On June 19, at five o'clock in the morning, enemy ships were discovered near the southwestern tip of the island of Lemnos. The Turkish squadron consisted of 10 ships, 5 frigates, 3 sloops and 2 brigs - a total of 1196 guns, one and a half times more than D.N. Senyavin. Lined up in battle formation: battleships formed the first line, in the center of which were the flagships, frigates were located in the second line.
At 5.15, at the signal of the flagship, the Russian squadron rushed at the enemy. Preparing for a meeting with the Turkish fleet, D.N. Senyavin outlined his battle plan in orders to ship commanders dated May 23 and June 12. To give the battle a decisive character, Senyavin intended to take a windward position and strike at flagships enemy. He decided to use a new tactic - each of the three Turkish flagships was to be attacked by two Russian ships from one side at a distance of a canister shot. To attack the Turkish flagships were assigned: "Raphael" with "Strong", "Selafail" with "Uriil" and "Powerful" with "Yaroslav". Thus, three pairs of ships were created, which provided the attackers with superiority in artillery fire.
The remaining ships under the command of D.N. Senyavin and junior flagship Rear Admiral A.C. The Greigs were supposed to reinforce the attackers if necessary and prevent the ships of the Turkish avant-garde from coming to the aid of their flagships.
Choosing the flagships of the Turks as the object of the main attack, D.N. Senyavin took into account the peculiarities of the enemy: the personnel of the Turkish fleet fought well only as long as the flagship held. At the same time, the admiral relied on the good combat and naval skills of the Russian sailors and their significant superiority in this respect over the Turkish sailors.
At 0745, the flagship's signal was raised on the Tverdy: "Designated ships to attack the enemy flagships closely." Six ships in three tactical groups on parallel courses began to descend on the enemy almost perpendicular to his battle line in order to simultaneously attack all the flagships. If they were walking in a wake column, then tactical deployment would take considerable time.
The rest of the ships approached the Turkish avant-garde. D.N. Senyavin sought to carry out a maneuver to cover the head of the Turkish fleet and exclude the possibility of assisting the attacked flagships from the avant-garde ships. With the approach of the Russian squadron, the Turks opened fire, trying to damage the sails and spars of the Russian ships in order to deprive them of maneuverability.
Our ships, not responding to it, approached the Turks in silence and, only approaching a grape shot, opened a fierce fire. The Raphael was the first to approach the enemy line. He fired a volley from all the left side guns (loaded with twin cannonballs) at the Saida-Ali ship "Messudiyeh". However, having lost control due to damaged sails, the Raphael itself fell off into the wind and cut through the enemy line between the Messoudie and the Sed el-Bahri. He was attacked by two battleships, two frigates and brig. The Messudie was already preparing to fall on board, but the well-aimed fire of the Raphael forced the Kapudan Pasha to retreat.
Following the Raphael, the remaining ships of the attacking group entered the battle, acting against the enemy ships assigned to them. "Uriel" was forced to transfer fire from "Sed el-Bahri" to "Messoudiy" to replace "Raphael". By 9 o'clock "Selafail", "Strong", "Powerful" and "Yaroslav" took their places against three Turkish flagships. From a distance of a grape shot and even a rifle shot, they inflicted serious damage to them in sailing weapons with well-aimed fire and hit their personal ones, leaving the Turkish ships. At the same time, Selafail fought one-on-one with Sed el-Bahri for almost an hour.
Around 9 o'clock D.N. Senyavin on "Tverdy", and after him the other three ships of his group - "Ambulance", "Retvizan" and "St. Elena "- went to the head of the Turkish fleet. "Solid", having shot down a Turkish frigate that had moved forward, blocked the path of the lead ship and fired a longitudinal volley at it almost point-blank. Having received damage, the Turkish ship drifted and thus stopped the movement of all other ships. Thus, the maneuver of covering the head of the enemy fleet was fully implemented.
Rounding the lead Turkish ship, D.N. Senyavin went to the aid of the Rafail, which by this time had corrected its damage and, having caught up with the Turkish avant-garde, fired from both sides. The actions of the "Solid" and the rest of the ships of the Senyavin group led to the fact that the avant-garde tour was put in two fires. The badly damaged ships of the vanguard went downwind, breaking formation. Leading to the wind, the "Solid" blocked the path of the Turkish flagships and fired a longitudinal salvo under the nose of the "Sed el-Bahri", which had previously suffered from the fire of the "Selafail" and "Uriil".
Encouraged by the example of the flagship, subordinates tried to outdo each other: the battle spread along the entire line, some ships fought at pistol-shot distance and repaired their damage without stopping the battle. So, for example, on the ship "Selafail" (commander P.M. Rozhnov), in the heat of battle, under strong grapeshot fire, they changed the Mars-Ray.
Unable to withstand the fire of Russian ships, the Turkish flagship "Messudie" at about 10 o'clock evaded to the west. At the signal of D.N. Senyavin rushed after him "Strong", entering the thick of the enemy fleet and fighting back on both sides.
On the ship "Yaroslav" all running rigging was broken and sail control was lost. The ship turned to the left tack, and it began to diverge from the Turkish squadron in counter-courses, but did not stop the battle. Passing by three Turkish ships of the enemy rearguard and two frigates, he energetically fired at them. At the same time, the crew repaired the damage. The Turks tried to destroy the Russian ship that had separated from the squadron. A battleship and a frigate tried to attack him, but the Yaroslav forced them to retreat with grapeshot fire. After that, he turned to the left tack and went to connect with his squadron.
By 11 o'clock, three and a half hours after the start of the battle, thanks to the successful action of artillery and the skillful maneuvering of our ships, the enemy's battle order was completely broken. Turkish ships, taking advantage of the leeward position, began to leave for the Athos peninsula. At about 12 o'clock, the ships of the Turkish rearguard tried to help their flagships, but the "Solid" longitudinal fire on the starboard side stopped them. By 13 o'clock the wind died down and at 13.30 the Russian ships ceased fire, both squadrons, having stopped the battle, were in disarray near the Athos Peninsula.
A.P. Bogolyubov. Athos battle
Russian ships in a stubborn battle were seriously damaged, and D.N. Senyavin ordered to urgently fix them, hoping to resume the battle.
After 2 pm the west wind blew. Taking advantage of this, the Turks led into a steep sidewind and began to move away to the north.
The heavily damaged Sed el-Bahri and the ship of the line and two frigates escorting it headed for the Gulf of Aion Oros. D.N. Senyavin sent after "Selafail" and "Uriel". On the night of June 20, the Sed el-Bahri was captured off the Athos peninsula by the Selafail. The ships accompanying the Turkish flagship, when a Russian ship appeared, abandoned the damaged ship and went deep into the bay to the island of Nikolinda. "Selafail" took "Sed-el-Bahri" in tow and led to the squadron.
To pursue and destroy the ship and frigates that had taken refuge in the Aion-Oros Bay, Senyavin sent the ships Retvizan, Strong, Uriel and St. Elena" under the command of A.C. Greig. On the morning of June 21, seeing the hopelessness of their situation, not daring to join the battle, the ship and both frigates ran aground and, after bringing the teams ashore, were burned by the Turks themselves.
This was not limited to the loss of the enemy in the battle of Athos. Badly damaged by the fire of our artillery, the ship and the frigate could not stay at sea and were burned by the Turks themselves off the island of Tino, and two frigates were sunk off the island of Samothraki. In total, the Turks lost 3 battleships, 4 frigates and a corvette. The rest of the surviving ships were badly damaged. The size of the loss of the Turks in people can be judged by the fact that on a captured ship of 800 crew members, 230 were killed and 160 wounded. Our ships also suffered significantly, having received heavy damage in the hull and spars, but total number killed and wounded on all ships of the squadron did not exceed 200 people. Among those killed in the battle of Athos was the commander of the Raphael ship, captain 1st rank D.A. Lukin, famous for his extraordinary strength.
The 74-gun ship of the line "Selafail" is towing the Turkish admiral's 80-gun ship of the line "Sed el-Bahri"
If the Russian squadron continued to pursue the Turks, their defeat would be complete. The news of the dangerous situation of the garrison of the fortress on the island of Tenedos, attacked by a strong Turkish landing force, forced D.N. Senyavin, instead of pursuing the defeated enemy fleet, rush to Tenedos, where he headed after the return of the A.C. Greig. But due to contrary winds, he arrived at the island only on June 25. If the squadron had not arrived in time, the garrison would not have been able to hold the island longer. Russian ships surrounded Tenedos. Avoiding bloodshed, the admiral, having entered into negotiations with the head of the Turkish troops, offered the Turks to surrender on the condition that the disarmed Turkish troops be transported to the Anatolian coast. The Turkish commander accepted the conditions, and on June 28, about 5,000 Turks were transported ashore, all siege guns and weapons were handed over to the Russians, and the fortress was blown up.
The British, who have not provided any assistance to D.N. Senyavin, now agreed to make an attack on the Turkish fleet stationed in the Dardanelles with common forces. On June 29, an English squadron under the command of Lord Collingwood came to Tenedos. For a whole month, the squadrons stood side by side, while negotiations were going on in Tilsit between Alexander I and Napoleon. On August 1, both squadrons moved to the island of Imbros in order to attack the Turks in the Dardanelles. But on August 12, the Kherson corvette delivered D.N. Senyavin's rescript of Alexander I on the cessation of hostilities against Turkey, sent from Tilsit on June 16. And on June 25, the Treaty of Tilsit was concluded between Russia and France. The inevitable consequence of the alliance with France was Russia's joining the continental blockade, which forced us to expect an early break with England, in which the position of our squadron in the Archipelago became extremely dangerous. August 28 squadron D.N. Senyavina left the Archipelago for Corfu. The peace of Tilsit did not allow the Russian government to take advantage of the results of the victories of the squadron of D.N. Senyavin over the Turkish fleet.
The defeat of the Turkish fleet and the successes of the Russian army on land forced the Turkish government to start peace negotiations, which ended with the signing of an armistice on August 12, 1807.
Athos naval battle
By the beginning of the hostilities of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean in 1805–1807, the situation in Europe was extremely tense. The aggressive policy of Napoleon, which threatened the independence of many European states, as well as the interests of Russia in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, led to the formation in 1805 of a new anti-French coalition, which included Russia.
In order to prevent a further expansion of French aggression in the Mediterranean, where the Ionian Islands and the Balkans could become its object, and also within the framework of Russian-Turkish war 1806-1812, the government of Alexander I sent from Kronstadt to about. Corfu squadron under the command of Admiral D. N. Senyavin, one of the most prominent students and associates of F. F. Ushakov.
Leaving on about. Corfu part of the fleet for defense ionian islands and actions on the enemy’s sea lanes in the Adriatic Sea, Admiral Senyavin with a squadron consisting of 10 battleships and one frigate, on February 10, 1807, headed for the Dardanelles. Considering the changed situation and the insufficiency of forces to break through the Dardanelles, Senyavin abandoned the previously planned plan of action and set the task for the fleet to establish a blockade of the Dardanelles in order to deprive Constantinople of the supply of food from mediterranean sea, force the Turkish fleet to a decisive battle and defeat.
To solve the task, the fleet needed new base in the Aegean Sea. Fr. Tenedos, located 12 miles from the entrance to the Dardanelles. Having occupied this island, the Russian fleet on March 5, 1807 began blockade of the Dardanelles.
At the same time, the Turkish government demanded more decisive action from its fleet. The very first attempts to remove the blockade of the strait by occupying Fr. Tenedos led to two battles with the Russian fleet. The first happened on May 10, 1807 near the entrance to the strait, the second - on June 19 near the Athos metro station. Thus, the goal to which Senyavin strove so persistently and consistently was achieved. The enemy was forced to go to sea and take the battle with the Russian fleet.
In the battle of Athos, old opponents met. The Russian squadron included 10 battleships armed with 754 guns. The Turkish squadron, commanded by Seyit Ali, consisted of 10 battleships, 5 frigates, 3 corvettes and 2 auxiliary ships and had 1196 guns. Thus, the Turkish fleet in terms of the number of ships and the number of artillery significantly exceeded the Russian squadron. But the Russian sailors were superior to the Turks in the art of maneuvering, the use of artillery and had higher moral and combat qualities.
Carrying out a close blockade of the Dardanelles, Senyavin knew that sooner or later the Turkish fleet would enter the Aegean Sea and try to lift the Russian blockade. Therefore, he developed a plan for the upcoming battle with the Turkish fleet in advance and, in accordance with it, prepared his squadron for battle.
Senyavin's tactical plan was to attack the Turkish fleet from an extremely short distance with five interacting tactical groups of ships, directing main blow superior forces against enemy flagships.
The main task was to ensure the attack on the main direction. At about 7 o'clock, when the lead ships of the Russian squadron passed at a distance from which the enemy could open fire, by order of Senyavin, the left column of ships was divided into three groups, and the right one into two, as was envisaged by the attack plan. The division of the squadron into five tactical groups deprived the enemy of the opportunity to conduct concentrated fire on them.
The Turks opened fire from the utmost distance and conducted it dispersed. Without responding to it, the Russian ships continued to approach the Turkish fleet at the distance of a canister salvo set for them. While six ships sought to take up positions to attack the Turkish flagships, four other ships, given that the enemy rearguard began to lag behind their center and could already help him, began to cover the head of the enemy.
At about 9 o'clock, the Russian ships operating in the direction of the main attack, approaching the enemy at a distance of attack, deploying on board two ships against one Turkish flagship, fired a powerful volley at them. The formation of Russian ships was so closed that the bowsprits of the ships lay on the tackboards of those in front. This testified to the high proficiency of the Russian Morkovs, who managed to carry out such a complex maneuver under heavy enemy fire. And only the battleship "Raphael", which received the first moment of approach damage in the sails, could not take its position. In order not to interfere with the rest of the ships to carry out the prevailing maneuver, he cut through the enemy’s formation, firing longitudinal volleys at him from two sides at that moment, after which, having corrected the damage, he continued to fight with the frigates and ships of the avant-garde of the Turkish fleet.
While five Russian ships attacked the enemy flagships from a short distance, Admiral Senyavin with two groups of ships, covering the rearguard of the Turkish squadron, fired a series of powerful longitudinal volleys at the lead ship of the Turks and forced him to drift. Behind him, the enemy ships that followed him began to drift, which violated the battle order of the Turkish squadron. Correctly assessing the situation, Senyavin left three ships to continue the battle with the enemy’s vanguard, and he hurried to the aid of the damaged Rafail on the battleship Solid and decisively attacked the failed flagship Sedd-ul Bahr, firing several longitudinal shots at it. volleys from the nose.
At about 11 o'clock, the rearguard of the Turkish fleet approached the battlefield to assist their flagships. Senyavin, leaving the damaged Sedd-ul-Bahr, attacked the lead ship of the Turkish rearguard with all the might of his artillery. Having neutralized the rearguard, he concentrated 10 of his battleships against the enemy's six battleships.
Unable to withstand a decisive attack, the Turks hurried out of the battle at about 12 o'clock and, pursued by the Russians, began to retreat to Mount Athos. By 13 o'clock the wind subsided and both squadrons began to repair the damage. At 14 o'clock the wind again blew from the north-west direction. Caught in the wind, the Turkish squadron, without resuming the battle, went to the Dardanelles. In pursuit of the enemy, the Russians captured the flagship Sedd-ul-Bahr. During the retreat, the Turks were forced to flood or burn some of the ships that had the most serious damage. In total, the Turks lost three battleships, four frigates and one corvette in this battle. Enemy losses in personnel amounted to 1,000 killed and wounded. The Russian squadron had no losses in the ships, about 250 people were killed and wounded.
The battle of Athos is characterized by the bold and skillful actions of all personnel Russian squadron. Over 3 thousand sailors were awarded for the heroism shown in it. Of the commanders of the ships, captains of the 1st rank Lukin ("Rafail"), Mitkov ("Yaroslav"), Rozhkov ("Selafail") especially distinguished themselves.
Admiral Senyavin in the battle of Athos proved himself to be an outstanding naval commander, who managed to achieve a decisive victory over a numerically superior enemy. During this battle, he discovered a deep understanding of the situation, the art of constantly managing forces and perseverance in achieving the set goal.
Senyavin used with great skill the advanced maneuvering tactics created by Ushakov, and creatively developed it, using the deployment of forces and the conduct of an attack by several tactical groups of ships interacting with each other; inflicting a blow with superior forces on the flagships in the center with simultaneous coverage of the head of the enemy squadron and subsequent neutralization of the rearguard of the enemy, who was trying to help his flagships; attacking an enemy ship with two ships from one side.
The defeat of the Turkish fleet in the battle of Athos and the long and effective blockade of the Dardanelles by the Russian fleet had a significant impact on the overall course and outcome of the Russian-Turkish war.
The Athos victory strengthened the position of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and made it possible to strengthen the blockade of the Dardanelles. The defeat of the Turkish fleet and the successes of the Russian army on land forced Turkey on August 12, 1807 to sign the terms of the armistice.
The victory of the Russian fleet
| Russian empire | Ottoman Empire |
| D. N. Senyavin A. S. Greig |
Seit Ali bekir bay |
Athos battle, also known as Battle of Mount Athos and Battle of Lemnos- happened on July 1 (June 19 according to the Julian calendar) 1807 near the Athos peninsula in the Aegean Sea as part of the campaign of the Second Archipelago expedition of the Russian fleet during the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. During the battle, the Russian squadron of Vice Admiral D.N. Senyavin (10 battleships, 754 guns) attacked and defeated the Turkish squadron of Kapudan Pasha Seyit-Ali (10 battleships, 5 frigates, 3 sloops and 2 brigs, 1196 guns). Turkish losses: 3 battleships, 4 frigates and 1 sloop.
Battle
Within a month after the defeat of the Turkish fleet in the Battle of the Dardanelles, the Russian fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Senyavin maneuvered in an attempt to lure the enemy out of the straits. Finally, on June 15 (27), taking advantage of the fact that the Russian squadron was delayed near Imbros Island by a weak wind, Ottoman fleet moved out of the straits to the island of Tenedos, a temporary Russian base in the Aegean Sea, and landed troops there. For two days, ships and landing forces stormed the coastal fortifications of the island, but on June 17 (29) the sails of the Russian squadron appeared on the horizon.
Trying to avoid battle and diverting the fleet from Tenedos, the Turkish squadron went around it from the south side and rushed to the west. Senyavin, leaving small ships to help the fortress, set off in search of the enemy and found him on June 19 (July 1) in an unsettled position at anchor between the island of Lemnos and Mount Athos.
From past experience, Senyavin knew that the Turks fought bravely unless their flagship was sunk or captured, since in the Ottoman Empire, for leaving the battle before the flagship was supposed to the death penalty. Therefore, he concentrated all the fire on the Turkish flagships. By evening, the enemy began to retreat, avoiding battle. The 2nd flagship of the Turkish squadron, the ship of Captain Bey Bekir Bey, was in distress, on which all the yards and all the sails were shot down, and which was towed behind a battleship and two frigates. However, seeing the Russian squadron, these ships abandoned the tug, and they themselves took to flight, leaving the admiral's ship, which was boarded.
On the morning of June 20 (July 2), it turned out that the entire Turkish squadron, having caught a fair wind, was going north to the island of Thassos, and the ship of the line and two frigates (which had previously helped the captain-bey's ship) were cut off from it by the Russian squadron. On June 21 (July 3), Senyavin sent Rear Admiral Greig in pursuit of the latter with three ships of the line, but the Turkish sailors threw their ships ashore and set them on fire. At dawn on June 22 (July 4), another ship of the line and a frigate exploded in the retreating Turkish squadron, and two damaged frigates sank off the island of Samothraki. Of the 20 Turkish ships, only 12 returned to the Dardanelles.
On June 23 (July 5), Senyavin decided not to pursue the enemy anymore, and to return to the aid of the besieged Tenedos. However, because of the headwind and calm, he arrived there only on June 25 (July 7). The Turkish landing force surrendered and, leaving all their guns and weapons, was transported to the Anatolian coast.
As a result of the battle Ottoman Empire lost a combat-ready fleet for more than a decade and agreed to sign the Slobodzeya truce on August 12 (24).
Side forces
The attack of the Turkish fleet by the squadron of Rear Admiral A. Greig - a picture from the book of V. B. Bronevsky "Notes of a Naval Officer"
Russian empire
Ottoman Empire
| Name in Turkish | Name in Russian | Number of guns | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| battleships | |||
| Messidie | Majesty Sultan | 120 | Flagship |
| Sedd Al-Bahr | Stronghold of the sea | 84 | 2nd flagship. Captured |
| Ankay-Y Bahri | majesty of the sea | 84 | |
| Taus and Bahri | Sea bird | 84 | |
| Tenfik-Nyuma | good way sign | 84 | |
| Becharesh | happy news | 84 | Ran ashore |
| Kilid-i Bahri | sea key | 84 | |
| Sayad-i Bahri | sea fisherman | 74 | |
| Galbank-i-Nusret | Happy | 74 | |
| Hibet Andaz | Intrepid | 74 | |
| Frigates | |||
| Meskenzi Ghazi | Field of Mars | 50 | |
| Bedr-i-Zafar | Winner | 50 | |
| Fakh-i-Zafar | Sailor | 50 | |
| Nessim | Light wind | 50 | Ran ashore |
| Iskenderie | Alexandria | 44 | |
| Sloops | |||
| Metelin | 32 | Ran ashore | |
| Rehber-i-Alim | 28 | ||
| brigs | |||
| Alamit-i-Nusret | 18 | ||
| melankay | 18 | ||
| Total | 1196 | ||
In addition to the indicated losses, 1 battleship and 3 frigates sunk off the islands are also mentioned.
the battle on June 19 near the Athos peninsula (Ayon-Oros) in the Aegean Sea between the Russian squadron of Vice Admiral D.N. Senyavin (10 battleships, 754 guns) and the Turkish squadron of Kapudan Pasha Seyit-Ali (9 battleships, 5 frigates, 3 corvettes and 2 auxiliary ships, 1196 guns) during the Archipelago expeditions of the Russian fleet (See Archipelago expeditions of the Russian fleet). On June 10, the Turkish squadron left the Dardanelles. Fearing that the Turks, avoiding a decisive battle, would again leave for the strait, Senyavin, leaving on about. Tenedos (the base of the fleet), to assist the garrison with several ships, left on June 14 with a squadron to the west. The Turkish squadron approached the island and landed 6,000. landing. Then the Russian squadron took a position at about. Imroz (Imbros), blocking the Turks' retreat to the Dardanelles. Seyit-Ali, avoiding battle, withdrew to the south-west. On June 19, the Russian squadron discovered the enemy at about. Lemnos, attacked it and inflicted a heavy defeat (the Turks lost 3 battleships, 4 frigates and 1 corvette, over 1 thousand killed and wounded and 774 people captured; Russian losses - 261 people). You. the Russian squadron maneuvered in tactical groups of 2 ships each, the main blow was delivered against the enemy's flagships. Through maneuver, Senyavin created superiority in a decisive direction. On June 25, the Russian squadron returned to Tenedos and forced the Turkish landing forces to capitulate.
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Athos battle (Russian-Turkish war, 1806-1812). Naval battle on June 19, 1807 near the Athos peninsula (Aegean Sea) between the Russian squadron under the command of Vice Admiral D.N. Senyavin (10 battleships) and the Turkish squadron under the command of Kapudan Pasha Seyit-Ali (9 battleships, 5 frigates and 5 other ships). Having lured the Turkish squadron out of the Dardanelles Strait, Senyavin cut off its retreat. First of all, the Russians concentrated their fire on the 3 flagships of the Turks. Senyavin took into account the psychology of Turkish sailors, who usually fought steadfastly as long as the flagship was in service.
In the direction of the main attack, Senyavin managed to create superiority in forces. Five Russian ships blocked the way for the three flagships of the Turks, embracing them in a semicircle. Saving ammunition, the Russian sailors opened fire only from a short distance. Moreover, the guns were often loaded with two cores at once to achieve greater penetrating power. The attempts of the rest of the Turkish ships to come to the aid of their flagships were thwarted by the attack of other groups of Russian ships.
In the afternoon, the Turkish fleet began a disorderly withdrawal. Turkish ships, having lost their formation, retreated to the straits one by one. However, Senyavin did not launch an energetic pursuit. He sent his ships to the rescue of the garrison of the island of Tenedos. This allowed the Turkish fleet to reach the Dardanelles on June 24. Meanwhile, Senyavin's squadron surrounded Tenedos and forced the Turkish landing force to capitulate (see Tenedos). In the Battle of Athos, the Turkish fleet lost 3 battleships and 4 frigates. Although it was not possible to achieve the complete destruction of the Turkish fleet, it ceased to exist for a long time as a serious fighting force. The Russian squadron had no losses in the courts. The victory of the Russian fleet in the battle of Athos forced Turkey to speed up the signing of a truce with Russia (see the Battle of the Dardanelles).
Used materials of the book: Nikolai Shefov. Russian battles. Military History Library. M., 2002.
By the beginning of the hostilities of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean in 1805-1807, the situation in Europe was extremely tense. The aggressive policy of Napoleon, which threatened the independence of many European states, as well as the interests of Russia in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, led to the formation in 1805 of a new anti-French coalition, which included Russia.
In order to prevent further expansion of French aggression in the Mediterranean, where the Ionian Islands and the Balkans could become its object, as well as in the framework of the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812, the government Alexander I sent from Kronstadt to about. Corfu squadron under the command of an admiral D.N. Senyavin, one of the most prominent students and associates F.F. Ushakov .
Leaving on about. Corfu is part of the fleet for the defense of the Ionian Islands and actions on the enemy’s sea lanes in the Adriatic Sea, Admiral Senyavin with a squadron consisting of 10 battleships and one frigate, on February 10, 1807, headed for the Dardanelles. Given the changed situation and the lack of forces to break through the Dardanelles, Senyavin abandoned the previously planned plan of action and set the fleet the task of establishing a blockade of the Dardanelles in order to deprive Constantinople of the supply of food from the Mediterranean Sea, force the Turkish fleet to a decisive battle and defeat.
To solve the task, the fleet needed a new base in the Aegean Sea. Fr. Tenedos, located 12 miles from the entrance to the Dardanelles. Having occupied this island, the Russian fleet on March 5, 1807 began blockade of the Dardanelles.
At the same time, the Turkish government demanded more decisive action from its fleet. The very first attempts to remove the blockade of the strait by occupying Fr. Tenedos led to two battles with the Russian fleet. The first happened on May 10, 1807 near the entrance to the strait, the second - on June 19 near the Athos metro station. Thus, the goal to which Senyavin strove so persistently and consistently was achieved. The enemy was forced to go to sea and take the battle with the Russian fleet.
In the battle of Athos, old opponents met. The Russian squadron included 10 battleships armed with 754 guns. The Turkish squadron, commanded by Seyit Ali, consisted of 10 battleships, 5 frigates, 3 corvettes and 2 auxiliary ships and had 1196 guns. Thus, the Turkish fleet in terms of the number of ships and the number of artillery significantly exceeded the Russian squadron. But the Russian sailors were superior to the Turks in the art of maneuvering, the use of artillery and had higher moral and combat qualities.
Carrying out a close blockade of the Dardanelles, Senyavin knew that sooner or later the Turkish fleet would enter the Aegean Sea and try to lift the Russian blockade. Therefore, he developed a plan for the upcoming battle with the Turkish fleet in advance and, in accordance with it, prepared his squadron for battle.
Senyavin's tactical plan was to attack the Turkish fleet from an extremely short distance with five interacting tactical groups of ships, directing the main blow with superior forces against the enemy's flagships while simultaneously covering the head of his battle line. Each of the five tactical groups had two ships. Three groups, numbering 6 battleships, were supposed to strike at three enemy flagships, the remaining two, consisting of 4 ships, were to provide an attack, holding down, depending on the situation, the vanguard or rearguard. The forces allocated for the main attack were to attack at the rate of two Russian ships against one enemy flagship (both from each side). It was a new tactic that favorably differed from the method of taking the enemy in two fires. Its advantage was that the attacked ship was deprived of the opportunity to use half of its artillery (artillery of the second side) for defense. However, this method of attack required a high skill of maneuvering in an extremely close formation and could only be used under the condition of impeccable naval training of the personnel.
Thus, Senyavin, having a smaller number of ships in the battle, created a double superiority in forces in the direction of the main attack. In order to carry out an extremely bold and original plan of attack, it was necessary with four ships, reduced to two tactical groups, to tie up the rest of the enemy forces - more than two-thirds of the squadron - and thereby prevent them from providing assistance to their flagships. That is why Admiral Senyavin, holding his flag on the battleship "Tverdy", together with his junior flagship Admiral A. S. Greig, led the support groups of ships, which faced a more difficult task that required the greatest stamina, resourcefulness, bold and decisive actions in battle .
Senyavin ordered the commanders of the ships to fight at a shot-shot distance in order to make the most effective use of artillery, and for the first salvo, which was of particular importance in battle, to load the guns with two cores. The order drew attention to the fact that the ships fired at the spars and sails if the enemy was on the move, and when he was at anchor - at the hull.
The admiral granted ship commanders the right to show reasonable initiative in battle, aimed at the best solution of the assigned tasks.
Having finished preparations for the battle, Senyavin at the beginning of June 1807 defiantly weakened his forces at Fr. Tenedos. The Turks decided to take advantage of this and, with the help of the landing force, capture the base of the Russian fleet. On June 10, the squadron left the Dardanelles and landed troops on about. Tenedos. Admiral Senyavin, with a skillful maneuver, cut off the escape route for the Turkish fleet to the Dardanelles and on June 19 imposed a battle on him in the area between about. Lemnos and the Athos peninsula.
Having discovered the enemy fleet, the Russian squadron, on the signal of Senyavin, "Designated ships to attack the enemy flagships closely" at 5 hours and 15 minutes, began approaching it in two columns. In the left column there were six ships intended to attack the enemy's flagships, and in the right - four ships, which had the task of ensuring an attack in the main direction. At about 7 o'clock, when the lead ships of the Russian squadron passed at a distance from which the enemy could open fire, by order of Senyavin, the left column of ships was divided into three groups, and the right one into two, as was envisaged by the attack plan. The division of the squadron into five tactical groups deprived the enemy of the opportunity to conduct concentrated fire on them.
The Turks opened fire from the utmost distance and conducted it dispersed. Without responding to it, the Russian ships continued to approach the Turkish fleet at the distance of a canister salvo set for them. While six ships sought to take up position to attack the Turkish flagships, four other ships, given that the enemy rearguard began to lag behind their center and could no longer help him, began to cover the enemy's head.
Around 9 o'clock Russian ships, operating in the direction of the main attack, approaching the enemy at a distance of attack and deploying on board two ships against one Turkish flagship, fired a powerful volley at them. The formation of Russian ships was so closed that the bowsprits of the ships lay on the tackboards of those in front. This testified to the high skill of the Russian sailors, who managed to carry out such a complex maneuver under heavy enemy fire. And only the battleship "Raphael", which received damage in the sails at the time of approach, could not take its position. In order not to interfere with the rest of the ships to perform a complex maneuver, he cut through the enemy’s formation, firing longitudinal volleys at him from two sides at that moment, after which, having corrected the damage, he continued to conduct it with frigates and ships of the avant-garde of the Turkish fleet.
While five Russian ships attacked the enemy's flagships from a short distance, Admiral Senyavin, with two groups of ships covering the rearguard of the Turkish squadron, fired a series of powerful longitudinal volleys at the lead ship of the Turks and forced him to drift. Behind him, the enemy ships that followed him began to drift, which violated the battle order of the Turkish squadron. Correctly assessing the situation, Senyavin left three ships to continue the battle with the enemy's vanguard, and he hurried to the aid of the damaged Rafail on the battleship "Solid" and resolutely attacked the flagship "Sedd-ul-Bahr" that was out of order, firing several shots at it. longitudinal volleys from the nose.
At about 11 o'clock, the rearguard of the Turkish fleet approached the battlefield to assist their flagships. Senyavin, leaving the damaged Sedd-ul-Bahr, attacked the lead ship of the Turkish rearguard with all the might of his artillery. Having neutralized the rearguard, he concentrated 10 of his battleships against the enemy's six battleships.
"Unable to withstand a decisive attack, the Turks hurried out of the battle at about 12 o'clock and, pursued by the Russians, began to retreat to Mount Athos. By 13 o'clock the wind subsided and both squadrons began to repair the damage. At 14 o'clock the wind blew again from the northwest direction. Caught in the wind, the Turkish squadron, without resuming the battle, went to the Dardanelles. Pursuing the enemy, the Russians captured the flagship Sedd-ul-Bahr. During the retreat, the Turks were forced to sink or burn part of the ships that had the most serious damage. In total, the Turks lost in In this battle, there were three battleships, four frigates and one corvette.The enemy's losses in personnel amounted to 1,000 killed and wounded.The Russian squadron had no losses in ships, about 250 people were killed and wounded.
The battle of Athos is characterized by the bold and skillful actions of the entire personnel of the Russian squadron. Over 3 thousand sailors were awarded for the heroism shown in it. Of the commanders of the ships, captains of the 1st rank Lukin ("Rafail"), Mitkov ("Yaroslav"), Rozhkov ("Selafail") especially distinguished themselves.
Admiral Senyavin in the battle of Athos proved himself to be an outstanding naval commander, who managed to achieve a decisive victory over a numerically superior enemy. During this battle, he discovered a deep understanding of the situation, the art of constantly managing forces and perseverance in achieving the set goal.
Senyavin used with great skill the advanced maneuvering tactics created by Ushakov, and creatively developed it, using the deployment of forces and the conduct of an attack by several tactical groups of ships interacting with each other; inflicting a blow with superior forces on the flagships in the center with simultaneous coverage of the head of the enemy squadron and subsequent neutralization of the rearguard of the enemy, who was trying to help his flagships; attacking an enemy ship with two ships from one side.
The defeat of the Turkish fleet in the battle of Athos and the long and effective blockade of the Dardanelles by the Russian fleet had a significant impact on the overall course and outcome of the Russian-Turkish war.
The Athos victory strengthened the position of the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and made it possible to strengthen the blockade of the Dardanelles. The defeat of the Turkish fleet and the successes of the Russian army on land forced Turkey August 12, 1807 to sign the terms of the armistice.
Used materials from the book: "One Hundred Great Battles", M. "Veche", 2002
Literature
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