In July, 1770, during the Battle of Chesma, part of the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), Vice Admiral John Elphinstone of the Russian navy, engaged in a battle with the Ulcinjian pirates and privateers, hired by the Ottomans, who lost. In English newspapers at the time, the pirates were described as "the only people who had the courage or fidelity to put to sea with a fleet in search of the enemy".