Samuel Greig
Scottish-born Russian admiral
1735 CE to 1788 CE
Samuel Greig, or Samuil Karlovich Greig as he is known in Russia (November 30, 1735, Inverkeithing, Fife, Scotland – October 15, 1788, Tallinn, Estonia, Russian Empire) is a Scottish-born Russian admiral who distinguishes himself in the Battle of Chesma (1770) and the Battle of Hogland (1788).
His son Alexey Greig also makes a spectacular career in the Imperial Russian Navy.
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The Great Crossroads
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The Swedish fleet had been notified on July 7 that a state of war with Russia was in effect, and already on July 8 had surprised two unprepared Russian frigates—thirty-two gun Jaroslavets (Jarislawits) and twenty-four gun Hektor (Gektor)—which are promptly captured together with their crew of four hundred and fifty men.
The Swedish fleet meets a Russian fleet sailing under the command of Admiral Samuel Greig and fight an engagement near Hogland Island, in the Gulf of Finland, in which neither side manages to gain advantage.
Unusually for a naval battle, both sides capture one ship.
The Swedes fare slightly better in the artillery duel leaving four Russian ships dead in the water but fail to capitalize their success, while all Swedish ships are able to set sail after the battle.
The Russians suffer the worst casualties, losing three hundred and nineteen to five hundred and eighty men killed compared with between two hundred and three hundred Swedes, but the battle is a strategic victory for the Russians because Greig had done enough to prevent the Swedish landing.
One reason why the fight ends, even though Swedish battle fleet has the advantage, is that the Swedish fleet is rapidly running out of ammunition, especially for its heavier cannons, and has to depart.
The Swedish fleet meets a Russian fleet sailing under the command of Admiral Samuel Greig and fight an engagement near Hogland Island, in the Gulf of Finland, in which neither side manages to gain advantage.
Unusually for a naval battle, both sides capture one ship.
The Swedes fare slightly better in the artillery duel leaving four Russian ships dead in the water but fail to capitalize their success, while all Swedish ships are able to set sail after the battle.
The Russians suffer the worst casualties, losing three hundred and nineteen to five hundred and eighty men killed compared with between two hundred and three hundred Swedes, but the battle is a strategic victory for the Russians because Greig had done enough to prevent the Swedish landing.
One reason why the fight ends, even though Swedish battle fleet has the advantage, is that the Swedish fleet is rapidly running out of ammunition, especially for its heavier cannons, and has to depart.
The Swedes, upon returning to Sveaborg to repair and resupply Duke Charles' fleet, find that the island fortress had been stocked only with the coastal fleet in mind, which among other things means that it has not stored ammunition for the heavy cannons of the open sea fleet and lacks suitable stocks of equipment required to repair large sailing ships.
Admiral Grieg has hurried the repairs of the Russian fleet and constructed a forward base to the island of Seskar to accomplish this.
By August 5 the Russian fleet had set sail towards Sveaborg and in the early hours of August 6 encounters a Swedish squadron that been tasked on investigating the status of the Russian fleet outside of Sveaborg.
The Swedish ships flee in disorder to the safety of the fortress but the ship of the line Prins Gustaf Adolf runs into a previously unknown underwater rock at full speed and sails spread.
The Ship now grounds on the rock and starts flooding heavily.
Water quickly also floods the ship's gunpowder magazines, forcing it to strike its colors.
The Russians take the crew as prisoners but are unable to re-float the ship and instead torch it.
Meanwhile, prisoners the Swedes had captured from the Vladislav had carried relapsing fever which now spreads widely among the Swedish crews at Sveaborg, further impeding any chances of getting the fleet either ready to sail or ready to fight.
The Russian fleet under Admiral Grieg has total control over the Baltic Sea, and with new ships can deploy eighteen ships of the line.
Control of Reval makes it easy for the Russians to maintain their blockade.
By August 5 the Russian fleet had set sail towards Sveaborg and in the early hours of August 6 encounters a Swedish squadron that been tasked on investigating the status of the Russian fleet outside of Sveaborg.
The Swedish ships flee in disorder to the safety of the fortress but the ship of the line Prins Gustaf Adolf runs into a previously unknown underwater rock at full speed and sails spread.
The Ship now grounds on the rock and starts flooding heavily.
Water quickly also floods the ship's gunpowder magazines, forcing it to strike its colors.
The Russians take the crew as prisoners but are unable to re-float the ship and instead torch it.
Meanwhile, prisoners the Swedes had captured from the Vladislav had carried relapsing fever which now spreads widely among the Swedish crews at Sveaborg, further impeding any chances of getting the fleet either ready to sail or ready to fight.
The Russian fleet under Admiral Grieg has total control over the Baltic Sea, and with new ships can deploy eighteen ships of the line.
Control of Reval makes it easy for the Russians to maintain their blockade.