Battle of Fidonisi

The naval Battle of Fidonisi took place on 14 July 1788 (OS) during the Russo-Turkish War (1787-92) near Ochakov. It was a Russian victory over the Sultan's fleet.

Events

On 10 July the Turkish fleet, under Kapudan Pasha (Ottoman chief admiral) Hassan el Ghazi, was seen to the NW by the Russian fleet, which had finally left Sevastopol under Rear-Admiral Count Voynovitch on 29 June and had reached Tendra that 10 July.

After three days of manoeuvering or lying becalmed in sight of one another, the fleets found themselves near the island of Fidonisi, about 100 miles south of Kinburn.

Voynovitch formed a line on the port tack (NE), and then SE as the wind veered. The Turks bore up and attacked from windward just after 3pm. The leading Russian ships, the frigates "Berislav" and "Stryela", forced the leading Turks out of line, but were in danger of being cut off until the Russian second-in-command, Feodor Ushakov, in "Sv. Pavel", closed the gap.

El Ghazi then attacked the leading Russian ships, while his Vice- and Rear- Admirals attacked Voynovitch, but el Ghazi himself had to leave the line, his ship being damaged, and just before 5pm the Turks withdrew. They had lost 1 xebec sunk.

Between 15 and 17 July, the Russian and Turkish fleets manoeuvered to the west of the Crimea; on July 18 the Turks had disappeared. They sailed back to Ochakov but made no attack.

hips involved

Russia (Count Voynovitch)

"Preobrazhenie Gospodne" 66
"Sv. Pavel" 66
"Sv. Andrei" 50
"Sv. Georgii" 50
"Legkii" 44
"Perun" 44
"Pobyeda" 44
"Stryela" 44
"Berislav" 40
"Fanagoria" 40
"Kinburn" 40
"Taganrog" 34
24 small craft

Turkey (Hassan el Ghazi)

5 80-gun battleships
12 other battleships
8 frigates
21 xebecs - 1 sunk
3 bombs
some small craft

ources and References

*"Naval wars in the Levant 1559-1853" - R. C. Anderson ISBN 1-57898-538-2