Battle of Kirpen Island
Battle of Kirpen Island | |||||||
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Part of World War I | |||||||
The Russian destroyer Derzky in the Black Sea | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Russian Empire | Ottoman Empire | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
3 destroyers | 2 gunboats | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
unknown | 2 gunboats sunk |
The Battle of Kirpen Island was a small naval battle fought during the Black Sea campaign of World War I. On 29 November 1915 the German U-boat SM UC-13 was shadowing five Russian merchant ships when she ran aground off the mouth of the Sakarya River in poor weather.[1] Admiral Wilhelm Souchon, the German commander of the Ottoman Navy sent two gunboats to recover the wreck. During the following cruise, the three Russian Derzky-class destroyers , and encountered the gunboats and . In the ensuing combat the Russian gunners fired accurately and quickly sank both of the gunboats off Kefken Island on 10 December 1915.[1][2]
Order of battle[]
Ottoman Navy:
- , gunboat
- , gunboat
Russian Navy:
- , destroyer
- , destroyer
- , destroyer
References[]
Categories:
- Naval battles of World War I involving Russia
- Naval battles of World War I involving the Ottoman Empire
- Black Sea naval operations of World War I
- Conflicts in 1915
- December 1915 events