Original 1853 Crimean War-period Royal Navy letter written by A. B. Hunt (initials unclear) aboard H.M.S. Ardent, Malta Harbour, to Theophilus Moultrie Kelsall R.N., Mate, aboard H.M.S. Trafalgar at Beikos Bay, Bosphorus. Dated Tuesday 27 December 1853.
Written less than a month after the Russian destruction of the Ottoman squadron at Sinope in the Black Sea on 30 November 1853, the letter gives a vivid contemporary naval reaction to the disaster, criticising the inactivity of the combined British and French fleets and arguing that British steam sloops and frigates should have shown themselves in the Black Sea. The event caused outrage in Britain and France and was one of the decisive episodes that pushed the Western powers towards direct war with Russia.
The writer comments candidly on the situation following the Turkish naval disaster, referring to the Turks having lost “their 12 vessels” and expressing frustration that the British and French fleets had remained comparatively inactive. He notes that public and naval opinion was critical of the “combined fleets remaining inactive”, and argues that if the Russians could send a force into the Black Sea to do such damage, then some of Britain’s “crack steam sloops & frigates” might surely have ventured there too.
The letter is especially interesting because it captures Royal Navy opinion at a crucial moment: after Sinope, but before Britain’s formal declaration of war on Russia in March 1854. It reflects the anger, uncertainty and impatience felt by naval officers watching events unfold from the Mediterranean and Bosphorus stations.
There is also reference to the Danube theatre, the wider “seat of war”, Russian movements, Turkish losses, officers being sent out to observe affairs, and the strategic question of how Britain and France should respond to Russian action in the Black Sea.
In addition to the military and political content, the letter contains good Royal Navy social detail: Malta harbour life, mess and club gossip, balls, officers coming and going, naval acquaintances, and the social routine of officers serving during the tense winter of 1853.
Cover addressed to:
Mr. T. M. Kelsall R.N.
H.M.S. Trafalgar
Beikos Bay
Bosphorus
A content-rich piece of Crimean War naval correspondence, linking H.M.S. Ardent, H.M.S. Trafalgar, Malta, the Bosphorus, the Black Sea, the Danube theatre and the immediate Royal Navy reaction to the Battle of Sinope.