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Battle of Sinope

The naval Battle of Sinope (or Sinop) took place on 30 November 1853 at Sinop, a sea port in northern Turkey, when Imperial Russian battleships struck and annihilated a patrol force of Ottoman frigates anchored in the harbor. It is often considered to be the last major skirmish of the age of sail, and was the first battle of the Crimean War.

Fighting at sea between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire had been going on for weeks, and the Ottomans had sent several squadrons into the Black Sea for patrol. One of these, under Osman Pasha, ended up at Sinope, joining the frigate «Kaid Zafer» which had been part of an earlier patrol, and being joined by a steam frigate (probably «Taif») from a smaller squadron. The Ottomans had wanted to send battleships to Sinope, but the British ambassador in Istanbul, Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe, had objected to this plan, and only frigates were sent. It is possible that this was done deliberately, to get Russia to attack a weaker fleet. The British and French supported the Ottoman Empire against Imperial Russia, but did not want a war to start. When it became clear there would be a war, they hoped Russia would provide the casus belli.

The Russians, led by admiral Pavel Nakhimov, sailed into Sinop harbor in two lines of three battleships each and anchored alongside the Ottoman line. The battle itself took about an hour. The Russians used destructive Paixhans shell guns to destroy the small Turkish patrol fleet. Only «Taif», pursued by the Russian steamers, managed to escape to Istanbul where she arrived on 2 December.

This attack provided France and the United Kingdom with the justification for declaring war on Russia in early 1854 in support of the Ottoman Empire.

Russia, 2003, The Battle of Sinope

Ukraine, 2001, Ship on the line «Three Saints»

Ukraine, 2003, Paddle streamer «Odessa»

USSR, 1987, Pavel Nakhimov

USSR, 1989, Vladimir Istomin

Russia, 2003.11.05, Moskow. The Battle of Sinope

Russia, 1993, Film «Admiral Nakhimov»