Russian cutter Opyt (1806)
Battle between the Russian ship Opyt and a British frigate off the coast of Nargen Island, 11 June 1808, 1889 by Leonid Demyanovich Blinov (1868-93), in the State Central Navy Museum, St. Petersburg
|
|
| History | |
|---|---|
 Russian Empire
|
|
| Name: | Opyt |
| Builder: | I. V. Kurepanov, St Petersburg |
| Laid down: | 1805 |
| Launched: | 9 October [O.S. 27 September] 1806 |
| Captured: | 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1808 |
 UK
|
|
| Name: | HMS Baltic |
| Acquired: | By capture 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1808 |
| Fate: | Sold 1810 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 178 64⁄94 (bm (by calc.)) |
| Length: | 65 ft 10 in (20.1 m) (deck) |
| Beam: | 25 ft 10 in (7.9 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 9 ft 4 in (2.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 53 |
| Armament: | 14 x 12-pounder carronades |
The Russian cutter Opyt (1796) (also Apith; Russian: Опыт - Experience) was launched in 1806. The British 44-gun frigate Salsette captured Opyt in 1808 in the Baltic during the Anglo-Russian War (1807-1812) after her captain and crew put up a heroic resistance. The Admiralty took her into service as HMS Baltic. She served briefly with the British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez in the Baltic before being sold in 1810.
Opyt was a purpose-built cutter that cruised in the Baltic in 1807. On 10 June [O.S. 28 May] 1808 she arrived at Sveaborg from Kronshtadt to join the division under Captain of 2nd rank L.P. Geiden (who went on to become the Russian Admiral at the Battle of Navarino in 1827), to help in the city's defense. On 16 June [O.S. 4 June] Opyt put to sea in company with the sloop-of-war Charlotta to cruise between Sveaborg and Hango. During this cruise the two vessels became separated. Opyt returned to Sveaborg and was sent to find Charlotta, but before she could meet up, she encountered Salsette.
On 23 June [O.S. 11 June] 1808 Captain Walter Bathurst and Salsette chased a Russian sloop-of-war to Reval and captured a galliot partly laden with spirits at anchor in the roads. As Bathurst was bringing out his prize he saw a Russian cutter off the north end of Norgen island, which defends Reval from the sea.
Salsette gave chase but in the evening, when the wind dropped, the cutter killed one of Salsette's marines in an exchange of fire and then used her sweeps to pull away. Then a sudden squall enabled Salsette to catch up with the cutter. The cutter surrendered after the frigate had fired two full broadsides into her.
...
Wikipedia