XIV. Tell your classmates about a great Russian scientist or explorer

UNIT VI

Admiral Spiridov and the battle of Chesma,

1770

The famous battle of Chesma took place on the 25^th – 26 ^th of June, 1770, in the Bay of Chesma in the Aegean Sea during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768 –1774.

In July 1769, a squadron under the command of Admiral Spiridov sailed out from Kronstadt and in February 1770 came to the Mediterranean theatre of war, where it seized Mizitra, Arcadia, and the fortress of Navarin, and assisted in the landing operations in Morea. Spiridov now proposed conducting all operations on the sea so as to destroy the main forces of the Turkish fleet

On the 23rd of June 1770, the Turkish fleet was located at the island of Thasos, an­chored in two parallel lines.

The enemy had 16 battleships, 6 frigates and up to 60 smaller ships against 9 Russian warships. Nevertheless, Spiridov decided to attack the Turkish fleet. His tactics were new. Commanding the advance guard, which sailed perpendicularly to the front-line of the enemy instead of sailing in the usual way, parallel to the front-line, Spiridov ordered the ships to open fire at the shortest range, then approach within musket-shot and start a hurricane fire, closing up with hand-to-hand fighting.

The Turkish fleet was defeated and, pursued by the Russians, had to take shelter in the Bay of Chesma, where it was blocked up. To inflict the final blow on the enemy, Spiridov sent out a squadron comprising 4 battleships, 2 frigates, 1 bombardier-ship and 4 fire-ships under the command of Commodore S. K. Grieg. On the night of June 26^th Admiral Spiridov ordered the battleship Yevropa to enter the bay and open fire on the Turkish Fleet. After this the rest of the squadron joined the battle, shooting two enemy ships into flames. The frigates were meanwhile firing at the coastal batteries. The fire-ship commanded by Lieutenant D. S. Ilyin shot into flames and then blew up another Turkish warship, causing a big fire. The artillery fire of the Russian warships and the outspread of the fire in the bay led to the total destruction of the Turkish fleet. In Chesma Bay the Russians destroyed 15 enemy battleships, 4 frigates and more than 50 other warships of the enemy. Besides, 1 battleship and 6 galleys were captured. The Turks lost about 10,000 men while the Russians lost only eleven.

The victory of the Russian Navy at Chesma brought about many anti-Turkish
uprisings in Egypt and Syria.

The night sea battle of Chesma, in which the Russians defeated the enemy fleet though it was under cover of coastal batteries, testifies to the high level of Russian seamanship at that time.

In memory of this victory a monument – the Chesma Column – was erected in the middle of a lake in Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin).

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