Walking through the center of Odesa, you will definitely see this gun! I always thought that she was not particularly valuable, but after reading her story I realized how much I was wrong.
In the middle of the 19th century, Russia waged another war with Turkey. France and England did not like this. Tsar Nicholas I, however, was somehow sure that the former allies in the war against Napoleon would remain allies of Russia. However, he was cruelly mistaken. The main hostilities were fought to the south, in the Crimea. But Odesa also got a little. However, the enemies got more.
As you know, on one of the days of the Crimean War (April 10, 1854), 9 enemy frigates rained fire on battery No. 6, located on the Praktichesky pier.
Here is how it was. At half-past seven in the morning, nine ships of the Anglo-French squadron began shelling the coastal batteries and the city. Odessa batteries could not adequately respond to the enemy - their nuclei did not reach the target.
Only the left-flank four-gun battery number 6 under the command of ensign Alexander Shchegolev got into the real battle.
For six hours, she repulsed the attack of ships firing a total of 300 cannons. The ships standing near the battery were engulfed in flames, the wooden sheathing of the earthen fortifications was burning, the guns were knocked out, the fire was approaching the powder store... Shchegolev and the surviving soldiers left the battlefield only when their battery was completely destroyed.
During the battle, two French frigates ("Vauban" and "Sampson") were seriously damaged.
The Anglo-French squadron could not, as planned, land troops on the coast of Odessa, but left several ships on the outer roadstead to blockade the city from the sea. On April 30, one of the ships - the English "Tiger" - sank in the area of the 10th station of the Bolshoi Fountain, ran aground, and was fired upon by coastal artillery. The team surrendered.
A little time passed, and in 1903, diving operations began at the site of the frigate's death, when the gun was raised from the sea day. The previously restored cannon was transported to Nikolaevsky Boulevard and in September 1904 was hoisted on a special pedestal. The new monument is unique in its historical authenticity. It was this gun that fired at the city during the Crimean War.
A hundred years after the opening of the monument, in 2004, the cannon was restored. The barrel and details of the 1847 gun were restored for the first time (a small restoration was in 1975). The cast-iron surface was sanded, primed, and then three coats of modern paint. Concerning the restoration of the gun carriage, there were different opinions: whether to make it "antique" or leave the wood light, without hiding the fact of restoration.
In the final version, the gun carriage, after processing with a stain, took on a gray-black color, as if from the bottom of the sea. The tree was soaked in a special solution that protects it from the environment and pests. Used Siberian larch, on the structures of which Venice is held. It is interesting that the weight of the gun is 250 (!) Pounds (in terms of 4095 kg). For comparison, the weight of a bomb is only 2 pounds.
On August 19, 2004, the restored cannon fired.
For fans of diving, the following information may be of interest: Over the past years, the remains of the frigate "Tiger" are completely covered with sand (2-3 meters). They are located south of the Arcadia beach border at a depth of about 10 meters.
Where can I find the cannon from the frigate "Tiger"?
Cannon is located in Odesa, on Dumskaya Square.
The exact GPS coordinates are 46.486224, 30.743840
You can also save my map in Pinmapple.
