Baptist (1777-1780) in St. Petersburg. In memory of the Chesme victory, gold and silver medals were cast. The name "Chesma" was borne by a squadron battleship of the Russian navy.

In July 2012, President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin signed amendments to the law “On days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia”, which supplement the list of days of military glory with the date July 7 - the Day of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesme. The Chesma victory is one of the most brilliant victories of the Russian fleet in the naval chronicle of Russia.

Chesme Column in Catherine Park of Tsarskoye Selo. Installed in 1776 according to the design of the architect Antonio Rinaldi

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