Naval Blockade of Reval (1726)

By 8 May, they were at anchor off Stockholm where the Admiral Wager delivered a copy of the letter from the British monarch written to the Czarina of Russia.

HMS Preston interviewed one such trading ship on 17 July, confirming that the Russian fleet of some eighteen sail ("possibly fifteen ships-of-the-line, and two frigates") were at Cronflot prepared for defence.

[11] The British admiral Sir Charles Wager reported on 4 October from on board the flagship that the fleet had departed the Bay of Reval with fair wind, but that all changed and there had been bad weather ever since.

The British chose to continue however and eventually anchored off the island of Hanö (thirty miles west of Karlskrona) with very little damage to any of the ships.

[15] [Note 5] Ship-of-the-line Ebenetzer had sprung a leak near the island of Gulland (modern name Gotland) and was escorted back to Denmark by the frigate Søridderen.

[15] On the approaches to Reval harbour ship-of-the-line Beskiermeren ran aground and would have become a wreck but for the timely intervention of the British admiral.

[15] Immediately on the Danish fleet's return to Copenhagen, the Danish Admiralty began demanding explanations for[15] A planned taskforce of eight ships-of-the-line and five frigates and a number of smaller ships was to have left Copenhagen in June 1727 to continue observations of the Russian fleet in the Baltic in cooperation with a British squadron, but this was cancelled because of the death of the British monarch[15] On 20 December 1728 a commission of inquiry[Note 6] was appointed to investigate the case.

The investigation was abandoned in September 1729 when Michael Bille was appointed head of the Copenhagen naval base of Holmen - a post which he held for the next six years.

[20] Reports reached Stockholm on 1 June that "The Czarina's Court was under the greatest Uneasiness and Consternation at the News of the British Fleet's advancing that Way", and had immediately given Orders for reinforcing the garrisons of Wibourg, Cronflot, Reval, and Riga.

[21] Count Rabutin at the Russian court argued forcibly that no agreements should be made with the British under duress, and ensured that a high state of readiness was maintained in case of precipitate action by the British/Danish forces.

[22][23] In addition to removing naval targets as much as possible from the Baltic harbours and reinforcing the landward defences, the Czarina sought to calm the situation by ordering the citizens of Reval to supply the foreign squadrons with all necessary provisions, which they did.

Czarina Catherine died on 17 May 1727, and with her death the Russian support for the claims of Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp went into abeyance.

[13][Note 8] On 9 June the Swedish monarch accompanied by Field Marshal Count Ducker, Lieutenant Genera Cronstedt, and some other officers inspected a new fortification at the Castle of Waxholm, on the river approaches to Stockholm.

News from Reval and the Gulf of Finland was readily available in Stockholm from the numerous merchant ship movements and the normal Finnish Mail.