Dardanelles Operation
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Dardanelles Operation
Part of the Anglo-Turkish War
Date 19 February 1807
Location Dardanelles
Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United Kingdom British Empire Ottoman flag Ottoman Empire
Commanders
John Thomas Duckworth Sultan Selim III
Strength
8 ships of the line, 2 frigates, 2 bomb ships, 1 transport 14 ships of the line, 9 frigates, a dozen brigs and gunboats, several hundred Ottoman siege cannons, and some modern bronze pieces
Casualties and losses
42 killed, 235 wounded, and 4 missing1 Unknown
v • d • e

Dardanelles Operation – Battle of the Dardanelles – Athos

The Dardanelles Operation was the Royal Navy's unsuccessful attempt to impose British demands on the Ottoman Empire as part of the Anglo-Turkish War (1807-1809).

In 1806, the French envoy Sebastiani had been dispatched to Istanbul with orders to bring about Turkey's re-entry into the war. Sultan Selim III set about preparations for war with Russia after positively receiving Sebastiani. The Russian emperor, Alexander I, was alarmed by these developments as he had already deployed a significant force to Poland and East Prussia to fight the advancing French forces under Emperor Napoleon I. Alexander requested British assistance in keeping Turkey out of the war.

The British army was far too small and inadequate to impose the will of the Coalition on the Ottomans, so it naturally fell to the powerful Royal Navy to meet Russia's requests. The ships immediatelly available for the task were HMS Canopus, HMS Standard, HMS Thunderer and HMS Glatton, HMS Lucifer, HMS Meteor (last two bomb-ships)2, inadequate being the A sizeable flotilla under Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, commander-in-chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet, sailed for the Dardanelles and made preparations for the upcoming assault.

In the meantime, the British ambassador to Istanbul, Arbuthnot, demanded that the Ottoman government evict Sebastiani, and added that should the Ottomans resist the ultimatum, the Mediterranean fleet would attack.

The actual force that had been chosen by Collingwood to carry out the operation was small -- only eight ships-of-the-line and four frigates. In addition, four Russian ships-of-the-line under Admiral Dmitry Senyavin were sent to support the British, but did not join Duckworth until after the exit from Dardanelles was made. Admiral Duckworth, who commanded the British, was under orders to bombard Istanbul and seize the Turkish battle fleet.

The Royal Navy fleet included
Vanguard Division commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Louis
HMS Canopus 80-gun third-rate (Flag-Captain F.W. Austin)3
HMS Endymion 40-gun 24-pounder fifth-rate frigate (Captain Hon. Capel) 4
HMS Ajax 74-gun third-rate (Captain Hon. Blackwood) 5
Main Division commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth
HMS Royal George 100-gun first-rate (Flag-Captain R.D. Dunn) 6
HMS Windsor Castle 98-gun second-rate (Captain C. Boyles) 7
HMS Repulse 74-gun third-rate (Captain Hon. Legge)8
HMS Active 38-gun fifth-rate (Captain Moubray)9
Rear Division commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Sydney Smith10
HMS Standard 64-gun third-rate (Captain Harvey) 11
HMS Thunderer 74-gun third-rate (Captain Talbot)12
HMS Pompée 74-gun third-rate (Flag Captain Richard Dacres)13
HMS Lucifer (bomb-ship) (Captain Elliot)14
HMS Meteor (bomb-ship)1516
HMS Madras (store ship) 54-gun (Captain Charles Marsh Schomberg) 17

HMS Delight 16-gun brig-sloop (sloop of war) 18
HMS Juno 32-gun fifth-rate (Captain Charles Richardson) 19

Despite the British ultimatum, on December 27 Selim declared war on Russia. Early in the new year, 1807, the British frigate Endymion evacuated British nationals from the Ottoman capital. A formal declaration of war had not yet been sent by London and the two powers were still technically allied. On February 10, Duckworth's fleet concentrated at the mouth of the Dardanelles.

The presence of British and Russian vessels at the mouth of the Dardanelles caused Sebastiani to begin overseeing the improvement of the Turkish shore batteries. When Duckworth entered the Dardanelles on the morning of February 19, these batteries commenced firing on the British. However, the absence of significant numbers of Turkish troops, due to the end of Ramadan, meant the batteries were ineffective and the fleet quickly reached the Sea of Marmara.

Still not technically at war, the Turkish delayed Duckworth with token negotiations whilst the French engineering officers under Sebastiani completed their improvements on the defences of the shoreline. After suffering extensive damage and the loss of over a hundred men in the Action of 19 February 1807, Duckworth withdrew without ever attempting a bombardment of Istanbul, due to fears of the Great Turkish Bombard.

He then demanded marines that could be landed to seize the shore batteries, and as the Turkish gunners tried to flee from an island they called Brota 20, the Royal Marines captured two guns.21 He did not make a second attempt on the Dardanelles -- a decision that earned him criticism, but was probably reasonable considering the powerful shore batteries. An attempt to seize the Turkish fleet would have probably failed and resulted in much higher British casualties.

The entire operation was a failure, resulting in heavy losses of 42 killed, 235 wounded, and 4 missing.22 Long after France and Russia had made peace and Senyavin defeated the Turkish fleet at Dardanelles, the Ottomans would remain at war with their northern neighbour, draining a significant portion of the Russian army, which also became involved in operations against Sweden in the Finnish War and later in the resumption of hostilities against France in 1812.

Citations and notes

  1. ^ The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook cannon
  2. ^ p.187, Brenton
  3. ^ p.186, Brenton
  4. ^ p.186, Brenton
  5. ^ p.186, Brenton
  6. ^ p.186, Brenton
  7. ^ p.186, Brenton
  8. ^ p.51, Howard
  9. ^ pp.15-20, Howard
  10. ^ commanding the rear division, pp.15-20, Howard
  11. ^ pp.15-20, Howard
  12. ^ pp.15-20, Howard
  13. ^ pp.15-20, Howard
  14. ^ p.74, Howard, p.136, Duckworth in Report No6
  15. ^ p.74, Howard
  16. ^ Meteor's main 13-inch mortar split in two on first firing, p.143, Duckworth, No.6 Report
  17. ^ p.186, Brenton
  18. ^ joined at Cape Matapan on the 6 February, p.187, Brenton, but not given by Smith because it had acted as a message ship, and had rejoined the squadron on 3 March from Messina via Malta
  19. ^ p.186, Brenton, but not given by Smith
  20. ^ known as Proti by the Greeks, and now known as Kinali (Kinaliada), position 40º 55’N
  21. ^ The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook cannon
  22. ^ The Royal Hospital School, Holbrook cannon

References

  • Howard, Edward, Memoires of Admiral Sir Sidney Smith, K.C. B., & c., Volume 2, Adamant Media Corporation, 2003
  • Brenton, Edward Pelham, The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Year MDCCLXXXIII. to MDCCCXXXVI.: From the Year MDCCLXXXIII. to MDCCCXXXVI, Volume II, Henry Colburn Publisher, London 1837
  • Duckworth to Collingwood, Report No6 on the Loss sustained on the Island of Prota, Naval papers respecting Copenhagen, Portugal, and the Dardanelles, presented to parliament in 1808, by Parliament, London 1809

External links
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