Battle of Kos (1773)

Battle of Kos (1773)
	Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774)
Date	16–18 August 1773
Location	İstanköy, Ottoman Empire36°48′55″N 27°6′37″E / 36.81528°N 27.11028°E
Result	Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Ottoman Empire	Russian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Osman Pasha	Andrey Elmanov
Strength
5,000	Over 2,000
Casualties and losses
Low	Thousands killed
	class=notpageimage\| Location within Europe Battle of Kos (1773) (Greece)

The battle of Kos^[a] was a naval battle fought between 16 and 18 August 1773 at the Ottoman city of İstanköy (Kos). The Ottoman force was led by Kelleci Osman Pasha, whilst the Russian navy was commanded by Andrey Elmanov. The battle was part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), and resulted in an Ottoman victory.^[1]

Prelude

In 1773, the Imperial Russian Navy shifted their focus to the Aegean Sea once more under the general leadership of Grigory Spiridov, who assigned Andrey Elmanov with capturing the Ottoman fortifications in Bodrum and Kos.^[2] Elmanov was given four battleships (Sv. Georgii Pobyedonosets, Trech Svyatitelei, Trech Ierarchov, Saratov); three frigates (Syevernyi Orel, Tino, Pobyeda); three bomb vessels and thousands of soldiers.^[3]

Elmanov first set out for İstanköy (Kos), blockading it from 11 August with two battleships (Trech Svyatitelei, Trech Ierarchov) and two frigates (Tino, Pobyeda). Elmanov meanwhile sailed to Bodrum the same day and launched an unsuccessful attack on the city.^[3]

Battle

On 16 August 1773, Andrey Elmanov began to personally bombard İstanköy. After doing this for a while, Elmanov landed nearly 1,500 troops. However, the Russians did not account for the 5,000-strong garrison on the island (including local militia). As such, Elmanov dispatched two additional infantry battalions and seven more mortars to reinforce his weakened forces. Nevertheless, on 18 August, Ottoman troops launched a counter-attack, resulting in heavy losses for the Russians, forcing them to withdraw from the island.^[2] The Russian lost thousands of men and seven cannons; leaving behind 10 tons of gunpowder, and a large amount of siege materials.^[1]

Notes

^ Turkish: İstanköy Muharebesi; Russian: Битва при Косе; Greek: Μάχη της Κω

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c von Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph. Çevik, Mümin (ed.). Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi [Great Ottoman History] (in Turkish). Vol. 16. Translated by Özdek, Refik. Istanbul: Üçdal Neşriyat. pp. 236–237.
^ ^a ^b Büyüktuğrul, Afif (1970). Osmanlı Deniz Harp Tarihi [History of Ottoman Naval Warfare] (in Turkish). Vol. 2. Istanbul: T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Yayınları. p. 238.
^ ^a ^b Anderson, Roger C. (1952). Naval Wars in the Levant, 1559–1853. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 303. ISBN 9781578985388.

[2] Turkish: İstanköy Muharebesi; Russian: Битва при Косе; Greek: Μάχη της Κω

[Hammer-1] von Hammer-Purgstall, Joseph. Çevik, Mümin (ed.). Büyük Osmanlı Tarihi [Great Ottoman History] (in Turkish). Vol. 16. Translated by Özdek, Refik. Istanbul: Üçdal Neşriyat. pp. 236–237.

[Büyüktuğrul,_1970-3] Büyüktuğrul, Afif (1970). Osmanlı Deniz Harp Tarihi [History of Ottoman Naval Warfare] (in Turkish). Vol. 2. Istanbul: T.C. Genelkurmay Başkanlığı Deniz Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı Yayınları. p. 238.

[Anderson,_1952-4] Anderson, Roger C. (1952). Naval Wars in the Levant, 1559–1853. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 303. ISBN 9781578985388.

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