Battle of Grengam: Difference between revisions

Battle of Grengam
	Part of Great Northern War
	; The Bringing of four Swedish frigates into St. Petersburg after the victory in the Battle of Grengam.
Date	July 27 1720
Location	Near Granhamn Island [1], Sweden
Result	Russian victory
Belligerents
Sweden	Russia
Commanders and leaders
Vice-Admiral Eric Sjöblad	Admiral Mikhail Galitzine
Strength
Ship of the line ; 4 frigates ; 9 smaller craft ; over 1,000 sailors	61 galleys ; 25 boats ; 11,000 sailors and soldiers
Casualties and losses
103 killed, ; 407 taken prisoner	82 killed and 236 wounded

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Revision as of 14:19, 24 November 2008

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The Battle of Grengam (Russian: Гренгамское морское сражение, Swedish: Slaget vid Ledsund) of 1720 was the last major naval battle in the Great Northern War that took place near Åland Islands. The battle marked the end of Russian need to launch operations with their galley fleet in the Baltic waters due to the conclusion of the war and the signing of the Treaty of Nystad.^[3] The name is based on the Russian transliteration of the Swedish placename "Granhamn".

The Battle

The Swedish squadron under command of Vice-admiral K. Sjöblad (52-gun ship of the line, 4 frigates and 9 small crafts with 156 guns and over 1 000 marines) made an attempt to attack the Russians on route. Golitzin managed to take an advantageous position in the narrow strait of Flisesund and ordered his ships in a semicircled line. A Swedish ship of the line and 4 frigates chased the Russian flotilla into a narrow strait, where two Swedish frigates run aground. As a result, manoeuvres became difficult for the big sail ships. In the fierce fight that followed all the Swedish frigates were boarded. The only ship that managed to escape was Sjoblad’s flagship.

Aftermath

The Swedes lost 103 killed and 407 captured, the Russians lost 82 killed and 236 wounded. The Battle of Grengam demonstrated the skilful usage of rowing fleet in the skerries environment, efficient reconnaissance and selection of combat site, as well as perfect timing for the attack from different directions. The victory at Grengam allowed the Russians to consolidate in the archipelago that was very important to carry out the operations against the Swedish shipping in the area.

References

^ Victory of the Russian galley fleet under command of M.M. Golitzin over the Swedish squadron at the isle of Grengam, August 9(July 27), 1720
^ Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Grengam
^ p.244, Wilson, Callo

Sources

Wilson, Alastair, Callo, Joseph F., Who's who in Naval History: From 1550 to the Present, Routledge, 2004 ISBN 0415308283
Morfill, William Richard, A History of Russia: From the Birth of Peter the Great to Nicholas II, James Pott Publisher, London, 1902

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 |date=[[July 27]] [[1720]]
 |place=Near [[Granhamn Island]] [http://www.earthsearch.net/intSearch.php?showMap=-3863926&UNI=-5105273&earth=frag], [[Sweden]]
+|result= Russian victory
-|result=Disputed, both sides claim victory<ref>p.71, Morfill, "...almost under the eyes of the English."</ref><ref>http://www.sjohistoriskasamfundet.se/Forum_navale.html</ref> Russian raids on Swedish coast ended
 |combatant1=[[Image:Naval Ensign of Sweden.svg|25px]] [[Sweden]]
 |combatant2=[[Image:Flag of Russia.svg|border|25px]] [[Tsardom of Russia|Russia]]
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 |strength2=61 galleys <br> 25 boats <br> 11,000 sailors and soldiers
 |casualties1=103 killed, </br>407 taken prisoner
-|casualties2=Russian claims: 82 killed and 236 wounded <ref>[http://rusnavy.com/history/victories/vic2.htm]</ref><ref>Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Grengam</ref><br>Swedish claims: 1,000 dead<ref>http://sfhs.eget.net/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=78&Itemid=2</ref>
+|casualties2=82 killed and 236 wounded <ref>[http://rusnavy.com/history/victories/vic2.htm Victory of the Russian galley fleet under command of M.M. Golitzin over the Swedish squadron at the isle of Grengam, August 9(July 27), 1720<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Grengam</ref>
 }}
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 {{FixBunching|end}}
-The '''Battle of Grengam''' ({{lang-ru|Гренгамское морское сражение}}, {{lang-sv|Slaget vid Ledsund}}) of [[1720]] was the last major naval [[battle]] in the [[Great Northern War]] that took place near [[Åland Islands]]. The battle marked the end of [[Russia]]n need to launch operations with their galley fleet in the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] waters due to the conclusion of the war and the signing of the [[Treaty of Nystad]].<ref>p.244, Wilson, Callo</ref> The name is based on the Russian transliteration of the island's Swedish name "Granhamn".
+The '''Battle of Grengam''' ({{lang-ru|Гренгамское морское сражение}}, {{lang-sv|Slaget vid Ledsund}}) of [[1720]] was the last major naval [[battle]] in the [[Great Northern War]] that took place near [[Åland Islands]]. The battle marked the end of [[Russia]]n need to launch operations with their galley fleet in the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] waters due to the conclusion of the war and the signing of the [[Treaty of Nystad]].<ref>p.244, Wilson, Callo</ref> The name is based on the Russian transliteration of the Swedish placename "Granhamn".
 == The Battle ==
+The Swedish squadron under command of Vice-admiral K. Sjöblad (52-gun ship of the line, 4 frigates and 9 small crafts with 156 guns and over 1 000 marines) made an attempt to attack the Russians on route. Golitzin managed to take an advantageous position in the narrow strait of Flisesund and ordered his ships in a semicircled line. A Swedish ship of the line and 4 frigates chased the Russian flotilla into a narrow strait, where two Swedish frigates run aground. As a result, manoeuvres became difficult for the big sail ships. In the fierce fight that followed all the Swedish frigates were boarded. The only ship that managed to escape was Sjoblad’s flagship.
-On July 27, 1720, a small Swedish naval unit with vice admiral Carl Georg Siöblad in charge, sailed right into the mighty Russian fleet anchored at Granhamn, near Flisö, Föglö. A fierce battle took place, the Swedes lost four of their warships but the Russian losses became so heavy that the entire fleet quickly decided to withdraw from Åland, leaving 43 sunken ships and 1.000 dead Russians behind to be buried at Flisö on that day. The Russian losses prevented their navy from launching any further major operations until the war ended with the Peace in Nystad (Uusikaupunki) the following year.
 == Aftermath ==
+The Swedes lost 103 killed and 407 captured, the Russians lost 82 killed and 236 wounded. The Battle of Grengam demonstrated the skilful usage of rowing fleet in the skerries environment, efficient reconnaissance and selection of combat site, as well as perfect timing for the attack from different directions. The victory at Grengam allowed the Russians to consolidate in the archipelago that was very important to carry out the operations against the Swedish shipping in the area.
-Four Swedish [[line-of-battle]] ships, the 34-gun frigate ''Stor Phoenix'', the 30-gun ''Vainqueur'', the 22-gun ''Kiskin'' and the 18-gun ''Danska Örn'' were captured by the Russian Navy. 43 out of 61 Russian [[galley (ship)|galleys]], were either sunk by the Swedish force (One ship-of-the-line, six frigates and some smaller crafts) or burnt and abandoned after the battle. The Swedish [[admiral]] Eric Siöblad was first criticised after the battle, but when the scope of the Russian losses were discovered he was praised. Russia celebrated the battle as a victory, but their fleet was unable to launch effective operations until the end of the war in [[1721]].
-Like the previous [[Battle of Gangut]], the Battle of Grengam was fought on [[Saint Pantaleon]] Day. In order to commemorate the victory, a timber church to this saint was built in [[St. Petersburg]] in [[1722]]. It was rebuilt in stone in 1735-39. The facade of the church bears (since 1914) two marble plaques listing the ships and regiments that fought at Gangut and Grengam.
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}

Revision as of 14:19, 24 November 2008

The Battle

Aftermath

References

Sources

Recommended readings