Since the time of Peter the Great, the sea has been for the Russian Empire a window to Europe and a guarantee of future development, and therefore one of the most important battlefields. And in the person of Aivazovsky, the state found an excellent singer of its victories. The artist himself was fascinated by the Russian fleet and willingly accepted government orders. It was not for nothing that, barely graduating from the Academy of Arts, he was sent by Emperor Nicholas I himself to accompany his son, Grand Duke Constantine, on a practical voyage around the Baltic. Throughout his life, Aivazovsky repeatedly addressed the topic of war. Let's remember the brightest paintings.

Battle in the Chios Strait on June 24, 1770

Battle in the Chios Strait on June 24, 1770. 1848. Feodosia Art Gallery named after. Aivazovsky

One of the battles of the Russian-Turkish War, which took place near the island of Chios in the Mediterranean Sea. The Russian squadron, led by Alexei Orlov, defeated the Turks, who were doubly superior in strength. The painting depicts the key moment of the battle - the collision of the ships "Saint Eustathius" and "Burj-u-Zafera".

Battle of Chesme on the night of June 25-26, 1770

Chesme battle on the night of June 25-26, 1770. 1848. Feodosia Art Gallery named after. Aivazovsky

The most important battle of the same war, thanks to the victory in which Alexey Orlov received the honorary nickname Chesmensky. It happened the day after Chios - the Turks retreated from the Chios Strait to Chesme Bay under the cover of coastal batteries. The painting depicts the moment when one of the Russian fire ships sets fire to an enemy ship, and a boat with the crew who left the burning fire ship approaches our flagship “Three Hierarchs”.

Naval battle of Vyborg June 29, 1790

A victorious battle during the Russian-Swedish War - and again during the reign of Catherine the Great! She knew how to select commanders. The Russian fleet was commanded by Admiral Vasily Chichagov. The crowd at sea was enormous - 35 battleships and frigates and 366 small ships took part from the Swedes alone. For his victory, Chichagov became the first naval commander to be awarded the Order of St. George, 1st degree.

Naval Battle of Navarino October 2, 1827

The naval battle of Navarino on October 2, 1827. 1846. Naval Academy named after. Kuznetsova

The Battle of Navarino, which took place in the bay of the same name in the Ionian Sea, near the Peloponnese Peninsula, is a rare example of a 19th century battle in which England, France and Russia fought on the same side. Their opponent was the fleet of the Ottoman Empire, which opposed Greece's attempts to free itself from its rule. Aivazovsky captured the flagship Azov, on which, by the way, the then unknown lieutenant Nakhimov and midshipman Kornilov served. The ship is damaged, but is boarded by a Turkish ship.

Brig Mercury attacked by two Turkish ships

The brig Mercury, attacked by two Turkish ships (in 1829). 1890. Feodosia Art Gallery

The battle depicted in the painting took place in 1829, when the Russian brig Mercury was patrolling the Bosporus Strait. Due to the weak wind, he was unable to escape pursuit and was attacked by the Turkish battleships Selimiye and Real Bey. Having only 18 guns against 200 enemy, the brave little Mercury managed to damage both Turks and, having lost four people killed, returned to Sevastopol.

Nikolai Raevsky's landing at Subashi

Nikolai Raevsky's landing at Subashi. 1839. Samara Regional Art Museum

Young Aivazovsky saw the operation, which took place in 1839, with his own eyes: Admiral Mikhail Lazarev invited him to witness the battles of the Caucasian War. Nowadays Subashi is the Sochi district of Golovinka, but in those years these were wild Circassian territories. Raevsky landed troops at the mouth of the Shakhe and Subashi rivers, recaptured the territory from the highlanders and built a fort on it. Aivazovsky participated in the landing, making sketches. On the back of the painting there is an inscription: “Belongs to the eldest in the Raevsky family, without the right to sell.”

Sinop battle November 18, 1853 (Night after the battle)

Aivazovsky devoted more than one work to the Crimean War, of which he was a direct witness. The Battle of Sinop was almost the last major battle of sailing fleets - later the era of steam ships began, although Aivazovsky in his paintings would remain devoted to sails and yards for another half a century. The Russian fleet was led by Vice Admiral Nakhimov. He also instructed Prince Viktor Baryatinsky to sketch out a diagram of the layout of the ships on the spot, which was transferred to Aivazovsky for work. The artist really painted the picture in hot pursuit.

Perhaps the main place in Aivazovsky’s creative heritage is occupied by paintings that the artist dedicated to the heroic exploits of the Russian fleet. Based on the paintings of the master of battle, one can perhaps compile a kind of chronicle of the history of the Russian fleet. It can begin with the battles of the times of Peter I, and end with the events that the artist experienced during his lifetime, namely, the Crimean War of 1853-56 and the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-78, in which Russia fought for the liberation of the Balkans.

The Russian Naval Headquarters made Aivazovsky their painter in 1844. YOU during the Crimean War of 1853-56 in Sinolpa Bay, on November 18, 1853, a naval battle took place between the squadrons of Russia and Turkey. The squadron of the Turkish ruler Osman Pasha, leaving Constantinople for the battle in Sukhum-Kale. Stopped for a while in Sinop Bay. The task of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was to hinder the enemy and not give him the opportunity to take active action. The Russian Black Sea squadron was commanded by Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimov. Conducting a raid on cruising duty, the squadron, which included three battleships, discovered a Turkish squadron hidden in the bay, blocked its exit, and blocked it. A request for support was sent to Sevastopol. At the time of this battle, the Russian squadron consisted of only six battleships and two frigates. The Turkish flotilla included seven frigates, two frigate steamships, three corvettes, two transports and two brigs. The Russian ships were equipped with 720 guns, and the Turkish fleet had 510 guns. The battle that started in Sinop Bay lasted 4 hours, as a result almost the entire Turkish fleet (except for the Taif steamer) was completely destroyed. In this battle, the Turks lost more than 3,000 people drowned and killed, approximately 200 people were captured, including the commander of the Turkish fleet. On the part of the Russian flotilla, there were much fewer killed, only 37 people, and 235 wounded.

As a result of the victory in Sinop Bay, the Russian fleet gained dominance in the waters of the Black Sea and managed to break the plans of the Turks to land troops in the Caucasus.

Having learned about what happened, Aivazovsky urgently went to Sevastopol to recreate the picture of the battle from the words of eyewitnesses. Very soon, two works by Aivazovsky dedicated to the Battle of Sinop were exhibited in Sevastopol. Admiral Nakhimov, who visited the exhibition, highly appreciated the artist’s works and said that they convey the events very accurately.


Text: Sergey Balakin

162 years ago, on November 30, 1853 (November 18, old style), the famous Battle of Sinop took place, considered one of the largest naval victories in the history of our country. The words of Vice Admiral Kornilov are widely known, who said about the battle of Sinop: “The battle is glorious, higher than Chesma and Navarino... Hurray, Nakhimov! Lazarev rejoices at his student!” And Emperor Nicholas I awarded Vice Admiral Nakhimov the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, and wrote in a personal rescript: “By the extermination of the Turkish squadron, you decorated the chronicle of the Russian fleet with a new victory, which will forever remain memorable in naval history.” However, these enthusiastic assessments are dominated by emotions. In reality, the results of the Battle of Sinop are far from clear...

Historians know two opposing views on the Battle of Sinop. According to one of them, this battle is the greatest and indisputable victory of our fleet. But there is another point of view: they say that Sinop is a skillfully placed trap into which the clumsy “Russian bear” fell, and which predetermined the defeat of Russia in the Crimean War. Let's try to analyze the arguments of both sides.

At first glance, everything seems obvious. On November 18 (old style), 1853, a Russian squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Nakhimov, consisting of six battleships and two frigates, entered Sinop Bay and defeated the squadron of Osman Pasha stationed there. Of the twelve Turkish warships, eleven were sunk, 2,700 enemy sailors were killed, more than 550 were wounded and 150, including Osman Pasha himself, were captured. Our losses were 38 killed, 232 wounded; all ships, despite the damage received, returned to Sevastopol on their own.

Such impressive results are explained, first of all, by the quantitative and qualitative superiority of our fleet over its enemy. For example, in terms of the total weight of a broadside salvo, the Russian squadron was two and a half times larger than the Turkish one. Moreover, the Russian ships were armed with 76 heavy 68-pound guns that fired explosive bombs, deadly for wooden ships. If we also add that the training of personnel in the Turkish fleet was extremely poor, then Admiral Nakhimov could only wisely use all his advantages. Which he did, and he did it brilliantly. Figuratively speaking, the Battle of Sinop put an end to the centuries-old history of sailing fleets and anticipated the onset of a new era - the era of armor and steam.

It is not surprising that a triumphant meeting awaited Nakhimov in Sevastopol. At that moment, few people thought about how this victory would turn out for Russia...

On the eve of the Crimean War, the weakened Ottoman Empire found itself completely dependent on the Western powers - primarily on England. The strained relations between St. Petersburg and Constantinople led to Nicholas I ordering troops to be sent to Bessarabia and Wallachia. These principalities formally remained vassals of Turkey, and Sultan Abdul-Mecid declared war on Russia on October 4, 1853. At the same time, he counted on military assistance promised by London and Paris. It should be borne in mind that the British were quite happy with the existing state of the Ottoman Empire, but they sought to prevent the strengthening of Russia. Therefore, British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston openly stated that in the event of an attack by the Russian fleet on Turkish ports, England and France would use force against the “aggressor.” But in St. Petersburg they clearly underestimated the seriousness of this threat.

The decision to attack the Turkish squadron in Sinop was extremely risky. After all, it gave the West an excellent reason to “teach a lesson” to the unyielding Russian emperor, whose foreign policy London really did not like. In general, the thought involuntarily arises that the Sinop massacre was planned in advance and not without the participation of English advisers. After all, the most combat-ready Turkish ships, including all the battleships, and almost all experienced sailors remained in the Bosporus. A squadron of weak and outdated ships was sent to Sinop, moreover, staffed with inexperienced recruits - yesterday's peasants. The presence of ground forces on Osman Pasha's squadron, allegedly transported to the Caucasus (this was repeatedly mentioned in various publications), is not confirmed by documents. That is, everything suggests that the squadron destroyed in Sinop was just a bait, obviously sent for slaughter...

Well, what happened next is well known. A coalition of Western states (Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia) declare war on Russia. The Anglo-French fleet enters the Black Sea and troops land in Balaklava. Then - the battle on Alma, the siege of Sevastopol, the self-sinking of the Black Sea Fleet, the death of admirals Nakhimov, Kornilov, Istomin... The Paris Congress, at which Russia admitted its defeat... By the way, in the ranks of the anti-Russian coalition under the flags of the Zaporozhye Sich, the “Slavic Legion” marched under the command of Mikhail Tchaikovsky, or Sadyk Pasha, as the Turks called him...

So, what is the Battle of Sinop? In our opinion, his most balanced assessment looks like this: in tactical terms, this is an indisputable military victory, in strategic terms, this is a blunder that led to Russia’s defeat in the war. However, this is by no means a mistake of Russian sailors or Admiral Nakhimov. This was a mistake of the then Russian politicians and diplomats, who in the field of intrigue were unable to resist their sophisticated colleagues from London and Paris.

We must not forget about one more result of the Battle of Sinop - the moral effect it produced. The defeat of the Turkish squadron caused an unprecedented rise in morale among Russian soldiers, sailors and officers. Without this, the subsequent defense of Sevastopol would hardly have been so stubborn, and the losses of the attackers would have been so great.

So the Russian fleet can rightfully be proud of the Sinop victory.

  • On November 30, 1853, Admiral Nakhimov destroyed the Turkish fleet at Cape Sinop. It took the great naval commander only 4.5 hours to completely defeat the enemy. The forces of the parties were approximately equal, but the losses were incomparable. The Russians lost 37 people killed and 233 wounded. The Turkish squadron was almost completely destroyed: 15 of 16 ships of various types were sunk, three thousand killed and wounded, two hundred prisoners, including Vice Admiral Osman Pasha.

  • The Battle of Sinop is the last victory of the sailing fleet in world history. Subsequently, steamships ruled the roost in naval battles. In addition, the Battle of Sinop was the first naval battle in which “bomb” guns were effectively used. Their effectiveness accelerated the transition to the creation of an armored fleet.

  • Among the destroyed Turkish ships was the frigate "Fazli Allah" - "Given by God." The frigate received this name in 1829; before that it was called “Archangel Raphael” and was part of the Black Sea Fleet. The ship sailed under St. Andrew's banner for only a year. In May 1829, in the Sinop region, "Raphael" ran into a Turkish squadron and surrendered without a fight, at which time it received a new name. On June 4th of the same year, Emperor Nicholas I issued the following decree: “Trusting in the help of the Almighty, I remain in the hope that the intrepid Black Sea Fleet, eager to wash away the ignominy of the frigate Raphael, will not leave it in the hands of the enemy. But when it is returned to our power, then, considering this frigate henceforth unworthy to wear the Flag of Russia and serve along with other ships of our fleet, I command you to put it on fire.” After the Battle of Sinop, Pavel Nakhimov reported to Nicholas: “The will of Your Imperial Majesty has been fulfilled - the frigate Raphael does not exist.”
  • The Battle of Sinop became the first occasion in history for large-scale propaganda and distortion of facts in newspapers. In the English press the battle was called the Sinope Massacre. British newspapermen churned out articles about the atrocities of ruthless Russian sailors who shot the unfortunate wounded Turks floating in the sea. In reality, this sensation had no real basis. As Count Alexei Orlov wrote, “we are not forgiven for either skillful orders or the courage to carry them out.”
  • The Battle of Sinop was the first battle in which the sailor Koshka, who later became famous, distinguished himself, notes Reedus. At Sinop he was noted for his courage and marksmanship. He became the hero of all kinds of tales and stories during the defense of Sevastopol.

  • The defeat of the Turkish fleet at Sinop had an extremely negative impact on an important branch of the Turkish economy - the slave trade. As soon as the Russian fleet seized dominance in the Black Sea, prices for live goods soared. The situation changed only after England and France entered the war. The European fleet changed the balance in the region, and the Turks quickly resumed their profitable business. Prices for people fell by a third. According to the Anglo-French press, in this way the Europeans defended “the rich, but somewhat peculiar Turkish culture.”
  • The great victory of the Russian fleet ultimately turned out to be Pyrrhic. The defeat of the Turkish forces prompted France and Great Britain to enter the war on the side of the Ottoman Empire, which ultimately led to the siege of Sevastopol and defeat in the Crimean War.
  • Having learned about the grandiose battle, Ivan Aivazovsky urgently went to Sevastopol. After interviewing the participants in the battle, the artist painted two paintings within a month: “The Naval Battle of Sinop on November 18, 1853” and “The Battle of Sinop. The night after the battle." The artist painted his last work according to the diagram of Prince Viktor Baryatinsky, which he sketched on the spot on the instructions of Pyotr Nakhimov. Perhaps that is why the picture received the admiral’s praise. “The picture is extremely well done,” noted the naval commander. Zhukovsky, Medovikov, Krasovsky, Bogolyubov and others also dedicated their paintings to this naval battle.

  • The Battle of Sinop was immortalized not only by painters. In 1878, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, at the request of his publisher Pyotr Yurgenson, wrote the march “Russian Voluntary Fleet” under the pseudonym P. Sinopov. The work was published with an image of a sailboat on the title page and the inscription: “The entire collection, not excluding the cost of publication, is assigned to the fund for the purchase of cruisers.” The great composer himself did not receive a penny for this: “There is no need for a fee, because I am also a patriot.”
  • On the forty-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Sinop, in 1898, a monument to Pavel Nakhimov was erected in Sevastopol. This monument stood for only 30 years. In 1928, in accordance with the decree “On the removal of monuments to kings and their servants,” the sculpture was dismantled. Nakhimov's pedestal was taken by Lenin. However, the leader of the world proletariat stood there for nothing either - until 1942. The German occupiers sent the bronze Ilyich to be melted down. The Russian naval commander returned to his place in 1959. The recreated monument differs from the original: the Soviet Nakhimov became 130 centimeters taller than the Tsar’s, turned to face the city, and instead of the captured saber of Osman Pasha, the naval commander’s hand rests on the handle of a broadsword. This idea was presented to the sculptor Tomsky by Admiral Ivan Isakov: “The monument to Nakhimov in Sevastopol should also be a monument to the glory of Russian weapons, so it would be better if the bronze Nakhimov appears not with a Turkish saber, but with a Russian broadsword.”

The Battle of Sinop in 1853 immortalized the glory of Russian sailors. It was thanks to him that the West started talking about the power of the Russian fleet.

The Battle of Sinop, which became the last battle of the sailing fleets, is called the “swan song of the sailing fleet.” In honor of this victory of Russian sailors in the Crimean War, December 1 was declared the Day of Military Glory of Russia. In the battle between the Russian and Turkish squadrons, all but one of the Turkish ships were destroyed. The Russian fleet did not suffer any losses.

Map of the battle of the Sinop raid. 11/30/1853

The English press assessed the actions of the Russian sailors very negatively, calling the battle the “Sinop Massacre.” There was even false information that the Russians were shooting Turks in the water as they tried to escape from sinking ships. Ultimately, the events of November 30 prompted Great Britain and France to enter the war (in March 1854) on the side of the Ottoman Empire.

In the battle on the roadstead of the Turkish port of Sinop, they managed to defeat the enemy in just 4 hours - that’s how long the battle lasted. It all started with the fact that Russian patrol ships discovered Turkish ships in Sinop Bay. They intended to transfer forces to the Caucasus - to Sukhumi and Poti. The commander of the Russian fleet, Admiral Pavel Nakhimov, ordered to block the exit from the bay and call for reinforcements from Sevastopol. The squadron in two columns, one of which was led by Nakhimov, the second by Rear Admiral Fyodor Novosilsky, entered the bay. Under heavy enemy fire, Russian ships approached the Turkish ships and only from a distance of 300 meters, with precise broadside salvos, they destroyed all the ships of Osman Pasha. Only one was able to leave the bay, break away from pursuit, reach Istanbul and report the collapse of the squadron. The Turkish admiral was captured, his broadsword is still kept in the Sevastopol Museum. Enemy losses amounted to more than 3,000 killed and wounded. On the Russian side, 38 sailors were killed and a little more than 200 were wounded.

I.K. Aivazovsky. Russian ships in the Battle of Sinop. 1853

The Turks had a numerical advantage - 16 ships against 8 Russian ships. True, they did not have a single line gun, which gave a total of 500 guns, versus 720 for the Russians, who had 6 battleships. And even the help of 38 coast guard guns did not save the Turkish fleet from destruction. It is worth adding that the Russians were the first to use 68-pound bomb guns, which fired explosive shells. It was this weapon that largely determined such a brilliant victory for Russia. A salvo from bomb cannons could send any ship existing at that time to the bottom. The use of such weapons was virtually the end for classic sailing wooden warships.

I.K. Aivazovsky. 120-gun ship "Paris"

Admiral Nakhimov commanded the battle from the ship Empress Maria. The flagship suffered the most - it was literally bombarded by enemy cannonballs, and most of the masts and spars were destroyed. Nevertheless, the Empress Maria moved forward, crushing Turkish ships along the way. Approaching the Turkish flagship Auni Allah, the Russian flagship anchored and fought for half an hour. As a result, the Auni Allah caught fire and washed ashore. After this, the Empress Maria defeated another Turkish frigate, the Fazi Allah, and went to battle with the fifth battery.

Other ships also distinguished themselves in battle. During the battle, Nakhimov usually expressed gratitude to the sailors for a good battle. This time he liked the actions of the battleship Paris. While anchored, the ship opened battle fire on the corvette Guli-Sefid and the frigate Damiad. Having blown up the corvette and thrown the frigate ashore, it struck the frigate Nizamiye with fire, the ship drifted to the shore and soon caught fire. The commander ordered to signal his gratitude to the team, but the signal towers on the flagship were broken. Then he sent a boat with sailors, who personally conveyed the admiral’s gratitude to the sailors of the Paris.

Having ended the battle, the ships of the Russian fleet began to repair the damage, and two days later they weighed anchor to proceed to Sevastopol. Around noon on December 4, amid general rejoicing, they victoriously entered the Sevastopol roadstead. Admiral Nakhimov, who achieved this brilliant victory, died a year and a half later during the siege of Sevastopol.

A.D. Kivshenko. The deck of the battleship "Empress Maria" during the battle of Sinope. . 1853

The Battle of Sinop immortalized Russian sailors in history. It was thanks to him that the West started talking about the power of the Russian fleet. In addition, this naval battle became one of the most striking examples of the complete destruction of the enemy fleet at its own base.

A.P. Bogolyubov. Battle of Sinop

Having learned about the victory at Sinop, the famous marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky immediately left for Sevastopol, where the ships of the Black Sea Fleet returned. The artist asked about all the details of the battle, about the location of the ships, and about the fact that Nakhimov started the battle “at the closest distance.” Having collected the necessary information, the artist painted two paintings - “Battle of Sinop during the day”, about the beginning of the battle, and “Battle of Sinop at night” - about its victorious end and the defeat of the Turkish fleet. “The paintings are extremely well done,” said Admiral Nakhimov, the hero of Sinop, about them.