Battle of Athos

1–2 July 1807, Between Mount Athos and Lemnos

Russian victory; the Ottoman fleet lost a third of its ships

When the Ottoman fleet came out again in June, Senyavin let it attack Tenedos, then placed his fleet between it and the Dardanelles. He found it west of Lemnos at dawn on 1 July and attacked in an unusual way: instead of fighting the whole line, he sent his ships in pairs against the three Ottoman flagships, so that each would be fought by two Russian ships at once. Rafail broke through the Ottoman line and was badly damaged, and two Russian ships went ahead to slow the head of the column. After about three hours the Ottomans broke away. That evening the damaged Sedd-ul-Bahr, Bekir Bey's flagship, fell behind and surrendered. Over the next days two more ships of the line, a frigate and a sloop were driven ashore near Mount Athos and burned by their crews, and two others were burned off Thasos. Only twelve of the twenty Ottoman ships got back to the Dardanelles. Within the week Russia made peace with France at Tilsit, and Senyavin was ordered home.