Photograph of the shears in the docks at Sevastopol before they were destroyed by the allied forces. The tall mechanism is by the edge of the water with a building behind. The surrounding docks are littered with rubble, small boats and equipment. A large military barracks and other buildings can be seen across the harbour. 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 docks in January 1856.