| Battle of Grengam | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theGreat Northern War | |||||||
 The Battle of Grengam, 1720 by Ferdinand Victor Perrot. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Swedish Navy |  Imperial Russian Navy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Vice AdmiralCarl Georg Siöblad | GeneralMikhail Golitsyn Matija Zmajević | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1Ship of the line 4frigates 3 galleys 6 smaller craft[1] over 1,000 sailors | 61galleys 29 boats 11,000 sailors and soldiers[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 103 killed, 407 taken prisoner, 4 frigates captured | Russian accounts: 1 galley burnt 42 galleys damaged 82 killed and 203–236 wounded[2][3] Swedish accounts: 43 galleys 1,100[4] to 2,000 killed[5] | ||||||
TheBattle of Grengam (Russian:Гренгамское морское сражение,Swedish:Slaget vid Ledsund or Slaget vid Föglöfjärden[6]),Finnish:Flisön taistelu of 1720 was the last majornaval battle in theGreat Northern War that took place inÅland, in theLedsund strait between the island communities ofFöglö andLemland. The battle marked the end ofRussian andSwedish offensive naval operations inBaltic waters. The Russian fleet conducted one more raid on the Swedish coast in spring 1721, whereupon theTreaty of Nystad was signed, ending the war.[7]
The main shipping route between the ports ofStockholm in Sweden andTurku in Finland passes through theÅland Islands. It enters theLedsund strait from south-west withFöglö on the south-east side andLemland on the north-west.[8] Ananchorage (60°0′0″N20°18′0″E / 60.00000°N 20.30000°E /60.00000; 20.30000) of the shore of Flisö inFöglö is protected from the prevailing south-westerly winds by two small islands. This anchorage was previously calledGranhamn, Swedish for 'Spruce harbor'. On modern maps it is marked asRödskärs flädan after the larger of the two protecting islands.[9] The smaller island is now calledGranhamns holmen or Granhamn's island. It should not be confused with the island also namedGranhamn in theStockholm archipelago.
The wordGrengam in the name of the battle is aromanization of Гренгам, which is the traditional Russiancyrillization ofGränhamn, an older spelling ofGranhamn. The spellingGränhamn was used on Hans Hansson's map of Åland from about 1650.[9] In Sweden the battle is known as theBattle of Ledsund after the Ledsund strait.[6] In Finland the nameBattle of Flisö (Finnish:Flisön meritaistelu) is used.[1]
The Swedish and Russian accounts of the battle differ significantly. Both sides agree that on 27 July 1720 a group of Swedish ships underVice Admiral Carl Georg Siöblad attacked the Russian fleet and, in a pitched battle, had their four frigates captured by Russian sailors.
The Swedish squadron consisting of a 52-gunship of the line, four frigates and nine smaller craft with a total of 156 guns and over 1,000 marines, made an attempt to attack the moving Russian fleet. GeneralMikhail Golitsyn managed to take an advantageous position in the narrow and shallow strait of Flisesund and ordered his ships into a semicircle formation. The Swedish ship of the line and four frigates entered the strait in pursuit of the Russian ships. Two frigates ran aground, making maneuvering for the rest of the squadron difficult.
In the fierce battle that followed, all four Swedish frigates were boarded. The only ship that managed to escape was Siöblad’s flagship.[3]
A small Swedish naval unit sailed right into the mighty Russian fleet anchored at Granhamn. A fierce battle took place, the Swedes lost their four frigates after they had run aground[10] but the Russian losses became so heavy that the entire fleet quickly decided to withdraw from Åland, leaving 43 sunken ships and 1000 dead Russians behind.[11] The Russian losses prevented their navy from launching any further major operations until the war ended with theTreaty of Nystad the following year.
| Name | Swedish Classification | Artillery |
|---|---|---|
| Pommern | Ship of the line |
|
| Stor Phoenix | Frigate |
|
| Vainqueur | Armed Merchantman |
|
| Kiskin | Armed Merchantman |
|
| Danska Örn | Frigate |
|
Both sides claim the outcome of the battle as their own victory. They agree only in that four Swedishfrigates, the 34-gunfrigateStor Phoenix, the 30-gunVainqueur, the 22-gunKiskin and the 18-gunDanska Örn were captured by the Russians. No significant naval battles took place between the Russian and Swedish navies after this one until Sweden's defeat in the war was sealed by theTreaty of Nystad.
The Swedes lost 103 killed and 407 captured. The Russians had 82 killed and 236 wounded. 42 galleys were damaged, and galley "Wesfish" was abandoned and burnt after the battle. The Battle of Grengam demonstrated the skillful use of the rowing fleet in theskerries environment and efficient reconnaissance and selection of the combat site, as well as perfect timing for the attack from different directions. The victory at Grengam allowed the Russians to consolidate in the archipelago, which was very important for carrying out operations against Swedish shipping in the area.[3]
Four Swedish frigates ran aground and were captured by the Russian Navy.[10] 43 out of 61 Russiangalleys, were either sunk by the Swedish force or burnt and abandoned after the battle.[citation needed] The Swedish Vice Admiral Carl Georg Siöblad was initially criticised after the battle, but when the scope of the Russian losses were discovered he was praised. Russia celebrated the battle as a victory, but their fleet was unable to launch effective operations until the end of the war in 1721.
Like the previousBattle of Gangut, the Battle of Grengam was fought onSaint Pantaleon Day. In order to commemorate the perceived victory, a timber church to this saint was built inSaint Petersburg in 1722. It was rebuilt in stone in 1735–1739. Since 1914 thefacade of the church has borne two marble plaques listing the ships and regiments that fought at Gangut and Grengam.