The siege of Petropavlovsk was a military operation in the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
theatre of 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 ...
. The Russian casualties are estimated at 115 soldiers and sailors killed and seriously wounded, whilst the British suffered 105 casualties and the French 104.
Background
The primary concern of the Anglo-French allies was that cruisers of the
Russian Siberian flotilla would operate against British and French trade in the area. The British force on the station was under Rear-Admiral
David Price (newly promoted after serving as
post captain
Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of Captain (Royal Navy), captain in the Royal Navy.
The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from:
* Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) ...
for 39 years) and the French under Rear-Admiral
Auguste Febvrier-Despointes
Auguste Febvrier-Despointes (1796 – 5 March 1855) was a French counter admiral. He served as the first commandant of New Caledonia from 24 September 1853 to 1 January 1854.
Life
Despointes entered the French Navy school at Brest in September ...
. On 9 May 1854 the bulk of the British and French squadrons were at
Callao
Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...
, Peru when they received orders to operate against the Russian cruisers in the Pacific. There were three potential bases for the Russians: the island of
Novo-Arkhangelsk, capital of
Russian America
Russian America (russian: Русская Америка, Russkaya Amerika) was the name for the Russian Empire's colonial possessions in North America from 1799 to 1867. It consisted mostly of present-day Alaska in the United States, but a ...
(modern
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
),
Okhotsk
Okhotsk ( rus, Охотск, p=ɐˈxotsk) is an urban locality (a work settlement) and the administrative center of Okhotsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located at the mouth of the Okhota River on the Sea of Okhotsk. Population:
...
on the
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk ( rus, Охо́тское мо́ре, Ohótskoye móre ; ja, オホーツク海, Ohōtsuku-kai) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands ...
, and the largest Russian settlement on the Pacific Coast,
Petropavlovsk on the
Kamchatka Peninsula
The Kamchatka Peninsula (russian: полуостров Камчатка, Poluostrov Kamchatka, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and we ...
. Given the importance of allied trade with California, two British frigates ( and ) and a French corvette (''
Artemise'') were detached to cruise off that coast and defend the California trade. The remaining vessels (British frigates and , the British sloop , the French frigate ''Forte'', the French corvette ''Eurydice'' and the French
aviso
An ''aviso'' was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication.
The term, derived from the Portuguese and Spanish word for "advice", "notice" or "warning", an ...
''Obligado'') set out to hunt down the Russian ships in the Pacific. These six ships were crewed by roughly 1,700 men and mounted 200 guns.
The allied squadron concentrated at
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
and on 25 July 1854 set out to hunt down the Russian ships. Their first objective was Novo-Arkhangelsk, which was taken easily but no Russian warships were found. They then set sail for Petropavlovsk.
Russian Vice-Admiral
Yevfimiy Putyatin
Yevfimiy Vasilyevich Putyatin (russian: Евфи́мий Васи́льевич Путя́тин; November 8, 1803 – October 16, 1883), also known as was an admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy. His diplomatic mission to Japan r ...
decided he could not meet the allied forces on the open sea, and could not raid allied trade. He had with him only the 44-gun frigate ''
Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
'' and ''Dvina'' with 10 guns. He decided to concentrate all his available forces at Petropavlovsk, using the ''Dvina'' to transfer the Okhotsk garrison to Petropavlovsk. His only other vessel on the station was the 52-gun frigate ''
Pallada
''Pallada'' (russian: Паллада — Pallas) is the name of several ships of the Russian navy.
* , a sailing frigate
* , the lead ship of her class of protected cruiser
* , a armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of t ...
'', at
Imperatorskaya Gavan on the
river Amur
The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's List of longest rivers, tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Northeastern China (Inne ...
. Her captain lightened her by offloading all her guns and took her as far upriver as he could to hide from the allies. The winter would destroy the frigate, as the frozen river crushed the ship's hull.
The Russian 54-gun frigate ''
Diana'' rounded Asia and arrived at
Shimoda, Japan with the Russian ambassador in late 1854 to negotiate what would become the
Treaty of Shimoda
The Treaty of Shimoda (下田条約, ''Shimoda Jouyaku'') (formally Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia 日露和親条約, ''Nichi-Ro Washin Jouyaku'') of February 7, 1855, was the first treaty between the Russian Empire, a ...
. ''Diana'' was severely damaged by
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
s caused by the
Ansei Tokai earthquake on 23 December and sunk in a storm soon after before she could operate against the allies. Her crew would later build the schooner ''
Heda'' out of the wreck and sailed it to the Amur in 1855.
Arrival at Petropavlovsk and the first bombardment
The allied squadron hove to in Avocha Bay on 28 August 1854. Admiral Price took the steamer ''Virago'' forward to reconnoiter. He observed that the Russians had withdrawn their ships behind a heavily fortified spit in the bay. He decided to mount a direct bombardment against the "eleven gun battery" (Battery No. 2), the main heavy earthwork defending the spit and the ships within. The next day (29th) the ''Virago'' and the ''President'' mounted a reconnaissance-in-force against the central position, exchanging fire with the batteries to gauge their strength. That evening Price held a council of war and announced his plan. The attack would be broken into two phases; initially they would reduce Fort Shackoff (Battery no. 1) whilst staying out of the arcs of the Russian ships and Battery no. 2, and then they would edge around "the corner" of the spit to engage first Battery no. 2 and then the ''Aurora'' in detail. Meanwhile, the lighter vessels would suppress the other batteries.
30 August was windless and the ''Virago'' had to tow the sailing vessels into place. With the movement underway to place the attackers in bombardment positions Admiral Price suffered a fatal gunshot wound in his cabin, possibly self-inflicted. With the chain of command in doubt, Captain Nicholson of the ''Pique'' ordered a delay of 24 hours.
On 31 August, Price's plan was put into effect. The ''President'' suppressed Battery no. 1, ''Forte'' Battery no. 2 and the ''Virago'' and ''Pique'' Battery no. 4. Batteries no. 1 and 4 were effectively suppressed and small Royal Navy landing party took possession and spiked the guns of Battery no. 4. The main force then moved against Battery no. 2. Fire from the frigates ''President'' and ''Forte'' easily suppressed Battery no. 2 and caused a great deal of damage to the ''Aurora'', rendering her unseaworthy until more than six months' repairs were effected. The ''Virago'' took a large hole below the waterline from a Russian shell, but this was quickly plugged. However the French frigate ''Forte'' signaled that it wished to withdraw, and so the ''Virago'' towed her beyond the Russian range. The remaining allied ships thus disengaged.
Second bombardment and repulse of the landing force
On 1 September the ''Virago'' was despatched to bury Admiral Price on the other side of the bay. There they encountered four American whalers living in a tent who told them that the port was vulnerable to an attack from the landward side, with a path though the woods of Nikalski Hill that would allow light artillery to crest the hill. Meanwhile, the French commander, Admiral Febvrier-Despointes and the British commander, Captain Nicholson were engaged in a fierce argument. Despointes wanted to retreat, whereas Nicholson was more bellicose, correctly believing that the Russians had expended most of their ammunition and that one more push would overwhelm the defenders. Since Despointes refused to place his ships back under enemy fire Nicholson took the report of the Americans and proposed a landing, with the ships suppressing the enemy Batteries and a force of roughly 700 men landing near Battery no. 6 to attack two objectives; one group would occupy the top of Nikalski Hill and bring up boat howitzers to destroy the ''Aurora'', whilst the other group would fight through the town to occupy Battery no. 5 and then onto Battery no. 2. The matter was put to a vote, and all the British Captains voted to attack, and two of the French Captains voted not to with de la Grandière of the ''Eurydice'' abstaining. The deciding vote was cast by Febvrier-Despointes, who did not wish to make the attack but feared the French being labelled cowards, especially given the premature flight of the ''Forte'' and the refusal of the ''Eurydice'' to engage the enemy a few days before. He abstained, leaving the vote 3–2 in favour of the attack.
The attackers were placed aboard the ''Virago'', which towed the ''President'', ''Forte'' and the ships boats towards Battery no. 6. The assault group consisted of:
* French naval column (200 French sailors from ''Forte'' and ''Eurydice'' under Captain de la Grandière) – tasked to bring artillery up the hill from the north
* Marine column (120 British and 80 French Marines under Captain Parker, Royal Marines with Lieutenant-Commander de Lacombe commanding the French portion) – tasked to seize the crest of the hill for the artillery from the north
* British naval column (180 British sailors from ''President'' and ''Pique'' under Captain Burridge) – tasked with seizing and destroying Battery no. 5 and advancing into the town and turning to attack the hill from the east
* Mixed naval column (120 British and French sailors from ''Virago'' and ''Obligado'' under Enseigne de Vaisseau van Echut of the ''Obligado'') – tasked with leaving a detachment to defend the beach and the landing craft and then advance along the beach and attack the hill from the west
The Petropavlovsk garrison, after the casualties sustained on 31 August, was reduced to 41 officers, 476 soldiers, 349 seamen, 18 Russian volunteers and 36
Kamchadals
The Kamchadals (russian: камчадалы) inhabit Kamchatka, Russia. The name "Kamchadal" was applied to the descendants of the local Siberians and aboriginal peoples (the Itelmens, Ainu, Koryaks and Chuvans) who assimilated with the Russia ...
(total 920 men). The soldiers were detachments of the 12th, 13th and 14th Siberian line battalions, and a sotnia of mounted cossacks.
The ''President'' and ''Forte'' successfully suppressed Batteries no. 2 and 3 in half an hour of firing (0730–0800) and the troops were landed in two waves at 0815 and 0830 (the two British commanded columns first). On landing the 120 Royal Marines under Parker immediately formed line and advanced up the hill in extended order (followed closely by the French marines), and the British naval column under Burridge immediately formed up and successfully assaulted Battery no. 5, destroying it with a keg of powder brought for the purpose. By 0830 hrs the two British columns had achieved their objectives and the second wave was landing. However de la Grandière could not locate the supposed path which would allow him to move artillery up the hill, and remained on the beach, attempting to recall the British columns.
By 0845 the British and French Marines had secured the crest of the hill, and Burridge's column had advanced into the town and had engaged the open backs of Batteries no. 2 and 3. Captaine de la Grandière tried to recall the Marines, and took another 45 minutes to advance his column up the hill. Meanwhile, van Echut's small party advanced up the beach but came under a very destructive fire from the hill and were driven back. The Marines for their part continued to advance until they ran into well dug in entrenchments manned by riflemen and a battery of field artillery which showered them with canister and grape. They went to ground and started sniping the gunners and any riflemen they could see. Their officers were all killed trying to get the marines to charge. The French naval column finally advanced to their support, but when reached the top of the hill the French sailors mistook the red jackets of the Royal Marines for the red shirts of the Russian Navy and began a firefight with them.
The firefight on the hill lasted around 90 minutes, with the Russians being reinforced by several hundred sailors from Battery No. 2 and the town. Around 1045 hours de la Grandière ordered a retreat, and Burridge's column, having climbed the northeastern slope of the hill, formed a rearguard with the French artillery at the top of the gorge. The broken remnants of the Marines and French sailors streamed past Burridge's, hotly pursued by Russian infantry, Cossacks and sailors at bayonet point. Burridge's force halted the Russian pursuit but the attack was a failure. Withdrawing to the beach the landing parties boarded their boats to return to their ships. However further casualties were incurred as Russian riflemen on the heights above found easy targets and slaughtered the landing parties. In the process the Royal Marines colour was lost, as it fell overboard when the colour bearer was shot.
The allies left 52 dead and wounded behind (26 British and 26 French). The Russians captured seven officers' swords and a quantity of firearms, swords, and bayonets, and found the Royal Marine colour washed up on the beach the next day.
The Allies withdrew, although ''President'' and ''Virago'' managed to capture the Russian ''Anadyr'', a small
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
, and the 10-gun transport ''Sitka'' on 28 September 1854. The Allies left Petropavlovsk to the Russians until April 1855, when
Nikolay Muravyov, aware of the insufficiency of troops and weapons to repel another attack on the city, had the Petropavlovsk garrison evacuated under the cover of snow.
The Allied fleet retreated to the
Colony of Vancouver Island
The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...
and the French to San Francisco. They regrouped and returned in the spring to find the ''Aurora'' had sailed.
Casualties
The British and French suffered 209 casualties in the campaign to all causes, including Price's suicide. The British suffered 26 killed and missing, and 79 wounded to various degrees. The French suffered 26 killed and missing and 78 wounded. Some of these casualties were quite minor, and some not due to enemy action. For example, the casualties in the British landing columns were all sent to HMS ''President'', whose surgeon notes:
* 10 Killed or missing (left behind)
* 27 Wounded by gunshot wounds (from minor wounds to mortal ones)
* 2 Bayonet wounds
* 1 Cutlass wound
* 7 Bruised by falling stones scrambling up the hill or falls
* 1 Burnt by a premature musket flash
He notes the ''President'' had 9 killed and wounded by shot and wooden splinters during the bombardments (of which 3 killed and 6 wounded), some of whom were on loan from other ships (since ''President'' gave 190 men to the landings).
The official reports of casualties (and the reports of the commanders) were published.
[1855 edition of O'Byrne's Naval Annual, online at https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=kn0EAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA92] Broken down by ship:
* ''President'': 11 killed or missing, 2 dangerously wounded, 28 severely bruised and 9 slightly wounded,
* ''Pique'': 12 killed or missing, 7 dangerously wounded, 11 severely bruised and 9 slightly wounded,
* ''Virago'': 3 killed or missing, 3 dangerously wounded, 3 severely bruised and 8 slightly wounded,
* ''Forte'': 11 killed or missing, 18 dangerously wounded and 10 slightly wounded/ bruised (''Forte'' was the only ship to take casualties in the first bombardment),
* ''Eurydice'': 8 killed or missing, 11 dangerously wounded and 10 slightly wounded/ bruised,
* ''Obligado'': 7 killed or missing, 10 dangerously wounded and 18 slightly wounded/ bruised,
Total of 52 killed or missing, 93 severely injured, and 64 minor injuries
The Russians suffered 37 dead and 78 seriously wounded; minor injuries were generally not reported.
Allied fleet
;British
The British force in the September 1854 operations was under Rear-Admiral David Price, and consisted of:
* , 50-gun frigate (flagship), Captain Richard Burridge, 450 men,
* , 40,
fifth-rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower.
Rating
The rating system in the Royal ...
frigate, Captain Sir Frederick William Erskine Nicolson, Bart., 280 men,
* , 6,
paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses wer ...
, Commander Edward Marshall, 149 men
;French
The French Rear-Admiral Auguste Febvrier-Despointes had at his disposal:
* ''Forte'', 60 (flagship), Captain de Miniac, 513 men,
* ''Eurydice'', 30, Captain de la Grandière, 229 men,
* ''Obligado'', 14, Captain de Rosencoat, 125 men.
Gallery
File:Petropavlovsk_1854.png, A map of the Franco-British attack on Petropavlovsk (Kamchatka) in 1854
File:FrigatePallada.jpg, The Russian frigate ''Pallada
''Pallada'' (russian: Паллада — Pallas) is the name of several ships of the Russian navy.
* , a sailing frigate
* , the lead ship of her class of protected cruiser
* , a armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of t ...
'', which was not present
File:Constitutiondiagonalriders.gif, – built to the plans of the American
File:EngFlag.jpg, The Royal Marine colour found washed up on the beach after the battle
References
* Du-Hailly E. Une campagne dans l'Ocean Pacificue//Revue de deux Mondes, 1858, t. XVI, p. 686–718; t. XVII, p. 169–198. (fr.)
* M.A. Sergeyev.
Defense of Petropavlovsk-on-the-Kamchatka'. 3rd ed. Moscow, 1954.
by
Yevgeny Tarle
Yevgeny Viktorovich Tarle (russian: Евгений Викторович Тарле) ( – 6 January 1955) was a Soviet historian and academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is known for his books about Napoleon's invasion of Russia a ...
.
W.L. Clowes on the 1854–56 Russian WarRussia on the Pacific and the Siberian railwayBy Vladimir, Zenone Volpicelli, S. Low, 1899 pp. 218–224
*Hugh Turner (Editor) – ''HMS Trincomalee from the Quarterdeck – a Second Helping'', Friends of HMS Trincomalee 2014, Kindle e-book ASIN B00OWH9O0E
External links
*
ttp://friendsofhmstrincomalee.org.uk The Friends of HMS Trincomalee website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petropavlovsk, Siege of
Conflicts in 1854
History of the Kamchatka Peninsula
Naval battles of the Crimean War
Sieges involving Russia
Sieges involving the United Kingdom
Amphibious operations
Naval battles involving France
Naval battles involving Russia
Naval battles involving the United Kingdom
History of the Russian Far East
1854 in the Russian Empire
1854 in Asia
September 1854 events
Amphibious operations involving the United Kingdom