Britain Takes Alaska During the Crimean War

It's fashionable to blame him for Mulroney's defence cuts ;)
Admittedly he was pretty heavy handed in Quebec... and the west, too, I guess

Trudeau and Hellyer destroyed Canada’s defense institutions with Unification!

After ’68, things just went downhill from there!!

Though Mulroney unfortunately did away with the bases in West Germany, and nationally cut defense infrastructure (though some of the installations which were cut, were at that point already superfluous to national defense), Mulroney at least gave the branches back their distinctive identities through the reinstitution of DEU.
 
Considering that HM’s Naval Dockyard Esquimalt was considered the major Royal Navy presence in the Pacific, I’m amazed that the Admiralty didn’t consider putting together a naval landing force and sail up to Alaska. Now admittedly, Alaska at the time was a backwater of the Russian Empire (and that’s being generous), but I think that for the British Empire it could have been more of a symbolic blow against the Russians that an actual necessary military operation.

Ironically though, had Canada been granted Alaska, probably by the time of Unification, unless people like Hellyer and Trudeau are removed, Canada would still have a weak to non-existent role in the Arctic, with CFS Alert still being Canada’s only major Arctic installation.

if it did occur it would probably have had to have been undertaken largely by the HBC, who still dominated the dist. Of NC and Stikeen and basically ran the crown colony of Vancouver island. Given that the only relevance of the colony would be to the HBC, I assume that they would likely be able to buy out the RAC at a bargain basement price to allow the Tsar to save some face. But with the inauguration of the colony of BC in 1858 following the Fraser River Gold rush...which actually might occur later if HBC attn is diverted northwards for a time, the Stikeen, Alaska and Yukon Districts may remain as preserves of the HBC within the NWT. BC may simply end up as New Caledonia district.

When the klondike occurs the three are probaby amalgamated as a single separate terr. or province just as the Yukon was. that or its arranged as two separate terr. Alaska (W) and Yukon (E).. Interestingly..since the Yukon River is the major river coursing through both Alaska the Yukon terr. Would it end up as simply Yukon or Yukonia..With Alaska districts only along the coast and the islands.
 
Why does Britain necessarily need to invade? Couldn't they get it out of a peace deal?

probably yes... all they really need to do is blockade the Russian posts and starve them of supplies, since at this time the bulk of them came from the HBC, the posts would probably have surrendered in short order and been occupied without a fight.
 
to cold, with a nasty rough sea crossing to get to a place with no strategic value, in the end, to far from where the fight was

All they'd need to do is send a squadron and maybe a regiment or two really to occupy a few costal cities to claim right of conquest.
 
Why does Britain necessarily need to invade? Couldn't they get it out of a peace deal?
If they demanded it in the peace deal Russia probably would have said no, even if there was an offer of money. Pride and all.
If the British go and conquer it, and then offer to pay a paltry sum Russia would save face and there would be little hard feeling.

probably yes... all they really need to do is blockade the Russian posts and starve them of supplies, since at this time the bulk of them came from the HBC, the posts would probably have surrendered in short order and been occupied without a fight.
Pretty much.
 
So why didn't they? I guess nobody with influence in the British government thought it was worth the minimal effort required. Which considering popular American opinion of "Seward's Folly", is not too hard to believe.
 
So why didn't they? I guess nobody with influence in the British government thought it was worth the minimal effort required. Which considering popular American opinion of "Seward's Folly", is not too hard to believe.

Commerce rather than politics drove the "gentleman's agreement" between the RAC and the HBC.

For the HBC they already dominated the colony's economy and the RAC was dependent on them. They had a lease on the coast providing uninterrupted access to the Stikeen district of northern BC and the upper Yukon..for the HBC... the interruption in commerce might be short lived and commerce may have resumed with only minor interruption...but what if Russia actually won....they could lose their lease on the coast and unimpeded access to the territory of the NW would be lost. Access would become more difficult and costly..an unacceptable blow to the bottom line.
 
Commerce rather than politics drove the "gentleman's agreement" between the RAC and the HBC.

For the HBC they already dominated the colony's economy and the RAC was dependent on them. They had a lease on the coast providing uninterrupted access to the Stikeen district of northern BC and the upper Yukon..for the HBC... the interruption in commerce might be short lived and commerce may have resumed with only minor interruption...but what if Russia actually won....they could lose their lease on the coast and unimpeded access to the territory of the NW would be lost. Access would become more difficult and costly..an unacceptable blow to the bottom line.
So get rid of the gentlemans agreement and the possibility arises of a hostile takeover by the HBC.
Thanks for posting that, its nice to know.
 
I did a TL on this with a slightly different POD...


British Alaska​

POD May 9th 1854: Admiral David Price in charge of the British Pacific Squadron decides not to rescind his order to his fellow captains to rendezvous at the Sandwich Islands in order to prosecute the ongoing war against the Russians. He immediately begins preparations to “prosecute this war against the Russians to the best of my ability...beginning with the destruction or capture of the frigate Aurora” (In OTL Price’s pursuit of the Russian Frigate Aurora was marked by indecisiveness and wasted time).

May 14th: The combined Anglo-French Fleet leaves Callao for Honolulu consisting of 5 ships: The HMS President (50), the steamer Virago (6), The French Forte (60), Artemise (30) and Obligado (18).

June 9th: The combined Anglo-French Pacific Squadron arrives in Honolulu only to find the Aurora having left just days prior towards Petropavlovsk. Concerned about American annexationist ambitions in the islands as well as the wellbeing of his men, Price decides to stay for a few days before continuing the pursuit of the Aurora.

June 13th: Having entertained the Hawaiian royal family in the past few days, and made some diplomatic headway as well as having given his crews some well needed R&R, Price departs Honolulu heading North west in pursuit of the Aurora. He also leaves instructions for the rest of his squadron to follow him after resupplying at Honolulu.

July 17th: After nearly a month of following the Aurora through some of the worst weather imaginable including severe fog, the Anglo-French Squadron arrives off the Kamchatka Peninsula. Having cleared a bank of thick fog, the small flotilla makes for the anchorage of Petropavlovsk in hopes of finding the elusive Aurora.

July 19th: The Anglo-French Squadron arrives in Petropavlovsk to find the port in complete disarray. Though defensive preparations had begun they are nowhere near complete. Furthermore the Aurora having arrived less than a week prior has done little to contribute to the defence of the port. Recognizing his superiority in firepower, Price orders a bombardment of the Russian positions and the landing of a force of Naval Infantry to destroy the Russian shore batteries. Furthermore, seized by ambition Price opts to personally lead the Naval Infantry.

Unprepared for the allied attack, the Russian guns defending Petropavlovsk are quickly silenced. Making matters worse, Admiral Zavoika mistakes Prices’ raid to destroy the guns as a full fledged invasion of the port. Marshalling a good portion of his garrison as well as sailors from the Aurora an attempt is made to dislodge the British who instead opt to stand their ground on the urging of Admiral Price himself. Though wounded, Price personally leads the British defence of the recently captured shore battery against the Russians inflicting heavy casualties. Buoyed by his success, Price calls for reinforcements and proceeds to move against the port itself.

The Russian garrison, in disarray over the disastrous attack on Price’s column is ill-prepared to deal with the renewed Anglo-French attack. Facing not only more troops, but also the guns of the allied ships, the Russian garrison quickly crumbles. Many surrender and those that don’t retreat into the wilderness where they will eek out a meagre existence until they too eventually surrender to the Allied forces.

July 20th: Having won a brief but bloody victory of the Russians at Petropavlovsk, Price sets his eyes to a further prosecution of the war, namely the reduction of Russian settlements at Okhotsk and Ayan. His French counterpart Auguste Febvrier-Despointes is eventually won over upon receiving intelligence from a Russian prisoner about the weakness of the Russian positions there. Yet having taken serious losses in the Battle of Petropavlovosk, both commanders opt to wait for the arrival of the rest of their squadron before proceeding. Meanwhile a courier ship is sent south to rendezvous with Admiral Stirling of the China fleet to inform them of the situation.

July 23rd: The French ship Obligado captures the Russian armed transport Dvina, loaded with supplies and provisions for Petropavlovsk.

August 7th: With the arrival of the last ship, the HMS Pique (40) the Anglo-French Squadron has gone from 5 ships to 9, nearly doubling in strength. It is decided to set sail the next day for the port of Okhotsk.

August 16th: Having crossed the treacherous Sea of Okhotsk, the combined Anglo-French squadron arrives at the settlement to find it poorly defended. Overwhelmed by the naval bombardment the garrison surrenders. In addition to capturing the critical Russian Pacific port, Prices’ squadron also succeeds in destroying the armed transport Sitka which was busy resupplying Okhotsk at the time of the attack.

August 17th: Leaving a small garrison in Okhotsk, Price proceeds to head south towards the more important port of Ayan.

August 20th: A British corvette the HMS Trincomalee captures a Russian schooner the Atvaska while enroute to Ayan.

August 23rd: The Anglo-French squadron arrives off Ayan to find the colony all but deserted its inhabitants having heard of the oncoming British and evacuated burning everything of value including the port’s lone naval vessel, a steam tug. Satisfied with the current state of events, Price and Auguste Febvrier-Despointes opt to continue on, moving against Russian positions in the Amur valley. They decide to skirt the coast heading around the Sakhalin Peninsula and then up the Gulf of Tartary to attack the Russian positions. (OOC: In OTL, the fact that Sakhalin Island was an island was unknown to anyone but the Russians until after the war).

August 30th: While following the coastline Price and his fleet come across an anomaly. After some discussion it is decided that their maps are wrong and that the Sakhalin peninsula is indeed an island. They opt to continue to sail south.

September 3rd: With winter now approaching, the Anglo-French fleet arrives off the Amur Valley and is content to do their best to destroy as much Russian property as possible. Outnumbered and outmatched, the small Russian garrison promptly retreats inland leaving the British free to destroy their settlements along the coast and a short distance up river.

September 7th: With winter closing in, Admiral Price opts to wrap up his operations in the North Pacific, content with the damage caused to the Russian forces in the theatre. News is sent to Admiral Stirling of their successes as the combined squadron sets sail for Esquimalt. With the departure of this fleet the Crimean war in the Pacific is effectively over. No further action will be taken for the remainder of the war save for a few cursory patrols and the evacuations of the small garrisons left behind by the Anglo-French forces.

September 9th: In a surprising turn of events Admiral David Price commits suicide in an action that will tarnish his legacy. Entries from his journal suggest that he went into a deep depression following the conclusion of the campaign, and his failure to secure an honourable death in combat. This depression eventually leading him to take his own life.

Remainder of 1854: The body of Admiral Price is buried at sea following his suicide. The fleet reaches the base at Esquimalt without incident and proceeds to return to its usual duties under the command of Admiral Price’s successor, Admiral Bruce. Despite his inglorious death, Admiral Price’s successes on the Pacific create quite a buzz in England and France.
Yet news of the Anglo-French victories at Petropavlovsk, Okhotsk, and the Amur valley do not fail to resonate with the Russians and their employees in the Americas. As word reaches them in mid September of the events in the North Pacific, many fear that Britain, emboldened by her recent success, may just decide to violate her tacit agreement to respect the neutrality of Russian America. Preferring to see Alaska in American hands rather than fall to Britain, plans are set in motion to sell Russian North America to the United States (This happened in OTL prior to the Anglo-French failures in the North Pacific).

1855: The year begins with what will become known as ”The Alaska Crisis” stemming from Russia’s failed attempt to sell Alaska to the Americans. Fearful of American expansion into the vulnerable Pacific Northwest, the British government protests the sale, preferring that Alaska remain Russian. However both Russian and American parties remain intent to complete the sale. This causes a diplomatic incident of unprecedented scale as the sale is completed, nearly bringing the United States into the Crimean War on the side of Russia.

However despite calls for the US to go to war, few are willing to fight over “Pierce’s Ice Palace” as Alaska is derogatorily named. Cooler heads prevail and war is averted. (Pierce’s reckless behaviour regarding Alaska will, among other things, lead to him being decisively defeated in his attempt to secure re-nomination in 1856.)

However the problem of Alaska, now owned by an American company remains troubling. Unable to return the land and the company to Russia due to the ongoing war, Alaska remains in limbo for the remainder of the war with ties growing between the remains of the Russian North America company and the Hudson’s Bay Company.


1856: The end of the Crimean War brings about the Congress of Paris in which the situation in Alaska among others can at last be resolved. Yet the British are quite surprised when the Russians refuse their offer to return Alaska in exchange for never ceding it to the Americans. Having cut loose their American colony, it seems the Russians are in no hurry to get it back hoping to lure the USA into the conflict on their side through pushing the legality of the initial sale. With the Russians uninterested in reacquiring the colony and unwilling to cede it to the Americans, Britain is forced to grudgingly annex the colony in order to prevent the war from spreading to the Americas.
The annexation of Alaska to British North America draws attention to an unresolved issue of the jurisdiction in the North West. After a brief commission, eventually a settlement is agreed upon. The territory administered by the Hudson’s Bay Company will grow to include the former Northwest Territory which now is amended to include most of Russian Alaska. Employees of the Russian American Company were all offered positions within the HBC to continue their work or return to Russia.

The Alaska Crisis having raised fears of American expansion into the region, Governor James Douglas of Vancouver Island quickly advocates for the creation of a new colony to enforce British sovereignty over their stretch of territory in the Northwest. As a result of his lobbying and legitimate fears over American expansion, the Colony of Vancouver is created, merging Vancouver Island, The Queen Charlotte Islands, the southern Portion of Russian Alaska, as well as the territory of New Caledonia. Under the leadership of James Douglas a new capital is built at Fort Price (OTL site of Bella Coola BC) close to the geographical center of the colony, to administer the vast lands now under its control.

Yet despite having brought a great deal more land under his control, Douglas is forced to make some concessions. Citing a conflict of interest, he is forced to step down as chief factor of the HBC in the region. In addition, Douglas is at long last forced to create a legislative assembly to oversee the administration of the newly created Colony of Vancouver.

Following the war and the reorganization of the western portion of British North America, many Russians choose to return home and are subsequently resettled in Eastern Siberia as Russia tries to reassert its claims there (especially around the Amur valley). However many stay and become prominent regional figures in both the HBC and the Colony of Vancouver. Settlement however is sparse and the Russian influence in the Northern portion of the colony remains strong for some time.
 
Vladivostok and Port Arthur were still Chinese territory during th Crimean war. I think that the best port Russia had on the Pacific at the time was Petropavlosk Kamchatskij.
 
Vladivostok and Port Arthur were still Chinese territory during th Crimean war. I think that the best port Russia had on the Pacific at the time was Petropavlosk Kamchatskij.

Indeed, and instead of winning Alaska the British were busy losing the Siege of Petropavlovsk.

images
 
Vladivostok and Port Arthur were still Chinese territory during th Crimean war. I think that the best port Russia had on the Pacific at the time was Petropavlosk Kamchatskij.

True, however keep in mind that the Amur river was only peripherally part of the Qing empire. Russia had a presence on the river as early as the late 18th century IIRC.

As for Port Arthur, I mentioned nothing of a British attack on the region. Basically what happened in TTL was that the combined Anglo-French Squadron took out anything worth destroying in the Russian Far East. That meant Petropavlosk, Okohotsk, Ayan, and the small settlement along the Amur. Similar attacks occurred in OTL following the failed attack on Petropavlosk.

Indeed, and instead of winning Alaska the British were busy losing the Siege of Petropavlovsk.

images

Keep in mind the British had a pretty good excuse for NOT seizing Alaska. They had explicitly stated when the Crimean War started that the conflict was solely focused on repelling Russian Imperialistic ambitions on the Ottoman Empire, and that they would NOT attempt to dismantle the Russian's Empire.

This statement made it very hard for the British to do anything imperialistically, and it's why in my TL Britain tries to give Alaska BACK to the Russians (as I believe they would have). Only due to Alaska being abandoned by everyone (US, Russia) does the UK "pick it up" and then only grudgingly so to prevent the US from totally dominating the Pacific Northwest.

Furthermore the cost and expenditure to seize and administer Alaska would have hardly been warranted to anyone in the 1850's. Of course that all changes in the 1890's.

Also regarding the "Siege" of Petropavlosk, the operation itself hardly warranted the name. Had Price been halfway motivated (as he was in TTL) the Russians would have been hard pressed to offer much resistance. However all evidence points to the man suffering from what in all likelihood was severe depression (he committed suicide DURING the siege in OTL) which IMO can explain much of his course of action in OTL.

The real POD for TTL is that Price sees the Russian Frigate AURORA as his "honorable way out". As someone who struggled with depression and considered suicide for a while, this was something I personally experienced. Unable to commit suicide due to the shame attached to it in my own mind I spend almost 5 years pursuing an honorable way out. Had Jesus Christ not radically transformed my life I have no doubt that I would have eventually found it or some version of it.

My personal story aside, in TTL Price's desire to honorably die motivates him instead of discourages him to pursue the Russian ship actively giving the Russians far less time to prepare at Petropavlosk, leading to an Anglo-French Victory in the Far East. That being said Price doesn't find his satisfaction in battle (in this draft anyways) and ultimately does commit suicide in TTL after the events in the Pacific have run their course.

Nice, seems a very logical set of events.

Thanks for the encouragement, I believe I posted this before, but I got no response to it.
 
even if the Brits had the will and ships in the area they would be more likely to go for Vladivostok, Port Arthur, somewhere the Russians would have cared about.

Er, Vladivostock did not exist until after 1858 when the Amur-Maritime province was ceded to Russia

Port Arthur wasn't on the horizon even in this period

The main Russian base was Petropavlosk in Kamchatka, with IIRC Ayan in the Sea of Okhotsk a little piddly town.

BUT the British and the French DID attack the Russians in the Far East!
http://www.alternate-history-fiction.com/crimean-war-far-east.html

It was pretty much a complete screw up...

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 

Thande

Donor
Er, Vladivostock did not exist until after 1858 when the Amur-Maritime province was ceded to Russia

Port Arthur wasn't on the horizon even in this period

The main Russian base was Petropavlosk in Kamchatka, with IIRC Ayan in the Sea of Okhotsk a little piddly town.

BUT the British and the French DID attack the Russians in the Far East!
http://www.alternate-history-fiction.com/crimean-war-far-east.html

It was pretty much a complete screw up...

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Thanks for the link Grey. That sounds like a piece of AH in itself-especially the bit where the British randomly drop in to Hokkaido and demand fresh meat from the Japanese (Commodore Perry's mission was only the previous year).
 
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