Adventure, historical, documentary films in which naval battles are shown are always breathtaking. It does not matter whether it is frigates with snow-white sails near Haiti or huge aircraft carriers on the Pearl Harbor beam.
The spirit of wandering haunts human imagination. Read on, and you will briefly get acquainted with the most ambitious and ambitious sea battles in the new history of the world.
Fleet in military history
The history of the Russian fleet begins from the time of Peter I.
The tactics of naval combat varied depending on the design of ships and guns. From galleys and frigates to dreadnoughts and beyond to modern powerful and computerized aircraft carriers.
States often defend their interests in wars. Battles are both land and sea. We will talk about the latter in this article.
Chesme battle
Large naval battles are known in the history of Russia, starting from the era of Peter the Great. The emperor played a crucial role in the creation of the navy.
One of the largest battles of the eighteenth century occurred during the Russo-Turkish war. The victory in this battle was so impressive that since 1770 July 7 has been celebrated as the day of military glory.
Let's take a closer look at what happened in the Chesme Bay from the fifth to the seventh of July 1770.
Two squadrons were sent to the Black Sea from the Baltic, which merged into one on the spot. The command of the new fleet was entrusted to Count Alexei, brother of Grigory Orlov, favorite of Catherine II.
The squadron included thirteen large ships (nine battleships, one scorer and three frigates), as well as nineteen small support vessels. In total, they were about six and a half thousand people crew.
During the transition, a part of the Turkish fleet standing on the roads was discovered. Among the ships there were quite large vessels. For example, the Burj at Zafer had eighty-four guns on board, and the Rhodes had sixty. In total, there were seventy-three ships (of which sixteen battleships and six frigates) and more than fifteen thousand sailors.
With the help of skillful actions of Russian sailors, the squadron of Alexei Orlov managed to win. Among the trophies was the Turkish "Rhodes". The Turks lost more than eleven thousand people killed, and the Russians lost about seven hundred sailors.
Second Battle of Rochsalm
Naval battles in the eighteenth century were not always victorious. This is due to the deplorable state of the fleet. Indeed, after the death of Emperor Peter I, nobody cared for him properly.
Twenty years after a stunning victory over the Turks, the Russian fleet suffered a resounding defeat from the Swedes.
In 1790, the Swedish and Russian fleets met near the Finnish town of Kotka (formerly called Rochensalm). The first was personally commanded by King Gustav III, and the admiral in the last was the Frenchman Nissau-Singen.
In the Gulf of Finland, 176 Swedish vessels met with 12,500 crews and 145 Russian ships with 18,500 sailors.
Hasty action on the part of the young Frenchman led to a devastating defeat. The Russians lost more than 7,500 people, unlike the 300 Swedish sailors.
Scientists say this is the second battle in the number of ships in modern and recent history. We will talk about the grandest battle at the end of the article.
Tsushima
The cause of the defeats was often various flaws and excessive zeal. For example, if we talk about the Battle of Tsushima, it happened exactly when the Japanese fleet was superior in all respects.
Russian sailors were extremely tired after a many-month transition from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean. And the ships were inferior to the Japanese in fire power, armor and speed.
As a result of the rash act of the admiral, the Russian Empire lost its fleet and any significance in this region. In exchange for a hundred wounded Japanese and three drowned destroyers, the Russians lost more than five thousand killed and more than six thousand were captured. In addition, of the thirty-eight vessels, nineteen were sunk.
Jutland battle
The Jutland Sea Battle is considered the largest battle at sea during the First World War. During the battle, 149 British and 99 German ships came together. In addition, several airships were used.
But the whole charm of the events was not in the huge displacement of equipment or the number of wounded and killed. Not even in the aftermath of the battle. The main feature that only the Battle of Jutland boasts was surprise.
Both fleets accidentally collided in the Skagerrak Strait, near the Jutland Peninsula. Due to a mistake in intelligence, the British walked very slowly and slowly towards Norway. The Germans moved in the opposite direction.
The meeting was completely unexpected. When the English cruiser Galatea decided to inspect a Danish ship that accidentally ended up in these waters, the German ship, which had already checked it, was leaving the Fiord.
The British opened fire on the enemy. After the rest of the vessels pulled themselves up. The battle of Jutland culminated in the tactical victory of the Germans, but the strategic defeat of Germany.
Pearl Harbor
Listing the naval battles of World War II, you should especially dwell on the battle near the Pearl Harbor. The Americans called it the “Pearl Harbor Attack,” and the Japanese called it the Hawaiian Operation.
The goal of this campaign was to prevent the Japanese from gaining superiority in the Pacific. The United States was expecting entry into the war with the Empire of the Rising Sun, so military bases were created in the Philippines.
The mistake of the American government was that they did not seriously consider Pearl Harbor as a target for the Japanese. They expected an attack on Manila and the troops based there.
The Japanese, on the other hand, wanted to destroy the enemy’s fleet and with the help of this, simultaneously conquer airspace over the Pacific Ocean.
Americans were saved only by chance. New aircraft carriers during the attack were in a different place. About three hundred aircraft and only eight old battleships suffered.
Thus, a successful Japanese operation played a cruel joke in the future for this country. We will talk about her devastating defeat further.
Midway Atoll
As you have already seen, many of the great naval battles are notable for the suddenness of the battle. Usually one or both sides do not expect any catch in the near future.
If we talk about the Midway Atoll, then the Japanese wanted to repeat Pearl Harbor again six months later. But they aimed at the second powerful American base. Everything could happen according to plan, and the empire would be the only force in the Pacific, but US intelligence intercepted the message.
The Japanese attack failed. They were able to sink one aircraft carrier and destroy about one and a half hundred aircraft. They themselves lost more than two hundred and fifty aircraft, two and a half thousand people and five large ships.
The planned superiority overnight turned into a crushing defeat.
Leyte Bay
Now let's talk about the largest naval battle of the war. Apart from the ancient battles near the island of Salamanca, this is the most ambitious battle in the sea in the history of mankind.
It lasted four days. Here again, the Americans and the Japanese clashed. The expected attack on the Philippines in 1941 (instead of Pearl Harbor) did happen three years later. During this battle, the Japanese first applied the Kamikaze tactic.
The loss of the world's largest battleship Musashi and damage to Yamato put an end to the empire's ability to dominate the region.
So, during the battle, the Americans lost about three and a half thousand people and six ships. The Japanese lost twenty-seven ships and more than ten thousand crew.
Thus, in this article we briefly got acquainted with the most ambitious naval battles in Russian and world history.