Bombardment of Odessa
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Bombardment of Odessa was an action during the
Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
in which a joint Anglo-French squadron of warships attacked the Russian port of
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
.


Background and formation

On 6 April 1854, soon after the declaration of war by Britain and France on Russia, the British steam frigate , under the command of Captain William Loring, sailed to Odessa and sent a boat into the port under a
flag of truce White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symboliz ...
to collect the
British Consul British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
there. When leaving the port the boat was fired upon by the Russians. The British naval commander Vice-Admiral James Dundas demanded an explanation from Lieutenant-General
Dmitri Osten-Sacken Dmitri Yerofeyevich Osten-Sacken (russian: Дми́трий Ерофе́евич О́стен-Са́кен) (24 April 1789 – 4 March 1881) was a Russian general of Baltic German/Russian descent, member of the State Council, commander in charg ...
, the military governor of Odessa, for this breach of the
laws of war The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (''jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territor ...
. His reply was considered unacceptable, so a squadron was quickly selected to mount a
punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavio ...
. An article by
Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
, printed in the ''
New York Daily Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the dom ...
'' of 16 May 1854, reported that the Russians had claimed that the ''Furious'' was actually carrying out a covert reconnaissance of the port, as the ''Retribution'' had done some time earlier, entering the port of
Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
under the pretext of delivering dispatches, but also making a survey of the defences, as had been admitted by the British press. Marx also pointed out the "ridiculousness" of the Allies requiring such justifications for launching an attack on an enemy naval base in a time of war. The squadron consisted of eight steam paddle-wheel frigates; the French ''Descartes'', ''Mogador'' and ''Vauban'', and the British , , , and , supported by the British screw frigate ,
fourth-rate In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...
sailing frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
, and steam ship , and the French screw corvette ''Caton''. There were also six
ship's boat A ship's boat is a utility boat carried by a larger vessel. Ship's boats have always provided communication with the shore and with other ships. Other work done by such boats has varied over time, as marine technology has changed. In the age o ...
s armed with 24-pounder rockets; two from , and one each from , , ''Sans Pareil'' and ''Highflyer''.


The bombardment

On 22 April the Anglo-French fleet arrived off Odessa, and lay offshore. At 5 a.m. the first division (''Descartes'', ''Sampson'', ''Tiger'' and ''Vauban'') sailed in, and opened fire on the Russian positions from a range of about , though with little effect. ''Vauban'' was hit by a red-hot shot that started a fire aboard and was obliged to temporarily withdraw. She soon returned, bringing the screw corvette ''Caton'' with her. The second division (''Furious'', ''Terrible'', ''Retribution'' and ''Mogador'') then joined the attack, while ''Arethusa'', ''Highflyer'' and ''Sans Pareil'' remained further offshore as a reserve. The attacking ships now anchored closer in, and it was not long before a shot from ''Terrible'' hit a
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
on the Imperial
Mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
, which exploded causing great damage. About 24 Russian ships in the military port were set on fire, and several British and French merchant ships detained there took advantage of the confusion to escape. Meanwhile, the rocket-boats set fire to the dockyard storehouses. Late in the action the ''Arethusa'', under the command of Captain
William Robert Mends Sir William Robert Mends, (27 February 1812 – 26 June 1897), was a British admiral of the Royal Navy, eldest son of Admiral William Bowen Mends and nephew of Captain Robert Mends. William Mends was born at Plymouth into a naval family. He ...
, engaged batteries on the south side of the Quarantine Mole, until recalled. As numerous fires were now threatening the town, the attack was ended at 5.30 p.m., and the squadron withdrew. Casualties were very light; two killed and one wounded in ''Vauban'', three wounded in ''Retribution'', six wounded in ''Sampson'', and one killed and four wounded in ''Terrible''.


Effects

As a result of this "affair of honour", Odessa was essentially neutralised as a naval base, and remained so for the rest of the war, allowing the Allies to operate in the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
with impunity and to thus maintain their supply lines following the subsequent invasion of the
Crimean Peninsula Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a po ...
in September.


Order of battle

;First Division * HMS ''Sampson'' (6 guns), Captain Lewis Tobias Jones. * HMS ''Tiger'' (16 guns), Captain Henry Wells Giffard. * ''Vauban'' (20 guns), Captaine de Poucques d'Herbinghem. * ''Descartes'' (20 guns), Captaine Darricau. ;Boat Division * Six
ship's boat A ship's boat is a utility boat carried by a larger vessel. Ship's boats have always provided communication with the shore and with other ships. Other work done by such boats has varied over time, as marine technology has changed. In the age o ...
s armed with 24-pounder rockets, Commander J. B. Dickson. ;Second Division * HMS ''Furious'' (16 guns), Captain William Loring. * HMS ''Terrible'' (21 guns), Captain James Johnstone McCleverty. * HMS ''Retribution'' (28 guns), Captain the Hon.
James Robert Drummond Admiral Sir James Robert Drummond (15 September 1812 – 7 October 1895) was a Royal Navy officer who commanded several ships in the Black Sea Fleet during the Crimean War and who commanded the Mediterranean Fleet from 1874 to 1877 before going o ...
. * ''Mogador'' (28 guns), Captaine Warnier de Wailly. ;Reserve * HMS ''Arethusa'' (50 guns), Captain
William Robert Mends Sir William Robert Mends, (27 February 1812 – 26 June 1897), was a British admiral of the Royal Navy, eldest son of Admiral William Bowen Mends and nephew of Captain Robert Mends. William Mends was born at Plymouth into a naval family. He ...
. * HMS ''Sans Pareil'' (70 guns), Captain Sidney Colpoys Dacres. * HMS ''Highflyer'' (21 guns), Captain John Moore. * ''Caton'' (8 guns), Captaine Pothuau.


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * * {{cite book , title=Batailles Navales de la France , first=Onésime-Joachim , last=Troude , author-link=Onésime-Joachim Troude , volume=IV , location=Paris , year=1868 , language=French , url=https://archive.org/details/bataillesnavale00trougoog , access-date=6 November 2012
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
1854 in the Russian Empire Kherson Governorate April 1854 events