The name of the legendary Norman king Rurik, called in 862 to reign in ancient Novgorod and laid the foundations of Russian statehood, was carried by several ships in the Russian fleet.
The first in this row was the brig "Rurik". which in 1815-1818. circumnavigated the world under the command of Otto Kotzebue.
In 1852, at the shipyard in the Finnish city of Abo (Finland was then part of the Russian Empire), a 4-gun steam frigate "Rurik" was built, which was part of the Russian navy until 1870.
He was replaced by the third "Rurik" - a steam frigate, also built in Abo, which served from 1870 to 1890.
For centuries, the name "Rurik" was glorified by the fourth ship - a cruiser of the 1st rank, launched in 1892 and distinguished itself during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. As part of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers, it operated on Japanese sea lanes On the morning of August 1 (14), 1904 ... being in the Korea Strait, the detachment consisting of the cruisers Rossiya, Gromovoi and Rurik entered into battle with four armored and two light cruisers Japanese. During the battle, "Rurik" was seriously damaged, lost control, out of 763 crew members, 204 were killed, including the commander of the ship, captain 1st rank E. Trusov and senior officer captain 2nd rank N. Kholodovsky, another 305 people were injured. Lieutenant K. Ivanov, who took command, due to the threat of the enemy capturing the ship that had lost its combat capability. ordered to sink the cruiser.
In memory of the glorious ship and its brave crew, who fulfilled their military duty to the end, the name "Rurik" was given to the fifth ship, an armored cruiser that became part of the Russian fleet in July 1909. Our story is about it.
An armored cruiser of this type was the development of the idea of creating a 15,000-ton turret cruiser, which was put forward back in 1895 by the designers of the Baltic Shipbuilding and Mechanical Plant in St. Petersburg and was embodied in the squadron battleships of the Peresvet type. The tactical purpose of such a cruiser is direct interaction with a squadron of battleships in battle.
In July 1904, a competition was announced among construction firms. As a result of the discussion of proposals in the Marine Technical Committee of the Maritime Ministry (MTK), the project of the well-known British company Vickers, located in the city of Barrow-in-Furness, was recognized as the best.
Cruiser "Rurik"
Cruiser "Rurik" in completion
After the approval of the draft drawings and specifications on May 31, 1905, Vickers received a contract to build the cruiser. The preliminary work period was determined at 20 months, the cost of the order was estimated at 1.5 million pounds. It was assumed that, according to the drawings of the cruiser ordered by Vickers, two more of its sisterships would be built in Russia, but due to the proposal to use turbines as the main engine and the need to make significant changes to the initial project, the construction of these ships was first postponed and then completely canceled .
In June 1905, the theoretical drawing of the cruiser was transferred to the plaza of the Vickers plant, and on August 9, the first horizontal keel sheet was installed on the slipway. By January 1908, the mass of the hull on the slipway had already reached 2600 tons.
From the Russian side, the construction of the ship was monitored by: senior clerk of the shipbuilding department of the MTC K.A. Tennyson; his assistants, who oversaw the work on the hull, were ship engineers A.N. Prokhorov and V.P. Sokolov. The work on the mechanical part was observed by Lieutenant Colonel T.R. Neiman, for artillery - Colonel V.L. Golubtsov, for mine and torpedo weapons - Lieutenant A.V. Delivery.
Ship commander captain 1st rank N.O. Essen and the observers arrived in Britain in April-June 1906. In January of the following year, Tennyson was replaced by a junior shipbuilder, Lieutenant Colonel A.P. Titov, V.P. Sokolova in July - ship engineer lieutenant V.P. Kostenko (participant in the Tsushima battle, later a prominent shipbuilder).
According to the project, the ship had the following tactical and technical elements
The greatest length is 161.2 m (along the cargo waterline - 157.8 m);
Maximum width (with armor) 22.9 m;
Draft 7.92 m, depth - 12.2 m;
Normal displacement 15170 tons
Two triple expansion steam engines with a total capacity of 19,700 hp. s and 28 steam water-tube boilers of the Yarrow system were supposed to provide the ship with a speed of 21 knots (the highest - 21.43 knots), an economic speed of 10 knots.
The normal supply of coal was 1200 tons, full - 2000 tons. The cruising range with an economic 10-knot course reached 4,000 miles. Having developed a 21-knot course. the cruiser could travel up to 2200 miles.
The Rurik's armament consisted of four 254 mm guns in two end turrets, eight 203 mm guns in four side turrets, and twenty 120 mm guns. including in the aft casemates - 4 and 16 in the central batteries (8 guns from each side).
Artillery armament was supplemented by four 47-mm guns, two 63.5-mm landing guns and eight 7.62-mm machine guns of the Vickers system.
Mine-torpedo armament included two underwater traverse 450-mm torpedo tubes and up to 500 anchor mines.
The armor belt along the waterline consisted of two rows of armor plates with a total height of 3.2 m (the lower edge was located 1.5 m below the waterline). The thickness of the armor plates is 152 mm (at the extremities it decreased to 102 and 76 mm). The casemates were protected by 76-mm armor, the main and lower decks had a thickness of 37.5 and 25.4 mm, armored bevels - 37.5 mm, spardeck - 25.4 mm, the thickness of the armored towers was, respectively. 203 mm for 254-mm and 178-mm guns for 203-mm guns The barbetas of the turrets had armor thicknesses of 203 and 178 mm. roofs - 64 and 50 mm, respectively. The combat and rangefinder cabins were protected by armor, respectively, 203 and 127 mm thick. The total mass of the armor was 32 percent of the normal displacement.
Unsinkability was ensured by dividing the hull into watertight compartments and a highly efficient roll and trim equalization system; and could be filled within 1.5 minutes.
Submarine "Shark" and cruiser "Rurik"
Cruiser "Rurik" and battleships "Glory" and "Tsesarevich" wintering in Helsingfors
Kubrick on the cruiser Rurik
Cruiser Rurik. shooting
The crew consisted of 943 people (data for 1913), of which - officers - 26. conductors - 22. lower ranks - 895.
The laying of the cruiser on the slipway took place on August 9, 1905, and the launch on November 4, 1906. By June 1907, outfitting work was completed, including the installation of boilers and main mechanisms. However, by the time the upper deck was closed, there was a delay in the delivery of deck armor.
On July 8, 1907, Rurik began sea trials on a measured mile in Sklermoria (the Firth of Clyde near the town of Gpasgo).
The selection committee was headed by Major General of the Corps of Ship Engineers P.E. Chernigov. The ship was tested without artillery and armored turrets. because the Sheffield factory that made them did not meet the deadline. It should be noted that the 8-inch (203-mm) two-gun mount was developed at a metal plant in St. Petersburg and was installed on battleships of the Andrew the First-Called type. The cruiser Rurik also had the same guns, but in British-made gun turrets. The 10-inch (254 mm) gun was completely "Vickers". It was developed according to the tactical and technical assignment of the Russian Naval Ministry. In this regard, the gun used a system for fastening the barrel with long cylinders, while in British practice a wire construction was used.
The Rurik cruiser turned out to be the only carrier of these artillery systems in the Russian fleet, since in the beginning of the “dreadnought era”, more powerful guns were required. But the 120-mm guns installed on this ship were widely used in the Russian fleet: they were on the first Russian dreadnoughts of the Sevastopol type, on river monitors of the Shkval type of the Amur Flotilla. Regarding the transfer to the British side of the drawings of the guns, which were considered secret, a parliamentary investigation was even initiated in the Russian State Duma. When transferring these documents, all the required bureaucratic formalities were not observed, but the matter came down to the usual parliamentary hype and a series of articles in the "yellow press".
So the testing began. The cruiser made 14 runs along the measured mile, reaching a maximum speed of 21.58 knots. The average ship speed with a displacement of 15133 tons was 21.43 knots with a machine power of 20580 hp. In general, the test results were quite satisfactory.
The installation of towers and the installation of artillery dragged on until the spring of 1908. In August of the same year, the Russian flag of St. Andrew was raised on the ship, and soon the cruiser left for Russia.
The flagship of Vice Admiral N.O. Essen cruiser "Rurik", 1911
The cruiser "Rurik" and the battleships "Andrew the First-Called" and "Emperor Paul I" in a training campaign
The changes in the design documentation made during the construction, related to the experience of the Russian-Japanese war, and the increase in the mass of received cargo led to an increase in displacement to 17250 tons with a draft of 8.73 meters.
The first artillery firing required reinforcement and alteration of the turret structures, which turned out to be weak for the new Russian guns.
The cruiser finally entered service with the Russian Imperial Fleet in July 1909. In the same year, she took part in the celebrations on the occasion of the arrival of a detachment of Russian ships in Cherbourg (France) and in the large naval parade of the British fleet on the Spithead roadstead. The following year, "Rurik" as part of the Russian squadron participates in a visit to the Principality of Montenegro. On the way back in November 1910, in the English Channel and in the North Sea, the overloaded ship got into a storm. The roll amplitude reached 16 degrees. Huge waves of water fell on the cruiser. Water penetrated into the rooms under the living and armored decks through leaks in the casing covers installed without rubber seals. The ship, however, withstood the elements with honor and safely returned to Russia.
During the First World War, the cruiser "Rurik" was the flagship of the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral N. O. Essen, his first commander. The ship takes an active part in combat operations, including the provision and independent implementation of active minelaying. On February 13, 1915, the cruiser suffered a serious accident, hitting stones in the area of the Fare lighthouse (Gotland Island). Having taken about 2400 tons of water, "Rurik" managed to independently reach the base.
Dock repairs in Kronstadt took three months. Already on July 2, 1915, the repaired cruiser was participating in the battle near about. Gotland with a German detachment, fighting with the armored cruiser "Roon" and the light "Lübeck". The battle lasted 25 minutes, eleven 150-mm shells from the Roon hit Rurik (all hits were above the waterline). artillery crew were poisoned by gases. Fragments of German shells wounded nine people. There were no casualties in this battle.
In July 1915, "Rurik" participates in ensuring the transition of the battleship "Glory" to the Gulf of Riga, in October-November - in new minefield operations.
On November 19, 1916, a detachment of Russian ships consisting of the battleship "Andrew the First-Called", the cruisers "Bayan" and "Rurik" and four destroyers made the transition from Sveaborg to Kronstadt, in the evening of the same day, when the detachment was in the area of the island of Gogland, under the stem " Rurik" a mine exploded, set by the German underwater horseshoe "UC-27". The explosion of a 150-kilogram charge turned the underwater bow of the cruiser tip over from 0 to 20 frames. The ship took in about 500 tons of water and settled with its nose at 9.1 meters. The well-trained crew of the cruiser skillfully and actively fought for survivability. Already 35 minutes after the explosion, "Rurik" was able to move and some time later safely arrived in Kronstadt. After a two-month repair, the ship rejoined the active fleet. In the course of repair and restoration work, the following were carried out: reassembly of the main and auxiliary mechanisms; replacement of tubes in boilers; a tripod mast of the English type was installed: the navigation bridge was re-equipped; the composition of the auxiliary artillery was changed, which began to include two 47-mm cannons, one 40-mm anti-aircraft gun and two 7.62-mm machine guns.
Longitudinal section of the armored cruiser "Rurik"
mine explosion area
Area of destruction from a mine explosion
Cruiser Rurik. General view of the hole from a mine explosion
Cruiser "Rurik" in a stormy sea
In 1918, Rurik took part in ensuring the passage of Russian ships from Revel and Helsingfors to Kronstadt. In Russian historiography, this transition is known as the "Ice Campaign of the Baltic Fleet in 1918". February 24-27 "Rurik" makes the transition from Reval to Helsingfors. and March 12–17 - to Kronstadt; April 6-10 "Rurik" escorts the icebreaker "Ermak", which came out to meet the ships of the 2nd detachment, coming from Helsingfors.
In October 1918, Rurik was handed over to the port of Kronstadt for long-term storage. During the Civil War 1917–1922 seventeen 120-mm guns were removed from the mothballed cruiser, which were installed on a number of ships of the Severodvinsk River Flotilla. Volga and Onega military flotillas, as well as on armored trains. In 1923, the Rurik cruiser was dismantled for metal. November 21, 1925 he was expelled from the lists of the fleet. The 203-mm turret guns removed from the ship were installed at the fort "Vedovoi" ("Grey Horse") of the Kronstadt Defense Region. During World War II, they were used to defend the so-called Oranienbaum Piglet.
Assessing the project as a whole, we can say. that the cruiser "Rurik" was the most powerful and combat-ready cruiser of the Russian fleet, showed high survivability and good seaworthiness. Its main disadvantages were its low speed and weak vertical armor relative to the caliber of artillery. The construction of the armored cruiser "Rurik" served as the first step towards the creation of a new class of ships in the Russian fleet - battlecruisers, laid down in December 1913 ("Izmail", "Kinburn" , Borodino and Navarin).
Of the foreign "brothers" closest to the "Rurik" are the Italian armored cruisers of the "Amalfi" type ("Amalfi". "Pisa" - commissioned in 1909) and built by order of Greece "G. Averov "(commissioned on 8 1911, until now preserved as a museum ship in the suburbs of Athens).
Returning to Rurik again, we can say that the sailors of the Russian fleet have not forgotten the glorious ship: the silver mortgage plate of the cruiser Rurik, presented in 1907 by Vickers, is in eternal storage at the Central Naval Museum in St. Petersburg , a ship model made in 1906 in Great Britain (exhibited in the 1st hall of the TsVMM), as well as documentation on the construction of the ship and personal belongings of some crew members.
In the late 1990s At the Kaliningrad Yantar plant, it was planned to build a series of three patrol ships of project 12441 Thunder, developed by the Almaz Central Design Bureau, one of which was supposed to be named Rurik. Due to the lack of proper funding, the laying of the head Novik in July 1997 did not go further. However, one still wants to believe that someday a ship will again enter the fleet of REGENERATED Russia, on board of which the glorious name "RURIK" will sparkle with gold.
The area of destruction from a mine explosion. View from the nose
The cruiser "Rurik" after repairs in 1917
The cruiser "Rurik" under the flag of Vice Admiral N.O. Essen
The cruiser "Rurik" before the start of the First World War
Literature
1. Combat chronicle of the Russian fleet. M. 1948
2. Ivanov SV Survivability of the combat surface ship ML. 1940
3. History of domestic shipbuilding, v. 2. St. Petersburg, 1995. v. 3. St. Petersburg. 1996
4. Ships and auxiliary vessels of the Soviet Navy (1917–1927)! / Berezhnoy S.S. and others, M 1948
5. Melnikov R.M. Armored cruiser "Rurik" // Shipbuilding, 1980, No. 11, p. 61–71.
6. Moiseev S. P. List of ships of the Russian steam and armored fleet (from 1861 to 1917), M., 1948
7 Weapons of the Russian fleet (1696-1996) Petrov A.M. and others, St. Petersburg. 1996
8. Puzyrevsky K.P. Damage to ships from underwater explosions and the struggle for survivability. LM, 1938
9. Puzyrevsky K.P. Damage to ships from artillery and the struggle for survivability. P… 1940
10. Puzyrevsky K.P. Ship damage, damage control and rescue operations. ML. 1942.
11. Apalkov Yu.B. Warships of the Russian fleet. 8.1914-10.1917. SPb. 1996
12. Marine Collection, issues from 1997 to 2000
13. Suliga S Ships of the Russo-Japanese War. Russian fleet M. "Askold". 1993 ... p. 12 - (Crew data taken). - "Rurik-1".
14. Rene Greger. The Russian fleet. 1914–1917 London, 1972.
Armored cruiser "Rurik"- Russian armored cruiser of the first rank, intended to combat enemy merchant shipping at a great distance from their own bases. At the time of entry into service was one of the largest cruisers in the world. Participated in the Russo-Japanese War, as part of the Vladivostok detachment of cruisers conducted a number of successful raider operations against the Japanese fleet. He died heroically during the Battle of the Korea Strait. According to the significantly improved Rurik project, Rossiya and Gromoboi were later built.
Tactical and technical characteristics.
Displacement: 10 993 tons
Length: 132.6 m.
Width: 20.42 m.
travel speed: 18 knots.
cruising range: 6700 miles at 10 knots.
Armament:
- 4 guns of 203 mm caliber;
- 16 guns of 152 mm caliber;
- 6 guns of 120 mm caliber;
- 6 guns of 47 mm caliber;
- 10 37 mm guns;
- 2 landing guns Baranovsky caliber 63.5 mm;
- 6 torpedo tubes (381 mm).
Booking: up to 254 mm.
Crew: 741 people, of which 22 officers.
Commissioned: 1895
Design and construction.
Design.
In the second half of the 19th century, Great Britain, which had an extensive network of maritime trade and was completely dependent on supplies from the colonies, was considered as a likely enemy of the fleet of the Russian Empire. As a result, one of the main tasks of the Russian fleet was to be long-term raids on trade routes. At the same time, they had to act at a great distance from their own ports.
A similar concept was reflected in the shipbuilding program of 1882. This program provided for the construction of nine large cruisers designed to "destroy trade" in the Pacific Ocean and capable of operating as autonomously as possible.
The Rurik project originates from an initiative (without a task) draft design of the Baltic Shipyard, submitted to the Marine Technical Committee in 1888. In 1889, the project was radically revised, after which the ITC approved the main characteristics of the ship. The displacement was to be about 10,000 tons, speed up to 18 knots, 203-mm guns were taken as the main armament. The supply of coal was supposed to allow the cruiser to have a cruising range of up to 7,000 miles. The laying of the cruiser at the Baltic Shipyard took place on May 19, 1890.
Construction and testing.
Numerous problems arose during the construction of the Rurik: from the constantly missed deadlines for the receipt of materials, to the regular "wishes" of the MTC to make changes to the design.
In the course of construction, the conning tower was reconfigured several times, which was caused by the need to install additional systems. Ammunition cellars and elevators were redone 4 times, because. The MTK could not decide on the type of loading of 120-mm guns. There were even active discussions on finishing, in particular, the question of whether to make furniture for the cruiser from mahogany was discussed for a long time.
Later it was decided to install more powerful dynamos, which also did not add to the speed of construction. Only in September 1894, the Rurik entered the first sea trials, which were generally successful: the cruiser easily reached a speed of 18.8 knots.
Testing and retrofitting, and in some places - completion of the ship lasted about a year. October 16, 1895 "Rurik" entered service. S.O. played an important role in the construction and testing of the Rurik. Makarov, thanks to whose efforts the cruiser was accepted without any flaws.
Description of the structure.
It was in August 1904 that all the shortcomings of the already outdated Rurik made themselves felt and led to the death of the ship: a successfully hit projectile jammed the steering wheel and demolished the steering wheel. If the steering compartment of the cruiser had protection, such damage would most likely not have happened and the Rurik could have safely retreated. The uncontrolled ship lost its course and, despite the hurricane fire from the Gromoboy and Rossiya, it became clear that the cruiser would not reach Vladivostok.
"Gromoboy" and "Russia" left, followed by the main forces of the Japanese. "Rurik" by this time received numerous damages, and unprotected artillery was put out of action. Meanwhile, two Japanese armored cruisers continued their shelling, which had nothing to counter. At the same time, it became clear that light Japanese ships could not really do anything with the Rurik: a strong armored belt did not allow inflicting fatal damage. When approaching the enemy, Rurik fired a torpedo from the last remaining apparatus and tried to ram, but the Japanese ships easily evaded.
When the smoke of the returning Japanese cruisers appeared on the horizon (the pursuit of the Rossiya and Gromoboy ended in complete failure), kingstones were opened on the Rurik. The heroic ship went to the bottom without surrendering and without lowering the flag. During the battle, 203 crew members were killed, the rest were picked up by Japanese ships. All possible assistance was provided to the wounded, and in the future, the prisoners were treated with tremendous respect, which was well deserved. Part of the crew was released to their homeland almost immediately, others were able to return home after the end of the war.
armored cruiser "Rurik"
Centuries separate us from the dramatic events of the Russo-Japanese War. Historians are still arguing about what this war was, calling it either the last knightly battle in the history of mankind, or the first clash of the white and yellow races of our time. However, today we still know so little from those who died defending Port Arthur about those who went to the bottom of the sea with their ship in the Battle of Tsushima.
In the course of military clashes in the Far East in the period from 1904 to 1905, Russia did not win a single major victory, either at sea or on land. She actually lost her entire fleet. The widely known heroic death of the cruiser "" at the beginning of the war and the Tsushima tragedy of the squadron of Admiral Rozhdestvensky at its end. But the naval battle on August 1, 1904 in the Korean Strait between two detachments of Russian and Japanese cruisers remained in the shadows. This unprecedented 5-hour battle has no analogues in the history of the Russian fleet in its fierceness and stamina of resistance against superior enemy forces. During the naval battle, the armored ship heroically died under fire from the Japanese ships surrounding it cruiser « Rurik».
By the end of the 19th century, Russia was intensively re-equipping its navy. According to the 20-year shipbuilding program of 1881, a powerful ocean fleet was created. Given the absence of their own strongholds and supply bases in the oceans, each Russian cruiser had to act independently and be able to deliver quick and decisive strikes, not counting on anyone's help. As a result, armored frigates appeared, that is, frigates with a belt of armor along the waterline - “” and “ Memory of Azov". But they did not have high speed and seaworthiness, so it became necessary to create a cruiser with a greater cruising range, increased seaworthiness, high speed and strong artillery weapons.
The first Russian project of such a ship was the new armored cruiser " Rurik". It was named in honor of the Grand Duke Rurik, one of the leaders of the Varangians, whom the Slavs called to rule on Novgorod land. The name "" in the Russian fleet was carried by five ships from 1815 to 1922. This publication will focus on the fourth ship.
The construction of the cruiser was entrusted to the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, a contemporary of the beginning of the era of steam and iron shipbuilding under the leadership of N.V. Dolgoruky. The construction was carried out according to the project of engineer Nikolai Rodionov. On October 22, 1892, in the presence of the emperor, the cruiser was launched into the water. The completion of the ship was carried out for almost two years and on September 25, 1894 cruiser « Rurik joined the company.
The new ship had a huge displacement of 11 thousand tons for a cruiser at that time, the armor belt along the waterline was 200-250 mm and a high speed of 19 knots. The ship could take on board 2000 tons of coal.
The armament of the cruiser consisted of four 203 mm guns, sixteen 152 mm and six 120 mm guns, as well as sixteen small-caliber 37 mm and 47 mm guns. had six torpedo tubes for mine torpedoes. The cruising range at an economical speed of 10 knots was almost 7 thousand miles. The ship could pass from St. Petersburg to America and return back without refueling. However, it was not without drawbacks, the main of which were - the on-board location of artillery, which did not allow firing with all guns in one direction; lack of booking aft end; weak armor of the conning tower of only 150 mm. The construction of the cruiser cost the Russian treasury 9 million rubles. The crew of the ship consisted of 720 people, of which 27 were officers.
In May 1895 cruiser visited with the imperial review of the new Emperor Nicholas II. October 29, 1895 the cruiser " Rurik"Forever left the gray Baltic. The ship set off on its first long-distance ocean voyage to a new base in the Far East. He spent four months as part of the Russian Mediterranean squadron, visiting the French port of Algiers and the Greek Piraeus. After passing through the Suez Canal into the waters of the Indian Ocean through the ports of Colombo, the cruiser entered the Pacific Ocean. On April 9, 1896, the ship anchored in the Japanese port of Nagasaki, where the Pacific squadron mainly had to be based. The squadron of the Pacific Ocean by the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century was the most effective and continuously growing formation of the Russian fleet.
Russia, having acquired in the 20th century the western coast of the Sea of Japan from the mouth of the Amur to the Korean Peninsula, including the Amur and Ussuri Territories, continued its expansion to the south. Her eyes were fixed on northern China and Korea. Under a convention with China, Russia acquired a 25-year lease on the Liaodong Peninsula with the town of Luishun, which had the European name of Port Arthur. This ice-free port has been the main base of the Pacific squadron since 1898. At the same time, the construction of the South China railway from Harbin to Port Arthur began. Taking advantage of the damage to certain sections of the East China Railway during the uprising in 1900, Russian troops occupied Manchuria, raising their flag in Harbin.
Before the start of the war in 1903, a detachment of cruisers from the Pacific Ocean squadron was formed in Vladivostok, which included new battleships and cruisers: Russia», « Thunderbolt, « Rurik", armored cruiser « Bogatyr". The detachment was given ten destroyers. The tasks of the detachment were - conducting a cruising war, that is, disrupting the sea communications of the Japanese enemy and raiding operations on its coasts. By the start of the war cruisers sufficiently mastered the theater of the upcoming hostilities, and the cruiser " Rurik became a Pacific veteran.
cruiser "Russia"
Cruiser "Gromoboy"
In 1895, Japan won the war with decrepit China. Its young army and navy were rapidly gaining experience. All indemnities and imposed on China went to the rearmament of the army and navy. The country bought the latest ships from France, England and the USA. Japan harbored a grudge against Russia for the Liaodong Peninsula, which it actually took during the war with China. The country demanded world political recognition, and it decided to get it in the war with the Russian Empire. Enlisting the diplomatic support of England and the United States, on January 26, 1904, Japan launched a war with Russia with a sudden attack by its fleet on ships in Port Arthur. The ships of the squadron were seriously damaged by a night torpedo attack, and Russia lost a cruiser in the Korean port of Chemulpo. Varangian"and a gunboat" Korean».
The Pacific squadron blocked the Japanese fleet from the sea under the command of Admiral Togo. The damaged ships were restoring their combat capability in the absence of a repair base in Port Arthur. The Japanese fleet was rapidly gaining dominance at sea.
The death of Admiral Makarov on the flagship " Petropavlovsk"significantly undermined the morale of the squadron, but the fortress fought selflessly, repelling more and more enemy attacks. The doom of Port Arthur put the Pacific squadron on the brink of death. The Japanese installed siege artillery on the captured heights and were able to correct the fire of other batteries on the inner roadstead of the port. On July 25, they made the first bombardment of the fleet in the harbor. Only then, obeying the order of the commander-in-chief of the squadron commander confirmed by the tsar, Rear Admiral Witgeft led the squadron into the sea to break through to Vladivostok. But on July 28, the detachment entered the battle with the Japanese fleet waiting for it. After a fierce naval battle, Vitgeft on the battleship " Tsesarevich"was killed. This disrupted the order of battle, and the formation fell apart. Part of the ships returned to Port Arthur, part broke through to neutral ports, and only cruiser"" came to Russia. The battle was lost, but in Vladivostok they did not know about it, since there was no direct telegraph connection.
cruiser 2nd rank "Novik"
The Headquarters received information only on the morning of July 29, 1904. In response, it was decided to send a detachment of cruisers from Vladivostok to the squadron, which were supposed to divert the forces of the fleet of Admiral Kamimura, and in the event of a successful breakthrough, the Port Arthur squadron would join it at sea. A possible meeting was planned at dawn on August 1 at the parallel of the Korean port of Fuzan (modern Puzan). But having received a message about the failure of the breakthrough, the commander of the Vladivostok cruiser squadron, Vice Admiral Skrydlov, sent a destroyer with an order to return, but he could not catch up with the formation. And at dawn, Russian ships, instead of "their own", had already met the Japanese squadron, which was preparing to fight. The commander of the detachment, Admiral Jessen, having the order to divert the Japanese detachment by pursuit, without engaging in battle, already understood that it was impossible to fulfill it.
At 5 am, with the distance reduced to 6 miles, the Japanese opened fire. Following them, Russian cruisers opened fire from 203 mm guns on the port side. Soon on the cruisers Russia», « Thunderbolt"and" Rurik "there were the first losses. On the bridge of the cruiser Russia"The senior officer, Captain 2nd Rank Berlinsky, was killed on the spot. WITH " Thunderbolt"transmitted by semaphore:" The commander is wounded. Jessen at 5:50 turned his detachment to the north. During the cruiser's turn Rurik" lagged behind the detachment and came under concentrated fire from Japanese ships. It was at this moment that the ship received heavy damage in the stern, as a result of which the steering gear failed. The ship's commander was seriously injured. To the question of the flagship, is everything all right? Rurik' did not answer for a long time. Then, over the destroyed bridge of the cruiser, a signal rose: "I can not be controlled." led by Lieutenant N.I. Zenilov, and, continuing to circulate, led artillery fire. In the semi-flooded aft edema, the team's attempts to restore the steering mechanism did not stop. The enemy transferred all his heavy fire to the wounded cruiser « Rurik". Only by 8 am did the Japanese ships transfer their attacks to the Russian cruisers. Russia" and " Thunderbolt", which continued to follow the course to Vladivostok.
Soon, two low-speed light cruisers of Admiral Uriva approached the Rurik cruiser from the south. There was hope that the Rurik would fight off the less powerful cruisers and repair its damage, but one of the unexploded Japanese shells killed the commander and inflicted heavy wounds on Zenilov. The command of the ship is taken by the junior artillery officer, Lieutenant Ivanov XIII.
Already badly hurt cruisers Kamimur rushed in pursuit of two Russian ships. They lay down on parallel courses and opened aimed fire. Four against two. The distance was the most effective 30-40 cables. The situation was critical, but the Russian sailors did not even think of stopping the fight. Several 203 mm guns were put into operation on Russian cruisers, and 75 mm guns opened fire. More than 1,000 armor-piercing shells were fired. Soon at 09:50, the Japanese cruisers stopped fighting and turned all four ships to the right. Kamimura went south, where he was left alone cruiser « Rurik».
Convinced that the Russian sailors were not going to surrender, the Japanese slow-moving cruisers took up an advantageous position and increased their artillery fire. A new volley fell on cruiser « Rurik". Gradually, the wrecked guns fell silent. The crew suffered huge losses, but intends to fight to the end. Another shell explodes inside the conning tower, destroying all the instruments and controls of the ship with an explosion. By a miracle of the survivors, the wounded lieutenant Ivanov descends into the engine room and gives orders in a voice. Fire with " Rurik” almost stopped, Lieutenant Ivanov was convinced that all means of resistance had been exhausted. The last stern gun fired occasionally, and then the commander gave the order to open the kingstones and flood the cruiser so that the enemy would not get it. The Japanese shells continued to burst, killing the wounded already in the water of the sinking ship.
the death of the cruiser "Rurik"
Wet keel flashed and grandfathers " Rurik” as he was called, was gone. Sailors who sailed shouted "Hurrah" in honor of their glorious cruiser. It happened at 10:20 am. In a stubborn, bloody battle, such as the history of the steam fleet did not know, a glorious ship perished. In this fierce battle, 202 sailors died a heroic death. Japanese ships picked up and captured 604 people, of which 230 were wounded. The Japanese treated the prisoners with respect.
By the end of the day on August 2, the cruisers " Russia" and " Thunderbolt approached Vladivostok. met the whole city, but the cruiser " Rurik was not among them and nothing was known about his fate.
Arrived in Vladivostok cruisers Russia and Thunderbolt For two months, they healed severe wounds in repair, and in April 1905 they already made their last trip to the Sangar Strait, where they destroyed several Japanese schooners and coastal steamers.
August 14(August 1 according to the old style) 1904 there was a fierce battle 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 sides of the ship. 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: “Cruising the Vladivostok detachment is the most daring undertaking 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."
... Meanwhile, 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 Korean 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.
(The damaged armored cruiser Rossiya in Vladivostok, after the battle in the Korea Strait, August 1904.)
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 did not have 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 kept 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 Sangarsky 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 ...
The armored cruiser "Rurik" is one of the most famous Russian ships that took part in the First World War. The design and construction of the cruiser was carried out by the English company Vickers in the city of Barrow-in-Furness according to the terms of reference developed in 1904 by the Marine Technical Committee (MTC) of the Russian Naval Ministry. The cost of the order was about 1.5 million pounds sterling, including the hull with armor 799,500 pounds.
The "Rurik" type was a development of the idea of creating a "15,000-ton turret cruiser", proposed back in 1895 by the Baltic Shipyard and embodied in the battleships of the "Peresvet" type. "Rurik" absorbed not only the latest achievements of science and technology of that time, but also the latest tactical views on the squadron service of cruisers.
Initially, it was planned to build two more cruisers according to Rurik's drawings at domestic shipyards, however, due to the proposal to use turbines as the main mechanisms and the need to redesign the project, the construction of the ships was first postponed and then completely canceled.
The ship was laid down (started with construction) on August 9, 1905, launched on November 4, 1906. The cruiser inherited the name "Rurik" from its glorious predecessor, armored cruiser who heroically died in battle with the Japanese squadron on August 14, 1904.
Finally, "Rurik" became part of the Russian fleet in July 1909. Before the start of the war, the ship made several foreign voyages, in particular to England and France.
1.09.1914. Detachment of cruisers - "Rurik" (flag), "Russia", "Oleg", "Bogatyr", the destroyer "Novik" and a number of other ships left Reval (Tallinn) for reconnaissance on the Steinort-Hoborg line.
19.11.1914. Cover for minelaying from the mine layer "Amur" on the routes of the German fleet. On the minefield set by the Amur, 4 German ships were killed.
14.12.1914. Self-laying mines along with the cruiser "Admiral Makarov" off the German coast, in front of the Danzig Bay.
13.01.1915. Cover, together with the cruisers "Admiral Makarov" and "Bayan", mine laying from the cruisers "Oleg" and "Bogatyr", on which the cruiser "Augsburg" was blown up and damaged a few days later.
14.01.1915. Minelaying cover north of the Arnon lighthouse.
13.02.1915. A detachment of cruisers consisting of: "Rurik", "Admiral Makarov", "Oleg", "Bogatyr" (each ship had 100 mines on board) was ordered to lay mines on the approaches to the Danzig Bay. At about 4 o'clock in the morning, in bad weather, due to inaccuracies in the reckoning, the "Rurik" hit the bottom of the pitfalls near the Fare lighthouse at a 16-knot course. The damage turned out to be serious, the cruiser took up to 2400 tons of water. Under the escort of the Rurik detachment, it arrived in Revel in a 5-knot move, and then to Kronstadt. Repair work took 3 months.
2.07.1915. The battle near Gotland: "Rurik", having met the armored cruiser "Roon", the cruisers "Lubeck" and "Augsburg", entered the battle, which lasted about 30 minutes. Having received a hit, the Roon, along with the rest of the ships, managed to escape into the fog.
31.07.1915. Participation in the transfer of the battleship "Glory" from Ere through the Irben Strait to the Gulf of Riga.
11.11.1915. Laying together with other ships of the minefield detachment south of the island of Gotland under the cover of the battleships "Petropavlovsk" and "Gangut".
6.12.1915. To reinforce the previously set minefield on the south-west of the island of Gotland, a larger minefield was set up, on which the light cruiser Lübeck was blown up a month later. The laying of mines was covered by the battleships Petropavlovsk and Gangut.
20.11.1916. "Rurik", following together with the battleship "Andrew the First-Called" and the cruiser "Bayan" from Helsingfors (Helsinki) to Kronstadt, hit a mine 2 miles south of Gotland. Having taken about 500 tons of water, the cruiser independently reached Kronstadt. 52 people suffered. crew. Repair took 2 months.
The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, which overthrew the autocracy, could not but affect the fate of the Baltic Fleet. The successful German offensive forced the ships to be withdrawn from Helsingfors, where they could be captured by the Germans, to Kronstadt. Rurik also participated in this famous ice campaign. At the end of 1918, the Rurik was handed over for long-term storage, and in 1923 it was dismantled for metal. Towers of 203-mm guns were used on the forts of the Kronstadt defensive area.
The construction of the cruiser "Rurik" is an important stage in the development of the Russian fleet. Armored cruisers around the world served as an impetus for the creation of a new class of ships - battlecruisers, which appeared in the fleets of the leading maritime powers shortly before the First World War.
