Battle of Chesme
1770 CE · Turkey (Aegean Coast)
The Battle of Chesme was fought in 1770 CE in Turkey (Aegean Coast) between Russian Empire vs the Ottoman Empire; decisive Russian victory; the Ottoman fleet was burned at anchor.
Battle of Chesme: quick facts
- Date
- 1770 CE
- Location
- Turkey (Aegean Coast)
- Belligerents
- Russian Empire vs the Ottoman Empire
- Commanders
- Alexei Orlov and Samuel Greig vs Hüsameddin Pasha
- Result
- decisive Russian victory; the Ottoman fleet was burned at anchor.
- Era
- ⛵ Colonial & Napoleonic Era
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Chesme?
The Russian Baltic Fleet, having sailed all the way around Europe to the Mediterranean, trapped the Ottoman navy in the harbor of Chesme on the Aegean coast of Turkey. Russian fireships sent into the crowded harbor ignited the closely packed Ottoman vessels, and the resulting inferno destroyed virtually the entire Ottoman fleet. Russia lost only one ship while the Ottomans lost over sixty vessels and thousands of sailors. The victory gave Russia temporary control of the Aegean Sea and demonstrated the growing reach of Russian naval power.
Did you know?
The Russian fleet at Chesme had sailed from the Baltic Sea all the way around Europe to the Mediterranean, a voyage so ambitious that most European powers thought it would fail.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Chesme on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.