Four torpedo boats formed the attacking force, viz. the Tchesme, Sinope, Navarino, and the Soukoum Kalé.
These boats were carried by a ship of the Maritime Company of Odessa, named Grand Duke Constantine. She was an iron screw steamer, able to steam about 10 knots per hour, and fitted to hoist up the above-mentioned torpedo boats. She was armed with four 4-pounders, and torpedoes.
Early in the evening of the 12th the Constantine left Poti, and proceeded off the harbour of Batoum, her captain (Lieutenant de Vaisseau Makaroff) deeming it advisable to lay to seven miles from the harbour, the supposition that the Turks had placed submarine mines off the entrance being the cause of his so doing.
About 11 P.M. the four torpedo boats started to the attack, Makaroff being in command of one of them. They were all painted sea green, and possessed a high speed. The night being dark, and having been despatched some distance off, they reached the entrance in somewhat straggling order. The Tchesme, commanded by Lieutenant Zatzarennyi, and armed with a towing torpedo, was the first to enter the harbour, and, without waiting for her consorts, dashed at the Ottoman fleet, and succeeded in getting close to a large Turkish paddle-wheel transport, and her commander dipping his torpedo, struck the ship under her quarter; but that little something which so often causes a failure in this mode of warfare occurred, and no explosion followed the pressing down of the firing key, much to the chagrin and disgust of Zatzarennyi. As might be supposed, by this time an alarm had been raised, and guns, rifles, &c., were fired in and from every direction, causing the torpedo boats to beat a precipitate and hasty retreat. Fortunately the Turks were not possessed of any steamboats, nor were any of their ships ready to dash out, or the defeat would have been a far more disastrous one than was the case. Neither of the boats were damaged, nor any of the crews injured.
The failure of this first attempt was due in a great measure to the mode of attack, no system or unanimity of action on the part of the four commanders being observable; and also to the somewhat half-hearted support given to the Tchesme, for had her three consorts only dashed at the Turkish ships as boldly, one at least of the Ottoman fleet would have been sunk, the only defence resorted to being their guns and small arms.
The moral effect of torpedoes was displayed here, causing the Constantine to lay too far off the entrance to the harbour, thus decreasing the chance of her boats making a successful attack.
The Russian version finishes up by saying, "although this first endeavour was unsuccessful, the authors of it were received at Sebastopol with enthusiasm."
2nd Affair.
The Matchin Attack.—The second attempt was made on the 25th-26th of May on two Turkish monitors, the Fettu Islam and the Duba Saife, and a small river steamer, the Kilidj Ali, lying at anchor off Matchin.[S]