Two engagements near Kerch in 1774 showed Russian defensive tactics, including superior bomb-vessel range, repelling a larger Ottoman fleet during the war's final campaign.
Key Facts
- First engagement date
- 20 June 1774 (Old Style)
- Second engagement date
- 9 July 1774 (Old Style)
- Ottoman force (20 June)
- 5 ships of the line, 9 frigates, 26 galleys/xebecs
- Russian force (20 June)
- 3 frigates, 4 sixteen-gun vessels, 2 bombs, 3 small craft
- Ottoman force (9 July)
- 6 battleships, 7 frigates, 1 bomb, 17 galleys/xebecs
- Russian commander
- Vice-Admiral Senyavin
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the final phase of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, Ottoman forces needed to destroy the Russian Black Sea squadron near the Kerch Strait so that their land army could cross into Russian-held territory. A numerically superior Ottoman fleet moved to intercept the smaller Russian force commanded by Vice-Admiral Senyavin.
On 20 June, a large Ottoman fleet surprised the Russian squadron south of Kerch, attempting to cut it off, but Senyavin anchored at the mouth of the Kerch Strait and withdrew toward Kerch the next day. On 9 July, the Ottomans attacked again but abandoned the effort after discovering that the Russian bomb vessels outranged their own artillery, negating the Ottoman numerical advantage.
The Russian squadron successfully defended the Kerch Strait against a much larger Ottoman force, preserving Russian naval control of the area. The Ottoman failure to clear the strait contributed to the broader military stalemate that culminated in the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca later in 1774, ending the war in Russia's favor.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Vice-Admiral Senyavin, Vasily Chichagov.
Side B
1 belligerent