Sea battle at Hanko
| date | July 27 jul. / 7th August 1714 greg. |
|---|---|
| place | off Hanko Peninsula , Finland |
| output | Victory of the Russian fleet |
| consequences | Finland remains under Russian occupation until 1721 |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| more than 95 (half) galleys | 1 pram 6 galleys 4 smaller ships |
| losses | |
|
125 dead, |
370 dead, |
1st phase: Swedish dominance (1700–1709)
Riga I • Jungfernhof • Varja • Pühhajoggi • Narva • Pechora • Düna • Rauge • Erastfer • Hummelshof • Embach • Tartu • Narva II • Wesenberg I • Wesenberg II
Arkhangelsk • Lake Ladoga • Nöteborg • Nyenschanz • Neva • Systerbäck • Petersburg • Vyborg I • Porvoo • Neva II • Koporje II • Kolkanpää
Vilnius • Salads • Jacobstadt • Walled Courtyard • Mitau • Grodno I • Olkieniki • Nyaswisch • Klezk • Ljachavichy
Klissow • Pułtusk • Thorn • Lemberg • Warsaw • Posen • Punitz • Tillendorf • Rakowitz • Praga • Fraustadt • Kalisch
Grodno II • Golovchin • Moljatichi • Rajowka • Lesnaja • Desna • Baturyn • Koniecpol • Weprik • Opischnja • Krasnokutsk • Sokolki • Poltava I • Poltava II
2nd phase: Sweden on the defensive (1710–1721)
Riga II • Vyborg II • Pernau • Kexholm • Reval • Hogland • Pälkäne • Storkyro • Nyslott • Hanko
Helsingborg • Køge Bay • Gulf of Bothnia • Frederikshald I • Dynekilen Fjord • Gothenburg I • Strömstad • Trondheim • Frederikshald II • Marstrand • Ösel • Gothenburg II • Södra Stäket • Grönham • Sundsvall
Elbing • Wismar I • Lübow • Stralsund I • Greifswalder Bodden I • Stade • Rügen • Gadebusch • Altona • Tönning II • Stettin • Fehmarn • Wismar II • Stralsund II • Jasmund • Peenemünde • Greifswalder Bodden II • Stresow
The sea battle at Hanko (also: Battle of Gangut ), also known as the Battle of Rilax , occurred on July 27th . / 7th August 1714 greg. between the Imperial Russian Navy and the Swedish Navy during the Great Northern War , on the Rilaxfjord in the waters north of the Hanko Peninsula , near today's city of Hanko . It was the first major victory in the history of the Russian Navy. Gangut is the Russian transcription of the Swedish Hangö udd (Hangöudde, "Hanko peninsula").
background
 
| |
The Russian Tsar Peter I began his offensive in Finland in the spring of 1713 . The tsar's armies advanced rapidly to Turku on the south-western coast of Finland, but vital supplies from the sea were blocked by the Swedish navy. In order to reopen the supply routes, the Tsar then sent the Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Apraxin .
Arrival before Hanko
As the Russian ships approached the peninsula, they were already awaited by strong Swedish units under the command of Vice Admiral Gustav Wattrang . Apraxin decided to station the fleet on the other side of the peninsula and sent a request for reinforcements to the Tsar, with the request that he should come in person to lead the attack. Tsar Peter I then dispatched the Baltic fleet under his personal command.
The breakthrough
The first attempt to break through the Swedish lines failed when an attempt was made to pull the galleys across the peninsula, as damage was already caused to the second ship by land transport. However, Admiral Wattrang had been informed of the Russian breakthrough attempt and sent a small naval unit consisting of 11 ships under the command of Rear Admiral Nils Ehrenskiöld to intercept the Russians. Ehrenskiöld's unit consisted of the following ships:
- Pram: Elephant , its flagship
- Galleys: Örnen, Tranan, Gripen, Laxen, Gäddan, Valfisken
- Smaller ships: Flundran, Simpan, Gripen, Mörten
The second breakthrough attempt was made on July 26th . Apraxin ordered 20 of the small, easily maneuverable Russian galleys to break through the Swedish lines. Due to the calm weather it was not possible for the heavy Swedish liners to turn effectively. When Apraxin realized that the Swedish Navy could not stop his ships, he sent 15 more, and on the night of July 26-27, the rest of the fleet.
The battle
After the Russian breakthrough, Ehrenskiöld's units were circled. He set up his ships between two small islands in a defensive position, with the broadside of the flagship Elefant facing the Russian galleys in the middle, while the smaller boats lay next to them and 3 galleys each at the end of the line.
After Ehrenskiöld refused to surrender , the outnumbered Russian fleet attacked. The Russian superiority was so overwhelming that there wasn't even enough space to attack with all ships at the same time. The Russian galleys, commanded by the Tsar personally, attacked twice (first only with 35, the second time with 80 galleys) but were thrown back. On the third attempt with 95 galleys, however, the Russians managed to board the Swedish ships and capture Rear Admiral Ehrenskiöld on the deck of his flagship.
consequences
The battle was the first significant victory of the Russian galley fleet and as such can be compared to the Russian victory in the Battle of Poltava . The victory enabled Russia to prevent further maritime operations by the Swedes in the waters east of Åland , allowing the occupation of Finland to continue until 1721, when the Peace of Nystad ended the war.
Nowadays, victory is still honored by the Russian Navy by making it a tradition to operate a ship called the Gangut .
300th anniversary
On July 26, 2014, the battle was re-enacted in a bay near Hanko. Besides the Russian frigate Shtandart (here under the Swedish flag), various rowing boats were involved.
Web links
- Vyborg and Gangut in History of Russian Navy
- History of the Russian Navy
- Article 'Slaget vid Rilax' in magazine 'Fanbäraren' ( Memento from February 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF file; 1.12 MB)