Raid on Baltischport
| Raid on Baltischport | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790) | |||||||||
.png) Admiral-Captain Baron Cederström with the two Swedish frigates Jarramas and Ulla Fersen raid the Russian fortress of Paldiski (Baltischport) in Estonia, on 17 March 1790 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Sweden |
 Russian Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Rudolf Cederström |
de Roberty  | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Ulla Fersen Jarramas |
Paldiski garrison | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
2 frigates 50–60 men |
300–360 men 49 cannons | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| None |
Entire garrison capitulated 49 cannons disabled | ||||||||
The raid on Baltischport was a successful Swedish military operation during the Russo-Swedish war of 1788–1790 which targeted the small Estonian port of Paldiski (Roggersvik; then called Baltiyskiy Port). The Swedish force consisted of two frigates and 50–60 men led by Rudolf Cederström. The operation resulted in the Russian naval stores and war material located in Paldiski no longer being able to be used for the imminent mobilization.
Background
[edit]In 1788, the Swedish king Gustav III, sought a solution for his unpopularity in Sweden. He first looked towards Denmark as a solution by means of war, but this was scrapped as he was not able to get any support. He then he saw an opportunity in the east, which resulted in the Russo Swedish War 1788–1790.[1]
After his participation in the Battle of Hogland, Cederström received a promotion to captain and soon after received command of his own frigate; with this he was ordered to spend the winter inside of the Finnish archipelago with another frigate named Hector. In 1789, he mostly sailed around Gotland with the order of keeping the war command informed of Russian movements in the Baltic, he also succeeded in capturing a number of Russian merchant ships.[2]
He now received the attention of the king and received his first significant order, which was to attack Paldiski before the sea had become fully ice free, which was thought to be the place where the Russians had constructed a fleet.[2]
Raid
[edit]
After a stormy journey from Karlskrona, Cederström arrived on the morning of 17 March with 2 frigates to Paldiski.[2] Upon arriving, there was no Russian fleet to be seen. Despite this, he let the 50–60[3] man force disembark the ships in order to storm the small fortress there under the command of de Roberty.[4][3] Despite being outnumbered by at least 6:1, he succeeded, and after a short shelling of the fortress he forced it to surrender,[3] after which he demanded 4,000 rubles in brandskattning (ransom) from the city.[5][6] He also burned all the storehouses with ship building materials and disabled the 49 cannons inside the fortress.[4][7][2][8]
Aftermath
[edit]After the raid, Cederström was promoted to the rank of Major and the raid lived on in the form of a popular folk song.[2]
Catherine the Great, the Empress, was very resentful of de Roberty, and thought it was a shameful surrender. She hoped that there would soon be an uprising against Gustav III. Her secretary Chrapovitsky retorts "such an enterprising king needs employment." Catherine sighed "Yes, that prankster!"[4]
Consequences
[edit]While the war material in Paldiski could no longer be used, the raid alerted the Russians on the Swedish war plans and allowed them to plan ahead.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Sundberg, Ulf (2002). Svenska krig 1521-1814 (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Hjalmarson & Högberg. p. 341. ISBN 9789189660106..
- ^ a b c d e Lundh, Herbert. "O Rudolf Cederström". sok.riksarkivet.se. National Archives of Sweden. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ a b c Eriksson, Fredrik; Gunnar, Åselius; Wolke, Lars (2022), "Från Savolaxbrigaden till Särskilda skyddsgruppen", Nordic Academic Press, Sweden: Nordic Academic Press
- ^ a b c Hansson, Jim; Höglund, Patrik (2022). "VRAKEN I DJUPASUND" (PDF). karlskrona.se.
- ^ Tartu, Gelehrte Estnische Gesellschaft (1874). Sitzungsberichte (in German).
- ^ Khrapovit͡skīĭ, Aleksandr Vasilʹevich (1880). Utdrag ur sekreteraren hos Kejsarinnan Katarina II sedermera verklige geheimerådet A.V. Chrapovitskijs dagbok 1787-1792 (in Swedish). P.A. Norstedt & söner.
- ^ Sveriges historia tll våra dagar ... (in Swedish). P.A. Norstedt & söner. 1925.
- ^ "Gustav III". Archived from the original on 2010-12-02.