10 September] 1857, the Lefort was in the Gulf of Finland en route from Reval (present day Tallinn, Estonia) to Kronstadt along with the ships Imperatritsa Aleksandra, Vladimir, and Pamiat Asova, under the command of Rear Admiral I.

[3][4] The squadron was caught in a sudden squall, and the Lefort heeled over once, righted herself, and heeled over again, capsizing and sinking between the islands of Gogland and Bolshoy Tyuters, five and a half nautical miles (10.2 km; 6.3 mi) north-northeast of Bolshoy Tyuters,[3][5] with the loss of 826 people on board,[2][3][4] although one sailor had been saved by holding on to a beam and floating to Gogland.

[2][8] A board of inquiry investigating the disaster recognized as the most probable cause of the accident the weakening of the ship ties;[clarification needed] Lefort had twice been used to transport heavy loads on the gun decks in 1856.

[9] The inquiry also alleged that the ship's hull had not been adequately caulked, and that the cargo load was too small and incorrectly arranged.

[4] The wreck of Lefort was found in the Gulf of Finland on 4 May 2013, as part of an international underwater search expedition.