Russian ship Sviatoslav (1845)

Painting of Sviatoslav's sister ship Sultan Makhmud under sail
History
Russian Empire
NameSviatoslav
BuilderI. S. Dimitriev, Nikolaev
Laid down16 May 1843
Launched7 November 1845
FateScuttled, 13 February 1855
General characteristics
Class & typeSultan Makhmud-class ship of the line
Displacement3,790 metric tons (3,730 long tons; 4,180 short tons)
Length196 ft (60 m)
Beam53 ft 6 in (16.31 m)
Draft26 ft 7 in (8.10 m)
Armament
  • 4 × 68-pound Paixhans guns
  • 28 × 36-pound long guns
  • 32 × 36-pound short guns
  • 20 × 24-pound gunnades
  • 2 × 24 -pound carronades
  • 8 × 18-pound carronades
  • 1 × 12-pound carronade
  • 3 × 8-pound carronades

Sviatoslav was a Sultan Makhmud-class ship of the line built for the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet in the 1840s. The ship participated in the Crimean War in 1853–1855, beginning with an operation to carry reinforcements for the Imperial Russian Army stationed in the Caucasus in October 1853. Storm damage prevented her from taking part in the Battle of Sinop the next month, but the British and French intervention in the war after that battle led ultimately to Sviatoslav's loss. The Russian fleet withdrew to Sevastopol to avoid battle with the Anglo-French fleet, and during the ensuing Siege of Sevastopol, she was converted into a hospital ship and eventually scuttled in February 1855.