Bomarsund, Åland
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Bomarsund was fought by an Anglo-French task force against Russian defenses at Bomarsund during the Crimean War
.
on the Åland Islands
in the Baltic Sea
. Bomarsund had not been completed - only two towers of the planned twelve subsidiary towers had been completed - when the war broke out remained vulnerable especially against forces attacking over land. Designers of the fortress had also assumed that narrow sea passages near the fortress would not be passable for large naval ships while this assumption had held true during the time of sailing ships it was possible for steam powered ships to reach weakly defended sections of fortress.
tossed overboard a shell which had landed on board, shell exploded before it reached water. He was credited for saving his ship was the first man to be awarded the Victoria Cross
.
On 13 August 1854 did the attack begun. While artillery suppressed the defenders of subsidiary tower of Brännklint French infantry assaulted it. Defenders found their position to be hopeless and withdrew bulk of their forces to the main fort leaving only small detachment behind to supervise demolition of the tower. While French troops managed to capture the tower before it was demolished it did not save the tower since the Russian artillery now opened fire at the captured tower and on 15 August 1854 scored a hit to the gunpowder magazines. Resulting explosion demolished the tower.
Second tower, Notvik, was also lost on 15 August 1854 after British hauled heavy naval guns to a hill opposite to the tower. After eight hours of bombardment they managed to create a gaping hole to the fort. After most of the guns had been lost commandant of the tower surrendered to the British and French forces.
Bombardment of the main fortress started late on 15 August 1854. With only few guns capable of firing in the direction of the bombarding ships the Russian forces hoped for the French and British forces to attack over land. However after the bombardment continued into the 16 August without any indication of landings it became apparent to the Russian commander that British and French intended to reduce the fortress with artillery fire. As the situation appeared hopeless Bomarsund surrendered on 16 August 1854.
Three hundred Finnish grenadiers defending the fortress were captured and imprisoned in Lewes
in the United Kingdom. They were later allowed to return to Finland, and they returned with a song telling about their battles and imprisonment, called the War of Åland (Finnish: Oolannin sota). The so-called Russian Memorial
was erected in Lewes in 1877 to honour those who died in captivity.
In the Treaty of Paris
1856, the entire Åland Islands were demilitarized, which is a status that has been preserved until this day.
The Bomarsund Bridge
connects Bomarsund to the Prästö island.
several other Victoria Cross
es were awarded in the Baltic Theater during the Crimean War.
Other VC recipients for action in the Baltic Sea
:
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
.
Background
Bomarsund is a 19th century fortress which had started to built in 1832 by Russia in SundSund, Åland
Sund is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland and is very rich in history and culture and is one of the official 27 national landscapes of Finland.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
on the Åland Islands
Åland Islands
The Åland Islands form an archipelago in the Baltic Sea. They are situated at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia and form an autonomous, demilitarised, monolingually Swedish-speaking region of Finland...
in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. Bomarsund had not been completed - only two towers of the planned twelve subsidiary towers had been completed - when the war broke out remained vulnerable especially against forces attacking over land. Designers of the fortress had also assumed that narrow sea passages near the fortress would not be passable for large naval ships while this assumption had held true during the time of sailing ships it was possible for steam powered ships to reach weakly defended sections of fortress.
First battle
In 21 June 1854 three British ships bombarded the Bomarsund fortress. Artillery from the shore however responded and while both sides suffered some damage the casualties were light and the first battle was indecisive. During the battle Charles Davis LucasCharles Davis Lucas
Charles Davis Lucas VC was an Irish born officer of the Royal Navy and the first recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
tossed overboard a shell which had landed on board, shell exploded before it reached water. He was credited for saving his ship was the first man to be awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
Second battle
While the first battle had been a brief clash and artillery duel the second battle was a different affair. By the end of July 1854 a British fleet of 25 ships had surrounded the fortress and only waited for the French ground troops to arrive. Both defender and attacker had acknowledged that the fort could not defeated by naval forces alone and made preparations accordingly, Russian forces destroyed the surrounding countryside in an effort to force British and French forces break away from the assumed siege.On 13 August 1854 did the attack begun. While artillery suppressed the defenders of subsidiary tower of Brännklint French infantry assaulted it. Defenders found their position to be hopeless and withdrew bulk of their forces to the main fort leaving only small detachment behind to supervise demolition of the tower. While French troops managed to capture the tower before it was demolished it did not save the tower since the Russian artillery now opened fire at the captured tower and on 15 August 1854 scored a hit to the gunpowder magazines. Resulting explosion demolished the tower.
Second tower, Notvik, was also lost on 15 August 1854 after British hauled heavy naval guns to a hill opposite to the tower. After eight hours of bombardment they managed to create a gaping hole to the fort. After most of the guns had been lost commandant of the tower surrendered to the British and French forces.
Bombardment of the main fortress started late on 15 August 1854. With only few guns capable of firing in the direction of the bombarding ships the Russian forces hoped for the French and British forces to attack over land. However after the bombardment continued into the 16 August without any indication of landings it became apparent to the Russian commander that British and French intended to reduce the fortress with artillery fire. As the situation appeared hopeless Bomarsund surrendered on 16 August 1854.
Aftermath
After the surrender French and British forces demolished the fortress.Three hundred Finnish grenadiers defending the fortress were captured and imprisoned in Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
in the United Kingdom. They were later allowed to return to Finland, and they returned with a song telling about their battles and imprisonment, called the War of Åland (Finnish: Oolannin sota). The so-called Russian Memorial
Russian Memorial, Lewes
The Russian Memorial is an obelisk in the churchyard of St John sub Castro in Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, England . It was erected in 1877 at the behest of Alexander II, Emperor of Russia, in memory of 28 Finnish soldiers of the Russian Army of the Crimean War who died while prisoners of...
was erected in Lewes in 1877 to honour those who died in captivity.
In the Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1856)
The Treaty of Paris of 1856 settled the Crimean War between Russia and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, Second French Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The treaty, signed on March 30, 1856 at the Congress of Paris, made the Black Sea neutral territory, closing it to all...
1856, the entire Åland Islands were demilitarized, which is a status that has been preserved until this day.
The Bomarsund Bridge
Bomarsund Bridge
The Bomarsund Bridge connects Bomarsund with the Prästö island in the Sund municipality of the Åland islands....
connects Bomarsund to the Prästö island.
Victoria Cross recipients
In addition to Charles Davis LucasCharles Davis Lucas
Charles Davis Lucas VC was an Irish born officer of the Royal Navy and the first recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
several other Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
es were awarded in the Baltic Theater during the Crimean War.
Other VC recipients for action in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
:
- John BytheseaJohn BytheseaJohn Bythesea VC CB CIE was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions in...
- 1854; Åland Islands - William Johnstone - 1854; Åland Islands
- George IngouvilleGeorge IngouvilleGeorge Henry Ingouville VC CGM was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
- 1855; Fort of Viborg - George Dare DowellGeorge Dare DowellGeorge Dare Dowell was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
- 1855; Fort of Viborg
Trivia
- A coal mine in NorthumberlandNorthumberlandNorthumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
was named after the battle; the neighboring village still carries the name BomarsundBomarsund, NorthumberlandBomarsund is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is situated to the north of Bedlington, and just south of Stakeford.The village grew around a coal pit opened in 1854 and was named after the battle at the fort of Bomarsund in Sund, Åland Islands. It is now home to the Northumberland...
.
- In 2007 Orlando GoughOrlando GoughOrlando Gough is a British composer, educated at Oxford, and noted for projects written for ballet, contemporary dance and theatre. Collaborators have included Siobhan Davies, Alain Platel, Shobana Jeyasingh and Ashley Page of The Royal Ballet. He is artistic director of The Shout, which he...
's opera The Finnish PrisonerThe Finnish PrisonerThe Finnish Prisoner is an opera by Orlando Gough, first performed in 2007. Stephen Plaice wrote the English-language libretto based on the true story of Finnish prisoners of war incarcerated in England during the Crimean War.-Background:...
which tells about the events of 1854 had its premiere performance in LewesLewesLewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
.
