Battle of Ösel Island

The Battle of Ösel^[a] Island took place on May 24(4 June), 1719 (O.S.), during the Great Northern War. It was fought near the island of Saaremaa (Ösel).

Battle of Osel Island
Part of the Great Northern War
Aleksey Bogolyubov. Battle of Oesel
Date June 4, 1719 Location near Saaremaa Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Commodore Anton Johan Wrangel	Captain Naum Senyavin
Strength
1 ship of the line 1 frigate 1 brigantine	6 ships of the line 1 smaller boat
Casualties and losses
3 ships captured 451 killed, wounded and captured	18

It led to a victory for the Russian captain Naum Senyavin, whose forces captured three enemy vessels, sustaining as few as eighteen casualties. It was the first Russian naval victory which did not involve ramming or boarding actions.^[1]

Battle

Five months after Charles XII of Sweden died at Fredrikshald, a Russian squadron of seven warships assumed the offensive and Captains Naum Sinyaven and Konon Zotov attacked Commodore Anton Johan Wrangel near Osel Island.^[2]

The Russian ships engaged in convoying galleys and transports, which waged the campaign along the Swedish skerries, landing troops on the islands and the sea coast. The raid by the Russian forces bore a clearly expressed punitive- demonstrative character.^[3][4]

Swedish flotilla of three vessels was defeated. All three Swedish ships were captured at the cost of 18 Russian casualties.^[5] The Swedish flagship Wachtmeister (1681) and a frigate were captured in heavy fighting.^[2]

Ships involved

Russian Empire

• Devonshire 52
• Portsmouth 52
• Raphail 52
• Uriil 52
• Varachail 52
• Hyagudiil 52
• Natalia 18

Swedish Empire

• Wachtmeister 52 - Captured
• Karlskrona Vapen 30 - Captured
• Bernhardus 10 - Captured

Notes

1. also Osel and Oesel