The Sinking of the Boris was a major event of Russian Navy history that took place in late October 1805 when the Ottoman ship "Kilik Reais" sunk the Russian ship "Boris" in a naval battle in the Black Sea. The battle showed the flaws in Russia's navy and the need for modernization.
Background[]
The Russian Navy had played a key role in the Russian Empire's victory in the Great Northern War (1700-1721), First Russo-Turkish War (1768-1772), and Second Russo-Turkish War (1787-1792). The Russians had no navy in the Black Sea at the time of the Russo-Turkish War of 1805, so they built a naval force in Sevastopol and prepared to take over dominance of the sea. The Russians built an 18-gun sloop called "Boris", and planned to duel Ottoman sloop "Kilik Reais" for control of the sea.
"Boris" was sent to raid the Ottoman port of Burgas (present-day Bulgaria), but found it defended by "Kilik Reais" and did not want to merely blockade it. Instead, they withdrew to the middle of the Black Sea, from where they planned to move to Sevastapol.
Battle[]
However, "Kilik Reais" attacked the Russians first, forcing them into battle. The "Boris" attempted to take over "Kilik Reais" in a melee battle and make it an escort ship, firing chain shot and grapeshot. The volleys killed only 2 Ottoman sailors, and the Ottomans fired back with regular round shot, and eventually "Boris" took water and began to sink. Captain Prjevalski died along with 5 other sailors, and the ship was destroyed.
Aftermath[]
Tsar Alexander I of Russia was angered at the embarassment, losing an even-matched battle that was Ottoman victory by bad luck. He fired his naval minister Yuriy Olevsky and replaced him with Eduard Sazhin; meanwhile, the Ottoman navy moved south to the Aegean, leaving the Black Sea open and allowing the Russian Navy to build a fleet.