Naval battle in 1827. Navarino naval battle took place

On the night and morning of October 8, it was not windy, because of which the Allied squadrons remained at the entrance to the bay. Only after 11 o'clock in the morning the wind blew from the south and the admirals began to build their squadrons in a marching order.

The Turkish-Egyptian fleet was anchored in three lines in the Navarino Bay, convenient for defense, in its favorite crescent shape. Battleships and frigates made up the first line, corvettes and auxiliary vessels - the second and third. Fireships stood ready on both flanks of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. Admiral Tahir Pasha commanded Turkish ships, Admiral Muharem Bey commanded Egyptian ships.

Near the eastern shore were transports and merchant ships. The narrow entrance to the bay was defended by the Navarin fortress (40 guns), batteries on the island of Sfaktiriya (125 guns) and fireships.

By order of the commander of the united squadrons, Vice Admiral E. Codrington, the squadrons were to enter the Navarin Bay in two wake columns: in the right column, English and French ships, in the left, Russian. The British and French ships were assigned a position against the left flank of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, the Russians - against the center. English and Russian frigates were to be on the right flank. Each of the ships of the squadron, entering the Navarino Bay, stood directly against the side of the enemy ship with which it was to fight. The fire was opened at the signal of the flagship. The Thundering corvette was supposed to cruise at the entrance to the bay; it did not participate in the battle.

At 12.30, a signal was given from the British flagship Asia to move to Navarino Bay. When building a battle order, the French ships did not take their place in the right column in a timely manner. When approaching Navarino Bay, E. Codrington, contrary to the order given to enter it in two columns, ordered the Russian squadron to drift and let the French go ahead. Perhaps the English admiral decided at the last moment that entering in two columns through a narrow entrance was risky: if any of the following ships in the columns ran aground, this would inevitably lead to a general dump of the fleet in the strait and unpredictable consequences.

The Turks calmly looked at the movement of the English ships. At the entrance of the allied fleet into the bay, an officer from Muharem Bey arrived on board the Asia, who said that Ibrahim Pasha had left Navarin without leaving orders to allow the allied squadrons to enter the port, and suggested that they go to sea.

"I came here not to receive, but to give orders," replied Codrington. “After the treacherous violation of the word given by Ibrahim Pasha, we will destroy your entire fleet if at least one shot is fired at the allies.”

By 14 o'clock the English and French squadrons entered the bay and anchored. Despite the fact that the Turkish ships did not open fire, not all French and English ships took their places according to their disposition. The French flagship frigate "Siren" became too close to the enemy ship, which almost led to his death. The battleship "Scipio" collided with a Turkish fire ship, grappling with it with a mast, and caught fire. The frigate Dartmouth and two brigs were engaged in rescuing him. The battleships "Trident" and "Breslav" also did not take their places. "Breslav" became in the center of the bay. Only at the end of the battle did he stand next to Azov.

74-gun battleship "Azov"

Having missed the French ships, the Russian squadron headed for Navarino Bay. At 14:00 "Azov" approached its entrance. When the Russian squadron entered the bay, the commander of the English frigate Dartmouth sent his officer on a boat to the commander of the Turkish fireships with a demand to take them deep into the bay. But the fireman's team, not knowing the intention of the British, opened fire on the boat, killing the officer and part of the rowers. The frigates Dartmouth and Sirena responded with rifle fire.

Soon the Egyptian corvette began to fire on the French flagship frigate Sirena. The rest of the Allied ships did not open fire: the Anglo-French command still hoped that the Turks would cease fire.

E. Codrington sent an envoy to Muharem Bey's ship with a proposal to stop firing, but the envoy was also killed. Only then did the Allies open fire. At this time, the Russian squadron was only passing by the batteries on the island of Sfagia and the fortress of Navarino. As soon as the lead ship "Azov" managed to pass the fortress, the battle began. Our squadron had to enter the bay under the crossfire of Turkish batteries and ships. The place where, according to the disposition, the Russian ships were supposed to be, was shrouded in powder smoke. In the impenetrable darkness of L.P. Heiden was supposed to lead the squadron into the very depths of the harbor. "Azov", not reaching the middle of the harbor, disappeared into the smoke, and all the objects surrounding it disappeared into the darkness.

Russian ships, showered with cannonballs and buckshot, went forward one after another in strict order. To perform the anchoring maneuver, the captains, officers and crew showed restraint, composure and courage.

Admiral M.P. Lazarev, in 1827 - captain of the 1st rank, commander of the battleship "Azov"

At 14.45 "Azov" opened fire on the left side of the enemy frigates, past which the Russian squadron passed. At 15 o'clock "Azov" anchored and turned around on a spring against a 76-gun ship at a cable distance and opened heavy fire. By 15.30 on the enemy ship all the masts were knocked down and the anchor ropes were broken. Initially, he intended to fall on board with the Azov, but, having met the crushing fire of Russian guns, he went ashore, where he was blown up the next day. At this time, a Turkish admiral two-decker frigate under the flag of Tahir Pasha and some corvettes, which was standing in the second line, opened. At about 4 p.m., the frigate, which was ahead of the ship fighting with Azov, caught fire and was carried back, which opened the frigate and several corvettes in the second and third lines. The frigate that caught fire soon exploded astern of the Azov.

On the Azov, the foremast and two guns were damaged, a fire broke out, which was quickly extinguished.

Noticing the plight of the Azov, La Bretonnière, the commander of the French ship Breslav, immediately cut off the anchor rope and took a place between the Azov and the English ship Albion, thus easing the position of the Russian flagship. For its part, Azov, despite the fact that it was itself surrounded by enemy ships, helped the English flagship Asia, which fought with an 84-gun ship under the flag of Muharem Bey. board "Azov". By order of M.P. Lazarev immediately 14 guns from the port side of the Russian ship opened fire, and half an hour later the stern of the Egyptian flagship was completely broken. Shooting from the Azov with buckshot paralyzed all the efforts of the enemy to put out the fire that had arisen, and the Egyptian ship, stepping aside, soon took off into the air. At the same time, the corvette that was against Azov in the second line exploded. At 17.15, the admiral's frigate Tahir Pasha, who was fighting with the Azov, had the mizzen mast shot down and the ropes broken, and he was carried to the shore. At 17.30, the corvette, which was in the second line against the Azov, sank, and the other ships that stood against the Russian squadron began to cut off the ropes and, in distress, escape near the shore.

Following the "Azov" was "Gangut". Passing by the fortress and batteries of the island of Sfactory, he was met by fire from both sides, which caused great damage to the spars and sails. The Russian ship immediately responded with volleys from both sides and silenced the batteries for a while. The lieutenant on duty on the "Gangut" did not see the Azov ahead in the smoke and asked in bewilderment: "Where to go?" “Rooms on the compass,” answered the commander of the ship A.P. Avinov. At 15.15 "Gangut", having approached "Azov" at a distance of half a cable, anchored with a spring. The ship opened fire on the starboard side of the enemy frigates. At 16.30 one frigate sank without lowering the flag. Around 17:00, another frigate exploded, bombarding the Gangut with burning debris. Two fires broke out on the ship, which were quickly extinguished. After that, "Gangut" continued to shoot at the corvettes that were in the second line.

"Ezekiel", entering the bay, suppressed the coastal batteries of the Turks with his artillery. At 1530 he anchored and opened fire on a large 54-gun frigate and several corvettes. Ezekiel, together with Gangut, sank a Turkish fireship. At the beginning of the battle, the commander of the ship I.I. was wounded by buckshot. Svinkin and for four hours he commanded the ship, kneeling and holding on to the rope.

Navarino battle. Lithograph by Gratsiansky. In the foreground is the 84-gun battleship "Gangut"

"Alexander Nevsky", entering the bay, also fired from both sides. The ship anchored at 15.45 between the Ezekiel and the French frigate Armida and entered the starboard battle with two 58-gun frigates, one of which fought with the Armida. Soon the latter surrendered to the French, and the first - "Keyvan-Bahri" - after 40 minutes lost the mainsail and mizzen masts and most of the guns, the machines of which were broken. At 16.45 he surrendered to the Russian ship. The flag of "Keyvan-Bahri" is currently in the TsVMM. Then the "Alexander Nevsky" with longitudinal volleys began to smash the third frigate, which fought off the "Ezekiel", soon this frigate exploded. At about 18 o'clock from the "Alexander Nevsky" they saw a fire brig coming from the coast to the Russian ships. Artillery fire "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ezekiel" he was sunk.

The Russian frigates following their ships attacked the western wing of the Turkish formation, where from the very beginning of the battle, the allied ships fought an unequal battle. The English corvette "Talbot" in the first 20 minutes of the battle fought off almost all the Turkish ships that were here. First, the French frigate Armida came to his aid, and then Russian ships. The frigate Elena, following the Alexander Nevsky, hastily stood on the spring and attacked the 50-gun Turkish frigate. Following the "Elena" "Nimble" immediately joined the colleague. When this Turkish frigate ceased resistance, fell silent and fled, the Elena continued firing at the ships of the 2nd line, and the Agile transferred fire to the 54-gun frigate that fought with the Armida, damaged it and put it out of action.

At 15.30, the Castor and Konstantin approached and entered the battle. After 45 minutes, the frigate that fought with the Castor lowered the flag. The Russian ship immediately turned and attacked another, but at that time the first enemy, having corrected the damage, again entered the battle. I.S. Sytin turned his frigate to its original position and again began to shoot it, the Turks cut off the ropes and went to the shore.

74-gun battleship "Alexander Nevsky"

"Konstantin", despite the fire from several directions, the darkness and tightness on the flank, moved ahead of the "Talbot" and began to shoot three enemy corvettes. "Konstantin" during the battle intensively fired on Turkish ships, but he, despite the strong return fire, almost did not suffer.

The appearance of Russian frigates, especially the Castor and Konstantin, greatly helped the Allied frigates and brigs, especially the brig Mosquito, which was shot from three corvettes, a frigate and batteries of the island. The brig, which had lost all its anchors, was carried in the most helpless position to the Turkish line, but, fortunately, the sailors of the Konstantin managed to take it on bakshtov and held it for the whole night.

The right flank and center of the enemy, against which the Russian ships stood, stopped resistance earlier than the left flank.

Throughout the battle, which lasted about four hours, Rear Admiral Count L.P. Geiden paced the poop of the Azov, giving orders and orders as calmly and coolly as during maneuvers. With presence of mind, he retained the usual cheerfulness of his character. So, for example, he asked young officers: “What do you think, how soon will this holiday end? ..” and then added: “But I know that it will end soon, and without fail with glory for us.” When one of the officers, who was near the admiral, drew his attention to the fact that our sailors were throwing ends to the drowning Turks, Login Petrovich, touched by philanthropy, exclaimed: “Yes! It's nice! Well done to our sailors: they are as good as they are brave!

On the Azov, the future heroes of Sevastopol, Lieutenant P.S., participated in the Battle of Navarino. Nakhimov, midshipman V.A. Kornilov, midshipman V.I. Istomin.

Exactly at 6 pm, the Russian squadron played a lights out. After serving prayers for the gift of victory, everyone prepared to repel a night attack that could have been made by any of the surviving fireships.

Navarino Bay at that time resembled Chesmenskaya after the famous battle: burning ships exploded incessantly - even the surviving ones were set on fire by the enemy himself - the bay was littered with various debris and the corpses of those killed.

We must pay tribute to the courage of the enemy. Many Turks and Egyptians died valiantly on their ships, preferring death to captivity: not wanting to leave the burning ships, they immediately stabbed themselves with daggers; those who knew how to swim threw themselves into the water with a cannonball in their hands and instantly went to the bottom.

On one frigate, which had already begun to sink into the water, the Turks with truly oriental fanaticism sat quietly on the deck, and at the last minute, waving their flag, shouting “Allah! ..” went down with the frigate.

On the night of October 9, the Turks tried to attack the Allied ships with firewalls. At 1.15 an Egyptian frigate was found from the Azov, acting as a fire-ship, going to the ship. "Azov" met him with rifle fire and, having chopped off his anchor rope, evaded the attack. Then the Turkish fireship fell on board the Gangut ship, entangled with a bowsprit in its main shrouds. From the Gangut, several cannon and rifle shots were fired at the frigate, and then it was boarded. Egyptian sailors began to throw themselves into the water, and some tried to set fire to their ship. Russian sailors killed them, the man who was preparing to light the fire-ship was killed with a wick in his hands. The bowsprit of the frigate was chopped off. Then, with the help of the boats of the Russian ships and the Breslav, the fireship was towed to the shore, where the sides were cut through and sunk.

The next day, the Turks, fearing that the Allies would take prisoner those damaged on the eve of the court, began to set fire to them. The Turkish-Egyptian fleet was destroyed, only 1 ship and 15 small ships survived, the remaining 50 were destroyed. Enemy casualties were estimated at 6-7 thousand people (out of 20 thousand crew).

The allies had no losses in the ships, but they were badly damaged. In our squadron, "Azov", "Gangut" and "Ezekiel" especially got it. The Turks fired at the masts, the Russians at the hulls. Therefore, the Turkish-Egyptian ships were destroyed and had many killed, there were fewer killed on the allied ships, but the masts, yards and gear were badly damaged.

"Azov" received 153 holes in both sides and stern, including 7 at the waterline and below, all masts, topmasts and yards were pierced on it, sails and rigging were shot through, all boats were broken. "Gangut" received 51 holes.

Of the entire squadron, only the frigate "Kastor" was not killed or wounded.

STATEMENT OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED ON THE RUSSIAN SQUADRA

Ship names	killed officers	lower ranks	wounded officers	lower ranks
On ships
"Azov"	-	24	6	61
"Gangut"	-	14	8	29
"Ezekiel"	1	12	2	16
"Alexander Nevskiy"	-	5	-	7
On frigates
"Konstantin"	-	-	-	1
"Prompt"	1	2	-	4
"Elena"	-	-	2	3
"Castor"	-	-	-	-
Total	2	57	18	121

The allied ships, especially the flagships, also suffered, on the Asia there were 76 killed and wounded, on the Siren - 66, on both ships the mizzen masts were broken.

As the British themselves admitted, under Abukir and Trafalgar there was nothing of the kind.

During the Battle of Navarino, for the first time in the history of the Russian fleet, our ships fought together with the British and French. Prior to that, they participated in joint voyages, maneuvers, and cruises. But here for the first time, as they say, they fought shoulder to shoulder with a common enemy. During the battle, Russian ships not only supported each other, but also repeatedly assisted the English and French ships.

On October 13, the Russian squadron left Navarino Bay and on the 27th arrived in La Valletta (Malta Island) for repairs.

For the victory in the Battle of Navarino, the commander of the Russian squadron Count L.P. Heiden was promoted to vice admiral, the commander of "Azov" M.P. Lazarev - to rear admiral, commander of the Ezekiel I.I. Svinkin - captain of the 1st rank.

For military exploits to the battleship "Azov" by decree of Emperor Nicholas I of December 17, 1827, for the first time in the Russian fleet was granted stern St. George's flag.

As a result of the Battle of Navarino, the military power of Turkey was weakened. The prestige of Russia among the Balkan peoples has increased significantly. The British government, whose plans did not include either the weakening of Turkey or the strengthening of Russia, perceived the result of the Battle of Navarino as a failure of its policy in the Middle East. The new government that came to power in England began to evade the implementation of agreements on the Greek question. Taking advantage of this, Turkey banned Russian trade on the territory of the empire and the passage of Russian ships through the straits. This was the pretext for the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829.

Squadron L.P. Heiden, who remained in the Mediterranean during this war, carried out the blockade of the Dardanelles.

Russo-Turkish War 1828–1829 was caused by Turkey's desire to preserve the decaying Ottoman Empire. Russia, supporting the uprising of the Greek people against Turkish rule, sent a squadron of L.P. Heyden for military operations together with the Anglo-French fleet (see Archipelago expedition of 1827). In December 1827, Turkey declared a “holy war” on Russia. Russian troops successfully operated in both the Caucasian and Balkan theaters of war. In the Caucasus, the troops of I.F. Paskevich was taken by storm to Kars, occupied Akhaltsikhe, Poti, Bayazit (1828), captured Erzurum and went to Trebizond (1829). At the Balkan theater, Russian troops P.Kh. Wittgenstein crossed the Danube and took Varna (1828), under the leadership of I.I. Dibich was defeated by the Turks at Kulevcha, captured Silistria, made a bold and unexpected transition through the Balkans, threatening Istanbul directly (1829). Under a peace treaty, Russia acquired the mouth of the Danube, the Black Sea coast from the Kuban to Adzharia, and other territories.

Archipelago Expedition (1827)

Archipelago expedition of 1827 - campaign of the Russian squadron L.P. Heiden to the shores of Greece to support the Greek anti-Turkish uprising. In September 1827, the squadron joined the Anglo-French fleet in the Mediterranean for joint operations against the Turks. After Turkey rejected the Allied ultimatum to cease hostilities against Greece, the allied fleet in the Battle of Navarino completely destroyed the Turkish fleet. Heiden's squadron distinguished itself in the battle, destroying the center and the right flank of the enemy fleet. During the subsequent Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829. The Russian squadron blocked the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.

Navarino naval battle (1827)

The battle in the Bay of Navarino (the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese) between the united squadrons of Russia, England and France, on the one hand, and the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, on the other, took place during the Greek National Liberation Revolution of 1821–1829.

The combined squadrons included: from Russia - 4 battleships, 4 frigates; from England - 3 battleships, 5 corvettes; from France - 3 battleships, 2 frigates, 2 corvettes. Commander - English Vice Admiral E. Codrington. The Turkish-Egyptian squadron under the command of Muharrem Bey consisted of 3 battleships, 23 frigates, 40 corvettes and brigs.

Before the start of the battle, Codrington sent a truce to the Turks, then a second. Both parliamentarians were killed. In response, the united squadrons attacked the enemy on October 8 (20), 1827. The battle of Navarino lasted about 4 hours and ended with the destruction of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. His losses amounted to about 60 ships and up to 7 thousand people. The Allies did not lose a single ship, with only about 800 men killed and wounded.

During the battle they distinguished themselves: the flagship of the Russian squadron "Azov" under the command of Captain 1st Rank M.P. Lazarev, who destroyed 5 enemy ships. Lieutenant P.S. skillfully acted on this ship. Nakhimov, midshipman V.A. Kornilov and midshipman V.I. Istomin - the future heroes of the battle of Sinop and the defense of Sevastopol in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.

The feat of the brig "Mercury"

The brig "Mercury" was laid down in January 1819 at the shipyard in Sevastopol, launched on May 19, 1820. Performance characteristics: length - 29.5 m, width - 9.4 m, draft - 2.95 m. Armament - 18 24-pounder guns.

There was a Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829. In May 1829, Mercury, as part of a small detachment under the flag of Lieutenant Commander P.Ya. Sakhnovsky, together with the frigate Shtandart and the brig Orpheus, carried out sentinel service in the Bosphorus area. On the morning of May 26, a Turkish squadron was discovered consisting of 18 ships, including 6 battleships, 2 frigates and 2 corvettes. The overwhelming superiority of the enemy was undeniable, and therefore Sakhnovsky gave a signal not to accept the battle. Raising all the sails, "Standard" and "Orpheus" left the chase. "Mercury", built of heavy Crimean oak, and therefore significantly inferior in speed, lagged behind. The high-speed ships of the Turkish fleet, the 110-gun battleship Selimiye and the 74-gun Real Bay, rushing in pursuit, soon overtook the Russian brig.

Seeing the inevitability of a battle with the enemy, the commander of the brig, Lieutenant Commander A.I. Kazarsky gathered officers. According to tradition, the youngest lieutenant of the corps of naval navigators I.P. Prokofiev expressed a common opinion - to accept the battle, and in the event of a threat to seize the ship - to blow it up, for which purpose a loaded pistol should be left near the hook chamber.

The brig was the first to fire a volley at the enemy. Kazarsky skillfully maneuvered, preventing the Turks from conducting aimed fire. Somewhat later, the Real Bay was still able to take up a firing position from the port side and the Mercury came under crossfire. The Turks showered the brig with cannonballs and brandskugels. Fire started in many places. Part of the team began to extinguish it, but the well-aimed shelling of Turkish ships did not weaken. The Russian gunners managed to inflict such significant damage to the Selimiye that the Turkish ship was forced to drift. But "Real Bay" continued shelling the Russian brig. Finally, he, too, received a cannonball hit in the forward mast and began to fall behind. This unprecedented battle lasted for about 4 hours. "Mercury", despite the fact that they received 22 hits in the hull and about 300 in the rigging and spars, emerged victorious from it and the next day joined the Black Sea squadron. For the feat Lieutenant Commander A.I. Kazarsky was awarded the Order of St. George IV degree and promoted to captain of the 2nd rank, and the ship was awarded the stern St. George flag and pennant. In addition, the imperial rescript stated that “when this brig falls into disrepair, build according to the same drawing and in perfect resemblance to it, the same vessel, named “Mercury”, attributing to the same crew, on which to transfer and St. George's flag with a pennant.

This tradition, which has developed in the Russian fleet, continues to this day. On the wide expanses of the seas and oceans, the sea minesweeper Kazarsky and the hydrographic vessel Pamyat Mercury are flying the Russian flag.

The commander of the legendary brig A.I. Kazarsky in April 1831 was appointed to the retinue of Nicholas I and soon received the rank of captain of the 1st rank. On June 28, 1833, he died suddenly in Nikolaev. In Sevastopol, according to the project of A.P. Bryullov, a monument to the brave sailor was laid. On the stone truncated pyramid there is a stylized model of an ancient warship and a brief inscription: “To Kazar - as an example to posterity.”

On October 20, 1827, in the Navarino Bay of the Ionian Sea, on the southwestern coast of the Greek Peloponnese, a major naval battle took place between the combined fleet of Russia, France and England, on the one hand, and the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, on the other. This naval battle was one of the decisive events of the Greek national liberation uprising of 1821-1829.

In 1827, three allied countries (England, Russia and France) signed the London Convention, according to which Greece was granted full autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. However, the latter refused to recognize this document, which was the reason for sending an allied squadron to the conflict zone in order to put pressure on Turkey.

The united allied fleet consisted of 28 ships with up to 1300 guns. The squadrons were commanded by Russian Rear Admiral L.M. Heiden, French Rear Admiral A.G. de Rigny and the English vice-admiral E. Codrington, who took the overall command of the allied forces, as a senior in rank.

The Turkish-Egyptian fleet under the command of Ibrahim Pasha consisted of twice as many ships with up to 2220 guns, in addition, he was under the protection of coastal batteries (165 guns) and 6 firewalls. And although the allied fleet was inferior in numbers and artillery, it was superior in combat training to the personnel.

Vice Admiral Codrington, counting without the use of weapons, only by demonstrating his strength to force the enemy to accept the demands of the Allies, sent the fleet to Navarino Bay, where he entered on October 20, 1827. And parliamentarians were sent to the Turkish admiral demanding to leave Greece. However, the Turks began to shoot and killed one of the truce, and then opened fire from coastal guns on the combined fleet, to which the Allies returned fire.

The battle in Navarino Bay lasted about 4 hours and ended with the destruction of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, which could not be helped by either the support of coastal batteries or the Egyptian marines. At the same time, about 7 thousand Turks died in the battle, many were wounded. The Allies did not lose a single ship, and the losses in killed and wounded amounted to approximately 800 people.

The Russian squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Login Petrovich Geyden especially showed itself in the battle, which took the main blow of the enemy and, acting most decisively and skillfully, defeated the entire center and right flank of the enemy fleet. The Russian battleship Azov, headed by Captain 1st Rank M.P., deservedly became the hero of the battle. Lazarev, who fought with five Turkish ships and provided support to other allied ships.

For military exploits, "Azov" for the first time in the history of the Russian fleet was awarded the stern St. George's flag. And it was on the Azov during the Battle of Navarino that the future Russian naval commanders first showed themselves - Lieutenant Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, midshipman Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov, midshipman Vladimir Ivanovich Istomin.

The defeat of the Turkish fleet in this battle seriously weakened the Turkish naval forces, which made a significant contribution to Russia's victory in the ensuing Russian-Turkish war of 1828-1829. And, of course, the victory of the allied fleet in the Battle of Navarino provided support for the Greek national liberation movement, which resulted in the autonomy of Greece under the Adrianople Peace Treaty of 1829.

It is not surprising that the people of Greece still remember and appreciate the feat of Russian sailors. Victory Day in the Battle of Navarino is a national holiday in modern Greece, monuments to the dead sailors have been erected in the bay. In Russia, in honor of this historic event, a holiday has been established - the Day of the commander of a surface, underwater and air ship of the Russian Navy. It was established in honor of captain Mikhail Lazarev, who commanded the heroic battleship Azov.

On October 8 (20), 1827, in the Navarino Bay of the Ionian Sea, a naval battle took place between the fleet of the allies (Russia, England and France) and the Turkish-Egyptian fleet.

After Turkey refused to comply with the requirements of the London Convention of 1827 on granting autonomy to Greece, the combined squadron of Russia, England and France under the command of the senior English Vice Admiral E. Codrington approached the Bay of Navarino, where the Turkish-Egyptian fleet was located under the command of Muharrem -bay.

The English squadron consisted of 3 battleships, 3 frigates, a sloop, 4 brigs and a tender (472 guns in total). Vice-Admiral E. Codrington commanded the English squadron. In the French squadron of Rear Admiral A. de Rigny, there were 3 battleships, 2 frigates, a brig and a schooner (362 guns). Under the command of Russian Rear Admiral L.P. Heiden, there were 4 battleships and 4 frigates (466 guns). In total, the combined fleet consisted of 10 battleships, 9 frigates and 7 small ships and about 1,300 guns.

The Turkish-Egyptian fleet consisted of 3 battleships, 5 two-decker 64-gun frigates, 18 frigates, 42 corvettes, 15 brigs and 6 fireships (in total, according to various sources, from 2.1 thousand to 2.6 thousand guns). The entrance to the bay from two sides was shot through by 165 guns of coastal batteries located in the Navarino fortress and on the island of Sphacteria. The commander-in-chief of the Turkish-Egyptian troops and fleet was Ibrahim Pasha.

On October 8 (20), 1827, the allied squadrons began to enter the bay in a wake column and take up places according to the previously adopted disposition. As soon as the ships of the English squadron began to lower their anchors, the Turks opened rapid rifle fire on them and killed an English officer-parliamentary who was on his way to negotiate with the Turkish admiral. At the same time, the first cannon shot was fired from the Egyptian corvette at the French flagship Sirena, and the fortress batteries opened crossfire at the flagship of the Russian squadron Azov, which was passing at the head of the detachment through the narrow strait to Navarino Bay.

For 4 hours, a fierce battle lasted at a short distance, during which the allied squadrons acted in complete unanimity, providing mutual support to each other. The Turkish-Egyptian fleet was completely destroyed. The Russian squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Heyden acted most decisively and skillfully, defeating the entire center and right flank of the enemy fleet. She took the brunt of the enemy and destroyed most of his ships. The losses of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet amounted to more than 60 ships and vessels, including 3 battleships, 9 frigates, 24 corvettes, 14 brigs. Losses only killed and drowned amounted to more than 7 thousand people. At night, the Turks themselves burned almost all of their remaining ships. The Allies did not lose a single ship. Their losses in killed and wounded amounted to about 800 people.

In battle, the Russian flagship Azov, under the command of Captain 1st Rank M.P. Lazarev, especially distinguished himself. "Azov" sank 2 frigates and a corvette, burned a 60-gun frigate under the flag of Tahir Pasha, forced an 80-gun ship to run aground, and then, together with the British, destroyed the Turkish flagship.

For military exploits, the battleship "Azov" for the first time in the Russian fleet was awarded the stern St. George's flag and a pennant. Its commander, captain of the 1st rank M.P. Lazarev, was promoted to rear admiral. Rear Admiral L. P. Heyden became Vice Admiral, Knight of the Order of St. George 3rd degree, the French Order of St. Louis and the English Order of the Bath. Most of the officers of the Russian squadron received Russian, English and French orders and promotion.

ULTIMATUM TO IBRAHIM PASHE

Your Mightiness!

According to the rumors that reach us from all countries, and according to reliable information, we learn that numerous detachments of your army have scattered in different directions in the western part of the Morea, devastating it, burning, exterminating, uprooting trees, vineyards, all kinds of growths and, in a word, they are vying with each other in a hurry to turn this country into a perfect desert.

In addition, we were informed that an expedition had been prepared against the districts of Maina and that some troops had moved there.

All these extraordinarily violent actions take place, one might say, in our eyes and in violation of the truce, which Your Grace undertook to honor inviolably until the return of your couriers. In violation of such a truce, by virtue of which your fleet is allowed to return to Navarino on the 26th of last September.

The undersigned are now sadly compelled to announce to you that such an act on your part, and such an amazing breach of your promises, place you, Gracious Sovereign, outside the laws of the people and outside the existing treatises between the high courts of the Allies and the Ottoman Porte. To this, the undersigned add that the devastations being carried out at this very time, at your command, are completely contrary to the benefits of your Sovereign, who, due to these devastations, may lose the significant benefits delivered to him over Greece by the London Treaty. The undersigned demand from Your Lordship a decisive and prompt reply, and present to you the inevitable consequences of your refusal or evasion.

Vice Admiral E. Codrington,

Rear Admiral Count Heiden,

Rear Admiral Chavalier de Rigny

HEROES OF "AZOV"

In the battle of Navarino, the Azov battleship fought a heavy battle simultaneously with five enemy [ships. Here is how Rear Admiral L.P. Geiden described it in a report to Nicholas I: “... The ship“ Azov ”... while it was surrounded by the enemy, helped the English admiral a lot, who fought with an 80-gun ship that had the flag of Muharem Bey, for when this latter, due to a broken spring, turned to the “Azov” stern, then 14 guns were immediately separated on this subject from the left side and acted for about half an hour with such success that they broke him, so to speak, all stern, and when a fire broke out in the constapel and its cabin and the people used all their efforts to extinguish it, then strong grapeshot fire from the Azov destroyed their intention, through which the enemy ship soon embraced the flames and, finally, was blown up into the air ...

To the credit of Captain Lazarev, I must most humbly add that strict discipline, daily cannon drills and the order in which the servants were always kept were the reason, and to which I am completely indebted, that the Azov ship acted with such success in defeating and exterminating the enemy. With his strong fire, he sank 2 huge frigates and a corvette, shot down an 80-gun ship, which was thrown aground and finally blown up, destroyed a two-decker frigate, on which the commander-in-chief of the Turkish fleet, Tahir Pasha, had his own flag and which burned down the next day, having, according to the pasha himself, out of 600 people of his team, up to 500 were killed and wounded.

About how M. P. Lazarev behaved in battle, P. S. Nakhimov wrote in a letter to his friend Mikhail Reinecke: “I still do not know the price of our captain. It was necessary to look at him during the battle, with what prudence, with what composure he ordered everywhere. But I do not have enough words to describe all his laudable deeds, and I am boldly sure that the Russian fleet did not have such a captain.

During the battle, future naval commanders showed themselves on the Azov: Lieutenant Nakhimov, midshipman Kornilov, midshipman Istomin.

Zolotarev V. A., Kozlov I. A. Three centuries of the Russian fleet, XIX - early XX centuries. M., 2004http://militera.lib.ru/h/zolotarev_kozlov2/08.html

AFTER THE PRAYER THE PEOPLE WERE GIVEN A CHARK OF ROMA

Exactly at 6 o'clock, the all-clear was struck, and, having thanked the Almighty in my soul for the glorious victory granted and the preservation from the destructive flame, I went down to the cockpit to look at the wounded brother. Thanks to God, his wound is not dangerous. There, the priest read the funeral for the dead, the doctor cut the leg of the wounded, the drunk ... shouted "Hurrah", and the secretary fussed around the sick. Having delighted the wounded and those who were in the kruyt-chamber with the news of a perfect victory, I ran to the poop. It was already dark. A beautiful evening, perfect calm, and nothing darkened the clear sky while such horrors were being committed all around us. The officers, having gathered, kissed like brothers, and the joy of seeing everyone whole was immeasurable. Everyone hastily told what happened to him in the detachment during the battle; As for me, in general I was very happy that day and I cannot describe the feeling that possessed me. I was especially made happy by our brave sailors, who fought with courage beyond all expression, and struck me with the power of attorney they showed to their officers.

At half past seven, an officer from Count Heiden came on board to congratulate the captain and officers on the victory and thank the admiral on behalf of the admiral for the speedy occupancy of the place and the glorious action of the guns. The Azov ship lost a lot of people and suffered in its hull. We also have quite a few dead and wounded.

After the prayer service, people were given a cup of rum each, ordered to line up along the cannons, where, having eaten crackers, they went to bed, leaving two sentries at each cannon. The officers, however, having gathered at the captain's, were very glad to find a salvaged roast there, and spent a very pleasant time for an hour at a merry supper. The captain divided us into two shifts, entrusting the leadership of each of them to a staff officer, who was supposed to take care of putting the ship in order and maintaining the guard. I joined the first shift before midnight, the others went to rest by their guns. We, having examined the sentries, gathered on the quarterdeck to admire the unusual and majestic spectacle. Batteries were lit on all the ships of the combined fleet, incessant detours plowed the bay and evoked the most varied hails of sentries. "Who row?" - shouted among us ... shouted the French ... on English ships. All this was mixed with rifle shots and at times drowned out by volleys of flaming Turkish ships or thunderous peals of a sudden explosion. All these sounds, without ceasing, shimmered in the mountains, illuminated by the bright flames of dying enemy ships, scattered along the shallows near the coast and reflected in the quiet waters of the bay, filled with the dead and drowning, looking for false salvation on the floating wreckage of broken ships. During my watch, from 7 pm to 12 pm, 7 explosions followed one after the other. The Turks, in desperation, set fire to their own ships. In these cases, each time the fire approximately spread throughout the ship, from excessive heat, the red-hot cannons fired of themselves, and soon followed by an explosion. Everything that was above the hook-chamber rose into the air, the rest was left to burn out on the water.

The author of the notes, Alexander Petrovich Rykachev, in 1816, at the age of thirteen, having excellent training, entered the Naval Cadet Corps and was immediately enrolled in midshipmen. In 1827, with the rank of lieutenant (on the ship Gangut), he took part in the Battle of Navarino. For his heroism, he was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir 4th degree with a bow. 1877 in Kronstadt, a posthumous edition of the notes of A.P. Rykachev was published

P.S

At the presentation of Codrington to the Order of Victoria - it was impossible not to award him, given the enormous international resonance of this battle - the English king wrote: "Deserves a rope, but I have to give him a ribbon." The plans of the British government did not include the complete destruction of the Turkish fleet. When the jubilant public calmed down, Codrington was quietly dismissed.

According to which Greece was granted full autonomy. The Ottoman Empire refused to recognize the convention.

In the same 1827, the combined squadron of Russia (Rear Admiral Count Login Petrovich Heiden), France (Rear Admiral Henry de Renyi) and Great Britain with a total of 27 ships with 1276 guns, under the command of the senior English Vice Admiral Sir Edward Codrington approached the Bay of Navarino, where the Turkish-Egyptian fleet was located under the command of Muharrem Bey. The commander-in-chief of the Turkish-Egyptian forces and navy was Ibrahim Pasha. The Turks had 120 ships with about 2200 guns, in addition, they were protected by 165 guns of coastal batteries.

The allies were inferior in artillery, but superior in combat training of personnel. Codrington hoped by demonstrating force (without the use of weapons) to force the enemy to accept the demands of the allies. To this end, he sent a squadron to Navarino Bay.

When the English frigate Dartmouth approached the enemy, the captain of the ship, T. Fellows, sent his assistant Fitzrow to the Turkish fireship, who was supposed to convey the demand that the Turkish and Egyptian ships retreat to a greater distance from the allied forces. But the Turks tried to prevent the British from approaching and opened fire from their guns. The parliamentarian was killed and the Dartmouth returned fire and a fight ensued.

The Battle of Navarino. Chromolithography by A. Meyer, L. Sebatier, A. Bayo after the original. A. Meyer. After 1827

The French flagship "Siren" was fired upon by the Egyptian frigate "Ismina", after which Vice-Admiral de Renyi ordered to open fire from all guns on enemy ships. A few seconds later, his order was carried out. The English Admiral Codrington sent the Greek pilot Petros Mikelis and several other people to the ship of the Egyptian commander Muhara Bey to explain to him that the goal of the allies was not to sink the Turkish-Egyptian fleet, but to force him to leave Navarino and sail to their bases in the Dardanelles and Alexandria. However, the Egyptians killed the Greek envoy sent by Codrington, and a few seconds later the Egyptian ship was sunk by the French flagship Asia. After that, it became clear that a large-scale battle could not be avoided. After some time, the Russian fleet, led by the flagship "Azov", approached the place of hostilities.

Battle of Navarino. Lithograph by Ch. Halmendel. 1827 On the left, the Azov flagship is attacking a Turkish ship.

The battle lasted about four hours and ended with the destruction of the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. The Russian squadron under the command of Rear Admiral Login Petrovich Geiden acted decisively and skillfully. She took upon herself the main blow of the enemy and defeated the center and the right flank of the enemy fleet.

Battle of Navarino. I.K. Aivazovsky. 1887

The 74-gun battleship Azov under the command of Captain 1st Rank Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev distinguished himself. "Azov" sank 2 frigates and a corvette, burned a 60-gun frigate under the flag of Tahir Pasha, forced an 80-gun ship to run aground, and then, together with the British, destroyed the Turkish flagship. For these exploits, "Azov" was awarded the stern St. George flag - the first case in the history of the Russian fleet.

"Azov" received 153 hits, 7 of them below the waterline. The ship was completely repaired and restored only by March 1828. On the Azov during the battle, future Russian naval commanders, heroes of Sinop and the Sevastopol defense of 1854-1855, showed themselves: Lieutenant Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, midshipman Vladimir Alekseevich Kornilov, midshipman Vladimir Ivanovich Istomin.

Navarino battle. M.S. Tkachenko. 1907

The battle of Navarino ended with the almost complete annihilation of the Turkish fleet. The Allies did not lose a single ship; casualties in killed and wounded, respectively: British 75 and 197, Russians 57 and 121, French 43 and 133.

When ships of the Russian Navy pass the traverse of the city of Pylos (the modern name of the city of Navarino), military honors are given.

Battle of Navarino. Ambroise Louis Garneray. 1827