Day of Military Glory of Russia - Day of the victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesma (1770)

On July 7, every year, Russian citizens celebrate a significant date for our country, the day of Russia's Victory over the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Chesme On this day, we remember the events that occurred in 1770, which served as the beginning of the end of the long-term war with Turkey, as well as the heroic act of a simple lieutenant Dmitry Ilyin, who, thanks to his courage and self-sacrifice, was able to destroy the Turkish fleet Despite such an important event for Russia, the holiday was included in the list of official celebrations of Military Glory only in 2012, on July 10, when the state law “on memorable days” was changed The celebration was given state status, the date of celebration was set for July 7, the day of the victory of our fleet, but this day is not considered a day off During the Russo-Turkish War (1768-1774), it was decided to send part of the imperial fleet to the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea to strike the Ottoman flotilla and inflict an “unexpected” defeat on them, but their main goal was to distract the enemy from the Black Sea Two squadrons were sent on the voyage, led by the great admirals Spiridonov and Elphinstone Having moved at different times and along different routes, they eventually met near the Greek Islands to come under the leadership of General Orlov The Battle of Chesme took place on July 5-7 (0624-2706 old style) on the western part of the Turkish coast, in Chesme Bay The Ottoman army had one very “weighty” superiority, their fleet was twice as large as the Russian one (against 9 linkers, 3 frigates and 19 auxiliary ships, there were 16 liqueurs, 6 frigates, galleys and 32 light ships) At 12 noon the first linkers collided: “Real Mustafa” and “Saint Eustathius” As a result, both ships caught fire, more than 1,200 people died, and less than two hundred survived After the “death” of one of their main ships, the Turks were forced to retreat deeper into the bay The fighting continued only the next day The admirals and General Orlov came up with a cunning plan; the enemy flotilla was defenseless against fire, so it was decided to send 4 schooners filled with tar and gunpowder to the “heart” of the enemy Three fireships did not reach their goal, one ran aground, another was captured by a Turkish galley, and others simply deserted Only Lieutenant Ilyin’s schooner reached its goal and set fire to the enemy ship, but for this it was necessary to sacrifice the lieutenant’s life As a result, the entire enemy fleet caught fire, killing more than 10 thousand people In memory of this important day for Russia, annually on July 7, the honorary delegation of the navy and military fleet, as well as all interested citizens, offer wreaths and bouquets of flowers to the monuments dedicated to these events On ships and vessels of the Russian Navy, festive events, themed concerts are held, awards and extraordinary titles are given out for special services to the Motherland Schools in our country organize open history lessons dedicated to a detailed discussion of the battle between Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire The victory in the Battle of Chesme is yet another proof that one should not underestimate the enemy and hope for victory without winning it Courage, intelligence and the ability to self-sacrifice can make anyone a winner, despite “apparent superiority” On this day, let's remember the heroic deeds of our ancestors, who understood that anyone, even the smallest person, is capable of changing the course of history, as well as those who are currently protecting our maritime borders