Battle of Vyborg Bay (1790) - Battle

Battle

On June 21, 1790, Prince Nassau-Siegen attacked the Swedes at Björkö Sound with 89 ships. Then, at nightfall on July 3 (June 22 OS), 1790 Gustav III of Sweden ordered the breakout to commence from Krysserort at 10:00 on the following day.

At 02:00 on July 4, 1790, Swedish units bombarded Russian shore batteries. At the same time, Swedish sloops, led by Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Törning, attacked a Russian naval unit just west of Vasikansaari Island, west of Björkö sound.

Just prior to 07:00 that morning, Gustav III of Sweden spoke with then captain Johan Puke of the 64-gun ship of the line, the Dristigheten ("The Audacity"), which would lead the breakout. Moments later, Puke, aboard the Dristigheten, led a line of ships and the Swedish naval fleet away from the bay, through the western channel, around the Salvors shallows into the middle of the channel between the shallows and Krysserort, and towards the first Russian ships of the line, the Seslav and Saint Peter.

This line of ships consisted of the flagship the Konung Gustaf III (with Prince Grand Admiral Duke Carl aboard), the Seraphimerorden (with Gustav III of Sweden aboard) - in the line's center, the Manligheten ("The Manliness", sister ship of the Dristigheten), the other ships of line, the navy frigates, the frigate Zemire, the 70-gun ship of the line Enigheten ("The Unity"), and three fire barges, used to set fire to enemy ships. Meanwhile, the flotilla protected the naval fleet, on a parallel course further west, nearer the shoreline.

Immediately prior to the engagement, Gustav III transferred onto a smaller sloop. Puke ordered all non-essential personnel below decks and, moments later, the Swedish navy engaged the Russian blockade, splitting between the Selsav and the Saint Peter. Gustav III of Sweden was rowed through the fire, but the flagship Konung Gustaf III was hit and the Grand Admiral Duke Carl injured. One Russian ship was destroyed by multiple broadside hits.

Once through the first group of ships, Gustav III of Sweden reboarded the Seraphimerorden. The king's personal ship, the Amphion survived with no damage. Further west, the galley fleet line of ships consisting sequentially of the frigates Styrbjörn and Norden ("North"), six Turuma squadron ships, Sällan Värre ("Rarely Worse"), the remaining archipelago frigates, the Malmberg ships, the Hjelmstierna ships, and Colonel Jacob Tönningen's assigned gun sloops and gun tenders, passed the first Russian set of ships, then engaged the second. The Styrbjörn though subjected to heavy fire, managed to pass through and score several hits on Russian commander Povalishin's ship and on the bomb ship Pobeditel ("Victor").

As the majority of both Swedish fleets passed through the blockade, Ensign Sandel, commanding the fireship Postiljonen ("Postman"), towed by the 74-gun ship of the line Enigheten, set his ship on fire too early. He then, under alcoholic intoxication, committed a series of errors which caused the fireship to drift towards the Enigheten, setting it on fire, and then to collide with the Swedish 40-gun frigate Zemire, with all three ships exploding in an enormous channel-covering cascade of debris and smoke. The explosion severely damaged or destroyed ships within or trying to get through the blockade. The Russian ship groups blocking the Swedish fleets were disrupted by passing Swedish ships.

The Swedish navy lost a total of eight ships (seven running aground in the heavy smoke from the explosion): four grounded ships of the line - the 64-gun Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta (though her captain, Jindric Johan Nauckhoff, continued firing at the Russian frigates until the end), the Finland at the Salvors shallows, the 74-gun Lovisa Ulrika at the Passaloda shallows just south of Reipie, and the 64-gun Ömheten (the Tenderness) at the Pensar islets - and one shipwrecked ship of the line (the Auroras), although the king's British naval adviser Sidney Smith was saved; three frigates including the Uppland and the Jarrislawitz ("Yaroslavets," captured in 1788 from Russia), both at the Passaloda shallows.

The Swedish archipelago fleet lost four galleys to the shallows: the Ehrenpreuss, the Palmstierna, the Ekeblad and the Uppland. These ships were all ran aground at the Pensar islet, close to the second set of Russian ships and the Russian ship Noli Me Tangere (Не тронь меня), where they struck their flag.