Крымская война на Тихом океане: Оборона Петропавловска и действия русских крейсеров.

Engagement in the Pacific Theatre of the Crimean War

2nd Rus. estimate :Enemy trophies:
| casualties2 = 37 killed78 wounded(115 total)2 ships:

The siege of Petropavlovsk was a military operation in the Pacific theatre of the Crimean War. The Russian casualties are estimated at 115 soldiers and sailors killed and seriously wounded, whilst the British suffered 105 casualties and the French 104 (by official estimates of the Allies).

The primary concern of the Anglo French allies was that cruisers of the Russian Siberian flotilla would operate against British and French trade in the area. The British force on the station was under Rear Admiral David Price (newly promoted after serving as post captain for 39 years) and the French under Rear Admiral Auguste Febvrier Despointes. On 9 May 1854 the bulk of the British and French squadrons were at Callao, Peru when they received orders to operate against the Russian cruisers in the Pacific. There were three potential bases for the Russians: the island of Novo Arkhangelsk, capital of Russian America (modern Alaska), Okhotsk on the Sea of Okhotsk, and the largest Russian settlement on the Pacific Coast, Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Given the importance of allied trade with California, two British frigates ( and ) and a French corvette (Artemise) were detached to cruise off that coast and defend the California trade. The remaining vessels (British frigates and , the British sloop , the French frigate Forte, the French corvette Eurydice and the French aviso Obligado) set out to hunt down the Russian ships in the Pacific. These six ships were crewed by roughly 1,700 men and mounted 200 guns. The allied squadron concentrated at Honolulu and on 25 July 1854 set out to hunt down the Russian ships. Their first objective was Novo Arkhangelsk, which was taken easily but no Russian warships were found. They then set sail for Petropavlovsk. Russian Vice Admiral Yevfimiy Putyatin decided he could not meet the allied forces on the open sea, and could not raid allied trade. He had with him only the 44 gun frigate Aurora and Dvina with 10 guns. He decided to concentrate all his available forces at Petropavlovsk, using the Dvina to transfer the Okhotsk garrison to Petropavlovsk. His only other vessel on the station was the 52 gun frigate Pallada, at Imperatorskaya Gavan on the river Amur. Her captain lightened her by offloading all her guns and took her as far upriver as he could to hide from the allies. The winter would destroy the frigate, as the frozen river crushed the ship's hull. The Russian 54 gun frigate Diana rounded Asia and arrived at Shimoda, Japan with the Russian ambassador in late 1854 to negotiate what would become the Treaty of Shimoda. Diana was severely damaged by tsunamis caused by the Ansei Tokai earthquake on 23 December and sunk in a storm soon after before she could operate against the allies. Her crew would later build the schooner Heda out of the wreck and sailed it to the Amur in 1855.

The allied squadron hove to in Avacha Bay on 28 August 1854. Admiral Price took the steamer Virago forward to reconnoiter. He observed that the Russians had withdrawn their ships behind a heavily fortified spit in the bay. He decided to mount a direct bombardment against the "eleven gun battery" (Battery No. 2), the main heavy earthwork defending the spit and the ships within. The next day (29th) the Virago and the President mounted a reconnaissance in force against the central position, exchanging fire with the batteries to gauge their strength. That evening Price held a council of war and announced his plan. The attack would be broken into two phases; initially they would reduce Fort Shackoff (Battery no. 1) whilst staying out of the arcs of the Russian ships and Battery no. 2, and then they would edge around "the corner" of the spit to engage first Battery no. 2 and then the Aurora in detail. Meanwhile, the lighter vessels would suppress the other batteries. 30 August was windless and the Virago had to tow the sailing vessels into place. With the movement underway to place the attackers in bombardment positions Admiral Price suffered a fatal gunshot wound in his cabin, possibly self inflicted. With the chain of command in doubt, Captain Nicholson of the Pique ordered a delay of 24 hours. On 31 August, Price's plan was put into effect. The President suppressed Battery no. 1, Forte Battery no. 2 and the Virago and Pique Battery no. 4. Batteries no. 1 and 4 were effectively suppressed and small Royal Navy landing party took possession and spiked the guns of Battery no. 4. The main force then moved against Battery no. 2. Fire from the frigates President and Forte easily suppressed Battery no. 2 and caused a great deal of damage to the Aurora, rendering her unseaworthy until more than six months' repairs were effected. The Virago took a large hole below the waterline from a Russian shell, but this was quickly plugged. However the French frigate Forte signaled that it wished to withdraw, and so the Virago towed her beyond the Russian range. The remaining allied ships thus disengaged.