A Russian built corvette offered for sale to Turkey or Egypt in 1831 and the Russian navy in general

Thanks to the American Kay’s account of his journeys in Turkey we get inside information dealing with the Turkish or Ottoman navy and of one of her opponents, namely the Russian navy. While he was at Constantinople a Russian built corvette arrived from the Black Sea with the intention to be sold to either Turkey or Egypt.

P. 272: “A Russian corvette-built ship came in to-day from the Black Sea. She was originally constructed by order and for the Russian government; but when peace took place she was, with eight others, left upon the constructor's hands. This at least was the story, improbable as it may appear, in circulation at Pera. She is now brought in here for sale, but her name, the Navarino, is scarcely a recommendation to the Turks. If not sold here, she will proceed to Alexandria. We had the curiosity to pay her a visit. She is a rough-built vessel, of 700 tons, and can carry 26 heavy guns, is deeply laden with naval stores, and will doubtless find a good market at Alexandria, where the unusual activity in the Egyptian marine begins to cause some uneasiness to the government here. The commander of this corvette was a Greek, and, if we remember right, an officer in the Russian service. His crew were all Greeks, and upon expressing surprise at this circumstance, he assured me that the Russians were the worst sailors in the world, and that, with his twenty-five Greeks, he was confident that he could handle his vessel better than with one hundred Russians. We were aware that the Russian navy

p. 273: was horribly mismanaged, but had always supposed that the chief difficulty lay in the officers; and, on the other hand, we have never seen any thing to give us a very exalted opinion of the Greek sailor. In one particular, we should suppose the Russian far superior to the Greek. They are more subordinate, and this quality far outweighs the bodily activity attributed to the Greek. We were informed by a foreigner, that in a conversation with the admiral of the Turkish navy, he was asked why it happened, that Russia, with her immense revenues and naval resources, had been able to effect so little at sea. It was replied, that whenever a Russian ship was fitted out, she was scarcely a week absent when some previously-concerted accident was made the pretext for her return, and the officers and crew pilfered and sold every thing that could be taken out of her. “Mashallah!” exclaimed the admiral; “why, they behave exactly as we do.” Any comment upon this is unnecessary; but one is disposed to wonder how, under such mismanagement and peculation, a fleet could ever be fitted out by either party. The Turks did, nevertheless, contrive to capture one Russian frigate in the Black Sea during the last war.”

Source

James Ellsworth Kay. Sketches of Turkey in 1831 and 1832. New York, 1833.