Perhaps, the most famous sight in Sevastopol is a Monument to the Flooded Ships. Its underwater part consists of well-laid stone blocks, in the shape of a square. An artificial stone cliff, three meters high, rises on this secure foundation. The base of the column, on which the quotation is engraved: “In memory of the ships submerged in 1854-1855. to barred the entrance to the raid. " A seven-meter column towers over the base of the cliff, ending with a capital or pedestal on which the royal two-headed eagle stands. The eagle proudly spread its wings. He has a wreath in his beak. From the top of the wreath hangs an anchor chain with an anchor, and the laurel wreath itself consists of two parts: laurel leaves - the symbol of victory, and oak leaves - a symbol of faith and glory.
The history of the monument began in 1854, when the combined fleet of 4 states approached Sevastopol - the main base of the Black Sea Fleet of Czarist Russia. According to the plan of the enemy, the campaign was designed for two weeks. During this time, it was required to completely destroy the Black Sea Fleet, take Sevastopol and the largest cities of Crimea.
The famous Defense of Sevastopol was then headed by Vice-Admiral V.А.Kornilov and Vice-Admiral P.S.Nakhimov. It was they who made the fateful decision to submerge most of the sailing ships of the Black Sea Fleet, in order to prevent the enemy fleet from entering the Artbucht. The plan was this: ships, sitting down on the bottom, leave protruding masts, which, when approaching enemy ships, pierce their bottoms or spoil steering, and at this time coastal batteries are shooting helpless ships.
As some contemporaries wrote, Nakhimov cried like a child. However, the plan fully justified itself. The enemy flotilla tried several times to enter the bay of Sevastopol, but each time it retreated with heavy losses. Thus began the 349-day defense of Sevastopol. Fierce fighting lasted 11 months, until the signing of the Peace Treaty on March 8, 1856.
