Battle of Svensksund

Overview

The Second Battle of Svensksund was a naval battle fought in the Gulf of Finland outside the present day city of Kotka on 9 and 10 July 1790. The Swedish naval forces dealt the Russian fleet a devastating defeat that brought an end to the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). The battle is the biggest Swedish naval victory and the largest naval battle ever in the Baltic Sea. It qualifies among the largest naval battles in history in terms of the number of vessels involved.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Second Battle of Svensksund, fought in the Gulf of Finland near present-day Kotka on 9–10 July 1790, ended the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–1790. Swedish naval forces under Carl Olof Cronstedt, with Gustav III present, inflicted a decisive defeat on the Russian fleet commanded by Karl Heinrich von Nassau-Siegen, whose forces suffered approximately 10,000 casualties against a Swedish strength of 14,000 and a Russian force of 18,500. The scale of the Russian loss effectively broke Russian naval capability in the theater and brought the war to a close. The battle stands as the largest Swedish naval victory on record and the largest naval engagement ever fought in the Baltic Sea, ranking among the largest naval battles in history by number of vessels involved. Its outcome secured Sweden's position at the subsequent peace negotiations and foreclosed further Russian offensive action in the Gulf of Finland.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)