2-969-989 - /Heritage Images

Captain Glasse, and his Chief Engineer, H.M.S. "Vulture", superintending the repairs of the Mortars during the Bombardment of Sveaborg - sketched by J. W. Carmichael, 1856. Incident from the Crimean War. '...on the 9th of August, the Allied fleets moored off Sveaborg, and sent in their gun and mortar boats to bombard the place. For ninety-six hours only their ammunition lasted; and, indeed, the very ordnance had then suffered crystallisation, and threatened to burst. The loss of the enemy is stated to have amounted to 2000 men. Numberless stores, barracks, magazines, Government buildings, and part of the Arsenal were burnt. The whole place seemed one huge fire. The Allies had, we believe, about ten or a dozen men wounded slightly'. From "Illustrated London News", 1856.