Battle of Ösel Island explained

Conflict:Battle of Osel Island
Colour Scheme:background:#cccccc
Partof:the Great Northern War
Date:June 4, 1719
Place:near Saaremaa
Result:Russian victory
Combatant1: Swedish Empire
Combatant2: Tsardom of Russia
Commander1:Commodore Anton Johan Wrangel
Commander2:Captain Naum Senyavin
Strength1:1 ship of the line
1 frigate
1 brigantine
Strength2:6 ships of the line
1 smaller boat
Casualties1:3 ships captured
451 killed, wounded and captured
Casualties2:18

The Battle of Ösel Island took place on May 24(4 June), 1719 (O.S.), during the Great Northern War. It was fought near the island of Saaremaa (Ösel).

It led to a victory for the Russian captain Naum Senyavin, whose forces captured three enemy vessels, sustaining as few as eighteen casualties. It was the first Russian naval victory which did not involve ramming or boarding actions.[1]

Battle

Five months after Charles XII of Sweden died at Fredrikshald, a Russian squadron of seven warships assumed the offensive and Captains Naum Sinyaven and Konon Zotov attacked Commodore Anton Johan Wrangel near Osel Island.[2]

The Russian ships engaged in convoying galleys and transports, which waged the campaign along the Swedish skerries, landing troops on the islands and the sea coast. The raid by the Russian forces bore a clearly expressed punitive- demonstrative character.[3] [4]

Swedish flotilla of three vessels was defeated. All three Swedish ships were captured at the cost of 18 Russian casualties.[5] The Swedish flagship Wachtmeister (1681) and a frigate were captured in heavy fighting.

Ships involved

Russian Empire

Swedish Empire

References

  1. Book: Sozaev . Eduard . Russian Warships in the Age of Sail 1696–1860: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates . Tredrea . John . 2010-06-23 . Seaforth Publishing . 978-1-4738-5322-5 . en.
  2. Book: Jaques, Tony . Dictionary of Battles and Sieges [3 volumes]

    A Guide to 8,500 Battles from Antiquity through the Twenty-first Century [3 volumes] ]

    . 2006-11-30 . Bloomsbury Publishing USA . 978-0-313-02799-4 . en.
  3. Book: Anisimov, Evgeniĭ Viktorovich . The Reforms of Peter the Great: Progress Through Coercion in Russia . 1993 . M.E. Sharpe . 978-1-56324-047-8 . en.
  4. Book: Gorshkov, S. G. . The Sea Power of the State . 2013-10-22 . Elsevier . 978-1-4832-8546-7 . en.
  5. Book: Showalter, Professor Dennis . Early Modern Wars 1500–1775 . 2013-09-16 . Amber Books Ltd . 978-1-78274-121-3 . en.

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