Battle of Sinop in the context of "Steamboat"

The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont from October 1853 to February 1856. Geopolitical causes of the war included the "Eastern question" (the decline of the Ottoman Empire), expansion of Imperial Russia in the preceding Russo-Turkish wars, and the British and French preference to preserve the Ottoman Empire to maintain the balance of power in the Concert of Europe.

The war's proximate cause was a dispute between France and Russia over the rights of Catholic and Orthodox minorities in Palestine. After the Sublime Porte refused Tsar Nicholas I's demand that the Empire's Orthodox subjects be placed under his protection, Russian troops occupied the Danubian Principalities in July 1853. The Ottomans declared war on Russia in October. Fearing the growth of Russian influence and compelled by public outrage over the annihilation of the Ottoman squadron at Sinop, Britain and France joined the war on the Ottoman side in March 1854. The Russian advance was halted at Silistria in June.

Boztepe Peninsula is a peninsula in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is in Sinop Province. The midpoint of the peninsula is at about 42°01′30″N 35°11′00″E / 42.02500°N 35.18333°E / 42.02500; 35.18333

The link between the mainland (which itself is a bigger peninsula) to the west and Boztepe to the east is an isthmus of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) length and only 300 metres (980 ft) width. Thus the peninsula looks like an island and it is sometimes called "island". The area of the peninsula is about 7 square kilometres (2.7 sq mi). The bay to the south of the peninsula (called İçliman) is a natural harbor sheltered from most winds except for the south east wind. Because of this advantage historically Sinop was one of the most active ports of the Black Sea coast before the Battle of Sinop in 1853.

Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov (Russian: Павел Степанович Нахимов, pronounced [ˈpavʲɪl sʲtʲɪˈpanəvʲɪtɕ nɐˈxʲiməf]; July 5 [O.S. June 23] 1802 – July 12 [O.S. June 30] 1855) was a Russian admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy known for his victory in the Battle of Sinop and his leadership in the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during the Crimean War.

He joined the Imperial Russian Navy and moved up the ranks, serving in the Greek War of Independence and the Russo-Turkish War (1828–29). At the beginning of the Crimean War, he delivered a significant victory at the Battle of Sinop against the Ottoman Empire. Afterward, he was a leader in the defense of Sevastopol against British, French, and Ottoman forces, during which a sniper wounded him. He died a few days later.

Patrona (Vice Admiral) Osman Pasha (c. 1792; – c. 1860) was an Ottoman naval officer who led Ottoman forces in the Battle of Sinop and became a prisoner of war until being released in 1855.