Battle of the Dardanelles

22 May 1807, Mouth of the Dardanelles

Russian victory; the Ottoman fleet driven back into the strait

Seyid Ali brought the Ottoman fleet out of the Dardanelles to retake Tenedos, Senyavin's base, and landed troops there, but the Russian garrison drove them off. After days of calms and squalls, the wind came round on 22 May and both fleets got under way. Senyavin caught the Ottoman rear in the evening near the mouth of the strait, and the two fleets fought until after dark, when most of the Ottoman ships got back inside the Dardanelles under the guns of the forts. Three ships of the line were left outside, aground, and were fired on again the next morning as they were towed in; they were so damaged they never served again. The Russians lost 26 killed.