Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796

Chapter 193 005 The Swedish Navy in Decline

During the reign of Gustav III, Sweden once had an unrealistic fantasy that their fleet could compete with the giant Russia. However, in 1790, this fleet was able to fight against the Russian Baltic Fleet, and even had a slight advantage when the war was deadlocked and had to sign an armistice agreement. However, in the past twelve years, with Gustav III being assassinated and dying, and Sweden's economic situation of not being able to collect taxes, these navies will also be ruined.

Although Solovyov is an army officer in St. Petersburg, it does not mean that he does not attach importance to the navy. The heads of the Navy Committee are still very interested in the steamship he invited the French to jointly develop, especially after he left, he also took the troubled "Pavel" steamship for transformation and improved it according to the new high-pressure steam boiler method.

But on the Neva River, the ship's boiler exploded again. The "Elizabeth Alexeevna" used the same boiler and was ready to try its hand on the Neva River in 1802. Alexander still strongly supported the new steamship. In addition, the warships of the squadrons of the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet must be refurbished, which will also take some time.

But the Swedes.

Solovyov arrived in Kalmar. This place is still somewhat famous because of the Kalmar Union, and in the wars between Sweden, Denmark and Norway for so many years, this is the place where the curtain finally fell.

The port is not as prosperous as it used to be, and compared with cities like Stockholm, it has declined quickly.

He looked at the situation here and felt that it was not interesting. There was nothing to see except the shipyard, not to mention that the slipway here is now empty.

It formed a sharp contrast with Gothenburg. Nelson may be the last straw that broke the camel's back here. Whether it can be restored in the future is a question. It seems that the prepared wood is good.

The Swedish Navy was stationed in Karlskrona at this time.

This used to be Danish territory, but after Sweden rose, it changed its owner in the Second Northern War and officially fell into the hands of Sweden in 1658 according to the Treaty of Roskilde. It is not surprising that the Swedes got the North Sea outlet from the Danes in this way.

This treaty separated Denmark and Norway by the shortest distance, and it was also a relatively prosperous new territory in southern Sweden. After Gustav II, Sweden became strong for a period of time.

Then, another person who wanted to find an outlet came, and they won in the same way.

But it was difficult for Peter the Great to make the Swedes surrender for such a long time from the Empress to the Empress. It was also because Sweden's army and navy were still combat-capable, which was not so easy to solve. In addition, apart from the major security issue of Finland in front of Vyborg, there was no territorial dispute between Sweden and Russia worth mentioning. It was not the main direction of Russia's territorial expansion, and coupled with the relationship of relatives, it was shelved.

However, if they want to be beaten in the future, there is no way, and the Swedish Navy still needs attention.

The Swedish Navy's base used to be in Stockholm, but it has long faced a problem, that is, it is one of the two large ports on the Baltic Sea coast with the longest freezing time, sometimes even more serious than that in St. Petersburg.

So these areas obtained from Denmark have a shorter freezing time, and it is natural to build a port here.

After arriving here, Solovyov saw the naval fleet for the first time. Although he passed by Kotlin Island by boat, it was still far away from the naval ships, and only two frigates were anchored there.

However, the status of these ships is not very optimistic.

During the Gustav III period, the total strength of the Swedish Navy was 44,000 people, with 42 battleships and frigates, 262 small gunboats and sailing ships, and many of these ships are here now.

Even as a passenger, he can board the ship for a visit, even with his real identity, now Russia and Sweden are friendly countries, he can also board the ship.

However, regarding the shipbuilding level of the Swedish Navy, when Solovyov was in St. Petersburg, he actually learned about the level of French battleships through the exiled French. Most of these ships around 1780 were entry-level battleships with 64 guns, which were really not good enough.

The Swedish Navy once had a 126-gun battleship "Crown" (Kronan), which sank into the sea during the Battle of Öland in 1676. This battleship was more than a hundred years ago, with a displacement of 2,300 tons, and the outside world currently does not know much about the real cause of the damage.

The Swedes themselves claimed that the gunpowder magazine exploded in bad weather and eventually sank. In fact, the reason is very simple. Just like the "Vasa" that sank when it sailed from Stockholm, serious problems occurred under illegal operation. As for the real situation, I am afraid that the people who salvaged the sunken ship will have to analyze it.

"Sir, this warship is the Gustav III of our navy, but you can't board it, so you can only watch it here. If you want to board, we can choose another warship."

A 70-gun battleship with two decks doesn't look very powerful, but the Baltic Fleet was defeated by the Swedes. At that time, Sidney Smith served as an advisor to Gustav III, but the command of the fleet was mainly in the hands of Swedish and Russian naval commanders. The two sides fought the second Battle of Svenskron, which had the largest number of participating ships until the Battle of Leyte Gulf. In the end, it became the final defeat of the Russians due to bad weather.

It seems that there are always some bureaucratic guys in the Russian Navy who make problems at strange times. The next time I see the Russian Navy. Solovyov's own idea is that it is too boring to go to the Far East. Russia can't afford the resources. It is more valuable to toss in Europe and the Middle East. A settlement in the Far East cannot be turned into a town in a hundred years. It is still a village. You can imagine the final result, and there is a huge burden.

Even places like Siberia are only connected to the existing settlements, and it is difficult to ensure transportation to Lake Baikal.

However, his idea is just a thought, and he will participate in it when he reaches the position he should have in the future.

If not, then save money to buy a village near St. Petersburg, build his own manor, spend the rest of his life there, and get married one day.

It is not strange to have lovers. What is strange is that Alexander Kurakin, the "Diamond Prince" who has not married for a long time, has never married, and at his age, there are many blind dates arranged for him, from 18-year-old countess to wealthy widows around 30 years old, but he doesn't know why he has not married yet.

Looking back at the lineup of the Swedish Navy, Solovyov's idea is actually very simple. When dealing with a fleet weaker than his own, he should not recklessly launch an attack in the Baltic Sea. If it is changed to the ocean, he thinks that he should not be timid even if he is a little weak, and he will directly confront the opponent.

He still remembered that Paul had mentioned the situation of the Swedish Navy and denounced the reckless behavior of the fleet commander, Prince Nassau-Siegen. Of course, it was rare for the Queen and Paul to express dissatisfaction one after another. The Queen's dissatisfaction was not that he lost the battle, but that he ran to Frederick and did not return to continue serving.

As for the naval battle, it made the Swedes quite proud, but Gustav III and the commanders of both sides in charge of the command believed that it was a problem with the commander of the Russian fleet.

As for Solovyov, he was also interested in this naval base, but that was it, because the Swedish warships were in ruins. If he went back and told his father and asked him to write a letter to Admiral Ushakov, there might be an answer.

Even a new general like Nelson who was on good terms with the British Crown Prince had great respect for Ushakov. Solovyov knew that he would only be in the army in his life and needed to understand the knowledge of the navy, but it could only play a role on a specific battlefield.

Although Baron Sergei was only a retired major, and his civil service rank was not high, some of the people he made friends with were very important figures. After all, when he was an adjutant, he could always see generals coming and going.

Speaking of which, Solovyov's own godfather was a deceased general, and after the change of people, he never looked back in the army.

From here, he continued to Malmö, where he would rest for a while, or go to Denmark by sea. The inspection was relatively loose in this era, and he also brought enough crowns. It was not a bad idea to change the route of travel, and it was also an interesting experience.

Russia still has a territory near Oldenburg, which is ruled by Paul's aunt, Alexander's great-aunt, and there are also some territories related to Denmark and Holstein in the past, which were once Russian lands due to inheritance.

But a trip to Denmark may not have enough time to come back.

And Denmark does not seem important now. It is more valuable to continue to see what Sweden is like in Malmö or Gothenburg.

He left here that night, and was also in a hurry to travel. When he stayed in Karls Harbor, he had already recorded his itinerary and experiences of the past few days.

As for whether he would be accepted by Alexander after returning, it depends on the final decision of the Tsar.

From the perspective of the strength of the Russian Navy, after the war in 1790, due to the loss of a large number of galleys and frigates, as well as several battleships, the Russian Navy is actually still recovering. If a war really breaks out in the future, it should also take a positive attitude to fight.

Especially around 1806, the ocean-going fleets should be withdrawn to avoid being detained overseas by the British due to changes in diplomatic relations.

Although Solovyov did not know about historical events, he knew that the British turned their faces faster than turning the pages of a book, and the French turned them slower. At this time, some small problems are still very critical.

If we talk about the strategic situation after Tilsit in 1807, many issues involve the two wings of Russia, Sweden, the Ottoman Empire, and Persia, which made it impossible for Russia to concentrate its main forces. The power always had to be dispersed in several directions. This was also because the mainland was too big.

When we arrived in Malmö, the ice and snow had begun to melt. Spring had come, everything was revived, and it was the mating season for animals.

He walked around here, and he had to consider the effect of the North Atlantic warm current. At the same latitude, the southern part of Sweden was relatively warm, which was different from the inland of Russia.

At this time, he should also prepare to return. Although Louisa's journey to Sweden was still some time away, he had to consider that he, as the military attaché of the embassy, ​​had to accompany and escort her throughout the journey. Sweden was not like Russia. The territory was really too large. He went to these places and probably understood the development of Sweden and had a direct impression of the navy.

As for the army, with the level of the Guards and the Stockholm garrison, when there was a real fight in the future, even if Gustav IV was given a few years to reorganize the army, it should not be enough.

It was just that the Russian army should not always engage in those abstract behaviors in the offensive campaign. This kind of thing had been seen by Korsakov. Who knew which Russian general would have any problems again? This kind of thing did not happen much in 1812.

In addition, when he arrived in Malmö, he also wrote a letter to Elena, thanking her for her support. Although the second princess could not help him much after getting married, she had taken care of him before.

This was a very normal friendship, and Elena was also his benefactor. He did not have to worry about someone opening the letter when he wrote such a letter in Malmö and handed it to the courier.

After all, at his level, he did not need the special care of the Swedish Minister of Police, and the man in Petersburg who opened the letter and killed the king was now hanging on the gallows like a frozen fish, and a sign was hung to warn him.

"This is the fate of a traitor!"

And the further confiscation and settlement work was still in progress, and the properties to be sold and the property to be collected in the treasury were also classified and counted.

Everyone thought that at this time, the farce of regicide in 1801 should come to an end, but in Russia, things always happened unexpectedly.

Alexander held the evidence of the British involvement in the conspiracy, but he kept silent. He was not as emotional as Paul, and he was still acting in front of the British.

Lord Whitworth's term as ambassador to Petersburg had come to an end. Now that the second armed neutrality had ended and the murder case had come to an end, the new Baron St. Helens came to Petersburg and changed the name of the country.

Finally, they looked a little "greater".