Photograph of the dry docks in Sevastopol after they were destroyed by the allied forces. The photograph shows piles of rubble with the harbour behind. In the middle of the rubble a tall mast still stands. One ship can be seen in the water to the left, slightly blurred through movement. The Siege of Sevastopol lasted eleven months, with the allied British, French and Turkish forces eventually capturing the city on the 8th September 1855. In order to prevent the restoration of Sevastopol as a Russian stronghold the British destroyed the dry docks in January 1856.