We have now to give an account of the chief naval exploits of the war, when the wooden walls of Old England were to try their strength with the stone ramparts of Russia. While the heavy artillery of the Allies opened fire on the city from the newly-erected batteries on the neighbouring heights, it was arranged that the fleets should attack from the sea. The fleet was to form a semicircle before the harbour’s mouth; the French to engage the forts on the south, the English the forts Constantine and Alexander and the Stone and Wasp forts on the north. The morning was actively spent by the crews in preparing for action.
At fifty minutes past ten the signal for weighing was made; and the fleet, the fine old Agamemnon leading, stood towards the batteries. She was followed in order by the Sanspareil, screw, the sailing—ships being moved by steamers lashed alongside,—Albion, by Firebrand; Queen, by Vesuvius; Britannia, by Furious; Trafalgar, by Retribution; London, by Niger; Vengeance, by Highflyer; Rodney, by Spiteful; Bellerophon, by Cyclops; Arethusa, by Triton; while Samson, Tribune, Terrible, Sphinx, Lynx, and Spitfire acted as look-out ships, and were allowed to take up independent positions. Besides the stone fortifications, the enemy had thrown up numerous earthworks, and placed guns along the cliff to the north. To one of these forts the seamen gave the name of the Wasp; to another, the Telegraph battery.
The French weighed first, a little before ten, and proceeded to their position, on the south of the line, when the enemy opened fire on them. The Turks took up a position in the centre; and now the magnificent Agamemnon steamed on, with the gallant little Circassian, commanded by the brave Mr Ball, piloting the way, sounding as he went, and marking the position the larger ships were to take up.
At half-past one the Agamemnon began to draw in close with the land, when, to try range, she opened fire from her large pivot-gun on the Wasp battery, which instantly returned it; and in a short time Fort Constantine commenced firing with terrible effect, the Agamemnon suffering fearfully.
At two p.m. she anchored, head and stern, in a quarter less five fathoms, 750 yards off Fort Constantine, on which she immediately opened her fresh broadside. At five minutes past two, the Sanspareil and London anchored astern, and ably seconded the gallant Sir Edmund by the fire which they poured into the Star Fort and the smaller forts on the cliff. At twenty minutes past two, the Albion anchored, and engaged the Wasp, to take off the fire from the Agamemnon, which, from her position, exposed to a cross fire, was suffering more than the other ships. The Britannia, now in fifteen fathoms water, and some two thousand yards off, opened fire, and the action became general.
The commander of the detached steamers determined that they also should play their part. The Terrible and Samson dashed on inside the other ships, and engaged the northern forts in the most gallant manner. Nothing could exceed the steady way in which the Vesuvius carried her huge consort into action, nor the spirited manner in which the Albion engaged Fort Constantine. The Arethusa,—a name long known to fame,—urged on by the little Triton, well preserved the renown her name has gained, by boldly engaging the huge stone fort, at which, in rapid succession, broadside after broadside was discharged, the crew of the Triton coming on board to assist in manning her guns. At length, with her rigging cut to pieces, and numerous shot-holes in her hull, and eighteen killed and wounded, and five wounded belonging to the Triton, she was towed out of action.
The Albion, though farther out than the Agamemnon, was in reality suffering far more than that ship, and she at length was compelled to haul off, with one lieutenant and nine men killed, and three other officers and sixty-eight men wounded. The London, also, with four killed and eighteen wounded, was at the same time taken out of action. All this time the gallant Sir Edmund Lyons refused to move; indeed, his ship was suffering more aloft than in her hull, and, notwithstanding the tremendous fire to which she had been exposed, she had only four killed and twenty-five wounded. This was owing to the vice-admiral’s bravery in going so close to the shore; the majority of the shot, flying high, struck her rigging instead of her hull. Still she was struck 240 times, and became almost a wreck,—her hull showing gaping wounds, her main-yard cut in two places, every spar more or less damaged, two shot-holes in the head of the mainmast, and her rigging hanging in shreds; the ship also having twice caught fire,—once when a shell fell in her maintop and set fire to the mainsail, and another having burst in the port side and set fire to the hammock-nettings. The Rodney, however, suffered still more in masts and rigging, she having tailed on the reef, whence she was got off by the gallant exertions of Commander Kynaston, of the Spiteful. The Albion and Arethusa suffered greatly in their hulls.
At length one ship after another had drawn off; and the fire of the forts being concentrated on the Agamemnon, Sir Edmund despatched one of his lieutenants in a boat, to summon the Bellerophon to his aid. The appeal was nobly and immediately answered, and she contributed greatly to take off the fire which the Wasp and Telegraph batteries were showering on her. As the Agamemnon was the first to go into battle, so she was one of the last to haul out of the engagement, which she did soon after six p.m., but not till darkness had compelled the combatants on shore to cease from firing. The action lasted altogether from half-past one to half-past six,—the loss being 44 killed and 266 wounded.
A naval brigade had at this time been formed, and a considerable number of officers and men belonging to the different ships were consequently serving on shore. Owing to this circumstance, probably, the casualties were lessened. The admiral had also left all the spare top-masts and spars on board the Vulcan, with the sick and prisoners, at the anchorage off the Katscha; so that the ships were soon able to repair the damages they had received aloft. No sooner had the fleet once more anchored in safety, than the captains went on board the Agamemnon, to pay their respects to Sir Edmund Lyons, as did the French on the following day, all declaring that his ship had held the post of honour. Still, many other ships were not behind his in the gallant way in which they were fought.
The French ships were also fought with great courage and judgment, and suffered even more than the English. The Turks, from being much farther out, escaped with slight damage.