For the locals, the names Maksutov and Zavoyko symbolize the glory of Russian arms. On the foggy morning of August 24, 1854, it became clear that a decisive battle was ahead. Major General V. S. Zavoyko and the commander of the "Aurora," Lieutenant Commander I. N. Izylmetyev, who led the defense of the port, inspected the fortifications and ships, calling on soldiers and sailors to valiantly fulfill their duty. "We will die, but we will not surrender," was the response heard everywhere. The battle began around six in the morning, as the fog began to lift. The 3rd battery, located on the isthmus between the Signal and Nikolsk hills, was the first to open fire on the enemy ships. This five-gun redoubt, positioned in the open and protected only by a light earthen parapet, engaged in an unequal duel with thirty broadside guns of the "La Forte." Under a hail of fire, the 3rd battery, nicknamed "Deadly," offered incredible resistance. The French frigate lost two masts and sustained four breaches. However, with the approach of the "Eurydice," the fate of the heroic battery, commanded by Lieutenant Alexander Maksutov, was sealed. One eyewitness recalled: "Only one gun remains... it is aimed by Maksutov himself, he fires, and a large boat with enemy troops sinks. Cries of despair arise from the decks, the French frigate, avenging its own, fires a full broadside. A hurricane of shells and bombs rages over the battery. It is all in smoke and debris, but its defenders do not lose their spirit." The fierce duel ended only when the mortally wounded Alexander Maksutov fell, and the last gun was destroyed.

The defense of Petropavlovsk is one of the significant battles of the Crimean War and the second half of the 19th century. Academician E. V. Tarle called the Petropavlovsk victory of 1854 "a ray of light" that suddenly broke through "the gloomy clouds."