Vyborg naval battle - "Trafalgar of the Baltic". Naval battles in the Baltic Sea battle in the Baltic meaning
June 22, 1790 - Vyborg naval battleoccurred between the Russian and Swedish fleets at the exit from the Vyborg Bay. More than 500 pennants and over 70,000 people took part in it. This battle was not only the largest in the history of the Baltic, but also the last general battle of sailing fleets in its waters. Losing 7 battleships out of 22, the Swedish king Gustav III broke the blockade of the Russian fleet and went to Sveaborg. At the same time, he retained the core of his ship fleet and almost the entire rowing fleet. After this battle, the Swedes realized the futility of further warfare and signed a peace treaty on terms favorable to Russia. There was no consensus on this issue in Russia. Considering the large losses of the Swedes and their agreement to sign a peace treaty, Catherine II considered this battle successful and generously rewarded its participants. Many naval officers and naval historians rightly pointed out that the Russians had two real opportunities completely destroy the Swedish fleet, and only the inexplicable indecision of the fleet commander, Admiral V. Ya. Chichagov, allowed the Swedes to avoid defeat. These accusations were so widespread that young people who were prone to extreme judgments even talked about the Swedes bribing our admiral.
In Russian maritime history The Battle of Vyborg is a forgotten major naval victory. For our opponents, whose fleet included 3 Swedish, 1 Finnish and 1 German squadrons, this was not only a major defeat, but also an example of the courage of the sailors who managed to escape from the blockade, although having lost 30% of the fleet.
Considering the large losses of the Swedes and their agreement to sign a peace treaty, Catherine II declared this battle successful and generously rewarded its participants. Admiral Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov was awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree. This rare and high award no other Russian naval commander has received this honor.
There was a Russian-Swedish war of 1788-1790. Both sides had high hopes for the 1790 campaign and sought the most decisive action. The Swedes planned to defeat the Russian fleet, land troops on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland and move to St. Petersburg to dictate their terms to Russia for a new peace treaty. The Swedish army significantly outnumbered the Russian forces, so the Swedish king Gustav III was confident of victory.
The Russians were preparing to launch such attacks that would quickly end the war and provide reliable access to the Baltic Sea. In this regard, special attention was paid to strengthening the fleet, which by the beginning of the 1790 campaign was divided into two squadrons. The fleet commander, Admiral Vasily Yakovlevich Chichagov, with his squadron was stationed in Reval, and the Kronstadt squadron was headed by Vice Admiral A.I. Cruz.
The Swedes sought to defeat first the Revel and then the Kronstadt squadrons separately. Therefore, already on May 2, 1790, the Swedish fleet approached Revel and attacked the Russian squadron stationed in the roadstead. The battle lasted about two hours. Despite their great numerical superiority, the Swedes had to retreat. They lost two battleships, and one of them was captured.
After this defeat they headed to eastern part Gulf of Finland to strike at the Kronstadt squadron. The battle began on the morning of May 23, 1790, near Krasnaya Gorka. And this time the numerical superiority was on the side of the Swedes, but the Russians constantly attacked, and the Swedes were forced to retreat. The next day the battle resumed and continued intermittently until the evening.
At this time, Chichagov’s squadron left Revel and was already approaching Krasnaya Gorka. If she had immediately entered the battle, the Swedish fleet could not have avoided complete defeat. But Chichagov ordered the squadron to anchor not far from the battle site. He later attributed this to the fog that had fallen, which prevented him from detecting the Swedish fleet. The Revel squadron did not allow the Swedes to retreat to Sveaborg, and they retreated to the Vyborg Bay, where they were blocked by the combined Russian fleet.
The blockade lasted for almost a month. The Swedish naval fleet and rowing flotilla were locked in the Vyborg Bay. In total there were 390 pennants and up to 55,000 troops and ship personnel led by King Gustav III of Sweden. The position of the Swedish fleet was unenviable. Water supplies were running out. People had to be switched to a third of their diet. At the same time, news constantly came about the arrival of large reinforcements to the Russians. The morale of the Swedes was falling.
Early in the morning of June 22, Swedish ships, taking advantage of a light easterly wind, began to break through the northern fairway. They were opposed by a detachment of Rear Admiral I.A. Povalishin - only 5 ships and one bombardment ship, as well as the detachment of Rear Admiral P.I. stationed to the west. Khanykov - three frigates. The wind was fresh, the Swedish ships quickly rushed by at very close range between the ships of Povalishin’s detachment, and then Khanykov’s, hitting them with powerful broadside salvos. Our ships were shrouded in dense smoke. They fiercely fought off more and more enemy ships constantly passing by them. Some of our ships had to fight on both sides, without assistance from the main fleet, anchored near the central and southern fairways.
The detachments of Khanykov and Povalishin bore the brunt of this fierce battle. Their ships suffered significant damage and heavy casualties. Chichagov's order to assist Povalishin was given only two and a half hours after the start of the breakthrough, when most of the Swedish ships were already leaving for Sveaborg. His order to go in pursuit of the Swedish ships that had broken through was also very late, as a result of which the main forces of the Russian fleet began pursuing the Swedes only six hours after the breakthrough.
Under the cover of the naval fleet, rowing ships also broke through from the Vyborg Bay. Our rowing flotilla was supposed to act against them, but its commander, Prince K. Nassau-Siegen, also rushed in pursuit of the sailing ships. He managed to capture a 60-gun frigate. But the Swedish rowing flotilla emerged from the blockade with minimal losses and on June 28, in the bay near Rochensalm, inflicted a heavy defeat on the Russian rowing fleet under the command of the same Prince of Nassau-Siegen.
In this battle, the Swedes lost 64 ships, including 7 battleships, 3 frigates, 21 gunboats and 16 transport ships. The loss of life in killed and wounded alone amounted to about 7 thousand people. The Swedish fleet was again blocked by Russian ships, now in Sveaborg. Russian losses: 117 killed and 164 wounded. The Russian fleet lost one small schooner. The most important strategic results of the battle were the final collapse of the offensive plans of Gustav III, the loss of the 1790 campaign by the Swedes and the war in general. The Swedish government was forced to urgently conclude the Werel Peace Treaty with Russia (August 3, 1790). The victory in the Battle of Vyborg was the successful conclusion of Russia's long-term struggle with Sweden for dominance in the Baltic Sea. The famous English naval historian and theorist Fred Jane called the Battle of Vyborg “Trafalgar of the Baltic.”
“A state that has one land army has one hand, and one that has a fleet has both hands.”
Peter I
On July 27 (August 7), two brilliant victories of the Russian fleet took place - naval battles with the Swedish fleet at Cape Gangut (Hanko) (1714) and at Grengam Island (1720).
One of the main directions foreign policy Russian state Since ancient times there has been a struggle for access to the sea coasts, primarily to the Baltic Sea. The most important stage of this struggle was the Northern War of 1700–1721. and, in particular, the naval battles of the Russian and Swedish fleets at Cape Gangut and Grengam Island.
In the summer of 1714, the Russian galley fleet under the command of Admiral General F. M. Apraksin (99 galleys and scamps) was heading from Kronstadt to the Åland skerries to reinforce the Russian garrison in the city of Abo. His path was blocked by the Swedish battle fleet of Vice Admiral Vatrang (15 battleships, 3 frigates, 2 bombardment ships, a detachment of rowing ships), located at the southern tip of the Gangut Peninsula. In order to bypass the enemy ships, the Russian side decided to drag some of its ships through a drag in the narrow part of the isthmus. The Swedes sent the squadron of Rear Admiral N. Ehrenskiöld (10 ships) to the final transfer point. Taking advantage of the division Swedish forces and calm, part of the Russian fleet rowed along the coast and blocked Ehrenskiöld in the Rilaksfjord. The Swedes refused the offer to surrender, after which Peter I, who commanded the vanguard, ordered an attack on the enemy.
During the battle, the Swedes lost 10 ships, 361 people killed, 350 wounded and 237 prisoners. Russian losses amounted to 127 killed and 342 wounded. For participation in the Battle of Gangut, 130 Russian officers were awarded gold medals, 3 thousand 284 lower ranks - silver.
Gangut is the first major victory of the Russian fleet. She raised the morale of the troops, showing that the Swedes could be defeated not only on land, but also at sea. Russia's position in Finland has strengthened. The fighting was transferred to Swedish territory.
Six years later, on July 27 (August 7), 1720, off the island of Grengam, a galley fleet under the command of General M. M. Golitsyn (61 galleys and 29 boats, 52 guns) defeated the Swedish squadron of Vice Admiral Shenblat.
On July 27 (August 7), the Russian fleet moved to the island of Grengam to take a convenient position in the skerries, but was attacked by the Swedes and turned back into the strait. When the Swedish ships were drawn into the shallow water area, the Russians launched a counterattack and boarded 4 frigates, the rest of the Swedish ships retreated. The Swedes lost 103 people killed and 407 prisoners, the Russians - 82 killed and 203 wounded.
The victory at Grenham accelerated the conclusion of the Peace of Nystad and the end of the Northern War.
Lit.: Krotov P. A. Gangut battle of 1714. St. Petersburg, 1996; Northern War 1700–1721 // Battle chronicle of the Russian fleet: Chronicle major events military history Russian fleet since the 9th century. to 1917. M., 1948. Section. 2. P. 43-68; The same [Electronic resource]. URL: http://militera. lib. ru / h / boevaya _ letopis _ flota /08. html; Novikov N.V. Gangut. M., 1944; Materials for the history of the Gangut operation. Vol. 1-4. Pg., 1914-1918; Rostunov I. I., Avdeev V. A., Osipova M. N., Sokolov Yu. F. History of the Northern War 1700–1721. M., 1987. Ch. 4. Liberation of the Baltic states and Finland; Ch. 5. The last battles and the end of the war; The same [Electronic resource]. URL:
During the reign of Peter the Great, the development of trade relations with other countries was greatly hampered by Russia's lack of access to the Baltic Sea. At that time, the Swedes dominated the Baltic. Russia is completely cut off from the sea. Peter the Great understood perfectly well that in order to win access to the sea, it was necessary to have a strong fleet. At the beginning of the 17th century, Russia had warships, but most of them were not suitable for military operations at sea. On October 20, 1696, construction of the first Russian warship began at the Admiralty shipyard; this date is considered the date of birth of the regular Navy Russia. Some ships were purchased abroad, others were built in Russia. Warships continued to be built after the start of the Great Northern War. During the reign of Peter the Baltic Fleet reached its peak.
Preparations for the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea
At the beginning of the 17th century, Sweden was a country whose army had excellent tactical combat capability. Swedish navy in its own way military power was considered one of the strongest in the world. Through the efforts of Russian diplomacy, a military alliance was concluded between Russia, Poland and Denmark. First fighting Russia's allies were not successful at the beginning of the Northern War. Only the Danish fleet was able to support Russia at sea. Poland at that time did not have combat-ready sea ships. However, Denmark hastened to conclude a peace treaty with Sweden in August 1700, at the beginning of the Northern War.
The Russian Tsar continued to carry out targeted military training. Several sailing and rowing ships were built at the Olonets shipyards, including the famous “ Standard" And " Golden Eagle" However, combat effectiveness Russian fleet depended not only on the quantity and quality of warships, but also on the level of training of sailors. In this regard, in 1707, the first schools were opened to provide military training for specialists. various levels: artillerymen, engineers, doctors, etc.
Frigate "Standard" exact copy warship, built by Peter the Great in 1703 Historians attach great importance significance of naval battles in the Baltic, thanks to which Russia was eventually able to overcome economic isolation, finally gaining access to the Baltic Sea.
After the famous battle at Cape Gangut in the public consciousness European countries the idea of the invincibility of the Swedish fleet changed. Russia demonstrated its firepower, proving by example that it is capable of recapturing access to the Baltic.
Naval battle in the Baltic If there were still any doubts about the fact that Russia had become a strong naval power, they were dispelled after the battle of Grenham. When the Russian squadron discovered Swedish ships near the islands of Lemland and Fritsberg, weather conditions did not allow the Russian sailors to immediately engage in battle, which was perceived by the Swedish sailors as a sign of weakness. After the Swedish ships began to openly attack the Russian flotilla, the Russian ships demonstrated their firepower. Beautiful combat training naval gunners did their job. As a result of the Battle of Grengam, the Swedish fleet suffered a crushing defeat. Russia has finally strengthened its dominance in the Gulf of Finland.
This day in history:
During the war with Sweden of 1808-1809, 24 rowing ships of the Russian detachment of captain 1st rank Selivanov were in the Abo skerries at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia. On August 18, 1808, they met off the island of Sudsalo with a Swedish detachment consisting of 45 gunboats and 6 galleys. The enemy was approaching the exit from the narrow strait to a spacious stretch on which Russian ships were moored. The head of the Russian vanguard, Lieutenant Davydov, with his 6 ships stood in the strait, blocked the Swedish ships from two passages to the reach and did not allow them to leave the narrowness of the strait and deploy all their forces until all the ships of Selivanov’s detachment arrived. Having reinforced Lieutenant Davydov’s detachment with 6 ships under the command of Lieutenant Khvostov, Selivanov closed all the passages through which the Swedes tried to bypass the flank of our line and reach deep water with two more detachments of ships.
The battle at the closest distance lasted 8 hours. Despite the clouds of thick powder smoke attributed to Russian ships, and the immediate replacement of damaged enemy ships with new ones, our artillery fire was so effective that the Swedes were never able to break through to the reach. The ensuing darkness ended the battle, as a result of which the Swedes lost 10 gunboats (8 sank and 2 were blown up) and 242 people killed and wounded. Russian losses: 2 gunboats, 45 people were killed and 68 wounded. Due to the high consumption of ammunition and the damage to many ships, of which 17 had from 4 to 8 holes and could barely stay afloat, Selivanov withdrew his detachment to Abo.
On November 15, 1913, the lead destroyer of a new series, which was given the name “Gabriel,” was laid down on the slipway of the Russian-Baltic shipyard in Reval. Built as part of the Great Shipbuilding Program of 1913-1917, “Gabriel” incorporated best qualities the famous destroyer “Novik”. On December 23, 1914, “Gabriel” was launched, but only almost two years later, on November 26, 1916, it became part of the Baltic Fleet and immediately began military service. In April 1918, the destroyer, along with other ships of the Baltic Fleet, took part in the Ice Transit from Helsingfors to Kronstadt, and in 1919 it was actively involved in the defense of Petrograd.
On May 18, 1919, “Gabriel” under the command of V.V. Sevastyanov covered the work of 4 Russian minesweepers in Koporskaya Bay, conducting control trawling of the bay. At eleven o'clock in the afternoon, 4 British destroyers began to quickly approach them from the west. The minesweepers stopped trawling and began to retreat to the east under the cover of the coastal artillery of the Krasnaya Gorka fort. Covering their retreat, “Gabriel” took a position between the British ships and minesweepers. The battle began at a distance of 70 cab. Over the course of 50 minutes, more than 300 shells were fired at the Gabriel, but thanks to the skillful maneuvering of the Russian destroyer, they did not cause serious damage to it. The enemy did not achieve a single direct hit. One of the enemy ships was damaged by fire from the “Gabriel” gunners, and the others came under fire from the “Grey Horse” fort and were forced to leave the battlefield.
Exactly three months later, the destroyer Gabriel distinguished itself again. On August 18 at 3:45 a.m. they appeared over the Kronstadt roadstead. British planes and began to drop bombs, one of which sank a barge standing alongside the battleship “Andrei Pervozvanny”. Russian ships opened artillery fire on them. At 4 hours 20 minutes, taking advantage of the fact that the sailors’ attention was drawn to the planes, 7 British torpedo boats of the SMV type quietly approached the roadstead from Oranienbaum and launched a rapid attack on our ships.
The destroyer “Gabriel” was on duty at the entrance to the roadstead that night. Noticing the first two boats, his gunners immediately opened fire. Soon one of the boats caught fire and sank to the bottom, while the second turned away and disappeared into the fog. A torpedo hastily fired by one of the boats missed the target and exploded near the harbor wall. At this time, 5 more boats burst into the harbor from two directions. Two boats diverted the attention of the destroyer, and three other boats managed to slip through and conduct targeted torpedo fire. As a result, the submarine mothership was sunk ( former cruiser) “Memory of Azov” and the battleship “Andrey Pervozvanny” was blown up. According to some sources, the battleship Petropavlovsk was also damaged by the torpedo explosion.
When leaving the harbor, the boats again came under fire from the Gabriel. One boat received a shell from a destroyer and began to sink. Its crew was picked up by one of the English boats that did not break into the harbor. After this, the boat went into full speed and fired two torpedoes at the ill-fated Russian destroyer. The torpedoes, fired in a hurry, missed, but the next Gabriel projectile hit the boat directly in the gas tank, after which it instantly flared up and exploded.
At 4:35 am the battle ended. The boat from “Gabriel” lifted 9 people from the sunken boats from the water. Among them was Lieutenant Napier, the grandson of Vice Admiral Charles Napier, who unsuccessfully tried to capture Kronstadt in June 1854. One of the rescued English officers assessed the actions of the commanders of “Gabriel” this way: “The British will be very surprised to learn about such significant losses of ours in the Kronstadt operation. The actions of Russian artillery are brilliant.”
The destroyer “Gabriel” and its valiant commander died on the morning of October 21, 1919 in Koporye Bay after being blown up by a mine while en route to a mine laying mission. Together with the Gabriel, the destroyers Svoboda and Konstantin were blown up and sank in this minefield. Only 25 people were saved from these three ships, who were picked up by the destroyer Azard, which was the last one and survived.
"Gabriel" in April 1918.
June 22 (old style) 1790 during Russo-Swedish War(1788-1790) a major naval battle took place, during which in the Vyborg Bay of the Baltic Sea two Russian squadrons under the command of Admiral V.Ya. Chichagov clashed with the Swedish fleet under the command of King Gustav III and Grand Admiral Duke Karl of Südermanland (the king’s younger brother) . This battle was not only the largest in the history of the Baltic, but also the last general battle of sailing fleets in its waters.
Shortly before this battle, in the same 1790, the Swedish king Gustav III, taking advantage of the fact that Russia was drawn into another Russian-Turkish war(1787-1791), attempted to capture the capital Russian Empire St. Petersburg, landing troops in the Vyborg area. However, unsuccessful attacks on the Russian fleet for the Swedes in the Battle of Revel, and then in the Kronstadt area in May-June 1790, thwarted this plan, forcing the Swedish ships to retreat to the Vyborg Bay.
On the eve of the Battle of Vyborg, the Swedish fleet, total number up to 400 ships with 3,000 guns and 30,000 sailors and soldiers on board, was blocked in the northern part of the bay by two squadrons of the Russian Baltic Fleet. Unfavorable winds and white nights did not allow the Swedes to act quickly and secretly and thwarted their intention to withdraw to Swedish-controlled Finnish waters. As a result, by personal order of the king, the Swedish fleet anchored in the northern part of the Vyborg Bay, within marching distance of the capital of the Russian Empire. The blockade of the Swedish fleet involved the main Russian force of 50 battleships, frigates and small ships with 2,718 guns and 21,000 sailors on board, as well as a support squadron - 20 galleys, 8 rowing skerry frigates under command and 52 small galleys.
The attacks of the Russian galley fleet launched by the Swedes ended in vain due to the lack of support from the main forces. Meanwhile, the Swedish fleet, locked in the bay, began to experience difficulties with food and fresh water, in connection with which King Gustav took decisive action aimed at breaking the blockade. At 2 a.m. on June 22, 1790, Swedish ships began shelling Russian coastal batteries. At the same time, Swedish sloops attacked the Russian squadron. And at about 7 o'clock in the morning the Russian blockade began to be broken.
A fierce battle ensued, during which Grand Admiral Duke Charles was wounded, and the Swedish king escaped by transferring to a boat. But despite the courage of the Russian sailors, the rapid onslaught of the Swedes made it possible to break the blockade and escape from the encirclement. This success cost the Swedes 7 battleships, 3 frigates, and from 4 to 7 thousand personnel. Considering the great damage inflicted on the Swedish fleet and their soon expressed consent to sign a peace treaty, Empress Catherine II declared the Battle of Vyborg successful, rewarding Admiral Chichagov with the highest military award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. George, 1st degree.
“Well, my dear friend Prince Grigory Alexandrovich, there is something to write,” Empress Catherine II reported in a letter to G.A. Potemkin. - The King of Sweden with his ship and galley fleet was locked up from May 27 to June 21, as I wrote to you. At all that time the West wind was blowing, completely contrary to our rowing fleet; meanwhile, the packs managed to build gunboats in St. Petersburg (...) Finally, 20 winds blew and the wind was capable of rowing ships, and the Prince of Nassau, with it entering the Birch Sound, had a five-hour affair with the King of Sweden himself and his rowing ships, in which the King The Swedish retreated and went further along the Vyborg Bay and, connecting with his naval fleet, undertook to break through our fleet. What was done according to the power and wisdom of God? Having lit three fire ships, the Swedes launched them in a strong Nord wind at five ships of Rear Admiral Povalishin’s detachment. But the fireships grappled with two Swedish ships, and all five Swedish ships flew into the air; ours - none. Then the Swedes walked for four hours past Povalishin. What he took, what he sank, and Khanykov after him, you will see from the register, but my memory is not enough. Chichagov, Cruz and Pushkin, having weighed anchor in the meantime, set out to catch up; what they took and smashed - please read also. Nassau set off evenly behind the Swedish galley fleet. One 60-gun ship surrendered to him. Krovn stood at Pitkopas. This one still sends captive galleys one after another to Kronstadt. One 74-gun ship and another 64-gun ship were brought to Revel, and now fishing is still underway. In a word, to this day all the circumstances of this perfect victory have not yet been collected: up to five thousand prisoners, up to eight hundred guns, and no small ships yet. The king is said differently: one says that he left on a longboat between two supply ships; others, that he was on his yacht "Amphion", which was sunk, and seemed to have disembarked and boarded a galley. This galley was taken and he jumped into the boat with it; this slut is also taken; he got off the boat and got into the boat, and the boat left. His breakfast was taken: it consisted of six crackers and smoked goose and two glasses of vodka. The royal brother left on his very broken ship for Sveaborg, in front of which Chichagov is now cruising. I congratulate you on today’s holiday and on this victory. God freed us from the burden, and Chichagov made you happy once again, as you can see. Yesterday, on the day of the Poltava battle, I had a prayer service here, and on Sunday I will go to the city, and there will be a prayer service in the naval church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.”
Meanwhile, the Swedish fleet, which survived the breaking of the blockade, went to the open sea, after which it regrouped and headed to the sea fortress of Sveaborg for repairs. Admiral Chichagov, who acted extremely indecisively according to contemporaries, was never able to catch up with the Swedes, although he pursued them all the way to Sveaborg. “It is difficult to explain the behavior of the Russian admiral Chichagov on this day”, - wrote about the Battle of Vyborg, its eyewitness, Swede Yu.-A. Erenstrom, who accused the Russian admiral of indecisiveness and, as a result, losing victory over his opponents. The German naval historian Alfred Stenzel also believed, noting that “ The Swedes owed their salvation to Chichagov’s indecision.”: “He had to wait too long for the Swedes to finally break through his fleet, and when this finally happened, due to the lack of agility on his ships, the sails were set too late. (...) The Russians got barely an eighth of those ships that lowered the flag.”
However, the Battle of Vyborg, in the figurative expression of British naval expert Fred Jane - “Trafalgar of the Baltic,” put an end to Swedish hopes of restoring dominance in the Baltic Sea, lost in the wars with Russia, and returning the territories annexed by Peter the Great.
Prepared Andrey Ivanov, Doctor of Historical Sciences