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Battle of Sinop November 18 (30), 1853

A.P. Bogolyubov. Destruction of the Turkish fleet in the battle of Sinop. 1854

The Crimean (Eastern) War, the reason for which was the conflict between Russia and Turkey for political influence in the Holy Land, led to a global confrontation in the Black Sea basin. The Anglo-French squadron entered the Dardanelles. Fighting began on the Danube and in Transcaucasia.

In the autumn of 1853, it became known that a large landing of Turkish troops was being prepared for the eastern coast of the Black Sea in the region of Sukhum-Kale (Sukhumi) and Poti to help the highlanders. Given the current situation, the Black Sea Fleet was in a state of combat readiness. He was tasked with monitoring the actions of the enemy in the Black Sea and preventing the transfer of Turkish troops to the Caucasus. The commander of the squadron of the Black Sea Fleet gave an order to the detachment: “The Turkish fleet went to sea with the intention of occupying the port of Sukhum-Kale belonging to us ... the enemy can only fulfill his intention, as by passing us or giving us a battle ... I hope to accept the battle with honor. "

On November 11 (23), Nakhimov, having received information that the enemy squadron had taken refuge from the storm in Sinop Bay, decided to frustrate the enemy’s plans by defeating it at Sinop.

The Turkish squadron, which was on the roadstead in Sinop, had 7 frigates, 3 corvettes, 2 steam frigates, 2 brigs and 2 military transports (a total of 510 guns) and was protected by coastal batteries (38 guns).

The day before, a severe storm had severely damaged the Russian squadron, after which Nakhimov had only three battleships left, and two ships and a frigate had to be sent to Sevastopol. In addition, the Bessarabia steamship headed for Sevastopol to replenish coal reserves. The brig "Eney" was also sent to the main base with a report from Nakhimov.

Having assessed the situation and, in particular, the possibility of an Anglo-French fleet appearing on the Black Sea, Nakhimov decided to lock up the Turkish squadron in Sinop Bay until reinforcements arrived. In his report, he wrote on this occasion: “I positively remain here in cruising and will block them until the arrival of 2 ships sent by me to Sevastopol to repair the damage; then, despite the newly arranged batteries ... I will not hesitate to attack them.

On November 16 (28), a rear-admiral squadron consisting of three ships and one frigate approached Sinop to help Nakhimov, and the next day, another frigate, the Kulevchi. As a result, under the command of Nakhimov there were 6 battleships and 2 frigates (720 guns in total). Of these, 76 guns were bombing, firing explosive bombs, which had great destructive power. Thus, the advantage was on the side of the Russians. However, the enemy had a number of advantages, the main of which were parking in a fortified base and the presence of steamships, while the Russians had only sailing ships.

Nakhimov's idea was to simultaneously and quickly enter the Sinop roadstead in a two-wake column, approach enemy ships at a distance of 1-2 cables, stand on a spring (a method of anchoring a ship, in which you can turn the ship sideways in the right direction) against Turkish ships and naval artillery fire to destroy them. The construction of ships in a two-wake column reduced the time they spent under the fire of enemy ships and coastal batteries and improved the tactical position of the squadron.

The attack plan developed by Nakhimov contained clear instructions for preparing for battle, conducting artillery fire, which was supposed to destroy the enemy fleet as soon as possible. At the same time, the commanders were given a certain independence, depending on the specific situation, with strict observance of the principle of mutual support. “In conclusion, I will express the idea,” Nakhimov wrote in the order, “that all preliminary instructions under changed circumstances can make it difficult for a commander who knows his business, and therefore I leave everyone to act completely independently at their own discretion, but by all means do their duty.”

On the morning of November 18 (30), 1853, the Russian squadron in the ranks of two wake columns entered the Sinop Bay. At the head of the right column was Nakhimov's flagship "Empress Maria", the left - "Paris" Novosilsky. The squadron stood in a semicircle at the very embankment of the city, covering part of the coastal batteries. The ships were located in such a way that one side of them was facing the sea, and the other - the city. Thus, the effect of enemy fire was weakened. At 12:30 pm, the first salvo of the Turkish flagship Avni-Allah was heard, which opened fire on the approaching Russian squadron, followed by the guns of other ships and coastal batteries.

Under heavy enemy crossfire, the Russian ships took up positions in accordance with the attack plan, and only after that they returned fire. Nakhimov's flagship went first and was closest to the Turkish squadron and coastal batteries. He concentrated fire on the enemy admiral's frigate Avni-Allah. Half an hour later, "Avni-Allah" and the frigate "Fazly-Allah", engulfed in flames, threw themselves ashore. The same fate befell other Turkish ships. The management of the Turkish squadron was broken.

By 1700, Russian sailors had destroyed 15 out of 16 enemy ships with artillery fire and suppressed all of its coastal batteries. Random cannonballs also set fire to urban buildings located in close proximity to coastal batteries, which led to the spread of fire and caused panic among the population. Subsequently, this also gave rise to Russia's opponents to talk about the allegedly inhuman conduct of the war.

Battle of the Sinop Raid

Of the entire Turkish squadron, only one high-speed 20-gun steamer, the Taif, was able to escape, on board of which was the chief adviser of the Turks on maritime matters, the Englishman Sled, who, having arrived in Istanbul, reported on the destruction of Turkish ships in Sinop.

In this battle, Russian sailors and officers, following the instructions of Nakhimov, provided mutual support. So, at the ship "Three Saints" the spring turned out to be broken, and it began to be carried under heavy fire from coastal batteries. Then the ship "Rostislav", which was itself under enemy fire, directed fire at the Turkish battery, which was shelling the "Three Saints".

Towards the end of the battle, a detachment of ships approached Sinop under the command of Sevastopol, hurrying to the aid of Nakhimov. Participant of these events B.I. Baryatinsky, who was in the Kornilov squadron, wrote: “Approaching the ship“ Maria ”(Nakhimov’s flagship), we board the boat of our steamer and go to the ship, everything is pierced by cannonballs, the guys are almost all killed, and with a rather strong swell, the masts swayed so much, that threatened to fall. We board the ship, and both admirals throw themselves into each other's arms, we all also congratulate Nakhimov. He was magnificent, a cap on the back of his head, his face was stained with blood, new epaulettes, his nose - everything was red from blood, sailors and officers ... all black from gunpowder smoke ... It turned out that the "Maria" had the most killed and wounded, as Nakhimov was walking the lead in the squadron and from the very beginning of the battle became closest to the Turkish firing sides. Nakhimov's coat, which he took off before the battle and hung right there on a carnation, was torn by a Turkish core.

N.P. Medovikov. P.S. Nakhimov during the Battle of Sinop November 18, 1853 1952

In the battle of Sinop, the Turks lost over 3 thousand people killed and wounded: 200 people were taken prisoner, including the squadron commander Osman Pasha and the commanders of three ships. The Russian squadron had no losses in the ships, but many of them, including Nakhimov's flagship Empress Maria, were seriously damaged. Russian losses were 37 killed and 235 wounded. “The flagship and captains showed both knowledge of their business and the most unshakable courage, as well as the officers subordinate to them, while the lower ranks fought like lions,” Nakhimov reported to Kornilov.

In the order for the squadron, Nakhimov wrote: "The destruction of the Turkish fleet in Sinop by a squadron under my command cannot but leave a glorious page in the history of the Black Sea Fleet." He thanked the personnel for their bravery and courage. "With such subordinates, I will proudly face any enemy European fleet."

The victory was won as a result of the high professional skills of the Russian sailors, the heroism, courage and bravery of the sailors, as well as thanks to the decisive and skillful actions of the command and, above all, Nakhimov.

The defeat of the Turkish squadron in Sinop significantly weakened the Turkish naval forces and frustrated its plans to land troops on the coast of the Caucasus. At the same time, the destruction of the Turkish squadron led to a change in the entire military-political situation. After the Battle of Sinop, Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia entered the war. On December 23, 1853 (January 4, 1854), a combined Anglo-French squadron entered the Black Sea.

The battle of Sinop was the last major battle of the era of the sailing fleet. "A glorious battle, higher than Chesma and Navarin!" - this is how Vice Admiral V.A. Kornilov.

During the years, the Soviet government established an order and a medal in honor of Nakhimov. The order was received by officers of the Navy for outstanding success in the development, conduct and support of naval operations, as a result of which an offensive operation of the enemy was repelled or active operations of the fleet were ensured, significant damage was inflicted on the enemy and own forces were saved. The medal was awarded to sailors and foremen for military merit.

According to the Federal Law “On the Days of Military Glory of Russia” dated March 13, 1995, December 1 is celebrated in the Russian Federation as “Victory Day of the Russian squadron P.S. Nakhimov over the Turkish squadron at the cape (as in the Federal Law. In fact - in the Sinop Bay) Sinop (1853)”.

The material was prepared by the Research Institute
(military history) of the Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation

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.

The battle of Sinop in 1853 immortalized the glory of Russian sailors. It was thanks to him that the West started talking about the power of the Russian fleet.

The battle of Sinop, which became the last battle of the sailing fleets, is called the “swan song of the sailing fleet”. In honor of this victory of Russian sailors in the Crimean War, December 1 is declared the Day of Russia's Military Glory. In the battle between the Russian and Turkish squadrons, all but one of the ships of the Turks were destroyed. The Russian fleet suffered no losses.

Map of the battle of the Sinop raid. 11/30/1853

The English press assessed the actions of the Russian sailors very negatively, calling the battle the "Massacre of Sinop". Even false information was spread that the Russians were shooting Turks in the water who were trying to escape from sinking ships. Ultimately, the events of November 30 pushed Great Britain and France to enter the war (in March 1854) on the side of the Ottoman Empire.

In the battle on the roadstead of the Turkish port of Sinop, in just 4 hours, they managed to defeat the enemy - that's how long the battle lasted. It all started with the fact that Russian patrol ships discovered Turkish ships in the Sinop Bay. They intended to transfer forces to the Caucasus - to Sukhumi and Poti. The commander of the Russian fleet, Admiral Pavel Nakhimov, ordered to block the exit from the bay and call for reinforcements from Sevastopol. The squadron in two columns, one of which was led by Nakhimov, the second by Rear Admiral Fyodor Novosilsky, entered the bay. Under heavy enemy fire, Russian ships approached the Turkish ships and only from a distance of 300 meters with accurate side salvos destroyed all the ships of Osman Pasha. Only one was able to get out of the bay, break away from the pursuit, reach Istanbul and report the collapse of the squadron. The Turkish admiral was captured, his broadsword is still kept in the museum of Sevastopol. The losses of the enemy amounted to more than 3,000 people killed and wounded. On the part of Russia, 38 sailors were killed, a little more than 200 were injured.

I.K. Aivazovsky. Russian ships in the battle of Sinop. 1853

The Turks had a numerical advantage - 16 ships against 8 Russian ships. True, they did not have a single linear one, which in total gave 500 guns, against 720 for the Russians, who have 6 battleships. And even the help of 38 coast guard guns did not save the Turkish fleet from death. It is worth adding that the Russians were the first to use 68-pound bomb guns that fired explosive shells. It was this weapon that largely determined such a brilliant victory for Russia. A volley of bombing cannons could send any of the ships existing at that time to the bottom. The use of such weapons was actually the end for the classic sailing wooden warships.

I.K. Aivazovsky. 120-gun ship "Paris"

Admiral Nakhimov commanded the battle from the ship "Empress Maria". The flagship got the most - it was literally bombarded by enemy nuclei, most of the masts and spars were killed. Nevertheless, "Empress Maria" went forward, crushing Turkish ships on her way. Approaching the Turkish flagship Auni Allah, the Russian flagship anchored and fought for half an hour. As a result, "Auni Allah" caught fire and washed ashore. After that, "Empress Maria" defeated another Turkish frigate "Fazi Allah" and went to battle with the fifth battery.

Other ships also distinguished themselves in battle. Nakhimov during the battle usually expressed gratitude to the sailors for a good battle. This time he liked the actions of the battleship "Paris". At anchor, the ship opened fire on the Gyuli-Sefid corvette and the Damiad frigate. Having blown up the corvette and throwing the frigate ashore, he hit the Nizamiye frigate with fire, the ship drifted to the shore and soon caught fire. The commander ordered to signal his gratitude to the team, but the signal towers on the flagship were broken. Then he sent a boat with sailors, who personally conveyed the gratitude of the admiral to the sailors of the "Paris".

Having finished the battle, the ships of the Russian fleet began to repair the damage, and two days later they weighed anchor to proceed to Sevastopol. Around noon on December 4, with general rejoicing, they victoriously entered the Sevastopol raid. Admiral Nakhimov, who achieved this brilliant victory, died a year and a half later during the siege of Sevastopol.

A.D. Kivshenko. The deck of the battleship "Empress Maria" during the battle of Sinop. . 1853

The battle of Sinop immortalized the Russian sailors in history. It was thanks to him that the West started talking about the power of the Russian fleet. In addition, this naval battle became one of the most striking examples of the complete destruction of the enemy fleet at its own base.

A.P. Bogolyubov. Sinop battle

Having learned about the victory near Sinop, the famous marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky immediately left for Sevastopol, where the ships of the Black Sea Fleet returned. The artist asked about all the details of the battle, about the location of the ships, that Nakhimov started the battle "at the closest distance." Having collected the necessary information, the artist painted two paintings - "The Battle of Sinop in the Daytime", about the beginning of the battle, and "The Battle of Sinop at Night" - about its victorious end and the defeat of the Turkish fleet. “The paintings are extremely well done,” said Admiral Nakhimov, the hero of Sinop, about them.

Date November 30, 1853 (November 18)
Location of Sinop, Ottoman Empire
Result Decisive Russian victory

belligerents
Russian Empire Ottoman Empire

Commanders
Pavel Nakhimov Osman Pasha
Adolph Slade

Forces
Russian Empire Ottoman Empire

6 battleships 7 frigates
2 frigates 3 corvette
3 steamships
2 steamers

Military casualties
Russian empire:
37 killed
233 wounded,
~ 3 battleships damaged

Ottoman Empire:
~ 3000 killed and wounded,
1 frigate sunk,
1 ship sank
6 frigates forcibly stranded,
3 corvettes forcibly stranded,
~ 2 coastal batteries destroyed

The Battle of Sinop, which took place on November 18 (30 New Style), 1853, was the last major battle of sailing ships. Although both the Russian and Turkish fleets already had steamships, they did not play any noticeable role under Sinop. The outcome of the battle was decided by the superiority of sailing battleships over sailing frigates and corvettes.

Nakhimov against Osman Pasha: the forces of the parties

On the morning of November 16, Nakhimov's squadron blocking Sinop noticed the approaching ships of the detachment of Rear Admiral F. M. Novosilsky. Soon the united squadron drifted about 20 miles from the Turkish port. On the same day, Menshikov ordered to send a detachment of steamship frigates to Sinop. However, it turned out that the best of them - "Vladimir", as well as "Bessarabia" are under repair and will not be able to immediately go to sea. Therefore, the detachment that left Sevastopol on November 17 included the relatively weak "Odessa", "Crimea" (flag of Rear Admiral A.I. Panfilov) and "Khersonesos". This formation was headed by the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, Vice Admiral V. A. Kornilov. Vladimir Alekseevich strove to be in time for the beginning of the battle (the Russian command had no doubt that it was inevitable) and to take an active part in it.
On November 17, another ship, the frigate Kulevchi, joined Nakhimov's squadron. Now Sinop had eight Russian ships: three 120-gun (Paris, Grand Duke Konstantin and Three Saints) and 84-gun (Empress Maria, Rostislav and Chesma) battleships, and also two large frigates ("Cahul" and "Kulevchi"). Arriving on Novosilsky's flagship, the 120-gun Paris, Pavel Stepanovich announced his decision to attack the enemy the next day. He prepared a detailed plan (more precisely, an order), which determined the general procedure for moving the squadron and deploying to the Sinop roadstead, but should not have hindered the initiative of subordinates.
In the last, 10th paragraph, he especially emphasized: “... In conclusion, I will express my idea that all preliminary instructions under changed circumstances can make it difficult for a commander who knows his business, and therefore I leave everyone to act completely independently at their own discretion; but by all means do your duty.” The order ended with words addressed to all sailors: “The Sovereign Emperor and Russia expect glorious deeds from the Black Sea Fleet; It's up to you to live up to expectations."
According to the state, Russian battleships had 624 guns, including 76 68-pound bombers, as well as four older bomb guns - one pood "unicorn".
There were no battleships in the squadron of Osman Pasha located in Sinop. It was based on seven frigates: the 64-gun Nizamiye, the 60-gun Nejmi-Zafer, the 58-gun Naviki-Bahri, the 54-gun Kadi-Zafer, the 44-gun Auni-Allah and "Fazli-Allah", as well as the Egyptian 56-gun "Damiat". These were ships of various colors, differing markedly not only in number, but also in caliber guns. For example, the flagship "Auni-Allah" and "Nizamiye" (the ship of the junior flagship Hussein Pasha) had quite modern and powerful enough 32-pounder guns, and "Kadi-Zafer" and "Fazli-Allah" had only 18 and 12- pounds, unable to cause really serious damage to large and well-built battleships.
Three Turkish corvettes were also armed differently. The 24-gun Feyzi-Mabud carried 32-pounders, while the 24-gun Nejmi-Feshan and the 22-gun Gyuli-Sefid carried only 18- and 12-pounders. Two Turkish ships turned out to be completely different. While the Eregli was armed with only two 12-pounder guns and a relatively underpowered machine, the first-class steamship frigate Taif, in addition to two dozen 42- and 24-pounder guns, had two formidable bombing 10-inch "giants". Two Turkish transports ("Ada-Feran" and "Fauni-Ele"), as well as two trading brigs, could not be taken into account.
The presence of the enemy's steamships noticeably worried Nakhimov, who was well aware of the threat emanating from them. The Russian admiral considered it necessary to dedicate a special paragraph to them in the order: "The frigates" Cahul "and" Kulevchi "during the action remain under sail to observe enemy ships, which, no doubt, will come under steam and will harm our ships of their own choice."
Turkish ships were located in a crescent in front of the port of Sinop, six coastal batteries with 38 guns could support them with fire (however, two of them - 6- and 8-gun - were located quite far from the port and did not participate in the battle). The guns on these batteries were the most diverse, there were even three 68-pound bombers. However, the rest of the guns were mostly 18-pounders, and some of them should have been considered museum exhibits (according to A. Slade, an English officer in the Turkish service, ancient Genoese guns were preserved on some batteries). But with coastal batteries, there were furnaces for incandescent cores. For wooden ships, hardened cannonballs posed a considerable danger, but the use of such shells also required considerable skill from artillery crews, since the slightest oversight during loading could lead to damage to the guns themselves and casualties among the gunners.
Without taking into account the Ka-gula and Kulevcha left at sea, Nakhimov’s squadron had approximately one and a half superiority over the enemy in terms of the total number of guns, however, due to the heavier armament of Russian ships, the weight of an airborne salvo turned out to be almost twice as large. But the main thing was the best training of Russian artillerymen, although in the middle of the 19th century. the focus was more on the ability to load cannons quickly than on accurate shooting. Sights were still very primitive, but great importance was attached to the rate of fire. And then the advantage of the Russian Black Sea became overwhelming.
And there were many problems with discipline on Turkish ships.
A fair amount of difficulty for the Russian gunners was the location of the enemy squadron, which stood very close to the shore. Recall that powerful forces of the British and French fleets were in Constantinople, and therefore the destruction of the city seemed to A. S. Menshikov extremely undesirable. A few days before the battle, he informed Nakhimov: “It is known that the French and the British promised the Port, in the event of our attack on Turkish port cities and harbors, to send their squadrons to the Black Sea to protect them, why it is necessary to try to avoid actions against cities ... And it is desirable that when attacking Turkish warships, which are on the roadsteads, as is currently at Sinop, the city would not be harmed as much as possible. The desire to avoid unnecessary destruction on the shore was also reflected in paragraph 10 of Nakhimov's order: "Start a deal with enemy ships, try, if possible, not to harm the consular houses, on which their national flags will be raised."
Interestingly, the Anglo-French ships in Constantinople noticeably raised the morale of the Turkish command, which was even about to send battleships to Sinop for the winter. The Turks were dissuaded from this risky undertaking by Slade (Mushaver Pasha), who later considered this his undoubted success. Looking ahead, we note that, based on the results of the Sinop battle, Osman Pasha was accused of many miscalculations.
On the one hand, he did not leave Sinop for the Bosphorus while it was still possible. On the other hand, he did not go so far as to remove all or at least part of the guns from the sides of his ships facing the shore and install them on the shore. Indeed, at that time it was believed that one gun on the battery corresponded to several on the deck, and in a real battle, Russian ships suffered certain damage precisely from the fire of a few batteries. One can imagine how much more difficult the position of Nakhimov's squadron would become if hundreds of guns stood on the shore. But here it should be immediately explained that Osman Pasha was in Sinop not because he so wanted to. He carried out the order and could not, on his own initiative, actually "chain" his ships to the port, because further actions of the fleet off the coast of the Caucasus were supposed. And the transport of the guns to the shore and their subsequent return to their regular places could take a lot of time.

The morning of November 18 found the Russian ships drifting 10 miles from Sinop. The weather that day was windy and rainy, with an air temperature of +12°C at noon. At half past ten, Nakhimov ordered to start moving. He held the flag on the Empress Maria, the junior flagship on the Paris. Admiral ships led the columns, each of which included three ships. Following the "Empress Maria" was "Grand Duke Konstantin", the end - "Chesma". In the Novosilsky column, the ship "Three Saints" followed the second in the ranks, and the "Rostislav" closed the line. According to a number of historians, Nakhimov made a mistake by not hoisting the flag on the 120-gun "Grand Duke Konstantin", which also had more powerful bomb artillery compared to the "Empress Maria" (28 guns against eight). Perhaps the admiral simply did not want to transfer the flag, or perhaps the fact that the Empress Maria entered service quite shortly before the start of the war played a role and the ship's crew was not yet as cohesive and fused as on other battleships. In such a situation, the flagship might consider it necessary to personally control the actions of the ship's commander and officers.
It is widely believed that the Turkish guns began to fire even at a time when Russian ships were at a considerable distance, and on the orders of Nakhimov, return fire was opened only from a minimum distance. But in fact, such statements are not true. "Paris" took its position and anchored at 12.25, "Three Saints" and "Rostislav" at that moment were walking along the Turkish line, bypassing the flagship. Nakhimov's ships also moved along the enemy order - the distance between them and the Turks no longer decreased.
And only then, at 12.28, from the side of the frigate "Auni-Allah" the first shot rang out. And according to A. Slade, the first shot was fired by Nizamiye, and Osman Pasha simply ignored the request of the commander of the Naviki-Bakhri to be allowed to open fire from a long distance. Following the flagship frigate, the remaining ships opened fire, which were immediately joined by four coastal batteries. Along with the cores, Turkish artillerymen used buckshot, there are also references to the use of knipples.
Osman Pasha very well chose the moment to open fire: his enemy had not yet managed to take up positions and anchor. Since the place of the battle was not yet clouded with powder smoke, and the distance to the targets was small, the Turkish gunners fired quite accurately and the Russian ships immediately began to receive numerous hits. At that moment, the Russian commander made a mistake: on his orders, the "Empress
Maria "anchored, unsuccessfully choosing a position. The battleship not only came under fire from four enemy ships and a coastal battery, but also prevented the deployment of other ships in its column. As a result, the terminal "Chesma" was generally literally turned off from the battlefield and could only fire at one Turkish battery.
As already mentioned, the first of the Russian ships anchored "Paris". Rear Admiral F.M. Novosilsky and Captain 1st Rank V.I. Istomin chose the position very well. The powerful artillery of the 120-gun battleship almost immediately began to hit the enemy, and only the Damiat fired back at him. At 12.30, the next ship of the column, the Three Saints, anchored, immediately putting its very powerful artillery into action. And when Rostislav entered the battle after him, the superiority of the Russians became significant. However, the Turks fought desperately, and Nakhimov's flagship was in a very dangerous position. Then Novosilsky ordered to turn the "Paris" on the spring in such a way that one of the corvettes opposing the "Empress Maria" and the coastal battery could be fired upon. In turn, the Russian flagship concentrated its fire on the Turkish admiral's ship. "Auni-Allah" immediately found himself in a difficult situation.
Turkish corvettes and frigates were inferior to Russian battleships not only in the number and caliber of guns. They were lighter built and could not withstand a large number of hits from cannonballs and explosive bombs without fatal damage. Turkish crews suffered heavy losses, guns broke down. But the rate of fire of the then muzzle-loading guns did not allow deciding the outcome of the battle immediately, in a matter of minutes. And at 12.45, the Russian squadron got into a very unpleasant situation: the core broke the spring at the Three Saints and the wind turned the ship with the most vulnerable part - the stern - towards the enemy battery. The Turks were able to bombard the battleship with longitudinal fire, moreover, a dangerous fire broke out on it from a red-hot cannonball. But the list of failures for the Russians was not limited to this: in thick smoke, the gunners of the “Three Saints” fired on the “Paris”. Before the mistake was cleared up, and the order to cease fire was received from Novosilsky, the ship of the junior flagship received a number of hits by Russian cannonballs. On top of all the troubles, after receiving the order to cease fire, the artillery of the "Three Saints" stopped firing altogether.
Now Rostislav was in a difficult situation. Its commander, Captain 1st Rank A.D. Kuznetsov, tried to suppress the coastal battery that was annoying his comrade, but he himself came under fire from three ships and the same battery. A somewhat paradoxical situation arose: despite the overall superiority of the Russian squadron in terms of the number of guns, the Turks were able to use almost twice as many guns as there were on the firing board of the battleship against the Rostislav. The gunners of the Rostislav, seeking to inflict maximum damage on the enemy and increase the power of fire, loaded the guns with two cores at once. This had a certain effect, but led to the rupture of several guns. Many sailors were injured and maimed.

Complete victory of the Russian fleet

No matter how hard it was for the Russian ships, the Turks were much worse. At 12.52 (less than half an hour after the first shot) they lost the first ship. succumbed to panic and began to escape. At that moment, a strong explosion was heard on the frigate, its burning fragments and even dead bodies literally fell asleep standing nearby "Nedzhmi-Zafer" and the coastal battery, whose guns were temporarily silent. At about 13 o'clock, a new blow followed: under fire " Empress Mary "failed" Auni-Allah. Having suffered huge losses in people and literally littered with corpses, the frigate drifted past the formation of Turkish ships and ran aground at the extreme coastal battery. By this time, the frigate had finally turned into a ruin - when it was slowly carried by the current past the "Paris", the Russian gunners fired several successful volleys at the enemy.The failure of the flagship made a heavy impression on the Turkish sailors, the resistance of the Turks immediately weakened.
On the "Empress Maria" losses during this period of the battle also turned out to be significant, among the disabled was the commander of the ship, Captain 2nd Rank Pyotr Ivanovich Baranovsky (wounded and shell-shocked). But the senior officer who replaced him, Captain-Lieutenant M. M. Kotzebue, as well as other officers of the battleship, acted skillfully and decisively, earning the approval of the commander. The next victim of the artillerymen of the Russian flagship was the Fazli-Allah frigate, the Russian Rafail once captured by the Turks. The ship that "crossed over" to the enemy was shot with special passion and enthusiasm, accompanying the shots with swearing at the "traitor". The Fazli-Allah did not last long and, following the example of the flagship, soon jumped ashore. Now Nakhimov's ship had practically no targets left, so they had to limit themselves to shelling the coastal battery that continued to resist.
Novosilsky's ships also operated successfully. At about 13 o'clock, "Three Saints" was able to re-engage in battle. True, at the same time, trouble happened on the Rostislav: for unknown reasons (hit by a Turkish red-hot cannonball or grenade; rupture due to a metal defect or reinforced charge), a gun exploded on the lower deck, followed by an explosion of a powder cap, and then the fire engulfed another 20 charges intended to be carried over the guns. It was only thanks to the heroism of midshipman Kolokoltsev and his sailors that the explosion of the propeller chamber was prevented. However, the ship received significant damage, about 40 people were injured and burned. On the other hand, the gunners of the "Paris" achieved more and more success, putting enemy ships out of action and silencing coastal batteries.
Turkish ships exploded or failed one after another.
Although some of them continued to shoot back, even running aground, this could no longer have a significant impact on the results of the battle. At 14 o'clock, under the fire of "Paris", the ship of the junior flagship of Hussein Pasha "Nizamiye", very seriously damaged and demasted, broke down and began to drift towards the shore. After that, Russian sailors destroyed enemy transports and merchant ships, on which supplies were intended for delivery to the shores of the Caucasus. The battle gradually subsided, but at 14.30 resumed firing already, it would seem, completely broken and aground "Damiat"; the gunners of the "Paris" had to again bring down the cannonballs and buckshot on the Egyptian frigate. Soon he finally stopped the resistance. Around the same time, the Rostislav finished off the Feyzi-Mabud corvette, and the Three Hierarchs forced the Kadi-Zafer, which was burning and almost lost its combat capability, to run aground, although the Turkish gunners continued firing for some time. After that, until about 4 p.m., the Russian ships, which were joined by the Ku-levchi frigate, had to fire on coastal batteries - from time to time they opened rare and inaccurate fire (but they fired with red-hot cannonballs, which posed a considerable danger to wooden ships) .
Results of the battle
By 4 p.m. there were no combat-ready Turkish ships left in the bay. "Naviki-Bakhri" and "Gyuli-Sefid" exploded, the rest with heavy damage stuck aground. Some of them were set on fire by the Turks themselves, which led to very sad consequences: as a result of strong explosions that thundered on the Fazli-Allah frigate and the Nejmi-Feshan corvette, the Turkish part of Sinop was covered with burning debris. Since the governor of the city and the Muslim part of the population fled, there was no one to put out the fires. Also left the city and those of the surviving Turkish sailors who were lucky enough to survive and safely reach the shore. Most likely, there were no officers left on the batteries, who for some time fired infrequently, until they were finally suppressed.
On some Turkish ships, flags were not lowered, but this did not mean that someone was ready to continue resistance. The rest of the crew no longer thought about such things. So, on the frigate "Nedzhmi-Feshan" the flag was lowered only at the request of the truce sent ashore by Nakhimov, midshipman I.M. Manto. His mission as a whole turned out to be unsuccessful - there was simply no one to negotiate with. .
When Kornilov's steamship frigates, after an unsuccessful pursuit of the Taif, approached Sinop, it was all over. All that remained was to calculate our own losses, assess the damage received by the Russian ships, and try to save some of the trophies (this will be discussed in the next issue). Also, the winners had to assist the Turkish sailors who remained on the broken ships, among whom there were many wounded. .
It is curious that the last hit on the Russian ship happened already late in the evening, at about 22:00: the core hit the captain's cabin of the frigate Kulevchi. An accurate shot occurred ... without the participation of people - from the flames of a fire on one of the Turkish ships, a spontaneous shot of a gun loaded during the day happened.

Nakhimov's flagship
The newest battleship of the Black Sea Fleet - the 84-gun "Empress Maria" - during the battle of Sinop was the flagship of Admiral Nakhimov. The battleship, anchored opposite the Turkish flagship frigate Auni-Allah, came under fire from coastal guns. As a result. "Empress Maria" was seriously damaged, but her gunners also caused great damage to Turkish ships and batteries.

through the eyes of others
Russian artists dedicated many paintings and drawings to the battle of Sinop, among which the works of I.K. Aivazovsky and A.P. Bogolyubov stand out. At the same time, both directly during the Crimean War and many years after its end, numerous unreliable “fantasies on the topic” appeared in different countries. For example, in the above illustration, the English author clearly exaggerated the damage received in battle by Russian ships (pay attention to the downed mast of the "Russian battleship").

This attack gave France and Britain a pretext for declaring war on Russia in early 1854 to support the Ottoman Empire.

Battling ships
Russian Empire
. Grand Duke Konstantin, battleship, 120 guns
. Three saints, battleship, 120 guns
. Paris, 120 guns, ship of the line, flagship
. Empress Maria, battleship, 84 guns, flagship
. Chesma, battleship, 84 guns
. Rostislav, battleship, 84 guns
. Kulevtcha, frigate, 54 guns
. Cahul, frigate, 44 guns
. Odessa, steamer, 4 guns
. Crimea, steamer, 4 guns
. Chersonese, steamer, 4 guns

Ottoman Empire
. Avni Allah, frigate, 44 guns (grounded)
. Fazlom Allah, frigate, 44 guns (originally Russian Raphael, captured during the war of 1828-29) (set on fire, grounded)
. Nizamieh, frigate, 62 guns (grounded after losing two masts)
. Nessin Zafer, frigate, 60 guns (grounded)
. Navek Bahri, frigate, 58 guns (exploded)
. Damiat, frigate, 56 guns (Egyptian) (grounded)
. Kaid Zafer, frigate, 54 guns (grounded)
. Nejm Fishan, corvette, 24 guns
. Feyz Mabud, corvette, 24 guns (grounded)
. Kel Safid, corvette, 22 guns (exploded)
. Taif, steamer, 12 guns (retreated to Istanbul)
. Erkelye, steamer, 10 guns

« 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, in early 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.