Page 341 - Il Mediterraneo quale elemento del Potere Marittimo - Atti 16-18 settembre 1996

RUSSIA AND THE SOVIET UNION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

IGOR A. AMOSOV

The Mediterranean and Russia connection between those two neighbouring
geographical spaces are rooted into a remote past. As far back as the VII century
Slav ships were navigating co the shores of Greece. In the X cencury 9 Russi an ships
participated in an expedition to the island of Crete. Russian merchancs reached
Spain. But only in che XVIII cencury Russian fleec appeared in che Medicerranean
as a real naval force. In 1769-71 5 squadrons carne there from che Baltic Sea. In
1770 the famous Chesma barde cook piace, which ended in a complete rout of the
Turkish fleet. Alltogether in the Firsc Archipelago Expedition participated 20 bat-
deships (ships of the line), 5 frigates and 27 other ships. In autumn 1775 a~l of
chem returned co Kronshtadt.
Since 1774 Russian ships obcained the right of passage through the Black Sea
Scraits. A great importance for future development of events connected with the
Mediterranean had creation in 1783 of the Black Sea Fleet with its main base in
Sevascopol. During che Russian- Turkish War 1787-91, when the main evencs hap-
pened in the Black Sea, in che Mediterranean Russian representitaves, having re-
cruited severa! chousands of Greeks and Slavs, organaized two corsair flocillas
commanded by a Greek Kachoni and a Maltese Gilgelmo, accepted in che Russian
service. (In 1789 Napoleon Bonaparte submicced an application for Russian servi-
ce, but he did noc agree to be accepced in a grade lower).
One of the mosc glorious pages of history of che Russian fleec in the Medicer-
ranean was che campaign of admiral F. Ushakov during wars againsc Napoleonic
France, liberation of che Ionian islands in 1798-99 and the ltalian campaign of
1799. Assaulc and seizure of Corfu from the sea is a remarkable example of a naval
operation against a scrong fortress. Maybe historians in ltaly have not forgotten
che operation of Russian fleet during che liberation of Neaples from French and
che entry of the Russian sailors detachment into Rome 30.9.1799.
In the first years of the XIX century, when arose danger of an alliance bet-
ween Turkey and France, che Russian naval presence around che Ionian Islands
was considerably strenghened. By January 1806 to Corfu carne two squadrons from
the Baltic, ships detachmencs from che Black Sea, an infancry division, in all42 ships
(including 10 bactleships), 13 000 land forces. These forces were commanded by