The feat of the "Varyag" and "Korean" at the very beginning of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) is rightfully considered one of the most heroic pages in the history of the Russian navy. Hundreds of books, articles, movies were written about the tragic battle of two Russian ships with the Japanese squadron near the Korean port of Chemulpo... The previous events, the course of the battle, the fate of the cruiser and its crew were studied and restored to the smallest detail. Meanwhile, it should be recognized that the conclusions and assessments made by researchers are sometimes too biased and far from unambiguous.
In Russian historiography, there are two directly opposite opinions about the events of January 27, 1904 near the port of Chemulpo. Even today, more than a hundred years after the battle, it is difficult to say which of these opinions is more correct. As you know, based on the study of the same sources, different people draw different conclusions. Some consider the actions of "Varyag" and "Korean" a real feat, an example of selfless courage and heroism of Russian sailors. Others see in them simply the fulfillment by sailors and officers of their military duty. Still others are inclined to consider the "forced heroism" of the crews only as a result of unforgivable blunders, official negligence and indifference of the high command, shown in the conditions of the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. From this point of view, the events at Chemulpo are more like not a feat, but an official crime, as a result of which people suffered, and a warship was not just lost, but literally “donated” to the enemy.
Many of our contemporaries, who are familiar with the history of the Varyag battle, not only from songs and patriotic films, often ask themselves: where, in fact, is the feat? Two “forgotten” (in fact, abandoned to the mercy of fate) by the command in the Korean port of the ship could not break through to Port Arthur and connect with the squadron. As a result, the battle was lost, one officer and 30 lower ranks died, the crews with things and ship's cash desks calmly went ashore and were taken on board by ships of neutral powers. Two lightly damaged ships of the Russian fleet went to the enemy.
This should have been silent, as the Japanese were silent about the damage inflicted by the Varyag on their ships during the battle at Chemulpo. But Russia needed a “small victorious war”, which cannot be started with defeat, punishment of the guilty, recognition of its own slovenliness before the whole world.
The propaganda machine is in full swing. Newspapers sang! A short naval skirmish was declared a fierce battle. Self-flooding was presented as an act of selfless courage. The number of victims was not specified, but the superior forces of the enemy were emphasized. Propaganda turned the small, successful and bloodless victory of the Japanese - with the helplessness and real inaction (because of the inability to do something significant) of the Russian ships - a moral victory and a glorious deed.
Not a single real victory of the Russian fleet was glorified so hastily and pompously.
A month after the battle, Chemulpo appeared the famous song about the "Varangian" ("Upstairs, you, comrades, all in places!"). For some reason, the song was considered a folk song for many years, but it is reliably known that its text was written by the German poet and playwright Rudolf Greinz.
By the summer of 1904, the sculptor K. Kazbek made a model of the monument dedicated to the battle of Chemulpo, and called it "Farewell of Rudnev with the" Varyag "". On the layout, the sculptor depicted V. F. Rudnev standing at the rails, to the right of which was a sailor with a bandaged hand, and behind him sat an officer with his head down. Then another model was made by the author of the monument to the "Guardian" K. V. Isenberg. Soon the painting “Death of the Varyag” was painted. View from the French cruiser Pascal. Photo cards were issued with portraits of commanders and images of the Varyag and the Korean. The ceremony of meeting the heroes of Chemulpo, who arrived in Odessa in March 1904, was especially carefully developed.
On April 14, the heroes were solemnly welcomed in Moscow. A triumphal arch was erected on the Garden Ring in the area of the Spassky barracks in honor of this event. Two days later, the Varyag and Koreets teams march along Nevsky Prospekt from the Moscow railway station to the Winter Palace, where they are met by the emperor. Further, the gentlemen officers were invited to breakfast with Nicholas II in the White Hall, and for the lower ranks a dinner was arranged in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace.
In the concert hall, a table was laid with a golden service for the highest persons. Nicholas II addressed the heroes of Chemulpo with a speech, Rudnev presented the officers and sailors who distinguished themselves in battle for awards. The emperor not only approved the submissions sent, but also granted orders to all participants in the battle in Chemulpo without exception.
The lower ranks received St. George's crosses, officers - the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and extraordinary promotions. And the officers of the "Korean", who practically did not participate in the battle, were even awarded twice (!).
Alas, even today a complete and objective history of that long-gone, largely forgotten war has not yet been written. The displayed courage and heroism of the crews of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" are still beyond doubt. Even the Japanese were delighted with the truly "samurai" feat of Russian sailors, considering him an example to follow.
However, to this day there are no unambiguous answers to the simplest questions that were asked more than once by contemporaries and the first historians of the Russo-Japanese War. What caused the need to keep the best cruiser of the Pacific squadron in Chemulpo as a hospital? Could the Varyag have avoided an open collision with Japanese ships? Why didn’t the commander of the Varyag, Captain 1st Rank V.F. Rudnev, withdraw his cruiser from Chemulpo before the port was blocked? Why did he flood the ship so that it would later go to the enemy? And why didn’t Rudnev go to court as a war criminal, but having received the Order of St. George of the 4th degree and the title of aide-de-camp, calmly retired and lived out his life in the family estate?
Let's try to answer some of them.
About the cruiser "Varyag"
Cruiser I rank "Varyag" became the first in a series of Russian armored cruisers built in the late XIX - early XX centuries. under the program "for the needs of the Far East".
It sounds like a mockery of homegrown jingoistic patriots, but the pride of the Russian fleet, the Varyag cruiser, was built in the USA, at the William Crump shipyard in Philadelphia. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States, by European standards, was considered not the most technologically advanced, practically agrarian and "wild" country. Why did the Varyag decide to build it there? And how did this affect his fate?
In Russia, warships of this class were built, but it was very expensive, time consuming and time consuming. In addition, on the eve of the war, all shipyards were overloaded with orders. Therefore, under the fleet reinforcement program of 1898, new armored cruisers of the 1st rank were ordered abroad. Best of all, they knew how to build cruisers in Germany and Sweden, but the government of Nicholas II found this to be an extremely expensive pleasure. The prices of American shipbuilders were lower, and representatives of the William Crump shipyard promised to do the work in record time.
On April 20, 1898, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II approved a contract, according to which the American company The William Cramp & Sons received an order for the construction of a squadron battleship and an armored cruiser (the future Retvizan and Varyag) at its plant.
Under the terms of the contract, the cruiser with a displacement of 6000 tons was to be ready 20 months after the arrival of the monitoring commission from Russia at the plant. The cost of the ship without weapons was estimated at $2'138'000 (4'233'240 rubles). The commission, headed by Captain 1st Rank M.A. Danilevsky, arrived in the United States on July 13, 1898 and took an active part in the discussion and design of the future cruiser, making a number of significant design improvements to the project.
As a prototype for the construction of a new ship, the head of the American company, Charles Crump, suggested taking the Japanese cruiser Kasagi, but the Russian Naval Technical Committee insisted that the 6000-ton armored cruisers built in St. Petersburg - the famous "goddess" "Diana" be taken as a model , "Pallada" and "Aurora" (the sailors familiarly called them "Dashka", "Palashka" and "Varka"). Alas, the choice was initially vicious - the concept of cruisers of this class did not justify itself. However, the relationship of "Varyag" with the famous "Aurora" came in handy. When the feature film Cruiser Varyag was filmed in 1946, they shot the Aurora in the title role, sticking a fourth fake pipe for her resemblance.
On January 11, 1899, by the will of the emperor and the order of the Maritime Department, the cruiser under construction was given the name "Varyag" - in honor of the sailing-propeller corvette of the same name, a member of the American expedition of 1863. The ship's laying ceremony took place on May 10, 1899. And already on October 19, 1899, in the presence of the Russian ambassador to the USA, Count A.P. Cassini and other officials of the two countries launched the Varyag cruiser.
It cannot be said that the William Crump shipyard did not know how to build warships at all. Simultaneously with the Varyag, the Americans built the beautiful battleship Retvizan for the Russian fleet. However, with the "Varyag" initially everything did not go as planned. Two design flaws were made that ultimately killed the ship. Firstly, the Americans installed the main battery guns on the upper deck without any protection, even without armored shields. The ship's gunners were extremely vulnerable - in battle, the crews on the upper deck were literally mowed down by fragments of Japanese shells. Secondly, the ship was equipped with steam boilers of the Nikloss system, extremely capricious and unreliable. However, such boilers for many years regularly served on the gunboat "Brave". The battleship Retvizan, built at the same shipyard by Ch. Kramp, also had no big problems with Nikloss's boilers. Only on the Varyag, perhaps due to other technical violations, the power plant (boilers and machines) periodically failed already at a speed of 18-19 knots. And the fastest cruiser, according to all technical specifications, was supposed to reach speeds of up to 23 knots.
Nevertheless, the first tests in July 1900 of the Varyag were quite successful. In the most difficult weather conditions, with a strong headwind, she set a world record for cruisers of her class in speed - 24.59 knots [about 45.54 km/h].
On January 2, 1901, the crew that arrived from Russia while parking in Philadelphia raised the pennant on the mainmast - the Varyag officially entered the campaign. After several trial trips along the Delaware Bay, the cruiser left the shores of America forever.
When the cruiser came to the Baltic, it was visited by Emperor Nicholas II. Captivated only by the external gloss of the new snow-white cruiser and the brave appearance of the guards crew, the autocrat wished to forgive Kramp "some design flaws", as a result of which no penalties were applied to American shipbuilders.
Why did the Varyag end up in Chemulpo?
It is in the answer to this question, in our opinion, that the most plausible explanation of all subsequent events lies.
So, the Varyag cruiser, built “for the needs of the fleet in the Far East”, was based in the main Russian naval base in the Pacific Ocean, Port Arthur, for two years (1902-1904). On March 1, 1903, captain of the 1st rank V.F. Rudnev took command of the Varyag.
By the beginning of 1904, relations between Russia and Japan had escalated to the limit. War could break out over the slightest trifle. According to the official version, the command was strictly forbidden to take any initiative, so as not to provoke the Japanese. In fact, it would be very beneficial for Russia if Japan was the first to start hostilities. And the viceroy, Admiral N.E. Alekseev, and the head of the Pacific Squadron V.O. Stark, repeatedly reported to St. Petersburg that the forces in the Far East were quite sufficient to successfully carry out the campaign.
Admiral Alekseev was well aware that the ice-free Korean port of Chemulpo was a major strategic facility. The warships of the leading states were constantly located here. In order to capture Korea, the Japanese would first of all need to capture (even land troops) in Chemulpo. Consequently, the presence of Russian warships in this port will inevitably become a cause for conflict, i.e. provoke the enemy to start active hostilities.
Russian warships were constantly present in Chemulpo. The extreme aggravation of relations with Japan at the end of 1903 did not at all prompt the command in Port Arthur to withdraw them from there. On the contrary, the Russian ships "Boyarin" (also, by the way, an armored cruiser) and the gunboat "Gilyak" on December 28, 1903 were replaced by the cruiser "Varyag" under the command of Captain I rank V.F. Rudnev. On January 5, the gunboat Koreets joined the Varyag under the command of Captain II rank G.P. Belyaev.
According to the official version, the Varyag was sent to Chemulpo to communicate with the Russian ambassador in Seoul. In case of complications or rupture of diplomatic relations, he had to take the Russian diplomatic mission to Port Arthur.
Any normal person can understand that sending a whole cruiser to evacuate diplomats was, at least, inexpedient. Especially in the context of the upcoming war. In the event of the outbreak of hostilities, the ships inevitably fell into a trap. For communication and removal of the mission, it was possible to leave only the gunboat "Korean", and save the fast and powerful "Varyag" for the fleet in Port Arthur.
But, most likely, by that time it had already become clear that the Varyag was not so fast and powerful. Otherwise, how to explain the use of a modern battle cruiser as a port station? Or did the command in Port Arthur think that it was shameful for the Russian diplomatic mission to travel around on some kind of gunboat, it was necessary to bring the cruiser to the entrance? ..
Not! Alekseev pursued, apparently, only one goal: to force the Japanese to start the war first. To do this, he decided to sacrifice the "Varangian", because it is impossible to portray the "military presence" in the Korean port through a single gunboat. Captain Rudnev, needless to say, should not have known anything. In addition, Rudnev was not supposed to show any initiative, leave the port on his own and generally take any active actions without a special order. On the morning of January 27, the departure of the Russian squadron from Port Arthur to Chemulpo was scheduled.
By the way, during the strategic game in the 1902/03 academic year at the Nikolaev Naval Academy, exactly this situation was played out: during a sudden Japanese attack on Russia in Chemulpo, the cruiser and gunboat remain unrecalled. In the game, destroyers sent to the port will report the beginning of the war. The cruiser and gunboat manage to connect with the Port Arthur squadron, going to Chemulpo. So all attempts by some historians to present the command in the person of Admiral Alekseev and Admiral Stark as complete slobs and irresponsible types have no basis. It was a premeditated plan, which was not so easy to implement.
“It was smooth on paper, but they forgot about the ravines…”
On January 24 at 16:00, Japanese diplomats announced the termination of negotiations and the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia. The Far Eastern governor, Admiral Alekseev, found out about this (taking into account the time difference) only on January 25th.
Contrary to the assertions of some "researchers" who reproached V.F. Rudnev for criminal inaction and the fatal loss of 2 days for the "Varyag" (January 24 and 25), there was no "inaction". The captain of the "Varangian" in Chemulpo could not find out about the break in diplomatic relations earlier than the governor himself in Port Arthur. In addition, without waiting for "special orders" from the command, on the morning of January 25, Rudnev himself went by train to Seoul to receive instructions from the head of the Russian mission, A.I. Pavlov, on the actions of the "Varyag". There he received information about the approach of the Japanese squadron to Chemulpo and the landing being prepared on January 29th. No orders were received regarding the Varyag, so Rudnev decided to send the Korean to Port Arthur to convey a report about the impending landing, but the port was already blocked by the Japanese squadron.
January 26 "Korean" tried to leave Chemulpo, but was stopped at sea. Not having an order to engage in battle, Belyaev decided to turn back.
The commander of the Japanese squadron, Rear Admiral Uriu, sent messages to the commanders of the warships of neutral countries that were in Chemulpo - the English cruiser Talbot, the French Pascal, the Italian Elba and the American gunboat Vicksburg - with a request to leave the raid in connection with possible hostilities against "Varyag" and "Korean". The commanders of the first three ships protested that a battle in the roadstead would be a flagrant violation of the formal neutrality of Korea, but it was clear that this was unlikely to stop the Japanese.
In the early morning of January 27 (February 9, New Style), 1904, VF Rudnev took part in a meeting of ship commanders, which took place on board the Talbot. Despite the obvious sympathy on the part of the British, French and Italians, they could not provide any obvious support to the Russian sailors for fear of violating neutrality.
Convinced of this, V.F. Rudnev told the commanders gathered on the Talbot that he would make an attempt to break through and accept the battle, no matter how great the enemy’s forces were, that he would not fight in the raid and did not intend to surrender.
At 11.20 "Varyag" and "Korean" raised anchors and headed for the exit from the roadstead.
Did the Varyag have a chance to get away from the Japanese squadron, using the advantage in speed?
Here the opinions of specialists and historians differ sharply. According to the statements of Rudnev himself, set out by him in reports to his superiors, and later partly repeated in his memoirs, the “fastest” cruiser had not the slightest chance to escape from the Japanese. And the point was not in the slow-moving gunboat "Korean", the command of which Rudnev could easily take on board the "Varyag". It’s just that the cruiser itself, at low tide, without the ability to develop speed in a narrow fairway, could not give more than 16-17 knots at sea. The Japanese would have caught up with him anyway. Their cruisers reached speeds of up to 20-21 knots. In addition, Rudnev through the word mentions the "technical imperfections" of the Varyag, which could bring the cruiser at the most crucial moment.
In his book, published after the war, Rudnev insists on an even greater (apparently due to a much greater need to justify his actions in battle) lowering the maximum speed of the Varyag:
"The cruiser" Varyag "at the end of 1903 tested the bearings of the main mechanisms, which, due to the unsatisfactory metal, could not be brought to the desired results, and therefore the cruiser's stroke only reached 14 knots instead of the following 23"(“The battle of the Varyag at Chemulpo on January 27, 1904,” St. Petersburg, 1907, p. 3).
Meanwhile, in a number of studies of domestic historians, the fact of the "low-speed" "Varyag" or its malfunction at the time of the battle is completely refuted. Documents have been preserved showing that during repeated tests in October-November 1903, the cruiser showed a speed of 23.5 knots at full speed. Bearing failures have been eliminated. The cruiser had sufficient power and was not overloaded. However, in addition to Rudnev’s information, the “defectiveness” of the ship is evidenced by the fact that the Varyag, while based in Port Arthur, was constantly subjected to repairs and tests. Perhaps the main malfunctions had been eliminated by the time they left for Chemulpo, but on January 26-27, 1904, Captain Rudnev was not one hundred percent sure of his cruiser.
Another version of this version is put forward by the modern Russian historian V.D. Dotsenko in his book Myths and Legends of the Russian Navy (2004). He believes that the "Varyag" replaced the slow-moving "Boyarin" in Chemulpo only because only such a cruiser could get away from the Japanese pursuit using the evening tide. The height of the tides in Chemulpo reaches 8-9 meters (the maximum height of the tide is up to 10 meters).
“With a cruiser draft of 6.5 meters in full evening water, there was still an opportunity to break through the Japanese blockade,” writes V.D. Dotsenko, “but Rudnev did not use it. He settled on the worst option - to break through during the day at low tide and together with the "Korean". What this decision led to, everyone knows ... "
However, it is worth remembering here that the Varyag was not supposed to leave Chemulpo at all until further notice. The “breakthrough” of the cruiser to the Russian squadron planned in the headquarters game did not take into account that there would be no destroyers and no squadron near Chemulpo at that moment. On the night of January 26-27, almost simultaneously with the battle of the Varyag, the Japanese fleet attacked Port Arthur. Carried away by plans for offensive operations, the Russian command neglected defensive measures and actually missed the enemy's "preemptive strike" on the main naval base in the Far East. Such impudence of the Japanese "macaques" could not be imagined in any strategy game!
Even in the event of a successful breakthrough from Chemulpo, the Varyag had to make a 3-day transition to Port Arthur alone, where it would inevitably collide with another Japanese squadron. And where is the guarantee that on the high seas he would not have met even more superior enemy forces? Having accepted the battle near a neutral port, Rudnev had the opportunity to save people and publicly accomplish something similar to a feat. And in the world, as they say, even death is red!
Battle at Chemulpo
The battle of the Varyag and the Korean with the Japanese squadron near the port of Chemulpo took just over an hour.
At 11.25, Captain 1st Rank V.F. Rudnev ordered the combat alarm to be sounded and the flags to be raised. The Japanese squadron guarded the Russians at the southern tip of Philip Island. Closest to the exit was "Asama" and it was from her that they found the "Varangian" and "Korean" going towards them. At that time, Rear Admiral S. Uriu received an officer from the Talbot, who delivered the documents of the conference of commanders, on board the cruiser Naniva. Having received news from the Asama, the commander, quickly ending the conversation, ordered the anchor chains to be riveted, since there was no time to raise and clean the anchors. The ships began to hastily stretch out onto the stretch, reorganizing themselves into battle columns on the move, according to the disposition received the day before.
Asama and Chiyoda were the first to move, followed by the flagship Naniwa and the cruiser Niytaka, a little behind. On the beam of the non-firing side of the Naniva were the destroyers of one of the detachments. The remaining destroyers with the cruisers Akashi and Takachiho, having developed a large course, rushed in a south-westerly direction. Aviso "Chihaya" together with the destroyer "Kasasagi" were on patrol at the exit from the 30-mile fairway. Russian ships continued to move.
According to Japanese sources, Rear Admiral Uriu gave the signal to surrender, but the Varyag did not answer and was the first to start shooting at the Japanese flagship Naniwa. Russian sources claim that the first shot came from the Japanese cruiser Asama at 11.45. Following him, the entire Japanese squadron opened fire. “The Varyag, upon leaving the neutral raid, returned fire with armor-piercing shells from a distance of 45 cables. Asama, observing the cruiser breaking through on the port side, went to approach without stopping fire. He was actively supported by Naniva and Niitaka. One of the first Japanese shells destroyed the upper bridge of the Varyag and broke the fore-shrouds. At the same time, midshipman Count Alexei Nirod died, and all rangefinders of station No. 1 were killed or wounded. In the first minutes of the battle, the 6-inch Varyag gun was also hit, all the servants of the gun and feed were killed or wounded.
At the same time, Chiyoda attacked the Korean. The gunboat first fired high-explosive shells from the right 8-inch gun alternately at the lead cruiser and Takachiho. Soon, shortening the distance allowed the "Korean" to use the stern 6-inch gun.
At about 12.00, a fire started on the Varyag: cartridges with smokeless powder, deck and whaleboat No. 1 caught fire. The fire was caused by a shell that exploded on the deck, while 6 guns were hit. Other shells almost demolished the combat main top, destroyed the rangefinder station No. 2, knocked out several more guns, set fire to the lockers of the armored deck.
At 12.12 an enemy shell broke the pipe in which all the steering gears of the Varyag were laid. The uncontrolled ship rolled on the circulation on the stones of the island of Yodolmi. Almost simultaneously, the second shell exploded between Baranovsky's landing gun and the foremast, killing the entire crew of gun No. 35, as well as quartermaster I. Kostin, who was at the wheelhouse. Fragments flew into the passage of the conning tower, mortally wounding the bugler N. Nagle and the drummer D. Korneev. The commander of the cruiser Rudnev escaped with only a slight wound and shell shock.
The "Varangian" sat on the stones of the island and, turning to the enemy with its left side, was a stationary target. The Japanese ships moved closer. The situation seemed hopeless. The enemy was rapidly approaching, and the cruiser sitting on the rocks could not do anything. It was at this time that he received the most severe injuries. At 12.25 a large-caliber shell, breaking through the side under water, exploded in coal pit No. 10, and at 12.30 an 8-inch shell exploded in coal pit No. 12. The third stoker began to quickly fill with water, the level of which approached the fireboxes. with remarkable dedication and composure, they covered up the coal pit, and the senior officer, captain of the 2nd rank, Stepanov, and the senior boatswain Kharkovsky, under a hail of fragments, began to bring patches under the holes. And at that moment, the cruiser itself, as if unwillingly, slid off the shallows and backed away from the dangerous place. No longer tempting fate, Rudnev ordered to lie down on the return course.
To the surprise of the Japanese, the pierced and burning Varyag, having increased its speed, confidently left in the direction of the raid.
Due to the narrowness of the fairway, only the Asama and Chiyoda cruisers could pursue the Russians. "Varyag" and "Korean" fired furiously, but because of the sharp heading angles, only two or three 152-mm guns could fire. At this time, an enemy destroyer appeared from behind the island of Yodolmi and rushed to the attack. It was the turn of small-caliber artillery - from the surviving guns "Varyag" and "Koreets" opened a dense barrage. The destroyer abruptly turned around and left without harming the Russian ships.
This unsuccessful attack prevented the Japanese cruisers from approaching the Russian ships in time, and when the Asama again rushed in pursuit, the Varyag and the Korean were already approaching the anchorage. The Japanese had to cease fire, as their shells began to fall near the ships of the international squadron. The cruiser Elba even had to move deeper into the raid because of this. At 12.45 the Russian ships also ceased fire. The fight is over.
Personnel losses
In total, during the battle, the Varyag fired 1105 shells: 425 -152 mm, 470 -75 mm and 210 - 47 mm. The effectiveness of his fire, unfortunately, is still unknown. According to official Japanese data published during the Russo-Japanese War, there were no hits on the ships of the Uriu squadron at all, and no one from their teams was injured. However, there is every reason to doubt the truth of this statement. So, on the cruiser "Asama" the bridge was destroyed and caught fire. Apparently, the aft turret was damaged, as it stopped firing until the end of the battle. The cruiser Takachiho was also seriously damaged. The cruiser "Chyoda" was sent to the dock for repairs. According to British and Italian sources, after the battle, the Japanese brought 30 dead to A-san Bay. According to an official document (a sanitary report for the war), the losses of the Varyag amounted to 130 people - 33 killed and 97 wounded. Rudnev in his reports gives a different figure - one officer and 38 lower ranks were killed, 73 people were injured. Several more people died from their wounds already on the shore. The "Korean" did not receive any damage and had no losses in the crew - it is clear that all the attention of the Japanese was turned to the "Varyag", after the destruction of which they were supposed to quickly end the boat.
Cruiser status
In total, 12-14 large high-explosive shells hit the cruiser. Although the armored deck was not destroyed and the ship kept moving, it should be recognized that by the end of the battle, the Varyag had almost completely exhausted its combat capabilities for resistance due to numerous serious damage.
The commander of the French cruiser Pascal, Victor Sene, who boarded the Varyag immediately after the battle, later recalled:
When examining the cruiser, in addition to the damage listed above, the following were also identified:
all 47 mm guns are unfit for firing;
five 6-inch guns received various serious damage;
seven 75-mm guns have completely disabled knurlers, compressors and other parts and mechanisms;
the upper elbow of the third chimney was destroyed;
all fans and boats are destroyed;
the upper deck was pierced in many places;
the commander's quarters were destroyed;
damaged for-mars;
four more holes were found.
Naturally, all these damages in the conditions of the besieged port could not be replenished and corrected on their own.
The sinking of the "Varyag" and its further fate
Rudnev, on a French boat, went to the English cruiser Talbot to arrange for the transportation of the crew of the Varyag to foreign ships and report on the alleged destruction of the cruiser right on the roadstead. Bailey, the commander of the Talbot, sharply objected to the explosion of the Varyag, motivating his opinion by the large crowding of ships in the roadstead. At 13.50 Rudnev returned to the Varyag. Hastily gathering the officers, he announced his intention and received their support. They immediately began transporting the wounded, and then the entire crew, to foreign ships. At 15.15, the commander of the "Varyag" sent midshipman V. Balk to the "Korean". G.P. Belyaev immediately gathered a military council, at which the officers decided: “The upcoming battle in half an hour is not equal, it will cause unnecessary bloodshed ... without harming the enemy, and therefore it is necessary ... to blow up the boat ... ". The crew of the "Korean" switched to the French cruiser "Pascal". The Varyag team was assigned to Pascal, Talbot and the Italian cruiser Elba. Subsequently, the commanders of foreign ships received approval and gratitude from their envoys for their actions.
At 15.50, Rudnev with the senior boatswain, bypassing the ship and making sure that no one was left on it, got off it along with the owners of the hold compartments, who opened the kingstones and flood valves. At 16.05, the "Korean" was blown up, and at 18.10 "Varyag" lay down on the port side and disappeared under water. The team also destroyed the Russian steamship Sungari, which was in the bay.
Almost immediately after the battle in Chemulpo, the Japanese began to lift the Varyag. The cruiser lay on the ground, on the port side, almost immersed in silt along the diametrical plane. At low tide, most of its hull was clearly visible above the water.
Specialists were brought from Japan to carry out the work and the necessary equipment was delivered. The rise of the ship was led by Lieutenant General of the Corps of Naval Engineers Arai. After examining the cruiser lying at the bottom, he hit Admiral Rear Admiral Uriu, saying that his squadron "could not sink a hopelessly faulty ship for an hour." Arai further suggested that raising and repairing the cruiser was not economically viable. But Uriu ordered the lifting work to begin anyway. For him, it was a matter of honor ...
In total, more than 300 skilled workers and divers worked on lifting the cruiser, and up to 800 Korean coolies were involved in auxiliary areas. Over 1 million yen was spent on lifting work.
Steam boilers and guns were removed from the ship, chimneys, fans, masts and other superstructures were cut down. The property of the officers found in the cabins was partially transferred to the local museum, and the personal belongings of V.F. Rudnev were returned to him in 1907.
Then Japanese specialists built a caisson, and pumped out water with the help of pumps, on August 8, 1905, they raised the Varyag to the surface. In November, accompanied by two steamships, the cruiser headed for the repair site in Yokosuka.
The overhaul of the cruiser, which received the new name Soya, took place in 1906-1907. After its completion, the appearance of the ship has changed a lot. There were new navigation bridges, navigational cabin, chimneys, fans. Dismantled mars platforms on mars. The nasal decoration has changed: the Japanese have erected their unchanging symbol - the chrysanthemum. The steam boilers and armament of the ship remained unchanged.
At the end of the repair, Soya was enrolled as a training ship in a cadet school. He served in his new role for 9 years. Having visited many countries of the world during this time.
Meanwhile, the First World War began. Russia began to form the flotilla of the Arctic Ocean, within the framework of which it was supposed to create a cruising squadron. But there were not enough ships for this. Japan, which at that moment was an ally of Russia, after lengthy bargaining, agreed to sell the captured ships of the First Pacific Squadron, including the Varyag.
On March 22, 1916, the cruiser was returned to its former, legendary name. And on March 27, in the Golden Horn Bay of Vladivostok, the Georgievsky pennant was raised on it. After repairs, on June 18, 1916, the Varyag under the flag of the Commander of the Detachment of Special Purpose Vessels, Rear Admiral A.I. Bestuzhev-Ryumin went to the open sea and headed for Romanov-on-Murman (Murmansk). In November, the cruiser was enrolled in the Arctic Ocean Flotilla as a flagship.
But the technical condition of the ship inspired concern, and in early 1917 an agreement was reached on its overhaul at a shipyard in the UK. On February 25, 1917, the Varyag left the shores of Russia forever and set off on his last independent campaign.
After the October Revolution in Russia, the British seized the cruiser on account of the debts of the tsarist government. Due to the poor technical condition in 1920, the ship was sold to Germany for scrap. While being towed, the Varyag landed on rocks off the coast of Southern Scotland, not far from the town of Lendelfoot. Part of the metal structures was then removed by local residents. In 1925, the Varyag finally sank, finding its last refuge at the bottom of the Irish Sea.
Until recently, it was believed that the remains of the Varyag were hopelessly lost. But in 2003, during the expedition led by A. Denisov, organized by the Rossiya TV channel, they managed to find the exact place of the ship's death and found its wreckage at the bottom.
The conclusions from all of the above suggest themselves.
The feat of the "Varyag" and "Korean", of course, is the very "feat" that could have been avoided, but ... Russian people are not used to running away from feats.
Today we cannot unequivocally judge the reasons for leaving the Varyag in Chemulpo. This action can be considered as part of a far-reaching strategic plan aimed at provoking the enemy, as well as presumptuous slovenliness. In any case, the commanders of the "Varyag" and "Koreets" became victims of a miscalculation of the top military leadership and a general "hatted" mood on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War.
Once in a hopeless situation, the officers and sailors behaved quite adequately and did everything to preserve the Russian military honor. Captain Rudnev did not hide in the port and draw the courts of neutral powers into the conflict. It looked worthy in the eyes of the European public. He did not surrender "Varyag" and "Korean" without a fight, but did everything to save the crews of the ships entrusted to him. The captain sank the Varyag in the waters of the port, where he had the opportunity, without fear of a sudden Japanese shelling, to evacuate the wounded in an organized manner, take out the necessary documents and things.
The only thing that can be blamed on V.F. Rudnev, it is that he was unable to immediately assess the scale of the damage inflicted on the Varyag in battle, and then followed the lead of the British and did not blow up the ship, as circumstances required. But, on the other hand, Rudnev did not want to quarrel with the captain of the Talbot and other Europeans at all: who would then take the teams of the Varyag and the Korean to Shanghai? And here it is worth remembering that Japanese engineers at first considered the recovery of the broken cruiser inappropriate. Only Admiral Uriu insisted on raising and repairing it. Rudnev also did not know about the peculiarities of the national Japanese character and could not foresee that the Japanese are able to repair anything ...
In 1917, one of the assistants of V.F. Rudnev, who had been in battle at Chemulpo, recalled that some senior officers, after the death of the Varyag, were afraid to return to Russia. They considered the clash with the Japanese at Chemulpo a mistake that turned into an expected defeat, and the loss of a warship was a crime for which a military court awaits them, demotion, and even bigger troubles. But the government of Nicholas II in this case acted more than reasonably. With the general hostility of Russian society to the war in the Far East, it was simply necessary to make a legendary feat out of an insignificant skirmish, appeal to the patriotism of the nation, honor the newly-minted heroes and continue the “small victorious war”. Otherwise, the drama of 1917 would have been played ten years earlier ...
Based on materials
Melnikov R.M. Cruiser "Varyag". - L .: Shipbuilding, 1983. - 287 p.: ill.
01/27/1904 (9.02). - The heroic death of the cruiser "Varyag" and the gunboat "Koreets" in an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron
Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy
Impressed by the feat of the crew of the Varyag cruiser, the Austrian writer and poet Rudolf Greinz wrote the poem Varyag dedicated to this event. It was published in the German magazine Jugend (1904, No. 10). In April 1904 N.K. Melnikov and E.M. Studenskaya published translations of this poem. E. Studenskaya's translation by Russian society was recognized as more successful. And soon the musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment A.S. Turishchev, who took part in the solemn meeting of the heroes of "Varangian" and "Korean", set these verses to music.
For the first time, the song was performed at a gala reception arranged in honor of the officers and sailors of the Varyag and Koreyets.
The song became very popular in Russia. She was especially loved by military sailors. Over the years, the third verse was removed from the song, since the Japanese were already allies in this war. And they also tried to forget about the author of the song.
Under the rule of the Bolsheviks, many military songs of tsarist Russia were banned, and only with the beginning, many of them were returned, including the song about the "Varangian".
Upstairs, you comrades, all in their places,
The last parade is coming.
Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy,
Nobody wants mercy!All pennants curl and chains rattle,
Lifting the anchor up
Prepare for battle guns in a row,
Shining ominously in the sun!From the pier of the faithful we go into battle,
Towards the death that threatens us,
We will die for our homeland in the open sea,
Where the yellow-faced devils await!It whistles and rumbles and rumbles all around.
The thunder of cannons, the hiss of shells,
And our immortal and proud "Varyag" became
It's like pure hell.Bodies tremble in death throes,
The thunder of guns, and smoke, and moaning,
And the ship is engulfed in a sea of fire,
It's time to say goodbye.Farewell, comrades! With God, cheers!
The boiling sea below us!
Didn't think, brothers, we are with you yesterday,
That now we will die under the waves.Neither stone nor cross will tell where they lay down
To the glory of the Russian flag,
Only sea waves will glorify alone
The heroic death of the Varyag!Original German text:
Auf Deck, Kameraden, all" auf Deck!
Heraus zur letzten Parade!
Der stolze Warjag ergibt sich nicht,
Wir brauchen keine Gnade!An den Masten die bunten Wimpel empor,
Die klirrenden Anker gelichtet,
In sturmischer Eil' zum Gefechte klar
Die blanken Geschütze gerichtet!Aus dem sichern Hafen hinaus in die See,
Furs Vaterland zu sterben
Dort lauern die gelben Teufel auf uns
Und speien Tod und Verderben!Es drohnt und kracht und donnert und zischt,
Da trifft es uns zur Stelle;
Es ward der Warjag, das treue Schiff,
Zu einer brennenden Holle!Rings zuckende Leiber and grauser Tod,
Ein Aechzen, Rocheln und Stöhnen -
Die Flammen um unser Schiff
Wie feuriger Rosse Mähnen!Lebt wohl, Kameraden, lebt wohl, hurra!
Hinab in die gurgelnde Tiefe!
Wer hätte es gestern noch gedacht,
Dass er heut` schon da drunten schliefe!Kein Zeichen, kein Kreuz wird, wo wir ruh'n
Fern von der Heimat, melden -
Doch das Meer das rauschet auf ewig von uns,
Von Warjag und seinen Helden!
Discussion: 15 comments
This is a great song. To its melody - jubilant, bright, memorable - it was necessary to write the anthem of the new Russia! Wrong, not economically we use such a treasure. These are the songs that bring people together.
I am looking for translations of "Varyag" into other languages. Who can help?
Thanks in advance.
Vladimir
Even some 100 years ago, our enemies were present at least some manifestations of honor and respect for the enemy. What will happen after our children?
Thank you for the article! I read everything, very interesting. You are doing the right thing. To my shame, I must admit that I did not know anything about the author of the text! And I dedicated such a poem to the feat of the Varangian. Here is a link to it http://www.stihi.ru/2009/06/12/5729
Wow, wow, wow. Glory to our wars!
Rest, Lord, all the fallen defenders of the honor of the Navy and forgive them everything ... And grant them Your kingdom
The speech of the cruiser commander V. F. Rudnev before the battle: “Today I received a letter from the Japanese admiral about the start of hostilities with a proposal to leave the raid until noon. Of course, we are going for a breakthrough and will engage in battle with the squadron, no matter how strong it is. There can be no questions about surrender - we will not surrender the cruiser, nor ourselves, and we will fight to the last opportunity and to the last drop of blood. Fulfill your duties accurately, calmly, without haste, especially gunners, remembering that each projectile must harm the enemy. In the event of a fire, put it out quietly, letting me know. Let us pray to God before the campaign and with firm faith in the mercy of God, let us boldly go into battle for the faith, the Tsar and the fatherland. Hurrah! - St. Petersburg, 1907 - p.11-12]
At the end of the commander's speech, the ship's priest said a prayer "for the gift of victory." The music played the anthem, the team expressed their readiness to fight to the death.
After 15 minutes, 2 Russian ships went into battle against 14 Japanese, 726 Russian sailors - against 2,680 Japanese. The outcome of the battle was predetermined...
“Even at the very beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, the priest on the cruiser Varyag, Fr. Mikhail Rudnev. Exposing his life every minute during the fierce battle at Chemulpo, he fearlessly walked along the deck of the ship, covered in blood, littered with the wounded and maimed corpses of the dead, admonishing the dying, comforting the suffering and inspiring those who fought. He also helped in the most active way in caring for the wounded. [N. Petrov. "Heroes-priests. (Anniversary memories.)" // "Kherson Diocesan Gazette". otd. unofficial - No. 13-14 - Odessa - July 15, 1914 - p. 443] What is the courage of being under fire? According to the report of Dr. M. L. Banshchikov, published in the collection ["Sanitary Report on the Fleet for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905." - part 1 - Kronstadt., 1915 - p. 321] of the Varyag cruiser under armor protection, only 5 sailors were injured. But “out of 263 people who were on the upper deck and on the mars”, 125 sailors were injured - almost every second!
“Few people know that when the Russian sailors left the sinking cruiser Varyag, it was not the captain of the ship who left him last, but the ship's priest, who continued to stand on the bridge to the end with the cross raised up. Such facts were simply thrown out of our history by Soviet historians. ”[Archpriest Alexander Sychev. "The Army of Christ" // "Master Gun" - No. 54 - M., 2001 - p. 60]
The feat of the "Varangian" delighted the Japanese. At the end of the war, the Japanese government created a museum in memory of the heroes of the Varyag in Seoul and awarded V. F. Rudnev with the Order of the Rising Sun. The cruiser raised by the Japanese became a training ship, where groups of Japanese sailors came on excursions as an example of courage.
Yes, there is a lot to be proud of.
Blokhin Peter Pavlovich. I was not lucky enough to serve in the Navy, although it was the dream of my childhood and stupid youth. However, the history of the Russian Fleet, the exploits of Russian sailors, I remember forever. And the feat of the Russian sailors of the cruiser "Svetlana" (1905) is in no way inferior to the valor of the battleship "Evstafiy" from the squadron of Admiral Spiridov in the Battle of Chesma. The feat of the Baltic sailors during the evacuation of Tallinn is also a feat. It's easy to be a hero when you win. And to criticize those who, at the cost of their lives, only slightly brightened up the bitterness of defeat and everyone tried to forget about it, or even worse, hang all the dead dogs on them - this, guys, is foul. We have reached the point where we criticize our best commanders and naval commanders. Each fancies himself a strategist, seeing the battle from the outside. How humiliated even in official historiography is Rear Admiral Witgeft, who heroically died on the battleship Tsesarevich. If the Nazis had not turned General D. Karbyshev into an ice floe, I think no one would have remembered him, although in captivity he behaved like a HERO three times. Therefore, it seems to me savagery to look for mistakes, flaws and unseemly actions in our HEROES OF THE HOMELAND. This is a crime against GOD HOMELAND and its descendants. And therefore, I consider the controversy surrounding the actions of the commander of the "Varyag" VF Rudnev to be immoral and criminal.
How tenacious are stupid tales in Russia ... including about the feat of the armored cruiser of the 1st rank "Varyag" that never existed in reality, which has already been repeatedly exposed in the same Russian Empire immediately after the Russo-Japanese War ... and were exposed with revelations participants in this war.
For example, in 1906 in St. Petersburg, a book by E.I. Martynov "From the sad experience of the Russian-Japanese war" was published, in which he, in particular, spoke about the fake campaign organized in the country to honor the crews of the Varyag and the Korean "(I quote):" Displeasure among the officers became even stronger when it later became clear that in general in the indicated battle the crew of the "Varyag" did not accomplish any feat, and there were almost no losses on the "Korean". (end of citation).
But the Russian rabid lies are still alive and well - apparently to stupefy the younger generation of Russia.
You posted 5 huge texts here, but the comment format is not intended for this. Briefly state the essence of your objection and give a link to the published material.
It is difficult to summarize the essence of my five texts, because I have already reduced the topic to the minimum justified state. If you reduce it further, then cause-and-effect relationships will no longer be visible and the whole logic of events will fall apart. And then how can you prove that everything is not as summarized in your article "The heroic death of the Varyag cruiser and the Koreets gunboat in an unequal battle with the Japanese squadron"?
There are enough references to sources in my texts (if you read them) ... In particular, Russian reports, reports, acts and partly Japanese documents are given in the book of a great enthusiast of the Varyag cruiser V.I. Kataev ("Varyag cruiser", Publishers " Collection", "Yauza", "Eksmo", Moscow, 2008). Kataev wrote a whole trilogy on the theme of "Varangian" (gradually moving to more and more prosaic and unheroic conclusions, although he did not refuse to state the "feat"), and also published a separate monograph on the gunboat "Koreets" ... and even visited the scene of the event - the port of Incheon, to which the Chemulpo region adjoins, and passed along the fairway along which these Russian ships once went into battle.
In addition (from what is not given in my previous five texts), I can refer to journals that published Japanese documents and a description of Japanese actions at Chemulpo, as well as a version of the neutral side (although now I only have an American one on hand, but in Russian both French and English are published).
"Naval campaign", number 7 of 2007, article "Amphibious operation of the Japanese army and navy in Inchon on February 8-9, 1904 (part 1)". New information about the Russo-Japanese War: preparation of a landing operation in Chemulpo (Incheon).
"Naval campaign", number 10 of 2007, article "Amphibious operation of the Japanese army and navy in Inchon on February 8-9, 1904 (part 2)". The battle of Chemulpo: a view from the Japanese side.
"Naval War", number 2 of 2008, article "Events in Chemulpo. View from under the Stars and Stripes Flag." Handwritten diary, reports, received letters and telegrams from the commander of the American gunboat (station in Chemulpo) "Vicksburg" W. A. Marshall.
You again sent several huge texts. Give email. links to their publications on the Internet, so as not to overload the comments here.
I do not know the addresses on the Internet to the sources of information I named in the previous message (which analyze in detail the background, history and post-history of the battle at Chemulpo and the tactical and technical details of this battle), since all these sources are in my hands in the form of ordinary paper media - printed books and magazines with diagrams, tables and photographs.
However, an "extra hour" will be released, I'll look, although it's a very dreary business to delve into our domestic garbage dump, called Runet.
However, you yourself can compare, for example, photographs of the Russian cruiser "Varyag" well preserved after the battle and the German light cruiser "Emden" after an unequal battle in November 1914 - a pile of shapeless twisted metal. And all because "Varyag" simply imitated an attempt to break through "for the sake of form", and "Emden" fought for real ...
Andrey Ulybin ... But is it okay that Martynov, to whom you so carelessly refer, himself behaved in the RYA, to put it mildly, "inadequately"? At least, there were considerable complaints from colleagues towards him, and after the war, the subject simply decided to make a career out of criticism. As for the "Varyag", something can be presented to Rudnev only for a biased report on events and for the "sinking" of the cruiser, but not for the battle itself. However, in the RIF they sinned with such acts both before him and after, right?
Battle at Chemulpo
Opponents
Side force commanders
Side forces
The last battle of the cruiser "Varyag"- took place at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, near the city of Chemulpo in Korea between the Russian cruiser "Varyag", the gunboat "Koreets" under the overall command of Captain 1st Rank Vsevolod Rudnev and the Japanese squadron of Rear Admiral Sotokichi Uriu. During the battle, the Varyag received a number of damages and, together with the Koreyets, returned to the port, where the Russian ships were subsequently destroyed by their teams, who switched to neutral ships.
The position of forces before the battle
Chemulpo, view of the bay
coast map
Chemulpo (the obsolete name of the city of Incheon) is a strategically important port in Korea; warships of the leading world powers were constantly located here. The political situation in Korea was extremely unstable, and the military presence was a necessary condition for different states to defend their interests in the region. In preparation for the war with Russia, the Japanese command developed several options for attack plans. All of them assumed the capture of Korea, as a springboard for a further offensive. Under pressure from the ground forces, the Japanese landing was to take place in Chemulpo Bay, as the most convenient and closest harbor to Seoul.
Preparing for war
Japan in a future war relied on the surprise and speed of deployment of troops. Japanese troops were stationed in Korea both openly (security forces based on international agreements) and covertly, living under the guise of civilians. They prepared the infrastructure for the future landing operation in advance, built food warehouses, communication points and barracks, and unloaded coal, boxes and bales with various cargoes from transport ships arriving at the port. All this was done with the tacit consent of the Korean authorities, who believed that all these were peaceful concerns of local Japanese residents, of whom there were more than 4,500 people in Chemulpo.
| Cap. 1 p. Rudnev reported to Port Arthur about the arrangement by the Japanese of food warehouses in Chemulpo and Seoul. According to reports, the total amount of all Japanese provisions already reached 1,000,000 pounds, and 100 boxes of cartridges were delivered. At the same time, scows, tugboats and steam boats were openly delivered to Chemulpo by the Japanese, which, as the commander of the cr. "Varyag" clearly indicated extensive preparations for landing operations. Along the Seoul-Fuzan railway, the Japanese placed officer stages, connected by separate telegraph and telephone lines to a common telegraph line. All these preparations clearly pointed to the inevitable occupation of Korea by the Japanese. |
In January, Japan completed training on the formation of the landing corps, transport ships, landing craft and logistics. The Japanese fleet has trained the ships assigned to participate in the operation. That did not go unnoticed for Russia.
But no action was taken by the Russian command. The underestimation and neglect of intelligence data had a serious impact on the course of hostilities at the beginning of the war. On the contrary, in order not to provoke the Japanese, St. Petersburg forbade the command and commanders of the ships any manifestation of the initiative.
On February 7, ships carrying the Japanese Expeditionary Force lay adrift off the coast of Korea in Asanman Bay. Having received fresh intelligence, Rear Admiral Uriu adjusted the landing plans.
The incident with the "Korean"
On January 26, the gunboat Koreyets, having received the mail, weighed anchor, but at the exit from the raid she was blocked by the squadron of Rear Admiral S. Uriu, consisting of the armored cruisers Asama and Chiyoda, the cruisers Naniwa, Takachiho, Niitaka and Akashi, as well as three transports and four destroyers. The destroyers attacked the gunboat with two (according to another version, three) torpedoes, but unsuccessfully. Not having an order to open fire and not knowing about the start of hostilities, the commander of the "Korean" Captain 2nd Rank G.P. Belyaev ordered to turn back.
| Our detachment, like a giant snake, crawled along the fairway to Incheon, and when half of its body had already rounded Hachibito, the “Korean” appeared to meet us. We had to maintain a peaceful look until the end of the landing of troops, but when we saw the enemy, the thought flashed through everyone - “but shouldn’t we capture him here, next to the island, since nothing will be visible from Incheon?” But we continued to move, and a few minutes later a small skirmish ensued between the "Korean" and two of the four destroyers. Uriu, of course, was somewhat disturbed by this, but at the same time, being on the bridge and watching the skirmish, he remarked with feigned indifference: "I see no point in this." |
During the trial, Commander Takachiho denied a mine attack on the Russian boat, and the actions of the destroyers, according to him, were dictated by the protection of transports from the attack of the Korean. As a result, the incident was presented as a misunderstanding. All night the Japanese landed troops. And in the morning, Russian sailors learned that the war between Russia and Japan had begun.
Ultimatum
Rear Admiral Uriu sent messages to the commanders of the warships of neutral countries located in Chemulpo (the English cruiser Talbot, the French Pascal, the Italian Elba and the American gunboat Vicksburg) with a request to leave the raid in connection with possible actions against the Varyag and the Korean. After a meeting on the English cruiser, the station commanders agreed to leave the harbor if the Russian ships did not leave it.
| At the meeting of the commanders, various combinations were discussed, then, in a secret meeting from me, they decided: if I stay on the roadstead, they will leave, leaving me with the Korean and the Sungari steamer. Together with this, they decided to send a protest to the admiral against the attack on the raid. When asked by the commanders about my opinion, I replied that I would make an attempt to break through and accept the battle with the squadron, no matter how large it was, but I would never give up, and also fight on a neutral raid |
VF Rudnev, who was the commander of a detachment of Russian ships, decided to go to sea and try to break through to Port Arthur with a fight. The officers of "Varyag" and "Korean" at the military councils unanimously supported this proposal.
Characteristics of the parties involved
Takachiho with flags at half-staff on the occasion of the death of Empress Mother Eisho, 1897
"Varyag" in 1901
"Korean" before the last battle, the masts were cut down to make it more difficult for the enemy to aim
Japan
On the Japanese side, the armored cruisers Asama and Chiyoda, armored cruisers Naniwa, Takachiho, Niitaka, Akashi and three destroyers of the 14th detachment (Hayabusa, Chidori and Manazuru) took part in the battle. The detachment was heterogeneous, in the ranks were both veterans of the Sino-Japanese war with extensive experience in combat operations, and unfired newcomers.
IJN Asama
After that, the Russian cruiser, unexpectedly for the Japanese, dropped the course and began to circulate to the right, turning to the opposite course (according to Russian data, the turn began at 12:15 / 12:50, according to Japanese - 10 minutes earlier). According to Rudnev's report, one of the Japanese shells broke the communication pipe with the drives to the steering gear, but the examination of the Varyag after raising the traces of hits in the area of \u200b\u200bthe passage of the pipe and combat damage to the steering did not reveal. The turn of the cruiser was motivated by his commander's desire to temporarily get out of the enemy's sphere of fire, put out the fires and correct the steering.
| During the passage of the traverse of Iodolmi Island, one shell broke the pipe in which all the steering gears pass, and at the same time, fragments of another shell (exploded at the foremast), which flew into the passage at the conning tower, were shell-shocked in the head of the cruiser commander ... The control of the cruiser was immediately transferred to the manual steering wheel in the tiller compartment, since the steam pipe to the steering machine was also broken. With the thunder of shots, orders to the tiller compartment were hard to hear, cars had to be controlled, and the cruiser did not obey well, being, moreover, in a strong current. At 12 o'clock. 15 m., wanting to get out of the sphere of fire for a while to correct, if possible, the steering drive and extinguish the fires that arose in different places, they began to turn around with cars and, since the cruiser did not obey the helm well and, due to the proximity of the island of Iodolmi, reversed (the cruiser was put into disadvantageous position relative to the island at the time when the steering gear was broken with the left rudder put). The distance to the enemy decreased, his fire intensified and the hit increased; At about this time, a large-caliber projectile pierced the left side under water, water gushed into a huge hole, and the third stoker began to quickly fill with water, the level of which approached the fireboxes. The stoker quartermasters Zhigarev and Zhuravlev closed up the coal pits, which filled with water. |
According to Japanese data, in a short period from 12:05/12:40 to 12:06/12:41, the Varyag received a large number of hits - one 203-mm projectile between the bow bridge and the tube, and five to six 152-mm shells in the bow and central part of the ship. The last hit was recorded at 12:10/12:45 - a 203-mm shell exploded in the stern of the Russian cruiser.
|
A very fast current was observed in the battle area, which made it difficult to control the ship, and it was impossible to keep a constant course. |
Until 11:59/12:34, only Asama fired at the Varyag, then until 12:13/12:48, all Japanese cruisers fired at varying intensity. After that, Asama and Niitaka fired until the end of the battle. According to Rudnev’s report, during the circulation period, the Varyag experienced difficulties in managing, as a result of which, in order to prevent a collision with the island of Yodolmi (Pkhalmido), it was necessary to reverse for a short time, some sources claim that the Varyag still ran aground, but got off it in reverse.
At 12:13/12:48, the Varyag completed its circulation and, together with the Korean, moved back to the anchorage, pursued by the Japanese cruisers Asama and Niitaka. At 12:40/13:15, due to the approach of Russian ships to the anchorage, which, if the battle continued, created a threat to neutral ships, the Japanese cruisers ceased fire and retreated. Five minutes later, due to the increased distance to the enemy, the Russian ships also completed firing, and at 13:00/13:35 they anchored in their parking lots.
Results of the battle
The Japanese cruisers fought in three battle groups: Asama and Chiyoda, Naniwa and Niitaka, Takachiho and Akashi. The destroyers were located 500-600 m from the non-shooting Naniwa side and did not actually take part in the battle. The battle was complicated by the narrowness of the fairway, which made it difficult for the Japanese to simultaneously bring all the ships into battle, a strong current that made it difficult to maintain the course, as well as the periodic hit of the Varyag on target with Phalmido Island, which forced individual Japanese ships to temporarily cease fire. During the battle, Japanese ships actively maneuvered, while developing a speed of up to 18 knots. The battle was fought at a distance of 4800 to 8000 m.
Asama, Chiyoda and Niitaka took the most active part in the battle. The rest of the Japanese cruisers fired an insignificant number of shells.
| asama | Chiyoda | Niitaka | Naniwa | Takachiho | Akashi | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 203 mm | 27 | 27 | |||||
| 152 mm | 103 | 53 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 182 | |
| 120 mm | 71 | 71 | |||||
| 76 mm | 9 | 130 | 139 |
The consumption of shells in battle by Russian ships remains a subject of discussion. According to Rudnev's report, the Varyag fired 425 152-mm shells, 470 - 75-mm, 210 - 47-mm, that is, significantly more than all Japanese ships combined. However, the calculation of the shells remaining on it, made by the Japanese after the cruiser was lifted, does not confirm this information and gives significantly lower figures for the consumption of ammunition by the Varyag in battle. According to the calculation, the cruiser fired no more than 160 shells of 152 mm caliber and about 50 of 75 mm caliber. The consumption of shells by the "Korean", according to the report of his commander, was: 203 mm - 22, 152 mm - 27, 107 mm - 3.
During the battle on Japanese ships, shells hit the Varyag: 203 mm from Asama - 3, 152 mm - 6 or 7 (4-5 from Asama and one each from Naniwa and Takachiho). Chiyoda also reported one alleged hit on the Koreets, which caused a fire, which is not confirmed by Russian data.
In the Varyag logbook and Rudnev's reports, a number of hits were recorded, including one in the underwater part of the ship, which caused the flooding of some of the coal pits and a noticeable list of the ship to the port side. Two hits were noted in the stern of the cruiser, which caused fires, and in one case, artillery powder charges, the deck and the whaleboat burned, and in the second, officer cabins were destroyed and flour was set on fire in the provision department (this fire was never completely extinguished). Other hits destroyed the rangefinder station No. 2, damaged the main top and chimney No. 3, and knocked out a number of guns. The explosion of one of the shells, the fragments of which flew into the conning tower, shell-shocked the cruiser commander, killed and wounded several more people. An inspection after the battle revealed damage to five 152-mm, seven 75-mm and all 47-mm guns.
From the Varyag team, 1 officer and 22 lower ranks died directly during the battle (after the battle, 10 more people died within a few days). In a short battle, the cruiser lost about a quarter of the entire crew killed and wounded, the exact number of wounded remains debatable, since various figures appear in the sources. The cruiser's watch log indicates that one officer and 26 lower ranks were seriously wounded, "wounded less seriously" - the cruiser commander, two officers and 55 lower ranks, all the wounded are listed by name. Rudnev’s report to the head of the Naval Ministry indicated that one officer and 85 lower ranks were seriously and moderately injured, two officers and more than a hundred lower ranks received minor injuries, the report to the governor Rudnev gives other figures - one officer and 70 lower ranks were seriously injured, easily - two officers, as well as many lower ranks, received minor wounds from shell fragments. The official sanitary report on the results of the Russo-Japanese War gives a figure of 97 wounded, and finally, according to the historical journal HMS Talbot, a total of 68 wounded were taken to neutral ships (four officers and 64 lower ranks), several of whom subsequently died. The gunboat "Koreets" had no losses in the crew, and the damage was limited to one fragmentation hole in the ram compartment.
Scheme of damage to the "Varyag" (from the report of Rear Admiral Arai Yukan)
During the rise of the Varyag, the Japanese studied the cruiser and described in detail the damage found. In total, traces of 9 combat damages were found in the hull and superstructures (masts and pipes were dismantled during lifting), as well as one damage that occurred after the ship was sunk:
- A hole measuring 0.6 × 0.15 m on the front bridge on the starboard side and next to it are several small holes
- A hole measuring 3.96 × 1.21 m and next to it 10 small holes on the deck on the starboard side in the area of the forward bridge
- A hole measuring 0.75 × 0.6 m and next to it three small holes in the bulwark on the starboard side, between the first and second chimneys
- A hole measuring 1.97 × 1.01 m in the port side at the waterline (the lower edge of the hole went 0.8 m below the waterline), between the second and third chimneys
- An underwater hole measuring 1.99 × 0.15 m in the port side, behind the fourth chimney, resulting from the pushing of the side by stones after the ship was sunk
- 12 small holes in the central part of the upper deck, near the mainmast
- A hole measuring 0.72 × 0.6 m in the port side, 1.62 m above the waterline, under the 152-mm gun No. 10
- A very large (3.96 × 6.4 m in size) hole on the upper deck on the port side, in the area of 152-mm guns No. 11 and 12, there was also a big fire
- Six small holes on the starboard side at the aft end behind the 152 mm guns
- Hole measuring 0.75 × 0.67 m on the upper deck at the aft end
Taking into account the hits on the dismantled structures, A. Polutov comes to the conclusion that there were 11 hits on the Varyag. According to V. Kataev, damage No. 5 arose as a result of the cruiser landing on stones near Phalmido Island, and damages No. 8, 9 and 10 are not of a combat nature and are the result of a fire and an explosion of ammunition that occurred in Chemulpo on a ship abandoned after the evacuation of the team.
As a result of the survey of the ship by the Japanese, it was also found that 1⁄6 of the ship was damaged by fires, the deck in the stern was especially damaged. The power plant and mechanisms of the propeller-steering group did not have any combat damage and were in good condition. All 152-mm guns, as well as at least six 75-mm and two 47-mm Varyag guns, were recognized by the Japanese as fit for use after examination.
According to Russian sources (reports of Rudnev and Belyaev, logbooks of the ships), there was a hit in the stern bridge of Asama with a fire and the sinking of one of the destroyers. According to information received by Rudnev from various sources (including rumors), the cruiser Takachiho sank after the battle when crossing to Sasebo, the cruisers Asama and Naniwa were docked to repair damage, the Japanese brought 30 dead to the shore. However, Japanese historical and archival sources claim that there were no hits on the ships of the Japanese squadron, as well as any damage and losses. At present, the fate of the ships of the Japanese fleet is well known; in particular, the Takachiho cruiser was lost already during the First World War during the siege of Qingdao, the destroyers of the 9th and 14th detachments were excluded from the lists of the fleet in 1919-1923 and scrapped.
The shooting of Russian ships was assessed by Uriu as "erratic" and having "extremely low accuracy." The inefficiency of the firing of Russian ships is explained by the poor training of the gunners (for example, during training firing at the shield on December 16, 1903, out of 145 shells fired by the Varyag, only three hit the target), errors in determining the distance to enemy ships (including those associated with the failure in the battle of rangefinder stations), the destruction of the fire control system.
Destruction of Russian ships
The explosion of the gunboat "Korean"
"Varyag" after flooding, at low tide
After anchoring, the officers and crew of the Varyag proceeded to inspect the ship and repair the damage. At 13:35, Rudnev went to the Talbot, where he announced to his commander his intention to destroy the Varyag and transport the team to neutral ships. Having received Bailey's consent, Rudnev returned to the cruiser at 13:50 and informed the officers of his decision, who supported the commander at the general council (it should be noted that the decision of the officers was not unanimous, in particular, the senior officer of the Varyag V. Stepanov was not invited on advice, and Rudnev's order to leave the ship came as a complete surprise to him).
| I voted for a breakthrough from Chemulpo to the sea, and this opinion was supported by all the officers who were in the wheelhouse. Damage to the steering gear, apparently, forced to change the proposed plan, and the commander, I believe, to correct the damage, went to the raid in order to get out of the enemy’s sphere of fire. The captain of the 1st rank V. F. Rudnev, after the battle with the Japanese to anchor the cruiser in the Chemulpo roadstead, having informed all the damage received by the cruiser during the battle, went on a French boat with the commander of the Talbot cruiser, Captain Belly, as a senior on the roadstead. Upon returning from the cruiser Talbot, the commander made known his decision to sink the cruiser and transport people to foreign ships in the roadstead. Prior to the trip to the cruiser Talbot, the commander of the council did not collect and did not express a definite decision. I cannot say how and in what form Captain 1st Rank VF Rudnev announced the decision to the officers. I was not invited to the council. From the moment the cruiser left the enemy's sphere of fire, he was busy with orders for the manufacture of the ship for a new meeting with the enemy. I did not expect at all that we should leave our cruiser. |
Boats from foreign ships with doctors began to arrive at the Varyag, who began to transport first the wounded, and then the rest of the ship's crew, to the English, French and Italian cruisers. The commander of the American gunboat, having no instructions from the leadership, refused to accept Russian sailors, in connection with which Rudnev sent her boat with a doctor. By 15:50, the transportation of the cruiser's crew was completed, at the request of the commanders of foreign ships, who feared damage to their ships in the explosion (which took place according to Rudnev's report), it was decided to limit the flooding of the Varyag by opening valves and kingstons, while no measures were taken to to bring weapons and equipment of the cruiser into disrepair. The team took a minimum of things, the bodies of the dead were not evacuated and were left on the ship. At 18:10, the Varyag, having a continuing fire at the stern, capsized on the port side and lay down on the ground.
At 15:30, the commander of the "Korean" gathered the officers, informed them of Rudnev's decision and offered to discuss the fate of the gunboat. All officers, starting with the youngest, spoke about the senselessness of a new battle due to the overwhelming superiority of the enemy and the impossibility of inflicting any damage on him. In this regard, it was decided to blow up the "Korean" and bring the team to neutral ships. Due to the haste of the evacuation, the team did not take things, and secret documents were burned in the presence of a special commission. The last boat left the boat at 15:51, and at 16:05 the gunboat was blown up and sank. At the same time, the ship "Sungari" was set on fire, after a while it landed on the ground.
The fate of the teams
Officers and crews of Russian ships were placed on the French cruiser Pascal (216 people), the English cruiser Talbot (273 people) and the Italian cruiser Elba (176 people). Given the high overcrowding and the lack of conditions for caring for the wounded (of which 8 people soon died), it was decided to bring 24 seriously wounded ashore to the Japanese Red Cross hospital. At the same time, negotiations were underway through diplomatic channels on the status of Russian sailors, the Japanese agreed to return them to their homeland, provided they gave an obligation to no longer participate in the war, which required the highest permission.
On February 27, Nicholas II gave his consent to the conditions of the Japanese, but the export of the crews of Russian ships began earlier, under the obligations of foreign governments. On February 16, Pascal left for Shanghai and then for Saigon, where he landed Russian sailors. The English and Italian cruisers left for Hong Kong, where the teams of Russian ships on Talbot were transported via Colombo to Odessa (where they arrived on April 1), and sailors from Elba to Saigon. On April 23, sailors arrived in Sevastopol from Saigon via Crete and Odessa. After a solemn meeting in St. Petersburg, the ship teams were disbanded and distributed to different fleets, except for the Pacific (in accordance with an agreement with the Japanese on the non-participation of teams in hostilities).
The remains of the dead sailors were transferred to Vladivostok in 1911 and buried in a mass grave at the city's Marine Cemetery. Above the grave there is an obelisk made of gray granite.
"Varyag", raised by the Japanese from the bottom of the bay
The Japanese army was given the opportunity for strategic deployment in the north of the Korean Peninsula, and not in the south, as previously determined. The swift occupation of Seoul was important both militarily and politically. On February 12, the Russian envoy left Seoul, thereby losing the last opportunity for Russia to influence the policy of the Korean imperial court and government.
The landing of the 12th Division, dubbed the "Operation to Pacify Korea", in two weeks brought Japan what it had long and unsuccessfully sought in the course of diplomatic negotiations with Russia - complete control of Korea. On February 23, 1904, a Japanese-Korean agreement was signed in Seoul, which established a Japanese protectorate over Korea, which allowed Japan to operate freely throughout Korea during the war with Russia, use its ports, land communications, administrative, human and material resources.
In 1905, the Varyag was raised by the Japanese, repaired and commissioned on August 22 as a 2nd class cruiser IJN Soya (in honor of the Japanese name for the La Perouse Strait). For more than seven years it was used by the Japanese for training purposes. It is widely believed that, as a sign of respect for the Russian sailors, the Japanese left the old name of the ship on the stern. However, according to the testimony of the former sailor "Varyag" Snegirev, who served as a helmsman in World War I and met his former cruiser in a Japanese port, the Russian state emblem - a double-headed eagle - and the name "Varyag" were forced by the Japanese, since they were structurally embedded in the aft balcony . The Japanese hieroglyphs of the new name were fixed on the lattice of the balcony.
Assessment by contemporaries
The actions of the Japanese side in modern sources are assessed as competent and professional. They made it possible to fulfill all the assigned tasks - to ensure the landing of troops and neutralize Russian ships without incurring losses. It is noted that the victory was achieved by the Japanese primarily due to the overwhelming superiority in forces and features of the battle area, which deprived the Russian ships of freedom of maneuver. The decision to engage Russian ships in battle against vastly superior enemy forces is assessed as heroic, including by the Japanese side.
The reaction to the death of the Varyag was not unambiguous. Part of the naval officers did not approve of the actions of the Varyag commander, considering them illiterate both from a tactical point of view and from a technical one. At the same time, it is noted that the provisions of the "Naval Charter" did not leave Rudnev any other option than accepting a battle - surrendering the ship to the Japanese or sinking it without a fight would qualify as an official crime. According to a number of authors (in particular, V.D. Dotsenko, as well as Major General A.I. Sorokin), the commander of the Varyag made a number of serious mistakes:
- was not used to break through the night before the battle;
- going for a breakthrough, the "Varyag" tied himself to the slow-moving "Korean", not using his advantage in speed (this mistake was also noted by the naval historian and theorist V. A. Belli);
- after the battle, the Varyag was not blown up, but flooded in shallow water, which allowed the Japanese to raise it and put it into operation.
Rudnev's decision to return to Chemulpo instead of continuing the battle is criticized, as well as the inefficient use of artillery by Russian ships, as a result of which the Japanese ships did not suffer any damage.
Given the unsuccessful start of the war, the tsarist government decided to widely use the battle for propaganda purposes, which came as a surprise to some participants in the battle (according to the memoirs of the Varyag navigator E. Berens, returning to Russia, they believed that they would be put on trial).
Solemn meetings of the participants in the battle were arranged in Odessa, Sevastopol and St. Petersburg, and in the capital - with the participation of Emperor Nicholas II. Without exception, all participants in the battle were awarded - officers, as well as civilian ranks (including officials and doctors) of both ships received the Order of St. George of the 4th degree or other orders, the lower ranks received the insignia of the Military Order of the 4th degree. Two sailors received the insignia of the Military Order of the 3rd degree, since they already had the 4th degree award. Moreover, the officers of the "Korean" were even awarded twice - in addition to the Order of St. George, they also received regular orders with swords. All participants in the battle were awarded a specially established medal "For the battle of "Varangian" and "Korean"".
Such a massive awarding of high awards was an unprecedented event for the Russian fleet. Already in Soviet times, in 1954, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the battle, its surviving participants by that time were awarded medals "For Courage". It is noteworthy that for the first time doctors and mechanics were awarded the St. George Cross along with line officers. The unprecedented awarding of the highest military awards to all members of the crews of the ships was ambiguously received among the officers:
| The St. George Cross ... gives great official advantages and is appointed only for outstanding military exploits, moreover, by the verdict of a thought composed of cavaliers of this order ... However, they also managed to discredit the George Cross. At the very beginning of the war, under the first impression of the "feat" of the "Varyag" and "Korean", all the officers, doctors and mechanics who were on them were awarded, by special order of the Highest, in addition to the thought, St. George's crosses. Such a massive award, in connection with the unheard-of honors rendered by the crews of these ships in Russia, made a very unfavorable impression on the army. It was clear to everyone that if some determination was required from the ship's commander in order to meet the enemy's superior strength, then from the other ranks, one presence on the ship (maybe involuntary) in itself did not constitute merit worthy of being awarded the highest military order. . The dissatisfaction among the officers became even stronger when it later turned out that in general, in the indicated battle, the crew of the Varyag did not accomplish any feat, and there were almost no losses on the Koreyets ... |
Image in art
As a result of the patriotic upsurge caused by the feat of Russian sailors, several works were born: the march "Varangian", written by A. Reiderman, the song "Varangian goes to accomplish his glorious feat", written by Caesar Cui, "Heroic feat" by A. Taskin, the poem " Varyag" by the Riga amateur poet Yakov Repninsky (which was subsequently set to music by a student of Yuryev University, Fyodor Bogoroditsky, resulting in the song "Cold Waves Splash"). But the most popular was the song "Varangian".
The author of the poems was the Austrian writer and poet Rudolf Greinz, who wrote about the life and traditional way of Tyrol. Often he collaborated with the Munich magazine "Jugend" (Jugend), where he published his satirical notes on the topic of the day. On the pages of the 10th issue of the magazine "Jugend" dated February 25, 1904, the poem "Der "Warjag"" was published. The magazine strictly adhered to the anti-militarist and anti-imperial position, which, shared by Greinz, that along with the fact that the poem is placed next to humorous and satirical materials, without any introductory word, according to some historians, indicates that the poem was originally a pamphlet in verse - " The text, decorated with expressive adjectives, was quite naturalistic in order, perhaps, to show the absurdity of the act of those who went to real death for the sake of some abstract ideas.
The poem was translated into Russian by N. K. Melnikov and Evgenia Mikhailovna Studenskaya (nee Shershevskaya), who published her translation in the April 1904 New Journal of Foreign Literature, Art and Science. According to one version, on the wave of patriotism that swept over the entire Russian society, the musician and pupil of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment Alexei Sergeevich Turishchev wrote music for the translation of Studenskaya.
The song "Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy", having sounded for the first time at the imperial reception on the occasion of the awarding of sailors from the Varyag and the Koreyets, became especially beloved among naval employees, however, among the civilian population there were also many of her fans.
In 1946, the Soviet film studio Soyuzdetfilm filmed the feature film Cruiser Varyag, where the "made-up" cruiser Aurora, directed by Viktor Eisymont, was filmed as the Varyag.
Cruiser "Varyag". - 2nd ed., Revised. and additional . - L.: Shipbuilding, 1983. - 288 p.
February 9, 1904 - the day of the feat and the death of the cruiser "Varyag". This day became the starting point for Russia's plunge into a series of revolutions and wars. But in this century it also became the first day of unfading Russian military glory.
The cruiser Varyag entered service in 1902. In its class, it was the strongest and fastest ship in the world: with a displacement of 6500 tons, it had a speed of 23 knots (44 km / h), carried 36 guns, 24 of them large-caliber, and 6 torpedo tubes. The crew consisted of 18 officers and 535 sailors. The captain of the 1st rank Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev, a hereditary sailor, commanded the cruiser. By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, the Varyag was on a mission to protect the Russian embassy in Seoul.
On the night of February 8-9, 1904, a Japanese officer left the following entry in his diary: "We will not declare war in advance, as this is a completely incomprehensible, stupid European custom" (compare the Russian prince Svyatoslav, who lived a whole thousand years before this, before the war he sent messengers to his opponents with a brief message "I'm coming at you").
On the night of January 27 (old style), Rudnev was given an ultimatum from the Japanese Rear Admiral Uriu: "Varyag" and "Korean" must leave the port before noon, otherwise they will be attacked in the roadstead. The commanders of the French cruiser Pascal, the English Talbot, the Italian Elba, and the American gunboat Vicksburg, who were in Chemulpo, received a Japanese notification of the upcoming attack of his squadron on Russian ships the day before.
To the credit of the commanders of three foreign cruisers - the French "Pascal", the English "Talbot" and the Italian "Elba", they expressed a written protest to the commander of the Japanese squadron: "... since, on the basis of generally recognized provisions of international law, the port of Chemulpo is neutral, then no nation has no right to attack the ships of other nations in this port, and the power that transgresses this law is fully responsible for any harm done to life or property in this port. Therefore, by this letter, we protest vigorously against such a violation of neutrality and will be glad to hear What is your opinion on this subject?
Under this letter, there was only the signature of the commander of the American Vicksburg, Captain 2nd Rank Marshall. As you can see, the practice of remembering international law only depending on its own benefit has a long tradition among Americans.
Meanwhile, Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev announced an ultimatum to the crew with the words: “The challenge is more than impudent, but I accept it. I do not shy away from battle, although I do not have an official report from my government about the war. "Koreans" will fight to the last drop of blood, showing everyone an example of fearlessness in battle and contempt for death."
Midshipman Padalko answered for the whole team: "All of us, both the Varyag and the Korean, will defend our native St. Andrew's flag, its glory, honor and dignity, realizing that the whole world is watching us."
At 11:10 a.m. on the Russian ships a command was sounded: "All up, anchor off!" - and ten minutes later "Varyag" and "Korean" weighed anchor and set sail. With the slow passage of the English, French, Italian cruisers, the musicians of the Varyag sang the corresponding national anthems. In response, from the foreign ships, on the decks of which the teams lined up in front, the sounds of the Russian anthem rushed.
"We saluted these heroes who marched so proudly to certain death!" - later wrote the commander of the "Pascal" captain of the 1st rank Senes.
The excitement was indescribable, some of the sailors were crying. They had never seen a more sublime and tragic scene. On the bridge of the Varyag was its commander, leading the ship to the last parade.
There was no doubt about the outcome of this battle. The Japanese opposed the Russian armored cruiser and the obsolete gunboat with six armored cruisers and eight destroyers. Against the Russians, two 203-mm, thirteen 152-mm guns and seven torpedo tubes were preparing to fire four 203-mm, thirty-eight 152-mm guns and forty-three torpedo tubes. The superiority was more than triple, despite the fact that the "Varyag" had no side armor at all and even armored shields on the guns.
When the enemy ships saw each other on the high seas, the Japanese issued a signal to "surrender at the mercy of the winner", hoping that the Russian cruiser, in the face of their overwhelming superiority, would surrender without a fight and become the first trophy in this war. In response, the commander of the "Varyag" gave the order to raise the battle flags. At 11:45 a.m. the first shot was fired from the Asama cruiser, followed by 200 shells fired by the Japanese guns in just one minute - about seven tons of deadly metal. The Japanese squadron concentrated all fire on the Varyag, at first ignoring the Korean. Broken boats burned on the Varyag, the water around it boiled from explosions, the remains of the ship's superstructures fell on the deck with a roar, burying Russian sailors under them. One after another, the wrecked guns fell silent, around which the dead lay. Japanese buckshot rained down, the deck of the Varyag turned into a vegetable grater. But, despite the heavy fire and huge destruction, the Varyag still fired aimed at the Japanese ships from the remaining guns. The "Korean" did not lag behind him either.
Even the wounded did not leave their combat posts. The roar was such that the sailors in the literal sense of the word burst eardrums. Commander's namesake, ship's priest Fr. Mikhail Rudnev, despite the constant threat of death, walked along the blood-drenched deck of the Varyag and inspired the officers and sailors.
"Varangian" concentrated fire on "Asama". Within an hour, he fired 1105 shells at the Japanese, as a result of which a fire started on the Asama, the captain's bridge collapsed and the ship's commander was killed. The cruiser "Akashi" received such heavy damage that its subsequent repair lasted more than a year. Two other cruisers received no less severe damage. One of the destroyers sank during the battle, and the other on the way to the port of Sasebo. In total, the Japanese brought ashore 30 dead and 200 wounded, not counting those who died with their ships. The enemy could neither sink nor capture the Russian ships - when the forces of the Russian sailors were running out, Rudnev decided to return to the port in order to save the surviving sailors.
It was a victory for the Russian fleet. The moral superiority of the Russians over any enemy force was proved at a terrible price - but this price was paid easily.
When the mutilated Russian ships reached the port, the captain of the French cruiser Senes climbed onto the deck of the Varyag: "I will never forget the amazing sight that presented itself to me. The deck is covered in blood, corpses and body parts are everywhere. Nothing has escaped destruction."
Of the 36 guns, only 7 remained more or less intact. Four huge holes were found in the hull. Of the crew on the upper deck, 33 sailors were killed and 120 were injured. Captain Rudnev was severely wounded in the head. In order to prevent the capture of unarmed ships by the Japanese, it was decided to blow up the gunboat "Koreets", and kingstones were opened on the "Varyag".
The surviving Russian heroes were placed on foreign ships. The English "Talbot" took on board 242 people, the Italian ship took 179 Russian sailors, the rest was placed on board the French "Pascal".
Admired by the valor of the Russians, the German Rudolf Greinz composed a poem, to the words of which (in the translation of E. Studenskaya) the musician of the 12th Astrakhan Grenadier Regiment A.S. - "Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy.
On April 29, 1904, in the Winter Palace, Nicholas II honored the sailors of the Varyag. On this day, for the first time, a song sounded more like a hymn:
Upstairs, you, comrades, are with God, hurray!
The last parade is coming.
Our proud Varyag does not surrender to the enemy
Nobody wants mercy!
All pennants curl and chains rattle,
Lifting the anchor up
Prepare for battle guns in a row,
Shining ominously in the sun!
It whistles and rumbles and rumbles all around.
The thunder of cannons, the hiss of shells,
And our immortal and proud "Varangian" became
It's like pure hell.
Bodies tremble in death throes,
The thunder of guns, and smoke, and moaning,
And the ship is engulfed in a sea of fire,
It's time to say goodbye.
Farewell, comrades! With God, cheers!
The boiling sea below us!
Didn't think, brothers, we are with you yesterday,
That now we will die under the waves.
Neither stone nor cross will tell where they lay down
To the glory of the Russian flag,
Only sea waves will glorify alone
Heroic death "Varyag"!
After some time, the Japanese raised the Varyag, repaired it and introduced it into their fleet under the name Soya. On March 22, 1916, the ship was redeemed by the Russian Tsar and enlisted in the Baltic Fleet under the former name - "Varyag".
A year later, the worn-out cruiser was sent for repairs to allied England. The Russian fleet was waiting for the return of the glorious cruiser to participate in the war with Germany, but the October coup happened, and the British military authorities disarmed the Varyag and sent the crew home, and the ship itself was sold in 1918 to a private entrepreneur. When they tried to tow the Varyag to the place of the future parking, near the city of Lendalfoot, a storm broke out, and the cruiser was thrown onto the rocks. In 1925, the British dismantled the remains of the Varyag for metal. Thus ended the existence of the most famous cruiser of the Russian fleet.
Captain Rudnev died in Tula in 1913. In 1956, a monument was erected to him in his small homeland. Monuments to the heroes of the "Varyag" were erected in the port of Chemulpo and at the Marine Cemetery in Vladivostok.
Glory to Russian heroes! Eternal memory to them!
More than 300 years ago, by decree of Peter the Great, the St. Andrew's flag was raised on Russian ships for the first time. Since then, many heroic pages have been inscribed in the history of the fleet, but cruiser « Varangian"Refused to lower the banner in front of a huge enemy squadron in 1904, he forever remained in the memory of people as the most striking symbol of fearlessness, self-sacrifice and military prowess.
the history of the cruiser "Varyag"
And the history of this ship began more than 100 years ago in 1898 in the American city of Philadelphia. Light armored deck cruiser « Varangian”was built in the USA by order of the Russian Naval Ministry. The shipyard of the company " American Company William Cramp & Sons in Philadelphia on the Delaware River. The parties signed the contract on April 11, 1898. The choice of this shipbuilding company was not accidental. The plant was well known in Russia. Here they repaired and converted cruisers for the Russian fleet bought in America. In addition, the company promised to hand over ship after 20 months. This was much faster than the pace of building ships at Russian state-owned factories. For example, at the Baltic Shipyard, according to a finished project, it took about 7 years to build.
authentic photos of the cruiser "Varyag"
cruiser "Varyag" in the dock of Philadelphia
"Varyag" in Philadelphia before leaving for Russia
Algiers raid, September 1901
cruiser Varyag, 1916
However, all weapons Varangian was made in Russia. Guns at the Obukhov Plant, torpedo tubes at the Metal Plant in St. Petersburg. The Izhevsk plant manufactured equipment for the galley, the anchors were ordered in England.
On October 19, 1899, after lighting and a prayer service, it was solemnly launched into the water. " Varangian” amazed contemporaries not only with the beauty of forms and the perfection of proportions, but also with the many technical innovations used in its construction. Compared to the ships built earlier, she had significantly more devices powered by electricity, boat winches, windlasses, elevators for feeding shells and even the dough mixers in the ship's bakery were equipped with electric drives. For the first time in the history of shipbuilding, all furniture cruisers « Varangian” was made of metal and painted under a tree. This increased the survivability of the ship in battle and during a fire. Cruiser « Varangian” became the first Russian ship on which telephone sets were installed in almost all office premises, including gun posts.
One of the weak points cruisers there were new steam boilers" Nickolas"They allowed to develop high speed sometimes up to 24 knots, but were extremely unreliable in operation. Due to some shortcomings found, when accepting the ship, " Varangian”was commissioned at the beginning of 1901. During the construction of the cruiser, 6,500 people worked at the shipyard. Simultaneously with the construction Varangian» The Russian leadership ordered the construction armadillo « Retvizan» for the Russian Pacific squadron. It was built on a nearby slipway.
St. Andrew's flag and pennant were raised to cruiser « Varangian»January 2, 1901. In March of that year, the ship left Philadelphia forever. On the morning of May 3, 1901 Varangian"anchored on the Great Kronstadt roadstead. Two weeks later, a review was held, which was attended by Emperor Nicholas II himself. Ship the king liked it so much that the same one was included in the composition heading to Europe. After official visits to Germany, Denmark and France cruiser « Varangian"Departed to the place of permanent deployment in the Far East. On February 25, 1902, the warship arrived at Port Arthur. Before cruiser « Varangian” managed to visit the Persian Gulf, Singapore, Hong Kong and Nagasaki. Everywhere the appearance of a new spectacular Russian ship made a huge impression.
Port Arthur on the map
Japan, dissatisfied with the strengthening of Russian influence in the Far East, was feverishly preparing for a war with Russia. At the English shipyards, her fleet was practically rebuilt. The army was increased by 2.5 times. The most advanced developments of the type of weapons were taken for equipment. The Land of the Rising Sun, like Russia, considered the Far East a zone of its vital interests. The result of the coming war, according to the Japanese, was to be the expulsion of Russians from China and Korea, the rejection of Sakhalin Island and the establishment of Japan's dominance in the Pacific Ocean. Clouds were gathering over Port Arthur.
heroic battle of the cruiser "Varyag"
December 27, 1903 commander cruisers « Varangian» Vsevolod Fedorovich Rudnev received an order from the Russian viceroy to enter the Korean international port of Chemulpo (the current port of Inchhon, South Korea). According to the plan of the command, the cruiser was supposed to establish a reliable connection between Port Arthur and our envoy in Seoul, as well as designate the Russian military presence in Korea. It was forbidden to leave the port of Chemulpo without an order from the senior command. Due to the difficult fairway and shallow water " Varangian"anchored in the outer roadstead. A few days later he was joined by " Korean". It soon became clear that the Japanese were preparing for a major landing operation. On January 25, the commander of the cruiser, V. F. Rudnev, personally went to the Russian ambassador to pick him up and go home along with the entire mission. But Ambassador Pavlov did not dare to leave the embassy without an order from his department. A day later, the port was blocked by the armada of the Japanese squadron, which consisted of 14 ships. The flagship was the armored cruiser « Osama».
January 27 Commander cruisers « Varangian"Received an ultimatum from Admiral Urio. The Japanese commander offered to leave the port and surrender to the mercy of the victors, otherwise he threatened to attack Russian ships right in the roadstead. Upon learning of this, the ships of foreign states sent a protest - to go into battle in a neutral roadstead, at the same time they refused to accompany the Russians to the sea, where they would have more opportunities to maneuver and repel an attack.
On the cruiser « Varangian"and a gunboat" Korean began to prepare for battle. By tradition, all sailors and officers changed into clean shirts. At 10:45 VF Rudnev addressed the crew with a speech. The ship's priest blessed the sailors before the battle.
At 11:20 cruiser « Varangian"and a gunboat" Korean"were anchored and went towards the Japanese squadron. As a sign of admiration for the sailors, the French, British, Italians lined up the teams of their ships on the decks. On the " Varangian» The orchestra played the anthems of the states, in response, the anthem of the Russian Empire sounded on the Italian ship. When Russian ships appeared on the raid, the Japanese raised a signal offering to surrender, the commander cruisers ordered not to respond to enemy signals. For several minutes Admiral Uriot waited in vain for an answer. At first, he could not believe that the Russians were not going to surrender, but to attack his squadron. At 11:45 the flagship Osama"opened fire on the cruiser" Varangian". One of the first shells hit the upper bow bridge and destroyed the rangefinder station, the navigational warhead was killed. Two minutes later Varangian"opened strong return fire from the starboard side.
It was especially difficult for the gunners who were on the upper deck. The Japanese first used a new tactic in this battle - they literally fell asleep cruiser « Varangian» high-explosive projectiles of strong explosive action, even when hitting the water, such a projectile shattered into hundreds of pieces.
The Russian Navy used powerful armor-piercing shells. They pierced the sides of enemy ships without exploding.
paintings with the cruiser "Varyag"
Battle of the cruiser "Varyag"
There was blood and gore everywhere, charred arms and legs, torn bodies and exposed flesh. The wounded refused to leave their places, only those who could no longer stand on their feet got into the infirmary. The upper deck was pierced in several places, all fans and grilles cruisers turned into a sieve. When the next explosion tore off the stern flag, the boatswain raised a new one, risking his life. At 12:15 Rudnev decided to bring the left side gun into battle. When ship began to unfold, two large shells hit him at the same time. The first hit the room where all the steering gears were located, fragments of the second flew into the conning tower, three people standing next to Rudnev were killed on the spot. Commander himself cruisers « Varangian"He was wounded in the head, but, despite the concussion, he remained at his post and continued to lead the battle. When the distance between the opponents was reduced to 5 km, the gunboat " Korean».
It is curious that not a single Japanese shell hit her. The day before, the commander ordered the masts to be shortened, which prevented the Japanese from accurately determining the distance and adjusting their fire.
At 12:25 " Varangian opened fire from the port side. A direct hit destroyed the stern bridge of the Osama, after which a strong fire broke out on the flagship. By this time, the second Japanese cruiser " Takatiha”, having received serious damage, was forced to withdraw from the battle. One of the destroyers sank. At 12:30, two shells pierced the side of the cruiser " Varangian" under water. Cruiser began to roll to the left side. While the team was battening up the holes, Rudnev decided to return to the port of Chemulpo. On the raid, he planned to repair the damage and put out the fires, then to return to the battle again.
At 12:45, as they approached the raid, the general fire ceased. During the battle Varangian" managed to fire 1105 shells at the enemy. At 13:15 wounded and smoking " Varangian"I anchored in the roadstead. According to eyewitnesses, the entire deck was covered in blood. 130 wounded sailors lay in the burnt rooms of the cruiser. 22 people were killed during the battle. Of the 12 six-inch guns, only two remained operational. Further resistance was not possible. And then the military council of the cruiser decided that the ships would not go to the Japanese to flood, and the crew, by agreement, should be placed on foreign ships. Having received Rudnev's appeal, the commanders of the European ships immediately sent boats with orderlies. Several sailors died during the evacuation. Most of all - 352 people - took French cruiser « Pascal”, The British took 235 people, the Italians - 178. At 15:30 on“ Varangian» opened the kingstones and flood valves, « Korean"was blown up.
February 9, 1904 at 18:10 light armored cruiser « Varangian"lay down on the port side and disappeared under the water.
Not a single officer or sailor was taken prisoner after the battle. Respecting the courage shown in that battle, Admiral Urio agreed to let them through the war zone to return to their homeland.
Two months later with the sailors Varangian" and " Korean"Arrived in Odessa. The heroes of Chemulpo were greeted by the thunder of orchestras, by thousands of demonstrations. The sailors were showered with flowers and an unprecedented outburst of patriotic feelings. All participants in the battle were awarded St. George's crosses. Each sailor received a nominal watch from the emperor. Then the first songs dedicated to the cruiser appeared " Varangian"and a gunboat" Korean».
the second life of the cruiser "Varyag"
after battle
after getting up in August 1905
Japanese cruiser "SOYA" ("Varangian")
However, on this history of the legendary cruiser didn't end. Shortly after the battle, it became clear that " Varangian sank not deep. During low tides, the water level in Chemulpo Bay dropped to 9 meters. Upon learning of this, the Japanese began work on raising the cruiser " Varangian". A month later, divers and special equipment were delivered to Chemulpo from Japan. Guns, masts and pipes were removed from the cruiser, coal was unloaded, but all attempts to raise it in 1904 ended in failure. Only on August 8, 1905, after the creation of special caissons, it was possible to tear off cruiser from the muddy bottom. In November 1905 Varangian reached Japan on its own. Almost two years cruiser « Varangian"was in the city of Yokosuka on a major overhaul. Work on its rise and restoration cost the Japanese treasury 1 million yen. In 1907, he was commissioned into the Japanese navy under the title " Soya". At the stern, as a sign of respect for the enemy, an inscription of the former name of the cruiser was left. For nine years cruiser was a training ship for a cadet school. It taught how to defend the honor of their homeland.
