The Battle of Suomenlinna (also known as Battle of Viapori) was fought between Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

s and British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

/French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 forces.

Background

Constructed during the Swedish rule of Finland in the 18th century the fortress of Viapori (:sv:Sveaborg, renamed in Finnish in 1918 as :fi:Suomenlinna) was the main defensive installation in the Grand Duchy of Finland. After the capital of the Grand Duchy of Finland had been moved from Turku to Helsinki in 1827 the value of Viapori only increased. However by the Crimean War

Crimean War

The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...

 the artillery of the fortress had already become obsolete. After the engagements of 1854 Russians (and Finns) expected attack against Viapori in 1855. The Small skirmishes had been fought along the coast between Russian and British/French forces in the early summer of 1855 only worsened the fear while bulk of the Russian fleet had become isolated and surrounded to the port and fortress of Kronstadt

Kronstadt

Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...

 off the Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

.

Battle

British and French naval forces consisting of 77 ships arrayed for the long expected battle on 6 August 1855. They formed into a battle line more than 3km of the shore beyond the range of the defender's obsolete artillery. Three days later the bombardment commenced. It continued for 47-48 hours all the while the attacker sat beyond the range of the defender. British and French bombarded only the fortress of Viapori and avoided firing at the town of Helsinki. While bombardment caused damage to the structures above the ground, including to several gunpowder magazines which exploded, bulk of the defenders forces survived unscathed with their weaponry intact leading into a stalemate with attackers guns being unable to defeat the defender and defenders guns being unable to reach the attacker. After the guns had silenced the ships remained on the site leading to growing fears of landing. However British and French forces landed troops neither to Viapori nor to Helsinki.