Russian brig Mercury
 Brig "Mercury" Attacked by Two Turkish Ships, Ivan Aivazovsky, Oil-on-canvas, 1892 | |
| Career (Russian Empire) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Mercury |
| Laid down: | January 28 (O.S. February 9), 1819 |
| Launched: | May 7 (May 19), 1820 |
| Decommissioned: | 1857 |
| Fate: | dismantled |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 20-gun brig |
| Length: | 29.46 m (96.7 ft) |
| Beam: | 9.60 m (31.5 ft) |
| Draught: | 456 t |
| Depth of hold: | 4.73 m (15.5 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | 856 sq. m. |
| Complement: | 115 |
| Armament: |
20 guns: 18 x 24 pdrs, 2 x 8 pdrs |
Mercury (Russian: Меркурий) was the Russian navy 18 gun and two masts warship.
The name is famous for the unequal battle with two Turkish ships took place on May 14, 1829.
The name Pamiyat Mercuriya (literally In Memory of Mercury) was given to a number of ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet.
Contents
Battle on May 14, 1829
Summary
Pursued by the Turkish Fleet (6 line ships, 2 frigates, 2 corvettes), Russian Brig Mercury engaged into unequal battle with line ships Selimie (110 guns) and Real-bei (74 guns) near the Straight of Bosphorus. After damaging the ships one-by-one, the brig escaped pursuit.
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Crew (As of May 1829)
Officers
- Aleksandr Ivanovich Kazarsky, Lt. Capt.
- Fyodor Mikhailovich Novosilsky, Lt.
- Dmitry Petrovich Pritupov, midshipman
- Ivan Petrovich Prokofyev, naval pilot Lt.
- Sergey Iosifovitch Skaryatin, Lt.
Seaman
- Anisim Arekhov
- Philip Vasilyev
- Gridnev, bataler
- Afanasiy Gusev
- Seliverst Dmitriev
- Ippolit Erofeev
- Ivan Lisenko, canoneer
- Fyodor Spiridonov, naval pilot mate
- Artamon Timofeev, canoneer
- Anton Scherbakov, canoneer
Damage and casualties
As a result of the battle, the brig lost 4 men, 6 more were injured. Damage to the ship included:
- 22 hull breaches
- 133 sail plan breaches
- 16 spar breaches
- 148 minor rigging damage
- loss of all row-boats
By the official information, both turkish ships had no loss to the crew as the brig's main objective was to achieve the spar and rigging damage.
Reception
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Brig Mercury in Art
Ivan Aivazovsky wrote 3 paintings:
- Brig "Mercury" leading a battle with Two Turkish Ships / Бриг «Меркурий» ведёт бой с двумя турецкими судами
- Brig "Mercury" meets Russian Fleet after a victory over Two Turkish Ships on 15.05.1829 / Бриг «Меркурий» после победы над двумя турецкими кораблями встречается с русской эскадрой 15.05.1829, Oil-on-canvas, 123 х 190 cm. State Russian Museum, 1848
- Brig "Mercury" Attacked by Two Turkish Ships / Бриг «Меркурий», атакованный двумя турецкими кораблями, Oil-on-canvas, 212 x 339 cm, Aivazovsky Picture Gallery, Feodosia, 1892
Also it should be noted about the notable paintings of other artists:
- Barri: Battle of Brig "Mercury" with Two Turkish Ships / Барри: Бой брига «Меркурий» с двумя турецкими кораблями
- Ivanov: Brig "Mercury" / Иванов: Бриг «Меркурий»
- A.N. Lubyanov: Brig "Mercury" / А. Н. Лубянов: Бриг «Меркурий»
- N.P. Krasovskiy: Battle of Brig "Mercury" with Two Turkish Ships / Н. П. Красовский: Бой брига «Меркурий» с двумя турецкими кораблями
- Mikhail Stepanovitch Tkachenko: Battle of Brig "Mercury" with Turkish Ships on May 14, 1829 / Бой брига "Меркурий" с турецкими кораблями 14 мая 1829 года, Oil-on-canvas, Central Naval Museum, St. Petersburg, 1907
Critics of Aivazovsky painting
The position of the ships taken by Aivazovsky for his work was claimed as historically doubtful because of the brig's position between two significantly larger turkish ships.
Still, it's possible that Aivazovsky's artistic impression simply heightened the tension in the painting by accentuating the hopelessness of the situation for the brig.
The same-subject painting of other artists (Krasovskiy, Barri, Pechatin), though less known, portrays a more realistic sketch of a battle.
Source
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