Russian cutter Opyt (1806)

Battle between the Russian ship Opyt and a British frigate off the coast of Nargen Island, 11 June 1808, 1889 by Leonid Demyanovich Blinov (1868-93), in the State Central Navy Museum, St. Petersburg
History
Russian Empire
Name: Opyt
Builder: I. V. Kurepanov, St Petersburg
Laid down: 1805
Launched: 9 October [O.S. 27 September] 1806
Captured: 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1808
UK
Name: HMS Baltic
Acquired: By capture 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1808
Fate: Sold 1810
General characteristics [1]
Tons burthen: 178  64⁄94 (bm (by calc.))
Length: 65 ft 10 in (20.1 m) (deck)
Beam: 25 ft 10 in (7.9 m)
Depth of hold: 9 ft 4 in (2.8 m)
Propulsion: Sail
Complement: 53
Armament: 14 x 12-pounder carronades

The Russian cutter Opyt (1796) (also Apith; Russian: Опыт - Experience) was launched in 1806. The British 44-gun frigate Salsette captured Opyt in 1808 in the Baltic during the Anglo-Russian War (1807-1812) after her captain and crew put up a heroic resistance. The Admiralty took her into service as HMS Baltic. She served briefly with the British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez in the Baltic before being sold in 1810.

Russian service

Opyt was a purpose-built cutter that cruised in the Baltic in 1807.[2] On 10 June [O.S. 28 May] 1808 she arrived at Sveaborg from Kronshtadt to join the division under Captain of 2nd rank L.P. Geiden (who went on to become the Russian Admiral at the Battle of Navarino in 1827), to help in the city's defense. On 16 June [O.S. 4 June] Opyt put to sea in company with the sloop-of-war Charlotta to cruise between Sveaborg and Hango. During this cruise the two vessels became separated. Opyt returned to Sveaborg and was sent to find Charlotta,[2] but before she could meet up, she encountered Salsette.

Capture

On 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1808 Captain Walter Bathurst and Salsette chased a Russian sloop-of-war to Reval and captured a galliot partly laden with spirits at anchor in the roads. As Bathurst was bringing out his prize he saw a Russian cutter off the north end of Norgen island,[3] which defends Reval from the sea.

Salsette gave chase but in the evening, when the wind dropped, the cutter killed one of Salsette's marines in an exchange of fire and then used her sweeps to pull away. Then a sudden squall enabled Salsette to catch up with the cutter.[3] The cutter surrendered after the frigate had fired two full broadsides into her.[2]

The cutter was the Opyt (aka Apith), under the command of Lieutenant Gavril C. Nevelskoy (also Novelski), manned by 61 men.[Note 1] In the fight the cutter lost four men killed and eight wounded, including Nevelskoy, before she struck.[3] [Note 2]

After doing more to satisfy Russian honour than reason required, Lieutenant Nevelskoy surrendered his heavily damaged cutter to the British commander, Captain Bathurst, only to have his sword returned by the astounded and admiring British captain, who had him landed ashore along with his surviving crew members.[4]

The British discovered that Opyt had left Sveaborg that day to join the Russian sloop, the Charlotta, that Salsette had unsuccessfully chased. Bathurst landed the survivors near Libawa.

Bathurst reported that the Opyt was approximately two years old, "exceedingly well fitted, and sound in everything."[3] Saumarez ordered the purchase of the cutter for His Majesty's service and manned her with "men lately exchanged from Copenhagen."[3]

British service

The British took Opyt into service as HMS Baltic and commissioned her under Edward Sparshot (or Sparshott).[1] He later (28 April 1809) received promotion to lieutenant for his zeal in capturing 21 enemy merchant sail in the Baltic.[5] One of these was the Emanuel, captured on 22 November 1808.[6] Four days later, Baltic was in sight when Rose captured Defence, Anna Joanna Magdalena, and a second Emanuel.[7] Baltic also was one of several vessels that participated in the capture of the Falck and the Kline Wilhelm on 31 August.[8] Then on 7 March 1809, Baltic was in company with the sloop Ranger when they captured the Danish Ships Magdalena, Boletta, Britannia, Den Gode Hensight, Walhala and Christina.[9]

At the time, Saumarez and the British fleet were blockading Rager Vik (Ragerswik or Rogerswick or Russian: Baltiyskiy) where the Russian fleet was sheltering after the British 74-gun Third Rates Implacable and Centaur had destroyed the Russian 74-gun ship of the line Vsevolod. Baltic's initial task was to land the prisoners that Implacable had taken from Vsevolod.

Saumarez wanted to attack the fleet and ordered that Baltic and Erebus be prepared as fireships. However, when the British discovered that the Russians had stretched a chain across the entrance to the harbor, precluding an attack by fireships, Saumarez abandoned the plan and the two vessels returned to normal duties.[10]

Fate

Baltic was paid off in April 1809 and underwent repairs at Plymouth.[1] The Admiralty sold Baltic in 1810.[1]

Footnotes

Notes
  1. ↑ Tredrea and Sozaev (2010; p.213) give the complement as 53.
  2. ↑ Tredrea and Sozaev (2010; p.213) give casualties as two killed and 11 wounded. The difference in the number of dead between the British and Russian counts may reflect deaths from wounds post-engagement.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 4 Winfield (2008), p.367.
  2. 1 2 3 Tredrea and Sovaez (2010), p.213.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Naval Chronicle, vol. 20, p.151
  4. ↑ Tredrea and Sozaev (2010), p.71.
  5. ↑ House of Commons papers (1851), Volume 32, p.63.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16316. p. 1855. 18 November 1809.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16273. p. 1071. 8 July 1809.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16390. p. 1104. 24 July 1810.
  9. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16318. p. 1891. 25 November 1809.
  10. ↑ James (1837), pp.16-17.

References

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