Today marks 245 years since the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesme in 1770.

I.K. Aivazovsky. Battle of Chesma

Battle of Chesme (Turkish: Cesme Deniz Savasi) - a naval battle on July 5-7, 1770 near and in Chesme (Turkish: Cesme) Bay between the Russian and Turkish fleets.

After the outbreak of the Russian-Turkish War in 1768, Russia sent several squadrons from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to divert the attention of the Turks from the Black Sea Fleet.
Two Russian squadrons (under the command of Admiral Grigory Spiridov and the English adviser Rear Admiral John Elphinstone), united under the overall command of Count Alexei Orlov, discovered the Turkish fleet in the roadstead of Chesme Bay (west coast of Turkey).

Admiral Grigory Andreevich Spiridov

Count Alexey Grigorievich Orlov-Chesmensky

The Russian fleet included 9 battleships, 3 frigates, bombardment ship Grom, 17-19 auxiliary ships and transports.
The Turkish fleet consisted of 16 battleships, including the 84-gun Real Mustafa and the 60-gun Rhodes, 6 frigates, 6 xebecs, 13 galleys and 32 small vessels. The ships were built in two arched lines of 10 and 6 battleships respectively. There are different opinions about whether the ships of the second line could fire through the gaps between the ships of the first or not. Frigates, xebecs and other small ships were behind. The fleet was commanded by Kapudan Pasha Hasan Bey.

After agreeing on the action plan, the Russian fleet, under full sail, approached the southern edge of the Turkish line, and then, turning around, began to take positions against the Turkish ships. The Turkish fleet opened fire at 11:45, the Russian - at 12:00. The maneuver failed for three Russian ships - Europe overshot its place and was forced to turn around and stand behind Rostislav, Three Saints went around the second Turkish ship from the rear before being able to get into formation and was mistakenly attacked by the ship Three Hierarchs, and St. Januarius was forced to turn around before getting into formation.

I. K. Aivazovsky Battle in the Chios Strait

St. Eustathius, under the command of Spiridov, began a duel with the flagship of the Turkish squadron, Real Mustafa, under the command of Hassan Pasha, and then tried to board it. After the burning mainmast of Real Mustafa fell on St. Eustache, it exploded. After 10-15 minutes, Real Mustafa also exploded. Admiral Spiridov and the commander's brother Fyodor Orlov left the ship before the explosion. Captain St. Eustace Kruse also escaped. Spiridov continued command from the ship Three Saints.
By 14.00 the Turks cut off the anchor ropes and retreated to Chesme Bay under the cover of coastal batteries.

In Chesme Bay, Turkish ships formed two lines of 8 and 7 battleships, respectively, the rest of the ships took a position between these lines and the shore.
During the day on July 6 Russian ships fired at the Turkish fleet and coastal fortifications from a great distance. Fireships were made from four auxiliary vessels.
At 17:00 on July 6, the bombardment ship Grom anchored in front of the entrance to Chesme Bay and began shelling Turkish ships. At 0:30 he was joined by the battleship Europa, and at 1:00 by Rostislav, in whose wake the fireships arrived.
"Europe", "Rostislav" and the approaching "Don't touch me" formed a line from north to south, entering the battle with Turkish ships, "Saratov" stood in reserve, and "Thunder" and the frigate "Africa" ​​attacked the batteries on west bank bays. At 1:30 or a little earlier (midnight, according to Elphinstone), as a result of the fire of the Thunder and/or Touch Me Not, one of the Turkish battleships exploded due to the transfer of flames from the burning sails to the hull. Burning debris from this explosion scattered other ships in the bay.


Jacob Philipp Hackert Battle of Chesma

After the explosion of the second Turkish ship at 2:00, the Russian ships ceased fire, and fire ships entered the bay. The Turks managed to shoot two of them, under the command of captains Gagarin and Dugdale (according to Elphinstone, only Captain Dugdale’s fireship was shot, and Captain Gagarin’s fireship refused to go into battle), one, under the command of Mackenzie, grappled with an already burning ship, and the other, under the command of Lieutenant D. Ilyin, grappled with an 84-gun battleship. 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. By 2:30, 3 more battleships exploded.

I. K. Aivazovsky Chesme battle

At about 4:00, Russian ships sent boats to save two large ships that were not yet burning, but only one of them, the 60-gun Rhodes, was taken out. From 4:00 to 5:30, 6 more battleships exploded, and in the 7th hour 4 exploded simultaneously. By 8:00 the battle in Chesme Bay was over.

Consequences of the battle

After the Battle of Chesme, the Russian fleet managed to seriously disrupt the communications of the Turks in the Aegean Sea and establish a blockade of the Dardanelles.
All this played an important role in the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty.
By order of Catherine II, to glorify the victory, the Chesme memorial hall was created in the Great Peterhof Palace (1774-1777), 2 monuments to this event were erected: the Chesme obelisk in Gatchina (1775) and the Chesme column in Tsarskoe Selo (1778), and the Chesme obelisk was built palace (1774-77) and Chesme Church of St. John the Baptist (1777-80) in St. Petersburg.


Chesma Obelisk in Gatchina

Chesme Column in Tsarskoe Selo

Chesme Church of St. John the Baptist

Paintings of the Battle of Chesme were commissioned from Hackert by the Russian government. The artist wrote them based on the impressions of the battle participants Count A. Orlov, admirals G.A. Spiridova, S.K. Greig and other officers. Six canvases depict the dramatic moments of the first and decisive battle Russian fleet with Turkish in Chesma Bay.


Jacob Philipp Hackert Battle of Chesme

When painting the picture of the burning of the Turkish fleet, the artist first made a number of inaccuracies, which he explained by the fact that he had never seen a burning ship. To provide him with such an opportunity, by order of Empress Catherine II in Italy, on the roadstead of the port of Livorno, one of the Russian ships was blown up. By agreeing to provide the artist with such an expensive model, the Russian Empress pursued a political goal: she again forced Europe to talk about the brilliant victory of the Russian fleet. The extravagance of the Russian government, which did not spare the warship, struck more than just Goethe. Nearby is another painting, which depicts the ships of the victorious Russian fleet returning from Chesma Bay, with the only surviving ship of the entire Turkish fleet, the Rhodes. The Turkish flag was lowered from its mast and replaced by a Russian one. The Russian fleet salutes the winners.

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

Silver medal “in memory of the burning of the Turkish fleet at Chesme” (reverse)

Nowadays, several tokens and coins have been issued in honor of the victory in the Battle of Chesma.


Token. 300 years of Russian navy. Battle of Chesma 1770

300th anniversary of the Russian fleet (Battle of Chesma) (25 rubles)

Anniversary platinum coin (150 rubles)

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 Chesme in 1770. The Battle of Chesma took place on June 24-26 (July 5-7), 1770 in Chesma Bay on west coast 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 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, in the southwestern strategic direction the same situation remained that was in XVII 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, which 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 Alexey Orlov is the inspirer and first commander of the expedition. Portrait by K. L. Khristinek

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 hostility 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 absence required experience, will 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 to significant size Russian naval forces, noted English ambassador in Russia - can only be accomplished 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 English city 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. It also affected the unsatisfactory preliminary preparation from the Admiralty. 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. To use the Greek national liberation movement against 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 fighting to the Aegean Sea. Thus, the Russian squadron was unable to create a stable base in Morea. The Greek uprising was crushed.

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 had lagged 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. According to Catherine's instructions, Admiral Spiridov and Rear Admiral Elphinston were placed in equal status, 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.

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 next plan attacks. 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 big amount 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 in 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 on the enemy almost at a right angle. 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. High Banks the bays 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.

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 was formed special squad 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 explosives, 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 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 town of Chesma, which had already been abandoned by the garrison and residents.”

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.”

Results

The Battle of Chesma was important military-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 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.

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 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.

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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, consisting 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 dropped off 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 engage in 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 Zea and Fermo, and our fleet, lacking fresh water, followed her into Rafti Bay, 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, chasing one common goal, swam together, but given their independence from each other and the impudent, quarrelsome nature 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 from the fire of the unicorns from the Eustathia on the Real Mustafa, 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 hook 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 the 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 to close the exit from Chesme Bay to the Turkish ships with a combined strike naval artillery and fire ships to burn it. 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” should have positioned 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 vessels 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, he went back on the boat and 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 Chesme, 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 from the Dardanelles had to be called.

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 troops 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 2,690 people.

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

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