The battleship Azov was the first Russian ship to be awarded the stern flag of St. George. The ship lasted only five years, but during this time it took on board a wonderful crew. In its most important battle, the ship fought with five enemy ships and won a brilliant victory. But what caused the death of the ship? This can be found in the article.
Craft creation
In the history of the Russian fleet, there were several ships that received the name "Azov". The most famous was seventy-four cannon instance. The ship was named after the seventieth anniversary of the victory of Peter the Great over the Turks.
It was laid in 1825. The official builder of the ship was the master Andrei Kurochkin. During his life he built more than eighty ships in the Arkhangelsk shipyards. But the master at the time of construction was a rather elderly person. The actual builder was Vasily Ershov. The vessel turned out so good that its drawing was engraved on a copper board for the purpose of preservation.
After the construction was completed, the battleship Azov moved from Arkhangelsk to Kronstadt. At the port, a special commission checked the ship and appreciated it.
In 1827, the battleship was sheathed with copper, or rather its underwater part. Then artillery was installed.
Battleship construction
"Azov" had a design typical of battleships of the first half of the nineteenth century. What was the battleship "Azov"?
Main characteristics:
- three masts - fock, mainsail and mizzen;
- two-part bowsprit - improved the maneuverability of the vessel;
- ten straight sails and several skew.
The ship had a powerful hull and good seaworthiness. The internal layout was rational. The battleship "Azov" (the weapons officially consisted of seventy-four guns) in reality had a larger number of guns. Sources indicate various data regarding the exact number of guns. For some of them, there were eighty guns.
Appearance
According to many experts, the battleship Azov is considered one of the most beautiful ships of the Russian fleet.
Description of appearance:
- a thin carved ornament was placed on the case;
- hackabort (upper part of the stern) - on it was a large two-headed eagle, which held thunder arrows and a torch in one paw, and a laurel wreath in the second;
- the edges of the hackabort were decorated with a floral ornament;
- feed - the windows were arranged in two rows of nine pieces, between them were placed falling garlands decorated with bows on top;
- nasal figure - a warrior in a helmet and armor.
To create a nasal figure from St. Petersburg, Nikolai Dolganov was specially invited. The figure was about three meters long. Its upper part was disproportionately large. This was done so that when viewed from below, the figure seemed correct.
Crew selection
Since even during the construction it was known who would lead the battleship Azov, the captain could select the crew for the future ship in advance.
Officers composition:
- Pavel Nakhimov - future admiral, headed the defense of Sevastopol in 1855;
- Vladimir Kornilov - a military leader, was the chief of staff of the Black Sea Fleet, from 1852 he became vice admiral, died during the defense of Sevastopol in 1854;
- Vladimir Istomin - future rear admiral, died in the defense of Sevastopol;
- Ivan Butenev - the hero of the Battle of Navarino, lost his right hand in him, but did not leave the sea business;
- Yevfimiy Putyatin, a well-known statesman, diplomat, rose to the rank of admiral, in 1855 he first signed an agreement with Japan on friendship and trade;
- Login Heyden - Count, Russian admiral, originally from the Netherlands, commanded ships from the Russian Empire during the Battle of Navarino, he kept his flag on the "Azov".
The crew was selected from people who in the future glorified the Russian fleet.
The generous act of midshipman Domashenko
The first commander of the "Azov" taught the officers who obeyed him, not only to fulfill their duty, but also to respect the sailors. The battleship Azov reigned in an atmosphere of mutual respect. In those days, officers rarely treated the lower ranks with dignity. For example, in 1828, the trial of officers of the “Alexander Nevsky” was held. They were accused of mistreating sailors.
A case is known that occurred near Sicily, when the Azov was heading from Portsmouth to Navarino Bay. One of the young sailors was working on the yards and, breaking away, fell into the sea. This was seen by nineteen-year-old midshipman Alexander Domashenko. He rushed into the water to help. Midshipman managed to swim to the sailor, hold him over the water for some time. But a flurry of barrage prevented the crew from providing timely assistance to the victims. While the boat was launched, both young men drowned.
One of the witnesses of the heroic episode was Nakhimov. He admired the act of the midshipman, who showed willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of his neighbor. Unfortunately, officials did not notice courage on the part of Domashenko in this act, and therefore refused a reward.
Nikolay the First intervened in this matter. He signed an order for the life-long payment of the mother of the deceased midshipman's double salary to his son.
In Kronstadt, a monument to Alexander Domashenko was erected. Placed it in the Summer Garden. The monument has survived to the present day and is considered one of the oldest treasures of Kronstadt. On it there is an inscription from the officers of "Azov" who were proud of the "philanthropic act" of their colleague.
Ship commanders
At the construction stage, the battleship Azov has already received its first commander. They became the famous navigator, the man who discovered Antarctica, Mikhail Lazarev. He took an active part in the creation of the ship. By order of Lazarev, a number of changes were made to the design. This greatly improved the ship.
Lazarev commanded the battleship for two years. It was he who took part in the battle of Navarino. For a brilliant victory he was promoted to rear admiral. A few years later, Lazarev will become the commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
The second commander of the Azov was Stepan Khrushchev. He controlled the ship until 1830. He also took part in the famous battle. He also became famous in the Russian-Turkish and Crimean war. In 1855 he was promoted to admiral.
Nikolay the First at the Azov
On the night of June 10, 1827, Emperor Nicholas I boarded the ship. At the signal, the battleship was removed from the anchor, and by sunrise the cannon saluted, which marked the presence of the ruler.
The ship made a maneuver. After that there was a parting prayer. The emperor was also present. Nikolai the First said goodbye to the Russian squadron from the Azov, in words he expressed the hope that they would act in Russian with the enemy.
The Russian emperor got off the ship before dark, and the squadron, together with the Azov, headed for England. Russian ships arrived at the main base of the English fleet, the city of Portsmouth, on August 9, 1827.
Participation in the Battle of Navarino
In 1827, one of the memorable naval battles of the nineteenth century took place. The battle of Navarino was a stage of the national liberation movement of Greece, as well as a manifestation of rivalry between Russia and Turkey for supremacy in the Balkans.
The battle participants were divided into two camps:
- United squadrons of Britain, France, the Russian Empire;
- Turkish-Egyptian forces.
The battleship Azov (Baltic Fleet) led the Russian ships sailing in a convoy. When they approached the entrance to the Navarino harbor, a shooting occurred on the Ottoman ship. As a result, the English MP was killed. After some time, the Egyptian corvette fired a shot at the side of the French frigate.
Despite the crossfire, the battleship Azov (the battle of Navarino) managed to anchor in a given place. Other ships of the squadron did the same. Having taken the necessary position, Azov began the battle. Five Turkish ships became his opponents. The battleship received quite serious damage, but this did not prevent the crew from firing accurate shots at enemy ships. Turkish ships were gradually decommissioned.
One of the enemy’s cores led to the fact that two cannons of the “Azov” came off the trousers. A lit wick resulted in an explosion of gunpowder and a fire. Only the extreme self-control of the sailors allowed to cope with the fire.
The feat of the battleship "Azov" was that he managed to sink four ships. He also forced the Turkish Mukharem Bey, consisting of eighty guns, to run aground. The flagship of the enemy was burned.
During the battle, Azov received one hundred and fifty-three holes. Masts and yards were broken, rigging was destroyed. Most sails were shot through. The crew lost ninety-one people, of whom twenty-four were killed.
The battle itself lasted four hours, culminating in the fact that the Turkish-Egyptian fleet was destroyed. The allies sank more than sixty ships of the enemy, killed and wounded from four to seven thousand people. The other side, for which Azov stood, did not lose a single vessel, one hundred eighty-one people were killed, four hundred and eighty sailors were wounded.
Battle heroes
The battle of the battleship "Azov" showed how brave and skillfully militarily officers and ordinary sailors were. So, Ivan Butenev with a fragmented hand from behind the core continued to command the battery. He did not even go to the dressing, although Nakhimov asked him about it. Only after the order of the commander Butenev headed to the dressing station.
Being on the operating table, the officer learned about the victory over the next Ottoman ship. He jumped up and ran onto the deck to rejoice with everyone. There Butenev fell unconscious.
About Lazarev it was said that he controlled the ship with special composure and art, showing courage. He encouraged the whole crew with his behavior.
Heroes of the battle received new ranks and awards. The battleship itself, by order of Nicholas I, was marked with the stern admiral's St. George flag. It was also decided that the fleet of the Russian Empire always had a ship called "Memory of Azov".
Service 1828-1831
After the repair, Azov took part in the Russian-Turkish war. He made voyages along the Aegean Sea, participating in the blockade of the Dardanelles. By 1830, the ship left the island of Poros and headed to Russia. On the way, he crossed Malta, Gibraltar, then the English Channel, Copenhagen. "Azov" walked across the ice in the Gulf of Finland. In the same year, the ship sailed with a squadron in the Gulf of Finland. After a couple of months, he arrived in Kronstadt.
The fate of the ship
In 1831, the battleship was dismantled. The damage he suffered during three years of sailing was very serious. In addition, in the Russian fleet there was a problem of not very high-quality forest. Because of this, Russian ships served much less than their foreign peers.
An attempt to eliminate this problem was the early appointment of the commander of the ship. Therefore, Lazarev participated in the construction of the battleship. But this did not significantly change the situation. "Azov" scattered rather than from battles, but from the decay of the boards. Many parts of the ship rotted and even after major repairs could not withstand the storm.
The ship has long ceased to exist. Served their term and the ship called "Memory of Azov." But his feat and the courage of the crew remain in the works of art.
The flag of the battleship Azov is in the Naval Museum. The size of the genuine St. George’s banner is 9.5 by 14 meters.