Battle of Suomenlinna facts for kids
The Battle of Suomenlinna (also called the Battle of Viapori or the Bombardment of Sweaborg) happened from August 9 to 11, 1855. It was a fight between Russian defenders and a combined British and French fleet. This battle was part of the Åland War, which itself was a smaller part of the bigger Crimean War.
What Happened Before the Battle?
The fortress of Viapori was built in the 1700s when Sweden ruled Finland. It was the main defense point in the Grand Duchy of Finland, which was a part of the Russian Empire at the time. When the capital of the Grand Duchy moved to Helsinki in 1812, Viapori became even more important.
However, by the time of the Crimean War, the cannons at the fortress were quite old and not very effective. After some fighting in 1854, the Russians and Finns expected an attack on Viapori in 1855. Small fights along the coast earlier that summer made these fears worse. Most of the Russian fleet was stuck in the port of Kronstadt near Saint Petersburg, so they couldn't help.
The Battle of Suomenlinna
On August 6, 1855, British and French naval forces got ready for the battle. They had 77 ships in total. They lined up their ships more than 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) offshore. This distance was important because it put them out of reach of the old cannons at Viapori.
Three days later, on August 9, the attack began. The ships fired their cannons for about 47 to 48 hours, shooting around 18,500 cannonballs. All this time, the attackers stayed far away, safe from the fortress's guns. The British and French only fired at the Viapori fortress. They made sure not to shoot at the town of Helsinki itself.
The bombardment damaged buildings above ground, and several places where gunpowder was stored exploded. But most of the defending soldiers were safe, and their weapons were still working. This led to a standoff: the attackers' guns couldn't completely defeat the defenders, and the defenders' guns couldn't reach the attackers.
After the cannons stopped firing, the ships stayed in the same spot offshore. This made the defenders worry that troops might try to land. However, the British and French forces never landed any soldiers at Viapori or Helsinki. Eventually, they sailed away. The battle ended without a clear winner.
