Coastal view four miles north-eastward of the Reskar Lighthouse, Baro Sound, Finland RMG PZ4678

Coastal view four miles north-eastward of the Reskar Lighthouse, Baro Sound, Finland
No. 6 in Fanshawe's Baltic and later album, 1843 - 83. Captioned by the artist on the album page below the image, 'Four miles N.E. ward of the Reskar Lighthouse, Baro Sound / Sept 5th 1855'. The Baro Sound is east of Helsingfors (now Helsinki) in the Gulf of Finland and was where the French and English fleets made rendezvous before the attack on the fortress of Sweaborg (Suomenlinna) there in early August 1855, during the Crimean War. Fanshawe went there after leaving the 'Cossack' for command of the 'Hastings', one of four old 74-gun 3rd-rates fitted as 'block ships' for the Baltic campaign, with cheap screw engines and heavy armament of sixty 68-pounders. Their purpose was to take the brunt in any attack on heavily armed forts and spare newer and more valuable vessels.
'Hastings' was sent to lie in the Baro Sound and cover British ship movements from any attack from Sweaborg. She did so for three weeks at the end of the Baltic sailing season, when Fanshawe was becoming steadily more disabled by 'rheumatic gout'. On the ship then being ordered home, and unable to fulfil his duties, he formally handed over command to the master, though remaining on board. The view here looks south-west towards the lighthouse and the Russian coast.

Coastal view four miles north-eastward of the Reskar Lighthouse, Baro Sound, Finland