Sailing ships of the line of the Black Sea Fleet. Sailing ships of the line of the Black Sea Fleet 84 gun ships

Sevastopol residents have long been familiar with the original work of the shipbuilding engineer N. A. Polonsky: many exhibitions showed his works dedicated to ships and the sea. Their unusualness is not only in the fact that they are burned on wood, each of them is a historically accurate image of a particular ship. For more than a quarter of a century, Polonsky "sent to sail" an entire squadron - from the first Russian warship "Eagle" to modern missile carriers. The constant appeal to historical materials led him to a serious study of the history of the Russian fleet. In the proposed article, the author provides systematized data on the last Black Sea battleships of the era of the sailing fleet.

By the beginning of the Crimean War (1853) sailing battleships formed the core Black Sea Fleet. In terms of tactical and technical data and combat qualities, they were at the level of the best ships of a similar class of the English fleet (by the way, then the strongest in the world), and even surpassed them in certain indicators and combat training of the crews. However, the composition of this squadron was far from always so strong. Suffice it to recall that by the beginning of 1834, out of twelve battleships, only the 120-gun Warsaw had just entered service, while the rest were either outdated or completely out of order. Only after the appointment of Vice-Admiral M.P. Lazarev as the chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet and ports, approved in this position on December 31, 1834, did the period of revival and strengthening of the fleet begin. At the request of Lazarev, in May 1835, the quantitative composition of the ships was approved, which included three three-deck 120-gun and twelve two-deck 84-gun ships, the prototype for the latter was the 84-gun battleship Silistria, which had proven itself in voyages. In the same 1835, intensive construction of battleships began in the Nikolaevsky, as well as in the so-called Spassky Admiralty. Each such ship with full armament cost the treasury a lot of money: three-decker - over 2.5, two-decker - more than 1.8 million rubles.
We must pay tribute to the command of the Black Sea Fleet: it closely followed latest achievements in the field of shipbuilding abroad and sought to use everything useful at home. Particular attention was paid to the seaworthiness and combat qualities of ships, to increasing the strength and durability of hulls, improving habitability, ease of maintenance of artillery, etc. Of the major innovations introduced during construction, it should be noted the replacement of the traditional transom stern with a round stern, much more durable, since the star-timbers (as well as the frames) went from the keel and firmly connected the stern with the entire hull. In addition, the round stern increased the sector of fire of the stern (retired) guns, which excluded "dead zones". Introduced in the same years, metal readers and braces, which formed side braced trusses, sharply increased the longitudinal strength of the ship and, consequently, its service life. The use of metal brackets strengthened the fastening of the transverse set, and the replacement of pine boards with oak (in the areas where the guns were placed) made the artillery decks more durable. Parts of the ship's kit, when connecting which were used gaskets made of tarred felt, were prepared in advance according to templates from the plaza. All wooden parts of the hull structures were painted over with lime, the heads of bolts and ruffs (under copper sheathing) were covered with a layer of putty (a mixture of chalk and lard), wooden cokes were soaked in hemp oil. To prevent fouling, the underwater part was tarred and upholstered with sheet copper on copper nails. The Pering anchors that were used before were replaced by Admiralty ones, hemp ropes - by anchor chains.
For decades, the hook-chambers, skipper's and sail storerooms were located on the battery decks; in the 30s of the XIX century. they were transferred to the hold, which made it possible to expand the cockpits of the crew, making them brighter thanks to the installation of portholes. Office space began to be equipped with comfortable cabinets and drawers. Gradually improved and much more. So, practical things, spars, rigging became stronger, more reliable and more convenient to maintain, while many parts were unified. Sails of an improved cut were sewn only from dense and durable canvas produced by the Alexander Manufactory with threads impregnated with special compounds. Blocks of a new design made it easier to work with rigging and sails; in places where the rigging passed through the wooden hull structures, copper tubes were inserted.
Simultaneously with the improvement of the design of the ships, vigorous measures were taken to improve their artillery armament. In 1839, experiments were carried out in Nikolaev with a 68-pound (214-mm) bomb cannon. They showed that such a gun, which had approximately the same mass as the 36-pound so-called long gun and the same projectile range (14 cables or about 2.5 km), produced more significant destructive effects. The results of these tests made it possible in 1841 to arm the ships of the Black Sea Fleet with more effective bomb cannons. In relation to them in 1842 - 1843. shells (bombs) with a percussion fuse invented by the Russian artilleryman Lieutenant General Lechner were adopted.

Table 1. The composition of the battleships of the Black Sea Fleet in 1853 (dates according to the old style)

Table 2. Main elements and characteristics of battleships

Notes.

To determine the displacement, the coefficients of the overall weight of 0.571-0.575 were used, obtained on the basis of the calculation of the elements of buoyancy and initial stability according to the ordinates taken from the original theoretical drawings of some ships. The draft was taken from the upper edge of the keel (main line) to the load waterline, which is the height of the bar keel (2 feet or 0.61 m) less than the average depression indicated in the table.

1. The mass of the anchor was determined according to the formula and coefficients given in the book "Notes on the manufacture of anchors and chain ropes" (Nikolaev, 1849, p. 1-2).

The total sail area is determined approximately, based on the methodology given in the book by M. M. Okunev “The experience of writing drawings for military ships” (St. Petersburg, 1836), according to empirical coefficients, midship frame area and displacement; in the future, the total windage was refined according to stability calculations with the condition that with a wind pressure on the sails of 1 pound per square foot, the roll of the ship did not exceed 4 ° (Nedzyalkovsky A. A. “Collection of tables and formulas for engineers, architects and mechanics”, St. Petersburg. , 1867, pp. 1226-1227).

Table 3. Artillery weapons

* On the Chesma, there were 4 and 60 guns of these calibers, respectively.

All fourteen battleships that the Black Sea Fleet included in its composition by the middle of 1853 (Table 1) were built in Nikolaev. The data given in various sources on the dimensions and artillery armament of these ships is incomplete and often contradictory. This circumstance prompted the author of the article to make a detailed analysis of the available materials. All listed in the table. 1 the ships are divided into groups according to the similarity of dimensions and artillery weapons (Tables 2 and 3).

120-gun ship "Three Saints" (from a lithograph by Prokhorov, 1844).

The basis comparative analysis and the breakdown of ships into groups lay down the works,, and, as well as the reporting drawings of the ships "Empress Maria", "Rostislav" and "Twelve Apostles" preserved in the archive. All the data given in the first two sources coincide with each other and are quite reliable; important is the fact that the dimensions are given quite specifically: for example, “length along the gondek” (lower deck); "width without sheathing"; the report drawings indicate the length between perpendiculars and the width both with and without sheathing. The work confirms the opinion that all ships of the third group were built according to one drawing (Table 2). Unfortunately, it does not contain data on the ships of the fourth group, since they were launched after the publication of the book. However, the following is known: 68-pound bomb guns were installed on the gondek of these ships. This required an increase in the width of the hull to accommodate them. "Chesma" and "Rostislav", for example, with the same length as the ships of the third group, had a width of 17.37 and 16.76 m, respectively. "Empress Maria" and "Brave" compared with the ships of the third group had a greater length and width; thanks to this, the dimensions of the spars and the sail area on them were the same as on the ship "The Twelve Apostles", which, with a smaller displacement compared to it, provided greater speed.

Model of the 120-gun ship "The Twelve Apostles", made in Nikolaev in 1/12 life size at the end of the 19th century. according to the original drawings of the ship.

Thus, by the middle of 1853, the Black Sea Fleet included seaworthy and high-speed sailing ships with first-class artillery and well-trained personnel. According to Admiral P. S. Nakhimov, "... in general, 84-gun ships have excellent qualities and it is difficult to give a decisive advantage to any of them ...". In terms of combat qualities, the 120-gun "Twelve Apostles", "Paris" and "Grand Duke Constantine" had no equal among the sailing ships of the world and, in addition, were distinguished by the beauty of their forms and grace; the commander of the first of them, Captain 1st Rank V.A. Kornilov, wrote to M.P. Lazarev: “... My ship turned out to be of excellent qualities on the last transition. It had 11 inches of trim and listened to the helm very well; in the close-hauled, the steep two times had more than 8 knots on one reef of the brahmsail, roll up to 7 ° ... ". If the ship's speed in hauled wind with a brahmsell wind (4 points) exceeded 8 knots, then, obviously, in jibe or backstay it had at least 12 - 13 knots.
As a result of the excellent training of the personnel, the sails on the Black Sea ships were set and removed much faster than was done in the fleets of other states. Two reefs on topsails were taken in 2.5 minutes; all straight sails with a yard trimmed on a badewind were set in 6 - 7 minutes; at the entrance to the bay under sail, anchoring took only 8 - 10 minutes.
Foreign experts highly appreciated the quality of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. Thus, William Simondus, the chief surveyor of the English fleet, having visited Nikolaev and Sevastopol in 1841, wrote to the English consul in Odessa: “... It smells of a maritime nation there, and if the government supports it, then the maritime part in the Black Sea will soon become very strong. ..” And Lazarev noted that Simondus “... He admired our ships very much and everything that was on them, somehow beautiful building, covering sails, spars, rowboats, blacksmithing and finishing in general ... ". The following fact is also known: the English captain Drinkwater, who in 1835 examined the ships being built in Nikolaev, received permission from Admiral Lazarev to take the drawings of the Three Saints.
Despite the excellent combat and seaworthiness of sailing ships of the line, the Black Sea Fleet still turned out to be unprepared for Crimean War 1853-1856 This is due to the fact that the fleets of the leading maritime powers (including England and France) already had a large number of battleships with sailing weapons and steam engines and propellers, which facilitated maneuvering during the battle. The untimely creation of a military screw fleet showed the inertia of the tsarist government and the general technical backwardness of Russia, which led to the defeat in the Crimean War.

Block model of the 120-gun ship "Paris", stored in the Museum of the Sevastopol Defense.

In the battle with Turkish sailing ships in the Sinop Bay (November 1853), the sailing Black Sea Fleet demonstrated excellent fighting qualities for the last time. It was only possible to fight against numerous propeller-driven battleships of the joint Anglo-French squadron on the high seas only with strong and prolonged winds, but such favorable conditions for sailing battleships are extremely rare on the Black Sea. However, under no circumstances was the surrender of Sevastopol allowed, which would have opened the way for the enemy to the south of Russia. Based on this, by order of the command of the Black Sea Fleet, part of the ships had to be flooded at the entrance to the Sevastopol roadstead, thereby depriving the enemy fleet of the opportunity to land troops in the rear of the bastions, fortified only from the sea. The personnel of the sunken battleships joined the ranks of the city's defenders, and some of the ship's guns were installed on the defensive line.

LITERATURE

1. Veselago F.F. List of Russian military courts from 1668 to 1860. St. Petersburg, 1872.

2. Kushelev G. Navigator. SPb., 1788.

3. Notes of the Scientific Committee of the Main Naval Staff. SPb., 1835, part XII.

4. Sailing ships of the line of the Black Sea Fleet
   Tags: Black Sea Fleet
   Sevastopol residents have long been familiar with the original work of the shipbuilding engineer N. A. Polonsky: many exhibitions showed his works dedicated to ships and the sea. Their unusualness is not only in the fact that they are burned on wood, each of them is a historically accurate image of a particular ship. For more than a quarter of a century, Polonsky "sent to sail" an entire squadron - from the first Russian warship "Eagle" to modern missile carriers. The constant appeal to historical materials led him to a serious study of the history of the Russian fleet. In the proposed article, the author provides systematized data on the last Black Sea battleships of the era of the sailing fleet.

   By the beginning of the Crimean War (1853), sailing ships of the line formed the core of the Black Sea Fleet. In terms of tactical and technical data and combat qualities, they were at the level of the best ships of a similar class of the English fleet (by the way, then the strongest in the world), and even surpassed them in certain indicators and combat training of the crews. However, the composition of this squadron was far from always so strong. Suffice it to recall that by the beginning of 1834, out of twelve battleships, only the 120-gun Warsaw had just entered service, while the rest were either outdated or completely out of order. Only after the appointment of Vice-Admiral M.P. Lazarev as the chief commander of the Black Sea Fleet and ports, approved in this position on December 31, 1834, did the period of revival and strengthening of the fleet begin. At the request of Lazarev, in May 1835, the quantitative composition of the ships was approved, which included three three-deck 120-gun and twelve two-deck 84-gun ships, the prototype for the latter was the 84-gun battleship Silistria, which had proven itself in voyages. In the same 1835, intensive construction of battleships began in the Nikolaevsky, as well as in the so-called Spassky Admiralty. Each such ship with full armament cost the treasury a lot of money: three-decker - over 2.5, two-decker - more than 1.8 million rubles.
   We must pay tribute to the command of the Black Sea Fleet: it closely followed the latest achievements in the field of shipbuilding abroad and sought to use everything useful at home. Particular attention was paid to the seaworthiness and combat qualities of ships, to increasing the strength and durability of hulls, improving habitability, ease of maintenance of artillery, etc. Of the major innovations introduced during construction, it should be noted the replacement of the traditional transom stern with a round stern, much more durable, since the star-timbers (as well as the frames) went from the keel and firmly connected the stern with the entire hull. In addition, the round stern increased the sector of fire of the stern (retired) guns, which excluded "dead zones". Introduced in the same years, metal readers and braces, which formed side braced trusses, sharply increased the longitudinal strength of the ship and, consequently, its service life. The use of metal brackets strengthened the fastening of the transverse set, and the replacement of pine boards with oak (in the areas where the guns were placed) made the artillery decks more durable. Parts of the ship's kit, when connecting which were used gaskets made of tarred felt, were prepared in advance according to templates from the plaza. All wooden parts of the hull structures were painted over with lime, the heads of bolts and ruffs (under copper sheathing) were covered with a layer of putty (a mixture of chalk and lard), wooden cokes were soaked in hemp oil. To prevent fouling, the underwater part was tarred and upholstered with sheet copper on copper nails. The Pering anchors that were used before were replaced by Admiralty ones, hemp ropes - by anchor chains.
   For decades, the hook-chambers, skipper's and sail storerooms were located on the battery decks; in the 30s of the XIX century. they were transferred to the hold, which made it possible to expand the cockpits of the crew, making them brighter thanks to the installation of portholes. Office space began to be equipped with comfortable cabinets and drawers. Gradually improved and much more. So, practical things, spars, rigging became stronger, more reliable and more convenient to maintain, while many parts were unified. Sails of an improved cut were sewn only from dense and durable canvas produced by the Alexander Manufactory with threads impregnated with special compounds. Blocks of a new design made it easier to work with rigging and sails; in places where the rigging passed through the wooden hull structures, copper tubes were inserted.
   Simultaneously with the improvement of the design of the ships, vigorous measures were taken to improve their artillery armament. In 1839, experiments were carried out in Nikolaev with a 68-pound (214-mm) bomb cannon. They showed that such a gun, which had approximately the same mass as the 36-pound so-called long gun and the same projectile range (14 cables or about 2.5 km), produced more significant destructive effects. The results of these tests made it possible in 1841 to arm the ships of the Black Sea Fleet with more effective bomb cannons. In relation to them in 1842 - 1843. shells (bombs) with a percussion fuse invented by the Russian artilleryman Lieutenant General Lechner were adopted.

   Table 1. The composition of the battleships of the Black Sea Fleet in 1853 (dates according to the old style)

   Name of the ship Rank Dates of construction of the ship Builder
   laid down on
   water
   "Three Saints" 120-gun December 29, 1835 August 28, 1838 Colonel Vorobyov
   "The Twelve Apostles" October 4, 1838 July 15, 1841 Captain Chernyavsky
   "Paris" June 18, 1847 October 23, 1849 Lieutenant Colonel Chernyavsky
   "Grand Duke Konstantin" May 7, 1850 September 29, 1852
   "Gabriel" 84-gun August 28, 1838 November 19, 1839 Captain Akimov
   "Selafail" August 28, 1838 July 10, 1840 Captain Apostoli
   "Uriel" August 28, 1838 October 31, 1840 Captain Akimov
   "Varna" October 4, 1838 July 26, 1842 Colonel Vorobyov
   "Yagudiel" September 21, 1839 September 17, 1843 Lieutenant Colonel Dmitriev
   "Brave" June 15, 1841 June 25, 1847 Lieutenant Colonel Chernyavsky
   "Chesma" July 26, 1842 October 23, 1849 Lieutenant Colonel Dmitriev
   "Svyatoslav" May 16, 1843 December 7, 1845
   "Rostislav" May 16, 1843 November 1, 1844
   "Empress Maria" April 23, 1849 May 9, 1853

   Table 2. Main elements and characteristics of battleships

   Name of the ship Length, m Beam with sheathing, m Average deepening in full load, m Displacement, t Dead anchor mass, t Main sail area, m2
   according to the race between the perpendicular
   eyepieces
   Three Saints 64.16 63.40 17.78 7.70 4700 4.9 2770
   "The Twelve Apostles" 64.55 63.62 18.14 7.67 4790 5.3 2900
   "Paris"
   "Grand Duke Konstantin"
   Gabriel 60.15 59.74 16.31 7.20 3790 4.1 2600
   "Selafail"
   "Uriel"
   "Varna"
   "Yagudiel"
   "Svyatoslav"
   "Empress Maria" - 60.96 17.27 7.32 4160 4.4 2900
   "Brave"
   Chesma 60.15 59.74 17.37
   16,76 7,21 4030
   3890 4,2 2770
   "Rostislav"

   Notes.

   1.
   To determine the displacement, the coefficients of the overall weight of 0.571-0.575 were used, obtained on the basis of the calculation of the elements of buoyancy and initial stability according to the ordinates taken from the original theoretical drawings of some ships. The draft was taken from the upper edge of the keel (main line) to the load waterline, which is the height of the bar keel (2 feet or 0.61 m) less than the average depression indicated in the table.
   2.
   The mass of the anchor was determined according to the formula and coefficients given in the book "Notes on the manufacture of anchors and chain ropes" (Nikolaev, 1849, p. 1-2).
   3.
   The total sail area is determined approximately, based on the methodology given in the book by M. M. Okunev “The experience of writing drawings for military ships” (St. Petersburg, 1836), according to empirical coefficients, midship frame area and displacement; in the future, the total windage was refined according to stability calculations with the condition that with a wind pressure on the sails of 1 pound per square foot, the roll of the ship did not exceed 4 ° (Nedzyalkovsky A. A. “Collection of tables and formulas for engineers, architects and mechanics”, St. Petersburg. , 1867, pp. 1226-1227).

   Table 3. Artillery weapons

   Ship name Number of guns Number of
   crew
   68-pound
   bomb 36-pound 24-pound pood
   unicorns
   "Three Saints" - 96 24 4 980
   "The Twelve Apostles" 28 72 24 - 1000
   "Paris"
   "Grand Duke Konstantin"
   "Gabriel" - 64 20 4 750
   "Selafail"
   "Uriel"
   "Varna"
   "Yagudiel"
   "Svyatoslav"
   "Brave" 8* 56* 20 - 770
   "Chesma"
   "Rostislav"
   "Empress Maria"

   * On the Chesma, there were 4 and 60 guns of these calibers, respectively.

   All fourteen battleships that the Black Sea Fleet included in its composition by the middle of 1853 (Table 1) were built in Nikolaev. The data given in various sources on the dimensions and artillery armament of these ships is incomplete and often contradictory. This circumstance prompted the author of the article to make a detailed analysis of the available materials. All listed in the table. 1 the ships are divided into groups according to the similarity of dimensions and artillery weapons (Tables 2 and 3).

   120 gun ship
   120-gun ship "Three Saints" (from a lithograph by Prokhorov, 1844).

   The comparative analysis and division of the ships into groups was based on the works,, and, as well as the reporting drawings of the ships "Empress Maria", "Rostislav" and "Twelve Apostles" preserved in the archive. All the data given in the first two sources coincide with each other and are quite reliable; important is the fact that the dimensions are given quite specifically: for example, “length along the gondek” (lower deck); "width without sheathing"; the report drawings indicate the length between perpendiculars and the width both with and without sheathing. The work confirms the opinion that all ships of the third group were built according to one drawing (Table 2). Unfortunately, it does not contain data on the ships of the fourth group, since they were launched after the publication of the book. However, the following is known: 68-pound bomb guns were installed on the gondek of these ships. This required an increase in the width of the hull to accommodate them. "Chesma" and "Rostislav", for example, with the same length as the ships of the third group, had a width of 17.37 and 16.76 m, respectively. "Empress Maria" and "Brave" compared with the ships of the third group had a greater length and width; thanks to this, the dimensions of the spars and the sail area on them were the same as on the ship "The Twelve Apostles", which, with a smaller displacement compared to it, provided greater speed.

   Model of the 120-gun ship Twelve Apostles
   Model of the 120-gun ship "The Twelve Apostles", made in Nikolaev in 1/12 life size in late XIX V. according to the original drawings of the ship.

   Thus, by the middle of 1853, the Black Sea Fleet included seaworthy and high-speed sailing ships with first-class artillery and well-trained personnel. According to Admiral P. S. Nakhimov, "... in general, 84-gun ships have excellent qualities and it is difficult to give a decisive advantage to any of them ...". In terms of combat qualities, the 120-gun "Twelve Apostles", "Paris" and "Grand Duke Constantine" had no equal among the sailing ships of the world and, in addition, were distinguished by the beauty of their forms and grace; the commander of the first of them, Captain 1st Rank V.A. Kornilov, wrote to M.P. Lazarev: “... My ship turned out to be of excellent qualities on the last transition. It had 11 inches of trim and listened to the helm very well; in the close-hauled, the steep two times had more than 8 knots on one reef of the brahmsail, roll up to 7 ° ... ". If the ship's speed in hauled wind with a brahmsell wind (4 points) exceeded 8 knots, then, obviously, in jibe or backstay it had at least 12 - 13 knots.
   As a result of the excellent training of the personnel, the sails on the Black Sea ships were set and removed much faster than was done in the fleets of other states. Two reefs on topsails were taken in 2.5 minutes; all straight sails with a yard trimmed on a badewind were set in 6 - 7 minutes; at the entrance to the bay under sail, anchoring took only 8 - 10 minutes.
   Foreign experts highly appreciated the quality of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. Thus, William Simondus, the chief surveyor of the English fleet, having visited Nikolaev and Sevastopol in 1841, wrote to the English consul in Odessa: “... It smells of a maritime nation there, and if the government supports it, then the maritime part in the Black Sea will soon become very strong. ..” And Lazarev noted that Simondus “... He admired our ships very much and everything that was on them, somehow a beautiful building, covering sails, spars, rowing ships, blacksmithing and finishing in general ... ". The following fact is also known: the English captain Drinkwater, who in 1835 examined the ships being built in Nikolaev, received permission from Admiral Lazarev to take the drawings of the Three Saints.
   Despite the excellent combat and seaworthiness of the sailing ships of the line, the Black Sea Fleet was still unprepared for the Crimean War of 1853-1856. This is explained by the fact that the fleets of the leading maritime powers (including England and France) already had a large number of battleships in service with sailing weapons and steam engines and propellers, which facilitated maneuvering during battle. The untimely creation of a military screw fleet showed the inertia of the tsarist government and the general technical backwardness of Russia, which led to the defeat in the Crimean War.

   Block model of the 120-gun ship "Paris
   Block model of the 120-gun ship "Paris", stored in the Museum of the Sevastopol Defense.

   In the battle with Turkish sailing ships in the Sinop Bay (November 1853), the sailing Black Sea Fleet demonstrated excellent fighting qualities for the last time. It was only possible to fight against numerous propeller-driven battleships of the joint Anglo-French squadron on the high seas only with strong and prolonged winds, but such favorable conditions for sailing battleships are extremely rare on the Black Sea. However, under no circumstances was the surrender of Sevastopol allowed, which would have opened the way for the enemy to the south of Russia. Based on this, by order of the command of the Black Sea Fleet, part of the ships had to be flooded at the entrance to the Sevastopol roadstead, thereby depriving the enemy fleet of the opportunity to land troops in the rear of the bastions, fortified only from the sea. The personnel of the sunken battleships joined the ranks of the city's defenders, and some of the ship's guns were installed on the defensive line.

   The exemplary ship of the Black Sea Fleet "Silistria" and six more of its brethren were sunk by order of Admiral Nakhimov in the Sevastopol Bay during the Crimean campaign of 1853-1856

   The exemplary ship of the Black Sea Fleet "Silistria" and six more of its brethren were sunk by order of Admiral Nakhimov in the Sevastopol Bay during the Crimean campaign of 1853-1856.

   Sample ship

   The 84-gun ship of the line "Silistria" was the first military sailing vessel of its series. The sailboat was launched in 1835 and named after the Turkish fortress on the Danube, taken by the Russian army.

   It was a 3-masted ship with a displacement of 3540 tons, a length along the upper deck of 59 m, a width of 15.9 m, a crew of 175 people, a total of 84 guns with the possibility of installing four additional ones. It was built in Nikolaev under the guidance of a shipbuilder Akimova. The commander of the ship under construction was appointed Pavel Nakhimov, future admiral and defender of Sevastopol. He oversaw the work, took care of the strength of the hull, the quality factor of sailing and artillery weapons.

   Round stern for better hull strength, metal parts, instead of hemp ropes - anchor chains. Thanks to innovations and better maneuverability, as well as high organization service and combat training of the Silistria crew was set as an example for the entire Black Sea Fleet. Fleet Commander M. Lazarev often kept his flag on it. Silistria was considered a model ship for almost 20 years.

   Black Sea practice

   After launching, the ship served in the Sevastopol Bay, and from 1837 to 1849. as part of the squadron, he took part in training and combat landings in the areas of Tuapse, Shapsuho, Psezuap and in the Tsemes Bay.

   "Silistria" of this period is captured in the paintings of the Russian marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky, who himself was a participant in sea voyages. For example, he participated in the landing of a detachment of Lieutenant General Nikolay Raevsky at the mouth of the Subashi River.

   The naval operation was provided by 84-gun sailing ships of the line, "classmates" of the Silistria. On the canvas of 1839 "Landing N. N. Raevsky at Subashi" depicts an episode of shelling the coast after the first wave of landing.

   
   

   "Silistria" - a thunderstorm of the highlanders

   The main opponents of the Russian garrisons on land were the highlanders, who suddenly attacked the forts and captured the fortresses. But in May 1840, the Russian landing force, in which Silistria participated in the landing, again recaptured the Velyaminovsky and Lazarevsky forts captured by the highlanders.

   In the summer of 1844, the Silistria sailboat provided assistance from the sea to the defenders of the Golovinsky Fort, firing at the highlanders and successfully landing. The attack was repulsed on July 19, but Nakhimov decided to stay at the Golovinsky fortification.

   At midnight on July 22, information was received that the highlanders began to prepare for the next attack. Nakhimov landed reinforcements, the Silistria remained cruising nearby. There was no attack. On July 26, when the highlanders finally retreated deep into the mainland, Nakhimov gave the order to go to Sevastopol. Chief of the Black Sea coastline Major General A. Budberg in the report noted that the appearance of "Silistria" saved the fortification from a bloody assault.

   From May to June 1846, Silistria was engaged in the installation of dead anchors (devices for permanently fixing the fairway designations to the bottom) and buoys in the Tsemess Bay.

   underwater barrier

   In 1854, a coalition of Western powers and Turkey acted against Russia. The enemy fleet blocked the Russian ships in the Sevastopol roadstead. The enemy controlled the Black Sea, landed troops on the Crimean coast. In September 1854, preparations began for the assault on the main strategic point in the Crimea - Sevastopol.

   

   The defense of Sevastopol was commanded by Admiral Pavel Nakhimov, who was well aware that if enemy ships entered the bay, the city would be lost. Nakhimov would not have been an admiral if he did not know everything about naval battles, the history of which has many examples of the strategic sinking of warships. They became a kind of "dead anchors" that prevented the passage of the enemy fleet.

   On September 11, even before the start of the assault, seven sailing ships were sunk across the fairway in shallow water by order of the admiral. Two famous frigates, the Flora and the Twelve Apostles, and five ships of the line, including Nakhimov's brainchild, the Silistria, were sacrificed. The underwater "obstacle course" between the Alexander and Konstantinovskaya batteries became an impenetrable barrier for enemy ships.

   The masts of the sunken ships prevented the enemy from entering the bay. This delayed the capture of Seevastopol for a whole year. But the tactical victory went to Admiral Nakhimov at a heavy price. He, a true sailor, had to sink more than one sailboat of the Russian flotilla. The barrier of the masts of sunken sailing ships, which were the pride of the Black Sea Fleet, was gradually destroyed - and it was strengthened by the flooding of new ships. By the end of the defense, there were 90 ships at the bottom of the Sevastopol Bay!

   Half a century after the war, in 1905, a monument was erected in Sevastopol, which is called the “Monument to the Scuttled Ships”.

   
   It belonged to the battleships of the 84-gun rank, of the Empress Alexandra type. Only 8 battleships of this type were built in the St. Petersburg New Admiralty between 1826-1844.

   The battleship Lefort was laid down on 11/18/1833. Builder Ya.A. Kolodkin. Launched 07/28/1835, became part of Baltic Fleet.

   Dimensions: 59.8x15.3x7.2. 3500t

   In 1836-1838, 1840, 1841, 1843 and 1846. As part of the squadron, he was on practical voyages in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland. 07/03/1836 on the Kronstadt roadstead, he took part in the ceremony of welcoming the boat of Peter I by the Baltic Fleet. In 1844 and 1847. As part of the squadron, he went on practical voyages to the North Sea. Participated in the expedition of the Baltic Fleet to Danish waters in 1848-1850.

   In 1851-1852. Timbered at the dock of Peter the Great in Kronstadt.

   Participated in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. In May-June 1854, he stood ready on the Small Kronstadt roadstead against the outer wall of the Kronstadt harbor in case of a breakthrough by the enemy fleet. In 1855 he was in Kronstadt. In 1856 and 1857 transported troops and cargo between the city of Kronstadt and the city of Reval (Tallinn).

   From the report of Rear Admiral Nordman, you can get the details of the last campaign of the Lefort: 09/09/1857 (09/22/1857 according to a new style), using a fair south-west wind, a detachment consisting of the same type of battleships Lefort, Vladimir and Empress Alexandra left the city of Revel for the city of Kronstadt to move to the winter quarters due to the end of the summer company.

   By the evening of September 9, when the ships were approaching the island of Gogland, the wind increased to a storm, and the commander of the detachment made a decision: maneuvering, stay in the area until dawn, then to continue the journey.

   On the morning of September 10, the wind changed to the north with squalls and snow. Moving from tack to tack, the squadron tried to stay in place between the islands of Gogland and Bolshoy Tyuters. At about 7.30 in the morning, during the next turn to a new tack, a gust of wind put the Lefort on its left side. After spending some time in this position, the ship capsized and disappeared under the water.

   No one escaped, the commander drowned with the ship - captain of the 1st rank Kishkin, 12 officers, 743 sailors, 53 sailors' wives and 17 children, a total of 826 people.

   The commission of inquiry, which interviewed all the witnesses of the events, was unable to come to a final version of the reason for what happened, and the report of the commission states: “The death of the Lefort ship is one of those events that, fortunately, happen very rarely, and the reasons for which, to unfortunately, despite all the energy of the investigators, they remain unsolved ... ". “This catastrophe resonated not only on the marine estate, many heartbroken, orphans and families, for a long time in different parts of Russia mourned those close to them, for a long time in the future, despite new misfortunes, Lefort will be a difficult and sad memory for everyone. In the same distant future, when the memory of the Lefort will be completely blotted out, as everything is blotted out in the world, a fantastic picture by Professor Aivazovsky, placed in the Kronstadt Maritime Library, will remind of him.

   Prior to the loss of the Estonian passenger ferry in 1994, the sinking of the Lefort was the largest maritime tragedy in the Baltic in peacetime.

   The battleship "Lefort" was discovered by the expedition "Bow to the ships great victory» May 4, 2013 during the sonar survey of the bottom north of the island Bolshoi Tyuters in order to search for the Shch-320 submarine that died in 1942. The skeleton of Lefort lies about 5 miles north of about. Bolshoi Tyuters, at a depth of about 70 m. Due to the great depth of occurrence and the characteristics of the water in the Gulf of Finland, the ship has been preserved in excellent condition. Of the visible damage, only the masts and bowsprit, apparently broken during the death, and the decorative plating of the ship's hull partially torn off by fishing nets.

   Sources:
   1. Chernyshev A.A. Russian Sailing Fleet T.1, 1997.
   2. Konkevich L. Chronicle of wrecks and other disasters of military ships of the Russian fleet, 1874.