The naval operations were opened with two very regrettable incidents.
The steamer _Furious_ was sent to Odessa early in April, to bring off
the British consul. Having anchored in the bay with a flag of truce at
her mast-head, she sent off a boat, also with a flag of truce flying, to
the shore, when, against all the laws of civilised warfare, the
batteries opened fire on them. No one was hit, and the _Furious_
steamed back to the fleet.
The allied admirals, indignant at the outrage, addressed a note to the
Russian governor, General Osten-Sacken, pointing out the outrage which
had been committed, and demanding "that all the British, French, and
Russian vessels now at anchor near the citadel or the batteries of
Odessa be forthwith delivered up to the combined squadron; and that if
at sunset no answer or a negative be received, they will be compelled by
force to avenge the insult offered, though, for humanity's sake, they
adopt the alternative with regret, and cast the responsibility of the
act upon those to whom it belongs."
No satisfactory answer having been received, the combined fleet opened
fire on the fortifications of Odessa on the 22nd of April. The
bombardment lasted for ten hours, during which the Russian batteries
were considerably injured, two batteries blown up, vast quantities of
military stores were destroyed, and several ships-of-war were sunk.
On the 12th of May, during a thick fog, the steam-sloop _Tiger_, sixteen
guns, Commander Gifford, went on shore on the rocks near Odessa. While
she was thus utterly helpless, the Russians, as soon as she was
observed, opened fire on her, and Captain Gifford, being desperately
wounded (mortally, as it proved), was at length compelled to strike his
flag. The Russians, having removed her guns and stores, set fire to the
vessel, and forwarded the flag as a trophy to Saint Petersburg. It was
one of the very few, either from redcoats or bluejackets, they got
during the war.