Siege of Petropavlovsk

Siege of Petropavlovsk
Part of the Crimean War
Cannons which were used to defend Petropavlovsk in 1854.
Date 1st September 1854-31st May 1855 (NS), assaults repulsed 1st and 4th September 1854 (NS) Location Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka Result British strategic victory (Petropavlovsk captured May 1855) Russian tactical victory in operations of September 1854 (allied landings repulsed)
Belligerents
United Kingdom French Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Auguste Febvrier-Despointes David Price † Frederick Nicolson	Vasily Zavoyko Yevfimy Putyatin
Strength
ca. 1,700 men 200 cannons 6 warships:	1,013 men, excluding officers 67 cannons warships: frigate Aurora (44) transport Dwina (12)
Casualties and losses
26 Killed and Missing, 79 Wounded and returned to ships 26 Killed and Missing, 78 Wounded and returned to ship Total casualties for all operations = 209	31 dead 65 wounded 2 ships: cargo ship Anadyr transport Sitka (10)

The Siege of Petropavlovsk was the main military operation in the Pacific Theatre of the Crimean War. The Russian casualties are estimated at 100 soldiers; the Allies a similar number.

In the China and Japan seas, at the beginning of the war, Russian Rear-Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin had under his orders Pallada, 52 guns, Aurora, 44, and Dvina, 12. The British force on the station was under Rear-Admiral David Price (newly promoted after serving as post captain for 39 years) and the French under Rear-Admiral Auguste Febvrier-Despointes. In total, the Allied fleet had nine ships and over 200 cannons. Putyatin was, of course, helpless at sea against such a force; and therefore he sent Pallada far up the river Amur, and put her crew to work in reinforcing the weak garrisons along the river's banks. Aurora and Dvina took refuge in Petropavlovsk, a post against which it was foreseen that the allies would probably attempt operations. Price and Febvrier-Despointes, after having detached Amphitrite, Artémise, and Trincomalee to cruise for the protection of trade off the coast of California, went in search of the Russians, and, on 18 August, sighted the shores of Kamchatka.

Operations of September 1854

The allied started operations on 31 August 1854 (NS), when an Allied squadron of three British and French frigates, one corvette, one brig and one steamship cast anchor in the Avacha Bay. The Allied forces far outnumbered the Russians. The sole Russian heavy ship, frigate Aurora, was anchored behind a sand spit topped by a shore battery. The 52-gun Pallada, was by then on the Amur, out of harm's way.

The Allied force, commanded by Rear Admirals Febvrier-Despointes and Price, advanced to bombard Petropavlovsk on 3 September 1854 (NS). They had some 200 cannons at their disposal, as compared to 190 cannons available to the defenders of Kamchatka's main city under Vasily Zavoyko. Almost immediately, Price went below decks and shot himself, either on purpose or by accident. The Allies withdrew, but returned to resume the bombardment the next day, 4 September (NS), with Captain Nicolson of HMS Pique in temporary command.

The Petropavlovsk garrison consisted of 41 officers, 476 soldiers, 349 seamen, 18 Russian volunteers and 36 Kamchadals (total 920 men). The Allied squadron re-entered Avacha Bay to storm the city. On 24 August (5 September in Gregorian calendar), after a neutralization of Russian batteries, a naval brigade of around 680 British and French seamen and marines landed, under Captains Burridge and de La Grandiere, but they were repelled after some heavy fighting, and retreated to their boats leaving 52 dead and wounded behind (26 British and 26 French). The commanding officer of a landing party was killed. The Russians captured a British flag, seven officers' swords and a quantity of firearms, swords, and bayonets.

The Allies withdrew, although President and Virago managed to capture the Russian Anadyr, a small schooner, 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 where Esquimalt Harbour was used for repairs, an event which led to a strong British presence there and led to investment in a graving dock at that location which has since evolved into CFB Esquimalt.

Allied fleet

British

The British force in the September 1854 operations was under Rear-Admiral David Price, and consisted of:

• HMS President, 50-gun frigate (flagship), Captain Richard Burridge, 450 men,,
• HMS Pique, 40, fifth-rate frigate, Captain Sir Frederick William Erskine Nicolson, Bart., 280 men,
• HMS Virago, 6, paddle steamer, 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.

With 200 guns to 190 Russian guns the allied were outgunned (as shore fortifications typically had much greater firepower than ships for the same number of guns). The ships carried nominal crews of 1,747 officers, men and marines.

Further Operations

With the Russian frigate Aurora present the allies continued a blockade of Petropavlovsk, and in late April 1855 the Russian Army abandoned Petropavlovsk. In May a Royal Navy squadron took possession of the harbour.

• 
  A map of the Franco-British attack on Petropavlovsk (Kamchatka) in 1854
• 
  The Russian frigate Pallada
• 
  HMS President - built to the plans of the American USS President
• 
  The British flag captured in battle on 24 August 1854

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.
• Chapter in the Crimean War, by Yevgeny Tarle.
• W.L. Clowes on the 1854-56 Russian War
• HMS Trincomalee - Royal Navy Service
• Russia on the Pacific and the Siberian railway By 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

• From the History of Russia's Pacific Fleet: Defense of Petropavlovsk
• The Friends of HMS Trincomalee website