| Airstrike on Zonguldak | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of World War I | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Russian Empire | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None |
| ||||||
The airstrike on Zonguldak was a 1916 military strike by the naval aviation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the Turkish port of Zonguldak. It was the first naval airstrike of the Russian Navy, and the first usage of carrier battle group in combat.
During World War I the city of Zonguldak housed coal mines, important for the war effort of the Ottoman Empire. As such, it was repeatably bombarded by the Russian Black Sea Fleet. [1] After bombardments failed to destroy mines, it was decided to use naval aviation.
For this mission, the fleet put together a carrier battle group, designated "1st maneuver group", consisting of battleship Imperatritsa Mariya, cruiser Kagul (ex-Ochakov), two destroyers (Zavetnyy and Zavidnyy), and two seaplane tenders - Imperator Nikolai I and Imperator Alexandr I, each with seven Grigorovich M-5 seaplanes [2] on board. The group left Sevastopol on February 5, 14:00. Two more destroyers, Pospeshnyy and Gromkiy, were dispatched at dawn, to provide weather reconnaissance. [3]
On February 6, at 10:20, the battle group stopped 15 miles (24 km) off Zonguldak, and started lowering seaplanes on the sea. Three aircraft failed to reach the bombardment area due to technical problems. The remaining eleven planes managed to reach the city, but due to heavy overcast and Turkish anti-aircraft fire could not drop their load with precision. However, one pilot managed to hit a German cargo ship, SS Irmingard, that was moored in the port, and sink it. One sailing vessel was also destroyed by fire. [4]
Planes started returning to the battle group by 11:20, during which Imperator Alexandr I was torpedoed by German submarine SM UB-7. However, the ship managed to dodge it, and the boat was driven away by artillery fire. By 13:30 destroyers have found and towed to carriers the last seaplane, and the group returned to Sevastopol by the afternoon of February 7. [3]
Damage to Irmingard turned out to be relatively light, and the vessel was repaired by February 25. It would be later damaged by Russian sea mines and destroyed by the Russian submarine Narval in October 1916. [5]
SMS Goeben was the second of two Moltke-class battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1911 and named after the German Franco-Prussian War veteran General August Karl von Goeben. Along with her sister ship, Goeben was similar to the previous German battlecruiser design, Von der Tann, but larger, with increased armor protection and two more main guns in an additional turret. Goeben and Moltke were significantly larger and better armored than the comparable British Indefatigable class.
The Ukrainian Navy is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the eight service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Baltic Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea.
Naval warfare in World War I was mainly characterised by blockade. The Allied powers, with their larger fleets and surrounding position, largely succeeded in their blockade of Germany and the other Central Powers, whilst the efforts of the Central Powers to break that blockade, or to establish an effective counter blockade with submarines and commerce raiders, were eventually unsuccessful. Major fleet actions were extremely rare and proved less decisive.
The Imperial Russian Air Service was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia. The Air Service operated for five years and only saw combat in World War I before being reorganized and renamed in 1917 following the Russian Revolution.
The Black Sea Campaigns were the operations of the Axis and Soviet naval forces in the Black Sea and its coastal regions during World War II between 1941 and 1944, including in support of the land forces.
Nezamozhnik was one of eight Fidonisy-class destroyers built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. Originally named Zante (Занте), the ship was left unfinished during the Russian Revolution in 1917 and later captured by Ukrainian and White forces. The mostly complete destroyer was towed from her shipyard by retreating White forces and wrecked during a storm in 1920. She was refloated by the Soviets following their victory in the Russian Civil War and completed in 1923 as Nezamozhny (Незаможный).
The action of 10 May 1915, or Battle of the Bosporus, was a naval encounter between the Russian pre-dreadnought squadron and the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim in the Black Sea, north of the Bosporus. After a brief exchange of fire the Ottomans withdrew. The battle took place during the main operation of the Black Sea Fleet aimed at shelling the Bosporus fortifications. The action of the battlecruiser led to the interruption of the operation, but it did not manage to inflict significant damage to the Russian fleet, suffering only minor damage itself.
Moskva was one of six Leningrad-class destroyer leaders built for the Soviet Navy during the 1930s, one of the three Project 1 variants. Completed in 1938 and assigned to the Black Sea Fleet, she participated in the Raid on Constanța on 26 June 1941, a few days after the beginning of the German invasion of the Soviet Union. After the ship had finished bombarding targets in the port, she was sunk by a mine.
Kharkov was a Leningrad-class destroyer leader built for the Soviet Navy during the 1930s, one of the three Project 1 variants. Completed in 1938, she was slightly damaged during the Raid on Constanța a few days after the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June and covered the evacuation of the Danube Flotilla to Odessa the following month. During the Siege of Odessa and the Siege of Sevastopol in 1941–1942, the ship ferried reinforcements and supplies into those cities, evacuated wounded and refugees and bombarded Axis troop positions. Damaged by German aircraft a few weeks before the surrender of Sevastopol on 4 July, Kharkov was under repair until the beginning of August.
Shaumyan (Шаумян) was one of eight Fidonisy-class destroyers built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. She was originally named Levkas (Левкас) before she was renamed Shaumyan in 1925. Left unfinished during the Russian Revolution in 1917 and later captured by Ukrainian and White forces, the destroyer was completed by the Soviets in 1925 following their victory in the Russian Civil War.
Leytenant Shestakov was a destroyer of the Imperial Russian Navy and the name ship of her class. The ship was built by the Naval Yard, Nikolayev from 1906 to 1909, being launched on 28 July 1908. The ship served in the Russian Black Sea Fleet during the First World War, passing to control of the Bolsheviks following the October Revolution but was scuttled on 18 June 1918 to avoid capture by German troops.
Samsun was one of the four Durandal-class destroyers purchased by the Ottoman Empire from France in 1907. The ship served in the Ottoman Navy during the Italo-Turkish War, the Balkan Wars and World War I.
Bespokoiny was a Derzky-class destroyer of the Imperial Russian Navy. The destroyer was built at the Naval Yard, Mykolaiv, Ukraine, was launched on 18 October 1913 and completed in 1914. Bespokoiny served in the Black Sea Fleet during the First World War. The ship transferred to Soviet control in December 1917, but was seized by the German Navy in October 1918, and after the end of the war was handed over to the Allies, who handed the ship over to White Russian control. Bespokoiny evacuated from Sevastopol in November 1920 and was interned at Bizerte before being scrapped in the early 1930s.
Derzky was a Derzky-class destroyer of the Imperial Russian Navy. The destroyer was built at the Naval Yard, Mykolaiv, Ukraine, was launched on 15 March 1914 and completed later that year. Derzky served in the Black Sea Fleet during the First World War. The ship transferred to Soviet control in December 1917, and fought for them in the Russian Civil War, but was seized by the German Navy in October 1918, and after the end of the First World War was handed over to the Allies, who handed the ship over to White Russian control. Derzky evacuated from Sevastopol in November 1920 and was interned at Bizerte before being scrapped in the early 1930s.
The Russian submarine Nerpa was the second boat of the Morzh class of submarines of the Imperial Russian Navy. It was laid down and launched on the same day in August 1913, and completed its sea trials in December 1914. Built for the Black Sea Fleet, the submarine saw action during World War I, and spent much of the war raiding Ottoman merchant shipping that transported coal from Zonguldak to Constantinople. Nerpa was credited with sinking 24 ships during the conflict for a total of 2,443 gross register tons (GRT), making it the fourth most successful Russian submarine in the Black Sea.
The Russian submarine Narval was the lead ship of the Narval class of submarines of the Imperial Russian Navy. The boat was laid down in December 1911 and launched in April 1915, before undergoing sea trials and entering service in September [O.S. August] 1915. Just after being launched, Narval was inspected by Emperor Nicholas II. The submarine was built for the Black Sea Fleet, and its construction was accelerated after the outbreak of World War I. Narval took part in raiding Ottoman coal shipping along the Anatolian coast during the war, and was credited with destroying 31 ships for a total of 5,717 gross register tons (GRT), making it the second highest achieving Russian submarine in the Black Sea.
Kit was the second boat of the Narval class of submarines of the Imperial Russian Navy. The submarine was laid down in December 1911 and launched in May 1915, though it was not completed until October 1915. Built for the Black Sea Fleet, it carried out raids against Ottoman supply convoys along the coast of Anatolia and was responsible for sinking 24 ships, for a total of 1,270 gross register tons (GRT).
 | This article needs additional or more specific categories .(December 2023) |
 | This military aviation article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
