Battle of Gangut
Conflict: Great Northern War
Date: July 27, 1714
Place: Hanko Peninsula, southern Finland
Outcome: Russian victory
Combatants
Sweden	Russia
Commanders
Vice-Admiral Gustaf Wattrang Schoutbynacht Nils Ehrenskiöld	Admiral Fyodor Apraksin
Strength
Casualties
Officers: 9 dead, 19 captured NCOs and enlisted: 361 dead, 561 captured	125 dead 341 wounded
Great Northern War Narva – Fraustadt – Holowczyn – Lesnaya – Poltava – Gadebusch – Gangut – Dynekilen

The naval Battle of Gangut took place on July 27, 1714 during the Great Northern War, in the waters north of the Hanko Peninsula, near the site of the modern-day city of Hanko, Finland, between the Swedish Navy and Imperial Russian Navy. It was the first important victory of the Russian fleet in its history. Gangut is a Russian transliteration of the name Hangö udd, which is Swedish for "Hanko Peninsula". Image File history File links Bakua. ... The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... // Events August 1 - George, elector of Hanover becomes King George I of Great Britain. ... Hanko, (Hangö in Swedish) in Finland is a small bilingual port town on the south coast of Finland, 130 kilometers west of Helsinki. ... Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ... Schout bij Nacht is a Netherlands Naval rank, equivalent to Rear-Admiral in the US Navy and Royal Navy. ... Admiral is a word from the Arabic term Amir-al-bahr (Lord of the bay). ... Fyodar Apraksin Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin (also Apraxin, Russian: Фёдор Матвеевич Апраксин) (October 27, 1661 - November 10, 1728, Moscow) was one of the first Russian admirals and the first President of the Russian Admiralty. ... The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. ... The Battle of Narva was an early battle in the Great Northern War in which a Swedish army under King Charles XII of Sweden defeated the Russian army of Tsar Peter the Great at Narva. ... The battle of Fraustadt was fought on February 3, 1706 between Swedish and Russians. ... The Battle of Holowczyn was fought between the Russian army, led by Field Marshal Sheremetyev, and the Swedish army, led by Charles XII of Sweden. ... The Battle of Lesnaya was one of the decisive battles of the Great Northern War. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Battle of Poltava (or Pultowa) was a battle between the armies of Peter I of Russia and Charles XII of Sweden on 28 June (new style 8 July) 1709, the most famous of the battles of the Great Northern War. ... The Battle of Gadebusch was Swedens final great victory in the Great Northern War. ... The naval Battle of Dynekilen took place on 8 July 1716 during the Great Northern War, when a light Danish force under Tordenskjold trapped and defeated a similar Swedish force in Dynekilen fjord (just north of Strömstad), on the west coast of Sweden. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... // Events August 1 - George, elector of Hanover becomes King George I of Great Britain. ... The Great Northern War was the war fought between a coalition of Russia, Denmark-Norway and Saxony-Poland (from 1715 also Prussia and Hanover) on one side and Sweden on the other side from 1700 to 1721. ... Hanko, (Hangö in Swedish) in Finland is a small bilingual port town on the south coast of Finland, 130 kilometers west of Helsinki. ... The word Hanko may refer to Hanko, Finland, town and municipality Hanko Peninsula Hanko, a Japanese signature stamp Hanko is sometimes a misspelling of Hankou (汉口), China This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Swedish Navy (Swedish: Marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... Russian Navy Jack Russian Navy Ensign The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Navy of Imperial Russia, before the Soviet Union. ... Transliteration in a narrow sense is a mapping from one system of writing into another. ...

Background

Tsar Peter I had begun his offensive in Finland in the spring of 1713. The Russian armies quickly advanced all the way to Turku on the southwestern coast of Finland, but naval advances had been blocked by a strong Swedish naval presence. The Russian governor in Finland, Prince Mikhail Galitzine, with his headquarters in Turku, was unable to receive support by sea, which was then far more important than land-based support. Admiral Apraksin's fleet was sent by the Tsar to open these service lines. Jump to: navigation, search Tsar (Bulgarian цар, Russian царь, listen â–¶(?); often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English), was the title used for the autocratic rulers of the Bulgarian Empire in 913-1396/1422 and 1908-1946, in Serbia in the middle of the 14th century, and in... Jump to: navigation, search Portrait of Peter by Paul Delaroche Peter I (Пётр I Алексеевич in Russian, or Pyotr I Alexeyevich) (10 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672– 28 January 1725 O.S.] ) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ... Jump to: navigation, search // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the... Jump to: navigation, search Province Western Finland Region Finland Proper Sub-region Turku City manager Armas Lahoniitty Official languages Finnish, Swedish Area  - total  - land ranked 311th 245. ... Peter I permitted the Galitzines to take an emblem of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as their coat of arms Galitzine, more correctly Golitsyn (Russian: Голицын), is one of the largest and noblest princely houses of Russia. ... Fyodar Apraksin Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin (also Apraxin, Russian: Фёдор Матвеевич Апраксин) (October 27, 1661 - November 10, 1728, Moscow) was one of the first Russian admirals and the first President of the Russian Admiralty. ...

Arrival at Hanko

When the Russian ships arrived near the peninsula they were met by a strong Swedish naval fleet under the command of Admiral Wattrang. Apraksin decided to move his ships farther away to the other side of the peninsula and call for reinforcements. The majority of the troops in Turku were moved according to his request to the peninsula.

A plea for help was also sent to the Tsar, who was with the rest of the Baltic Fleet in Reval (now Tallinn). Admiral Apraksin specifically let the tsar know that he should come personally to lead the attack. A sailor of the Baltic Fleet during World War II The Baltic Fleet (Russian: Балтийский флот, in the Soviet period - The Red Banner Baltic Fleet - Краснознамённый Балтийский флот) is located at the Baltic Sea and headquartered in Kaliningrad, the other major base is at Kronstadt, located in the Gulf of Finland. ... County Harju County Mayor Tõnis Palts Area 159. ...

The breakthrough

The first attempt in breaking through the Swedish lines was made in attempting to pull the galleys over the peninsula. The friction was reduced using oxskins between the ground and the ships. The first galley was successfully pulled over with much trouble, but already the second was damaged, and the attempt was subsequently abandoned. However, Admiral Wattrang had been informed of the Russians' attempt, and he sent a small naval detachment consisting of 11 ships led by the Schoutbynacht (equivalent of a Rear Admiral) Nils Ehrenskiöld to intercept the Russians. Jump to: navigation, search A French galley and Dutch men-of-war off a port by Abraham Willaerts, painted 17th century. ... Schout bij Nacht is a Netherlands Naval rank, equivalent to Rear-Admiral in the US Navy and Royal Navy. ... The term Rear Admiral originated from the days of Naval Sailing Squadrons, and can trace its origins to the British Royal Navy. ...

Ehrenskiölds detachment consisted of following ships:

Pram

Elefant, his flagship

Galleys

Örnen

Tranan

Gripen

Laxen

Gäddan

Valfisken

Smaller vessels (skerry-boats)

Flundran

Simpan

Gripen

Mörten

The second attempt by the Russians was to try to take advantage of the calm weather in the morning of 26 July. The small galleys were easily maneuverable, whereas it was exceedingly difficult to try to turn the heavy Swedish battleships in such a weather. Apraksin sent first 20 small galleys and when it became obvious that the Swedish fleet couldn't stop them, he sent 15 more. A pram or pramm was a ship, during the Napoleonic Wars that carried 10-20 guns on 1 gun deck. ... Jump to: navigation, search A French galley and Dutch men-of-war off a port by Abraham Willaerts, painted 17th century. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ...

Wattrang's fleet was moving outwards trying to block the Russian breakthrough, when Apraksin issued an order in the midnight between 26 July and 27 July for the remaining ships to break through the Swedish lines. Only one galley was lost when it ran aground. Jump to: navigation, search July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ...

The battle

The Battle of Gangut, by Aleksey Bogolyubov

After the breakthrough Ehrenskiölds detachment became encircled, and he ordered his vessels in a defensive line between two islands. The largest Swedish ship, the pram Elefant, was positioned broadside-on to the approaching Russian vessels. Three galleys were stationed end-on on each side, with the two boats behind each end of Elefant. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Gangut. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Gangut. ... Pram may refer to: The Parameter RAM inside Apple Macintosh computers. ...

After Ehrenskiöld refused to surrender, the Russian fleet attacked. The Russian galleys, commanded by the tsar, attacked twice (first with 35, second with 80 galleys) but were thrown back. On the third time, when attacking with reinforcements and a combined force of about 95 galleys, the Russians managed to capture the Swedish ships. During the capture the galley Tranan capsized and sunk, and admiral Ehrenskiöld himself was taken as a prisoner of war on the deck of his own flagship. Surrender is when soldiers give up fighting and become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ...

The Russians substantially outnumbered the Swedish, according to some sources 15 to one. The Russian superiority in the battle was such that there wasn't even enough room for all the Russian vessels to fight at once.

Consequences

The captured Swedish ships were brought to St Petersburg, as this 1715 etching testifies

The battle was the first major victory of the Russian galley fleet, and can be as such compared with the Battle of Poltava. Due to the victory Russia was able to prevent Swedish ships from entering the waters east of the Sea of Åland and thus prolonging the occupation of Finland up to 1721, when the Treaty of Nystad ended the war. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (828x513, 56 KB) Summary Aleksey Zubov. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (828x513, 56 KB) Summary Aleksey Zubov. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Battle of Poltava (or Pultowa) was a battle between the armies of Peter I of Russia and Charles XII of Sweden on 28 June (new style 8 July) 1709, the most famous of the battles of the Great Northern War. ... 1721 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Treaty of Nystad (1721), signed at the present-day Finnish town of Uusikaupunki (Swedish Nystad), ended the Great Northern War, in which Russia received the territories of Estonia, Livonia and Ingria, as well as much of Karelia and Tsar Peter I of Russia replaced King Frederick I of Sweden...

The victory is even nowadays celebrated by the Russian Navy, which has a long tradition of always having one vessel named Gangut. The first series of Dreadnought battleships for the Imperial Navy was also named the Gangut class. Jump to: navigation, search Russian Navy Jack Russian Navy Ensign The Naval Cathedral in St Petersburg is the main church of the Russian Navy. ... Jump to: navigation, search Russian battleship Gangut (1888) Russian battleship Gangut (1909) This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Jump to: navigation, search Dreadnought may refer to HMS Dreadnought, the name of several warships of the Royal Navy A generic term for early 20th century battleships following the launch of the revolutionary HMS Dreadnought in 1906 The Workers Dreadnought, a newspaper of the suffragettes A type of Acoustic Guitar... Russian Navy Jack Russian Navy Ensign The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Navy of Imperial Russia, before the Soviet Union. ... The Gangut Class were the first series of Drednought battleships built for the Imperial Russian Navy. ...

The first monument to commemorate the Russian Navy, a wooden cross, was erected on the site in 1869 by Rear Admiral Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who is better known as a composer. The wooden cross was replaced by a more permanent stone cross in 1870 by the order of Tsar Alexander II. Jump to: navigation, search 1869 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6/18, 1844–June 8/21, 1908) was a Russian composer and teacher of classical music particularly noted for his fine orchestration, which may have been influenced by his synaesthesia. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Alexander II (1818-1881) Alexander (Aleksandr) II (Russian: Александр II Николаевич) (April 17, 1818–March 13, 1881) was the Emperor (tsar) of Russia from March 2, 1855 until his assassination. ...

Related battles

• Battle of Grengam (1720) - Marked the end of Swedish supremacy in the Baltic waters
• Battle of Svensksund (1790)

The Battle of Svensksund was fought during the 1788–1790 war between Russia and Sweden. ...

External links

• Vyborg and Gangut in History of Russian Navy
• History of the Russian Navy
• Article 'Slaget vid Rilax' in magazine 'Fanbäraren'