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{{Short description|1790 naval battle of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)}}
{{For|raids on the Tendra Spit during the Russo-Ukrainian War|Raids on Tendra Spit}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Battle of Tendra
| partof            = [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)]]
| image             = File:Сражение при Тендре.jpg
| caption           = Battle of Tendra; late 18th century<br>By {{ill|Afanasy de Paldo|ru|Афанасий де Палдо}}
| date              = 8–9 September 1790
| place             = [[Tendra Spit]]
| casus             = 
| territory         = 
| result            = Russian victory
| combatant1        = {{flag|Russian Empire}}
| combatant2        = {{Flagicon image|"Grand Standard of the Grand Turk" naval flag, according to Bowles (1783).svg|border=no}} [[Ottoman Empire]]
| commander1        = {{flagicon|Russian Empire|naval}} [[Fyodor Ushakov]]
| commander2        = {{Flagicon image|"Grand Standard of the Grand Turk" naval flag, according to Bowles (1783).svg|border=no}} {{ill|Giritli Hüseyin Pasha|lt=Hussein Pasha|tr|Giritli Hüseyin Paşa}}
| strength1         = 10 [[ships of the line]]<br>6 [[frigate]]s<br>1 [[bomb ship]]<br>1 [[schooner]]<br>2 [[fire ship]]s<br>17 [[sailing ship]]s<br>~826 [[Naval artillery in the Age of Sail|cannon]]s{{sfn|Novikov|1948|pp=120, 122}}<ref name="GRE">{{Cite web |script-title=ru:ТЕНДРОВСКОЕ СРАЖЕНИЕ |work=Great Russian Encyclopedia – Electronic version |url=https://old.bigenc.ru/military_science/text/4187136 |access-date=2023-06-27}}</ref>
| strength2         = 14 ships of the line<br>8 frigates<br>23 smaller vessels<br>1,300+ cannons{{sfn|Novikov|1948|pp=120, 122}}
| casualties1       = 21–25 killed, 25 wounded{{sfn|Novikov|1948|pp=120, 122}}<ref name="GRE" /><ref name = Warships />
| casualties2       = 2 ships of the line in the battle{{sfn|Novikov|1948|pp=120, 122}}<br>1 ship of the line and several small vessels sunk in the retreat{{sfn|Novikov|1948|pp=120, 122}}<br>7 small craft captured,{{sfn|Novikov|1948|pp=120, 122}} of which 3 were taken by [[privateer]]s<ref name = Warships /><br>2,000 men killed, wounded or captured<ref name="GRE" />
| notes             = 
}}
{{Campaignbox Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)}}

{{external media
| float  = right
| width  = 315px
| topic  = Painting
| headerimage= 
| title  = The Battle off Tendra
| image1 = [[:ru:Файл:Сражение у Тендры.jpg]]<!-- Not allowed to display this painting except on the Russian Wikipedia. -->}}

The '''Battle of Tendra''' (or the '''battle of [[Khadjibey]]'''{{sfn|Petrushevsky|1884}}) was a naval action fought on 8 and 9 September 1790 (28 and 29 August, [[Old Style and New Style dates|O.S.]]) in the [[Black Sea]] as part of the [[Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)]]. It ended in a decisive victory for [[Fyodor Ushakov|Ushakov]]'s [[Russian Empire|Russians]] over the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]].<ref name = Warships>Sozaev E. Tredrea J. ''Russian Warships in the Age of Sail 1696–1860: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates''. Seaforth Publishing, 2010. P. 92</ref>

==Battle==
The Russian fleet of 10 Ships of the line, 6 frigates and small craft sailed from [[Sevastopol]] on 5 September under [[Fyodor Ushakov]] for [[Kherson]] to pick up some frigates. At 6 a.m. on 8 September it encountered the Ottoman fleet of 14 battleships, 8 frigates and 23 small crafts at anchor near [[Tendra Spit|Tendra]]. As the Ottomans formed into a battle line, the Russian fleet sailed toward the tail end of the Ottoman line in 3 parallel lines, forming into one line as they did so.{{sfn|Anderson|1952|pp=338–340}}

The Ottoman admiral, {{ill|Giritli Hüseyin Pasha|lt=Hussein Pasha|tr}}, seeing his tail threatened, turned north and came back parallel to the Russians, who followed suit so the two fleets ended up on paralleled tracks, heading north-east. This was completed by about 2 p.m. Ushakov ordered 3 frigates to the off-battle side of the [[Advance guard|van]] to guard against an Ottoman doubling of the Russian line (Ottoman ships of the period were usually coppered and therefore several knots faster than Russian ships), leaving 13 ships of 710 guns in his line, opposed to 14 with 900 guns. Ushakov then turned toward the Ottoman ships and firing began at about 3 p.m.{{sfn|Anderson|1952|p=340}}

The Ottomans began to bear away and by 6 p.m. were in full retreat. The Russians followed closely, inflicting much damage—in particular, the Ottoman Vice Admiral's ship was attacked by ''Ioann Bogoslov'', and the Admiral's and [[Counter Admiral|Rear-Admiral]]'s ships by ''Rozhdestvo Christovo'' and ''Preobrazhenie Gospodne''. The Ottomans speed allowed them to get away though, and soon after 8 p.m. firing ceased and the Russians anchored.{{sfn|Anderson|1952|p=340}}

The next day, 2 damaged Ottoman ships, the ''Kapitana'' (Vice Admiral's ship) and ''Melike Bahri'' were seen close by, and the Russians attacked. ''Melike Bahri'' surrendered to ''Maria Magdalina'' without resistance, but the ''Kapitana'' put up a stout resistance. At 10 a.m. she was attacked by ''Sv. Andrei Pervozvannyi'', which brought down her fore topsail, then by ''Sv. Georgii Pobyedonosets'', ''Preobrazhenie Gospodne'' and others. By noon she was completely surrounded, but fought on. At 2 p.m. Ushakov in ''Rozhdestvo Christovo'' shot away all her masts and placed his ship across her bows, and at 3 p.m. she surrendered. She was seen to be on fire, and blew up after only 20 men, including Said Bey and her captain, had been taken off. Only 101 men were saved out of 800 on board.{{sfn|Anderson|1952|p=340}}

Some Russian ships had been chasing the rest of the Ottoman fleet but they were losing ground and at about 4:30&nbsp;p.m. Ushakov recalled them. Russian privateers later brought in 3 small craft. Russian casualties were 25 killed and 25 wounded, and 733 Ottomans were captured. Several ships had minor damage in their masts and rigging. Russian victory in the Battle of Tendra allowed them to control the Black Sea,{{sfn|Anderson|1952|pp=340–341}} and [[Grigory Potemkin]] finally considered it possible to begin military action against the [[Vizier]], leading eventually to the [[siege of Izmail]].{{sfn|Petrushevsky|1884}}

==Ships involved==

===Russia===
{{div col}}
*''{{ill|Rozhdestvo Christovo|ru|Рождество Христово (линейный корабль)}}'' 84 (flag of Rear-Admiral Fyodor Ushakov{{sfn|Novikov|1948|p=120}})
*''{{ill|Maria Magdalina|ru|Мария Магдалина (линейный корабль, 1789)}}'' 66
*''{{ill|Preobrazhenie Gospodne|ru|Преображение Господне (линейный корабль)}}'' 66
*''{{ill|Sv. Pavel|ru|Святой Павел (линейный корабль, 1784)}}'' 66
*''{{ill|Sv. Vladimir|ru|Святой Владимир (линейный корабль)}}'' 66
*''Sv. Aleksandr Nevskii'' 50
*''Sv. Andrei Pervozvannyi'' 50
*''Sv. Georgii Pobyedonosets'' 50
*''Ioann Bogoslov'' 46
*''Sv. Petr Apostol'' 46
*''Fanagoria'' 40
*''Kinburn'' 40
*''Legkii'' 40
*''Perun'' 40
*''Stryela'' 40
*''Taganrog'' 40
*''Rozhdestvo Christovo'' (bomb)
*''Polotsk''
*2 fireships
*17 privateers
{{div col end}}

=== Ottoman Empire===
{{div col}}
* ''Bahr-i Zafer'' 72 (flag of Kapudan Pasha Giritli Hüseyin)
* ''Melik-i Bahri'' 72 (flag of Patrona Bey) Sank at storm on the night of 8–9 September
* ''Anka-i Bahri'' 72
* ''Fethü'l Fettah'' 66
*  ''Nüvid-i Fütuh'' 66
* ''Peleng-i Bahri'' 66 Captured 9 September
* ''Tevfikullah'' 66
* ''Feyz-i Hüda'' 66 (flag of Riyale Bey)
* ''Mesudiye'' 58
* ''Mansuriye'' 58 (flag of Kapudane Said Bey) Blew up 9 September
* ''Inayet-i Hakk'' 58
* ''Burc-ı Zafer'' 52
* ''Şehbaz-ı Bahri'' 52
* ''Ukâb-ı Bahri'' 52
* ''Mazhar-ı Hidâyet'' 38
* ''Mazhar-ı Saadet'' 38
* ''Mebdâ-i Nusret'' 32
* ''Raad-ı Bahri'' 20 (bomb frigate)
* ''Berk-i Bahri'' 20 (bomb frigate)
* ''Berk-i Hafız'' 20 (bomb frigate)
* ''Şihab-ı Sakıb'' 20 (bomb frigate)
* ''Cedid Bomba'' 20 (bomb frigate)
* 23 small craft (kırlangıç, pergende (brigantine) and şehtiye (xebec) type ships) 3 were captured 9 September
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Naval Wars in the Levant 1559–1853}}
* {{Cite book |last=Novikov |first=Nikolay Vasilyevich |author-link=:Ru:Новиков, Николай Васильевич (морской историк) |url=https://runivers.ru/bookreader/book477160/#page/1/mode/1up |script-title=ru:Боевая летопись русского флота |publisher=Военное издательство министерства вооруженных сил союза ССР |year=1948 |publication-place=Moscow |language=ru |trans-title=Battle chronicle of the Russian navy |access-date=29 June 2023}}
* {{Cite book |last=Petrushevsky |first=Alexander |author-link=:Ru:Петрушевский, Александр Фомич |url=https://archive.org/details/libgen_00294789/page/378/mode/1up |script-title=ru:Генералиссимус князь Суворов |trans-title=Generalissimo Prince Suvorov |date=1884 |publisher=Типография М. М. Стасюлевича |place=St. Petersburg |edition=1st |volume=1 |page=378 |language=ru}}

{{Ottoman battles}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tendra, Battle of}}
[[Category:Naval battles of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1790]]
[[Category:Military history of the Black Sea]]