- Battle of Öland (1789)
Infobox Military Conflict
caption=The battle of Öland
conflict=Battle of Öland
partof=Russo-Swedish War
date=26 July (July 15 OS),1789
place=Near Öland Island,Baltic Sea
result=Indecisive
combatant1=flag|Sweden
combatant2=flag|Russia
commander1=Prince Karl, Duke of Södermanland
commander2=Vasili Chichagov
strength1=30 ships
strength2=18 ships
casualties1=
casualties2=The naval Battle of Öland took place on
26 July 1789 during theRusso-Swedish War (1788-1790) . "There was another naval battle in 1676 called the Battle of Öland."Origins
Having assembled 21 ships of the line and eight large frigates under his flag, Prince Karl, Duke of Södermanland decided to intercept the Russian fleet near the island of
Öland .Battle
The Swedish fleet came in contact with the Russians on July 26, 1789 just south of Öland. The Russians took the defensive position, with the Swedes making some indecisive attacks and firing at long range. Duke Karl would have won a signal victory but for the unaccountable remissness of his second-in-command, Admiral
Per Liljehorn whose second division of the Swedish fleet did not reach the fighting in time, failing to follow orders to attack. Having met with strong resistance, the Swedes disengaged.Aftermath
For three days the fleets manoeuvred within sight of each other, but finally the Swedes retreated to the naval base at
Karlskrona . The battle ended in a draw, but the Russians returned east.Admiral Liljehorn was put to trial, convicted and barely escaped death as his life was spared by the government.
The rival fleets
weden
"Wladislaff" 76
"Enighet" 74
"Götha Lejon" 74
"Kung Adolf Fredrik" 74
"Kung Gustaf III" 74
"Louise Ulrika" 74
"Sophia Magdalena" 74
"Fädernesland" 66
"Ära" 64
"Dristighet" 64
"Dygd" 64
"Försightighet" 64
"Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta" 64
"Manlighet" 64
"Ömhet" 64
"Prins Carl" 64
"Prins Fredrik Adolf" 64
"Tapperhet" 64
"Rättvisa" 62
"Wasa" 62
"Riksens Ständer" 60
"Grip" 44
"Uppland" 44
"Euredice" 40
"Fröya" 40
"Galathea" 40
"Minerva" 40
"Thetis" 40
"Zemire" 40Russia
"Rostislav" 100
"Dvyenadtsat Apostolov" 100
"Knyaz Vladimir" 100
"Iezekiil" 78
"Kir Ioann" 74
"Mstislav" 74
"Pobyedoslav" 74
"Prints Gustav" 74
"Sv. Elena" 74
"Sv. Petr" 74
"Yaroslav" 74
"Boleslav" 66
"Deris" 66
"Izyaslav" 66
"Pamyat Evstafia" 66
"Rodislav" 66
"Svyatoslav" 66
"Viktor" 66
"Vysheslav" 66ources & references
R. C. Anderson "Naval Wars in the Baltic, 1522-1850".
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