We have now to give an account of the chief naval exploits of the war,
when the wooden walls of Old England were to try their strength with the
stone ramparts of Russia. While the heavy artillery of the Allies
opened fire on the city from the newly-erected batteries on the
neighbouring heights, it was arranged that the fleets should attack from
the sea. The fleet was to form a semicircle before the harbour's mouth;
the French to engage the forts on the south, the English the forts
Constantine and Alexander and the Stone and Wasp forts on the north.
The morning was actively spent by the crews in preparing for action.
At fifty minutes past ten the signal for weighing was made; and the
fleet, the fine old _Agamemnon_ leading, stood towards the batteries.
She was followed in order by the _Sanspareil_, screw, the sailing--ships
being moved by steamers lashed alongside,--_Albion_, by _Firebrand;
Queen_, by _Vesuvius; Britannia_, by _Furious; Trafalgar_, by
_Retribution; London_, by _Niger; Vengeance_, by _Highflyer; Rodney_, by
_Spiteful; Bellerophon_, by _Cyclops; Arethusa_, by _Triton_; while
_Samson, Tribune, Terrible, Sphinx, Lynx_, and _Spitfire_ acted as
look-out ships, and were allowed to take up independent positions.
Besides the stone fortifications, the enemy had thrown up numerous
earthworks, and placed guns along the cliff to the north. To one of
these forts the seamen gave the name of the Wasp; to another, the
Telegraph battery.
The French weighed first, a little before ten, and proceeded to their
position, on the south of the line, when the enemy opened fire on them.
The Turks took up a position in the centre; and now the magnificent
_Agamemnon_ steamed on, with the gallant little _Circassian_, commanded
by the brave Mr Ball, piloting the way, sounding as he went, and
marking the position the larger ships were to take up.
At half-past one the _Agamemnon_ began to draw in close with the land,
when, to try range, she opened fire from her large pivot-gun on the Wasp
battery, which instantly returned it; and in a short time Fort
Constantine commenced firing with terrible effect, the _Agamemnon_
suffering fearfully.
At two p.m. she anchored, head and stern, in a quarter less five
fathoms, 750 yards off Fort Constantine, on which she immediately opened
her fresh broadside. At five minutes past two, the _Sanspareil_ and
_London_ anchored astern, and ably seconded the gallant Sir Edmund by
the fire which they poured into the Star Fort and the smaller forts on
the cliff. At twenty minutes past two, the _Albion_ anchored, and
engaged the Wasp, to take off the fire from the _Agamemnon_, which, from
her position, exposed to a cross fire, was suffering more than the other
ships. The _Britannia_, now in fifteen fathoms water, and some two
thousand yards off, opened fire, and the action became general.
The commander of the detached steamers determined that they also should
play their part. The _Terrible_ and _Samson_ dashed on inside the other
ships, and engaged the northern forts in the most gallant manner.
Nothing could exceed the steady way in which the _Vesuvius_ carried her
huge consort into action, nor the spirited manner in which the _Albion_
engaged Fort Constantine. The _Arethusa_,--a name long known to fame,--
urged on by the little _Triton_, well preserved the renown her name has
gained, by boldly engaging the huge stone fort, at which, in rapid
succession, broadside after broadside was discharged, the crew of the
_Triton_ coming on board to assist in manning her guns. At length, with
her rigging cut to pieces, and numerous shot-holes in her hull, and
eighteen killed and wounded, and five wounded belonging to the _Triton_,
she was towed out of action.
The _Albion_, though farther out than the _Agamemnon_, was in reality
suffering far more than that ship, and she at length was compelled to
haul off, with one lieutenant and nine men killed, and three other
officers and sixty-eight men wounded. The _London_, also, with four
killed and eighteen wounded, was at the same time taken out of action.
All this time the gallant Sir Edmund Lyons refused to move; indeed, his
ship was suffering more aloft than in her hull, and, notwithstanding the
tremendous fire to which she had been exposed, she had only four killed
and twenty-five wounded. This was owing to the vice-admiral's bravery
in going so close to the shore; the majority of the shot, flying high,
struck her rigging instead of her hull. Still she was struck 240 times,
and became almost a wreck,--her hull showing gaping wounds, her
main-yard cut in two places, every spar more or less damaged, two
shot-holes in the head of the mainmast, and her rigging hanging in
shreds; the ship also having twice caught fire,--once when a shell fell
in her maintop and set fire to the mainsail, and another having burst in
the port side and set fire to the hammock-nettings. The _Rodney_,
however, suffered still more in masts and rigging, she having tailed on
the reef, whence she was got off by the gallant exertions of Commander
Kynaston, of the _Spiteful_. The _Albion_ and _Arethusa_ suffered
greatly in their hulls.
At length one ship after another had drawn off; and the fire of the
forts being concentrated on the _Agamemnon_, Sir Edmund despatched one
of his lieutenants in a boat, to summon the _Bellerophon_ to his aid.
The appeal was nobly and immediately answered, and she contributed
greatly to take off the fire which the Wasp and Telegraph batteries were
showering on her. As the _Agamemnon_ was the first to go into battle,
so she was one of the last to haul out of the engagement, which she did
soon after six p.m., but not till darkness had compelled the combatants
on shore to cease from firing. The action lasted altogether from
half-past one to half-past six,--the loss being 44 killed and 266
wounded.
A naval brigade had at this time been formed, and a considerable number
of officers and men belonging to the different ships were consequently
serving on shore. Owing to this circumstance, probably, the casualties
were lessened. The admiral had also left all the spare top-masts and
spars on board the _Vulcan_, with the sick and prisoners, at the
anchorage off the Katscha; so that the ships were soon able to repair
the damages they had received aloft. No sooner had the fleet once more
anchored in safety, than the captains went on board the _Agamemnon_, to
pay their respects to Sir Edmund Lyons, as did the French on the
following day, all declaring that his ship had held the post of honour.
Still, many other ships were not behind his in the gallant way in which
they were fought.
The French ships were also fought with great courage and judgment, and
suffered even more than the English. The Turks, from being much farther
out, escaped with slight damage.
The result of the action, bravely as it had been fought, was not
satisfactory. It was a trial of strength between stone and wood, and
the stone was undoubtedly the victor. Probably a considerable number of
Russians were killed and wounded, and it served as a diversion to the
land attack; but next day not a gun the less frowned from the batteries
of Fort Constantine, and but a trifling damage had been done to the
stonework.
However, the diversions caused by these attacks from the sea were of
much consequence; and on other occasions the smaller steamers, gun and
rocket-boats, were sent off the mouth of the harbour during the night to
distract the attention of the Russians.