After the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia, London warned the Russian ambassador that if the Turkish ports were attacked, the Allied ships would intercede for them. At that time, the Anglo-French squadron was based in the Sea of Marmara. Nakhimov left Sevastopol to cruise off the Turkish coast and prevent the supply of weapons and ammunition. Soon the vice-admiral received news of the beginning of the war and of the Turkish ships stationed in Sinop. According to the Minister of the Navy, Prince Menshikov, the Turks planned to land troops near Sukhum and Poti. Nakhimov moved there, at the same time, a detachment of Vice Admiral Osman Pasha was heading to Sinop. He managed to miss the Russian squadron and pass unhindered to the city. When the ships of the Black Sea Fleet approached Sinop, they found much larger forces there than expected - 7 frigates, 2 corvettes, 1 sloop and 2 steamships, which covered five of the six coastal batteries. Pavel Nakhimov decided to block the port until reinforcements arrived. A squadron of Rear Admiral Fyodor Novosilsky was sent to help him from Sevastopol, which joined the Nakhimov ships, doubling them.
Vice Admiral Pavel Nakhimov
Thus, Nakhimov had 84-gun battleships "Empress Maria", "Chesma", "Rostislav" and 120-gun "Paris", "Grand Duke Konstantin", "Three Saints", frigates "Cahul" and "Kulevchi". The Turks had 7 frigates, including the Fazli Allah, the former Russian ship Rafail, which surrendered to the enemy without a fight in 1829, 3 corvettes, the Taif steamer-frigate and the Erkile steamer. From the shore they were covered by five batteries, which cost an entire battleship. In addition, the Turks could count on the help of French and English ships that were stationed in the Dardanelles. The Turks stood in a crescent, which ensured cross-fire of any squadron entering the raid. The Osman Pasha had orders to stay in the bay until the weather was fine.
On November 29, Nakhimov received an order from Menshikov to spare the city as much as possible in order to prevent the European powers from entering the conflict. The vice-admiral, fearing that reinforcements would arrive to the Turks, decided to give battle the next day. At 10 am, he held a meeting of command staff on the flagship "Empress Maria". It was decided to attack with two columns: the first was commanded by Nakhimov, the second by Novosilsky. They decided to protect the city and attack only ships and batteries. It was supposed to use bombing guns for the first time. On the same day, three ships Odessa, Krym and Khersones left Sevastopol for Sinop, but they arrived at the place only by the end of the battle.
Sinop battle
On the morning of November 30, the weather was not on the side of the Russian fleet: there was fog, it was drizzling, which turned into a downpour by 4 p.m., a gusty wind east-south-east prevented the capture of enemy ships, which could easily be thrown ashore. At 9:30 the squadron headed for the raid. At 12:30, the first shot of the 44-gun frigate Aunni Allah was fired, after which fire was opened from all Turkish ships and batteries. The Empress Maria was bombarded with shells, the spars and standing rigging were broken, but the ship continued to move forward. The squadron followed him unquestioningly until both frigates anchored. "Empress Maria" stood up against "Aunni Allah" and fired at him for half an hour. Unable to withstand such fire, the Turkish frigate threw itself ashore. Then the Russian flagship set to work on the Fazli Allah. He, too, soon caught fire and washed ashore, the remains of the "treacherous" ship, as ordered by the emperor, were burned. Nakhimov later reported to Nikolai: "The will of Your Imperial Majesty has been fulfilled - the frigate Raphael does not exist." Now the actions of the flagship were focused on battery No. 5.
Battle map
At this time, Chesma dealt with batteries No. 3 and No. 4. After 20 minutes of battle, Grand Duke Konstantin blew up the Navek-Bakhri frigate, showering battery No. 4 with debris and the bodies of sailors. was fired upon by a Russian battleship, was thrown ashore by the wind. "Paris" under the command of Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Istomin in just 4.5 minutes brought down a dangerous battery No. 5. After that, the shelling of the corvette "Gyuli-Sefid" and the frigate "Damiad" began. At 13:05, the corvette exploded, "Damiad" washed ashore. After the shelling, the 64-gun Turkish frigate Nizamiye lost two masts and also washed ashore. Then "Paris" began to finish off battery No. 5. Nakhimov, speaking of "Paris", noted that "it was impossible to stop admiring the beautiful and cold-blooded actions of the ship."
Russian ships at the Battle of Sinop
The battleship "Three Saints" entered the fight with the "Kaidi-Zefer", but Turkish shots broke its spring, and fire from battery No. 6 damaged the mast. Turning around, he again began shelling the enemy frigate and forced him and other ships to rush to the shore. Rostislav, covering the Three Saints, opened fire on battery No. 6 and the Feyze-Meabud corvette, throwing it ashore.
At 13:30, Russian steamships came to the rescue. The battle was already nearing completion, the Turks were greatly weakened, but the ships immediately entered the battle. "Paris" and "Rostislav" completely destroyed batteries No. 5 and No. 6. Here and there, Turkish ships, probably set on fire by their crews, caught fire and flew into the air. Burning debris fell on the city, starting a strong fire. Before the battle, the Turks left their part of Sinop, only the Greeks remained in the city, who considered the Russians to be friends. When the fire started, the Greeks quickly extinguished the fires in their part of the city, while the Turkish half suffered very badly.
At about 2 p.m., the enemy frigate Taif escaped from the line of Turkish ships that were being defeated and headed towards Istanbul. The ship fleeing the theater of operations was pursued by the Cahul and Kulevchi, but they did not have enough speed, then the Russian ships followed the fugitive. The captain of the Taif Yahya Bey arrived in Istanbul and reported the death of the Turkish squadron, his ship was the only survivor. The Ottoman government dismissed the captain for "misbehavior", the Sultan was furious with the Taif's flight. Meanwhile, the battle continued. By 15 o'clock the Turkish ships ceased fire, by 16 o'clock all coastal batteries were suppressed. Turkish ships were on fire, ammunition flew into the air, the guns of the burning frigates were dangerous, and at 20 o'clock Nakhimov ordered his ships to be withdrawn from the coast. When inspecting enemy ships, 180 people were taken prisoner. Among them was Osman Pasha, wounded, robbed and half-dressed by his own sailors. The Turkish vice-admiral himself handed Nakhimov his broadsword. For a couple of days, Russian sailors repaired their ships, and on December 2 they moved to Sevastopol. To general jubilation, two days later they entered the bay.
Night after the battle
Nakhimov was awarded the Order of St. George II degree, but Menshikov refused to nominate him to admiral. The Sinop victory, which the British called a "massacre", especially because of the devastating fire in the city, provoked the entry into the war of Great Britain and France, which the Minister of Marine tried to avoid. Nakhimov understood this very well and said: "The British will see that we are really dangerous to them at sea, and believe me, they will make every effort to destroy the Black Sea Fleet." The captain of the "Paris" Istomin was promoted to Rear Admiral. The emperor granted 250 St. George's crosses to the heroes of the battle. Since there were more sailors proposed for the award than crosses, they were distributed by lot. The leadership of the fleet was not in vain afraid of the entry of the European powers into the war. In September 1854, the Anglo-French army landed in the Crimea. The defense of Sevastopol began. Nakhimov was very worried about her, considered himself guilty and knew that this was revenge for Sinop.
Text: Sergey Balakin
162 years ago, on November 30, 1853 (November 18, old style), the famous Battle of Sinop took place, which is considered one of the largest naval victories in the history of our country. The words of Vice-Admiral Kornilov are widely known, who said this about the battle of Sinop: “A glorious battle, higher than Chesma and Navarin ... Hooray, Nakhimov! Lazarev rejoices at his student!” And Emperor Nicholas I awarded Vice Admiral Nakhimov the Order of St. George, 2nd class, and wrote in a personalized rescript: “By destroying the Turkish squadron, you have adorned the annals of the Russian fleet with a new victory, which will forever remain memorable in maritime history.” However, these enthusiastic assessments are dominated by emotions. In reality, the results of the Sinop battle are far from unambiguous ...
Historians are aware of two opposite views on the battle of Sinop. According to one of them, this battle is the greatest and undeniable victory of our fleet. But there is another point of view: they say, Sinop is a skillfully set trap into which the clumsy "Russian bear" fell, and which predetermined Russia's defeat in the Crimean War. Let's take a look at the arguments on both sides.
At first glance, everything seems to be obvious. On November 18 (old style), 1853, a Russian squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Nakhimov, consisting of six battleships and two frigates, entered the Sinop Bay and defeated the Osman Pasha squadron stationed there. Of the twelve Turkish warships, eleven were sunk, 2,700 enemy sailors were killed, more than 550 were wounded, and 150, including Osman Pasha himself, were captured. Our losses amounted to 38 people killed, 232 wounded; all ships, despite the damage received, independently returned to Sevastopol.
Such impressive results are explained, first of all, by the quantitative and qualitative superiority of our fleet over its enemy. For example, in terms of the total weight of an airborne salvo, the Russian squadron was two and a half times superior to the Turkish one. Moreover, the Russian ships were armed with 76 heavy 68-pound guns that fired explosive bombs, deadly for wooden ships. If, in addition, we add that the training of personnel in the Turkish fleet was extremely poor, then Admiral Nakhimov could only competently use all his advantages. Which he did, and did brilliantly. Figuratively speaking, the Battle of Sinop put an end to the centuries-old history of sailing fleets and anticipated the onset of a new era - the era of armor and steam.
It is not surprising that a triumphant meeting awaited Nakhimov in Sevastopol. At that moment, few people thought about how this victory would turn out for Russia ...
On the eve of the Crimean War, the weakened Ottoman Empire found itself completely dependent on the Western powers - primarily on England. The aggravated relations between St. Petersburg and Constantinople led to the fact that Nicholas I ordered the introduction of troops into Bessarabia and Wallachia. These principalities formally remained vassals of Turkey, and on October 4, 1853, Sultan Abdulmejid declared war on Russia. At the same time, he counted on military assistance promised by London and Paris. It should be borne in mind that the British were quite satisfied with the existing state of the Ottoman Empire, but they sought to prevent the strengthening of Russia. Therefore, British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston openly declared that in the event of an attack by the Russian fleet on Turkish ports, England and France would use force against the "aggressor". But in St. Petersburg they clearly underestimated the seriousness of this threat.
The decision to attack the Turkish squadron in Sinop was extremely risky. After all, it gave the West an excellent opportunity to “teach a lesson” to the uncompromising Russian emperor, whose foreign policy London really did not like. In general, the idea involuntarily arises that the Battle of Sinop was planned in advance and not without the participation of British advisers. After all, the most combat-ready Turkish ships, including all battleships, and almost all experienced sailors remained in the Bosphorus. A squadron was sent to Sinop from weak and obsolete ships, moreover, staffed with inexperienced recruits - yesterday's peasants. The presence of ground troops on Osman Pasha's squadron, allegedly transported to the Caucasus (this was repeatedly mentioned in various publications), is not confirmed by documents. That is, everything speaks for the fact that the squadron destroyed in Sinop is just a bait, obviously sent for slaughter ...
Well, what happened next is well known. A coalition of Western states (Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia) declare war on Russia. The Anglo-French fleet enters the Black Sea, landing in Balaklava. Then - the battle on Alma, the siege of Sevastopol, the self-flooding of the Black Sea Fleet, the death of Admirals Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin ... The Paris Congress, at which Russia admitted defeat ... By the way, in the ranks of the anti-Russian coalition under the flags of the Zaporizhzhya Sich, the Slavic Legion marched under the command Mikhail Tchaikovsky, or Sadyk Pasha, as the Turks called him...
So, what is the Sinop battle? In our opinion, his most balanced assessment looks like this: in tactical terms, this is an indisputable military victory, in strategic terms, a blunder that led to Russia's defeat in the war. However, this is by no means a mistake by Russian sailors or Admiral Nakhimov. This is a blunder of the then Russian politicians and diplomats, who, in the field of intrigue, were unable to resist their sophisticated colleagues from London and Paris.
We must not forget about another result of the battle of Sinop - the moral effect it produced. The defeat of the Turkish squadron caused an unprecedented rise in morale among Russian soldiers, sailors and officers. Without this, the subsequent defense of Sevastopol would hardly have been so stubborn, and the losses of the attackers would have been so great.
So the Russian fleet can rightfully be proud of the Sinop victory.
Late 40s-early 50s. XIX century, a new conflict began to brew in the Middle East, the reason for which was the dispute between the Catholic and Orthodox clergy about "Palestinian shrines."
It was about which of the churches owns the right to own the keys to the Bethlehem temple and other Christian shrines in Palestine - at that time a province of the Ottoman Empire. In 1850, the Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Jerusalem applied to the Turkish authorities for permission to repair the main dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. At the same time, the Catholic mission raised the issue of the rights of the Catholic clergy, putting forward a demand to restore the Catholic silver star taken from the Holy Manger and give them the key to the main gate of the Bethlehem Church. At first, the European public did not pay much attention to this dispute, which continued throughout 1850-52.
The initiator of the aggravation of the conflict was France, where during the revolution of 1848-1849. Louis Napoleon came to power - the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, who proclaimed himself in 1852 the emperor of the French under the name Napoleon III. He decided to use this conflict to strengthen his position within the country, enlisting the support of influential French clergy. In addition, in his foreign policy, he sought to restore the former power of Napoleonic France at the beginning of the 19th century. The new French emperor sought a small victorious war in order to strengthen his international prestige. Since that time, Russian-French relations began to deteriorate, and Nicholas I refused to recognize Napoleon III as a legitimate monarch.
Nicholas I, for his part, hoped to use this conflict for a decisive offensive against the Ottoman Empire, mistakenly believing that neither England nor France would take decisive action in its defense. However, England saw the spread of Russian influence in the Middle East as a threat to British India and entered into an anti-Russian alliance with France.
In February 1853, A.S. arrived in Constantinople on a special mission. Menshikov is the great-grandson of a famous associate. The purpose of his visit was to get the Turkish Sultan to restore all the former rights and privileges of the Orthodox community. However, his mission ended in failure, which led to a complete rupture of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. To increase pressure on the Ottoman Empire, in June the Russian army under the command of M.D. Gorchakova occupied the Danubian principalities. In October, the Turkish Sultan declared war on Russia.
On November 18, 1853, the last major battle in the history of the sailing fleet took place in the Sinop Bay on the southern coast of the Black Sea.
The Turkish squadron of Osman Pasha left Constantinople for a landing operation in the Sukhum-Kale region and made a stop in the Sinop Bay. The Russian Black Sea Fleet had the task of preventing the active actions of the enemy. The squadron under the command of Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimova, as part of three battleships, during cruising duty, discovered the Turkish squadron and blocked it in the bay. Help was requested from Sevastopol.
By the time of the battle, the Russian squadron had 6 battleships and 2 frigates, and the Turkish squadron had 7 frigates, 3 corvettes, 2 steam frigates, 2 brigs, 2 transports. The Russians had 720 guns, and the Turks - 510.
Artillery battle began Turkish ships. Russian ships managed to break through the enemy barrage, anchored and opened a devastating return fire. Especially effective were the 76 bomb cannons used for the first time by the Russians, which fired not with cannonballs, but with explosive shells. As a result of the battle, which lasted 4 hours, the entire Turkish fleet and all batteries of 26 guns were destroyed. The Turkish steamer "Taif" under the command of A. Slade, the English adviser to Osman Pasha, fled. The Turks lost more than 3 thousand people killed and drowned, about 200 people. were taken prisoner. The commander-in-chief, Osman Pasha, also ended up in Russian captivity. He, abandoned by his sailors, was rescued from the burning flagship by Russian sailors. When Nakhimov asked Osman Pasha if he had any requests, he replied: “To save me, your sailors risked their lives. I ask you to reward them with dignity." The Russians lost 37 people. killed and 235 wounded. With the victory in the Sinop Bay, the Russian fleet gained complete dominance in the Black Sea and thwarted the plans for the landing of the Turks in the Caucasus.
The defeat of the Turkish fleet was the reason for the entry into the conflict of England and France, who entered their squadrons into the Black Sea and landed troops near the Bulgarian city of Varna. In March 1854, an offensive military treaty of England, France and Turkey against Russia was signed in Istanbul (in January 1855, the Kingdom of Sardinia joined the coalition). In April 1854, the allied squadron bombarded Odessa, and in September 1854, the allied troops landed near Evpatoria. The heroic page of the Crimean War was opened - the defense of Sevastopol.
The battle of Sinop on September 30 (November 16), 1853, went down in world history as the last battle of sailing ships in history. This battle was during the next Russian-Turkish war of 1853-1856.
Reasons for the fight
The Battle of Sinop was the first battle that attracted public attention. Keys served as the reason for the war. The Turkish Sultan took the keys of the Bethlehem Church from the Orthodox clergy and gave them to the Catholics. It happened in 1851 at the request of France. Then he ordered the introduction of Russian troops into the vassal Porte principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. In response, the Turkish Sultan declared war on Russia.
The creditors of the Ottoman Empire, England and France, presented Russia with an ultimatum: as long as Russia was on the defensive, England and France would remain neutral. As soon as Russia invades the territory of the Ottoman Empire itself, England and France will also enter the war. Since the announcement of the ultimatum, the Russian fleet has sought dominance in neutral waters.
The sailing and semi-sailing fleet of Russia is dispersed throughout the Black Sea. During this time, only one clash occurred between the Russian and Turkish fleets. At the same time, hostilities began in the Danube region and in the Caucasus. At the beginning of the war, the forces of the Ottoman Empire won a number of victories: at Oltenitsa, at Calafat and at Silistra. And at that moment, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet decided to attack the main Turkish port, from where ships with reinforcements left for the Caucasus.
The course of the battle
Admiral Pavel Nakhimov and Rear Admiral Fyodor Novosilsky sent six frigates, two battleships and three steamships to Sinop Bay. Eleven ships were equipped with 720 guns. Russian ships became two columns blocking the exit from the bay of Sinop to fourteen enemy ships. On the day of the battle, at half past nine in the morning, Russian ships on oars approached close to the bay.
At half past one, the Turkish fleet began to fire on Russian ships. Osman Pasha's fleet was also supported by coastal artillery batteries. Despite the shelling, the Russian fleet continued to approach the Turkish, while returning fire. The flagship battleship "Empress Maria" received about 60 holes, but continued to move forward. At this time, the artillery of other ships began shelling the coastal batteries.
By half past two, almost all enemy guns on land were destroyed. By five o'clock in the evening the battle was over. Only one Turkish ship, the steamer Taif, was able to break out of the encirclement and arrived in Istanbul on November 20 (December 2). The captain of the ship reported to the Sultan about the death of the commander of the imperial fleet and about the complete defeat of the Sinop flotilla.
Results of the battle
The battle of Sinop disrupted the Vienna Conference - negotiations between Russia, England, France on a peaceful settlement of the Russian-Turkish conflict. Unlike the battles on the Danube and in the neutral Black Sea waters, the battle at Sinop was a violation of the Anglo-French ultimatum put forward by Nicholas I. England and France demanded that Russia return the army within their borders, and, having received a refusal, entered the war on the side of Turkey .
The entry of England and France into the Crimean War strengthened Turkey. The Battle of Sinop was the last major victory of the Russian fleet in that war. It was also the last victory of the sailing fleet in world history. Admiral Nakhimov, who achieved this brilliant victory, died a year and a half later during the siege of Sevastopol.
The "intercession" of England and France, the economic blockade of Russia and attacks on Russian ports outside the Black Sea helped the Ottoman Empire to gain the upper hand in the war. The Anglo-French siege of Sevastopol destroyed the most important base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Defeat in the Crimean War slowed down the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and stimulated reforms in Russia.
« Everyone's life belongs to the Fatherland, and not daring, but only true courage benefits him».
Admiral P. Nakhimov
The Sinop naval battle took place on November 18 (30), 1853 between the Russian squadron under the command of Admiral P.S. Nakhimov and the Turkish squadron under the command of Osman Pasha, during the Crimean War of 1853 - 1856. The battle took place in the harbor of the city of Sinop. The battle was won by the Russian squadron. It was the last major battle of the era of the sailing fleet.
Crimean War 1853–1856 entered Russian history as a symbol of one of the most difficult defeats, but at the same time she gave the clearest examples of unprecedented courage that was shown by Russian soldiers and sailors. And this war began with one of the most outstanding victories of the Russian fleet. It was the defeat of the Turkish fleet in the battle of Sinop. The large Turkish fleet was defeated in a few hours. However, the same battle served as a pretext for Great Britain and France to declare war on Russia and turned the Crimean War into one of the most difficult trials for the people and government.
background
Even on the eve of the war with Turkey, Vice Admiral F.S. Nakhimov with a squadron, which included 84-gun battleships "Empress Maria", "Chesma" and "Rostislav", was sent by Prince Menshikov to cruise to the shores of Anatolia. The reason for this was the information that the Turks in Sinop were preparing forces for landing troops near Sukhum and Poti. And in fact, approaching Sinop, Nakhimov saw in the bay a large detachment of Turkish ships under the protection of six coastal batteries. Then he decided to closely block the port, so that later, upon the arrival of reinforcements from Sevastopol, attack the enemy fleet. 1853, November 16 - the squadron of Rear Admiral F.M. joined the ships of Nakhimov. Novosilsky - 120-gun battleships "Paris", "Grand Duke Konstantin" and "Three Saints", as well as the frigates "Cahul" and "Kulevchi".
Squadron commanders: 1) P.S. Nakhimov; 2) Osman Pasha
Battle plan
Admiral Nakhimov decided to attack the enemy fleet with two columns: in the first, closest to the Turks, Nakhimov's ships, in the second, Novosilsky's. The frigates needed to watch the Turkish ships under sail in order to prevent the possibility of their breakthrough. Consular houses and the city in general decided to spare as much as possible, concentrating artillery fire only on ships and batteries. For the first time it was supposed to use 68-pound bomb guns.
The course of the battle
The battle of Sinop began on November 18, 1853 at 12:30 and lasted until 17:00. First, the Turkish naval artillery and coastal batteries subjected the attacking Russian squadron, which was entering the Sinop raid, to fierce fire. The enemy fired from a fairly close range, but Nakhimov's ships responded to the heavy enemy shelling only by taking advantageous positions. It was then that the complete superiority of the Russian artillery became clear.
The Turks fired mainly on the spars and sails, which they sought to impede the advance of Russian ships in the raid and force Nakhimov to abandon the attack.
The battleship "Empress Maria" was bombarded with shells, most of its spars and standing rigging were broken, only one guy remained intact at the main mast. But the Russian flagship moved forward and, acting with battle fire on Turkish ships, anchored against the enemy flagship 44-gun frigate Auni-Allah. After a half-hour battle, Auni-Allah, unable to withstand the crushing fire of Russian guns, threw herself ashore. Then the Russian battleship turned its fire on the 44-gun frigate Fazli-Allah, which soon caught fire and also washed ashore. After that, the actions of the flagship "Empress Maria" focused on the coastal enemy battery No. 5.
The battleship "Grand Duke Konstantin", anchoring, opened heavy fire on battery No. 4 and the 60-gun frigates "Navek-Bakhri" and "Nesimi-Zefer". The first was blown up 20 minutes later, showering battery No. 4 with debris and the bodies of the dead Turks, which after that almost ceased to operate; the second was thrown ashore by the wind when its anchor chain was broken by a cannonball.
The battleship "Chesma" demolished batteries No. 3 and No. 4 with the fire of its guns. The battleship "Paris", while at anchor, opened battle fire on battery No. 5, the Gyuli-Sefid corvette with twenty-two guns and a 56-gun frigate " Damiad". Then, blowing up the corvette and throwing the frigate ashore, he began to hit the 64-gun frigate "Nizamie", whose fore and mizzen masts were shot down by bombing fire, and the ship itself drifted to the shore, where it soon caught fire. Then "Paris" again began to fire at the battery number 5.
The battleship "Three Saints" entered into battle with the frigates "Kaidi-Zefer" and "Nizamie". The spring was broken by the first enemy shots, and the ship, turning to the wind, was subjected to well-aimed longitudinal fire from battery No. 6, while its mast was badly damaged. But, turning the stern again, he very successfully began to act on the Kaidi-Zefer and other Turkish ships, forcing them to move ashore. The battleship Rostislav, covering the Three Saints, concentrated fire on battery No. 6 and on the 24-gun corvette Feyze-Meabud and was able to throw the corvette ashore.
At 13.30, the Russian steam frigate Odessa appeared from behind the cape under the flag of Adjutant General Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov, accompanied by steam frigates "Khersones" and "Crimea". These ships immediately entered into battle, which, however, was already approaching the end, because the forces of the Turks were very weakened. Batteries No. 5 and No. 6 were still firing at the Russian ships until 4 p.m., but Paris and Rostislav were able to destroy them. Meanwhile, the rest of the Turkish ships, lit, apparently, by their crews, took off into the air one after another. From which a fire spread in the city, which there was no one to extinguish.
At about 2 pm, the Turkish 22-gun steamer Taif, on which Mushaver Pasha was, was able to escape from the line of Turkish ships that were suffering a severe defeat, and fled. Moreover, out of the entire Turkish squadron, only this ship had two ten-inch bomb guns. Taking advantage of the speed advantage, Taif was able to get away from the Russian ships and report to Istanbul about the complete destruction of the Turkish squadron.
Side losses
In the battle of Sinop, the Turks lost 15 out of 16 ships and more than 3,000 people killed and wounded out of 4,500 who took part in the battle. About 200 people were taken prisoner, including the commander of the Turkish fleet, Osman Pasha, who was wounded in the leg, and the commanders of two ships. Russian losses amounted to 37 people killed and 233 wounded, 13 guns were hit and disabled on the ships, there were serious damages to the hull, rigging and sails.
Results
The defeat of the Turkish squadron in the Battle of Sinop significantly weakened the Turkish naval forces in the Black Sea, the dominance of which completely passed to the Russians. Plans for a Turkish landing on the coast of the Caucasus were also thwarted. This battle, moreover, was the last major battle in the history of the era of the sailing fleet. It was time for steamships. However, this same outstanding victory caused extreme discontent in England, frightened by such significant successes of the Russian fleet. The result of this was a soon-to-be-formed alliance against Russia of two great European powers - England and France. The war, which began as a Russian-Turkish war, at the beginning of 1854 turned into a fierce Crimean War.
After this battle, the head of the 5th Fleet Division P.S. Nakhimov was awarded the Order of St. George 2nd degree, but this time Menshikov refused to present him to the rank of admiral, because the intervention of the allied forces in the war was to be a direct consequence of the Sinop victory . And Nakhimov himself said: "The British will see that we are really dangerous to them at sea, and believe me, they will use their best efforts to destroy the Black Sea Fleet." Later, Nakhimov was awarded the rank of admiral. The captain of the battleship "Paris" V. I. Istomin was promoted to rear admiral.
The fears of the leadership of the Black Sea Fleet came true: the destruction of part of the city of Sinop actually served as a pretext for war. In September 1854, a huge allied Anglo-French army would land in the Crimea to destroy the fleet and its base, the city of Sevastopol.
