Kamiesch is a sea

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

and adjoining port, sited on the Chersonese or Khersones peninsula, three miles SW of the city centre 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 ...

and ten miles WNW of

Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Crim ...

in 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 ...

. 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 ...

, French invading forces used the bay as their main port and supply base. The area is now part of the Gagarinsky district of Sevastopol.

History

In September 1854, prior to landing at

Gulf of Kalamita __NOTOC__ The Kalamita Bay (russian: Каламитский залив, uk, Каламітська затока, crh, Kalamita körfezi, Каламита корьфези), also known as Gulf of Kalamita, is a bay and a gulf in the Black Sea so ...

, French and British forces identified Kamiesch and Balaclava as suitable supply ports for the siege of Sevastopol. Lord Raglan, given first choice, opted for Balaclava, leaving Kamiesch to the French. Historians see this as disastrous; The French had the larger sea inlet, with mooring for 300 vessels in the outer harbor, and were closer to their objective. They were also protected on both flanks; the sea on the left, the British on the right; whereas Raglan's right flank was exposed to the enemy. The French occupied Kamiesch on 1 October and proceeded to establish a large town with storehouses, bars, brothels, hotels, restaurants and shops. Orlando Figes, ''Crimea'', Penguin, 2011, p 287

References

{{coord missing, Ukraine Bodies of water of Sevastopol Bays of Ukraine Amphibious operations Military history of Sevastopol

History

See also

References