24

THE RUSSIAN FLEET

making the proper signal the whole Russ fleet gavechase. Some of the headmost came up and fired,but at too great a distance, the Russ powder beingmuch inferior to the Swedish. In this chase theRiga, with Vice-Admiral Cruys on board, struckupon a rock ; and immediately after the Viborg withCaptain-Commodore Scheltinga. The rest continuedthe chase ; but Captain-Commodore Rays not takingthe command upon him, nor giving any signal, theyall returned in a little time to the flag, and got theRiga off without much damage ; but the wind blow-ing pretty fresh in the evening the Viborg bilged , 1and they set her on fire. The Swedes in thisencounter , 2 by keeping in a regular line and second-ing each other, awed the Russians ; and at partingmade several shots after them by way of defiance.The Russ fleet proceeding to Revel were therejoined by five ships arrived from England, theVictory, Lansdowne, Oxford, Randolph, and Straf-ford ; as also by two ships, the St. Antonio and St.

masted. A third had to lie to to stop a bad leak: but the Viborg,the Russian Vice-Admiral’s ship, came close up to the Swedishships, and somewhat later the Russian Admiral’s ship, Moskva,also the remaining Russian ships were worse sailers and weremuch farther astern. The chase was continued till 8 o’clock,when the Swedish senior officer’s ship, Osel, ran on a shoal - butRaab set all sail and succeeded in getting over the bank : theMoskva, however [we see from the text that it was the Viborg],stuck so fast that she could not be got off, so that, after the crewhad been saved, the Russians themselves set fire to their flag-ship.The Viborg also grounded, but less heavily. In the meantimeRaab with his ships succeeded in getting to Helsingfors ’ (Back-strom, Svenska Flottans-Historia , p. 178). This was the firstoccasion on which the Russian fleet really engaged an enemy atsea.

1 The MS. has ‘ bulged,’ for which the word ‘bilged,’ as beingmore generally used, has been substituted. Both words are right.‘ Bulged, ... f2. Of a ship with the bottom or sides stove in.’‘ Bilge.—1. trans., to stave in a ship’s bottom, &c.’ (New EnglishDictionary).

2 MS. ‘recounter.’