Battle of Bodrum (1773)

For other uses, see Battle of Bodrum (disambiguation).

Battle of Bodrum (1773)
Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)
Panorama of Bodrum Castle
Date 11–12 August 1773 Location Bodrum, Ottoman Empire 37°2′2″N 27°25′52″E Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Dizdar Mustafa Ağa	Andrey Elmanov
Strength
Hundreds 1 ship of the line	Over 2,500 4 ships of the line 3 frigates 3 bomb vessels
Casualties and losses
Low 2 galiots 1 felucca	Heavy
class=notpageimage| Location within Europe Battle of Bodrum (1773) (Turkey)

The battle of Bodrum was a naval battle fought between 11 and 12 August 1773 at the Ottoman city of Bodrum. The Ottoman force was led by Dizdar Mustafa Ağa, whilst the Russian navy was commanded by Andrey Elmanov. The battle was part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and resulted in an Ottoman victory.

Prelude

In 1773, the Imperial Russian Navy shifted their focus to the Aegean Sea once more under the general leadership of Grigory Spiridov, who assigned Andrey Elmanov with capturing the Ottoman fortifications in Bodrum and Kos. Elmanov was given four ships of the line (Sv. Georgii Pobyedonosets, Trech Svyatitelei, Trech Ierarchov, Saratov); three frigates (Syevernyi Orel, Tino, Pobyeda); three bomb vessels and thousands of soldiers.

The Russians had already unsuccessfully attacked Bodrum a few months prior. In a letter dated 13 May 1773, the defender of Bodrum Castle, Dizdar Mustafa Ağa, informed notables of the city that he had defended Bodrum with 200 men against Russian bombardment.

Battle

On 11 August 1773, Andrey Elmanov bombarded Bodrum Castle around 7:00 PM. He landed 1,000 soldiers onshore, followed by an additional 1,500 soldiers around 4:00 AM the next morning. The ensuing battle ended in defeat for the Russian forces. Having suffered heavy losses, the Russians hurriedly boarded their ships to flee from Bodrum. The Ottomans, on the other hand, lost 2 galiots and a felucca. Although a Turkish ship of the line was hit, it did not suffer considerable damage.

Aftermath

After his failure at Bodrum, Andrey Elmanov would sail to İstanköy (Kos) and bombard it between 16 and 18 August 1773. After the battle, the Russians were forced to withdraw with very heavy losses after clashing with the forces of Osman Pasha.

Bodrum was attacked once again on 15 April 1774 by Alexei Orlov. The Russians were repelled by a small Ottoman garrison, having lost 300 men.