Battle of Fidonisi

For the campaign on Snake Island during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, see 2022 Snake Island campaign.

The naval Battle of Fidonisi took place on 14 July 1788 (NS) between the fleets of the Russian Empire under Marko Voinovich's lead and the Ottoman Empire under Cezayirli Hasan Pasha during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) in the area of Snake Island, which in Greek was called Fidonisi (Φιδονήσι). It was a Russian victory.^[2][3][4]

Battle of Fidonisi
Part of Russo-Turkish War
Battle of Fidonisi. canvas, oil. Vladimir Kosov 2021
Date 14 July 1788 (N.S.)[1] Location Area of Fidonisi (actual name Snake Island), Black Sea Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Russian Empire	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Marko Voinovich Fyodor Ushakov	Cezayirli Hasan Pasha
Strength
2 ships of the line 10 frigates 24 small vessels[1]	17 ships of the line 8 frigates 3 bomb vessels 21 small vessels[1]
Casualties and losses
Not specified[1]	The lead ships[a] out of action 1 flagship out of action 1 vessel lost[1]

Events

On 10 July, the Turkish fleet under Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral) Hasan Pasha was seen to the NW by the Russian fleet, which had left Sevastopol under Rear-Admiral Count Voinovich (Voynovich), on 29 June, and had reached Tendra on 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.^[5]

Voynovich 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 3 pm. 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 Fyodor Ushakov aboard Sv. Pavel closed the gap.^[5]

Hasan Pasha then attacked the leading Russian ships, while his Vice- and Rear-Admirals attacked Voynovich, but his ship damaged, Hasan himself had to leave the line and just before 5 pm the Turks withdrew.^[5]

The battle of Fidosini demonstrated Ushakov's high tactical abilities. The Ottoman fleet, using the advantage of speed, moved south.^[1] They had lost 1 xebec, which was sunk.^[5]

Between 15 and 17 July, the Russian and Turkish fleets manoeuvered to the west of the Crimea; on 18 July, the Turks had disappeared. They sailed back to Ochakov but made no attack.^[5]

Ships involved

Russia (Count Voinovich)

• Preobrazhenie Gospodne 66 (Преображение Господне 66)
• Sv. Pavel 66 (Св. Павел 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

In popular culture

The battle was depicted in the movie "Admiral Ushakov" by Mikhail Romm.

See also

• Attack on Snake Island, an attack on the island in 2022

Notes

1. Ships at the forefront.

References

1. Novikov 1948, pp. 114–115.
2. R. G. Grant. Battle at Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare. Penguin. 2011. p. 208
3. Timothy C. Dowling. Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond. ABC-CLIO, 2014. p. 744
4. The Black Sea Encyclopedia. Springer. 2014. p. 653
5. Anderson 1952, pp. 328–329.

Bibliography

• Anderson, R. C. (1952). Naval Wars in the Levant 1559–1853. Princeton: Princeton University Press. OCLC 1015099422.
• Novikov, Nikolay Vasilyevich (1948). Боевая летопись русского флота [Battle chronicle of the Russian navy] (in Russian). Moscow: Военное издательство министерства вооруженных сил союза ССР. Retrieved 29 June 2023.