At Ösel in 1719, Sweden sent one ship of the line, a frigate and a brigantine against six Russian ships of the line and a smaller vessel. Charles XII had died five months earlier, and disputes about where ships should serve delayed a coherent response to Russian operations in Swedish Baltic territories. Pressure to be seen acting then favoured sending the vessels already available. A temporary decline in morale could have been an acceptable risk if waiting produced a force capable of winning. A Swedish squadron of six ships of the line is offered as a plausible winning alternative, given its training and the ships that Sweden could have assembled with more time.
Chapter · 1:08:23-1:11:35
Ösel exposes the cost of sending an inadequate squadron
One Swedish ship of the line and two lighter vessels faced six Russian ships of the line because political pressure favoured an immediate response over waiting for reinforcements.