The Russo-Japanese War is one of the blackest pages in the Russian fleet. Perhaps that is why it still attracts the attention of military historians and just people interested in the military history of Russia. Yes, it included not only victories and the almost complete defeat of the Russian Pacific and Baltic fleets by the Japanese Imperial Navy is a clear confirmation of this. This topic is interesting because never before has the Russian Imperial Navy been so modern, huge, strong and powerful. On the paper. After the events of that war, the Russian navy revived such ocean power only once - in the 70-80s of the XX century. So why did it happen? Why did the very modest Japanese fleet manage to utterly defeat its superior Russian fleet without significant losses. Although “on paper” it should have turned out exactly the opposite? These questions will be considered in this article. The reader is waiting for a lot of bare figures and facts. Without any fairy tales about "obsolete and weak armadillos", "short firing range", "large armored area of Japanese ships" and other, other, other beautiful fairy tales. That allegedly did not allow such "geniuses of naval thought" as Z.P. Rozhestvensky and V.K. Vitgeft to defeat the Japanese fleet under the command of Admiral Togo. Who was to blame for this - the technique or the people who were entrusted with this technique? The military in their failures always primarily blame the useless, in their opinion, military equipment. The people who created this technique, on the contrary, indicate the unprofessionalism and unsuitability of the military. So it has always been, and so it will continue to be. Let's analyze all this with dispassionate mathematical precision.
Fleet compositions
Before moving on to listing the military equipment that was at the disposal of the Russian and Japanese admirals, I consider it necessary to explain to the reader the general quality level of the fleets and classes of warships of that period. In an era when artillery was the god of war, all types of naval weapons systems could be counted on the fingers:
- Classic artillery pieces various calibers and purposes. At that time, they had already reached a completely mature level of development and, in their design, did not differ much from modern artillery systems, although they had less power.
- torpedoes. At that time, this type of weapon was just beginning to develop. Torpedoes of that period were much inferior to modern ones in terms of launch range and damaging effect.
- Mines. At that time, this type of sea was already a fully developed and effective means of combating enemy ships.
- Aviation. It was in its infancy at that time. Actually, aviation, then it can be called a stretch, because. it was just balloons, which were used only for reconnaissance and artillery fire adjustment at long distances.
In accordance with this, the classes of warships were distributed:
1. The main striking force of the fleet of that period were battleships. In the course of their evolution, battleships had many different subclasses: battery battleship, barbette battleship, tower battleship, I-class battleship, II-class battleship, coastal defense battleship, squadron battleship (aka predreadnought), dreadnought, superdreadnought and finally, battleship. All of them were the most armed and protected ships of their time. During the described period, squadron battleships, II-class battleships and coastal defense battleships were in service. These ships had a displacement of 4,000 tons to 16,000 tons, carried heavy armor and powerful universal artillery and mine-torpedo armament. At the same time, they could develop a speed of 14-18 knots. The more modern ships of this class were in the fleet, the more formidable the fleet was.
2. Same to the main striking force of the fleet can be attributed armored cruisers. Ships with a displacement of about 8000-10000 tons, also having good protection, albeit not as powerful as those of battleships. Artillery armament was also weaker, but such ships could reach speeds of 18-22 knots. The presence of armored cruisers in the squadron expanded its operational capabilities. It was on battleships and armored cruisers that the main task of fighting enemy warships and supporting troops in coastal operations lay down.
3. Auxiliary tasks for reconnaissance, patrol, interception, and the fight against small enemy ships and its amphibious transport fleet fell on armored cruisers of the 1st and 2nd ranks. These ships with a displacement of 4000-6000 tons had light armor and artillery armament from medium and small caliber guns. But they could develop a speed of 20-25 knots and had a long cruising range. For example, the famous 1st rank cruiser Aurora gives a good idea of this type of warship.
4. For night torpedo attacks, the final finishing off of damaged enemy ships and the feasible performance of part of the functions of armored cruisers, the fleets had destroyers, Further destroyers, basic destroyers(destroyers), further torpedo boats and submarines. Destroyers are small ships that did not carry even a shadow of armor. They were armed with one or two torpedo tubes and several small cannons. They reached speeds of 25-30 knots and could operate together with squadrons in the near sea zone. Torpedo boats and submarines of that period, due to their imperfection, were the weapons of the near coastal zone.
The cruiser of the 1st rank "Aurora" took a direct part in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The ship, 123 meters long, is still in good technical condition, although it is no longer on the move.
5. Also in the fleets of that time could be balloon carriers, minelayers and transport ships. Aerostat carriers - the predecessors of aircraft carriers - were designed to host reconnaissance balloons and were equipped with hangars for their storage. Minelayers were used for setting mines. The artillery armament of these ships consisted of several small cannons. Transport ships were used to transport troops, weapons, or other supplies. They could have several small guns or not have any weapons at all. Their sizes could vary widely.
After a brief digression into the characteristics of warships during the Russo-Japanese War, let's move on to comparing the forces of both sides.
Russian Imperial Navy (RIF). Despite all the vacillation and bureaucracy, by the beginning of the war with Japan, he was a formidable force. Since there is no way to list the entire combat strength with all auxiliary ships and support vessels in the format of this article, we will dwell in detail only on the main striking force of the fleet:
Table 1
Alexander-II | ||
Nicholas-I | Squadron battleship. Old. Baltic Fleet. |
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Navarin | Squadron battleship. Old. Baltic Fleet. |
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Sisoy the Great | ||
Sevastopol | ||
Poltava | Squadron battleship. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Petropavlovsk | Squadron battleship. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Admiral Ushakov | ||
Admiral Sevyanin | Coastal defense battleship. New. Baltic Fleet. |
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Admiral Apraksin | Coastal defense battleship. New. Baltic Fleet. |
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Table 1Oslyabya | Squadron battleship. New. Baltic Fleet. |
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Peresvet | Squadron battleship. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Victory | Squadron battleship. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Retvizan | ||
Tsesarevich | Squadron battleship. Newest. Pacific Fleet. |
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Prince Suvorov | ||
Alexander-III | Squadron battleship. Newest. Baltic Fleet. |
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Borodino | Squadron battleship. Newest. Baltic Fleet. |
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Eagle | Squadron battleship. Newest. Baltic Fleet. |
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Russia | Aerostat carrier. Newest. Baltic Fleet. |
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Ekaterina-II | ||
Sinop | Squadron battleship. Old. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Chesma | Squadron battleship. Old. Black Sea Fleet. |
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George the Victorious | Squadron battleship. Old. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Twelve Apostles | Battleship II-class. Old. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Three Saints | Squadron battleship. New. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Rostislav | Battleship II-class. New. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Prince Potemkin-Tauride | ||
Panteleimon | Squadron battleship. Newest. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Admiral Nakhimov | Armored cruiser. Old. Baltic Fleet. |
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Rurik | Armored cruiser. Old. Pacific Fleet. |
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Memory of Azov | Armored cruiser. Old. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Russia | ||
Thunderbolt | Armored cruiser. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Accordion | Armored cruiser. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Pallas | Armored cruiser. New. Pacific Fleet. |
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Admiral Makarov | Armored cruiser. New. Black Sea Fleet. |
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Peter the Great | Artillery training ship. Old battleship of the 1st class. Baltic Fleet. |
The main strike power of the Russian fleet consisted precisely in these 38 ships. In total they had 88 guns caliber 305mm, 26 guns caliber 254mm, 8 - 229mm and 28 caliber 203mm. Smaller caliber guns already then belonged to medium-caliber artillery, although they retained important combat significance at that stage in the development of science and technology. In addition to these ships, the fleet included a large number of powerful cruisers of the 1st and 2nd ranks, both the latest and the oldest, many destroyers, minelayers, gunboats, transports, four multi-purpose submarines "Dolphin", "Trout", "Sturgeon" and "Catfish" and other ships. Subsequently, submarines (submarines) became one of the main classes of warships in the fleet.
The squadron battleship "Tsesarevich" is one of the most powerful battleships of its time. Its power is felt literally in its appearance - even today it looks quite modern. The ship was built according to the latest technology and had all the features of a modern battleship of the 2nd World War: a high board of an optimal, seaworthy form, advanced tower-like superstructures for placing observation posts and FCS elements at the maximum possible height. Modern artillery in twin turret gun mounts was located high, was fully mechanized and had large pointing angles. Very complex, multi-row differential armor was very powerful. The ship saw far along the horizon and could operate effectively and conduct aimed fire in any weather. Displacement of this floating tank: 13105 tons. The enemy was waiting for 68 guns of various calibers, 4 torpedo tubes, 20 mines of obstacles and 4 7.62mm machine guns "Maxim". All the weapons that were then in the Russian fleet - everything was installed on it. The OMS of this ship was also first-class.
The total total number of warships of all classes and ages in service with the Russian fleet by the time the war with Japan began is difficult to estimate, but according to rough estimates, it was about ~ 300 ships of various classes. To destroy such a large armored force, even today, it would require the involvement of very serious naval missile-carrying and aviation forces. Any of those battleships is not a cardboard-plastic Sheffield for you, and it will not burn and sink after being hit by a single Exocet anti-ship missile. It would also not be a strong exaggeration to say that that fleet was more powerful than, say, the Patriotic Navy of the USSR on the eve of the Great Patriotic War10. For a predominantly agrarian country, such as Tsarist Russia, to create such a large ocean-going fleet was a real achievement. The flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet was the newest squadron battleship Tsesarevich. The strike core of the Baltic Fleet were battleships of the Borodino type in the amount of four units. Already during the war, the fleet was replenished with the fifth battleship of this type, Glory.
Oryol is one of the ships of the Borodino series. It was an improved model of the "Tsesarevich". The outlines of its hull are somewhat reminiscent of the hulls of today's URO frigates built using the Stealth technology. It differed from the prototype in a new hull 121 meters long, improved armor, an improved design of a number of components and assemblies, and a slightly modified composition of auxiliary weapons. Displacement: 13516 tons. Like the prototype at the time of construction, it was considered one of the most powerful and advanced warships of its time.
Japanese Imperial Navy(IJN). After the defeat of the Chinese fleet at the Battle of Yalu, the Japanese fleet began to rapidly build up its combat potential. In building its fleet, Japan relied on British assistance. The resources of the Japanese economy were enough to create a grouping of six squadron battleships and six armored cruisers with similar characteristics. In addition, they had two more old battleships of the 1st class: Chin-Yen and Fuso, of which Chin-Yen was captured from the Chinese. Since the number of attack warships was small, some of the large-caliber guns were placed on light armored cruisers of the Matsushima and Takasago types, which were poorly suited for this purpose. The list of warships of the Japanese fleet that carried more or less large calibers on board is as follows:
table 2
Mikasa | Squadron battleship. Newest. Japanese fleet. |
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Shikishima | ||
Asahi | Squadron battleship. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Hatsuse | Squadron battleship. New. Japanese fleet. |
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fuji | Squadron battleship. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Yashima | Squadron battleship. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Chin Yen | Battleship I-th class. Old. Japanese fleet. |
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Fuso | Casemate battleship. Old. Japanese fleet. |
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asama | ||
Tokiwa | Armored cruiser. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Azuma | Armored cruiser. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Yakumo | Armored cruiser. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Izumo | Armored cruiser. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Iwate | Armored cruiser. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Matsushima | ||
Itsukushima | Cruiser of the 1st rank. Old. Japanese fleet. |
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Hasidate | Cruiser of the 1st rank. Old. Japanese fleet. |
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Takasago | ||
Chitose | Cruiser of the 1st rank. New. Japanese fleet. |
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Kasagi | Cruiser of the 1st rank. New. Japanese fleet. |
Thus, the power of the Russian fleet, the Japanese fleet, together with light cruisers, absolutely unsuitable for confronting battleships, could oppose: 3 guns caliber 320mm, 28 guns caliber 305mm, 4 - 240mm guns and 30 - 203mm guns. A simple mathematical calculation shows that in terms of heavy weapons, the potential of the Japanese fleet was at least three times inferior to the Russian one. Of the 20 ships, no more than 12, that is, 60%, could be considered modern and truly suitable for a general battle. The characteristics of the rest did not leave them any decent chances of surviving under fire even from the old Russian squadron battleships. Of the 38 Russian attack ships, 35, that is, 92%, could be considered to one degree or another suitable for a general battle. The flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy was the battleship Mikasa.
Squadron battleship "Mikasa". Its design was traditional for ships of this class of that period. Structurally, he repeated the British models: low side, low superstructures, mostly citadel armor, tower gun mounts only of the main caliber. Relatively low-power medium-caliber guns were located in side casemates low above the water. The ship has been more optimized for flat water combat rather than movement. At the same time, the large size of its body made all its characteristics very decent. Its displacement is 15352 tons. The closest analogue to this ship in the Russian Navy is the squadron battleship Retvizan.
The entire Japanese fleet consisted of about 100 warships of various classes, but unlike the Russian fleet, all these 100 ships were focused like a fist on one theater of operations. Of the ~ 300 warships of the Russian fleet, about 100 took a direct part in the war with Japan, that is, about 30%. Already during the war, the Japanese fleet was replenished with two Italian-built armored cruisers: Nissin and Kassuga.
Results: Without delving at this stage into all the nuances of manning ships, their maintenance and repair, combat training of personnel, the choice of commanders and assessing their professional suitability, but simply noting succinctly that "at some stage something went wrong" , we can say that all this gigantic armored power of the Russian fleet was lost in the most mediocre way. Moreover, without any serious damage to the enemy. Data on the losses of the Japanese fleet are given in table 3. They cause only a bitter smile.
Table 3
Losses of the Japanese fleet in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905. Battleships (EBR) Light cruisersI-rank (KRL) Light cruisersII-rank (KRL) Gunboats (CL) Destroyers (EM) Troop transports (TR) Torpedo boats (TK) |
Total 24 combat and support ships. Of these, 13 ships (54%) were sunk by mines, 6 ships (25%) by artillery, 0 ships (0%) by torpedoes, 1 ship by the combined action of artillery and torpedoes (<1%) и от навигационных происшествий потери составили 4 корабля (17%). Затоплено и брошено экипажами в результате полученных повреждений 0 кораблей (0%). Сдано в плен так же 0 кораблей (0%). Тот факт, что более половины всех безвозвратно потерянных Японией кораблей флота было уничтожено минами – оружием по своему характеру пассивно - оборонительно типа, говорит о крайней пассивности и бездействии ударного Российского флота в период БД на море. Все боевые действия на море свелись к двум крупным сражениям, нескольким приличным боям и локальным боестолкновениям отдельных крупных кораблей и легких сил. Такое ощущение, что даже в бою, наши корабли воевали как будто из под палки, нехотя, без инициативно и всячески стараясь уклониться от сражения. В дальнейшем этому будет приведено не одно подтверждение, как будут и рассмотрены все случае отдельных «вспышек» прояснения сознания и боевого духа. Такая тактика наших высших адмиралов привела к потерям, с которыми можно ознакомиться в таблице 4.
Table 4
Losses of the Russian fleet in the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905. Battleships (EBR)
Coastal defense battleships (BRBO)
Armored cruisers (KRB)
Armored cruisersIrank (KRL)
CruisersII-rank (KRL)
Gunboats (CL)
Minelayers (MZ)
Destroyers (EM)
Troop transports (VT) and auxiliary ships.
Torpedo boats (TK)
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The total losses of the Russian Imperial Navy exceeded the losses of the US Navy during the four years of the Pacific War of 1941-1945. sad list of 64 lost ships distributed as follows: 20 ships (31%) were sunk by artillery fire, the Japanese failed to sink a single Russian ship with torpedoes alone - 0 (0%), 3 ships (5%) were destroyed by the joint action of artillery and torpedoes, 6 were killed by mines ships (9%). Abandoned / sunk / blown up by their crews as a result of damage from artillery fire / torpedoes / mines / simply hopelessness and not knowing what to do: 27 ships (42%!), Surrendered to the enemy 5 ships (8%), lost as a result of navigational damage 3 ships (5%). The most direct and most important responsibility for these gigantic losses, in addition to the tsarist regime itself, is borne by very specific people. These are admirals: Z.P. Rozhestvensky, V.K. Vitgeft, O.V. Stark. It was in their hands that all the fullness of power and the right to make all the fateful decisions that were made by them, taken or not taken, was concentrated. As for Admiral N.I. Nebogatov, he can be reproached for a lack of courage / will / spirit, but one cannot be reproached for being unprofessional or not knowing his business. Admiral S.O. Makarov generally showed himself to be a competent and active leader, who knew his job perfectly and was confident in his weapon. Admiral OA Enquist may have been a good specialist in his field, but for one reason or another he could not prove himself. We will consider the contribution to increasing the combat capability of the fleet of some of these people below.
Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov is one of the outstanding Russian admirals. Born in 1848. He died in 1904 aboard the battleship Petropavlovsk (was the flagship of the 1st Pacific Squadron during the repair of the Tsesarevich). The cause of death from a single mine was a fatal accident and shortcomings in the protection of Petropavlovsk. It was booked mainly as a citadel of the British and Japanese EDB type. When a mine was blown up in the bow of the ship, there was a sequential detonation of the torpedo ammunition, then the barrage mines stored in the bow, and finally, the entire ammunition of the 1st gun mount of the main caliber. The 56-year-old admiral had little chance of escaping in such a situation (his place was not far from the epicenter of the last explosion). Under the command of this man, the Russian fleet had every chance of successfully defeating the enemy. A fatal combination of circumstances put an end to this scenario.
However, many modern post-Soviet researchers of that war very often turn that situation on its head. His "holiness", "adjutant general" Z.P. Rozhdestvensky simply cannot be to blame for anything. The outdated and useless, in their opinion, equipment, as well as the illiterate and ignorant crews of these "floating galoshes" who do not understand anything in the war, are to blame for everything. To justify such a position, many myths were invented, designed to “direct the blame” for the shameful defeat on civilian specialists, factories, MTK, anyone, but not officers. We will try to consider these myths below. So:
Semi-myth #1: Overloading of Russian battleships. Because of this, they, they say, died "so quickly." Here it is necessary to understand the difference. Civilian specialists create military equipment and carry out its current / medium / major repairs, and military specialists operate it, fight on it and carry out various maintenance. It is necessary to distinguish between construction and operational overload of ships. Construction overload - the fault of civilians. Operational overload is the fault of the military. With regards to construction overload. At that time, this phenomenon was massive and therefore it can even be called “normal”. Indeed, battleships of the Borodino type were calculated for a displacement of 13,516 tons, but in reality they contained 14,150 tons of iron. Construction overload amounted to 634 tons. But the level of engineering calculations of that period simply did not allow to calculate all the loads absolutely accurately. The construction overload of the Japanese battleship Mikasa was even greater - 785 tons, and at the same time, none of the Japanese military somehow complained about the deterioration in stability or other performance characteristics of the Mikasa. Operational overload - exceeding the carrying capacity of the ship. During the campaign of the 2nd Pacific Squadron, all battleships were filled to such an extent with coal, water, provisions and other supplies that the displacement of Borodino-class battleships, according to engineer V.P. Kostenko, reached 17,000 tons! What kind of fighting qualities are there with such a “weight”! No measures were taken to rectify the situation even before the battle, as a result of which the displacement of attack ships of the Borodino type before the Battle of Tsushima was unacceptably large - 15275 tons. The offer of the Orel officers to prepare the ships for battle before the general battle, coupled with their radical unloading, was rejected on idiotic grounds: "The Eagle officers are too fond of playing war." This is the fault of the military, namely Z.P. Rozhdestvensky.
Myth #2: Low speed of Russian ships. This myth is explained simply. Speed is needed for action. Those who do not take any active action do not need speed. The Japanese used the speed of their ships, which is called "to the fullest." The Russians used it only when their ships, for one reason or another (usually damage), were deprived of the "guardianship" of the commander (and it was already too late) and just to escape, and not overtake. In addition, the maximum speed of the ship depends not only on its passport data, but also on the specific technical condition, and on the combat damage that it received. The maximum squadron speed of the Japanese squadron was 15 knots, at most 15.5 knots and was limited by the speed of its slowest ship, the EBRB 1 Fuji (for technical reasons, it could not develop more than 15.5 knots). The squadron course of the 1st Pacific squadron was 14.5-15 knots. The EDB "Sevastopol" did not give out more than 15 knots due to a bent propeller blade. The squadron move of the 2nd Pacific squadron was not tested in practice, but theoretically it could be about 15-15. there was no ship in the squadron slower than 15.5 knots ("Nikolai-I" - 15.5 knots, "Navarin" - 15.8 knots, "Sisoy the Great" - 15.6 knots, BRBO type 2 "Ushakov" all gave out 16 knots each). During the night attempt to break away from the enemy, the old battleship Nikolai-I under the flag of N.I. Nebogatov, the heavily damaged Eagle, the Sevyanin and Apraksin BRBOs, as well as the II-rank cruiser Izumrud, easily supported speed 13-14 knots. Conclusion: The squadron course of the Russian attack ships, if it was lower than the Japanese one, then not by much. The fact that Z.P. Rozhdestvensky trudged in battle at a speed of 9 knots (only 17 km / h - slower than a river pleasure boat rolls), dragging transports behind him, is his fault, and not the low speed capabilities of his warships.
Myth #3. Russian ships were inferior in range to the Japanese. There were figures about the firing range of the Japanese at 82 cables and even at 100 (!) Cables. The myth is explained by the same thing as speed. The Japanese fought actively and used the capabilities of their artillery at 100%. Of course, some kind of aimed shooting at such gigantic distances for that time was out of the question. But the Japanese did sometimes shoot at long distances. Domestic ships almost always fired only in response and ceased fire as soon as the enemy stopped it. All without initiative and sluggish (more detailed descriptions of this will be given below). In order to shoot at long distances, three conditions must be met:
1. Artillery must have the technical ability to fire at such distances, in other words, be long-range enough. This is the responsibility of civilians.
2. The fire control system of warships must provide a sufficiently high probability of hitting a target at long distances. This is also the responsibility of civilians.
3. Artillerymen of all levels must have proper training and practice in organizing and conducting firing at such distances. It is good to own the military equipment entrusted to them and be able to handle it correctly. The military is responsible for this.
Unfortunately, the “weak link” here turned out to be the military. Regarding technical issues. At 100kbt, one single Japanese ship could shoot - the armored cruiser "Kassuga" of Italian construction. And only from a single 254mm gun. His 203mm guns, like his twin brother Nissin, fired at 87kbt. As for the new Japanese battleships, their main battery artillery was of two types. 305mm / L42.5 EDB guns "Fuji" and "Yashima" at a maximum angle of + 13.5 ° could fire at maximum 77kbt. Slightly more powerful 305mm / L42.5 guns "Mikasa", "Asahi", "Hatsuse" and "Sikishima" had a lower maximum elevation angle - + 12.5 ° and fired at 74 kbt. The maximum firing range of 203mm main battery guns of Japanese armored cruisers such as Asama, Yakumo, etc. was only 60-65kbt, which was approximately at the level of modern 152mm medium-caliber gun mounts of Russian ships. The question of ensuring at least the technical possibility of firing at the maximum possible distances Russian specialists paid, perhaps, the greatest attention after the German fleet. The elevation angle of the main caliber guns of Russian battleships was +15°, +25° and even +35°. The squadron battleship Pobeda was considered the most long-range in the entire Russian fleet. It was equipped with more modern 254mm / L45 guns, which differed from the previous "10-inch guns" in increased weight, strength and rigidity of the barrel. As a result, its 225-kilogram shells of the main caliber flew at 113kbt at an initial speed increased to 777m / s. The 254mm guns of the other two ships of this series, Oslyaba and Peresvet, as well as the Admiral Apraksin BRBO, fired at 91kbt. All "12" battleships with 305mm/L40 guns fired at 80kbt at +15°. BRBO "Ushakov" and "Sevyanin" fired at 63kbt. The range of fire of the old squadron battleships was less: for the Navarin - 54kbt, for the Nikolai-I - 51kbt for 229mm / L35 and 49kbt for 305mm / L30 guns.
As for the FCS, its 4x optics and rangefinders with a base of 1200 mm even then made it possible to conduct more or less effective fire at a distance of up to ~ 60kbt (10-12km). Russian battleships of new and latest types received the latest fire control system "mod.1899". Its structure can be judged from the description of the Oryol squadron battleship:
SUAO mod.1899. A set of instruments was first presented at an exhibition in Paris in 1899 and was installed on many RIF battleships. It was the prototype of modern central aiming systems. The basis of the system was two sighting posts (VP) - one on board.
Pancratic, optical, monocular devices of these posts - central aiming sights (VCN) had a variable magnification - 3x-4x. The search for a target and aiming a weapon at it was carried out by the VP operator. When aiming at the target, the VCN was used to determine the elevation angle of the target relative to the diametrical plane of the ship, and the tracking system associated with it automatically set this angle with an arrow in the receiving instruments of the main 8-turret guns and batteries of 75 mm ship guns. After that, the gunners-operators (commanders) carried out horizontal aiming of their installations until the angle of rotation of the AU was combined with the elevation angle of the target (the so-called principle of “combining the arrows”) and the target fell into the field of view of the gun optical sights. Optical, pancratic, monocular sights of the Perepelkin system had a variable magnification - 3x-4x and a field of view angle of 6 - 8 degrees changing in accordance with it. To illuminate the target at night, six combat searchlights with a mirror diameter of 750 mm were used. The next step was to determine the distance to the target. To do this, in the conning tower there were two rangefinder stations - one on board. They were equipped with Barr and Studd horizontal base rangefinders with a base of 1200 mm.
The rangefinder measured the distance and, using the rangefinder key, the data was automatically entered into the receiving devices of the conning tower, central post, 8 main turret guns and batteries of 75 mm guns. To control the correctness of data transmission, there was a feedback system with a control rangefinder dial, the readings of which were compared with those entered into the receiving devices. The sighting posts and rangefinder stations were located inside the conning tower on the right and left sides (a pair on each side), which is why the Eagle's conning tower had an oval shape in the transverse direction from the center plane of the ship. A set of instruments and a magnetic compass in the conning tower showed the senior artillery officer his own course and speed, direction and strength of the wind. He determined the course and speed of the target approximately “by eye”. Having data on his own speed and course, direction and strength of the wind, deviation, type of target, elevation angle of the target and distance to it, estimating the approximate speed and course of the target, the senior artillery officer, using firing tables, manually (on paper) made the necessary calculations and calculated the necessary amendments to the lead on VN and GN. I also chose the type of AU and the type of projectiles necessary to hit this target. After that, the senior artillery officer transmitted data for guidance to the AU, from which he intended to hit the target. For this purpose, in the conning tower and the central post there was a set of master pointers, which, through 47 cable cores, transmitted data to the receiving devices in the AC and 75 mm batteries. The whole system worked at voltage Ur=23V through a 105/23V transformer. In the case of centralized fire control, they transmitted data on the angles of vertical and horizontal guidance, the type of projectiles used. After receiving the necessary data, the gunners-operators of the selected AU installed the guns at the given angles (corrected the initial installation according to the VCN) and loaded them with the selected type of ammunition. After performing this operation, the senior artillery officer, who was in the conning tower, at the moment when the inclinometer showed "0", set the handle of the firing indicator device to the sector corresponding to the selected fire mode "Fraction", "Attack" or "Short alarm", in accordance with which AU opened fire. This mode of centralized fire control was the most effective. In the event of a failure of a senior artillery officer or the impossibility for any other reason to carry out centralized fire control, all 305 mm, 152 mm guns and a battery of 75 mm guns switched to group (plutong) or single fire. In this case, the instruments transmitted data about their course, their speed, direction and strength of the wind, the elevation angle of the target, the distance to it, but all calculations were made by the commander of the AU or battery. This mode of fire was less effective. In the event of a complete defeat of fire control devices, personnel of the conning tower and data transmission circuits, all AUs switched to independent fire. In this case, the choice of target, and aiming at it, was carried out by calculating a specific AU using only a gun optical sight, which sharply limited its effectiveness and range. Guidance of torpedo tubes was carried out using ring sights with the same tracking system as that of the VP for onboard 381mm TA or by turning the entire hull of the ship for the bow and stern 381mm TA. This fire control system ensured the high efficiency of the use of naval artillery and torpedoes against various targets and made it possible to "lead" two targets at the same time - one from each side. However, it should be noted that the officers and commanders of the Russian squadron battleships of the 2nd Pacific Squadron did not master this system well. For external communications, the ship had a radio station "Slyabi-Arko". It was located in the radio room on the first tier of the bow superstructure and provided communication at a distance of 180-200 km.
There is a third point left. Teachings and combat training. In this aspect, the Russian fleet, of course, lagged behind the Japanese. The Japanese regularly conducted exercises and trained in shooting. Since the new fire control devices were then too complicated to understand their operation (and even more so to combine them into a system) by ordinary sailors, they developed, albeit not the most ideal, but the most effective from the point of view of those specific conditions, fire control and fire control methods. shooting. One of them is the so-called. "the art of massive fire". Its essence is that without any use of the SLA (having only once measured the distance), they begin to shoot extremely actively with medium and small caliber artillery. After that, they wait for the target to be covered. All adjustments to fire are carried out not by changing the input data and adjusting the fire of the guns themselves, but by directly changing the position of a group of ships (closer - further to the target). Despite the gigantic consumption of medium-caliber shells, such tactics at that time bore fruit. Moreover, the Japanese goals (that is, our ships) contributed to its success in the best possible way. At the same time, this method of "massive fire" was never used by anyone else. Perhaps due to the fact that the enemies were no longer so stupid. As for our gunners, they worked according to instructions. And they tried to master the work of the SLA. It didn't work out for everyone. If the lower ranks of the artillery were somehow still able to master their subject, then almost no effort was made by the higher ranks. As for the firing range, the command of the 1st Pacific Squadron, albeit belatedly, but realized the role of new, powerful and long-range guns, as well as modern SLA. And the beginning seems to be developing measures adequate to the current situation. But time was already hopelessly lost. The command of the 2nd Pacific Squadron was still in happy ignorance of the combat capabilities of enemy and own ships. All those criminally rare firing exercises were carried out at a distance of no further than 20kbt. Thus, the gunners of the 2nd Pacific Squadron entered the battle with the Japanese, having no practice of firing at long distances at all. The exception is the 3rd Pacific squadron of Admiral N.I. Nebogatov (merged into the 2nd Pacific squadron). Admiral Nebogatov showed himself to be a good specialist in artillery. He trained his gunners well to shoot from the most extreme possible distances. As luck would have it, the squadron of Rear Admiral N.I. Nebogatov consisted only of obsolete or small ships. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the Nikolai-I battleship was in fact the oldest and weakest battleship of the Russian Pacific Fleet, its fire turned out to be almost the most effective! The old ship, still firing with charges of black powder, achieved hits at distances up to 50 cables, i.e. at the maximum possible range for their artillery! In all likelihood, it was his 305mm and 229mm shells that inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese armored cruiser Asama, which had to withdraw from the battle. Thus, the cruiser "Varyag" was to some extent avenged. Unfortunately, this combat training did not affect the crews of the latest attack ships, otherwise, even with such a “brilliant” commander as Z.P. Rozhdestvensky, the Japanese could probably be crushed by the power of the Borodino.
Half myth #4. Bad shells on Russian ships. They, they say, did not penetrate armor well and practically did not explode. Russian "12-inch" battleships used 305mm armor-piercing and fragmentation shells of the 1887 model, weighing 331.7kg. "10-inch" ships had 254mm armor-piercing shells of the 1892 model weighing 225.2kg. Japanese battleships fired 305mm armor-piercing and high-explosive shells weighing 386kg. Let's start with armor-piercing. Their comparative characteristics are shown in Table 5.
Table 5
artillery system | projectile | Weight | explosive charge | starting speed | The thickness of the pierced armor at close range Kruppovskaya | Penetrating armor thickness with 60kbt Kruppovskaya |
Russian 305mm/L40 | armor-piercing | 331.7kg | 5.3kg pyroxylin | 792m/s | 381mm/0 ° | 99mm/0 ° |
Japanese 305mm/L42.5 | armor-piercing | 385.6kg | 11.9kg picric acid | 762m/s | 368mm/0 ° | 104mm/0 ° |
Russian 254mm/L45 | armor-piercing | 225.2kg | 8.3kg pyroxylin | 693m/s | 343mm/0 ° | 84mm/0 ° |
As can be seen from Table 5, all shells are quite worthy of each other. What is surprising is that the 254mm shells of Russian ships, with almost half the kinetic energy compared to 305mm shells, nevertheless, were almost not inferior to them in armor penetration. As for the armor penetration itself, Table 5 shows that the characteristics of both Russian and Japanese armor-piercing shells made them ineffective against the powerful armor of battleships at long distances. Their effective use against heavily armored targets was limited by distance.<20-30 кабельтовых. На больших расстояниях шансов пробить защиту ЖВЧ любого броненосца практически не было. Эти данные подтвердила и реальная практика. Несмотря на все усилия русских и японских артиллеристов за время сражений так ни разу и не удалось пробить Крупповскую броневую плиту толще чем 152мм. Так же стоит отметить, что для 305мм/L35 орудий «Наварина» существовали и более тяжелые 305мм снаряды массой 455кг. Но они почему то не были включены в боекомплект этого корабля. Использование таких «чемоданов» в современных артустановках с орудиями 305мм/L40 у новых кораблей – вопрос требующий дальнейших исследований, так как доподлинно не известно, были ли приспособлены лотки МЗ 9 у новейших «Бородинцев» и «Цесаревича» к приему таких более длинных снарядов. Потому на расстояниях свыше 30 кабельтовых имело смысл переходить на осколочные и фугасные снаряды. Их сравнительные характеристики приведены в таблице 6.
Table 6
artillery system | projectile | Weight | explosive charge | starting speed |
Russian 305mm/L40 | fragmentation | 331.7kg | 15.6kg pyroxylin | 792m/s |
Russian 305mm/L40 | high explosive | 331.7kg | 25kg pyroxylin | 792m/s |
Japanese 305mm/L42.5 | high explosive | 385.6kg | 48.5kg picric acid | 762m/s |
At first glance, it seems that Japanese high-explosive shells are completely superior to Russian ones3. In part, this is true. Especially if we add pyroxylin humidity increased from 10% to 30% to our shells. But not everything is so great. First, the fuses on Japanese high-explosive shells were set to act instantly at the slightest touch. This led to a series of explosions of these shells right in the barrels of Japanese guns, which naturally led to the failure of these guns. Secondly, for any armored object, it is the explosion inside its armored body that is terrible. Even a powerful high-explosive explosion outside is not capable of causing serious damage, but will only spoil the “cosmetics”. Therefore, armor-piercing and semi-armor-piercing shells with delayed action fuses are primarily good for combating armored objects. Japanese non-shells were very effective against light cruisers, but it turned out to be extremely difficult to destroy the Borodinos, which were booked from head to toe, albeit overloaded. The Japanese themselves were well aware of this, which is why, along with land mines, they actively used armor-piercing shells against Russian battleships. Conclusion - the myth about the bad shells of Russian ships, of course, is not a myth in the full sense of the word - this is partly a fact. And the blame for this lies with civilian specialists, but it is also not worth exaggerating its significance beyond measure. The shells of the opponents were not so ideal either.
Myth #5. Small area of booking Russian ships. At that time, there were two main armor schemes for heavy ships in the world: English, also known as the “all or nothing” scheme, and French - common. According to the first one, the ship's HP is covered with the thickest possible armor, and all other parts of it either have weak protection or are completely devoid of it. It was according to this scheme that the Japanese and many of our battleships were booked. However, in the design of the newest ships "Tsesarevich" and the series "Borodino", domestic designers, taking the best of both schemes as a basis, brought the booking of these ships to perfection. The protection of the Tsesarevich and the Borodino series turned out to be so powerful, so modern that, in principle, it corresponded to the battleships and large heavy cruisers of the Second World War. This provided reliable protection for these ships even from dreadnought "suitcases". The battle of "Glory" with the powerful German dreadnoughts "Koenig" and "Kronprinz-Wilhelm" in 1917 clearly proved this. Despite the seven 305mm shells received (each weighing 405.5kg), three of which hit below the waist in the underwater part of the hull, the Slava battleship did not receive serious damage. And if it weren’t for the watertight door that was not closed because of someone’s carelessness (and if it weren’t for the revolution), then it would have been possible to continue to fight. The armor scheme of the battleship "Eagle" is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 8
The most heavily protected area in the center of the ship at the waterline approximately 60m long and approximately 0.8m high has protection: 194mm/0° + 40mm/30° + 40mm/0° = equivalent to 314mm Krupp armor4. This was more than enough to withstand any armor-piercing projectiles of the time. At the same time, all HVCH, artillery, torpedo tubes, as well as areas near the surface of the water were also protected by sufficiently powerful armor. And the total thickness of the armor of all armored decks ranged from 72mm, 91mm, 99mm, 127mm, 142mm, 145mm - the figures are not bad for the huge battleships of the Second World War. The protection of Japanese ships was much simpler and approximately corresponded to our battleships of the Poltava, Retvizan, Sisoy Veliky, etc. projects. In addition, all Japanese battleships, with the exception of Mikasa, were clad in Harvey's armor. The anti-projectile resistance of the Harvey armor correlates with the Krupp one as 0.8 to 1, that is, the Harveev armor was inferior in the anti-projectile resistance of the Krupp armor (on new Russian ships) by 20%. Only the flagship Japanese battleship Mikasa had really powerful armor. In addition, one should not forget that half of the Japanese attack ships were armored cruisers, the level of protection of which, in comparison with squadron battleships, was even lower.
Semi-myth #6: Large sizes of sighting slots and embrasures in Russian ships. The width of the sighting slots on the battleship "Tsesarevich" and the series "Borodino" was huge 380mm. It was a forced measure. the designers placed in the conning tower all the elements of the SLA of these ships, incl. DS, VP and ring sights of onboard torpedo tubes. To ensure normal visibility of all this optics, it was necessary to make slots of such a width. The desire of the designers to place the entire FCS under the armor of the conning tower can be explained. Firstly, the SLA has not yet developed so much and the weight and size characteristics of its elements still made it possible to arrange them in a BR - the most protected place in the upper part of the ship.
Secondly, the typical battle distances of that time: 30-60kbt meant that in addition to rare single hits by large-caliber shells, the ship was simultaneously under a hail of small and medium-caliber shells: 75mm, 76mm, 152mm. It is obvious that the bulky and poorly protected KDP, sighting posts and other elements of the SLA, if they were openly located, would be destroyed by these seemingly harmless shells in the very first minutes of the battle. However, with regard to protection against shells, the conning towers of domestic ships were well designed.
They had a mushroom-shaped roof protruding beyond the side armor of the cabin and anti-fragmentation visors. As a result, the penetration of shells into the conning tower was practically excluded, which was confirmed in real combat practice. Despite the huge number of hits that fell on Russian battleships, there were practically no cases of penetration of shells into the BR. However, the command staff, nevertheless, was badly damaged by fragments, while being inside the conning tower. But this is primarily due to the gigantic number of hits and the high performance of Japanese high-explosive fragmentation shells. But, as you know, everything is known in comparison. The famous Soviet writer A.S. Novikov wrote in his novel “Tsushima”: “The viewing slots in Japanese ships were made in such a way that even a small fragment could not penetrate through them into the conning tower ...” With all due respect to Alexei Silych, you need to understand that he was not a specialist in the field of shipbuilding and could only assess the perfection of the design of the conning towers of Japanese ships only visually. A photograph will help to estimate the size of the sighting slots of Japanese armadillos. In addition, the Japanese would not have been Japanese if they had not decided on a step that was very original from the point of view of straightforward European logic - the commanders of the Japanese attack ships, Vice Admiral Togo and Rear Admiral Kamimura, preferred not to "climb" into the conning towers of their ships at all! Admiral Togo spent the entire battle, exposing his chest hung with epaulettes and medals to all the winds (and shells) on the upper navigation bridge of the Mikasa. That is, quite openly ... By an evil coincidence, a Russian 305mm fragmentation projectile that exploded right above the bridge killed and wounded everyone on it. Except…. BESIDES…. Of course, Vice Admiral Heihachiro Togo. Admiral Kamimura spent the same entire battle on the combat mars of the mainmast and the same remained alive. The fact that both Japanese admirals remained alive and did not even receive serious injuries only testifies to the extreme luck of their accompanying and evil fate pursuing Russian ships throughout this war. In addition, the very low characteristics of domestic fragmentation and high-explosive shells also affected.
The conning tower of the Japanese battleship Mikasa. View from the stern of the ship. It can be seen that the size of the sighting slots is also very decent, although smaller than that of our ships. In addition, this felling does not have “eyebrows” in the form of an overhanging mushroom-shaped roof, so penetration into its shells falling at an angle is, in principle, possible. Admiral Togo spent the entire battle two floors above ...
As for the size of the embrasures... The dimensions of the embrasures in the turrets of the Japanese main gun mounts were smaller than those of the Russians, but the vertical pumping angle of their guns was also smaller, we should not forget about this. In addition, the turrets of the AU GK of Russian battleships were streamlined and protected by Krupp armor 254 mm thick, which made them invulnerable to any shells of that time at typical battle distances. The rotating parts of the Japanese AU GC EBR "Fuji" and "Yashima" were armored much more modestly - only 152mm and were potentially vulnerable to AP shells from Russian ships. The Japanese battleship "Fuji", which ours really pierced through 152mm armor of a 12" gun mount (thus confirming my logical conclusions) almost exploded. after that, a fire started and the charges in the tower and the supply pipe had already ignited. The fire miraculously “extinguished itself” with water from a torn pipeline, which we again attribute to the “conscience” of evil fate. But all this applies only to artillery of large (main) caliber. The level of any type of protection for the 152mm turret gun mounts of the latest Russian battleships was two orders of magnitude higher than the protection of medium-caliber guns and their crews on Japanese ships. This photo doesn't really need comments, but still:
The battery deck of the Japanese battleship Mikasa. You don’t need to have a wild imagination to imagine what will happen to the calculations of all these guns, if at least one more or less decent shell explodes here ... Just meat. This design is no different from the technical solutions used in wooden battleships of the sailing era. The size of their “embrasures” also seems to hint ... Good gates. On Russian battleships of the Borodino type, 75mm anti-mine guns were located in separate casemates with 76mm armor on their walls in a circle. There are many historians who are happy to criticize the 152mm twin turret guns of the latest Russian battleships. They somehow forgot that all the medium-caliber artillery of the battleship Oslyabya, which was located in the same casemate installations as on the Mikas, was completely destroyed after some 20 minutes after the start of the battle.
The conclusion clearly suggests itself that the Japanese ships simply had good high-explosive fragmentation shells (for all their shortcomings), and not super invulnerable felling, ultra-small loopholes, or something else. And most importantly, the Japanese samurai fought, and did not sluggishly fight back like ours. There is a good phrase from the film "Antikiller". In this case, of course, exaggerated, but the essence reflects quite accurately: "Because they are at war, and we are at work ..." Comparative characteristics of the most basic types of attack ships of the Russian and Japanese fleets are given in table 7.
Table 7
performance characteristics | Eagle | Poltava | Oslyabya | Mikasa | fuji | asama |
Type | EDB | EDB | EDB | EDB | EDB | KRB23 |
displacement etc. |
13516 |
11500 |
12674 |
15352 |
12320 |
9900 |
Engine power h.p. |
15800 |
11255 |
15051 |
16000 |
14000 |
18200 |
Travel speed knots / km/h |
17,8 / 33 |
16,3 / 30,2 |
18,6 / 34,4 |
18,5 / 34,3 |
18,3 / 33,9 |
22,1 / 40,9 |
Large caliber artillery | Obukhov
| Obukhov
| Obukhov
| Armstrong
| Armstrong
| Armstrong
|
Muzzle energy MJ |
106,1 |
106,1 |
55 |
112,1 |
105,1 |
34,9 |
Drives
| A3
| BUT
| BUT
| BUT
| BUT
| BUT
|
Firing range kbt / km |
80/14,8 |
80/14,8 |
91/16,8 |
74/13,7 |
77/14,3 |
60/11,18 |
Penetrating armor thickness from 50kbt normal mm |
129/0°
|
129/0°
|
109/0°
|
140/0°
|
n.a. |
56/0°
|
fire rate
|
90 |
90 |
90 |
75 |
150 |
3011 |
Medium caliber artillery | Kane 6-2x152mm
| Kane
| Kane 11-152mm
| Armstrong 14-152mm
| Armstrong 10-152mm
| Armstrong 14-152mm
|
Muzzle energy MJ |
13,3 |
13,3 |
13,3 |
10,4 |
10,4 |
10,4 |
Drives
| BUT
| M-PA5
| M6
| M
| M
| M
|
Firing range kbt / km |
61/11,3 |
61/11,3 |
61/11,3 |
49/9,1 |
49/9,1 55/10,210 |
49/9,1 55/10,2 |
Penetrating armor thickness from 30kbt normal mm |
43/0°
|
43/0°
|
43/0°
|
35/0°
|
35/0°
|
35/0°
|
fire rate
|
12 |
10-12 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
Torpedo armament |
4-381mm | 4-381mm
|
5-381mm |
4-457mm |
5-457mm |
5-457mm |
Torpedo launch range km
|
0,9 | 0,9
|
0,9 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Rangefinder stations DS
| F2A/2
PCS
| F2A/2
PCS
| F2A/2
PCS
| F2A/2
PCS
| F2A/2
PCS
| F2A/2
PCS
|
Viewfinders of the central aiming of the VCN | 2 pieces on sighting posts VP1 4 inside BR |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Bearing Guidance | Semi-automatic - central according to the VCN15 tracking system |
Local |
Local |
Local |
Local |
Local |
Range Guidance | Local by instrument | Local by instrument | Local by instrument | Local by instrument |
Local |
Local |
Calculation of lead angles HV and GN | Manual
| Manual
| Manual
| Manual
| Manual
| Manual
|
Data transmission of lead angles of HV and HV to AC |
| For transceiver devices SLA | For transceiver devices SLA | |||
Data transmission of DS and bearing to AU | Machine. according to the VCN tracking system and ed. far input in the LMS from DS16 |
| Machine. far input In the LMS from DS | |||
Protection of the citadel and HP mm | 194/0°+40/30°
|
368/0°=368
| 229/0°+51/30°
| 229/0°+76/45°
|
457/0°=457
| 178/0°+51/30°
|
End protection mm | 145/0°+40/30°
|
76/45°=107
|
83/30°=166
| 102/0°+51/45°
|
No |
89/0°=89
|
Deck protection mm
| 51+40=91
|
51
|
51
| 51
|
64
|
51
|
PTZ mm | 40/0°
| Double bottom | Double bottom | Double bottom | Double bottom | Double bottom |
Protection AU24 GK mm | 254 tower
| 254 tower
| 229 tower
| 254 tower
| 152
tower
| 152 tower
|
Protection AU SK mm | 152 tower
| 127 tower
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
Side protection and casemate AU mm | 51-76
| 75
| 102-127
| 152
| 102-152
| 127-152
|
Note:
|
||||||
After analyzing all the myths and facts listed above, one gradually comes to the conclusion that the most shameful defeat in the entire history of the Russian Navy does not lie in the plane of the quality of military equipment or the incompetence of civilian specialists. Of course, they also had sins. The main one is the frail OFS 5 and weak torpedo armament. Powerful, long-range 457mm torpedoes were carried on board only by battleships of the Poltava type.
The rest were more modest, caliber 381mm. But there is a difference - whether to approach the "wounded animal" at 2-3 km, or at 900 meters. However, torpedoes are generally the forte of the Japanese. They scared the Americans quite a bit with their huge Long Lances (which didn’t help the Japanese in other ways). But torpedoes are not the main thing! So why did this happen? And who is to blame for this? The main responsibility for such a defeat lies with:
1. Admirals Z.P. Rozhestvensky, V.K. Vitgeft, O.V. Stark.
2. Evil fate, pursuing our fleet throughout this war.
Let's look at these two main reasons for the defeat. Point one. Could it be that these three people were clinical idiots who with their own hands strangled all the basics of combat training, operation and maintenance of the ships and vessels entrusted to them? They really strangled all the basics, but they were not idiots. These were people of a kind of ability that were in demand in the then tsarist fleet. In the fleet, whose leadership seriously believed that victory could be achieved only by demonstrating the latest weapons to the enemy, warriors were not needed. And business executives were needed. So that the ships would clearly keep the formation, not “pull back”, always shine with new paint, the curbs on the shore were also painted and all the leaves on the ground were turned bright side up for the visit of “His Majesty”. All three were the best suited to the implementation of such activities. Well, it’s worth recognizing that they could also solve the problem of logistics (moving over long distances). Logistics, to some extent, became one of the reasons for the defeat of the 2nd Pacific squadron. The Japanese fleet entered the battle fresh, rested and prepared. The Russian squadron, after six months of the hardest voyage, immediately entered the battle. And the fact that the combat potential of the fleet decreases by N% for every 1000 km away from the home base has been known for quite some time.
As for the second point, we come to one of the most interesting questions of that war - what could we do then? The author of these lines had to read many "alternative" versions of the Tsushima battle. They all started with the same thing: “But if - (Makarov commanded / the battleships were not overloaded / the shells exploded well / your version), thenOOOO ... ... ... "Then followed, maybe quite logical, but completely delusional with historical point of view of reasoning. Historical processes have great inertia and changing just one fact of history to radically change the entire subsequent chain of events is simply unrealistic. To do this, it is necessary to change all previous events and fateful decisions in a historical retrospective for many years BEFORE a significant date in order to change the very logical chain that preceded it. This simply does not make any sense, which is clear to any student. The most "delicious" alternative is obvious - Admiral Makarov did not die, but continued to command the 1st Pacific Squadron. But it is almost impossible to calculate what would be reliable in this case. Therefore, without going into details regarding the 1st Pacific squadron, which is inactive and operating in cooperation with the ground forces, we will dwell in detail on the 2nd squadron of Z.P. Rozhdestvensky. What could she count on exhaustively drawn into the Tsushima Strait on the evening of May 13, 1905, when ship radio stations had already detected the presence of an enemy fleet over the horizon? So let's try to calculate what the 2nd Pacific Squadron could do if ... No, no - don't be scared. If only she was simply lucky in battle this time. And two. Rozhdestvensky, no - he didn’t change to another equally gifted figure, but he would simply become seriously ill and spend the entire battle in the ship’s first-aid post, without interfering with anyone to fight. Calculations show that in this case it would not have been possible to win anyway. The maximum that the 2nd Pacific Squadron could count on in this case was to bring the game to a draw.
So. A virtual reality. Morning May 14th. Admiral Völkersam is dead. Admiral Rozhdestvensky in a cabin in serious condition. Admirals Nebogatov and Enquist do not know about this and therefore do not worry in the slightest. The squadron is commanded by someone on the battleship "Prince Suvorov". And so:
“At the beginning of the sixth, our signalmen and midshipman Shcherbachev, armed with binoculars and spyglasses, noticed a steamer on the right, quickly approaching us. Approaching forty cables, he lay down on a course parallel to us. But he walked like this for only a few minutes and, turning to the right, disappeared into the morning mist. He had a course of at least sixteen knots. They could not identify his flag, but his behavior immediately led to suspicion - undoubtedly, it was a Japanese intelligence officer. It would be necessary to immediately send two fast cruisers after him. Would they have sunk it or not, but at least they would have clarified an extremely important question: are we open to the enemy or are we still in obscurity? And in accordance with this, the line of conduct for the squadron should have been determined. But Admiral Rozhdestvensky took no action against the mysterious ship.
"Vladimir Monomakh" remained intact. Enemy shells made undershoots or overshoots, and only one of them hit him. Commander Popov rejoiced. When the senior artilleryman Nozikov approached him, he, trying to shout over the hubbub of the chickens that had not yet calmed down, solemnly spoke:
- But we deftly butchered it! As the strekacha asked! It rushed away from us at full speed. ”
In place of the previously sunk cruiser Izumi, there was another similar cruiser. After it turned to the right and began to move away, already having a trim on the nose and serious damage, the Vladimir Monomakh cruiser, squeezing out all 16-17 knots from its old worn-out vehicles, caught up with the damaged Japanese cruiser and finally finished it off. The forces are simply not equal, the Japanese had no chance and there was nothing to stand stupidly watching him run away. 32nd place. The destroyers were also lucky:
“About eleven o’clock, a second destroyer appeared on the right ahead, which intended to cross the course of the Loud. Kern ordered to develop the fullest speed. The rear destroyer began to lag behind, and the one on the right approached and opened fire. There was a fight with unequal forces. It was necessary to decide on something daring to get out of a difficult situation. And Commander Kern went for it. The specialty of a miner suggested to the commander the idea that the time had come to defuse the two surviving mine vehicles at the enemy. They were located on the upper deck. By his order, both mines were prepared for firing. "Loud" made a sharp turn and rushed at the enemy walking behind. As they later learned, it was a Shiranui fighter. Kern decided to blow it up, and then to conduct an artillery duel with another destroyer. The distance between the Shiranui and the Loud was shrinking rapidly. The team knew that the decisive moment had come. The commanders stepped up the fire. But at these moments the main role was assigned to the miners, who stood ready at their devices. Suddenly, around them, flashing with a short lightning, smoke curled up like a whirlwind on a dusty road. From the fire and smoke, something heavy separated and flew overboard. Chief Officer Paskin was pushed back against the casing by the rear funnel. After recovering, he rushed to the site of the explosion. Miners Abramov and Telegin were lying dead near the apparatus, and only a cap remained from the mine conductor Bezdenezhnykh, thrown to the rack of the side rail. Lieutenant Paskin put miners Tsepelev, Bogoryadtsev and Ryadzievsky to the apparatus. The enemy was already approaching the traverse. The distance to it did not exceed two cables. From the bridge, the commander ordered to release a mine from apparatus No. 1. But it barely moved out and, hitting the side with its tail, fell into the water like a log.
- Drowned, you bastard! - the sharp-sighted signalman Skorodumov shouted on the bridge and cursed strongly. The commander, who was closely following the actions of the miners, clenched his fists and, either in response to him, or to clarify to himself what had happened, he muttered through his teeth: “The gunpowder did not ignite well - it got damp. The second mine, fired after the enemy, went right to the target. They were already waiting for an explosion, but having reached the surface of the sea almost to the very stern, she suddenly turned to the side, thrown by the seething streams from the propellers. In this attack, all the advantages were on the side of the “Loud.”
"Loud" was lucky and the torpedo was serviceable. The Japanese destroyer Shiranui quickly set off for Yasukuni Shrine.
“The enemy, obviously, shot his mines last night, and his devices were fixed in a marching way.”
The destroyer Loud fired a second torpedo at the second Japanese destroyer, but it managed to dodge and an artillery duel began. The excellent training of Kern's crew left him no chance. The Japanese destroyer was fatally damaged, lost speed and sank after some time. The destroyer "Gromky" showed the highest class, destroying two Japanese destroyers at once in a duel and safely reached Vladivostok. The 32nd and 33rd places are occupied by Japanese destroyers. Days earlier, the duel of armored giants continued. The Oslyabya, the Suvorov and the Alexander III had already been lost (the last two were still afloat and were still firing). Later, the crew of the destroyer "Buyny" staged lynching, throwing Vice Admiral Z.P. Rozhestvensky overboard with the wording "Missing." The destroyer commander N.N. Kolomeytsev did not support the idea, but treated the situation with understanding. Admiral Heihachiro Togo stood on the upper navigation bridge along with his entire staff. A Russian 305mm fragmentation projectile hit the foremast at the level of people's heads and exploded. From all those who were on the upper navigation bridge, incl. and Admiral Heihachiro Togo, only shapeless stumps remained. So in one second the Japanese squadron was completely decapitated. And although the command quickly passed into the hands of Rear Admiral Kamimura, the actions of the Japanese began to give off a slight hysteria, which usually happened to them, as soon as something started to go against their plan.
The effectiveness of the fire of the Japanese squadron immediately fell so much that the battleship "Borodino" had enough power and survivability to "drag" the battle before dusk. Admiral Kamimura gave the order to stop the pursuit. After the onset of silence, the Borodino battleship, controlled only by sailors and having vehicles in perfect working order, without unnecessary complexes, increased its speed to the maximum possible 17-18 knots (there was no sense from it in battle anyway), keeping the course N / O-23 °. The Eagle, who received the same amount, tried to catch up with him, but due to the armor plate turned “against the wool” on the bow at the waterline, the speed did not rise above 16.5 knots. The rest of the ships with the flagship "Nikolai-I" trailed behind at a speed of about 14 knots. The cruiser "Emerald" went with them in complete darkness without searchlights. The news of the death of Admiral Togo with his entire staff had a depressing effect on the Japanese sailors. The activity of the Japanese fleet dropped sharply, while in Tokyo they decided what actions to take next. This hitch was enough for the battleships "Borodino", "Orel", "Nikolai-I" and the BRBO "Apraksin" and "Sevyanin" to reach Vladivostok, where they were taken under the protection of the powerful armored cruisers "Russia" and "Gromoboy ". As a result, under the most favorable set of circumstances and maximum luck, the Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron could additionally destroy the Japanese battleships Fuji, Chin-Yen, six assorted cruisers and two destroyers. At the same time, part of the same break through to Vladivostok, retaining such ships as Borodino, Eagle, Nicholas-I, Apraksin, Sevyanin, Emerald and Loud. Purely in terms of the number of ships sunk and destroyed, this is, of course, still a loss, but not so shameful that it promised peace on more favorable terms with the preservation of the Kuril Islands for Russia. Both admirals, both Russian and Japanese, die in this virtual reality. Only a person who does not understand the essence of those deep crisis processes that at that time already covered all of tsarist Russia can count on something more, for example, on the complete defeat of the Japanese fleet at Tsushima. So you can get lucky - once in 1000 years. The absurd death of S.O. Makarov showed that the war "didn't work out" from the very beginning.
Lessons of war
Lesson #1. It is impossible to defeat the enemy with only one presence, even the most modern weapons. It is necessary to be able to use the entrusted military equipment and to master all the methods of its use to perfection. How are things going with combat training in our fleet today? I would like to think that it is better than in 1904. Probably better.
Lesson #2. Military equipment is a complex mechanism, even one broken screw of which can deprive or, in any case, limit its functionality. In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, such “broken screws” were overmoistened pyroxylin in shells, the low power of the OFS and overloading ships beyond the norm with all sorts of nonsense. And what is the technical condition of the ships and submarines of the modern Russian fleet? And how many “broken screws” they have, despite the fact that they are immeasurably more complicated than even the most modern ships of the Borodino type and there are significantly more “cogs” in them.
Lesson #3. The ships of that period (meaning battleships), unlike modern ones, had phenomenal strength and survivability with a relatively compact size and forgave admirals and commanders for such mistakes that no modern ship will ever forgive. In other words, with the same "style of command" today, the defeat of the fleet will be an order of magnitude even more terrible and fleeting than it took place in the Tsushima battle. In order not to be unfounded, you can see photos that explain everything.
Battleship "Eagle" (13516t, 121.2m) after the battle of Tsushima. According to V.P. Kostenko, during the battle he received at least 300 hits. However, during the inspection of the ship in the Japanese dock, it turned out that the Eagle received 76 hits. Of these, 5 are 305mm shells (386kg), 2 are 254mm shells (226.5kg), 9 are 203mm shells (113.4kg), 39 are 152mm shells (45.4kg) and 21 are 76mm shells (~6kg). The total mass of steel that got into the ship is a hefty 5.3 tons. From it explosives from half a ton to a ton. The ship survived and retained about 10-15% of its original combat potential.
The British destroyer Sheffield (4350t, 125m) after a single hit by the AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles weighing 655kg. The rocket did not explode. However, this cardboard-plastic boat completely burned down and sank. If the reader thinks that our project 956E is much stronger, then he is deeply mistaken.
How can one explain the construction of such ships that do not carry even the shadow of a reservation, it is difficult to say. They even have aluminum and magnesium hull steel, which burns very well. Maybe speed? But speed in modern naval warfare is no longer the determining factor.
Battleship "Eagle" in a creatively redesigned version, with armor closed dynamic protection "Relikt", with six AK-130 mounts instead of 152mm, with added anti-ship missiles launched through 305mm main gun barrels, with AK-630 instead of 47mm guns, with radar, with a TVP, with a gas turbine power plant (speed from 25 to 35 knots), with operational-tactical missiles RK-55 "Granat" with nuclear warheads in new TA, with universal air defense systems and anti-aircraft defense systems, it would be a terrible and universal weapon. Moreover, this very compact and powerful ship is not the giant Yamato battleship. You can build such "Eagles" in large quantities and a lot. At the same time, such a marine tank will be able to withstand the hit of 2-5 missiles of the P-700 complex, after which it will be restored at the plant. Expensive? And how many Sheffields need to be built so that they can withstand 76 hits? No less than 77. Armor, of course, will not save you from powerful modern anti-ship ammunition, but it gives the ship's hull the strength of the tank and prevents it from falling apart after being hit by just one missile. These are perhaps the main lessons for civilian shipbuilders and military sailors from that old war.
Notes:
1. EBR - squadron battleship.
2. BRBO - coastal defense battleship. It had the same architecture as the "big brothers", but less than them in terms of displacement by 3-4 times.
3. The given performance characteristics of Japanese high-explosive fragmentation shells of a new generation, which were first used in the Tsushima battle. High-explosive fragmentation shells of the previous types, which were used by the Japanese in battles with the 1st Pacific squadron and the Vladivostok cruiser detachment, had a very mediocre power, at the level of Russian fragmentation shells. This became clear after an ineffective artillery strike by Japanese armored cruisers on Vladivostok on March 6, 1904. 200 shells were fired. Result: one killed and three wounded on our side.
4. Data are given for Suvorov, Orel and Slava. "Borodino" and "Alexander-III" had 203mm/0° + 40mm/30° + 40mm/0° = equivalent to 323mm normal Krupp armor.
5. OFS - high-explosive fragmentation projectile.
6. The novel "Tsushima" by A.S. Novikov-Priboy. Memoirs of Russian sailors about the Battle of Tsushima.
7. Only one old Chinese Chin-Yen was an armadillo among them. The remaining three were light armored cruisers of the Matsushima type. Each of them carried one heavy and low rate of fire 320mm cannon. Of course, these ships could not even withstand the Russian cruisers of the 1st rank, not to mention the battleships. However, on the battleship lack of fish of the Japanese fleet, these were quite “lobsters” for themselves, and therefore the Japanese were in no hurry to send them for scrapping. During the Battle of Tsushima, they were ordered to shoot at the shock Russian battleships from behind the backs of the Japanese armored detachments, which they did, but they never hit anyone.
8. The diagram shows only the physical dimensions of the Orel armor without taking into account the angles of inclination of the armor plates.
9. MZ - loading mechanisms.
10. Taking into account the "semi-heavy" cruisers of the project 26 and 26-bis from heavy artillery, the Soviet Navy on June 22, 1941 had only 36 305mm caliber guns (on the modernized royal battleships of the "Marat" type) and 40 B-1-P guns of 180mm caliber (on cruisers of projects 26, 26-bis and the modernized "Red Caucasus"). At the same time, the inclusion of the formally light cruisers of project 26 and 26 bis in the list is an obvious stretch “for the number”, as is the case with the list of the Japanese fleet. No matter how embarrassing it was. As of June 22, 1941, the USSR Navy did not have aircraft carriers.
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Ships of the Russian fleet - participants in the Russo-Japanese War. Probably in the history of Russia there is no more unfortunate defeat.
cruiser I rank "Askold"
Laid down in 1898 in Kiel (Germany). Shipyard - "Germany" (Deutschland). Launched in 1900. Entered service in 1902. In 1903 he went to the Far East. One of the most active ships. In July 1904 he participated in an unsuccessful breakthrough to Vladivostok. Together with the Novik cruiser (subsequently sunk in Korsakov Bay on Sakhalin), he managed to get out of the encirclement. Unlike "Novik", "Askold" went to the nearest port - Shanghai, where he was interned until the end of the war. After the end of the Russo-Japanese War, he became part of the Siberian Flotilla and was stationed in Vladivostok. During WWI, he participated in various combat operations together with the Allied ships against the squadron of Admiral Spee. After that, he went to the Mediterranean Sea, participated in the Dardanelles operation (a joint operation of the land and sea forces of the allies against the Ottoman Empire, the purpose of which was to break through to Constantinople, ended in the failure of the coalition forces despite the numerical advantage over the Ottomans). Then he went to Toulon, where he was under repair (spring 1916 - summer 1917). The cruiser left Toulon for Murmansk, where she joined the fleet of the Arctic Ocean. In 1918, in the Kola Bay, it was captured by the British and became part of the British fleet under the name "Glory IV". In 1922 it was redeemed by Soviet Russia. Due to the unsatisfactory condition of the hull and mechanisms, it was decided to sell the cruiser for scrap. In the same 1922 "Askold" was dismantled for metal in Hamburg.
During the Dardanelles operation "Askold" fought together with the British cruiser HMS Talbot - the one to which the Varyag team switched.
before launching
Hull "Askold" (left) in the water
at the outfitting wall - installation of the nasal tube, 1901
the cruiser has almost taken its final form, the winter of 1901
docking in the floating dock of Blom & Foss, Hamburg, 1901
sea trials, 1901
additional installation of the navigation bridge, autumn 1901, Kiel, Germany
acceptance tests. Since the cruiser has not yet been enrolled in the navy, on the flagpole is the state (tricolor), and not the naval (St. Andrew's) flag
in the Kiel Canal, 1902
Great Kronstadt raid, 1902
already in the Baltic Fleet, 1902
Dalian Bay, 1903
Port Arthur, 1904 The cruiser has already been repainted in the standard combat color of the Pacific formations of those years - dark olive
on a combat course, 1904
during the Dardanelles operation, 1915
in Toulon, 1916
as part of the flotilla of the Arctic Ocean, 1917
note from the Niva magazine, 1915
drawing and axonometric projection, "Modelist-Constructor" magazine. On axonometric view, mine nets are shown in a combat position
"Askold" while serving on the Baltic Sea, modern drawing
painting of the cruiser "Askold" during service in the Pacific Ocean
coloring of the cruiser "Askold" during the fighting in the Mediterranean
Laid down at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg on September 5, 1899, launched on July 21, 1901 and commissioned on June 20, 1904. Before moving to Libau and further to the Far East, he was completed by the Guards crew.
In the Tsushima battle, he led a column of Russian ships. Having received heavy damage to the bow, gave way to the lead ship of the EDB "Borodino". As a result of the loss of speed, he was under fire from the armored cruisers Nissin and Kassuga. There was a fire on board. The water that got through the holes worsened the situation and at 18-50 on May 14, 1905, the ship capsized and sank. The entire crew was killed. In the same year, he was formally excluded from the lists of the fleet.
Before leaving for Port Arthur, the captain of the 1st rank, the crew commander of the EBR "Emperor Alexander III" Nikolai Mikhailovich Bukhvostov said 2:
You want us to win. Needless to say, we want it. But there will be no victory! I am afraid that we will lose half of the squadron along the way, and if this does not happen, then the Japanese will defeat us: they have a better fleet and they are real sailors. For one thing I vouch - we will all die, but we will not surrender.
The squadron reached the Tsushima Strait without loss, and died there. But honor remained unsullied. N. M. Bukhvostov and his crew died all together. Your coffin is an armadillo. Your grave is the cold depth of the ocean. And the native family of faithful sailors is your age-old protection ... 1
squadron battleship "Emperor Alexander III"
before launching, 1901
during outfitting work at the Baltic Shipyard
transfer from St. Petersburg to Kronstadt
in the dry dock of Kronstadt, 1903
on the Kronstadt roadstead, 1904
August 1904
on the Reval raid, September 1904
view of the starboard side, given overhead crane with a steam boat
at one of the stops during the transition to the Far East, from left to right - EBR "Navarin", EBR "Emperor Alexander III", "Borodino"
Armored cruiser "Rurik" - the last ship of this class with full sailing weapons in the Russian Navy
The last Russian cruiser with full sailing equipment. Development of the project "Memory of Azov". Subsequent ships - "Russia" and "Gromoboy" became the development of this project (initially it was planned to build them according to the same project as the "Rurik"). The main task is to conduct hostilities and raider operations on British and German communications. A feature of the ship was that when loading an additional supply of coal, it could pass from St. Petersburg to the nearest Far Eastern bases for additional coal loading with a 10-knot course.
Began construction at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg in September 1889. Officially laid down in May 1890. Launched on October 22, 1892. Entered service in October 1895. Transferred from the Baltic Sea to the Far East as part of the 1st Pacific Squadron,
arrived in Nagasaki on April 9, 1896. He was a member of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers. In the battle on August 1, 1904, near Fr. Ulsan is flooded by the crew as a result of the damage received. Of the 796 team members, 139 were killed and 229 were injured.
on the march, view of the deck from the foremast marshal platform
board painting in preparation for the show 
on a hike
"Rurik" in black color
"Rurik" in Nagasaki, 1896
in the eastern basin of Port Arthur
in the dock of Vladivostok 
Port Arthur
cruiser on a hike, Far East
cruiser stem - the decoration of the bow is clearly visible - the legacy of the "bow figures" of sailing ships
Squadron battleship "Sevastopol"
Laid down March 22, 1892. Launched May 25, 1895. Entered service July 15, 1900. Participated in the battle in the Yellow Sea. December 20, 1904 on the eve of the surrender of Port Arthur was flooded by the crew. The last ship of the Poltava type.
near Galerny Island before being transferred for completion to Kronstadt, 1898
"Sevastopol" and "Petropavlovsk" in Vladivostok, 1901
on the right (near the wall) EDB "Sevastopol". A crane carries a faulty 12-inch gun from the Tsesarevich, Port Arthur, 1904
EBR "Sevastopol" on the march
"Sevastopol", "Poltava" and "Petropavlovsk" at the wall of the eastern basin of Port Arthur, 1901-1903
a ventilation deflector torn by a shell, 1904
in Port Arthur. Ahead - stern to the photographer - "Tsesarevich", in the background - "Askold"
in Port Arthur, campaign of 1904, on the right is the stern of the destroyer of the Sokol type, on the left is the stern of the Novik
after being hit by a Japanese torpedo in White Wolf Bay, December 1904
sailors go to the land front. after that, the EDB "Sevastopol" will be flooded in the inner roadstead of Port Arthur on the eve of the surrender of the fortress
Squadron battleship "Sevastopol", color postcard
Armored cruiser II rank "Boyarin"
Laid down at the Burmeister og Wein plant, Copenhagen, Denmark in early 1900. The official bookmark took place on September 24, 1900. May 26, 1901 launched.
Entered service in October 1902. On October 27, 1902, the cruiser left Kronstadt and arrived in Port Arthur on May 10, 1903.
Blown up by a Russian mine near the port of Dalniy on January 29, 1904 (6 people died). The team left the ship, which remained afloat for another two days and only after a second explosion on a minefield sank.
still under the Danish flag, sea trials, 1902
1902 - St. Andrew's flag is already on the flagpole. Before moving to Kronstadt.
"Boyarin" in the Far East, 1903 
in the Denmark Strait, 1903
in Toulon
Port Arthur, 1904
Armored cruiser II rank "Boyarin", photo postcard
1 - these are stanzas from the poem "In Memory of Admiral Makarov". Its author is S. LOBANOVSKY, a cadet of the Vladimir Kyiv Cadet Corps, graduated in 1910. It is completely engraved on the pedestal of the monument to Admiral Stepan Osipovich Makarov in Kronstadt. But these drains are a memory to all those who until the last remained with their crew, with their ship. Such as N. M. Bukhvostov, S. O. Makarov and many others...
Sleep, northern knight, sleep, honest Father,
Untimely taken by death, -
Not the laurels of victory - the crown of thorns
You accepted with a fearless squad.
Your coffin is an armadillo, your grave
Cold deep ocean
And faithful sailors native family
Your age-old protection.
Dividing laurels, from now on with you
They also share eternal rest.
The jealous sea will not betray the earth
The hero who loved the sea -
In a deep grave, in a mysterious haze
Cherishing it and rest.
And the wind will sing a memorial service over him,
Hurricanes will cry with rain
And the shroud will be spread with a thick cover
Thick fogs over the sea;
And the clouds, frowning, the last salute
Gromov will be given to him with a roar.
Let me remind you - Admiral Makarov died along with the Petropavlovsk EDB, which was blown up by a mine in Vladivostok. Also, along with the ship, the Russian battle painter Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (the author of the paintings "The Apotheosis of War", "Before the attack near Plevna", "Napoleon on the Borodino Heights", "Skobelev near Plevna", etc.) died.
2 - who regularly follows the TV project "Living History" of the TV channel "Channel 5 - St. Petersburg", could hear this quote in one of the parts of the film about the Russian fleet "Yablochko". True, Sergey Shnurov shortened it - he removed the words regarding the loss of ships in the campaign.
In 1868, the Meiji Ishin coup took place in Japan, as a result of which the power of the emperor was restored. The country got out of the power of the feudal clans, and the fleet became one. The Ministry of War (whose jurisdiction initially included the Navy) got a strange set of ships that could hardly be called combat and which clearly did not represent the navy. It included both the ships of the bakufu - the feudal government, and the ships inherited from its defeated opponents, primarily the powerful Satsuma clan. Among them was the only battleship purchased from the rebellious American Confederacy of the southern states, a wooden corvette and a gunboat, as well as several armed steamers and sailboats. Japan was faced with a dilemma, either to restore old ships or to renew the fleet. The Japanese took the second path. In 1870, the most powerful fleet in the world, the British, was chosen as a landmark.
Several English instructors arrived in a country that had recently been completely closed from the rest of the world, and began to train sailors and transfer modern technologies. However, the Japanese were quite cautious, and the British operated within numerous restrictions. But over the years allotted to them, the British managed to do a lot of useful things. In addition to organizing the fleet and training personnel, they arranged the purchase of warships.
corvette "Tsukuba"
True, for him the beginning did not look inspiring, among the first acquisitions was, for example, the Tsukuba corvette with a displacement of about 1900 tons, built almost 20 years ago in the British colony of Burma and then modernized in the Old Man metropolis (which the language does not dare to call a cruiser ) developed under pairs no more than 10 knots. However, the Japanese treated this antiquity, as well as all their warships, with great care and love. Artillery was changed on it twice and, according to some reports, in 1892 the Tsukuba even received four 152-mm rapid-fire guns. The veteran retired after the Russo-Japanese War. The 1,400-ton Asama corvette purchased in France did not shine with dignity either.
corvette "Asama"
However, British experts were by no means limited to these obsolete ships. Already quite modern armored units of the Fuso frigate (essentially a small battleship) and the Hiei and Congo corvettes were created at the shipyards of England. The project of the latter was developed by Edward Reed himself, the chief designer of the Admiralty. With a displacement of 2200 tons, they could develop 14 knots and had an iron belt up to 114 mm thick. The Hiei still managed to actively participate in the Sino-Japanese war and get its share of enemy shells in the battle at the mouth of the Yalu River.
frigate "Fuso"
Deciding quite reasonably "not to put all your eggs in one basket," the War Department abruptly changed the main supplier of ideas and ships. The choice fell on Britain's main rival. By the early 1880s, French metallurgists and engineers began to arrive in the Far East. They managed to complete the work of their predecessors and set up the construction of cruisers at Japanese shipyards. It is quite natural that at first everything did not go too smoothly. Wooden corvettes "Kaimon" and "Tenryu" with a displacement of only about 1500 tons were built painfully for about seven years each, entering service only in 1885 - 1886. However, they turned out to be quite successful and served until the Russo-Japanese War, during which in July 1904 the Kaimon hit a mine in Talienwan Bay and died, and the Tenryu, who survived it safely, was excluded from the lists shortly after the end of hostilities.
corvette "Kasuga"
A successful project was modernized, and the following corvettes, Musashi and Katsuragi, were laid on the vacant stocks in Ekosuka. Another corvette of the same type, Yamato, was built at the second state shipyard in Kobe. The ships had a composite set with steel frames and wooden plating and carried full sailing equipment, removed at the turn of the century, in 1900. Construction also accelerated, although the five-year time limit for rather simple units was still insurmountable.
Practical "pieces of wood" were quite suitable for study, but for a serious war, larger ships and more powerful weapons were required. The Japanese wanted to get the most powerful and at the same time cheap modern cruiser, and the French engineers, who usually very vigilantly followed such a characteristic as stability, gave "weakness". The Wenby, built in Le Havre, had all the external signs of a typical French, such as the Sfax, Cecile or Taj, had a rather thick armored deck and good speed. However, in an effort to satisfy the customer as much as possible, the designers went too far with artillery, which consisted of four heavy 240-mm Krupp guns, not counting 150-millimeters and other “little things”. As a result, the overloaded cruiser, under full sail, listed dangerously and did not want to return to an even keel. In this state, he left Le Havre on a long journey to the Far East. But he never arrived there, disappearing without a trace somewhere between Singapore and Taiwan in October 1887.
The first high-profile "puncture" was followed by further ones, albeit not so serious and of a completely different plan. The reorientation to France brought to Japan the ideas of the "young school", which turned out to be quite consistent with the fighting spirit of the samurai. Small ships attacking armored giants, in addition to a good opportunity to show the valor of warriors, were also inexpensive, just affordable for a rapidly developing power that had too many desires and needs.
Corvette "Matsushima"
To implement new ideas from Europe, "heavy artillery" arrived, the famous French shipbuilder Emile Bertin signed a three-year contract to stay in Japan. He proposed a super-original project for a trio of cruisers armed with the heaviest guns and designed as a response to fight even with large battleships - ordered for the most powerful Northern squadron of the Chinese fleet, Matsushima, Hasidate and Itsukushima received the designation of the San Keikan type. ”- “landscape ships”, since each unit bore the name of one of the three most famous species in Japan - Matsushima Bay in Miyagi Prefecture, Amano Hashidate Sandbank in Miyazu Bay, Kyoto Prefecture and Ikutsushima Island in Hiroshima Bay.
They were conceived to act as a single detachment, forming, as it were, one “composite battleship”, in which the Hasidate and Itsukushima were the “bow towers”, and the “Matsushima” was the “stern”. Accordingly, the main gun, one of the most powerful at that time in the world, the 320-mm Kane gun, was located on the first pair in the bow, and on the "closing" one - in the stern. In addition to the monster guns located in a lightly armored barbette, each of the cruisers carried a solid battery of 120-mm rapid-fire guns, just "introduced into use." The rapid firers were located in a large battery in the center of the hull, firing through ports on both sides in the manner of ancient frigates. It was they who, in fact, were the main weapons of the "Sunkeykans". But the small size of the ship did not allow them to be protected, and therefore they were very vulnerable.
Therefore, neither the strange Bertan idea nor its implementation could be called successful by any means. The Matsushima failed to develop an already non-sprint 16.5-knot design speed, their boilers constantly leaked and failed. However, their main drawback was their monstrous 320-graph paper, for the installation of which too much had to be sacrificed. The huge guns themselves on such small ships turned out to be practically useless. The 65-ton long barrel, when aimed directly at the side, noticeably heeled the hull, creating additional difficulties for firing, not only for its own, but also for much more effective quick-shooters. As a result, even when the sea was calm, no more than four shots per hour could be fired from the "monster".
All the shortcomings of the project were fully manifested in battle. Severe trouble awaited the type "Sankeikan" in the battle with the Chinese at the mouth of the Yalu River. There, in four hours of battle, 320-millimeters fired 14 shots for the entire trinity, but unlike later battles, when the Matsushima prudently kept out of effective return fire, they had to experience the impact of enemy shells. And then all the shortcomings of the cramped and unprotected 120-mm battery appeared. One of the few hit shells from Chinese battleships exploded among the ammunition on the Matsushima, causing a strong fire in which almost 100 people were injured - about a third of the crew, and half of them died .
Without a doubt, this hit was the most successful in the entire war and showed the extreme vulnerability of the “pseudolinkor”. In the Russo-Japanese War, the “landscape trinity” participated in both major battles, but neither in the Yellow Sea nor at Tsushima did they achieve a single hit, firing at all less than two dozen shells. In general, the main benefit of the "landscapes" was, perhaps, the process of "assembling" the "Hashidate" at the shipyard in Ekosuka (Two other units were built in France). It was "assemblies", since almost all mechanisms, equipment, materials and drawings came to Japan from Europe, and French engineers led the work. Equipment and skills were clearly lacking so far, and the construction of the Hasidate took twice as long. It entered service three years later than the "sisters". Nevertheless, the experience in creating a modern combat ship turned out to be very useful.
"Hashidate"
The failure to implement Bertin's extravagant ideas did not go unnoticed by the attentive Japanese three years before the Matsushima disaster. In 1892, it was decided to no longer use the services of the French. Mikado ministers were quickly diverted back to their main rivals, the British. And very successfully, just in the 1890s, the rapid ascent along the pyramid of glory of the Armstrong company and its designers began. Actually, it was they who largely created the modern Japanese fleet. We have already talked about the Elswick Esino, armed exclusively with rapid fire and developing 23 knots, which did so much to defeat the Chinese at Yalu. Under the flag of Admiral Tsuboi, he led the “flying squadron”, which consisted of the fastest cruisers, attacking the enemy from the flank and completely ruining his system.
Akitsushima
The “flying squadron” included the fastest and most modern cruisers, in addition to the Yoshino, the Elswick Naniwa and Takatiho, as well as the first modern Japanese-built product, the Akitsushima. It strongly resembled a smaller version of the American "Elswick" - "Baltimore" (which is not surprising, since both projects were Armstrong's chief designer William White) and was built from materials brought from Britain.
The first fully Japanese-built cruisers were the Suma and Akashi pair.
Finally, almost everything was domestic, from the project to materials, mechanisms and equipment. The exception was artillery so as not to produce unnecessary types of guns and shells, they were left English, produced by the same Armstrong.
British influence, albeit indirectly, was still very strong, both ships in many ways resembled the Akitsushima in layout and performance. Some step forward was the introduction of triple expansion steam engines with a vertical arrangement of cylinders, however, the boilers clearly "pulled back" the locomotive type by that time had almost completely disappeared from all more or less large warships. They became a real headache for the mechanics and did not allow to develop the contract speed, which is already quite modest compared to the high-speed Elswicks. Not everything was immediately possible with such qualities as seaworthiness. The Suma, which was the first to enter service, turned out to be insufficiently stable and was heavily flooded with waves, so the completion of the Akashi was delayed by changing the design of the hull, which became smooth-deck. Subsequently, archaic locomotive boilers were replaced on both cruisers with modern water-tube boilers, but during the Russo-Japanese War, these ships had to suffer a lot on campaigns, trying to maintain something similar to full speed.
"Takasago"
Domestic cruisers were still being built for too long, from four to five years. At this pace, with only two shipyards capable of producing relatively large ships, the Japanese fleet would be hopelessly behind its ambitious plans. Therefore, searches abroad continued. And not without success in 1898, Armstrong delivered another beautiful cruiser. With a displacement of just under 4200 tons, the Takasago had very powerful armament, which included a pair of 203 mm, ten 120 mm and twelve 76 mm rapid-fire guns. At the same time, the ship had excellent protection, which, according to its creators, could withstand even 8-inch shells. Thus, the thickness of the deck bevel in the central part reached 114 mm. In addition, the hull had a large number of watertight compartments, the number of which exceeded a hundred. A couple more almost completely similar units were ordered in the United States of America from Crump and Union Iron Works.
Since at that time overseas technology was still lagging behind the capabilities of the Elswick “wizards”, the Kasagi and Chitose had a slightly larger size and displacement with the same armament and protection. It should be noted that the "Englishman" turned out to be faster, reaching the design 23.5 knots, while the "Americans" had to limit themselves to 22.5. The main drawback of these very powerful combat units for their size was caused precisely by their strength. Two and a half dozen guns, protected only by small shields, were located on the deck so closely that any shell that exploded there could cause complete devastation among the crews. There were understandable problems with eight-inchers.
A heavy 113-kilogram projectile would be difficult to keep even a hefty grenadier on a by no means wide swinging deck, and even more so for Japanese sailors who were not at all heroic. Therefore, the designers tried to help the servants as much as possible by supplying the installation and supply with electric motors. The shells delivered by the elevator from the ammunition cellars were laid out on a special cart that ran along rails laid on the deck behind the gun. It was, of course, much easier to push a projectile from such a cart into the breech of the gun, but all this “railway facilities” remained highly vulnerable to enemy hits, including fragmentation.
It is clear that such thoroughly loaded ships had very moderate seaworthiness.
Nevertheless, this trinity, together with the proven and equally fast Yoshino, made up the 3rd cruiser detachment during the Russo-Japanese War, which was very actively used for reconnaissance and aiming its main forces at the enemy. They delivered a lot of unpleasant minutes to our sailors, who called them "dogs" for their stubbornness. However, one of the "mutts" did not live to see Tsushima "Takasago" hit a mine in December 1904.
It should be noted that these strong ships were built surprisingly quickly. Takasago entered service exactly two years after the laying, and its American "cousins" even faster.
But the Japanese did not stand still. The next pair of domestic cruisers, Tsushima and Niitaka, became much more successful than the long-suffering Suma and Akashi. By increasing the displacement by about 700 tons, they received a single armament of six 6-inch guns, supplemented by a dozen 76-mm guns. The ships turned out to be quite seaworthy and had enviable stability. Of course, their 20-knot speed was somewhat lost against the background of foreign records, but it was possible to develop it without special problems. The construction time of the country's main shipyard in Ekosuka also decreased, and Niitaka was put into operation two years and 20 days after the laying, practically catching up with the leading firms of the main maritime powers. It is interesting that both had capricious boilers of the notorious Niklos type, usually strongly criticized by our specialists and historians (mainly on the example of the Varyag), but throughout their careers, Japanese sailors did not experience any special problems with them.
But the next cruiser of domestic construction, Otova, became the first to have domestic boilers as well. No wonder called "Kanpon" (that is, "naval" or "naval"), they had higher steam parameters than the vast majority of Western models (including the same Niklos products) and proved to be very unpretentious and reliable in operation. The slightly smaller size of the ships compared to their predecessors forced them to return to a mixed armament of 6- and 4.7-inch Akashi-type ships, but the speed was increased to 21 knots.
All Japanese armored cruisers, both high-speed "dogs" and slower units that left the stocks in Kure and Ekosuke, were actively used in the Russo-Japanese War. They turned out to be literally servants of all trades, carrying patrols at Port Arthur and carrying out tactical reconnaissance and search in battles. I must say that the command was afraid of the larger and superior in armament (all but the "dogs") Russian "6-thousanders" and preferred to keep their light cruisers at a considerable distance from them, and even more so from our battleships. However, the "trifle" took a very active part in the search for and finishing off the defeated 2nd Pacific squadron, taking advantage of their numerical superiority.
So, "Otova" and "Niitaka" without any problems caught up with the damaged "Svetlana" and drowned her after an hour and a half battle. But this immediate combat success was rather an exception. The same pair plus Admiral Uriu's detachment (Naniva, Takachiho, Akashi and Tsushima) six of them could not cope with the old armored cruiser Dmitry Donskoy, although they severely damaged it. The speed was not always enough, since the active service thoroughly "hooked" the cars and boilers of almost all units, few of which could develop more than 18 knots for the Tsushima battle. So, Chitose and Akitsushima were unable to catch up with the Emerald, which broke through the enemy’s ring during the surrender of the remnants of the squadron. Nevertheless, the activities of Japanese small cruisers should be recognized as both useful and successful.
Evidence of this is the fact that only four Russian light ships reached Vladivostok.
After the end of the war with Russia, the already very diverse composition of the Japanese cruiser fleet was also enriched with trophies. As a result, by 1907 a unique situation had arisen. The Mikado fleet now had cruisers manufactured by literally all the major maritime countries of England, France, the USA, Germany, Russia and Italy. An unimaginable mixture of systems of mechanisms and weapons, various shipbuilding principles and techniques. However, it was the experience of their operation that opened up for Japanese designers an opportunity inaccessible to engineers of other powers to choose the best. And this experience was soon embodied in original and strong ships.
Japanese shipbuilders had rather original views on the class of cruisers. Unlike American "classmates", almost every ship of the branch was equipped with torpedo tubes in addition to artillery pieces. Although most often they played the role of auxiliary weapons, in fights at close range, torpedoes can become a strong trump card.
One of the most vulnerable points of the hull of Japanese cruisers of higher levels is the gun turrets of the main caliber. Unable to provide the installations with reliable protection against large-caliber artillery, shipbuilders decided to limit themselves to light anti-fragmentation armor. As a result, players should be careful: at close range, the turrets of the main caliber of Japanese cruisers can penetrate even medium-powered guns.
Another common drawback of almost all ships of the branch is relatively weak air defense. Only in the later stages of World War II did Japanese engineers manage to copy Bofors anti-aircraft guns and begin industrial production of their counterpart.
Thanks to this, cruisers of higher tiers can already boast relatively good anti-aircraft weapons, although they are still far from the level of American cruisers and battleships.
Cruiser evolution
The Japanese fleet cruiser development branch starts from the second level:
II level -Chikuma
Chikuma is the first Japanese cruiser equipped with a steam turbine and an armor belt. The only representative of the branch that does not carry torpedo tubes on board. This is partly compensated for by its impressive firepower for its tier: eight 152-mm guns are mounted on it, and the maximum broadside was five of them.
IIILevel - Tatsuta
According to the initial plans, Tatsuta was designed as the leaders of destroyers, and therefore boasts good speed and excellent torpedo armament for its level - two triple-tube tubes of 533 mm caliber. At the same time, compared to its predecessor, Tatsuta lost in firepower: only four 140-mm guns were installed on its board.
IV level -Kuma
Compared to her predecessor, the cruiser Tatsuta, the number of artillery pieces on the ship has increased to seven. Thanks to its high rate of fire and good maneuverability, Kuma will become an excellent destroyer hunter, and the increased number of torpedo tubes to four will allow it to repulse enemy heavy ships as well.
Tier V - Furutaka
Thanks to the armament of six 203 mm artillery guns, Furutaka can successfully resist not only enemy destroyers, but also most of its classmates. The layout of the cruiser's guns is interesting: the half-towers are installed in the form of two pyramids on board and at the stern of the ship. Such an arrangement of installations made it possible to save deck space, but reduced the number of guns capable of firing from the bow or stern to two.
VI level -Aoba
The Aoba cruiser was the first ship in the branch to receive two-gun turret mounts for the main battery during construction. Two of them were located in the bow of the ship, and one was at the stern. Although the maximum broadside salvo remained the same, the Aoba can fire four guns at once from the bow, which significantly helps in destroying retreating destroyers. In addition, the cruiser is equipped with two four-tube torpedo tubes. The installations are located in the stern of the ship, which makes it a little difficult to aim during a torpedo attack.
Tier VII - Mogami
The Mogami cruiser boasts quite powerful torpedo armament: four 610 mm triple-tube torpedo tubes mounted side by side pose a serious threat to enemy heavy ships. Artillery is not far behind. The ship carries 15 rapid-firing 155 mm guns, which allow the cruiser to successfully destroy even the most maneuverable and fast destroyers.
During the upgrade, the player will be able to further strengthen the ship's armament by replacing the initial settings of the main caliber with ten 203-mm guns. At the same time, the cruiser will lose in the rate of fire, but in return, the damage from each volley will seriously increase.
Level VIII -Myōkō
The project of a heavy cruiser, the displacement of which came close to the limits of the Washington Treaty - 10 thousand tons. Compared to its predecessors, the cruiser is quite well protected.
The reserved area of the hull increased noticeably, and the thickness of the main armor belt of the ship reached 100 mm. The ship's artillery is located in five twin-gun turrets and consists of ten 203 mm guns.
IX level -Ibuki
The cruiser Ibuki has become a logical continuation of its predecessors in the Faster, Higher, Stronger branch. Its armament consists of four on-board torpedo tubes equipped with the famous Long Lance oxygen torpedoes, as well as ten 203 mm caliber guns, which confidently hit destroyers and most of their classmates.
X level -Senjo (Working title)
An unrealized heavy cruiser project of 1941, whose armament had already increased to 12 guns. Four installations of the main caliber, three barrels each, are installed equally on the bow and stern of the ship.
In addition, the cruiser has relatively good air defense. Twelve 100-mm anti-aircraft guns reliably protect against attack squadrons and allow you to actively operate against enemy aircraft carriers. Unlike artillery, torpedo armament was not strengthened compared to its predecessors, since it was already at a very high level.
On August 14 (August 1 according to the old style), 1904, a fierce battle took place between the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers and the Japanese squadron, as a result of which the cruiser Rurik heroically died. The feat of the crew of this ship is akin to the feat of the Varyag, and even surpasses it in the intensity of the battle and the tragedy of the situation. However, by chance and fate, it happened that the name "Varyag" is still well-known, and few people remember and know about "Rurik" today. However, as about the legendary Vladivostok detachment ...
Vladivostok detachment "invisible"
After in the very first days of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. our squadron was blocked in Port Arthur by the enemy fleet, in the Pacific Ocean there was only one formation of Russian ships capable of cruising operations on the communications of the Japanese - the Vladivostok detachment consisting of the cruisers "Russia", "Rurik", "Gromoboy", "Bogatyr" and several "dogs" attached to him - destroyers.
After 80 years, the famous writer Valentin Pikul dedicated his novel “Cruisers” to the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers, and the local prose writer Anatoly Ilyin wrote a story called “The Vladivostok detachment”. It is clear that no one dedicates stories and novels to ships just like that. The Vladivostok detachment entered the annals of history forever with its daring raids to the shores of Japan, which caused panic in the enemy. At the same time, the cruisers themselves remained elusive for the Japanese fleet for a long time, in connection with which the foreign press called them "ghost ships".
cruiser raids
Already in the first days of the war, our cruisers managed to sink several Japanese transports carrying soldiers and fuel. After this sortie of Russian cruisers, the commander of the Japanese fleet, Admiral Togo, was forced to weaken his forces at Port Arthur in order to reinforce Kamimura's squadron to fight our cruisers. This is what our naval commanders were trying to achieve: to divert some of the enemy ships that were besieging Port Arthur.
And soon the cruiser "Bogatyr" (commander captain 1st rank A. Stemman) was unlucky: on May 15 (2), 1904, in Posyet Bay, during fog, he sat tightly on the rocks near Cape Bruce. With great difficulty and not immediately, the cruiser was removed from the stones and escorted to Vladivostok for repairs, where it remained until the end of the war. Having so absurdly lost a fellow, "Russia", "Rurik" and "Gromoboi" remained the three of them. To the entire Sea of Japan and its environs ...
At the end of May, the cruisers went on another raid. In the Korea Strait, they intercepted the Izumo-Maru military transport. Realizing that it would not be possible to escape, the Japanese captain, having landed the crew on the boats, scuttled the ship. Then the Thunderbolt overtook another Hitatsi-Maru transport, which had 1,100 soldiers, 320 horses and 18 Krupp 280-mm siege guns on board to crush the fortifications of Port Arthur. The captain of the Japanese ship, the Englishman J. Campebel, tried to ram our cruiser. Evading, "Thunderbolt" shot "Hitatsi-Maru" from the guns. Meanwhile, "Russia" and "Rurik" caught up with another large military transport "Sado-Maru", where there were about 15 thousand builders, a railway battalion of soldiers, pontoons, a telegraph park, machine tools for siege weapons (which drowned along with "Hitatsi-Maru ”), boxes of gold and silver. "Rurik" put alternately on the torpedo into the right and left side of the vessel. The cruisers went further, believing that the transport settling under water would be on the seabed. But, alas, he did not drown. Haste did not allow our sailors to finish the job ...
Enemy ships scoured the entire Sea of Japan, looking for the Vladivostok invisibles, but they burned coal in the furnaces in vain. "We're just unlucky!" the Japanese admirals lamented. In the meantime, all of Japan was alarmed by the raids of our cruisers, and newspapers published offensive cartoons against Admiral Kamimura. The foreign press also responded to these events. So, one of the English newspapers was forced to note: “The cruising of the Vladivostok detachment is the most daring enterprise of all done by the Russians. The fact that their ships managed to escape from the Kamimura squadron aroused public opinion in Japan.
Things eventually got to the point that on June 19, 1904, embittered representatives of Japanese business, suffering millions of dollars in losses due to unpunished attacks by the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers on trade communications, smashed and set fire to the apartment of Admiral Kamimura. If he had been at home at that moment, the brutal crowd would obviously have torn him to pieces, especially since the police preferred not to interfere in what was happening. Japanese newspapers in those days added fuel to the fire, demanding "on behalf of the Japanese people that the government make the most serious remark to the Kamimura squadron."
And our cruisers, meanwhile, continued to smash the enemy’s transport communications, now in the Pacific Ocean, where the Japanese were forced to move the paths of their ships with cargo and troops, hoping thereby to protect them from Russian ghost ships. In the July raid they sank several Japanese transports and schooners. They captured the German steamer Arabia with a cargo of locomotive boilers and rails for Japan. They detained and blew up the English ship "Night Commander" with cargo for the Japanese railway. Then the German steamship Tea was unlucky with a cargo of fish in its holds, en route from America to Yokohama. He was stopped, the team removed, and then blown up. And the English ship "Calhas" with smuggling was taken as a prize.
About the daring sorties of our cruisers, the world press rustled. The business circles of not only Japan, but also England, Germany, and America became worried. Still would! Cargo tariffs and insurance rates increased sharply, contracts for the supply of goods to Japan were disrupted. Panic reigned in the ports and on the stock exchanges...
Skirmish with the Japanese squadron. The death of "Rurik"
At dawn on August 11, 1904, the cruisers Rossiya (commander 1st rank captain A. Andreev), Rurik (commander 1st rank captain E. Trusov) and Gromoboy (commander 1st rank captain N. Dabich) under the leadership of the commander of the detachment, Rear Admiral K. Jessen, went to sea in accordance with the order received to support the breakthrough of the ships of the Port Arthur squadron to Vladivostok. However, the order was late - the squadron, badly battered in battle, had already returned to Port Arthur, having failed to break through. And "Russia", "Rurik" and "Gromoboy" went to Tsushima, not knowing that they had no one to meet ...
Early in the morning of August 14, the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers in the Korea Strait, 40 miles from the port of Fuzan (Pusan), was intercepted by the Japanese squadron and with all its might fell on the Russian ships, cutting off the escape routes. "Russia", "Rurik" and "Gromoboy" were in a trap. The Japanese were superior in numbers, artillery, speed, and armor strength. In a fierce battle, "Rurik", which was walking at the end, had the hardest time of all. It was on him that the Japanese concentrated their main fire. "Russia" and "Gromoboy", having received injuries themselves, tried to alleviate his fate by covering themselves, and then began to retreat to the north, hoping to distract the Japanese from Rurik. But the enemy clung to him with a death grip.
Reference. "Rurik" is the lead ship of a series of ocean-going armored cruisers-raiders. Built at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg and entered service in 1895. Not suitable for squadron combat, because. to improve seaworthiness, it had incomplete armor protection of the hull and almost did not have it for deck guns to protect against gunnery fragments. Displacement 11,690 tons, speed 18 knots. Cruising range 6,700 miles. Armament: 4 guns - 203 mm, 16 - 152 mm, 6 - 120 mm, 6 - 47 mm, 10 - 37 mm guns and 6 torpedo tubes. Crew 763 people.
Tormented during an unequal battle, settling in the sea as a stern, shrouded in steam from broken boilers, the Rurik seemed to the Japanese an easy prey. They hoped to capture him. However, the junior artillery officer, Lieutenant Konstantin Ivanov, who led the cruiser after the death of the commander and senior officers, and the surviving officers and sailors were not going to lower the flag. They stood to the death. When the Rurik's guns failed, the Japanese moved closer. But the crew of the Russian cruiser suddenly made a desperate attempt to ram their nearest ship, and a torpedo hit the Izumo cruiser ...
Pulling back, the Japanese ships opened fire again. By the end of the fight they were 14 against one. By 10 o'clock. in the morning, after a five-hour (!) battle (“Varangian”, note, only an hour participated in the battle and had no mortal injuries), “Rurik” was turned into a pile of twisted iron and only miraculously kept afloat. The Japanese began to approach the stationary cruiser again. In order to prevent the enemy from getting Rurik, Lieutenant Ivanov ordered the kingstones to be opened. Admiral Kamimura, realizing that there would be no surrender from the Russians, became furious and ordered a flurry of fire to be brought down on the cruiser. Before the sinking of the ship, Lieutenant K. Ivanov ordered everyone to leave the agonizing "Rurik", and throw the wounded overboard. Such was the dire need.
At 10 o'clock. 42 min. On August 14, 1904, the armored cruiser of the Russian fleet "Rurik" with the St. Andrew's flag raised and the signal "I die, but do not give up!" disappeared under water ... On the "Rurik" 204 people died and 305 sailors were wounded (on the "Varyag" 22 sailors were killed in battle, 12 died of wounds). The fallen Rurikites remained forever where they took their last battle - at the bottom of the Korea Strait. "Russia" and "Gromoboy" in that battle lost 129 lower ranks and officers. Historians then wrote: "You need to be iron creatures to withstand such a hellish battle."
With the death of the Rurik, the legendary raids of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers practically ceased. Until the fall, "Russia" and "Gromoboy" were under repair. Then an order came from the main naval headquarters: “The ships of the Vladivostok cruiser squadron should be saved for the second squadron. Cruise operations with the risk of further damage should be avoided.” And only our destroyers sometimes raided enemy communications, sinking several more Japanese schooners. April 25, 1905 "Russia" and "Gromoboy" made their last joint raid, reaching the Sangar Strait, where they sank several Japanese schooners. On April 28 they returned to the base. And on May 2, the Gromoboy, having gone out to sea to test the radiotelegraph, hit a mine and got under repair until the end of the war. "Russia" is orphaned.
Curious detail. After the war of 1904-1905. a ship named "Rurik II" entered the Baltic Fleet. The name "Varyag" was not assigned to any warship either under the tsar or in the Stalin era ...
