Russian ship Varna

Painting of Varna's sister ship Sultan Makhmud under sail
History
Russian Empire
NameVarna
BuilderI. D. Vorobyov, Nikolaev
Laid down4 October 1838
Launched26 July 1842
FateScuttled, 11 September 1854
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
  • 26 × 36-pound long guns
  • 32 × 36-pound short guns
  • 20 × 24-pound gunnades
  • 2 × 24 -pound carronades
  • 6 × 18-pound carronades
  • 2 × 12-pound carronades
  • 2 × 8-pound carronades

Varna was a Sultan Makhmud-class ship of the line built for the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet in the late 1830s and early 1840s. The ship had an uneventful career, apart from routine peacetime operations in the 1840s, interrupted by periods in reserve. In October 1853, she helped carry soldiers to the Caucasus to strengthen the Russian position there at the start of the Crimean War. In need of repairs, she was unable to take part in the Battle of Sinop in November, and thereafter remained in Sevastopol during the siege of the city. Her crew was sent ashore to reinforce the defenses and Varna was scuttled as a blockship in 1854 to bar the harbor entrance to French and British warships.