Since ancient times, naval battles have not been inferior to a land clash in terms of tension and the number of combat forces involved, as well as, sadly not to say, the number of casualties. The goals at sea are the same as on land - the destruction of the enemy’s forces, the inadmissibility of him to perform a specific combat mission and, importantly, the establishment of control over the territory.
Military superiority at sea provides a number of advantages. This indisputable truth has long been understood by military strategists and rulers of landlocked states, and since antiquity, the development of a combat fleet has always been a priority in ensuring the defense capability and offensive potential of leading world powers.
We will raise archives, old maps and consider the largest naval battles in the history of Mankind. To make it easier to navigate, our story will be built in chronological order.
1
Salamis battle. 480 BC
The king of the Persians Xerxes intended to capture Greece, but not only the land army of the Greeks, but also the naval forces stood in the way of his plans.
One of the first major water battles in world history occurred in the Aegean between the Greek and Persian fleets. There was a war and 311 ships of the Greeks and about 1,000 Persian ships converged in the narrow straits between the islands and the mainland.
The Leader of the Greeks, the Spartan Eurybias, fought against Xerxes himself, and with his skillful actions he was able to defeat the much superior enemy forces.
The defeat of the Persians violated the plans of the eastern king and, ultimately, turned the tide in favor of the Greeks during the Greco-Persian war. The main fruit of victory was the establishment of control of the combined Greek fleet over the Aegean Sea.
2
The battle of Aktium. 31 BC
In the last naval battle of Antiquity, ships came under the command of the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus and a politician, military leader Mark Anthony. In the confrontation at Cape of Shares in the Ionian Sea, the further fate of Rome was decided.
For a long time, none of the parties could receive tactical and operational superiority. The turning point was the sudden departure of 60 Egyptian galleys Cleopatra back to the port. Octavian? taking advantage of the situation, destroyed a large number of ships of Anthony. The surviving ships took refuge in the bay, but later surrendered to the mercy of the winner.
The battle was the final stage of civil confrontation and the struggle for power in the Roman Empire.
3
Battle of Lepanto. 1571 year
At the entrance to the Gulf of Patras, 60 kilometers from the city of Lepanto, battle squads of the Holy League and the Ottoman Empire met in battle. It went down in history as one of the most tragic and bloodiest battles that ever took place at sea. By the way, there is a very informative article about the most bloody wars in history on thebiggest.ru.
Faced not only the army, clash two worldviews, two religions - Catholicism and Islam. Under the flags of the Holy League, the forces of many Catholic states gathered.
The ships unexpectedly met in the early morning of October 7, and in the ensuing clash almost the entire Ottoman fleet was burned in a few hours, and 117 Turkish ships were captured as trophies.
The Turks lost, and all of Europe saw that the invincible hitherto army and fleet of the Ottoman Empire could be defeated.
4
Graveline battle. 1588 year
During the Italian war on August 7, English ships unexpectedly attacked the Spanish Great Armada off the French coast. The next day, having received reinforcements and ammunition, the British commander Francis Drake decided to meet with the Spaniards in an open battle.
After a long confrontation, the Spaniards began to retreat, losing about 600 people in battle. The British pursued the Spanish fleet for two days to completely defeat, but did not fulfill this task.
Of the 130 ships of the Great Armada, only 65 were able to return to Spanish ports. Some of them fell into a storm off the coast of Ireland, and were washed ashore. Most of the survivors of the crash of the sailors were killed by local residents, the rest were captured.
5
Battle of Gangut. 1714 year
To strengthen its land successes in the Northern War, the goal of which was access to the Baltic Sea, Russia needed a victory at sea. At Cape Gangut in early August 1714, the Swedes blocked the way for Russian ships with a 15,000th landing. A battle ensued. It was a real test of the young, only nascent Russian fleet.
Russian ships boarded the flanking vessels of the Swedes, forcing them to surrender. Peter I personally took part in the attack on the flagship Pram Elephant. After a short resistance, the Swedish fleet surrendered, and part of the military vessels hid behind the Åland Islands.
The Gangut battle was the first naval victory of the Russian fleet and provided him with freedom of action in the Baltic. After the victory, the Russian Tsar was promoted to vice admiral for courage and stamina in a boarding attack.
6
The battle of Grengam. 1720 year
The last naval battle of the Northern War took place near the island of Grengam. The Russian squadron came close to the Åland Islands and was unexpectedly attacked by the Swedes.
Ships began to retreat in shallow water, where larger Swedes ships ran aground and were unable to successfully maneuver. Taking advantage of this, Russian sailors and galley officers boarded 4 Swedish frigates. The rest of the Swedish ships retreated.
The victory of the Russian squadron near the island of Grengam finally approved the Russian fleet on the Baltic Sea, and most importantly, brought closer the signing of the Nistadt peace, victorious for Russia.
Want to know more about the great victories of the Russian fleet? Follow the link, on our site thebiggest.ru you will recall many triumphant moments in the history of Russia.
7
Chesme battle. 1770 year
Fast forward from north to south. During the Russian-Turkish war in Chesme Bay there was a great battle between the Russian squadrons and the Turks. The general command of the Russian naval forces was carried out by Count Alexei Orlov.
In the Chios Strait, Turkish ships began shelling Russian ships, but after a counterattack, the Turks chopped off the anchors and took their frigates and battleships to the bay.
Thanks to the incredible courage, stamina and courage of the Russian sailors, Turkish ships were destroyed, and at eight in the morning on June 26 a two-day battle was completed by the complete victory of the Russian fleet.
The victory allowed Russia to control the Dardanelles and to dictate its own conditions at the conclusion of peace with the Ottoman Empire.
8
The battle at Cape Trafalgar. 1805 year
The decisive naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars took place in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Spain, near the city of Cadiz.
The combined French-Spanish fleet lost 22 ships in a collision with the British. The English squadron did not lose a single ship during the battle, but Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson was killed at Trafalgar. After a two-day confrontation, the storm that began sank the poorly kept vessels, which had damage and holes.
The result of the defeat of France and Spain was the loss by these states of advantage at sea. England, on the contrary, strengthened its position as a naval power.
9
Sinop battle. 1853 year
In just a few hours, the Russian Black Sea Fleet defeated the Turkish squadron in the Sinop harbor off the Black Sea coast of Turkey.
Vice Admiral Pavel Nakhimov commanded the Russian flotilla. With just a few battleships, he blocked Turkish ships in the bay, and upon the arrival of reinforcements, shelling began. By skillful actions, Russian sailors and officers managed to destroy not only Turkish ships, but also suppress the heavy fire of coastal batteries.
Many captains of Turkish ships were captured, including the commander of Vice Admiral Osman Pasha. In order to prevent Russia from developing success, Great Britain and France entered the war on the side of the Ottoman Empire in March 1854.
10
Tsushima battle. 1905
The battle between the Japanese and Russian squadrons near the island of Tsushima occurred on May 14-15, 1905. In fact, the outcome of the battle was decided on the first day after a massive artduel between the battleships.
Of the 38 Russian ships participating in the battle, 21 were scuttled or blown up. Japanese casualties amounted to two small destroyers, as well as minor damage to other ships. Another destroyer sank after an accidental collision with his own cruiser.
The battle became the largest naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The victory of the Japanese fleet in the Tsushima Strait revealed multiple shortcomings in the organization of the Russian army, as well as brought closer the general victory of Japan in the war. TheBiggest hopes that Russia will learn from this defeat for a long time.
11
Jutland battle. 1916 year
In the confrontation between countries during the First World War, Germany and Great Britain could not help but converge at sea to decide whose naval forces are stronger and who will ultimately control the waterways.
The largest naval battle of the First World War took place in the North Sea near the Jutland Peninsula. Germany sought to fully control the vast expanses of the oceans, and if specified, then destroy a significant part of the British fleet. British ships successfully blocked the Germans, and did not allow them to freely enter the North Sea. Britain, having guessed the enemy’s plans, tried to deliver an unexpected counterattack.
After the battle, both sides declared victory. Germany was able to inflict significant damage to the British military squadron, but at the same time, Britain was able to maintain the blockade of German ships.
12
The fight at Leyte. 1944 year
The largest sea battle in the history of military conflicts occurred during the Second World War between the American and Japanese fleets near the island of Leyte in the Philippine Sea.
A total of 244 vessels were involved in the battle. The first military clashes brought an advantage to the Japanese, but they could not develop their strategic superiority, and on the very first day of the battle they lost the cruiser Musashi. As a result of the Japanese shelling, the US aircraft carrier Princeton sank, and many US ships damaged kamikaze pilots sending their aircraft to enemy ships.
But as a result of the error of the command of Japan, an order was given to the retreat of the naval forces and the withdrawal of aviation. After the withdrawal of the Japanese fleet, Japan finally lost its strategic and operational advantage in the Pacific.
13
Battle of the Atlantic
Historical science introduced the term “Battle for the Atlantic” to define the confrontation in the vast ocean of the warring powers both during the First World War and during the Second World War. The combination of large and local clashes in the waters of the Atlantic led to heavy casualties, as well as the destruction of a large number of military equipment. The worst thing is that the victims of the attacks were often peaceful vessels with innocent passengers on board.
The main goal of the German naval forces in both wars was to disrupt transport communications between the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The states that fought with Germany and its allies, sought to block the Germans in European ports, and not give them operational space.
An important component of the battles for the Atlantic was the submarine war, using the belligerent powers of submarines of various modifications.
Until today, it is not possible to accurately calculate the losses of both sides in the bloody wars of the twentieth century in the struggle for control of the Atlantic Ocean.
Conclusion
Naval equipment has come a long way, from the first galleys and galleons of the Ancient World to modern aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles on board.
In conclusion, we note that naval battles no less than ground-based military operations affect the course of world history. At the end of World War II, major naval battles went down in history, giving way to small local conflicts. But the naval forces in modern conditions have not lost their tactical and strategic significance, supporting the ground-based military operations. But TheBiggest hopes that every year there will be less and less, and eventually disappear altogether, and we can learn about sea battles only from the pages of textbooks and encyclopedias.
The author of the article: Valery Skiba.