Russian ship Chesma (1849)
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Preceded by | Khrabryi-class ship of the line |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Completed | 1 |
| Lost | 1 |
| History | |
| Russian Empire | |
| Name | Chesma |
| Builder | I. S. Dimitriev |
| Laid down | 26 July 1842 |
| Launched | 23 October 1849 |
| Fate | Scuttled at the Siege of Sevastopol, 28 August 1855 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ship of the line |
| Displacement | 4,030 metric tons (3,970 long tons; 4,440 short tons) |
| Length | 196 ft (60 m) |
| Beam | 57 ft (17 m) |
| Draft | 23 ft 8 in (7.21 m) |
| Armament |
|
Chesma was an 84-gun ship of the line built for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy in the 1840s. Chesma carried a battery primarily consisting of tradition shot-firing guns, but she also carried four new shell-firing guns. The ship saw combat during the Crimean War at the Battle of Sinop against an Ottoman squadron in 1853, where the Russian shell guns proved to be decisive. The battle prompted Britain and France to intervene to support the Ottomans, leading the Russian fleet to withdraw to Sevastopol to avoid a battle with an Anglo-French fleet. Chesma helped to defend Sevastopol, supporting Russian ground forces during a battle in February 1855 before being disarmed to strengthen the city's defenses and then scuttled to block the harbor entrance to the Anglo-French fleet in August.